Thread: Heaven: Geek Bail-Out: it's computering question time! 2016 Board: Limbo / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Happy New Year to all Geeks and non-Geeks!

After the most recent demise of 'It's Geek to me: translating computereze' - may it rest in peace in the Great Recycling Place in Heaven (or Limbo, as the case may be)! - I'd say there needs to be a new thread on the subject. As we're more and more electronialised in our lives, this 'ere place may well be where related questions will be answered.

Whether Mac or Windows or Linux, or possibly even Android and others, give it a try. Help, suggestions and good advice may be available! Oh - and tea, coffee and biscuits, as well. - Just don't spill any on the keyboard.

To begin, press 'Start' now.

[ 21. February 2017, 19:56: Message edited by: Belisarius ]
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
<presses start button>

I have a question...

How can I get my DVDs onto my iPad, or onto a hard drive that will talk to my iPad?

I have a MacBook 1.1 (yes, it's 14 or 15 years old, I think).
I tried the other day to Bluetooth my music across from it (well, from the hard drive it lives on) to my iPad, but the MacBook couldn't work out what the iPad was, so couldn't connect. iPads weren't invented when it was made. Any suggestions for making that work would also be gratefully received.

That means I can't get a ripper and put them onto the MacBook and then transfer them over.
Even if I could, I think it might take a while for my little MacBook to manage that much.

It's quite a lot of DVDs, full sets of Star Trek (TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, Vgr) box set of The Prisoner, box set of Hornblower...

If it weren't expensive, I'd be willing to take them and a hard drive (which I don't yet own) to somewhere in London to get it done for me, but I don't know if that exists, and Googling isn't being that helpful.

Confused
 

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Posted by ElaineC (# 12244) on :
 
I would have thought it should be possible to do it via iTunes. (Admittedly I have a much more recent iMac)

On your MacBook load the DVDs into iTunes and then sync with your iPad.

iTunes should be able to recognise the iPad.
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
It can't. My MacBook can't recognise the iPad. It sees it but can't connect because it can't recognise it. The MacBook is too old. This is why I can't transfer my music either. It's an iPad Air 2, so has no connectors, so it would rely on Bluetooth to talk to my MacBook.

I don't think you can rip commercial DVDs with iTunes, can you?
if I could, and if I cou,d get a hard drive that could both plug via USB into my ancient MacBook and talk to my iPad Air, then that could be a possibility...

[ 05. January 2016, 13:19: Message edited by: luvanddaisies ]
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
Thinking about using iTunes, which hadn't occurred to me...
If I used a nice new external hard drive ( [URL=WD My Passport Ultra Premium Portable Hard Drive - 3 TB, White https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YRBNJXS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_BQ9IwbQNM744T]this[/URL] ) with a wireless adaptor ( [URL=Toshiba Stor.e Wireless Adapter for USB Hard Drive https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J32Z6VE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_bV9Iwb1X6YV48]this[/URL] ), would I be able to put my DVDs onto iTunes using my MacBook, and save all of those as well as all of my music onto the new external drive, then use the wireless adaptor to play them on my iPad?
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
Apple are very concerned about making as much money as possible, erm, I mean about protecting content owners' rights. So ISTM, iTunes is not the way to go.
Possibly helpful link.
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
Thanks, but the MacBook is too elderly to be able to run Handbrake. I had a look after ElaineC suggested using iTunes.

If I could run Handbrake or similar, it would be ideal. I could get a nice fat hard drive, stuff all the music on it, rip my DVDs onto it and use a wireless transmitter to let the iPad talk to it.

(Or if an ickle DVD player existed that could talk to my iPad, that would also work. I've googled, and it doesn't seem to. Even better, if a DVD/hard drive combined ickle thing existed that could both play and rip, that would be lovely).
 

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Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
It's an iPad Air 2, so has no connectors, so it would rely on Bluetooth to talk to my MacBook.

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quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
Even better, if a DVD/hard drive combined ickle thing existed that could both play and rip, that would be lovely).

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quote:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
It has a lightning port, right? Can you not connect that to the macbook with a lightning -> usb cable (this is probably the cable you use to charge your ipad)?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

Are you wanting this to be able to take something to watch with you whilst travelling, wanting to watch DVDs in your iPad in bed at home, or what?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

There exist hard drives with built-in WiFi (eg. Seagate GoFlex) that can apparently be used to store video and stream to the iPad.

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quote:

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Originally posted by lilBuddha:

quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
Even better, if a DVD/hard drive combined ickle thing existed that could both play and rip, that would be lovely).

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If you wish to carry another device, why not just get a portable DVD player? Cheap as chips.

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quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
It can't. My MacBook can't recognise the iPad. It sees it but can't connect because it can't recognise it. The MacBook is too old. This is why I can't transfer my music either. It's an iPad Air 2, so has no connectors, so it would rely on Bluetooth to talk to my MacBook.

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• You make sure your Macbook is running MacOS 10.6.8 (the latest version of MacOS it will support)
• You download iTunes 11.4
• Your iPad is running iOS 8, and not iOS 9

quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:

Does that mean I'm never going to be able to move my music across? It's all stored in a hard drive, I was going to (eventually) put it onto another hard drive then connect that to my iPad, and I just assumed that would work.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Adam.:
I running Word on Windows 8 and sometimes when I insert a footnote, the number gets printed twice at the bottom of the page (ie. the cursor jumps to the bottom and I see that ^5656^ has been inserted instead of just ^56^). It's not a huge issue (I can just delete two of the digits, but I'm curious as to what's going on and why. Attempting to google for this, I just get lots of discussion about how to use the same number for two different footnotes.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Doublethink.:

quote:

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Originally posted by Adam.:
I running Word on Windows 8 and sometimes when I insert a footnote, the number gets printed twice at the bottom of the page (ie. the cursor jumps to the bottom and I see that ^5656^ has been inserted instead of just ^56^). It's not a huge issue (I can just delete two of the digits, but I'm curious as to what's going on and why. Attempting to google for this, I just get lots of discussion about how to use the same number for two different footnotes.

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I`d strongly recommend you take the free upgrade to windows 10, its soooo much better than 8.1

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Or, even better, Linux.

 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
If you do take the 'upgrade'(!) route (and time is ticking on), then for heaven's sake take the trouble to do your research first, and if you decide to go for it consider clicking on 'Customise' when you get to the 'Settings' screen.

Only do this if you have any care about what your operating system supplier (Microsoft in this case) entitles itself to do with your machine and data.

Windows is inexorably becoming more and more intrusive and oppressive regarding 'ownership' of the user's computing experience. Microsoft ideally wish your computer to become a simple 'appliance' which you use, but they own and control.

On one level the advantages are obvious: computers are immensely complex, and most people have neither the interest nor training to keep them working properly (let alone actually USE them properly!), so it makes sense to lift that burden, as far as possible, from the hands and mind of the irresponsible user---just as is done with cars.

On another level many/most of us use our computers to enable us to manage very personal aspects of our lives. There is information and practices that are nobody's business but ours (both legally and socially). Added to that we may wish to use our computer as we choose, not as some irresponsible profit driven corporate agency chooses.

Windows 10 offers some improvements over previous iterations of Windows. It also offers a whole new way (for Microsoft) of how the operating system is managed and maintained. It opens up some major questions and risks, some of which can already be seen by the way Microsoft is attempting to persuade/coerce users into using W10---whether they want to or not.

In the end it's up to us to choose, and that includes how responsible we want to be for what the box in the corner does with the information we place on it.

Thankfully Windows is not the only option, and it still has things going for it, but as the old saying goes: caveat emptor.
 

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Posted by Doublethink. (# 1984) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Divine Outlaw:

quote:

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Originally posted by Doublethink.:

quote:

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Originally posted by Adam.:
I running Word on Windows 8 and sometimes when I insert a footnote, the number gets printed twice at the bottom of the page (ie. the cursor jumps to the bottom and I see that ^5656^ has been inserted instead of just ^56^). It's not a huge issue (I can just delete two of the digits, but I'm curious as to what's going on and why. Attempting to google for this, I just get lots of discussion about how to use the same number for two different footnotes.

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I`d strongly recommend you take the free upgrade to windows 10, its soooo much better than 8.1

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Or, even better, Linux.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Doublethink.:
I`d strongly recommend you take the free upgrade to windows 10, its soooo much better than 8.1

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quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
Does that mean I'm never going to be able to move my music across? It's all stored in a hard drive, I was going to (eventually) put it onto another hard drive then connect that to my iPad, and I just assumed that would work.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Amorya:

quote:

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Originally posted by luvanddaisies:
Does that mean I'm never going to be able to move my music across? It's all stored in a hard drive, I was going to (eventually) put it onto another hard drive then connect that to my iPad, and I just assumed that would work.

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You might be able to subscribe to iTunes Match (just over £20/year), which stores all your music in the cloud (even stuff you didn't buy from Apple). iTunes on your Mac (version 10.5.1 or later, which includes the version I linked to above) will synchronise your music with Apple's servers. Then you can also tell your iPad to synchronise there.

Failing that, there might be a third party Mac app that can handle transferring music onto the iPad. I'm afraid I don't know which ones are good though.

Amy

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quote:

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Originally posted by Adam.:

quote:

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Originally posted by Doublethink.:
I`d strongly recommend you take the free upgrade to windows 10, its soooo much better than 8.1

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When the invite box for this pops up (and it does, with pretty high frequency), it always ensures me that all my files we still be there when I upgrade, but how about all my software?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Alisdair:
If you do take the 'upgrade'(!) route (and time is ticking on), then for heaven's sake take the trouble to do your research first, and if you decide to go for it consider clicking on 'Customise' when you get to the 'Settings' screen.

Only do this if you have any care about what your operating system supplier (Microsoft in this case) entitles itself to do with your machine and data.

Windows is inexorably becoming more and more intrusive and oppressive regarding 'ownership' of the user's computing experience. Microsoft ideally wish your computer to become a simple 'appliance' which you use, but they own and control.

On one level the advantages are obvious: computers are immensely complex, and most people have neither the interest nor training to keep them working properly (let alone actually USE them properly!), so it makes sense to lift that burden, as far as possible, from the hands and mind of the irresponsible user---just as is done with cars.

On another level many/most of us use our computers to enable us to manage very personal aspects of our lives. There is information and practices that are nobody's business but ours (both legally and socially). Added to that we may wish to use our computer as we choose, not as some irresponsible profit driven corporate agency chooses.

Windows 10 offers some improvements over previous iterations of Windows. It also offers a whole new way (for Microsoft) of how the operating system is managed and maintained. It opens up some major questions and risks, some of which can already be seen by the way Microsoft is attempting to persuade/coerce users into using W10---whether they want to or not.

In the end it's up to us to choose, and that includes how responsible we want to be for what the box in the corner does with the information we place on it.

Thankfully Windows is not the only option, and it still has things going for it, but as the old saying goes: caveat emptor.

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quote:

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Originally posted by North East Quine:
This is a computer problem, but I can't find a current computer thread.

A bit of background which may or may not be relevant:
Somebody at church sends out e-mails with attachments to a large group. For some reason I can open but not print these attachments, a problem I share with about 6 other recipients. My husband (on the same mailing list) can both open and print, so it's not a problem.

