I have a question. Volume 8

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Mon 21 Apr 2003 22:46
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
******** Volume full & closed, please see volume 9. ********


In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.

It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.

No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which I think is not following the spirit of the thread.

I will delete any of the above. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain I will simply remove it.

However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.

This is Volume 8. Volume 7 will not be deleted.
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 06:48
Computer Backup Software - Godfrey H {P}
I am looking for some new software to back up my Home/Office computer to my HP Colarado 5GB tape drive. Requirements are:
1. Must run on Windows ME.
2. Must include an easy to use disaster recovery option.
3. Not too expensive - up to £70

System back-up is not very sexy so there is a dearth of review articles available, and Googling is proving very hard work due to the limitations of my dial-up line (don't mention broadband it's a sore point). So any ideas out there?
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 07:07
Computer Backup Software - Amin_{p}
depends what exactly you want to back up. If you want to back up enitre hard drives, the best solution is to `clone' it onto your tape system. Cloaning has the advantage that it back ups an entire image of your drives so everything will be stored. For that you could use Norton Ghost (i think that one is the best i have used so far). on the other hand if you just want to copy some certain files or back up specific sections, there are MANY softwares many of which are infact completely free. Try having a look at www. download.com and search for `back up'. Some of them can be scheduled to operate at certain times and auto back up the directories you set. Also come to think of it windows as far as i know has a back up utility which comes with it, but is not installed on the standard installation. I think to get it you need to use the windows CD and go to add/remove windows components. I am not sure however if this is available on ME. I definatly have used it in 2000. Finally if you are intent on definatly buying something, have a look at Seagate software because they used to come out with good back up packages. but i as i said what you want is something so simple its not worth paying for. you will find many sharewares or freewares which will do it. i will keep you posted if i come across anything in particular...
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 09:10
Computer Backup Software - smokie
Depends on how much you want to back up. With disk drives comminly 40Gb+ and even using compression you may need more than one tape to completely back up your system.

In which case your £70 might be better spent on a second disk drive and, as someone has said, use a clone tool (Ghost is good)to copy the entire disk. Disk to disk data transfer is usually considerably quicker than disk to tape so there is no reason not to do it regularly. If you need the security of being able to remove the backup offsite, then simply mount the second disk in a removable drive bay - that way you can take it out once the backup is complete.

If you just want to back up selective files then there are plenty of cheap/free utilities that will work.

If by disaster recovery you mean you want to recover your entire disk from tape, make sure you test the process BEFORE the disaster happens!

If the data is really critical to you then don't overwrite the previous night's backup with each new one. Reason being that if something you haven't accessed is OK on Monday, but (say) you get a virus Tuesday but don't notice till Wednesday, the Monday version will no longer be available to you.
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 09:24
Computer Backup Software - Mark (RLBS)
And if you are really worried here are three things to think about;

1) Disaster recovery - make sure that the copy of your data isn't with the computer - since if one goes up in smoke, both will.

2) You may corrupt/lose a file without knowing it. If you are overwriting previous backups, then you run the risk of losing that file off the backups before you detect the issue. So you are usually best to keep today's, yesterday's and one from a month or so ago - or whatever suits your working pattern.

3) Incremental backups, where you store only the files which have changed, can take a very long time to restore to disk. So if you are using incremental backups you should still do a full backup periodically.
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 14:31
Computer Backup Software - Godfrey H {P}
I tend to experiment with my computer fairly often to solve other peoples problems. The kind of disater I need to recover from is when things go horribly wrong and I need to get back to where I was previously. I do two types of backup :

1. Complete disaster recovery system bootable initially from 2
floppy discs and then tape.

2. Frequent backups of my live data.

I do have enough tapes to rotate them and roll back if I need to.
I have discovered a flaw in the commercial software I have been using hence the need for a new supplier. Fortunately I didn't lose anything important. I would rather pay for commercial software and be sure of getting updates rather than depending on somebodies free time or good will.
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Tue 22 Apr 2003 18:59
Computer Backup Software - smokie
Well I was just going to suggest Backup Exec which is an Industry leader but I don't think they do a home edition.

I've heard good reports of Backup MyPC - www.sonic.com/products/backupmypc/ - but don't be fooled into thinking that just because you spend some money on software that it is bugfree and any better than somne of the freeware/shareware out there.

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Tue 29 Apr 2003 09:21
Computer advice required - volvoman
Hi all. For those of you who don't know I'm not into computers but own one and will probably be buying another in the not too distant future. My exiting PC is a Pentium 2 with DVD Rom, Zip (which takes 100mb discs) and floppy Drives. It runs Windows 98 and has 2 USB ports which are currently free. I use it for business mainly and keep my client files on it. When I buy another PC I want to be able to swap data between the 2 machines freely in case one goes pop. What's the easiest way to do this ? Do I buy an external USB zip drive or specify one on my new PC. Will a current Zip drive read the discs from my old drive and vice versa. I like the idea of a portable drive so would prefer that option. Also I'd looked at external CD writers as an alternative to the Zip option but notice that all of them seem to require a minimum of Windows 98 SE !! Won't they work with 98 ?

