Just To Let You Know.......

[J.R.]

Just to update you.

Our 'new-computer' supplier has apparently experienced a hitch, and we can't expect deliver until W/C 19th. October.

I thought times were hard and everyone was screaming out for business. Obviously NOT !

[kerrensimmonds]

I had to take my duvet to be cleaned, on Friday. I have a 'privilege' account with Johnsons, in the local Sainsburys. It was 2 October, and they said it would be back for collection on 16 October. I was so taken aback that I was speechless. The delay is because 'you have missed this week's collection'. They said it would cost £17.
Instead, I took it to the local launderette, where they have a duvet service. It was ready by lunchtime and cost £12.
So I guess I am not such a 'privileged' customer of Johnsons, after all............

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Once -- in the past -- I was having trouble with my Computer, and took it in to PC World -- who Deleted EVERYTHING !

My younger Son, when I telephoned him, gave me a dressing down --- exactly as a Father to his Son ----- How many times have I told you------ ? Why don't you come to me for advice ---- You know nothing -- sometimes I despair ---

Eventually we both burst out laughing and he said "I sounded just like you Daddy !"

I learned my lesson, I have not been near PC World since !!!

[kerrensimmonds]

Don't start me on PC World!
If I have to go to a chain outlet, I have more respect for Staples. And never again will I try and buy ANYTHING from Curry's.....

[Jo]

PC World and Curry's are both part of the same Dixon's group. I wouldn't touch any of them with a bargepole.

[kerrensimmonds]

Thanks Jo.... we seem to agree on this..................

[Fjgrogan]

thanks for the information about PC World. When we bought this computer (from PC World)we paid for some sort of maintenance thingy, which has been coming out of my bank account ever since and we have had nothing for our money so I tried to cancel it. first I was told that I couldn't because it was in my husband's name and he would have to do it. (It originally went on my account with my permission simply because he had no ID with him at the time - I thought it was only for a couple of months) Eventually I dragged him into PC World to deal with it - easier than phone calls to India!) and they said 'Has your computer had its 'health checks'?' - apparently included in the cost of the deal. I said no and perhaps we should do that before cancelling, but that involves hauling the processor manually on the bus to PC World so I keep putting it off and am still making monthly payments. Given the info provided by you lot, I shall cancel without bothering about the health check, and rely on 'sin-in-law' with IT knowledge to make sure PC is in tip-top condition! that will save me about £13 a month I think!

[Jo]

Your monthly maintenance should include some or all of the following:
- Backing up important files (I do My Documents, Outlook [calendar, contacts and emails], MS Money, MSN & Skype contacts lists);
- Deleting temporary internet files;
- Emptying the recycle bin & Outlook Deleted Items;
- Running Adaware, Malware Bytes & Glary Utilities;
- Setting a Restore Point;
- Checking for high priority Windows Updates (the critical ones download and install themselves automatically);
- Defragging.

Backups should probably be done more frequently (especially if you've just come back from hols with a load of photos!). I can highly recommend SyncToy, which I believe I learned about on this very forum. It saves having to back up the whole of My Documents every time (which can take ages) but avoids having to manually select which folders have changed. It does a compare to the last backup and only copies things that have changed.

Adaware & Malware Bytes check for spyware. I don't find this too much of a problem but it's good practice to remove it if possible. I find most spyware detectors rather unhelpful if you don't know too much about critical files, as it suggests files for removal but you have to decide if you think they're important and if you make a mistake, you're on your own! However, I quite like Malware Bytes.

Glary Utilities just checks for redundant shortcuts and registry files - it basically cleans up crap .

Defragging is important as it reduces the risk of corrupted files, and frees up disk space. It can take a while so leave it running and go off and do something else. It's probably best done in Safe Mode, but I can't always be bothered to keep rebooting during PC housekeeping.

I'm sure there are technies who do a lot more than this in a much more informed way, but I'm guessing that you will have been paying your £13 a month for a lot less than this (I doubt they would include backups for example).

I wouldn't let PC World touch my PC. If I need help, I google for error codes or symptoms, ask on forums, or call in a freelance PC doctor. I'm careful about the latter too - the last one I used, I spent ages unpicking what he had done afterwards as he would only do things his way, and not the way I wanted.

