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Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob


3044 Posts
Posted -  17/12/2010  :  10:26
Over the years I've not done so bad when it comes to working with computers, and most times I can eventually fix things up when it all goes pear-shaped.

Yesterday my Mac went not just pear-shaped but a complete fruit pudding with meringue and custard. Over the past few weeks it had been getting slower and slower until it said: "You know what? I can't be bothered anymore. I quit." And it did.

Fortunately there's a thing called Time Machine which regularly backs up the OS and all files to an external drive, so I wasn't too nonplussed.

Unfortunately my Mac refused even to start up. Missing its core thingies or something.

No probs - just re-install the OS from the original discs. Almost there - the discs were a bit out of date but I could easily update the version from the internet.

Went to restore all my settings, files, programmes, etc from Time Machine. Unfortunately my finely tuned and slimmed down original system had bloated by about 20GB when reinstalled - and my drive didn't have enough space on it to complete the job.

Grrr.  

My backup drive (1TB  capacity) is also getting full so it looks like I'm going to have to buy another to dump my data into, then give it all a good clean out.

On top of that, once you start messing with reinstallations, I find much of my work software needs reactivating from the software companies - it's going to take me absolutely ages to get back to where I was a few, happy and organised days ago.

I hate computers. 
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Big Kev
Big


2650 Posts
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 09:52


quote:
Callunna wrote:
I expect my slower speed is down to the fact that I'm connected wirelessly because the telephone point is some distance from where I use my computer. 

An ethernet cable would have sped things up but putting it into perspective, it's still 11 times faster than I've had for the last 3 years.

More likely the quality of the line between you and the exchange. 


Big Kev

It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. Go to Top of Page
panbiker
Senior Member


2300 Posts
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 12:00
There is only one scenario where the wireless connection could have a bearing and that would be fast broadband, say over 10Mbps being throttled by final wireless connection. Think 20Mbps in to router and 11Mbps wireless. Far more likely to be the copper between your house and the exchange.

As an aside, my last school in Burnley had 100Mbps broadband (averaged about 80Mbps in reality). Very good during holidays when no on else was using it but still only average when shared by many. This was via the Nynex/Virgin infrastructure in Burnley.


Ian Go to Top of Page
moh
Silver Surfer


6860 Posts
Posted - 03/01/2011 : 14:25
Mine is on 48 every day now - what a difference.


Say only a little but say it well Go to Top of Page
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 04/01/2011 : 06:17
Whenever we talk about BB speeds I remember a conversation I had with Big Harry once about underwater low frequency transmissions vital to submarines using battle space management, they needed instant access to large terrestrial data bases. He said that they were approaching 1gig/sec and were awaiting a new chip which would push it even further. 'High Speed' broadband depends on what you measure it against. Moh's connection speed tells the story.


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
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Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob


3044 Posts
Posted - 04/01/2011 : 23:28


quote:
Big Kev wrote:


quote:
Callunna wrote:
I expect my slower speed is down to the fact that I'm connected wirelessly because the telephone point is some distance from where I use my computer. 

An ethernet cable would have sped things up but putting it into perspective, it's still 11 times faster than I've had for the last 3 years.

More likely the quality of the line between you and the exchange. 
Maybe, but when I briefly connected by cable to check the system, I was getting 14.5 instead of the 11 I usually get via wireless. Could have been a blip I suppose.
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panbiker
Senior Member


2300 Posts
Posted - 05/01/2011 : 21:53
Cally your wireless card will probably be operating on the 802.11b standard which operates at a maximum bandwith of 11Mbps. your wired ethernet interface in your computer will almost certainly be capable of handling 100Mbps.


Ian Go to Top of Page
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob


3044 Posts
Posted - 05/01/2011 : 22:20
Wireless card. Hmm. Not sure if I've got one of those. On my Mac I had to turn on the Airport thingy*, plug in my router downstairs and the computer did the rest.

I've no idea how to access its internal gubbins* and simply visited one of those broadband speed websites to check how fast things were whizzing up and down.

I'm sure there's a way to investigate more thoroughly but it'll have to wait while I've finished doing more important tasks like varnishing doors and tiling the kitchen splashback. 

Technical terms. Go to Top of Page
panbiker
Senior Member


2300 Posts
Posted - 05/01/2011 : 23:21
It will be built in then Cally, somewhere in your settings it should tell you some of the technical stuff about your gubbins. Not big on Macs so don't know where to point you next. Bet that is the problem though. Best bet is to hard wire the connection using the ethernet port which will almost certainly run up to 100Mbps.