I don't really need vast storage as my files are mainly text based but do need to be sure that I can exchange data between the 2 machines easily and in both directions too. One final point, can I be sure that the CD/DVD rom drive on my old PC will read discs produced on a new PC or a new external CD writer and vice versa.
Please keep your answers simple folks and thanks for any feedback !
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 09:55
Computer advice required - Mark (RLBS)
You could go with a LAN, but that would seem a bit excessive for your use.

You should probably look at using something like PCAnywhere as the software and simply having a USB link between the machines, assuming that you do not intend to have them physically a long way apart.

The CD/DVD question is a little more complex. Data disks are usually totally transferrable. However image and/or music disks may not be. It depends how your software treats closing the disk and entering the index file. Once it is closed then either machien should read it; but it is quite possible that an open disk would not readily transferrable.

ZIP disks will be transferrable provided it is the same model hardware. Although you shouldn\'t worry because you will be able to mount the drive on one machine and read it from another with a bit of fiddling.

However, with software such as PCAnywhere then disks (including removable) are accessible from either machine, irrespective of which one you are using and/or which one the drive is on. Consequently you would always be able to read/write data even if you have to put the CD is the other drive.

I wouldn\'t necc. say that you shoudl use PCAnywhere, there are various of that type of software available. You need to research the matter, particularly given that some of it is either free or share -ware.

I would not recommend pursuing the Zip route. You should go down the CD route. If you need to upgrade your windows version then so be it. I probably can dig out an older, and legal, copy or two of the slightly less than current versions of windows if you need it. However, you probably won\'t since your new PC will come with a later version of Windows.

One thing about zip drives is that they can suffer faults within the drive which will cost you any disk you try and use in the machine, until you notice the fault, and under some circumstances *all* your disks. Zip is better for one-off, long-term storage, not for file transfer or frequent backup/restore operations (IMO).

You will then be able to use the CD write option by controlling the disks on the 98 machine from the new machine and writing to the CD on the new machine (I didn\'t write that evry well, is it clear ?).
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Thu 24 Apr 2003 19:40
BA Miles v Air Miles? - drbe
Can anyone out there advise me, before I go too far, which to go for? BA Miles or Air Miles?

What are the maths? Which will give the best return for a given spend, for a flight to , say, Melbourne?

Regards
Don drbe
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Thu 24 Apr 2003 19:57
BA Miles v Air Miles? - clariman
Air Miles are best for short haul flights, BA Miles better for long haul, based on miles I have seen available as points to collect from credit cards etc.

(Erm, that sounds like poor grammar and probably is, but you understand what I mean I hope.)

As you want to go to Oz, BA Miles may be your better bet. I only collect Air Miles myself. Have enough for 14 return flights to paris for example!

clariman
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Thu 24 Apr 2003 23:29
my old old problem - HF
This isn't a question, or even an answer. It's just an update that I'd like to give to everyone who was so very helpful some months ago about my mortgage problem, first mentioned on the original 'I Have a Question' thread.

After months exhausting the appropriate internal channels within the bank, I finally went to Jessica Investigates of the Daily Telegraph, as suggested by some very wise people here.

I have today found out that Jessica has approached the Bank on my behalf, and that they have agreed, for the next 12 years anyway, that they will not try to repossess.

There are other questions remaining, such as their mishandling of this - but for now, this is a huge relief.

I just feel this is an appropriate time to re-iterate my heartfelt thanks to all who gave advice and suggestions, and helped me on this, before. I am truly grateful to you all.

I will post again if there are any further developments.

Thanks to all, and especially to the Mods for allowing me to seek advice here.
HF
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Thu 24 Apr 2003 23:46
my old old problem - Rob the Bus
HF - I spent some time recently digging through the BR Archives and I came across your plight. Without wishing to sound patronising, you really have had it bad, haven't you? And I am so pleased that, for the next 12 years at least, you are safe from reposession.

Please don't stop there - they have treated you appallingly and have (if I have read the situation correctly) seriously affected your health. They deserve nothing less than public humiliation. And you should argue (I've a funny feeling you're good at that ;-)) for all the compensation you can.

Anyway, well done for getting this far. You deserve it.

Cheers

Rob
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 00:01
my old old problem - HF
Thanks Rob, that's really appreciated. If I can get compensation, then so much the better - if not, well at least I'm a little more secure for a while :)
HF
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 12:04
my old old problem - Robin
So pleased to hear that you have sorted out your woes with the bank. I remember reading about it here a while back. Will Jessica be writing about your case in the Daily Telegraph?