Today I received an e-mail, with attachment. When I tried to open it, I got a document I'd downloaded several years ago instead. I've tried several times, and the sender has re-sent it, but I'm still getting an old download. My husband has opened his attachment with no problem.

Why am I getting a random old download instead of the attachment?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Adam.:
I don't know about the second one, but for the first one, our old printing set-up had trouble printing certain attachments when you just opened them and pressed 'print'; you had to download them, open up the download you'd saved somewhere, and then it would print fine.

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quote:

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Originally posted by North East Quine:
It's the second one that's the problem; I only described the first in case it had a bearing on the second.

My husband thinks I must have inadvertently / absentmindedly opened the download within the last couple of days and failed to close it properly. I am sure I haven't done that and that I haven't looked at that download for years. Quite apart from anything else it's in a password protected file, so I'm unlikely to have opened it "absentmindedly."

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ariel:
Twice now my computer has suddenly shut down without any apparent reason. Any ideas why? (Windows XP.)

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ariel:
Twice now my computer has suddenly shut down without any apparent reason. Any ideas why? (Windows XP.)

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ariel:
It's a new secondhand one. Sometimes there's an audible increase in engine power when Facebook gets heavy or Firefox has too many windows open. Other than that it's been fine and silent.

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That noise would be the fan(s) kicking to remove heat from your engine (processors).
IMO, the priority is to back up your data. Second would be to access your fans and heat sinks to remove dust. Unfortunately, as TonyK mentions, most laptops are not designed for this to be easy.
I would back up data first, because if it is imminent HD death, recovering data is problematic.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
This is a bulky sort of desktop, not a laptop, but I'll see what I can do. Thanks for all the advice! Some good leads to follow over the weekend - not least of all, backups.
 

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Posted by Arethosemyfeet (# 17047) on :
 
If you suspect dust then a can of compressed air is your friend. Point it at every heat sink and fan you can find, especially the one on top of the processor in the middle of the motherboard.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
This will undoubtedly make many people wince but I actually pointed the vacuum cleaner nozzle in the direction of the outside vents this morning, which have accumulated a shocking amount of dust since purchase, and was pleased to see the dust lift itself off and sail away. The pc sounds noticeably quieter now, as silent as when I first got it, and so far no problems. Something to keep an eye on.
 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Two points re dust:

1. Don't leave a desktop base unit on the floor. The floor is where all the dust settles, so the base unit fans will pull that dust in and clog up the heat sinks, etc. So, make sure the box is raised off the floor, even a few inches will make a significant difference to the amount of dust inhaled.

2. Laptops HATE duvets - and bedding generally (and the clothes we're wearing) - they all block up the ventilation slots leading to over heating problems, not to mention dust inhalation.
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Just to encourage people to regularly de-dustify their deskies and lappies - I've now done that do my old 2004 DELL Inspiron 8600 laptop again, and lo and behold, one of the heatsinks had been rather and truly endusted. (These machines have easily removable, and thus cleanable, fans.)

Another go at using the ole trusty steed, which had led me to SoF, and which now is the kitchen lappie.

[ 08. March 2016, 13:20: Message edited by: Wesley J ]
 

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Posted by Wet Kipper (# 1654) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Arethosemyfeet:
If you suspect dust then a can of compressed air is your friend. Point it at every heat sink and fan you can find, especially the one on top of the processor in the middle of the motherboard.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Wesley J:
Just to encourage people to regularly de-dustify their deskies and lappies - I've now done that do my old 2004 DELL Inspiron 8600 laptop again, and lo and behold, one of the heatsinks had been rather and truly endusted. (These machines have easily removable, and thus cleanable, fans.)

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Sorry, I'm not likely to disconnect a heavy, bulky base unit, unscrew the casing and clean the inside. I don't know what a heatsink looks like, and I've been told there are elements inside a computer you shouldn't attempt to touch unless you know what you're doing. It'll get cleaned on the outside when necessary and that's as much as I'm venturing on.
 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Dear Ariel,

Sometimes it's worth taking courage in your hands and, while noting the warnings, venture forth.

The warnings of dire consequences if you dare to look inside your computer are really there to cover people's backs (and protect their incomes if their living is at stake).

1. Don't go poking around with a screw driver.

2. Make sure the base unit is DISCONNECTED FROM THE MAINS; just switched off is not good enough!

If you are de-dusting, use a narrow paint brush to dislodge dust, and put the vacuum cleaner on a low setting, using the narrow nozzle (no need to touch anything - though see just below).

If you use compressed air, or the vacuum cleaner, just be careful not to blast fan blades. Stop them spinning with your finger, or a bit of tape, or something. It is possible to over-speed them and wreck the bearin, but I think you would have to try fairly hard to do that!

That's about it. As long as you take seriously the 'no poking about with a screwdriver*' and 'pull out the power plug' advice, and are not a complete maladroit, you are very unlikely to cause your computer, or yourself, any harm; and a good annual de-dusting is a very good idea.

I have been de-dusting computers for over twenty years and have never broken anything or harmed myself. I'm not an IT professional, it's just routine housekeeping - once a year is usually quite enough, unless you realise your computer lives in an unusually dusty environment.


* For the record there are capacitors on the motherboard which store electricity and can give a real belt if allowed to earth. This is the reason for the 'no poking about with a screwdriver' (or any other conductive object). A passing paintbrush will not trouble them.
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Very sound advice, and very detailed, Alisdair. Thank you very much!

Re 'unscrewing the casing' - my desktop (DELL Dimension 5000, repeatedly upgraded - and, yes, regularly backupped!) is from 2005, and opening them is easy: those cases just have to be carefully laid onto one side, and a big slider on the top has to be slid forward in order for the entire, big metal side to come off.

I don't think any recent machine (from the last 10 yrs or so) will have the much-dreaded physical screws any more; the last desktop I used with 'real' screws was from 1995, and yes, that was always an awkward procedure.

And another word of encouragement: check your computer manual, either the printed or downloadable versions - I've found every single handbook to contain very helpful information on how to clean out the insides. This, plus Alisdair's good hints above, and you should be on to a winner.

Why not look at it as a cleansing ritual in Lent for your electronic friend!

(NB. Back-up first before you work on the inside. Regular back-ups are quite sensible in any case.)

[ 10. March 2016, 13:34: Message edited by: Wesley J ]
 

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Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :
 
I'm running the latest version of Firefox on Windows 7. Firefox has suddenly decided to crash at regular intervals, particularly (it would seem) when I'm entering text (such as here) or on my webmail. Does anyone have any clues as to what might be wrong? I've flushed my cache and reinstalled the browser.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
when you uninstall Firefox, it can leave behind files. You should manually remove those. It is easy to find the ones under the Program Files folder, but the type this

code:

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 %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ 

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quote:

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Originally posted by lilBuddha:
First, though, I would malware detector and an anti-virus.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Eutychus:
My anti-virus isn't finding anything. What are the crew's latest recommendations on anti-malware software?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Eutychus:
I'm running the latest version of Firefox on Windows 7. Firefox has suddenly decided to crash at regular intervals, particularly (it would seem) when I'm entering text (such as here) or on my webmail. Does anyone have any clues as to what might be wrong? I've flushed my cache and reinstalled the browser.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Snags:
TBH Eutychus problem sounds more like an iffy add-in or corrupt install than malware, but ...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
Yes, I have killed that one update, and changed the update manager to "ask me first before installing."

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quote:

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Originally posted by Snags:
It's unlikely to be a full disk. Even if there's no space at all the BIOS should give you a boot message or splash screen etc.

Try disconnecting all power and peripherals. Hold the power button in for 10 seconds. Release, wait 10 seconds, hold the power button in for 30 seconds (if the battery is detachable, remove it before the 30 second hold). Re-attach battery and power and try to start normally.

If it's basically a tablet then it may be overcharged. I've seen this with Asus units. In which case the other thing to try is not to touch it or plug it in at all for two or three days, then try to start it without external power.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
Yes, I have killed that one update, and changed the update manager to "ask me first before installing."

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I've found that the only foolproof way to stop updates is to change the setting to "Never check for updates." Even so, I'm prompted regularly that this is the setting and I really should be checking.

Can't help you on how to get rid of the Windows 10 update prompt, though.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Alisdair:
Re Windows 10 update nag/coercion:

Don't worry, you will come to love Big Brother. Accept the fact that 'Windows-as-a-Service' means that you merely 'rent' the use of Microsoft's operating system.

The price you pay for being allowed to use it is that you give up a substantial amount of formerly available control over how the system works, and trust that Microsoft will always behave with probity and timeliness with regard to the security of your data and the access that you have, both to your data and to the software you use.

The question you have to ask yourself is: "Am I feeling lucky?"

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
I've been needing to use Google maps of the London area recently, and they have suddenly started coming up with the Underground lines overlaid on the map in the different line colours. I really don't want them showing, how can I get rid of them?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
I've been needing to use Google maps of the London area recently, and they have suddenly started coming up with the Underground lines overlaid on the map in the different line colours. I really don't want them showing, how can I get rid of them?

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Click on the menu (horizontal lines to the left of the search box) and deselect "Transit"?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
...Google maps of the London area ...have suddenly started coming up with the Underground lines overlaid on the map in the different line colours.

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Yes!!! Thank you - I'm going to spend a geeky few mins looking at them!!!
 

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Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :
 
Looks like the thickness of the lines indicates passenger numbers...
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Is anybody else finding there is a bug in the latest Firefox version, 45.0.1 (tested on several machines running Win 7)?

This is about the refresh button. Whereas the rightclick 'Refresh tab' works perfectly well, clicking on the refesh button in the top frame ain't workin' no more.

The only other evidence that others are having the same problem was here, on the page of a Firefox add-on called 'Reloadevery'. Now, quite interstingly, I do not have this add-on, but the non-working refresh button seems to be the same.

Any thoughts? Any observations? Thanks.
 

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Posted by Amorya (# 2652) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:

quote:

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Originally posted by Sparrow:
...Google maps of the London area ...have suddenly started coming up with the Underground lines overlaid on the map in the different line colours.

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Yes!!! Thank you - I'm going to spend a geeky few mins looking at them!!!

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Try this one, if you want to geek out:

http://carto.metro.free.fr/cartes/metro-tram-london/
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
My PC clock has gone berserk! Everything in the house [phone, watch, clocks, etc.] says it is nearly 09.00 but the PC insists it is nearly 10.00 but also fails to synchronise with time.windows.com - silly thing but I tend to glance at the clock top right of the screen at regular intervals...
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
Sorry, panic over, I told it to synchronise with something else and it corrected itself - time-a.nist.gov solved the problem.
 

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Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
Main household computer has died (at least the fan is working and the screen but I am not sure what else). It now is not even getting as far as bios so I can't even try bsod remedies.

My guess it is either hard drive or motherboard. Any shipmate willing to make a guess?

It is fully backed up twice over so no real panic. I am taking the physical backup into work and seeing if I can get the work machine to read the personal files.

