Computer Problems and\or Advice 2008 to 2011

[David Pilling]

...a bearded hippy type

How did you know.

[David Nicholson]

 

[Maggi Young]

...a bearded hippy type

How did you know.

I'm also known as "Mystic Meg", David.....

[mark smyth]

Maggi I always knew I could smell bats off you!

[Maggi Young]

Maggi I always knew I could smell bats off you!

Yes, my secret is out...
in fact, I am mixing a new batch of perfume in the top picture...........

[mark smyth]

Back to computers 'n stuff

My computer now has a GB extra memory as an early birthday present. For me and not the pc! With no nerds to help I had to install it myself. First time for everything! Editing photos is now faster than ever from what I can remember.

The memory card was ordered this time yesterday and was in the letter box this morning. Excellent service from
http://www.offtek.co.uk/. You can actually check what's already in your pc here http://www.offtek.co.uk/desktopmem.php?maincat=1&subcat=2

[JohnnyD]

If you need to know what memory is actually in the computer and how it can be expanded I would recommend the Crucial site - www.crucial.com/uk
The site offers a scanner which is downloaded to your pc. It is very fast and accurate providing clear details of what is already there and recommending the best upgrade.
The memory is very reasonably priced and delivery fast, and as simple as ABC to fit yourself.
John

[Tony Willis]

John

Marks post reminded me I wanted to do an upgrade. I tried the firm you recommended and ordered yesterday afternoon. It arrived first class this morning and is now fitted. Thankyou for your advice

[Maggi Young]

John

Marks post reminded me I wanted to do an upgrade. I tried the firm you recommended and ordered yesterday afternoon. It arrived first class this morning and is now fitted. Thankyou for your advice

Goodness me, Tony, you're just back from Turkey, you've been decorating, posting and now re-jigging your computer.... do you never sit down with a cuppa and a choccie biccie??? 

[Tony Willis]

Maggie

I do the posting whilst the paper is soaking. Did the computer in my coffee break. Its too cold to sit down.

Somebody once told me stand still and you die.

[Maggi Young]

Maggie

I do the posting whilst the paper is soaking. Did the computer in my coffee break. Its too cold to sit down.

Somebody once told me stand still and you die.

I like it!! 
   

Making my day, Tony!!
   

[gote]

I noticed this thread latish so all my good advice is superfluous. However, I cannot keep my mouth shut 

I am using Firefox (Free download) because I dislike Mr Macrohard trying to get monopoly.
If I RIGHT-click on a link it will give me the opportunity to chose between opening the new link in
A: another tab in which case I cannot compare the pages but skip between them more easily or
B: another window in which case I can compare. Of curse I need to have both windows in "sizeable mode" (center icon at upper left) as already described.
If I LEFT click, that means that I leave the choice of opening in another tab or closing the present to the owner of the page.
Maybe Macrohard's browser has the same feature.

Computer vendors always try to sell you the fastest CPU but CPU speed is not always helpful.
Heavy programs such as image processors like photoshop need a lot of available memory.
If the installed memory is less than needed, the program will use part of the hard disk(-s) as virtual memory and that operation is painfully slow.
Extra memory is usually the best way to achieve speed.

Once upon a time the trick to get speed used to be to assign a part of memory as a virtual disk and let the program use that. This worked with programs written for DOS. DOS was not created to handle big chunks of memory because the CPUs of the time could not use a large memory. Early CPUs had narrow buses so they could not adress big memories. Later computers could but then the DOS program could only use that facility if it believed the extra memory were an extra super-fast hard disk.

For those using later versions of windows I recommend the task manager that comes up if one pushes Control-Alt-Delete ONCE. It shows a lot of things that go on. Alas not everything. It also allows one to shut down a program that has crashed without closing everything else.

Hope this is helpful to somebody
Göte

[Casalima]

I use the wonderful Norwegian (hello Norway!!) internet browser, Opera. It is very, very fast, and you can open countless tabs ("internal" windows) within the same copy of the browser (my record is over 90 - at the moment I have 26 open - Google to search various different websites, wikipedia in English and Portuguese, terminology sites, garden/food sites - Carlo's rosette recently spotted elsewhere  , etc.), and you can move between the tabs using the 1 and 2 keys. I've been using it for donkey's years and have gently tweaked it so that it does exactly what I want. Its only disadvantage is that there are a few websites that won't work properly - then I use Firefox, Safari and IE (in descending order of favour ...).

Plodding through an airline company annual report on this Portuguese bank holiday ...   

[David Nicholson]

INTERNET EXPLORER- VERSION 8

Maybe it's a sign of my limited computer knowledge but until I read Chloe's post above I had no idea that there were other Web Browsers available other than Internet Explorer (no doubt this is what Microscum want us to think!)

Just after Christmas I decided to download the Opera Web Browser that Chloe mentioned and have a play with it, whilst continuing to also use Internet Explorer Version 7. I very quickly found that I liked Opera and have continued to play with it and try to get it tuned to my needs in terms of font styles I like etc.

Then last night something odd happened. I went on to the Internet through Internet Explorer version 7 as usual, but instead of opening at my usual SRGC Main Page, which I have set as my home page, it took me straight to the Microsoft Web Site and I was offered a new version of Internet Explorer Version 8 to download. Was this pure chance, or did Microsoft become aware, perhaps through Cookies or something, that I was playing around with an alternative Web Browser?

I downloaded the new version and this replaced version 7 on my computer. When I started to try to get used to it I found a number of problems. The first one was that IE Version 8 will not accept the Google Tool Bar. I used the Google tool,bar a lot in my IE Version 7 and wished to use it again and I don't like some self appointed 'omnipotent being' ie. Microsoft, telling me I can't! The new version does allow me to choose Google as my prime search engine though.

The other problem I found was to do with reading the Forum. Many threads came up with no Avatar photos showing. Some of these I was able to get the system to show but only after clicking and re-clicking on messages but others simply fail to show. I also found that in many cases the final message in a thread was scrambled and again I had to mess about re-clicking the message. Some times I was successful, other times not.

IF ANYONE IS CONSIDERING CHANGING TO INTERNET EXPLORER VERSION 8 I WOULD CERTAINLY ADVISE NOT TO BOTHER.

What am I going to do next? Well, I may try to download another copy of IE Version 7 and delete Version 8-if the system will let me! I shall also continue to play with Opera for a while with a view to coming to a decision over the next few days as to whether I decide t delete Internet Explorer altogether and just use Opera.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Hi David,
I use an Opera driven browser on the Wii games console. I'm actually using it now.
Daughter is on PC doing homework, only been off 3 weeks. I use firefox on main PC, as I believe it is more secure and I find it more user friendly.
Regards,
Mick