Robin
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 12:59
my old old problem - HF
Thanks Robin! I don't know yet if my case will appear in the DT, but I'll post here if ever my moment of fame is imminent!
HF
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 15:51
my old old problem - eMBe {P}
HF: Well done for eventually approaching Jessica. (I was one of those who consistently suggested you should do so.)
Whether or not your case appears in print in the D.T., Jessica always manages to extract a very reasonable settlement for the aggravation suffered - in some cases this can be a bunch of flowers, in others it can amount to a few hundred pounds. Jessica uses her judgement as to what to push for.

M.B.
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 16:01
my old old problem - HF
Thanks, M.B., I know you were perhaps the greatest advocate for my writing to Jessica. I know it sounds like I took a long time to do so, but to appear reasonable I had to exhaust all internal possibilities first. It's a huge relief to finally have the matter taken out of my hands.
HF
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 18:20
I have a question. Volume 8 - Flat in Fifth
One for the caravanners.

How do I interpret the label on my 15kg butane Calor Gas bottle?

Z04 34 04.

Z = test station (that I do know)
04 = ? (retest year 2004 maybe?)
34 = ?
04 = ?

reason I want to know is to figure out how much gas is left and need to know the cylinder tare weight. Might it be somewhere else on the bottle, can't see it.

Sad I know but complicated story.
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 19:28
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
I don\'t know, but this lot might.......

British Compressed Gases Association

mailto:enquires@bcga.co.uk

Or you could try wading through this....

tinyurl.com/achi

Link ammended to a shorter one Mark. DD.
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Fri 25 Apr 2003 22:46
I have a question. Volume 8 - eMBe {P}
try:
www.gascontainerservices.com/

Gas Container Services Ltd
Roadway No 7
Colwick Industrial Estate
Nottingham NG4 2JW
England

Phone: +44 0115 987 0944
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Sat 26 Apr 2003 00:00
I have a question. Volume 8 - smokie
IIRC the aluminium disc around the neck has the empty weight of the cylinder in Imperial, whereas the cylinder is sold in kg.
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 10:43
I have a question. Volume 8 - Flat in Fifth
Thanks smokie that explains it.

Just to round it all off,
Z = test staion
04 = next test date 2004
34 04 = tare weight 34 lbs 4 oz

What a dam' stupid country we live in, miles, pints, lbs ozs when it suits, kgs litres when it doesn't but potentially you can go to jail for selling a pound of bananas. Pah!

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Mon 28 Apr 2003 21:10
I have a question. Volume 8 - Martin Wall
OK. If ordering items from abroad on the internet how can I tell if the company is reputable - especially given one of the items I was considering purchasing is on a Russian-based web site. I don't feel that confident supplying my credit card details to sites I have never heard of. Is there an easy way to check out foreign internet sites to see if they are reputable?

thanks!
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Mon 28 Apr 2003 21:25
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
Given that you can reject any unauthorised charge, and given that you check your credit card statement each month, then provided you have taken reasonable care, there's not a lot to worry about.

Although there are certificates granted by various organisations certifying a level of trustworthyness, I'm not familiar with them.

Although I am intrigued as to what you might be buying from Russia.
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 00:11
I have a question. Volume 8 - Martin Wall
Although I am intrigued as to what you might be buying from Russia


Just a Russian wristwatch for a friend who likes them!
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Mon 28 Apr 2003 21:26
I have a question. Volume 8 - eMBe {P}
Martin Wall: Can't give you specific advice except that I would not do it myself. type in "advice buying internet" in google and you will get numerous links to good advice.
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Mon 28 Apr 2003 21:30
I have a question. Volume 8 - eMBe {P}
Martin, I just tried this and found

tinyurl.com/wan

which includes sections on buying from abroad and on internet scams.
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Mon 28 Apr 2003 22:43
I have a question. Volume 8 - Altea Ego
Martin,

Also bear in mind when ordering from foreign web sites

1/ You can get caught for duty varying from huge amount to small amount depending on country of origin and types of goods
2/ You get stuck with an admin fee for your shipper to clear the goods thro customs.

Sometime you are lucky and get caught for nothing, sometimes you get screwed rigid.
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 10:14
I have a question. Volume 8 - Alfafan {P}
Since visiting a variety of web sites a few weeks ago (I can?t remember which ones), I?ve been plagued with pop-ups every time I?m on the net. The most annoying ones are those that say ?Stop Pop-Ups Now!?

I?ve tried regularly deleting cookies from my temporary Internet files, but still they keep coming. Anyone got any ideas how to get rid of them once and for all please?
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 10:19
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
You didn't install something which brought a product called "Gator" or something similar with it, did you ?

