Crucial,

Apart from the price I am attracted to the way they deal with the odd problem. For example I had a small batch of cards that failed in an early Ixus we had - and they replaced them immediately.

The question I'd ask is as to whether Dabs are as responsive. If not, then a small saving may not be worth the agro.

TP

TP

Of course you are right, the fact that Dabs are now part of BT tells you all you need to know about them.

I was just pointing out the option.

Just bought an HP SimpleSave Portable from Tesco. It's currently on offer in the store for 54.97.

It's a 320GB portable hard drive (2.5" Western Digital) with a a USB connection lead. It doesn't need any external power source and has inbuilt HP Software.

Why did I buy it? Couldn't resist! I'm a shopaholic. :-)

Well it's just so 'simple' to do your Backup with this . An idiot could do it.

Well, all you have to do is plug it in to your machine's USB connection, click on 'Start the bubbles, Sergei', and then without you having to do anything else whatsoever, it backs up every type of data file known to man that is present on your machine onto the HP SimpleSave Portable. In my case, that was just a mere 35GB.

Obviously, the software has a Restore facility too. Haven't used that yet, though.

I'm sure there are lots of 'Reviews' on thi thing out there if you should want to check it out.

The software, is 'typical HP' but you can be selective with the file types you choose to have backed up. I didn't bother with that for the first time, merely backing up 'everything'. I might have a play around with this stuff a bit later.

But the main thing with this is, that if you have not got a clue where to start, then this takes all that problem completely and utterly away from you.

And you end up with a Backup of ALL your data for a mere 55, which is dirt cheap and for peanuts, IMHO. If anything happens to you and your machine goes wrong too, wifey can retrieve all the 'stuff'.

One important main feature of the SimpleSave is, that it keeps beavering away in the background and keeps doing a new backup from any new files that are about whenever your machine goes into idle.

By the way, it doesn't backup any programs - just data.

Lesson 1

Me: Right love. Come and have a look at this.

Now then. On a computer, what's the opposite to Backup?

Wifey: Erm, err. Front down?

Me: Hahahahaha

Wifey: I'm sorry, but I can't do it now. I've got the ironing to finish off.

Ah well. I tried.

:-)

lol

Sod that EL get one of those cheap "magic" baskets from Argos , chuck the washing in and two days later turns up washed and ironed in the wardrobe.

Bloody marvellous :-)

If you want magic baskets or rather magic basket cases then you are on the wrong thread. Try the "MP"S expenses, laughing all the way to the bank" thread!

You ever get bored Haystack go see what you can find out about the Blaenau Gwent constitueny MP , biggest Labour majority in the UK in 1997 I think and now Independent.

Fantistic example of how the electorate can turn on those taking them for mugs.

LOL :-)

PS. What's an iron?

It is what an Irishman puts to his ear when the phone rings and he is ironing.

Paypal have just asked me to verify my account.

I am direct debiting to my bank current account - so nothing has changed.

Odd - or likely?

EDIT. It must be a scam as it asks me to fill in and send a form with credit card details and, as I said above, my PayPal works through my bank account.

Cheeky whatsits.

TP

TP

It could be legit, it could be a scam. Don't follow any links in the email but type the proper PayPal address into the browser. That should keep you safe from all but a keylogger or DNS trojan.

If you're really suspicious, change all of your passwords from another machine, prefferably running a live Lynux OS.

Opt.

Thanks.

I have looked that the links for the form and one goes to angelonline.biz

Google tells me that is a phishing site.

I bet this fools a fair number of people as it looks so convincing.

But not us wise old folk lurking around MAM. We may not be making loads a' money - but we spot a phisher from a mile away...

TP

A good Outlook addon for checking suspect emails is PocketKnife Peek. My thanks to Spaceman for originally putting me on to it.

Opt,

Thanks for the link. But....

I was advised, a while ago, to avoid Outlook altogether if possible.

Consequently I use nPopW as a scanner to check what is in my mailbox every ten minutes. It downloads nothing other than the first hundred or so lines of text.

I prune the obvious junk and then download with Virtual Access.

With Avast running all the time.

Touch wood, no problems within my (eroding) memory.

TP

I know a few of you use AVG .. has anyone noticed it slowing down their computer more than usual? I'm running the free version 8.5.421 on XP.

PlanB,

I abandonned it about a year ago. Not able to take measurements - but on the basis of a gut reaction.

Having said that I now use Avast and that little rotating A hardly ever seems to rest. It is particularly annoying on the machine that I use for photography and where I have told Avast to ignore my own picture folders.

TP

I'm looking for a good backup/cloning utility. One that I want to avoid is Acronis - it fouled up my laptop bigtime. I've heard mention of Macrium Reflect. Any users here?

I use Acronis and find it works well, with one exception. I backup to a separate disk and according to what it says on the tin, as it were, when the disk is full it is supposed to knock of the earliest backup to make room for the latest. Only it doesn't. That means that every three weks or so I have to clear out the Acronis secure zone and start again. Irritating. I wonder where I'm going wrong.
Any Acronis users out there?

Klal

Wait till next week and upgrade to Windows 7. It is worth the upgrade anyway and the backup is superb although you may need to go for the Ultimate version.