MM.

Thanks for that on WiFi.

My current set-up is an ADSL modem router with WiFi. It is set to require WEP and it is next to my laptop which communicates with the WiFi. I also have a PDA with WiFi and that provides me with a quick way of checking e:mails as it saves having to boot up the laptop.

I now want to move the laptop into a different room.

I plan to use an Ethernet cable from the existing router to one of those internet devices that transmit the signal through the electricity mains sockets.

I'll put a similar socket device in the other room and feed that, via ethernet cable, into another WiFi transmitter. In theory that will enable me to have the laptop WiFi connected in the other room - and also for me to use the PDA in that room as well. Hence the wish to use the same WEP codes, as it seems simpler. But I must admit that I had not thought of forcing that new WiFi device on to a different channel.

If this all works as I hope I'll have the ability to use the laptop and PDA in the new room - and still be able to use the PDA in the current room as I'll not be getting rid of the WiFi.

These socket devices seem to be well respected. I have seen one brand that is not only a socket that picks up the internet coming through the mains, but is also has a WiFi transmitter built into it. Certainly that will be neater - but I'll use a separate WiFi transmitter for the moment as I already have an unused one lurking somewhere.

You mentioned hex codes. Am I not right in thinking that WEP gives me that protection?

TP.

On a slightly different topic, I believe a 'broadband through the mains' idea was trialled in Scotland.

I live just a bit too far from my enabled exchange to enjoy anything better than 1mbps down my phone line. I wonder how it worked out? Perhaps the diameter of the copper wire isn't/wasn't the main problem?

Morning guys

i have finally received my laptop back from toshiba with a new hard drive installed but have 2 problems.

Firstly, and most importantly, the laptop says it cannot find any wireless networks to connect to meaning i cant get onto my wireless connection (run through my other machine). Is there a set up i need to do as i thought the computer should find the network automatically.

Secondly, they have installed a diff version of windows (basic rather than media centre). Is it difficult to change this using the original discs and if not how do i go about it

many thanks in advance

Also, i have got my old hard drive back and would like to try and get the data recovered (i know i should have backed it up). Can anyone recommend a company in oxfordshire or via post?

Have managed to fix the connection issue - didnt realise there was a "wireless connection" switch :-)

Fundy,

Before you re-load all your data - are you sure this might not be a chance to upgrade your version of Windows to XP or something?

I b*gg*r*d my photographic studio PC and never regret the consequencies as it gave me the impetus to move from Win 2000 - which I would not have bothered to do otherwise.

TP

TP

am trying to load the operating software now - fingers xxx'ed :-)

Friend of mine has Norton Internet Security package and wondered if it's also advisable to run Adaware, Spywareblaster and Spybot as well. Do they cause any conflicts and is it worth it?
I told her I didn't know but I know a group of chaps that will!
Thanks in advance.

Bolshi, I would recommmend that initially he runs Adaware and Spybot as usual but removing the memory resident parts (tea Timer on Spybot S&D if I remember correctly).

If after a few weeks he finds that these extra scans find very little then reduce the frequency.

Its usefull to have more than one tool available so dont delete at least thise two and keep them up-to-date.

I would also recommend having another virus scan tool available, one of the free online ones will do (e.g. Panda) again a preiodic scan with an alternative tool is worthwhile and in an emergency it might save your data.

I run that setup with no conflicts. Whether it's advisable or not is another matter. Someone more knowledgeable than me will answer that.

Just to add to my post 5130, those products will probably all run together fine however the memory resident parts may cause the machine to slow down as they are all processing the same things.

Also personally I dont line Norton Internet Security its a resource hog.

Adaware would be OK to use alone, IMHO and I would discontinue using the other two.

My preference for Antivirus Protection is towards EZ Antivirus.

I don't find it unusual to hear you using the words 'Norton' and 'conflicts' in the same sentence. I've read them in that context before. Therefore, I'm more than OK personally with EZ Antivirus.

And then there's Windows Updates, which need keeping up to date.

And also the need to have and use a Firewall.

Sp,

I don't like Norton. Creates too many non-removeable files, that other software resents.

If you want a new name try PC-Cillin from Trend Micro.

TP

Can't resist Norton - it comes as a freebie with my BT connection.

A bit more info about my spam problem (post 5096). Thanks to the guys who responded, but this isn't an Outlook Express problem. I probably didn't describe my email setup well enough...

A couple of years back I changed ISP twice and my email address changed twice. I thought a better idea would be to register my own internet domain - let's say it's www.peterg.com - so I could always keep the same email. I then used a hosting company with a mail forwarding service and told them to forward all mail arriving for anything@peterg.com to my ISP email account, let's say peterg@btinternet.com.