IF you search in the previous "questions" thread you'll find that various stop pop-up software was discussed. I think I put in the one recommended by Growler (at least, I think it was him). Just watch out for any funny effects like suddenly not being able to access some sites.
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 10:49
I have a question. Volume 8 - Alfafan {P}
Mark, thanks for that. I\'ve just done a search and come up with two sites: . www.Panicware.com and . www.Southbaypc.com/NoAds/

However, I also saw a note from someone indicating a possible problem with the panicware site. Any idea which one you installed?

Incidentally, a search of my C drive came up with 229 files with the characters \'gator\' in them!
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 12:40
I have a question. Volume 8 - DavidHM
Go to . www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

AdAware is a free program that acts like a virus checker for spyware. It gives you lots of control but there is also a fully automated version if you just want to nuke the problem.
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Tue 29 Apr 2003 14:00
I have a question. Volume 8 - Robin
A good Pop-up stopper is FreeSurfer from

www.emsproject.com/f5

(I think it was someone on this site who 1st recommended this one). It is very good generally but on a few occasions it does freeze on my PC

If you want to remove the spyware go for AdAware as suggested above.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 17:06
I have a question. Volume 8 - Cardew
All the pop up stopper software I have tried alters the security settings and I can't access bank acounts etc.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 09:34
Question for BR techies - THe Growler
Opera 7 won't accept my login. Que pasa à que¿ I can receive but I can't transmit.

I really hate IE6 but that seems the only one I can post on.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 10:18
Question for BR techies - Dynamic Dave
Mark or I will be moving this to the "I have a question thread" later.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 14:07
Question for BR techies - expat
It is something to do with the Java. I had that problem with Opera 7. It wouldn't display ebay and wouldn't work with banksites. I am posting this using Mozilla which I have running under Linux. I think there is a Mozilla for windows also. It is worth a try.

Cheers

Ian
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Mon 5 May 2003 14:54
Question for BR techies - Baskerville
If Opera doesn't work for you try Mozilla. It's the open source version of Netscape and works a treat for me on Windows and Linux and I find the flexibility (including a popup stopper) very impressive. It also includes a good mail client

www.mozilla.org

Chris
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 11:23
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Rebecca {P}
(well it makes a change from electricity)

Can anyone recommend a Gatwick hotel that has Family rooms (2 adults, 2 children) and parking available?

In previous years we have used Tudor Rose Long Term Parking (very good). This year's holiday starts with an 8 am flight so we want to stay locally the night before and leave the car for two weeks. We've done this at Heathrow successfully (and not too expensive), we've also used the Moat House at Gatwick (price has since shot up).

I've trawled though loads of websites, but many don't automatically quote for Family rooms. So my question is can anyone here recommend somewhere from experience?

Incidentally for two weeks in August:

Taxi from home and back - £85-£90
Off Airport parking - £75 ish
Airport Parking (advance booking) - £85 ish
Gatwick Worth Hotel one night RO + 15 days parking - £115 (family transfer £6)

Potential aggro on the day with two small children and grumpy Husband - unknown
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 11:31
New Question re parking at Gatwick - eMBe {P}
Rebecca - have you considered the alternative of hiring a car one way from Hertz/Avis/(or other major hire comanies) for both legs of your journey. I do this most times when it works out the cheapest, safest (for risk to my own car in a long-term car park), convenient(not waiting around for a taxi). For the return leg, I always hire after arrival to avoid potential excess bills in case of delay to return flights.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 11:49
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Rebecca {P}
M.B. - Thanks for such a quick reply. The problem with this is that it falls down on the aggro factor, and still has us driving to Gatwick at 4.30 in the morning. I would feel happier knowing that we were close to the airport, so any freak (mechanical) breakdowns, traffic problems or oversleeping wouldn't pose such a problem.

Alfafan -I didn't know about Laterooms - it gives an indication of which hotels have Family rooms which is a major step forward.

Thanks!
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 12:00
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Altea Ego
www.travelinn.co.uk

They have a couple that have family rooms near to gatwick (1 mile, 3 miles) book on line, 50 quid a room/night. Doesnt solve the parking problem for two weeks tho.

dont let your kids pack their own hand luggage. My 11 year old decided to mix his bullet keyring (disarmed rifle shell, bought at an english heritage castle shop) in with his eddie stobart model lorries. Of course this looked really really good on the xray machine, the armed police called to the scene thought it was funny, but the crowds behind the now closed departure gate didnt!
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 11:32
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Alfafan {P}
Try . www.Laterooms.com. A good way to fine some good deals and the prices quoted are per room.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 12:30
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Robin
I have used . www.abcholidayextras.co.uk in the past. They have some v. good deals on hotels with parking included in the price. Often you can park and stay the night before your holiday for less than the price of off-airport parking. For example, Ramada Jarvis for £90 for a double room and car-park for 15 days in August. Lots of other hotels available as well. Not sure about family rooms. Worth a look. (they also have a phone number so you can talk to a real person)
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 12:37
New Question re parking at Gatwick - Rebecca {P}
Thanks Robin - ABC is a site I've been using (along with many others that all seem to link to the same database). The family rooms appears to be on a 'on Request' basis, so ABC have to call the hotel direct. I've tried this a couple of times, one wasn't available, the other was £170. On the superbreak site (which i@'e used before and used to rave about) they wouldn't call the hotel unless I was going to commit to give them the booking!

