Here's an eBay seller of XP Pro' who looks OK to me:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41888&item=7126787815&rd=1

eBay say:-

Follow this checklist and you'll be prepared to make a smart, safe purchase on eBay.

Learn all you can about the item. Read the item description carefully. Do you understand all the details about shipping, insurance, payment options and so on? Avoid making assumptions about details that aren't included. If the seller has any Buyer requirements that you don't meet, you can contact the seller for permission prior to placing a bid or using the "Buy It Now" feature.

Check the seller's feedback. From the item page, click on the number in parentheses after the seller's User ID. From here you'll see what other buyers have had to say about doing business with the seller.

Ask the seller questions. If you have any questions or are unsure about any aspect of the item, contact the seller by clicking on their User ID or the "ask seller a question" link on the item-listing page. Common questions include "Do you accept returns?" and "How do you ship the item?" If you have bid on an item and are having a problem communicating with a seller through email, you can request their contact information (including a phone number).

Make sure the item is legal and allowed. If you have any doubts as to whether the item you're interested in is allowed, check eBay's policies on prohibited, questionable and infringing items.

I use OEM versions of XP Pro with no problems but so far as I know, you can't use it to upgrade from another OS. This does not matter to me as XP is always best installed on a new disc but you would have to reinstall all of your programs and data.

The OEM versions are not supported directly by Microsoft and if you buy off Ebay then make sure that you get a genuine and unique license key.

Can anyone point me in the right direction, I've been asked by my grandson to help build his web site, bearing in mind all this web stuff is totally alien to me, what I now need is a decient HTML editor and it has to be idiot proof, been recommended CoffeeCup or is there a better/easier one?

Many thanks

Prodman

It really depends on how complex you want the site to be.

If you want to produce a couple of simple web pages, then you could set them out in Word and Save As an htm file. But as you get more complex you will rapidly wish that you were using something better.

Microsoft Front page is reckoned to be easy to use and capable of good results, but there are many more options out there.

Does your ISP provide any utilities for building web sites?

Prodman

I bookmarked the following couple of sites:-

http://www.netmechanic.com/

http://vzone.virgin.net/sizzling.jalfrezi/iniframe.htm

Optimist

I checked with his ISP this morning and they have no utilities at all for building the web site.

By what my grandson's explaining to me it will a bit more than basic.

DocPro

Thanks, will have a look.

Wireless network running fine.Is there a way i can prohibit the other 2 computers going on line after a certain time at night?Kids :-)
Norton internet security 2005/ XP PRO If that helps

Iain

Some routers have scheduled rules which would do the trick. I understand that you can buy software that will do it but I have never tried it.

The other way is to use a Domain controller but that is probably overkill for what you want.

As ever.Thanks

Iain, CYBERsitter will do exactly what you want with the added advantage that you can also use it to block access to some sites.


Neil

Ta.
My latest problem:-)
How do i make my wireless connection secure?Im using D-Link g604t.When we go on line it shows as an unsecure connection.It shows next doors as locked,(Thats a pity)
Also how do we send files from one comp to another over our network??

Iain, you need to go into the setup by entering the router IP address and then following the menu. I'll type out the instructions as I have them from a copy of Computer Active.

Step 1:
If you're using a wireless access point or router you can limit access to the network to specified computers. Every network interface adapter has a unique number (the MAC address) and most wireless access points or routers let you manage access based on this information....

Step 2:
For greater security use a special software "key" to turn on WEP encryption so the network can only be accessed by the access point or router and PCs connected to it. Start by enabling WEP at the wireless access point or router. If offered a choice of encryption levels the basic option - normally 64 bits - is usually sufficient.

Step 3:
You can enter up to four WEP keys but in practice you only really need one. A lot of access points will also offer to generate keys automatically (mine did) using a simple password that you supply. Some ask you to think up and type in keys yourself, which is a little harder. Whatever the approach, it's important to take a note of the key, as you'll need it for the next step.

Step 4:
Having configured the access point or router you need to enter the same secret key into any PCs you want to connect to the wireless network. If you are using the software provided by the manufacturer of the wireless device to manage the connection, you may be able to generate keys using the same password as on the access point or router. If you are using Windows XP you have to type the key in yourself.

For the file sharing I hope someone else will answer!!

" Every network interface adapter has a unique number (the MAC address)"
Where do i find these on the other 2 PCs?
As you can see this problem is disrupting my sleep:-)

Type IPCONFIG /ALL in a DOS box, look under Physical address.

With networked computers you are looking to share drives (or single folders if you prefer, to stop your kids looking at your porn collection :-) ). The shared drive will then appear in Windows Explorer and you can copy by dragging and dropping as you would between two folders on your own machine.

Night :-)

Message for Optimist,
Thanks for all your help last week, I disappeared without trace I
know midweek!
I'm currently on a borrowed
laptop as my PC is out of use.It seems to be an incurable problem.

I ended up talking to Symantec,
and Microsoft trying to firstly remove the virus and then trying to
get shot of the file, but all has failed. So it's a very new virus
and there's no cure yet - most likely picked up when a son was on
a games website - those with kids you are warned!
So it's a system rebuild - thankfully someone has said they will
do it for me and they've done this kind of thing before, as I don't
think I could tackle it.

Stockbunny

Sorry to hear that you have to take such drastic action. When you rebuild the system, your installation CD will not have the most recent Microsoft security updates and unless you use an external firewall it will not be safe to connect to the internet even to download the updates.

Get hold of a CD copy of SP2 (they were given away with many computer mags or you can do a 270MB download). Once SP2 is installed, you are reasonably safe connecting and installing the remaining updates.

Iain

When you set your wireless security, there may be a choice of WEP or WPA-PSK security.

WEP is the best that you can use if any of your wirless clients use 802.11b. If all your system is using the newer 802.11g system then you should use WPA-PSK security which is more secure.

Ive managed to get a secure conection.Now using WEP Encryption do i have to enter 58 Actual Hexadecimal digits or is there another way?I.e what the bloody hell are they??
entered 64 WEP for now

Iain

If it is asking for 58 digits for a WEP key then it is probably generating the key from an alpha numeric string.

WEP keys are normally entered in pairs of Hex numbers. A 128bit key will consist of 8 hex pairs.

A hex number is in the range 0 - 9 plus letters A - F giving 16 possible values or 256 for a pair.

If you are using WEP security, then go for 128 bit. There is software around that can crack this, but it is stronger than 64 bit.