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Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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 Posted -
17/12/2010
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10:26
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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 Almost there - the discs were a bit out of date but I could easily update the version from the internet.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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Sandy46
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Posted - 25/05/2011 : 15:50
Thanks Gamer and Pluggy for your advice. You have cleared things up for me.
Much obliged, Sandy.
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Big Kev
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Posted - 25/05/2011 : 22:08
Keep an eye on http://www.scan.co.uk they have a lot pf "today only" bargains, you never know what may turn up. They're only in Bolton so you can collect...
Big Kev
It doesn't matter who you vote for, you always end up with the government. |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 26/05/2011 : 04:49
The only thing I can add to these interesting posts is that my computing needs are simple, Apart from bog standard internet via Firefox and email by Thunderbird, I spend all my time in Open Office and GIMP picture editor. (Heather, a 5mb document in Word200k is 750kb in Open Office) No gaming of simulations. The FMII box is fast and since Plugs put me on 64bit it's even faster. So I'm enjoying computing as it ought to be, I am in control, error messages and 'illegal' are things of the past.
Main point though is that despite all the advice I went cold turkey, plugs formatted the programme hard drive and we started again. Thanks to the way Pluggy set it up I had no problems whatsoever apart from small things like no linux driver for my old scanner. I kept an old Windows machine running to use some genealogical programmes designed for Windows. Plus put a virtual Windows PC on the FMII for me but I don't use it.
My advice to anyone running a business with specialised software would be to stick with what you know but get an old laptop, spend a bit of money paying Pluggy to set it up and have a play with it. I think you might get hooked especially if you are dealing with big text files with embedded images. The book files topped 150mb and Open Office plays with them. With Windows 2k a file that size staggers and things like save and embedding pics takes forever. Only problem is of course that .odt files from Open Office are not universally readable. When I send articles out on my mailing list I have to convert to .doc first.
But, as I say, my computing needs are dead simple. There's no doubt in my mind that if you know enough about Linux you can do anything you want. Daughter Janet knows about these things and when she found I had 64 bit Ubuntu she was so impressed and told me I had to learn about 'command lines'! No thanks! She does all her work in Linux but funnily enough, at home she uses the latest Mac because it has all the applications she needs embedded. One last thing to remember,All the programmes I use are free and legal and I have no need to pay for virus protection.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 26/05/2011 : 17:14
like you Stanley, I dont need virus protection and internet use is extremely limited to a bit of research, matters concerning flight simulation and OGFB. I don't twitter, tweet or use any other social networking sites, eg facebook. Yet I have just received an e/mail from facebook, the first line was as follows:-
Peter, your friends from Boltons are waiting to hear from you, please access your account.
Right so my name is Peter, Boltons was where I served my time, six of my former colleagues are dead the rest do not have my e/mail address, nor do I have a facebook or indeed any other account registered on my computer. Any comments extremely welcome!!!
thomo |
pluggy
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Posted - 26/05/2011 : 20:04
A small nugget from my decades of experience - don't put a new Windows operating system on an old computer. Windows 7 saw light of day in 2009, I wouldn't consider putting it on anything that didn't have at least Vista on it when new. If it says any thing about 'Sempron' or 'Celeron' on it I woulrdn't go above what it came with when new.
Need computer work ?
"http://www.stsr.co.uk" 
Pluggy's Household Monitor |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 27/05/2011 : 06:14
Peter, I have a simple rule, if mail isn't from someone I know or has a subject line applicable to me it gets trashed. I look at all my spam because these days good mails occasionally get spammed and I don't want to ignore my friends.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 28/05/2011 : 05:46
I cracked yesterday and altered the settings on my email account to junk spam emails and not send them to my inbox. I got over 500 spam mails yesterday, most of them Russian origin. Enough is enough! This flood started three days ago, someone is very active and taking up a lot of cyberspace!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
gamer
New Member
47 Posts
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Posted - 28/05/2011 : 13:06
You could maybe send your ISP or who ever your email is with a copy of the source and they
can block them, or at least report them, i block things like that at my mail server,
I did get one yesterday and it traced back to Wireless network in Moscow region.
but with the RIPE part listed below i have found that i waste my time reporting them, i always
get the responce that they do not control the IP address's from there or i do not get a responce
at all, good luck trying to get your email provider to block them
descr: Wireless network in Moscow region
country: RU
admin-c: DIFF-RIPE
tech-c: SIER-RIPE
quote:
Stanley wrote:
I cracked yesterday and altered the settings on my email account to junk spam emails and not send them to my inbox. I got over 500 spam mails yesterday, most of them Russian origin. Enough is enough! This flood started three days ago, someone is very active and taking up a lot of cyberspace!
 I seem to be just spinnin my wheels sometimes.
PoJ-IYD.com's World |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 28/05/2011 : 14:29
The e/mail went straight to the bin, what bothers me is how did facebook get that info.
thomo |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 29/05/2011 : 06:05
Peter, these days we are all exposed. Bin and forget. The people really at risk are those posting personal details on social networking sites. I avoid anything like that like the plague, my life is no less full because of it.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
pluggy
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Posted - 29/05/2011 : 09:39
Somebody who is on Facebook, who knows your email address probably initiated it, I'm not on facebook but I get emails from them, its a marketing ploy under the guise of you missing out on something.
Need computer work ?
"http://www.stsr.co.uk"
Pluggy's Household Monitor |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 29/05/2011 : 09:47
Stanley, I also don't need addons to brighten my day. And Pluggy is probably right. Technology going too far I suppose.
thomo |
tripps
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Posted - 29/05/2011 : 10:18
I joined facebook, out of curiosity, a while ago, and part of the sign up procedure is that they go through your email adress list, and invite all your contacts to join too. You can avoid this by pressing the right buttons, but many just keep pressing enter.
I was aked recently to be a friend of my estate agent! Oh the shame....
Having had a play with facebook - I have now 'unjoined' which thankfully is quite easy. It's all a bit sterile for me. I watched a Police programme a while ago, and many of their emergency calls at weekend are due to assaults following insults on facebook. Law of unintended consequemces?
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 30/05/2011 : 06:38
Have you noticed the number of adverts on the TV that have a Facebook address? The marketing men are alive to the possibilities.....
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
belle
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Posted - 30/05/2011 : 12:40
I've been on Face book for a while and twitter, i only get emails from them that are relevant to me and requested, I very rarely get any kind of spam at all, and I don't pay for security but run a freebie security prog downloaded...so where am I going right?
Life is what you make it |
Computers: the agony and the ecstasy
