Good advice Optimist. Had a lengthy joke e mail from a friend while in Spain - cost me about 8 and the updates for this that and the other keep creeping in when you're not looking.

That's great advice, Opti, thanks.

Another datacard was delivered this morning, but I still can't get it to work with my Orange SIM even after changing the APN and uninstalling the Dashboard software to use the datacard as a simple modem. I'm going to try it with a Vodafone SIM later and I'm hoping that it will work, otherwise it's going back and I'll scrap the whole idea of taking a laptop away with me. If it works I'll buy Spanish Vodafone and SFR SIM cards when I get out there and just re-install the Dashboard software for the relevant country.

I've got to say that I'm a bit miffed as the datacard was advertised as being unlocked for any network. What cobblers!!!

new PC (3 months old)playing up,
the motherboard is not holding the bios settings,tried removing everything from MOBO including battery and resetting CMOS and loading 1009 bios from ASUS site,
still in the bios the year and time keeps resetting to all different years etc,
will not boot into windows and when going into BIOS its all over the place,
is there anything i can do before sending back the MOBO,

it is A8N32-SLI Deluxe gaming motherboard,ASUS,

many thanks

steve

Try changing the battery. Losing BIOS settings is often down to faulty or worn out battery.

Could be perhaps a faulty contact with the battery.

As it keeps setting the date to different years as opposed to 1/1/2000 then I would suspect something more serious.

Send it back!

Help Please,

I have a Sony VIO wireless Laptop which I am very happy with.

Also use V21 as broad band ISP, also very happy.

However, I am hoping to wander around in a Motor home in Europe, ie. England, France, Spain, Portugal and maybe Morocco.

I use to down load and access Internet via a nokia mobile (4years ago)
and it was expensive.

I believe I can buy a external card ? to use to access the internet similar to a mobile phone and I have been told the charges are reasonable.

Has anybody overcome similar problems, and what Servers did they use and approximately at what cost?

I wish to be able to download end of the day Sharescope data, deal on the internet sites and view moneyam and E-mail etc.

Any help appreciated.

Fred,

See the last 20 or 30 posts re Vodafone 3G cards. You can buy them as new on eBay for around 50.

I actually got my card connected on 3G last night using a Voda SIM. I'm disappointed that it's not unlocked as advertised, but I don't see that as being a major problem if I can get Voda.es and SFR PAYG SIMs to work and avoid the roaming costs.

Hilary Thank you. Now even more confused.

I had this problem last time I wander off for 2 weeks and came back 8 months later.

I thought charges would be less this time. I had bills for a while of up to 200 a month but was making it in the market at the time.

In portugal I was using Portugeese Sim card in a Nokia. the problem with cost was when I left Portugal and went to Spain and France.

May rely on Cafes and plugging into hotspots.

MM at 62 should you be playing around with Virgins.

Hilary, Fred, MM

You guys might be interested in learning about 'Wardriving'

But do I remember how MM might already be an afficionado?

More on it at Tapping into wireless

Fred,

It's really not that complicated.

I've been doing some more digging today regarding the costs in Spain. I don't know how much a Spanish Vodafone SIM card is to buy, but I wouldn't have thought it's much more than around 5.

The basic prepaid 3G package costs 20 and that gives a download max of 25MB. It is split into 100 sessions each of either 0.25MB or 10 minutes, whichever is reached first. The package must be used within 3 months.

Compared to the 8/MB that Orange charge for 3G roaming, I think that 20 is peanuts and should suffice for my fortnight in Spain. I'll probably not even bother with it while I'm in France.

There are other packages - 40 buys 200MB and 60 buys 1GB.

More here

Hope that helps

Hilary, I am still thinking. Trouble is I am tight fisted.

When I was in France and Portugal I was lucky to have a permanent addresses in those countries and purchase a "data" Sims card I could use and with the Nokia. I am thinking of buying the datacard for the Sony and then fighting for the connection in France and Portugal again.

The other sensible approach for me is to go into cash or more defensive stock. But I am told by my family I rarely make sense or act sensibly.

I will continue to think.

Looking for good prices for DDR333 266 memory trying to upgrade MSI KT3 motherboard

or

Better still and new motherboard cpu and memory combo, any recomendations ;-)

I keep getting "Internet Explorer Script Error" messages - one or two a day. Anyone with a clue as to why and what it means, please? I'm on Broadband with XP Pro.

Check out

How to Troubleshoot Script Errors in Internet Explorer

How to disable script and runtime errors

Wow Doc, my mind is boggled. Many thanks for the links. I'll plough through pages and see if I can make any sense of them. Despite the error messages, as far as I can see, the web pages download OK. Curious.

TOK, in Internet Options, Advanced tab, check "Display a notification about every script error" is not ticked.

Kayak - Box is not ticked. Disable script debugging (IE and Other) are ticked.

Hilary

Have you seen http://www.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm ? This site might be of some use if you want to take your laptop with you on your hols.

Thanks for the link, Doc. I notice there's a hotspot at a hotel near to where I'm staying on Plage Richelieu. The Vodafone Dashboard software also includes a feature which gives an updated list of known hotspots in any town.

Trouble is though, I'm only just figuring out how I'm going to use the 3G/GPRS thingey wotsit. I really wouldn't have a clue what I'd have to do to connect up to a WiFi Hotspot.