Jengie
 

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Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Is there a little internal battery which has expired? Often known as a CMOS battery - looks like the sort of battery one gets in a camera.

[ 04. April 2016, 08:40: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 

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Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
It won't be the CMOS battery. That only really serves the purpose of keeping the clock ticking when there's no mains power. If there's mains power then it will boot, but may have lost the clock/BIOS info and need to be reset.

From the symptoms described my money would be on a dead PSU. A lot of modern(ish) ATX PSUs fail on some but not all of the lines. So rather than the old "Bang!" <smell> of yore, now you get what amounts to:

- My computer won't start! The fan spins but nothing happens.
-- It's the PSU
- It can't be, the fan spins
-- It's the PSU, the 5v rail is probably OK and the 12v rail has probably gone
- But the fan spins and the little light comes on
-- IT'S THE PSU!!!!!!!
- Pfft, what do you know?

<time passes>
- Fixed my computer!
-- Yeah, what was it?
- Oh, this bloke swapped the power supply out and now it's OK. Why didn't you suggest that?
-- Nnnnngggghhhhhhhh



(For reference, if it was the HDD you'd get to the BIOS. If it was RAM you'd get error beeps. If it was the CPU you ought to get error beeps. So it's either the motherboard, or the PSU. But it's the PSU )
 

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Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
Thanks, that has persuaded me it is probably worth taking to the guys in work to see what they come up with. Work gives limited support to our home computing; this is not asking favours. The reason being that so much work is done at home it makes sense to support the use of home computing

Jengie
 

---

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Snags:
It won't be the CMOS battery. That only really serves the purpose of keeping the clock ticking when there's no mains power. If there's mains power then it will boot, but may have lost the clock/BIOS info and need to be reset.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amorya:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
...Google maps of the London area ...have suddenly started coming up with the Underground lines overlaid on the map in the different line colours.

---

Yes!!! Thank you - I'm going to spend a geeky few mins looking at them!!!

---

Try this one, if you want to geek out:

http://carto.metro.free.fr/cartes/metro-tram-london/

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jengie jon:
Thanks, that has persuaded me it is probably worth taking to the guys in work to see what they come up with. Work gives limited support to our home computing; this is not asking favours. The reason being that so much work is done at home it makes sense to support the use of home computing

Jengie

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Snags:
It won't be the CMOS battery. ...

---

I'm not so sure; my old computer (an AppleMac) wouldn't work at all if this battery was flat. Change it and - hey presto! - everything would work again.

Mind you, I defer to Snags who seems to know more than I do about these things!

---

Well, it's kind of my job, indirectly (we actually do more consultancy/support than hardware these days, but used to do a lot of custom builds way back when). Which doesn't mean I'm always right by a long shot, but I've seen enough to play the percentages.

I can honestly say I've never seen a dead CMOS battery (excluding ancient ones that were soldered to the board) prevent a PC from at least booting to BIOS, though. Nothing about a Mac would surprise me, though So that's another bit of info filed away in the 'just in case' slot, thank you.
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wesley J:
Is anybody else finding there is a bug in the latest Firefox version, 45.0.1 (tested on several machines running Win 7)?

This is about the refresh button. Whereas the rightclick 'Refresh tab' works perfectly well, clicking on the refesh button in the top frame ain't workin' no more.

The only other evidence that others are having the same problem was here, on the page of a Firefox add-on called 'Reloadevery'. Now, quite interstingly, I do not have this add-on, but the non-working refresh button seems to be the same.

Any thoughts? Any observations? Thanks.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
I have a Nook ereader, bought because it wasn't Amazon. Now Barnes and Noble are pulling out from the UK.
I had thought, no problem, I can still borrow ebooks from the library, buy from Waterstones, or stick pdfs on it from other sources. I've put all my folk song repertoire which I used to have on my Palm Pilot on it.
But earlier this week, someone on the radio said that from mid-May, the thing will turn into a lump of flint, and be totally useless.
Is this true?
And, if so, why are they allowed to do this?

---

It doesn't look as if what you have gleaned from the radio is quite correct. Marketing Magazine's article seems to indicate that Sainsbury's is picking up the business and that most content will still be available. An earlier evolution of this story on techradar.com suggests this story is fast-evolving.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Ah, thanks, so the radio story was off. I have connected with Sainsburys, though done nothing there yet. I see from the one comment on the first link that downloading via Adobe Digital Editions still works, which is what I thought I would be able to do, and I can't understand what the woman is moaning about. That way, the book is stored on both my computer and my Nook, and no-one is going to wipe it. Except, possibly, me. I'm not really bothered about earlier purchases from B&N - quite a few I would be happy to lose. On paper, they'd have gone to Oxfam.

[ 14. April 2016, 15:27: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Penny S - even if, at some point, the online service is withdrawn you SHOULD still be able to use the Nook. I don't have one, but I assume you can connect it to a local PC and move files between the two devices.

'Calibre' is well recognised software for managing e-books on a PC, and also has the capability of copying an e-book into another format, including removing the 'DRM' (Digital Rights Management) encryption from Amazon e-books, and possibly other 'DRM' also.

You can use Calibre to organise copies of all your ebooks on a PC, so you have backups, and can swap ebooks off your Nook to make room for others.

It has to be said that Calibre does take a bit of learning, but don't be intimidated. If you really struggle, hopefully there is a helpful person available to encourage into handling/teaching.

http://tinyurl.com/j376klh
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Can Calibre (or anything else) be used to get my purchased Nook books permanently on to my computer, so as B & N / Nook can't wipe them / hold them hostage / go out of business and leave me screwed?

I used to have permanent electronic copies before they quietly changed their model and left me essentially a renter.

Also, I seem to be having a font problem with my Galaxy tablet. It pulls up Bible Gateway, but refuses to render the Greek vowels anymore--just gives me empty spaces. Any idea of a fix?
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Lamb Chopped - have a look at this and see what you think

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/277226-calibre

Calibre is 'free' open-source software, so no financial charge, though you can probably make a donation, and is well supported, so you should find most/all the answers you need on Calibre's website.
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
You have hours left.

Here is an old page with some tips, never tried them, don't know if they work.
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
According to that, the deadline was a month ago today. Must google to find out what's going on now...
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Thanks for those links and comments.

So, I've been fiddling around - I have managed to unarchive stored books. According to the manual, archived books were stored somewhere cloudy, so obviously that's accessible. (Unless they were actually stored on the device.) The shop setting goes nowhere, and I can't find out how to direct it to Sainsburys. Presumably I can do that on the computer.

Things I acquired via the computer are on that - though I had to go into backup locations to retrieve them.

Panic basically over.

[ 15. April 2016, 07:32: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Sainsburys is working through Adobe Digital Editions, not direct from the Nook.

Am I bovvered?

What I do wish, though, is that books which fall into my "read and pass on" category could be removed from the records. I'm not really keen to have it obvious to any hacker that I went through a phase of reading Dr who quite that recently.

[ 15. April 2016, 09:12: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I have an elderly laptop that was running Windows 7, but it had slowed down a lot recently and I decided to completely reinstall the system from my original disk. That went ok, and when I went on line it downloaded a few updates, but it doesn't appear to have downloaded Service Packs 1 and 2 which it had before. How can I make it do that, do I have to go to the Microsoft website and find them?
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Here goes: Clickedyclick. There ain't no service pack 2 for Windows 7.
 

---

Posted by Spike (# 36) on :
 
I have a Gmail account I use primarily for work. I also use Google Calendar on my iPad and smartphone. Whenever anyone sends me an email to my Gmail account that contains a date & time in the text it automatically puts an entry in my calendar. How do I stop it doing this?
 

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Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Spike:
Whenever anyone sends me an email to my Gmail account that contains a date & time in the text it automatically puts an entry in my calendar. How do I stop it doing this?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alan Cresswell on the Windows 10 thread in Hell
OK, mine was set to install recommended updates. So, by rights it should have upgraded to Windows 10 automatically, but hasn't. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I've just changed it so it will download them, but let me choose whether to install them.

---

I am computer-illiterate and I want to avoid Windows 10. I currently have Windows 7, and I'm perfectly happy with it.

I don't understand at all what Alan did, but I want to do it. Would someone please give me step-by-step directions in words of one syllable.

Thanks.

Moo

--------------------

[ 17. May 2016, 12:15: Message edited by: Moo ]
 

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Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
OK, you'll need to be an admin to do this, but if it's a home computer and you don't know what you're doing, you probably are

To change your Windows Update settings:

• click on the 'Start' (Windows flag) button
• in the search box type "windows update"
• at the top of the list you should find "Windows Update" - click on it (left button)
• in Windows Update look on the left hand sidebar and click "Change Settings"
• in the drop-down select the option you want - probably "Download but let me choose whether to install them" or "Notify but don't download"
• de-select "Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates" if it is selected (although W10 has just been promoted to Important )
• Click OK and confirm things as many times as you need to

• click Start
• open Control Panel
• under "Programs" click "Uninstall a program"
• in the left-hand sidebar click "View installed updates"
• in "Search installed updates" (top right) search for "KB3035583"
• If it's found in the list (it will be the only item) remove it by clicking on it and choosing "Uninstall" at the top of the list
• Reboot after uninstalling

• Click Start
• Type "gpedit.msc" in the search box
• Click on gpedit.msc in the list
• Expand the following tree: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
• On the right-hand side click "Setting" to sort the list by name
• Double-click on "Turn off the upgrade to latest version of Windows through Windows Update" policy item
• Choose "Enabled" and then click OK

Hope that helps.
 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Moo, you may wish to explore using 'GWX Control Panel', which by all accounts is effective:

http://tinyurl.com/qauay2q

I can't vouch for it myself as I don't use Windows, but it is reportedly very effective.

[for the record, this is a copy and paste of an earlier post]
 

---

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
Snags, thank you for your very detailed instructions. I changed the Windows Update settings as you suggested, and I trust this will keep me from being hijacked by Windows 10.

Moo
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I'm trying to make sense of my storage, on external hard drives and a network drive attached to my router. There are lots of duplicates because I have been very careful to make sure I have adequate backups. I want to cut them down to one of each on each device, and sort the folders sensibly.

I've been using Auslogics' program, but it can't see the network drive, and now can't see any non-photo documents. It's very good for photos and a few odd other types. But I need to find duplicates of MS Office and OpenOffice files, pdfs and so on, and this program can't see them.

Does anyone know a good, safe program which will do this?
 

---

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
I have windows 10 on my laptop. Recently the start icon on the lower left corner of the screen, has stopped working. In other words, I click on it and nothing happens. That's the icon that's supposed to open up the list of programs on the computer so I can access them, and the settings and power and etc.

Any ideas what's happened? Everything else seems to be working.
 

---

Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Never mind the above problem, I found a fix on-line and it's OK now.
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
I've bought myself a cheap old DELL Vostro 1540 laptop which is reasonably fast, has got a nice SSD, and is ok to work with, although of course definitely not a high end model.

Doing a clean install of Windows 7 Professional 64bit plus most drivers and programmes I wanted went as planned (I have successfully done this with several other machines). Most drivers were downloadable from the DELL Vostro 1540 dedicated support pages.