Everything was going fine and, as an extra bonus, the forwarding company scans all email passing through the system for viruses. Then about 10 days ago I suddenly started getting "Returned Mail - Delivery Failure" notices for mails I'd never sent. Looking at the email headers it looks like some spamming b*st**d has hijacked @peterg.com to send out spam. Looking at the message source I found "senders" like "From: Osmond Patel '< 'jchq @peterg.com'>' ". Definitely not from me!

I contacted the hosting company and they told me that these spam attacks usually only last a few days and there's not much I can do about it. Today it looks like the volume of return notices is starting to decrease. Still, it's pretty scary because people all over the place are getting spam that they think is from me :-(

I still don't know if there's any way I can find out who is doing this?

Optimist - i'm taking your advice to get a pc to use as a remote for my mac - do i need it to have xp or will 2000 be good enough.

thanks Nick.

PeterG,

If you use Outlook 2k3, you should be able to right click over the dubious message and then click the tab called Options. A box will appear and at the bottom it will say Internet headers. Therein will lay the IP address of the eejit who's sending the spam which will probably turn out to be a hosting company somewhere in Silicon Valley.

If you paste the IP address up here, MM will probably tell you who they are and how to contact them.

Unfortunately, I don't know if that proceedure will work with other email clients.

PeterG
The "Returned Mail - Delivery Failure" notices are as a result of a spoof emailer program either as a result of a virus or SMTP mail server hijacking.
The spoof emailer program uses the contacts list of the affected computer, picking a victim to appear as the sender the sending mails to others on the contact list.
You may be able to find the originating computer by looking at the "Returned Mail - Delivery Failure" notice by looking back at the route the message took. The originating computer will be the IP address after the last "Received: from" in the message. You can inform the virus victim and hopefully the will clean the virus out.
If SMTP mail server has been hijacked the problem is more complicated. Have a look at Spoofed/forged email
skg

REDMOND, Wash. (AFX) - Microsoft Corp. is giving its Web browser software its first major upgrade in years, amid signs that Internet Explorer's market share is eroding.

The release late Wednesday brings Microsoft's browser more in line with competing products such as Opera Software ASA's Opera and Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox. Internet Explorer 7, or IE7, adds features such as tabbed browsing, which lets people open several Web pages without cluttering their desktop with multiple open browser windows.

Microsoft has been heavily testing the new browser, releasing five beta versions over 14 months, and has periodically offered security updates for IE6, first released in 2001.

Still, a lag of more than five years between official releases has cost the company. Web analysis company WebSideStory estimates that Internet Explorer's U.S. market share is about 86 percent, while Firefox commands about 11 percent of the market and smaller offerings account for the rest. Two years ago, IE had about a 93 percent share.

Dean Hachamovitch, Microsoft's general manager for Internet Explorer, acknowledged the company could have done more sooner, but he said the new version should address users' concerns.

'We did have active development,' he said. 'The question is whether it was enough.'

Matt Rosoff, analyst with independent researchers Directions on Microsoft, said Internet Explorer is important to Microsoft's business because most people believe an operating system should include a way to immediately access the Web.

Still, he said, Microsoft may not have seen much reason to spend a lot of money upgrading sooner since most people continued to use the older version.

Rosoff said the new product includes enough improvements to lure back some users.

But Colin Teubner, an analyst with Forrester Research, said people already using Firefox and rival products might not immediately come back. That's partly because those users have soured on Microsoft, he said, and partly because IE7 doesn't break much new ground.

'A year ago Firefox was head and shoulders above Microsoft's current offering, and I think even with IE7 it's mostly playing catch up,' Teubner said.

But he does recommend that IE6 users upgrade, and he believes Microsoft may surpass competitors with future improvements.

Besides tabbed browsing, Microsoft has improved security to help keep users from falling victim to things like malicious software attacks and phishing scams. Microsoft products are a near-constant target of Internet attackers, and some people have recommended switching browsers because a less high-profile product might be more secure.

The Redmond software maker also has added a box in the browser that lets people search the Internet without going to a separate Web page, much like competitors.

In a last-minute change, people who are upgrading from the previous version of the browser will now have a clearer way to choose whether they want to use Microsoft's search engine or a competing one from companies like Google Inc. or Yahoo Inc. The change announced Friday was one of several aimed at soothing antitrust worries in Europe, where Microsoft faces a longrunning regulatory battle.

IE7 will be available as a free download beginning Wednesday evening. Next month, the company also will begin delivering it to Windows XP users who have signed up to automatically receive security fixes. Hachamovitch said that's because the product makes major security improvements.

Such distribution also will provide a powerful tool in countering competition from rival browsers.

Security updates typically download with little or no user intervention, but with IE7 people will get an extra opportunity to elect not to upgrade. Also, even people using automatic updates will have to agree to let Microsoft check whether their copy of Windows is pirated before they can get IE7.

Microsoft expects that it will take months to gradually release IE7 automatically. The browser also will be an integral part of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, due out for big businesses in November and for consumers in January.

I've just downloaded IE7. It seems to have cured one or two of the irritating bugs from the Beta version.