I'm trying to shop around, but I don't want to make it my life's work either!
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 13:12
Championship Manager 99/00 PC - Rob the Bus
I've recently bought a cheap (£5) copy of Championship Manager 99/00 as I'm too tight to pay £30+ for CM4!

Sadly, I am pants at it. Doesn't matter what team I choose, I always end up getting relegated. Or sacked. Or both. I fiddle with the tactics, trying to match mine to the opposition's, I choose players and substitutes properly, I send my scouts on countless missions and buy on their recommendations. Where am I going wrong?

Any hints and tips to help me would be very gratefully received.

Cheers

Rob
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 13:53
Championship Manager 99/00 PC - HF
Rob - you could try www.supercheats.com - there are a few suggestions there. Failing that, I have something of an expert in my own household, who I could ask later for you.
HF
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 14:09
Championship Manager 99/00 PC - Rob the Bus
Cheers, HF. I've got six dastardly plans from that link that I'll try out. Thanks again

Rob
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 14:13
Championship Manager 99/00 PC - Glutton
Rob - have a look here

www.savio.cwc.net
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 16:21
Championship Manager 99/00 PC - Robin
One good way is to stop playing as Sunderland. Call yourself Newcastle - you won't get relegated but then again you won't win anything either.
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Wed 30 Apr 2003 13:22
New Question re parking at Gatwick - DavidHM
You'd have to check individual hotel websites for advice on parking (Google should solve that) but www.expedia.co.uk lets you price a room for 2 adults and 2 children.
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Thu 1 May 2003 09:38
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Rebecca {P}
The Holiday Inn (via ABCHolidayExtras by phone) at Gatwick will do a Family room for one night and 15 days parking for £85.

So that's booked, now, and one less thing to think about.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

Rebecca
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Thu 1 May 2003 10:21
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Altea Ego
R

Thats a good deal, could you put the phone number on here?
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Thu 1 May 2003 15:58
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Rebecca {P}
ABC Holiday Extras phone number is 0870 844 4020 - website link is in a previous post.

There are two Holiday Inns at Gatwick - one about 4 miles from the airport and one less than a mile (our one).
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Thu 1 May 2003 10:46
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - eMBe {P}
Rebecca: Just one word of caution, ask the hotel about the security record of their car park.

I personally know of a similar national chain of Inns/Lodges/Motels where, just 10 days ago, the car was found minus all four wheels - the thieves had done a "Ferrari Pit Stop" routine to remove all four wheels in a matter of seconds after midnight in a well floodlit carpark. This was all captured on the CCTV. They used 2 old trolley jacks which were left behind, because they did not want to risk capture by wasting time to replace jacks with bricks!
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Thu 1 May 2003 15:29
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - smokie
I love this site...whenever someone posts something positive, there's always someone lurking with a "word to the wise" or some other downside...

Do people play Devils Advocate on purpose?

I STILL love this site...
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Thu 1 May 2003 17:42
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - eMBe {P}
I love this site...whenever someone posts something positive, there's always someone
lurking with a "word to the wise" or some other downside...
Do people play Devils Advocate on purpose? <<



smokie : some people prefer to live in ignorant bliss; some prefer to know all the pros & cons. I am always prepared to learn from the experiences of other people, good or bad.

The advice given out on this site (that you STILL love) is given out free, and guess what - you are free to ignore it. I know what I prefer. The reason I love this site is that you get alomost the whole cross-section of humankind represented here.


>>Do people play Devils Advocate on purpose? << Is that what you are doing with this post? I did not see that as I am not that clever.
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Thu 1 May 2003 15:43
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Robin
Hmm. May I 2nd that caveat. Last year scrotes removed my Passat door lock, opened the windows and removed some stuff from inside when I was on holiday and the car was parked at the Crowne Plaza. The car park was so busy we had to park a bit out of the way. Shoul dhave mentioned that. Sorry.
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Thu 1 May 2003 16:07
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Rebecca {P}
Your are right to sound the note of caution of course. Incidentally most of the websites I consulted had hotels that offered two rates - a higher one for 'Secure Parking' (a good £40 more in most cases).