[Fjgrogan]

Thanks for all that Jo, although I didn't understand a lot of it. I think I shall stick with Steve, the sin-in-law!the only problem there is getting hold of him when I need to - he is a busy person, especially now with a new baby and about to move house. Main problems at the moment are that Norton has expired, which worries me because I think it was keeping a lot of things in check. Steve renewed for me on the laptop when I was last visiting him and Kirri (and baby Millie) but now I can't work out how to transfer that to my PC - it is supposed to cover two computers. Also I have an annoying little window that pops up every few minutes telling me that I have low space on Recovery (D) - it seems to continue no matter how much I delete. The man at PC world said to ignore it!! Every so often I delete a bit more, but half the applications on the list are things I don't recognise and don't want to risk deleting in case they are something I actually need. I definitely need to kidnap Steve! I remember defragging regularly; it looked very pretty! I guess these days it happens secretly under the guise of something else!The laptop was originally intended just to store family history data, photos etc, but it seems to have become more than that and is also now telling me that I have low space for back-up - why? I haven't used it for months and when I last did it was fine - what has crept in while I wasn't looking, I wonder? However it obviously matters if my back-ups are not happening properly. Aaaaagh! Bring back the quill pen is what I say! Actually it was Miss Mercer who used to say that regularly; would you believe it, I tried to teach her to use a computer for e-mail and the internet - the blind leading the blind! I stuck a label on the screen saying 'If in doubt, let go and let God!' she used to get very concerned when the computer told her that she had performed an illegal act - seemed to expect the Gardai on the doorstep at any moment!

[Jo]

I wouldn't use Norton either - that was what I spent time unpicking after the last time I let anyone else "mend" my PC. Chris has stuck with it but I don't see the point in paying for something that you can get for free elsewhere.

Assuming you are using it for anti-virus and firewall, then I would recommend Avast for the former and Zonealarm for the latter. They are both free for domestic users. I used to use AVG anti-virus but it didn't always run very efficiently and I find Avast slicker. Zonealarm has been my firewall since such things became necessary. It is universally applauded and you can "train" it to block things you don't want and allow things you do. That was another thing the computer chap did - turned off Zonealarm and told me I didn't need a software firewall as broadband routers have their own - which may be true but I do like the comfort of seeing the little Z in my system tray!

I'm not sure I'd worry about low space on Recovery either - sounds like it is a very small partition on your hard drive that is only used for minimal recovery files. If you're not storing your own data on there then it's not a problem - though I am making a lot of assumptions there that might not be correct!!

[Fjgrogan]

H'm - I'm wary of risking losing 300 years of family history!

[MKM]

H'm - I'm wary of risking losing 300 years of family history!

You're making me nervous - back up the family history immediately! Then check that you can read the backup. I like to back up to a CD or DVD so it is quite separate from the actual computer. If your hard disk should fail then the recovery partition may be lost as well.

[Fjgrogan]

Most of family history stuff is on the laptop and backed up regularly onto DVD, but there is still some on the PC -I have a totally different set of photos on each PC and usually find myself wanting to e-mail them to some distant connection from the wrong computer! I suppose I ought to be able to back up from PC onto DVD; just never thught of it, or how to do it!

[Mid A 15]

H'm - I'm wary of risking losing 300 years of family history!

Depending on the size of the files e mail it to yourself and any interested relatives as an attachment so you can pick it up on any computer and also back up onto one or more of CD, DVD and memory stick.

I've yet to attempt to load my family history onto a PC. I have various manual files of stuff and I really need to collate it all as I'm probably alone in being able to understand and interpret what is there given the complete absence of a logical filing system.

Can anybody recommend a family history computer system suitable for a stupid 5 year old?

If there is such a thing I might ,just possibly, be able to use it!

[cstegerlewis]

My better half (we are not married either) uses ancestry.co.uk and holds it all online - she didn't particularly choose it, but is quite happy with it and it is now very familiar - I think from the last CC staement it is about £80pa subscritopn, but that also gets you free access to several BMD type databases.

Beyond that I haven't got a clue about family history stuff other than a couple of weeks ago she found her father's second cousin is godmother to my first cousin!!!