There are two problems I'm facing now, however:

Problem #1 is that for the life of me I can't seem to find a graphics driver for the native 1366x768 resolution; instead all I get is 1024x768 max.

Problem #2 is that the DELL Quick Set for the machine appears not to work, and therefore I can't change the screen brightness; neither is there any brightness setting in the Control Panel, it seems.

All this I find a bit baffling. I shall investigate further, but: if any of you have any suggestions, it'd be warmly appreciated!

Thank you!
 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
This is something I have never understood, -- tonight my internet is working (obviously or I wouldn't be able to post) but my Wi-Fi isn't. What is the difference?

I am, technologically speaking, a Bear of very Little Brain, please could someone explain this in easily understood language?

Huia

[ 02. June 2016, 09:26: Message edited by: Huia ]
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
Huia, if your computer is plugged into the router with a cable (an Ethernet connection) then Wifi is irrelevant.

If your computer has no physical connection to a router and it is able to access the internet then either the notification saying that WiFi is down is wrong, or your computer has connected itself to someone else's WiFi (possibly even your mobile phone, if it's set to act as a 'WiFi hotspot'), OR, it's a miracle!

You should be able to open the app that controls/monitors your connections (should be somewhere in the tray on the taskbar) and see what connection is actually being made.


 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
It's a desktop - connected to a modem and plugged into the wall. It has no connection to my mobile phone, which isn't a hotspot.

But I would be grateful if someone could answer my original question without baffling me with science, thanks.

Huia
 

---

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
It's a desktop - connected to a modem and plugged into the wall. It has no connection to my mobile phone, which isn't a hotspot.

But I would be grateful if someone could answer my original question without baffling me with science, thanks.

---

WiFi is wireless networking. It means your computer talks to your cable modem (and thence the internet) with radio waves.

You have a network cable running between your computer and your cable modem. You don't need wireless networking, because you've got a wire, and that's what you're using to connect to the internet.

Your computer has the ability to connect to a wireless network, but you don't have it connected to one (because you don't need to, because you have a wire). That's why it's telling you that WiFi isn't working.
 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Ok, thanks LC. I usually have a wifi connection, but now I understand more why the internet can work without it.

Unfortunately the kindle needs it to download new books., but I can temporarily use the one t the library and then contact my provider for about the 5th time this year to fix things.

May was a good month - no problems whatsoever. I knew it was too good to last. (To be fair, most of the problems have been caused by road or wastewater people digging up or through the cables in their hurry to remediate earthquake damage). I began to recognise the call phone number of the lines worker in this area , who called me more often than any of my friends

Huia
 

---

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
I have a problem and I'm not sure exactly how to describe it without going into a sort of long story. I will strive to stick to the facts, however and not throw in unnecessary verbiage!

Okay, here's the problem: When I moved from one area of the country to the other coast, I had my sister pack up my laptop on the day I got my flight. She took it to FedEx and they packed it up for her. I had forgotten about the little U.S.B. stick for the mouse. I guess it's a u.s.b. stick...it had a slot it fit into, anyway. Apparently the people at FedEx also didn't see the mouse thing and just shipped it. Somewhere in transit, the u.s.b. stick broke off and there is now a tiny card stuck in it. This was for a wireless mouse, by the way. So, I tried to get my Dell laptop to recognize the mouse when I finally unpacked it but it wouldn't work. Thinking it might be a battery problem, I replaced them. Nope, still didn't work. I tried to pull out that tiny card or whatever it is still stuck in the slot but even with pliers, it is really in there!

HELP! What do I do? I'm afraid to exert too much pressure with another kind of pliers because I don't want to damage the slot, obviously. Please, somebody, tell me what to do.
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
The5thMary, the thing stuck in the USB slot is hopefully just the remains of the wireless 'dongle' for your mouse (it transmits and receives the signals between your mouse and the laptop). You will need to remove the remains, probably with some needle nose pliers - just quietly work it out. There will probably be a metal sleeve from the USB stick still stuck inside the USB socket. The sleeve will, once you've got a grip on it, pull out just as it usually does when attached to the part that has broken off and bring with it the internal bits that are now hanging out.

You may be able to buy a replacement Wifi stick to match the mouse, but it may be easier just to buy another wireless mouse.

Even if the USB socket on the laptop is actually damaged, a new mouse, with its USB unit pushed into another of your laptop's sockets, should work fine.
 

---

Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on :
 
I have a very mysterious problem, wondering if anyone has seen something like it before.

The computer concerned is 2006 Toshiba Satellite L30 - 10S, operating system is puppy linux slacko 5.7 which I can run either from the hard drive or from a CD. The problem occurs either way.

I have been using this set up with no problems for about 9 months. I don't know much about linux, just using it as a way to use an old computer as I don't have a lot of money.

Starting yesterday I found that both the mouse and keyboard are behaving strangely. The mouse can select icons from the desktop and menu items to start up applications. But it can't interact either with a browser or with applications, except to close them. If I try to click on any button, menu item, dropdown box nothing happens at all.

As for the keyboard, it won't type anything in the browser address bar. If I open up a text editor and try to type, it selects menu items which begin with the letter I have typed rather than entering text.

Has anyone seen this sort of behaviour before ?

( I have switched to my reserve computer, 1999 compaq deskpro, to type this ! )
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@Moonlitdoor - as you say the problem occurs whether you use the operating system off the hard drive or a CD, that suggests the problem is not a software problem (as the CD data is fixed and hugely unlikely to become corrupted in the same way and at the same time as the hard drive).

That suggests the problem is actually with the computer itself, either with the hardware module that handles the connections for the mouse and keyboard (USB or PS/2), or possibly a ROM (Read Only Memory) module related to this is failing/has failed (slightly out of my comfort zone here). Anyhow, it could be that your 10 year old computer is simply reaching the end of the road.

Unless someone here can come up with a clear cut alternative idea, you could have the PC checked by a qualified technician to see if there is a simple solution, otherwise it may turn out to be more expensive to fix than the machine is worth, e.g. replace the motherboard.

Not enormously helpful, I'm sorry, but the best I can manage with the available info.
 

---

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alisdair:

That suggests the problem is actually with the computer itself,

---

I'd try something simpler first.

Try a different keyboard.
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Your mouse and keyboard aren't connected, are they? As in, you're using a touchpad, or they are on a single cable that splits so both can share it?
 

---

Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :
 
Bah! Realplayer has stopped working - possibly, we think, as a result of an update to Windows 10 a couple of days ago.

Has this happened to any other Shipmates?
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I've just updated my laptop to Windows 10, and followed the advice in my computer magazine to install VLC player for media. I was wondering whether it will play DVDs from Region 1 (USA) as well as Region 2 ? And if it won't is there any other app that will let me play Region 1 DVDs?
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@Sparrow, try this tutorial from Lifehacker:

http://tinyurl.com/zqo2zsv
 

---

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I have a couple of Facebook photo albums which are private - I am the only person who can see them. They are all very dull; for example when I had to fix my vacuum cleaner I took a series of photos as I stripped it down, so that I could reassemble it in the right order. FB photos seemed ideal as I could add comments, which I can't do with Dropbox albums.

There wouldn't be a problem per se if there was a glitch and they became public; no-one is going to blackmail me because I fixed my vacuum cleaner!

Are private FB photo albums the best way of doing this sort of thing? Or is there a better way of keeping a sequence of photos, with comments?
 

---

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
A few months ago I joined Cricket wireless and bought a new iPhone 5s. Everything has been hunky-dory until this morning. My problem is minor but annoying. Ever since I got the phone and got set up, I've been able to use the Voicemail icon under the phone ap where I can see a list of my voicemails, choose and hear them in any order I want. Delete them as I want. Everything is lined up across the bottom of the screen as before, left to right: Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and lastly Voicemail. Everything works except the Voicemail. Now I touch the Voicemail icon and a white page comes up with the words "No Voicemail". There is voicemail. I can still get my voicemail by the Cricket method, pressing the "1" on the keypad, punching in my PIN, and listening to the whole bloody bunch of them with no visual reference. I don't like it. Wah!

Any ideas?
 

---

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Lyda*Rose, did you try a restart?

Sometimes my voicemail gives me a message that my password is incorrect, and voicemail is unavailable. I just restart the phone, and that seems to fix it. Until the next time, that is.
 

---

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
Doh!

Yes, indeed, a smart phone is a mini computer and, when in doubt, always try restart.

Worked like a charm. Thanks, jedijudy!
 

---

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
I have just received a rather vicious email and want to block the sender, but don't know how. If the advice begins with go to my account, please tell me how to find my account...

All hints warmly and gratefully received.
 

---

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
It depends on what your e-mail client is. Do you use Microsoft Outlook on your PC? Do you access Gmail directly through Google? Etc.

One you have identified your client, you should be able to Google "Block senders in [name of client]" and get directions that way. Or you can come back here and we'll see what we can do to help.
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
Thanks, Amanda. In fact, after clicking on every probable and improbable button, I tried the "more" on the taskbar. And behold, there materialised a menu with "block sender" on it. So I did.

Edited to add:
But your willingness to help is really appreciated.

[ 15. July 2016, 20:12: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Very simple question, cos I am very simple

I have hit whichever key it is that gives me the full screen. I want to go back to showing the task bars and stuff because my screen looks naked without them. If I just go pushing PF keys I might end up anywhere.

Thanks

Edited it to say I stopped panicking and Googled it. All is well now.

Huia (I didn't know you could do that)

[ 19. July 2016, 08:00: Message edited by: Huia ]
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
[...] (I didn't know you could do that) [...]

---

What did you do then, Huia? Pray let us know!
 

---

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
I am constantly quite by accident hitting key combinations that do unexpected things -- like sending e-mail that I'm still composing in draft.
 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
f11 is the magic key to deal with a full screen. The wee pictures on the keys do indicate, but you have to be able to talk keyboard as a second language.

In my last job I once found a screen that even the tech bloke didn't recognise - so he did the time honoured thing and pulled the plug.

Huia

[ 20. July 2016, 04:01: Message edited by: Huia ]
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
I am constantly quite by accident hitting key combinations that do unexpected things -- like sending e-mail that I'm still composing in draft.

---

My trick to avoid that is not to put the address in, until I'm ready to send. (Or take the address out, if it's already there.)
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
NEQ--

Maybe try Flickr for your pics?
 

---

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
I do that with the address too GK, it has saved me a lot of embarrassment.

The very first email I ever composed was actually sent by the cat (The Late Great Sam ) who leapt on the keyboard while I was proof reading it.

Huia
 

---

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
Late cats do that kind of thing. The lovely late Harriet once strolled across the keyboard and moved all my emails from their folders back to the inbox. No, I have no idea how.
 

---

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
I'm considering getting a basic laptop. Mainly, I want to be able to back up files from my desktop computer, and work on my stories - which is why I want a proper keyboard - and then copy the files back onto the desktop. I don't want it to connect to the internet (I spend enough time online already!) but I will probably want to listen to audio files on it.
Can anyone give me advice about what to look for? In easily understood English, as I am technologically challenged?
 

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Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
I don't think you can buy laptops that aren't Internet-ready (unless you get a really old second-hand one) - but, of course, you can always turn the Wi-Fi off.