The realist in me says that my car could be swiped just about anywhere, although hotel car parks are obviously an attraction to theives. And the Holiday Inn could have a 100% record...until we get there. So we'll take our chances, and try to park in a visible location.
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Thu 1 May 2003 16:07
Gatwick Hotel + Parking sorted now - Rebecca {P}
You are right to sound the note of caution of course. Incidentally most of the websites I consulted had hotels that offered two rates - a higher one for 'Secure Parking' (a good £40 more in most cases).

The realist in me says that my car could be swiped just about anywhere, although hotel car parks are obviously an attraction to theives. And the Holiday Inn could have a 100% record...until we get there. So we'll take our chances, and try to park in a visible location.
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Fri 2 May 2003 15:24
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
Asked this the other day, didn't get a reply...
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Fri 2 May 2003 15:35
Can\'t post with Opera 7 - Dynamic Dave
You did get a reply. It\'s here, in the appropriate thread!!

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=12319&...e

And the answer here:-

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=12319&...e
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Fri 2 May 2003 17:08
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
How do you find that part of the forum? I couldn't. Unfortunately the reply I got suggested I dump Opera. Pity 'cos IE6 is such a piece of junk...
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Fri 2 May 2003 19:33
Can't post with Opera 7 - Dynamic Dave
Growler,

Ian (expat) gave this answer to your question:-

"It is something to do with the Java. I had that problem with Opera 7. It wouldn't display ebay and wouldn't work with banksites. I am posting this using Mozilla which I have running under Linux. I think there is a Mozilla for windows also. It is worth a try."

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Fri 2 May 2003 19:56
Can't post with Opera 7 - Mutterer
The is a Java enabled version of Opera, but I think you have to download it. Hope you have broadband.

Also Opera is, or used to be, capable of lying to websites about what browser it is, useful for those poor deluded webmasters who insist that you use a particular browser, like the Open University that insists on Netscape.

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Sat 3 May 2003 03:58
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
Yes I have the Java version with Opera and a DSL line. I am aware Opera can be made to behave like different browsers too. No big deal it's just that it's faster than IE6 and doesn't hang for inexplicable reasons like most of Microsoft's finest.

Anyhow thanks.
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Sat 3 May 2003 07:40
Can't post with Opera 7 - AndyT
I could never get Opera 6 to operate with Java alongside IE 6 and Netscape 6.2 on my computer. I always suspected it was something to do with Netscape as the java console seemed somehow to be linked to it. So when I downloaded Opera 7, I made sure to turn off the Netscape program auto-start before installation and hey-presto, success!

By any chance, do you have netscape?
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Sat 3 May 2003 08:27
Can't post with Opera 7 - teabelly
I think there is a java console in the new opera 7. Does it give any helpful error messages? It could be a cookies issue as I have had problems with opera before where my cookie kept disappearing so I was logged out of the forums so that could be why you are unable to post.
teabelly
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Sat 3 May 2003 09:49
Can't post with Opera 7 - Phil G
I emailed a moderator about this, it has nothing to do with Java; I am pretty sure the site doesn't use any JavaScript to control the login.

The mod guy (from Khoo Systems) said it was to do with how it handles cookies. To paraphrase: 'bad luck'.



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Sat 3 May 2003 10:15
Can't post with Opera 7 - SteveH42
Far too common a reply IMO. Had a similar thing with the Daewoo website (to vaguely keep this on topic!) where their detection software couldn't be made to realise that Mozilla is the same as later versions of Netscape. Their response was 'tough, use IE'. Same as one site who will remain nameless, who actually exploit a vunerability in the Netscape version of Flash to crash the browser. When I pointed this out, they said it was to force people to use IE so they didn't have to develop the site for other browsers.

What happened to the World Wide Web? It's looking more like the Microsoft Wide Web...
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Sat 3 May 2003 11:00
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
Nope haven't used that cumbersome overweight Netscape stuff for years. I keep my system as clean and "slim" as I can, getting rid of orphaned reg entries, dll's and all that. I know that garbage lying around from old installations can be a nuisance.

The other forums I frequent (or inhabit!) take postings from within Opera no problems. I guess it's one of those things ytou could spend all weekend on and so what really. However thanks to everyone..... I just like Opera because it does so many things automatically that IE doesn't like it kills popups, has its own download manager and so on. Also it doesn't take me to the Land Of BSOD when I'm in the middle of something.
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Sat 3 May 2003 12:32
Can't post with Opera 7 - SteveH42
While I'm sure Mozilla could be even better than it is, it is certainly an improvement over Netscape 4/5 (although Netscape 3 is probably the best browser if you don't need fancy stuff) and is miles better than IE.

