My local 'Techies' (Computer Doctors), wot I use from time to time when the going gets a bit rough, send out a Newsletter to me every so often.

It is accessible online and has lots of good stuff, including a lot of recommended and free software downloads - and I would trust their site, which you can access from the Newsletter, as an excellent place to download them from, too.

Interestingly, they recommend 'KeConnect' as a broadband supplier and I must say, KeConnect do seem to check out very well in the ADSL comparisons for 'speed, reliability and customer service'.

You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.computerdoctors.uk.net:80/newsletter/autumn/aut2006.htm

A query on downloading drivers please chaps.
I have 2 driver updates that I want to do. They are for my Nvidia card and my monitor. I worry that I will have to delete the old drivers first before uploading my new ones.
I could just envisage deleting the old drivers and pzzssttt (technical expression) - no display.
S**t creek without a paddle springs to mind.

Even without the proper drivers the display usually works with reduced festures such as resolution and numbers of colours using the default Windows generic driver.

Control panel
systems
device manager
display adapters
double click on your graphics adapter
driver
update driver

You will notice that there is also a button that says 'Roll back driver' which you can use if you are not happy with the new driver.

Thanks Haystack. I really didn't know about that facility! Easy peasy!
I've been trying to make things more complicated than I should.
Thx again.

turned on the PC yesterday..and just got the sound after a 5-10 seconds "beep beep" Fan started up and it whirred a bit ...then printed

Low battery something ot other...I could still do F2 to get into the utility area thing...but could get no further

Managed to boot up of the CD diagnostics disc after amending the boot sequence ..and now dare not turn it off..
any idea what the problem might have been?

All ok now...HD fine atm...

foale

It sounds as if your BIOS battery needs replacing. You will have to re save the BIOS settings every time you power down your PC until you replace the battery but otherwise it should be OK.

You should be able to get a battery from your local PC shop and they are easy to replace.

thast sound right...I will get on to that...
thanks optimist...

Last night I attempted to connect an HP 2570 printer to my Win XP laptop. For reasons I won't bore you with I wanted to make the connection to the ethernet socket on the printer instead of the USB.

At a later stage I will be getting a hub so that my wife can share the printer if she ever gets round to having her own laptop.

In the meantime, in the absence of a hub, I am simply plugging the ethernet cable directly into my laptop.

I had problems (about which more later maybe) but my first question is as to whether I can go straight into the laptop or whether a hub is essential?

TP

TP

You would normally use a standard straight through ethernet cable for connections between a hub and the device but you would need a crossover cable or adaptor for device to device connections. Some network devices are inteligent enough to adapt to automatically to the cable in use, so the above will not then apply.

Optimist,

I just grabbed what looked like an ethernet cable from a shelf.

How could I tell whether it was a crossover cable or not?

Maybe the answer is to pop up the Tott Ct Rd and buy a crossover adaptor.

TP

TP

They are normally labeled either straight through or crossover. If you can see the cable colours, two of the wires would be in a different order at one end of the crossover cable. If you buy an adaptor, you will probably need a second standard cable to plug into it.

Thanks Optimist,

I did get as far as getting the printer to do a test page from the laptop so my link may not be too wrong and the cable may not be the fault.

However, trying to print a page from Word totally failed.

I also got yellow exclamation marks against that connection and my WiFi connection in that panel at the bottom right of my screen.

And, my bigger worry, it was a struggle to get the laptop to turn off - which I was told is sometimes caused when it struggles to turn off network links that are not correct.

I'll get an adaptor and another standard cable anyway. They'll not cost much and surely come in handy sometime.

TP

TP

The cable is not your problem.

It sounds as though your network addresses are not set up properly. You either need to have a DHCP server on your network or set the network address manually on both the computer and the printer.

On your computer, go into the networksettings, select properties for the network connection then select TCP/IP and select properties. Set the network address to something like 192.168.0.5 the subset mask to 255.255.255.0 the other boxes do not need filling in for printing (you could use the alternate configuration settings if you sometimes plug your computer into another network).

On the printer, you have to set it to manual address, something like 192.168.0.6 subset mask to 255.255.255.0

That should do it.

Optimist,

Thanks for that.

I've found the bit in the manual about network settings. On the installation disk there is no mention of them.

Do you think I inadvertantly got a conflict last night with my WiFi - and hence the two exclamation marks ?

I am pretty sure (the machine is at home) that my TCP/IP is set to Automatically receive the IP address as that was what I was told to do when I set up the connection with the WiFi feed of my broadband.

I don't want to take too much of your time and I'm wondering if I should just go for the USB link and wait til I really need the internet link.

TP

TP

I assume that your broadband router is a DHCP server and normally sets both your WiFi and wired network settings. If you were to plug your printer into the router then you could also set it automatically from the DHCP server in your router, but only while everything is connected.

I can't see how the WiFi connection was effected (unless the printer also has WiFi).

If you want to plug your computer into your home network and use it away from home with the printer then connect to your broadband router and set the network properties on the computer to automatic. Open a command prompt window and type "ipconfig /all" followed by enter. This will list all or your current network settings. Open the router configuration and check the range of DHCP addresses (the last group of figures in the network address). Any manual settings need a unique address outside of this range and between 1 and 254 (avoid 1 - 3 as these are likely to be used by the router).

You should now be able to set the computer and printer up manually and everything should work together or stand alone. Of course it gets more complicated if you then want to connect to another network.

Thanks again Optimist,

I've printed out what you said and I'll use it as an aid memoire when I start tinkering this evening.

Bye for the moment.

TP

Optimist,

I went down the USB route as I have not enough time to tinker deeper.

And USB is fine.

I do need a hub type situation in the future, but not until Mrs TP decides to become computerate. She has never even turned a computer on in her life, let alone owned one.

And before that she's got to find someone to teach her the basics - and, in the interests of married harmony that someone will not be me.

TGIF in a while.

Bye

TP

Maybe she'll learn how not to double post.

Anyone tried this?

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/windows_live_safety_center.mspx

Have a good Sunday, folks.

TP

I recieve the following daily emails: midday and close of market from MoneyAM (2) and a morning email from Sharecast.

All 3 suddenly stopped coming as from last Friday, I have checked my spam filter on my email account and all the right boxes are ticked as are the boxes with Money AM. Checked the spam box and the 3 emails don't appear there.

Anyone else had the same problems? or anyone know what Is causing the stopage please?