Computers!

Bloody internet's been up and down like a prostitutes draws this weekend! Well peed off. I missed a bid on ebay because it was so slow!

It's a lot better now but isn't it amazing how cut off you feel when it goes down!

Can't complain really as I've had an excellent run over the years with not much bovver.

I had been doing some work on the pc just before it went down deleting old progs and such. Then I'm thinking Oh sh*t what have I done?! But it wasn't me after all. Phew!

I recently bought a new 'Dell' was only available with 'Vista' half my hardware didn't work with that, so I installed XP and the other half didn't work! I am now back on vista but have had to change my security suite as it doesn't work with Vista. I have managed to get most things working now, but its a lottery whether you get connected to the internet or not, I often have to reboot it to get a connection - When it works it's fast though

Peter.N.

I'm currently trying to get the Uniscan interface to work. It's a bit tricky when you don't know if the interface is faulty or it's down to the software/hardware. At the moment I'm trying a program called Dosbox, if it works I'll report back.

Steve.

I thought it was only me having internet problems. My set up (home assembled AMD chip, so long ago I can't remember what it is) will suddenly stop communicating with Firefox, checking on "connections" shows everything apparently working. Disconnecting from the internet and then reconnecting produces an error message. Quickest way out is to pull the power and telephone plugs from the broadband modem, reconnect them, wait until the lights stop flashing and then try the internet supplier again. I don't know if the problem is Tiscali, my old setup or just another computer glitch.

Oh, and yesterday I tried to post on the forum and found myself watching the egg timer for twenty minutes. Gave up and made a cup of coffee.

Derek

Should have boiled an egg while you waited!

Hi Derek.

Friend of mine has been having similar grief. He tried a software update for the modem, but found in the end that it was some issue at the server end (mind, he is an Apple sufferer). For what it's worth -- and I suppose I'm tempting fate saying this -- I'm with Tiscali and it's all glitch free. They sometimes even manage 7 point something of the eight thingummyjigs it's suppposed to work at.

Mike.

Hi Mike,

I wonder if it's area related?

Derek

Could be. I'm with Tiscali and so is my son. He never has any trouble connecting or being disconnected but he is only a few hundred yars from the exchange, I'm three miles.

Since I have had Vista, I have to reboot every time to get an internet connection, sometimes I cant get one at all, usually around 2.00 pm and 6.00 pm. At around 2.00 pm it will spontainiously disconnect.

Anyone got any ideas?

Peter.N.

I've been without internet at home for the last week; it was finally fixed today. Been given the SERIOUS runaround by Tiscali and wasn't taken seriously until I raised my voice to the tech and proved that I had more idea of what I was talking about than he did.

Lots and lots of buck-passing ("It's your router - it's your telco") - but when Tiscali finally admitted they were at fault and promised to fix it within 24 hours, they actually did do so. So, all's well that ends well, I guess...

Perhaps I should try similar tactics, although I don't know what I am talking about

Peter.N.

If you're absolutely convinced about those times, Peter, there must be something that's causing it. Document, document, document, and present them with what you know!

There is also the possibility that your setup is doing something at 2 and 6 that disrupts the connection, but I'm afraid I don't know Vista well enough to suggest where to start looking

Ah, turns out I've got a virus Bloody loads of em in fact! So the desktop is in quarantine while I try and hunt it (them) down. I'm at work now but all homework is being done via laptop.

I always used AntiVir antivirus and ZoneAlarm firewall. Then about Christmas time I noticed some reviews for the newly reconfigured AVG and COMODO firewall. Thinking these must be the dogs doodahs I swapped and have not seen one alert until the last day or two when COMODO said some odd process was trying to gain access to the net. Scans revealed a few cookies and nothing else so I reinstalled Antivir and did a scan. WHAM! there they all were. I quarantined and deleted the main culprits but there's more hiding. I've registered with CastleCops as they have a good process to run through. So if you're tempted to change antivirus and firewall that have been ok, Don't! You could be heading for a load of crap. Incidentally the laptop has always run Antivir!

AVG is great at sitting there in blissful ignorance while viruses ransack your machine. Either that, or it proudly proclaims 'Hey, you've got a virus (or 27)' everytime you boot up, but doesn't seem able to remove most of them.

Agree with your comments about sticking with one that works for you

Ciarán

I've been running AVG for the past eighteen months.

That's spoilt my bl***y evening!

I'll now do a spybot search.

Derek

Sorry Derek, didn't mean to worry you, its not as drastic as all that.

I see a lot of machines where AVG appears to be doing the job with no problems at all. Just, for some inexlicible reason, some come in which are riddled with virii, that its seemingly unable to deal with. I'm not sure why this behaviour isn't consistent.

Ciarán