Tabbed browsing, popup killer, download manager, it has them all, plus works with all but the few sites that won't have anything but IE. Nice and fast as well - much better than IE, and can handle 7 or 8 pages open at once, unlike IE which dies pretty quickly if you try doing that for any period of time!
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Sat 3 May 2003 12:47
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
Mozilla is just beta stuff, though, isn't it?
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Sat 3 May 2003 12:49
Can't post with Opera 7 - SteveH42
The very latest version is, but there are full releases available also. The latest Netscape is based on the same rendering engine as Mozilla. Anyway, beta or not, I've had very few problems, can't actually think of any OTTOMH.
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Sat 3 May 2003 13:44
Can't post with Opera 7 - THe Growler
Thanks -- maybe I'll take a crack at it just for the experience.
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Sat 3 May 2003 16:00
Can't post with Opera 7 - Mark (RLBS)
This thread will get moved to "I have a question Vol.8" by the end of Saturday Evening.
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Sun 4 May 2003 11:05
Washing machine pipes - Welliesorter
Does anyone know if washing machine pipes vary in size?

I've received a call from my mother whose new machine was delivered on Friday. Although the deliverers remove the fixing screws they don't connect it, presumably because they don't want to be liable for any resulting floods.

She's taken a look and said the pipes on the new machine don't fit the taps. Have these changed in recent years (neither the plumbing nor the old machine were more than 10 years old), or do Zanussi use different fittings from anyone else?
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Sun 4 May 2003 17:12
Washing machine pipes - Flat in Fifth
We had a Zanussi few months ago and it plumbed in to replace a Philips which was ~ 12 years old. Fittings exactly the same, both inlet and outlet.

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Mon 5 May 2003 00:28
Washing machine pipes - Welliesorter
We had a Zanussi few months ago and it plumbed in
to replace a Philips which was ~ 12 years old. Fittings
exactly the same, both inlet and outlet.


Thanks for the reply. I went over this evening and it turned out that she hadn't removed the pipes from the old machine: she thought they had to be joined to the new ones in some way. All is working now.
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Mon 5 May 2003 12:13
Washing machine pipes - dieseldog
Talking of washing machines,my brother has offered me a brand new one he does not want,that came with his new flat.
Only problem is that it has been stored/delivered on its side/upsidedown!
Is this in your opinion a bad buy?
I would most likely have to lay it on its side anyway to fit in my 306 estate.
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Mon 5 May 2003 20:02
Washing machine pipes - Dynamic Dave
Talking of washing machines,my brother has offered me a brand
new one
Only problem is that it has been stored/delivered on its side/upsidedown!
Is this in your opinion a bad buy?


Providing the transit locking plates haven't been removed, then this shouldn't be a problem. However, remember to remove them prior to first use.
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Sun 4 May 2003 21:13
Alternative to Hotmail - Martin Wall
Have been using hotmail as my personal (i.e. non-work) email account for years now but I'm getting really annoyed about the volume of junk email and the fact that they want to charge me money for an account that allows more space - for more junk!

Final straw - had an important message saved in 'Sent Items' folder - went in to print it out only to find it no longer there and the folder has the heading: "Messages more than 30 days old will be automatically deleted from this folder." - which was news to me!

So - what's recommended instead?

I'd like an account I can access via the web BUT allows me to download the messages also.

Any recommendations?
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Sun 4 May 2003 21:39
Alternative to Hotmail - frostbite
You may find www.another.com interesting - IIRC you can have up to 20 different addresses for around £25 p.a.

They have thousands of .com & co.uk names to choose from and they were offering 30-day free trial last time I looked.
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Mon 5 May 2003 00:37
Alternative to Hotmail - Welliesorter
Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com/) is better than Hotmail and has reasonably good spam filtering. I don't use my account very much now so messages from years ago can still be found in my Sent folder. Unfortunately you do have to pay them to get POP3 access but there is a work round for this (yahoopops.sourceforge.net/).

If you're willing to pay, consider www.netidentity.com. This can be accessed via a web browser and a proper e-mail program (or Outlook Express).

There are also several web sites that let you access any old POP3 account via a browser, eg www.mail2web.com.

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Mon 5 May 2003 12:14
Alternative to Hotmail - DavidHM
I pay $24.95 a year to netidentity.com

Best bit is that I have name@surname.net as my e-mail address, and as my name is pretty common, I'm quite happy with that and never letting it go.
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Mon 5 May 2003 20:17
Alternative to Hotmail - Flat in Fifth
Tiscali Tiscal Tiscali tiscali.co.uk

Better than hotmail 10MB and none of the slly time deletion stuff plus you can have 5 email addresses. That means I can have a personal proper address, one for logging in here, plus the missus and junior can have one all on the same account. They can be downloaded into the correct folders when log onto Outlook or read on line from any computer.