Ian Go to Top of Page
Anni
Regular Member


634 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 01:37
Cripes - it really isn't that long ago in real terms that dial up was considered state of the art! 

Well it was amongst my friends - I was the first one to get a computer and t'interwebbi.  1999 and paid nearly £1,000 for the computer, scanner and printer.

What were the speeds - 512k or something? Laughing


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 06:38
Snap Anni. I remember upgrading to was it an XP PC? It had a hard disk that held something under a megabite. State of the art! Now I have 3tb, things have certainly changed!


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
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Big Kev
Big


2650 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 07:34


quote:
Callunna wrote:
Wireless card. Hmm. Not sure if I've got one of those. On my Mac I had to turn on the Airport thingy*, plug in my router downstairs and the computer did the rest.

I've no idea how to access its internal gubbins* and simply visited one of those broadband speed websites to check how fast things were whizzing up and down.

I'm sure there's a way to investigate more thoroughly but it'll have to wait while I've finished doing more important tasks like varnishing doors and tiling the kitchen splashback. 

Technical terms. 

There's a compromise with Airport, I believe. 802.11b will only give you a maximum speed of 11mbps (between your Macbook and the router) but with a greater range. If you use 802.11g you will get 54mbps (between your Macbook and the router) but the range will be limited.
You're probably better leaving it as is or you'll find as soon as you wander upstairs you'll lose your wireless connection...


Big Kev

It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. Go to Top of Page
Tizer
VIP Member


5150 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 12:16
I hope Calluna doesn't mind but I've got a question about the Internet and computers and I'll ask it here rather than start a new thread (and anyway she seems to have attracted all the computer brains here already!).

I have a relative who is not computer savvy and wants to know how to download videos from YouTube (Frank Sinatra...no the videos, not the relative!). He's hundreds of miles away from me and I don't do anything with videos so I'm not much use to him on this. I've suggested he asks a younger relative who probably knows more about how to do it, but I thought I'd ask here how safe it is, i.e. is he likely to end up with something malicious on his computer or get into trouble with the police for breaking copyright?

He had a computer man in recently to repair something and asked him about it but now can't remember the details. He says: "My expert used keepvid.com and opened the file to be copied using a new tab, pasted the address into this, then downloaded. He did something loading a Java applet and saved as a U Tube download on the desktop."

The Keepvid.com site was new to me and I don't know how safe it is and whether this would be the best way to download YouTube videos (the relly is using Windows XP).


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panbiker
Senior Member


2300 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 13:00
Do a search for Ask and Record Toolbar. This plugs into your browser and allows you to grab audio and video from the webpages you visit. You can save audio as MP3 and Video as FLV which is a Flash file.

As to the copyright issues, that is a complete can of worms as you have to ask the question how did the clip get onto YouTube in the first place. All is not original material owned by the posters so copyright has already been breached at some point. Although two wrongs do not make right if you see what I mean.


Ian Go to Top of Page
Tizer
VIP Member


5150 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 16:22
Thanks for that advice Ian. I've looked for the Ask and Record Toolbar and it has become Freecorder 4 but is still free and from the same company, Appian Technologies. It seems to be the same but just a later version under a new name:

http://www.applian.com/asktoolbar/download.php

Using a toolbar on your own PC sounds better than messing with web sites every time you want to record something.


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Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob


3044 Posts
Posted - 06/01/2011 : 17:05
No problem Tizer - I chose the title "Agony & Ecstasy" so that it could cover EVERYONE'S experiences/problems with computers, not just my Mac ones.

I hope Ian's reply has helped.

I've got my MacBookPro more or less sorted now, so I turned to my ageing but perfectly serviceable MacPro (tower rather than laptop). It's actually got more oomph but is terribly outdated as regards software.

However, when I inserted the latest OS disc, all I got was a hideous wheezing and grinding noise before it was eventually spat out.

Big Do's and little Do's, the optical drive is knackered so I'll have to replace it before I can do anything else with the machine. I'm going to attempt this myself as it's fairly easy to undo the Mac and replace the gubbins.

While I was talking to the supplier I also discussed how to connect this Mac wirelessly, as it doesn't have built-in Airport.  I can buy a dongle that will allow much faster (up to 54mbps) connection speed, so I should achieve the 14 or so that our position allows. Not that I'm unhappy with 11 - compared with the mobile broadband it's still much faster and more reliable.

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