If you want to install alternative browsers or any other free software, I've just found this site reccomended by David Fearon in PCPro.

Opt,

Why don't you like the ballot?

Firefox is my default. Opera is what I use quite a bit of the time. IE is simply sitting there in my quickstart box for the odd time the other two can't read a page. How will the ballot set me back?

That other site you suggest is interesting.

TP

TP

I don't like the ballot because I have my machines set up the way I want them and object to the EU forcing updates onto my computer that I neither want or need.

Anybody who cares enough can (and very likely have) install any number of browsers should they want to.

All this browser election scheme will do is confuse those people who don't care about or don't understand browsers, and make difficult to reverse (for them) changes to their computers.

At least it looks as though the Common Market is now turning their sights on Google, I still don't think it's anything to do with them, but if ever there was a company that neeeded taking down a peg or ten ...

Opto
I believe you have the acer aspire one netbook? Did you install Win7 on it? What version and did you have any problems? Did Win7 take care of all the drivers or did you need to look for some? 64 or 32 bit?

Cheers

Jeff

I installed Win 7 Ultimate with no problems at all. It will only run the 32 bit version.

I run a very minimal system, only the Microsoft AV and where possible I use portable versions of any programs including Open Office and Thunderbird so they do not have any overhead when not in use.

I think it runs faster than it did with the original Linux OS.

I have WinXP on mine at the moment. Do you think it will be faster with Win7?
Cheers

I have never done an upgrade from XP to Win 7, so can't be certain, but the most important thing for the performance of netbooks is to keep the used resources to a minimum, it is just too easy to overload them.

Windoew 7 is very good at memory and resource management, so my gues is that it would be better overall.

The other no brainer for using Win 7 (Business or Ultimate) is that it has bitlocker drive encryption although with the Aspire 1, you would need a USB key to boot it.

Cheers Opto

After updating JAVA is it correct and/or possible to delete earlier updates

Try this : http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/remove_olderversions.xml

Or go to 'Start' 'Control Panel' 'Add or remove programs' & see how many Java programs are installed. Check to make sure of the latest Java program number release before you start so that you know which are the older versions. Then highlight each individual program you want to delete & click the 'uninstall' button. (Assuming you are using XP)

Very grateful - thank you

I am doing a media collection for a time capsule.

What do you think has the best chance of lasting the longest as a storage medium?

DVD, Memory stick, hard drive mass storage or something else?

Cheers

Moses considered all of those and went for stone.

And where are those tablets of stone now?

:-)


You can get very high quality DVDs and CDs which are designed for longevity, but I'm not sure I'd trust them.

Good point. Go for punched cards. OK maybe not :-)

It may depend on where you intend to lodge the archive.

Maybe etched titanium.

Paper and ink? Remember the Dead Sea Scrolls?! ;o)

Look guys all very helpful but I am trying to save video and jpgs in a sealed capsule, in a wall in a house.

What's the shelf life of our current technology.

M: The service life of DVD-R (specifically DVD-R, not other DVD variants) is estimated at more than 100 years. I woudn't give a hard drive that much chance of working after that time (rotating medium, lubrication, bearings, heads resting on disc etc) and I don't believe that flash media (USB sticks etc) are that stable over a long period of time either.

Not done much research, just based on my own knowledge.

That assumes they're still making something capable of reading DVDs in 100 years time. Technology is bound to move on.

How would you be feeling now if you'd taken a VHS video and put that in the time capsule as recent as 10 or 15 years ago?

It might also be an idea to also put something into the time capsule capable of reading DVDs. How big is the wall?

:o)