One question which is worth asking is whether you require a CD/DVD drive. Many newer laptops don't have them, but you might want to copy your writings onto disks for safe storage.
 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@Eigon - if you wanted something new you could probably do worse than this (available from Amazon and PC World for £150):

Lenovo IdeaPad 100S-11

http://tinyurl.com/j2bojcs - leads to 'PC MAg UK' review.

Chromebooks probably offer better value for money, but are very internet focussed, although you can use them without an internet connection.
 

---

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
Thanks Alistair! Someone I asked in RL recommended the Lenovo, too, so I'm definitely going to be looking for that one.
And if I really want safe storage of my stories - I print them out, Baptist Trainfan! If the files did get lost, it's just as well I'm a touch typist! (and not working to any deadlines!).
 

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Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
I have just listed an item on ebay that I am selling for my defiantly non-computer literate mother. The item location that it needs to be collected from is two hours drive away from my location yet, despite me filling in the form with the correct location time and time again, it insists on showing the item location as being my location. I've not had this probelm before, any idea what I am doing wrong?

Ta!

AG
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@Sandemaniac - you should probably open up your ebay account, and visit the section called 'Addresses'. I would imagine that Ebay simply draws the details off this information by default, regardless of what you happen to type into the box when setting up a sale page.
 

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Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
I resisted Windows 10, having heard NOTHING good about it. I deactivated automatic updates several months ago (but update manually regularly) so that Windows 10 wouldn't start downloading on its own. Now that 29 July has come and gone, is it safe to reactivate automatic updates?
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
I resisted Windows 10, having heard NOTHING good about it. I deactivated automatic updates several months ago (but update manually regularly) so that Windows 10 wouldn't start downloading on its own. Now that 29 July has come and gone, is it safe to reactivate automatic updates?

---

Well, kind of. Windows will not automatically update to Win 10, it does not even show as an option in my updates window.
However, I do not automatically install any updates on any system.
Windows and Apple have both had updates which did more harm than help at first release.
Always read what the update is and does and, when possible, let others test it first.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I woke up to a problem this morning with my calendar. I have Windows Live Mail 2012 on a Windows 7 desktop. This morning everything in the Live Mail calendar had disappeared. All my emails are still there, just all the calendar entries have gone! I tried a system restore but that hasn't helped. Can anyone advise please?
 

---

Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
Sparrow, I don't know for sure, but it's potentially related to MS phasing out support for Windows Live Mail. If you use a hotmail/Outlook.com email address then it almost certainly is related to this.

See this article for more info.

Note, this is not going to be the answer you want, I'm afraid
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
No, it's not Hotmail or outlook.
 

---

Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
OK, there are some other possible causes.

The "oops" one is that you have multiple calendars (possibly unknowingly) and for some reason your main one has been turned off from displaying. Exactly how likely this is will depend on which services you're syncing Live Mail with, and where the Calendar is stored etc. etc.

The other is that there appear to be some historic updates that break the Calendar functionality. However, those all seem to be quite old, so it's unlikely they'd have bitten you now.

Who's your email provider, and where does your primary calendar 'live' (local machine, Google account, Microsoft Account etc.)?
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
I don't think I have more than one calendar, just the POP account provided by my ISP (John Lewis Broadband). As far as I know the calendar is stored on my local machine. I did check the webmail version but there is nothing there either.
 

---

Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
With Live Mail closed, have a look in %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Calendars

You will hopefully have folders "DBStore" and also some "Backup" folders.

If you do, you can try renaming "WLCalendarStore.edb" in DBStore to something else e.g. "Original.WLCalendarStore.edb"

Then copy the WLCalendarStore.edb from the most recent Backup folder into DBStore.

Then launch Live Mail and see if it works.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
Fixed it - or at least it has come back. I found a solution on the Microsoft help site and managed to back it up from the LiveMail folder on my C drive.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Fixed it - or at least it has come back. I found a solution on the Microsoft help site and managed to restore it from the LiveMail folder on my C drive.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by TonyK:
Has/does anybody use a password manager? Did it work OK? Can it handle two peoples' sign-ins on a single Windows Account?

Any information will be gratefully received.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
Eventually it offered System Restore, but would only take the latest restore point at the recent update. It runs again! It's slow and baulky, but it runs. Meanwhile, my old XP netbook continues to work perfectly and runs software that the W7 machine won't. . . . I've disabled automatic updates, but I'm open to suggestions - any ideas?

---

• On the desktop, right-click the Computer icon and select Properties. Take note of how much installed memory your PC has.
• Click Advanced System Settings and click the Advanced tab.
• Under Performance, click the Settings tab and then click Advanced again.
• Under Virtual Memory, note the Total Paging File size. It should be approximately the same as installed memory, as mentioned above. Click Change.
• De-select Automatically Manage Paging File Size.
• Select Custom Size. Note the suggested value for Recommended Size. It should be approximately 1.5 times the total Paging File Size as noted above.
• In the Custom Size window, for Initial Size, type the figure that was shown as Recommended Size above.
• For Maximum Size, type a number that is twice the size of the total Paging File Size as noted above. Be careful, however, not to exceed the number that shows as Maximum Allowed Size. Also be sure that your hard drive has plenty of free space to accommodate the Maximum Allowed Size, with plenty of room left over to spare for documents, applications and other files.
• Click Set and then OK out way out of all windows.
• Reboot the PC.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
And forgot why I logged in - completely clear scan, and being a laptop, no chance of checking with another keyboard. Working fine at the moment.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
Another toxic update story. I have a Toshiba laptop with W7 which was already troublesome and extremely slow. Several days ago it informed me that it was downloading updates before shutting down for the night. This took a couple of hours. Next morning it configured the updates; another half hour or more.

The next day all I got was the Start-up Repair panel saying "your computer is unable to start" and saying it will fix any problems automatically. After an hour when I try to stop it, it says "The current repair operation cannot be cancelled". After about two hours, it started.

I had to leave for several hours and shut it down as it was running very hot and didn't want to leave it like that. Tried to restart when I got back, and it refused everything. Eventually it offered System Restore, but would only take the latest restore point at the recent update. It runs again! It's slow and baulky, but it runs. Meanwhile, my old XP netbook continues to work perfectly and runs software that the W7 machine won't.

Hard to conclude that it was other than a toxic update from Microsoft, so I've disabled automatic updates, but I'm open to suggestions - any ideas?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by TonyK:
Has/does anybody use a password manager? Did it work OK? Can it handle two peoples' sign-ins on a single Windows Account?

Any information will be gratefully received.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
Have you collected Linkury somewhere? It often comes bundled in other software. That delight gives you a Yahoo search bar and all sorts of other horrors.

---

I don't think so. But I do think it came bundled with something. Possibly even the initial setup from Asus. It doesn't appear in the list of programs I could remove, unfortunately.

[ 22. August 2016, 22:29: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
I've got Firefox and duckduckgo, too. Plus a couple of secondary search engines. Sometimes, my list of search engines has changed on its own. Might be when Firefox upgrades to a new version--maybe the list is reset?

I've found that lots of (free) downloads have a tiny line at the bottom of the "confirm you want this" screen, with a checkbox and "yes, I want this nifty extra that I actually don't want on my computer". Usually, the box is already checked, and it's easy to miss it. I wish they'd be more aboveboard.

I recently had to use Internet Explorer again. I usually stick with FF; but I needed something from the Microsoft site, which made it known that getting the item via IE was much easier. I like FF so much better! Especially because you adapt/"hack" (in the remake sense) it in all sorts of ways.

 

---

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
I think my mouse is dying. It has started to "let go" when I am drag-and-dropping, or sliding a control. I just changed the battery quite recently, so I'm not thinking that's it. It's wireless. It doesn't have any problem clicking. Just staying clicked when I'm doing something that requires clicking-and-holding.

It's a PC model, three buttons and a wheel, wireless, Logitech.

My thinking is that it's either the contacts in the mouse itself, or the signal temporarily dropping out. Maybe more likely the first, because if I press and hold REAL HARD then it drops out much less often.

Time to get a new mouse? Thoughts on tests I could run to see what's going on? Tear it open and spray WD40 on the contacts?
 

---

Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :
 
Oddly enough, we swapped our mouse out this week as the one we were using was doing some strange things - unlike your mouse, though, ours was increasingly acting as though every single click was a double click.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I am having to replace my main Win 7 laptop. The keyboard needs replacing, and the build is such that the keyboard is a part of the top, which is not available except as a second hand part at about £170. The keyboard part could be replaced with the original melted out, more cheaply than that.
Fortunately, the nice man who knows what he is doing has a laptop someone took in to repair, and then, when the work was done, left it, and said he wasn't going to collect it. £200. About a year old.
I had a very good secondhand HP from the same source in the past which is still going well. He's going to check it will do for me first. And if it won't, there are machines about the same price at John Lewis.
Reloading all the software looms.

[ 25. August 2016, 16:35: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by mousethief:
I think my mouse is dying. It has started to "let go" when I am drag-and-dropping, or sliding a control. I just changed the battery quite recently, so I'm not thinking that's it. It's wireless. It doesn't have any problem clicking. Just staying clicked when I'm doing something that requires clicking-and-holding.

It's a PC model, three buttons and a wheel, wireless, Logitech.

My thinking is that it's either the contacts in the mouse itself, or the signal temporarily dropping out. Maybe more likely the first, because if I press and hold REAL HARD then it drops out much less often.

Time to get a new mouse? Thoughts on tests I could run to see what's going on? Tear it open and spray WD40 on the contacts?

---

If you can safely do it, open it and see if you've got dust bunnies in there. You wouldn't believe what some mice pick up. You might also check to see if there's a new driver available.
 

---

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
I have all of a sudden started getting emails from a thing called empowr telling me I'm a member and asking me to do various things to increase my account balance and so forth.

What is this? I do not have any record of joining them, I don't know what it is, and I want to get the hell out of it before giving them any information intentionally or inadvertently. I unsubscribed from their email but that didn't work, or hasn't yet, or something.

Does anybody have any experience with this?
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
It's some sort of scam, according to quite a few websites and blogs. Some obscure moneymaking machine with apparently no clear rules and T&Cs and a couple of bot members.

I'd suggest to mark it as spam, and let your mail programme do the (deleting) rest.
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
Some email safety tips.
If you do not recognise the name of the sending organisation, you likely do not belong to it. If you are uncertain, do a websearch and try to ascertain their purpose from a third-party website, not their own.

If you do recognise and do have association, do not click the link in the email. Go to their official website and communicate there.

Never give account information through email, even to your email provider. Do everything through the account panel.

Try to avoid using preview pane.

Do not open suspicious email in the inbox, send to trash/junk and open there, if you feel compelled to open it at all.

Set your junk and trash folders to not allow scripts to run or images to display.
 

---

Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
Not sure I should admit his here but ...

Chrome has stopped displaying ads. I've not got an adblocker and all the results on Google seems to assume I want to block ads, not display them.

Any ideas? I've got Avira Browser Safety (the free version) and I'm on Windows 10.
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
mt--

I did a search: malware "empowr" . Do use the quotes. Lots of hits on spam advisory sites.

You might take a look at this Yahoo Answer page. Look for a post by Anmar, near the end, that starts "Hi Everyone". Anmar says he worked there when it was Fanbox and various later names, and now it's empowr. Gives more details, and info resources.

HTH.
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
from a question asked in Styx about trouble with SOF login.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
I also have no idea how to clear Android cookies

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ricardus:
Not sure I should admit his here but ...

Chrome has stopped displaying ads. I've not got an adblocker and all the results on Google seems to assume I want to block ads, not display them.

Any ideas? I've got Avira Browser Safety (the free version) and I'm on Windows 10.

---

Go to Site settings (See my previous post) and under Cookies, make sure Allow third-party cookies is enabled. If the ads you are missing are pop up ads, further down under Site settings is Pop-ups. You can change the setting to allow them. Not something I would recommend, but...
ETA: Not familiar with Avira, but go into its settings and poke around for cookie settings.

[ 13. September 2016, 15:57: Message edited by: lilBuddha ]
 

---

Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
Thanks.

Avira is the culprit. The free version doesn't seem to have settings more detailed than 'Can we spam you?', but disabling it completely restores the ads.

It's just possible this free stuff might not be worth the money ...
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Ricardus--

Re free software:

I don't know if this will help you, but...

I usually use some free software for various computer tasks. Over the last couple of months, I've used a lot more, because my computer had serious, mysterious problems.

Overall, many of the free utilities helped a lot. And yes, the ones that have both free and pro/paid versions sometimes have very few working parts in the free version. Some are good at letting you know that up front--they put a sign by the non-working bits. CCleaner and its siblings from Piriform are good about that.

But some free versions, like System Mechanics, just take you to an upgrade offer when you click on something that doesn't work. Worse still, some (like Tweak Bit) don't have anything but analysis working in the free version. Frustrating, when you download the free version in good faith, and can't afford the paid version!


Anyway, through trial and error, I found that it's a good idea to check online, before downloading, for user reviews and whether anyone classifies it as malware. If you can, set a system restore point before downloading, so you can go back to a good configuration if the new software causes problems.

The main place I get free software is at Download.CNET.com. CNET is basically a tech magazine. They review software, and so have downloads--lots of them. Most have both CNET and user reviews, and lots are free. And CNET has things for Android.

Users still have to sort through and pick according to their needs. And some of the free software is fairly low-functioning. But I find that if I filter my search for 3-star and up reviews only, from both CNET and users, I get a pretty good selection.

YMMV, of course. Techies, please don't laugh too hard about my non-techie stumbling around! My computer, which I really, really depend on, is working much better. (Still have problems with a crazy screen, when booting after several hours of non-use, and with over-heating. But the crazy screen now requires fewer reboots to straighten out. And, with the help of Speed-Fan's temperature logging, I can tell when the computer is too hot, and I've adjusted the computer's power settings for somewhat lower performance, so it doesn't get as hot.)

Sorry if I rambled. Good luck with your Android, and with finding better software to replace the troublesome one.
 

---

Posted by blackbeard (# 10848) on :
 
I have a silent computer (Windows 10).
It emits no sound signal, even for music on YouTube. Fiddling with volume controls gives no joy.
No idea why this happened, suddenly, a day or two ago.
Is there a simple explanation, cure even? or is it a hardware problem?
regards, Blackbeard
 

---

Posted by M. (# 3291) on :
 
I am having difficulties with my I-pad - difficulties typing this, actually.

First, I prefer to use a keyboard but for some reason it has stopped speaking to the i-pad. I discovered this morning that Bluetooth was turned off (why? Not on purpose, it wasn't) have turned it on and tried to connect but they won't talk to each other. The keyboard is a new one, about a six weeks old.

Secondly, while the keyboard isn't working, I have to use the digital keyboard. For some reason this has taken to positioning itself in the middle of the screen, not the bottom. OK when I can move the screen I'm typing on, pretty useless when I can't.

Help?!

M.
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
There have been a series of Windows updates over the last few days. Sound not working following the updates seem to be an issue from checking - see here for the Windows site instructions

That one didn't affect me, but I lost the CD/DVD drive on my work laptop a while back. I know the solution is find and download the right drivers, but I don't use it, so it's not on the urgent to do list.
 

---

Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by M.:
I am having difficulties with my I-pad - difficulties typing this, actually.

First, I prefer to use a keyboard but for some reason it has stopped speaking to the i-pad. I discovered this morning that Bluetooth was turned off (why? Not on purpose, it wasn't) have turned it on and tried to connect but they won't talk to each other. The keyboard is a new one, about a six weeks old.

Secondly, while the keyboard isn't working, I have to use the digital keyboard. For some reason this has taken to positioning itself in the middle of the screen, not the bottom. OK when I can move the screen I'm typing on, pretty useless when I can't.

Help?!

M.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:
Speaking of antivirus scans, my OH did a full scan on our PC today and it took over 8 hrs this time - it used to take less than 6... How long does it take Others?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bene Gesserit:
It's fairly new, uses Win10 (upgraded from 7), and this and any previous computer we've had has always taken hours in the plural for a full scan! Quick scans take 10-mins ish. We do have lots of photos etc...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Chorister:
A very basic query probably, but I'm still trying to get my head around what is acceptable or not (quite a minefield for those of us who have come very late to computers and the internet): When is it acceptable to download pictures onto one's own machine? So far, I have assumed that anything publicly available (eg. with a world symbol, open website, unrestricted twitter or flickr account, google images) is OK, and the onus is on the poster of the images to limit them if they don't want public sharing. Am I correct in this assumption? And what about pictures that have 'PhotoStock' or something written across them?

---

I'm not certain what a 'world symbol' is, but all your assumptions are wrong.
It is the user's responsibility to determine whether or not an image is legal to use. The creator has a copyright the moment an image is created, regardless of registration. They may choose to waive some or all of those rights, but merely posting them online does not constitute such. Stock photography companies will have images to show what you are buying. The watermark emblazoned across is to make unauthorized use more difficult, it does not constitute a right of use.
Here is more complete information as well as sources of free images.
 

---

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :
 
Thanks for that information, lilBuddha. By world symbol, I meant the icon that comes up showing you that the picture is for public sharing (Facebook uses this, not sure if anyone else does).
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
A friend has had an email turn up, ostensibly from this address "no.reply@aatcportal.apple.com" claiming to be an invoice for a purchase of music for an iPhone, which he does not possess. It has a link for cancelling the purchase but this requires a secure login from Outlook. I can't find any information on an Apple site, or any way to tell them to cancel this non-purchase, so I am assuming it to be some sort of phishing.
Anyone know anything about this sort of thing? My friend does not want to be pursued by the courts for non-payment of non-purchases.
 

---

Posted by Landlubber (# 11055) on :
 
Penny S I cannot add links from this ipad, but if you search for 'phishing email Apple invoice' you'll find links to Apple pages discussing scam invoices and telling you how to recognise genuine ones and also how to report phishing emails. There are also pages explaining how to log into your Apple account safely to check (as you say, not through a link in a suspicious email). PM me if you need actual links and I'll get the laptop out.

[ 20. September 2016, 13:21: Message edited by: Landlubber ]
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Thanks. I found, after posting here, by searching 'fake IPhone invoice', an Apple users discussion site and an address for reporting phishing, which I have done. We can't log into an account as we don't have an account! I knew it was wrong, after a think, but I was wondering if someone was using my friend's email address to download stuff and attempt to pass the cost on to someone else. There was a link, for cancelling the purchase, but it looked fishy and wanted the password, which it did not get. There will be a new password soon.

It managed, unlike the usual, to have proper grammar, and to have an source address which looked more convincing than the sort claiming to be from Microsoft which shows jbloggs@phoney.org when you float the cursor over it.

I think we have headed it off at the pass. But I will file your answer for future reference. It would be interesting to know how an email account which is only used for communicating with a very few people got out to the criminals.

Thanks.
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Forgot to mention. Part of the indication that it was wrong was that phrases which should have been links, were not, such as 'Apple ID Summary', 'Privacy Policy', 'Terms of Sale', and 'Learn more about your right of withdrawal'.
 

---

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
Hi, all! I just set up my new Epson Perfection scanner (V39) and did lots and lots of scanning of my paintings and drawings. This particular scanner comes with ArcSoft's "Scan & Stitch" software that helps one to scan over-sized items. I haven't really had much trouble scanning my artwork in to the software but when it's time for the software to "stitch" all the scans of one drawing/painting, there's a weird white space at one top side and one bottom side of my images. I'm doing what the software said and overlapping the scans to get everything in that is supposed to be in there but the artwork is still coming out weird. Epson's website was of no help at all. Please, my Shippies, does anyone know what might be wrong? This post is probably as clear as mud, so I will understand if no help comes from y'all.
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@The5thMary - this is just a shot in the dark, but you could try opening the problem scan files in bitmap editing software, e.g. Photoshop, Paint, The GIMP, etc. to see what is going on. If there is nothing obvious, i.e. they display just fine, without the white top/bottom then the issue is probably with the stitching software. If the images do have unwanted 'extras' you could try simply cropping the images down to the actual image and then going back to the stitching software with your revised image files and trying your luck (you will probably have to 'Export' the edited file into the image format you are working with as most bitmap software works on its own file format when editing - in case you don't know).

If the issue is with the stitching software, unless you can come up with a solution from yourself, a shipmate, or some other online source, etc. then you may need to try some other stitching software.

Software bundled with hardware is often fairly basic, or elderly, so there may be unwanted limits to what it will deign to cope with.

All the best.
 

---

Posted by Pearl B4 Swine (# 11451) on :
 
Styx says it doesn't want to be bothered with things like this, so I'll throw it out to all of you:
I am using Firefox less and less these days, and using Chrome instead. I cannot login to the ship when using Chrome, even tho my name & a "******" password appears. I'm not a different person trying to log on. All 'it' tells me is that "You are not logged in".

Must I invent a new persona? That doesn't seem right. Pearl is Pearl. I can't make any headway with this problem. I'd be happy to change my password, but wonder if I can use it whether in Chrome or Firefox.
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
The password is not tied to the browser. The browser merely sends it on to the Ship, which then decides whether it likes you on that particular day.
 

---

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
The password is not tied to the browser. The browser merely sends it on to the Ship, which then decides whether it likes you on that particular day.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
The password is not tied to the browser. The browser merely sends it on to the Ship, which then decides whether it likes you on that particular day.

---

But your browser may well store your password, and if you use multiple browsers, you might have an old password stored in one of them.

---

True. I always forget that because I do not like to allow browsers to do this.
 

---

Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :
 
Our BT HomeHub 5 router is in one corner of our house, because it has to be within its cable's length distance of the master socket where the telephone service comes into the house. We also have a BT YouView (IPTV) box in another room which is connected to the HomeHub via Ethernet and a Powerline adapter.

Unfortunately, because of the location of our router there are parts of the house where the signal is sometimes very unreliable, or at times completely absent.

There is no straightforward way of increasing the power/range of the BT router AFAICT without breaking open the box.

ISTM that an option would be to use one of the older routers we have lying around to act as a separate wireless access point. It could be connected to the Powerline adapter where the YouView box is and thus linked to the router. The YouView box could then be connected to that second router with an Ethernet cable.

Is it possible to do this in such a way that the second router gives priority to passing through the TV data, and so that the TV data isn't degraded to any noticeable extent (I presume this would to some extent be at the expense of the second router's wifi traffic.)

Any thoughts, suggestions, pointers would be gratefully received. (Budget is basically £0!)
 

---

Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 
What is or isn't possible with a secondary router really depends on what router it is, and therefore what facilities it offers.

Some will let you disable the routing function, and let you use them as APs or even range extenders. Most probably won't, and (sweeping and not intentionally offensive generalisation) if you're the kind of person who has stuck with the BT supplied HomeHub without replacing it, you're probably not going to have a suitably high quality router lying around to have funky functionality.

Your best bet involves a budget slightly larger than stated

The hypothetically cheapest option is probably to get a basic Wireless Access Point (not a router), and stick it on the end of a Powerline link, and thus provide local wifi to the 'dead' area.

In my experience that can be a bit flakey, depending on the quality of the Powerline link.

Another option is a WiFi range extender, but the domestic level ones are all pretty horrible, and also halve your available bandwidth at each hop, so if you're trying to make it available to a number of devices they're a poor choice. Unless you spend enterprise sums of cash to get hyper-clever ones.

A compromise solution that might actually end up being cheapest in the long run could be to use a couple of OpenMesh device, one as a wireless gateway, the other as a child node (kind of a range extender). They're 'budget enterprise' and have a very good reputation, when used appropriately. Unfortunately that would be very much over budget, even so
 

---

Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
When I was using BT, the TV data went through a couple of gadgets that directed it through the power cables.
 

---

Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
When I was using BT, the TV data went through a couple of gadgets that directed it through the power cables.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wesley J:
You choose 2 A4 pages, with the images carefully lined up (identical positioning and size), and then print the document double-sided?

Not sure if that answers your question.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sipech:
It's a re-statment of my problem. How do you line them up to that they have identical sizing and positioning?

---

Both Word and Powerpoint are poor choices for this, although you can make it work (for which see Lamb Chopped's detailed post).

I will add that you might need to fine-tune this - you might find that there are small offsets in what your printer thinks its margins are, which means that images which you calculate to be back-to-back end up with a small offset.

So set up your file, print a test copy, then hold the paper up to the light and check the alignment. If you find that you're not quite aligned right, measure (with a ruler) the offset you need to apply to one of the images, and then go and shift the position of that image by whatever distance.

Again, adjust the position by typing numbers into dialog boxes - don't even think about clicking and dragging anything.
 

---

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I have a sneaking suspicion you are trying to copy a health card or ID card, and you want to be able to slide it into your wallet (the copy, I mean). If that's the case, I'll tell you my personal preference--head down to your local copy/print shop, tell the counter person what you want, and let it become THEIR problem.

It's just not worth the hassle sometimes.
 

---

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
Thanks for the help. I think the problem is that it's nearly impossible, without being a robot, to line up my paintings exactly the same for both sides. I'm going to call the printer and find out if they can "fill in" the slim parts that won't line up correctly. Either that, or fool around with the way the scan and stitch software crops the scan. I can't be the only one who has had this problem. The only other thing I can think of is to only create paintings that fit on the scanner!

Yeah, no.

I do believe this is going to take some time. I'll try not to scream and/or grind my teeth with frustration.
 

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Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@The5thMary - You could always see what a commercial outfit would charge to scan your paintings on a large format scanner - probably not a lot, and/or see if you can source one for hire, for the times you need it.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I've discovered a little file called AntiDust.exe in my programs folder. Does anyone know what this is or does? Am I safe to delete it? The internet seems split on whether it's malware or not.
 

---

Posted by Snags (# 15351) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by BroJames:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
When I was using BT, the TV data went through a couple of gadgets that directed it through the power cables.

---

Yes that's what I have too: the Powerline adapters. What I'm trying to work out is whether I can hook up a router to the further adapter to extend my wireless range without degrading the TV signal.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Snags:
If you want to PM me with the model numbers of the kit you have available to play with, I'll look up specs etc. and give you some pointers (or warnings!).

---

Very kind PM sent.
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Something called Intel Security True Key has installed itself on my PC today, quite openly leaving an icon on the desktop. I don't remember doing anything today to download it.

Anyway it seems to be some kind of password manager. Can anyone advise if it is safe, can I uninstal it, do I need to uninstal it? Thanks

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
I've discovered a little file called AntiDust.exe in my programs folder. Does anyone know what this is or does? Am I safe to delete it? The internet seems split on whether it's malware or not.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wesley J:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Something called Intel Security True Key has installed itself on my PC today, quite openly leaving an icon on the desktop. I don't remember doing anything today to download it.

Anyway it seems to be some kind of password manager. Can anyone advise if it is safe, can I uninstal it, do I need to uninstal it? Thanks

---

AFAIK it is safe, but often comes bundled with things like Adobe Flash Player. This is at the very start of the installation, where you manually need to opt-out, i.e. untick the (I think) two boxes that otherwise will install the Intel thingy together with Flash Player. If I remember right, a McAfee scan of sorts is the other untickable opt-out.

So, annoying perhaps, but not a danger. See if it has an uninstaller, or if not, unstall it via the control panel --> programs --> uninstall a program (example for Win 7).

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Years ago I knew how to change something from read only to writable but I can't remember or perhaps things have changed.

I have a pen drive which Nephew Person managed to convert to Read Only and I want to open it up again - any ideas, please?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Latchkey Kid:
I have never done this but a search found this Change Win 8.1 start screen.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jrw:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Years ago I knew how to change something from read only to writable but I can't remember or perhaps things have changed.

I have a pen drive which Nephew Person managed to convert to Read Only and I want to open it up again - any ideas, please?

---

Right click on file, then click on 'properties', then untick 'read only' box.

---

It still says write protected. Most odd.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Does it have an actual little switch anywhere on it that you can physically flick to lock/unlock it, or anything? Might be quite tiny.
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Can you save its content e.g. onto the puter harddrive and then reformat it?
 

---

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
It won't allow me to format it, because it is write protected.
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@WeleaseWoderwick - there should be a way of doing this in Windows, but Windows isn't my thing, so make what you will of this:

If you are really desperate to reactivate this stick you could go to the trouble of downloading Gparted (the 'live' mini-distro), see: http://gparted.org/livecd.php

The entire point of this is to allow folk to re-format, re-partition, and generally fool about with the layout and behaviour of storage devices.

It's not difficult to use, BUT you do need to have the will and the interest. It will almost certainly bring your memory stick back into full use, but as I said - I would be surprised if Windows doesn't offer similar esoteric functionality, if you go digging for it.

[ 24. October 2016, 08:19: Message edited by: Alisdair ]
 

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Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :
 
WW.

Here are possible solutions, if you don't find them too geeky.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/storage/how-erase-write-protected-usb-drive-or-sd-card-summary-3633096/
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Question about formatting websites for printing, which of course can also be pdf printing.

I've repeatedly found that websites are increasingly being designed for use on mobile devices. The formatting is often clearly thought for portrait and not landscape mode, with the latter being used on most desktop or even laptop monitors (I have e.g. a 24" and a 22" running together).

At least in Firefox, currently 49.0.2, certain extensive and long websites cannot be printed anymore in their totality. However much I fumble with layout settings in print preview, going down to lower than 'Shrink to Fit', or to higher if necessary, it appears that only one single page could be printed, with only a part of the information that is actually being displayed. Everything has to fit on one single page (!), which makes a lot of the information simply unreadable.

The only way I've found so far is taking screenshots and inserting them into a word processor document for secure saving.

On most webpages, until a few months/years ago, you could choose e.g. to print all, print this frame only etc, which was very helpful. This doesn't seem to be done anymore on many sites, due to (I think) mobile device adaptedness. I suppose coding has changed rather a lot, and I don't like it.

a) Can anyone replicate this?

b) Have a found a workaround, so that again complete pages could be printed again?

Thank you very much!
 

---

Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :
 
I have not noticed websites with these features, perhaps you could provide a URL.

And I am wondering if what you want to do is to print them or save them.

Have you tried printing them to pdf? I have Foxit installed and that acts as a printer. I also have an archive format addon installed so I can save a webpage to a single file.

The other tool I find useful is the "reader view" in Firefox which allows you to print to a file without all the ads.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Chrome allows you to print website pages or save to pdf. I think IE does too, but I don't use it aa much.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I have a problem with my antique Asus Eeepc netbook. For some time it has been claiming that I need to update Adobe Flash Player, so I initiated the update - downoaded the file, but then found it wouldn't install. Just didn't run.

I then got a report that Drive C: a very small drive anyway, was short of space. Ran Disk Cleanup, which couldn't make much difference. Went into remove programs to look for stuff to remove - and decided to remove the old version of Flash Player.

But the new version would still not install. So I have no Flash Player.

I have AVG Antivirus, and it doesn't look as though it is preventing installation. I have disabled it (while disconnected) and still cannot make the install file run. No reaction beyond a brief flicker.

Any help would be welcome.
 

---

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
LK, Ck..., thanks! - Shall provide lynx when I get round to it. More details to follow then.
 

---

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
I have a problem with my antique Asus Eeepc netbook.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by venbede:
I’ve upgraded my iphone to a new one, 1011 I believe. There are a number of extra apps on the face that I don’t want. With the old iphone I could delete apps by tapping the icon, then pressing the x and tapping delete. That is still the advice I get on the web.

However when I tap the icon for Garageband or imovies, it gives me further options of “Share GarageBand” or “Create New Live Loops Song” or “Create New Tracks Song” but not “Stuff the gimmick”. How do I get rid of the silly things and clear up space on the phone?

---

quote:

---

You may have found you can't delete apps easily on your iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 or other devices with 3D-Touch feature. Because when you press an app, it brings you to 3D touch menu, instead of showing you the "X". In this situation, just gently put your finger on the icon [and hold] without pressing down to delete or move apps.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by venbede:
Thank you so much for your research Bro James. I was beginning to feel a bit of a twit for asking.

I've just upgraded to iOS 12.5.4 It still shows only one track playing in the last month.

As a matter of interest can someone explaining in simple terms what iOS is?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
This isn't a question; I just want to tell you of an odd experience yesterday evening.

A voice, purportedly from Microsoft, suddenly started saying that my computer had been invaded and my confidential information was at risk. It also said that this contamination would affect Microsoft and if I didn't get in touch with them they would be forced to shut down my computer.

I was sure this was a scam. Moreover, the only financial information in my computer is the credit card number of an account that has a five hundred dollar limit. I set up the account for ordering over the internet.

After an hour or so, I suddenly could not connect to new websites. It was late, so I gave up and went to bed. Today, everything connects fine.

Can anyone explain how this happened?

Incidentally, my computer is protected by WebRoot. Should I notify them?

Moo

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:

ETA: You can have a programme concerning programs, so then both refer to computers.

---

And if it's a computerized TV guide, it's a program about programmes
 

---

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
OK pedants, I was referring to:

1. a computerised reading programme, which the distributing company refers to as a "programme";
2. electronic text books for a range of subjects with schemes of work and resources - we particularly use the English, science and maths;
3. online reading and spelling tests;
4. online assessments - which are electronic versions of standard national tests in English, maths and Science;
5. an ECDL teaching package - which is the only package directly related to computers.

We had to find work-rounds for 1, 4 and 5 earlier this academic year.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Re program(me):

You could just go the fully American way: "program" for everything.

(We're a simple people. )
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Re my Snowdays/Flash problem:

Many thanks for the ideas and info. I'd already done much of that, and am still tinkering. I finally got it to work in Internet Explorer--though, even there, I had to reload it a few times to get it going.

In Firefox, I can finally get as far as the instruction from Snowdays to download the newest Flash--progress, at least, because previously I'd only been able to get the flat, dull background, without pics or text. I can also get at least some of Snowdays (dot) US. That's a site that's built a frame around Snowdays.me, allowing you to adjust size and various other things to make the process easier. It's hosted by mister x, who has been giving out flaking instructions for years.

There may be some other things going on, too. I recently installed the latest Firefox, which might not be playing nicely. And my computer is having some other problems. Plus I'm having problems with Flash (I think) on a greeting card site.

I'll continue to tinker. But at least I can bring it up in IE.

Thanks again!
 

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Posted by Abigail (# 1672) on :
 
Could I ask what might be a very silly question?

First of all I know nothing about computers and don't undeerstand any technical language.
Over the last week my computer has become very slow when I try to access the internet and sometimes it won't do it at all. One of the things I do is play Scrabble online but now it either takes about 15 minutes to load up or it won't do it at all. Other sites (this one included) are very slow as well. I don't know if it's a problem with my actual computer or something else. The computer is a laptop and it's three years old. The person who helped me buy it, and set it all up for me is no longer around so I can't ask him.

It sounds terrible but I rely on my computer and feel totally cut off and panicky if its not working properly. Can anyone suggest what might be wrong or if there's anything I can do. (At work if there's a problem we just call the IT dept and they come and fix it but I haven't got anyone I can ask about this )
 

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Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
My first suggestion would be to "clear your cache" and "delete temporary files".

I know those terms probably sound like Greek to you. How you would do it depends on what browser you are using to access the Web -- Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.

Perhaps someone from the IT department at work could give you more specific instructions depending on what browser you are using.
 

---

Posted by Abigail (# 1672) on :
 
Thanks for responding. It's Google Chrome. I presume "clear your cache" and "delete temporary files" isn't the same as "clear browsing data"? (because I do that and it doesn't make any difference)
 

---

Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
15 min to load Scrabble seems s bit more than a cache issue. Run your antivirus and download Malwarebytes and run it.
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
@Abigail - If all your woes are internet related, i.e. running your word-processor or a game that is software stored on your laptop all run normally, but your internet connection is a rather slow Broadband connection, then you could be suffering from 'Christmas contention'.

That means that a lot of your neighbours are home, along with their children and relatives, over the Christmas season/school holidays, and they have nothing better to do than go online and clog up your meagre local broadband connection.

If it all comes right after schools go back in January, then that is almost certainly your problem. Another way to test is to go online at an unlikely hour---3am, for example---and see how it goes. If it goes well then contention is probably your problem. If it still goes badly then you probably have a problem with your laptop; lilBuddha's advice would be worth taking.
 

---

Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :
 
Alisdair, would it also provide some sort of evidence if Abigail was to run one of the online broadband speed checkers?
 

---

Posted by Alisdair (# 15837) on :
 
That might help, except that without a baseline 'normal' test result Abigail won't know what she is actually seeing. Although a slow connection is a slow connection, it's hard to know when it really is too slow in Abigail's case as online Scrabble probably isn't very demanding of bandwidth anyway.

However, Abigail, if you read this and you want to try a speed test and you live in the UK then try here: http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/
 

---

Posted by Abigail (# 1672) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by lilBuddha:
15 min to load Scrabble seems s bit more than a cache issue. Run your antivirus and download Malwarebytes and run it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alisdair:
@Abigail - If all your woes are internet related, i.e. running your word-processor or a game that is software stored on your laptop all run normally, but your internet connection is a rather slow Broadband connection, then you could be suffering from 'Christmas contention'.

That means that a lot of your neighbours are home, along with their children and relatives, over the Christmas season/school holidays, and they have nothing better to do than go online and clog up your meagre local broadband connection.

---

• Press Ctrl-Alt-DEL and select Start Task Manager.
• When Task Manager opens, click the CPU tab and look for a number that strikes you as being high.
• If you find one, look to the left for the corresponding item under the Image Name tab. That is the name of the process or application that is "hogging" all the computing time on your PC.
• Also, click the Memory tab and look for an entry where lots, and I mean lots, of memory is being used. Then look under the Image Name tab for the item that is using all that memory.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Chorister:
I live in a part of Creamtealand where the internet connection is very slow. This I accept and can deal with. But now our router regularly cuts out altogether. There seems to be no obvious reason for this. I'm thinking probably we need to contact BT and ask for a new router to replace a faulty one. Is there anything else obvious it might be, before trying this route?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jengie jon:
Abigail

I feel like I am pointing out the Bl**ding Obvious and need to be told to F Off, but you have turned your router off and on again haven't you.

Sometimes I have had something similar to this happen. It seemed to occur when the router was trying to download something and got its knickers in a twist.

Jengie

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by blackbeard:
I'm reluctant to leave Yahoo altogether as, for many people, it's the only way they have of contacting me.

---

I don't use Yahoo, but if you'd like to switch to a different e-mail provider, you can probably configure your Yahoo account to forward e-mail automatically to your new address -- at least until you've notified all your correspondents of the new address.

Bottom line, I'd certainly change my Yahoo password to something ultra-secure, if I were you.

I like to take the first line of a favorite poem and fashion a password out of the first letter of every word in that line -- using a mixture of upper and lower case and substituting numerals or symbols for some of the letters.

Example: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow = T&ta2

The ideal password should be much longer than that, though.
 

---

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
My computer crashed during a routine windows 10 update. I had to get it sorted professionally with a new OS.

My problem is that Google has changed. Searches are throwing up American sites. I was trying to find a local "What's On" site and got pages of hits about a town in America with the same name. Searching "Xtown , Scotland" didn't help, because the site doesn't have "Scotland" in its title. I got pages of obituaries of people in this American town who were natives of Scotland.

Is there something I can do to get Google to prioritise UK sites over American ones?
 

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Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
If you are using Google as your homepage/default search engine, is it now set to "google.com" rather than "google.co.uk"? - in which case change it.

[ 30. December 2016, 13:07: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 

---

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
Thank you!
 

---

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Does that mean it worked?

Happy New Year - we have been watching Hogmanay Live on the BBC Red Button!
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
I'm using Windows 10. Can anyone please tell me how to add accents to letters? Specifically I want those two little dots over the "e" in some words. I did know what they're called but my forgettery is working well today

Huia
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
diaeresis or umlaut - in Word - you can either go into the insert ribbon and find the different letters with accents under symbol - on the right hand side. Or hold alt and the code from this code list (you only need the hash sign and digits) or hit Ctrl + shift + colon and then Ctrl + the letter you want with a umlaut or diaeresis.

What I can't find how to do is produce the list of possible accents by touching a letter, that I can occasionally get my keyboard to produce when I'm tapping it mindlessly trying to work out how to phrase something.

In BB Code - & uml ; without the spaces after the letter

edited to put spaces in the BB Code.

[ 01. January 2017, 00:38: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
 

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Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
Having trouble with Spybot S&D. It won't download the updates -- it gets stuck on Trojan-007.sb and just sits there. And sits there. And sits there.

I went to their website and they said you can always download manually. I tried to follow their directions and Windows (10) told me it hadn't installed properly. (It was very quick -- much quicker than the download process.) When I went back to SS&D and ran the update program again to see if it worked, it got hung up in the same spot.

I've had trouble with these bozos updating in the past. I know it's free and I shouldn't bitch, but what else is there? If they're trying to entice me to get the pay version, or drop them a couple of bucks via PayPal, they're not going about it very well.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
There is also Malwarebytes. As far as spybot, you can always uninstall and reinstall. A pain, yes.
 

---

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
I'll try the uninstall thing. From what I understand Malwarebytes and Spybot S&D look for different types of malware, and the wise IT guy uses both.
 

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Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
My HP printer has started to play up. It's a 3 in one, HP Deskjet F2480, I've had it several years with no problems. Today when I wanted to print a document, it started making a most alarming loud series of clicks as the paper was fed in, almost like a short burst of machine gun fire. The paper fed through as normal and the print quality was fine. Any ideas on what might be wrong? It obviously isn't a paper jam, and there is no way of accessing the rear of the machine.
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Without knowing the specifics of your machine, and with regard to its age, might this perhaps be tear and wear? In my experience and with my numerous Canon Pixma iP inkjet printers, a slight mechanical failure may just occur at some point.

My personal way of dealing with this is to occasionally purchase cheap secondhand printers that use the same ink cartridges, instead of trying to have it looked at by professionals - who'll often say, well, get a new one.

An alternative which I might try out this year is to take it to what some call a 'Repair Café': this is a free or lowcost repair workshop that takes place every few months, sometimes supported by local councils, and where volunteers offer to look at and possibly fix your machines for free, or a symbolic contribution.

Is there a second way to feed your paper into the printer? One of my machines doesn't like one paper tray, so I just use the other way.

Hope it'll work out for you, Sparrow!
 

---

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Go to this site for the manual: here.

You will see on p.8 that there is a rear access door.
 

---

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Go to this site for the manual: here.

You will see on p.8 that there is a rear access door.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Go to this site for the manual: here.

You will see on p.8 that there is a rear access door.

---

Thanks but the picture on page 8 is of the front where the paper is fed in.

---

Apologies I jumped the gun there . . . I just discovered there is a rear access door, picture on page 5. I will investigate and report back!
 

---

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
It was p.8 when I called it up - probably displays differently on different computers!
 

---

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I don't think I've ever posted on what I think of as the techno-peasants' support thread , and this may not even be a Geek question, but here goes.

The computer in the house we're looking after for friends is an Apple desk-top with wireless keyboard and mouse. The usual way of starting it (as demonstrated by our friend before he left) is by hitting the space bar, and the screen came to life.

When I went to use it this afternoon, the screen remained completely blank, although I hadn't done anything different when I stopped using it last night. I've tried obvious things like turning it off and on again, and even changed the batteries in the keyboard, but with no luck. There don't appear to be any on/off switches; the monitor itself doesn't appear to have any switches at all.

What have I done???

[ 07. January 2017, 01:27: Message edited by: Piglet ]
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I did that once! It turned out that the machine had simply turned off (a very short power outage in the middle of the night will do this) and i could not find the very cleverly disguised power button on the case. Had to call IT to show me where they hid it (i think it was on the back of the case).
 

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Posted by Goldfish Stew (# 5512) on :
 
Piglet - try the guide here - might have to look through the list to find the matching model...
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I will post Piglet's question and the two follow-up posts on the new computer thread!

jedijudy
Heaven Host
 

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