Occasionally has access problems, eg last month they had a denial of service attack which meant that anyone using another ISP than Tiscali could access their mail. But you can sign up for a "free" pay as you go account which has never let me down yet. Use it if I *have* to log on and the norml ISP servers are busy.

Other thing not sure how good Tiscali's virus checkers are as Hotmails are the tops to be fair. But seeing as I have mega virus software regularly updated.
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Mon 12 May 2003 14:26
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - martin
I don`t know about other people here, but I spend a lot of my time online whilst at work, sending emails and crime of crimes, reading backroom messages. Are companys getting savy to this, am I being spied upon, is the brown fluffy dice about to hit the fan?

I know that Hewlitt Packard are really clamping down on email use by employers, some have even been suspended, but i think this was for hard core porn site usage mostly.

Be good to here about your Backroom user habbits, if anyone can be honest enough to admit that their work PC is used for play as well, or am i the only one?????

me thinks not

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Mon 12 May 2003 14:30
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - 3500S
Mostly work. I usually have to wait for jobs to run so a quick post here and there helps pass the time.

All internet usage is recorded by most companies, usually though it's a gross infringement of company policy that will get you the sack. Sending the odd e-mail is fine but stuff that's going to cause offense is a big no-no.
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Mon 12 May 2003 14:33
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - martin
hence the HP sacking for porn site usage i suppose. Mind you it would be totally tactless for me (even if so inclined) to access dirty sites from work, anyone can barge in on me at any moment, making even the backroom a risky option....
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Mon 12 May 2003 17:06
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - eMBe {P}
I wouldn't be surprised if this gets moved to "IHAQ-vol8" thread.

In the meantime, here goes:

In today's lean economic times, some companies are clamping down on any wastage of their resources. Others are looking for excuses to get shot of unproductive staff wherever possible at minimum cost (i.e. looking at ways of sacking people so that redundancy/unfair-dismissal costs are avoided).

Microsoft had persuaded many companies in the past that they needed latest software in the name of improved efficiency. Allegedly, MS were challneged to prove that this was indeed the case. Bill commissioned a study to try to prove it. The results allegedly indicated that gains in productivity were negated by the time employees were wasting on games/internet/personal use of PCs at work. So be warned, until the world & Uk economy pick up again, and companies can once again turn a blind-eye, there is a danger that internet-abuse at work will be increasingly stamped upon.

Remember that the UK has now relaxed work-visa rules; and so thousands of employees are coming in at lower wages from Australia and India. (The following is from a national newspaper, today's edition : " "In spite of the very bad market conditions, a record number of permits is being issued - around 20,000 last year. The scheme is being used to bring in cheap labour and the Government is not enforcing the rules."
Under the fast-track system, companies in sectors with a skills shortage can bring in foreign employees without checking whether British workers are available. " )
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Mon 12 May 2003 17:17
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - Wally Zebon
I very rarely access The Back Room from home. 99% of the time it is at work. It is a little bit easier for me though, because I am the IT department!
All you have to do is to open two browsers. One of them looking at a site that is permitted (your own company's web site is always a good one) and the second is the BR. Whenever you think someone's getting near, click on the task bar and your instantly on your work site!

Type up your posts in Word or Outlook (you can easily spell check them by pressing F7) and then copy and paste them in when you are ready.

My day would be soooo boring if it wasn't for non-work related browsing! Oh well, back to www.autotrader.co.uk....



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Mon 12 May 2003 17:10
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - Mark (RLBS II)
Absolutely everything can be monitored and usually is. It is simplicity itself.

Typically measured are;

Total time on the internet
Sites Accessed
Time of day of usage
Day of week of usage

Any many other factors.

However, there are also rules around what we are allowed to monitor and the steps we need to go through to do so, so it is not neccessarily done, or at least not spoken about and of little use officially. It is typically easier to prevent rather than fix, if you see what I mean.

Inappropriate sites/material are immediate dismissal. That second. Security will walk you through the door. Inappropriate can be many things but is usually porn, racist, illegal, and the like.

Anything else is typically a performance issue and therefore a line management problem, not IT or HR.

However, the fact that you can be measured should not be the reason you try to behave yourself. It is a risky business for a company to allow free access and something that many people campaign against since no access is easier to manage.

People should respect that and use their company internet access responsibly both in amount and type of usage.

Speaking for the stuff I am responsible for, excessive usage is far more of a problem than inappropriate material. Although I truly am amazed at what people will look at and save to their hardisk - there are some truly weird people around.

And by the way, porn does not have to be "hard core". Topless is sufficient - i.e. page three can get you kicked out.
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Mon 12 May 2003 17:29
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - SteveH42
In some ways, I wish my company *would* implement internet monitoring. As it stands, I'm being constantly accused of abusing the internet, of looking at non work-related sites, and often have a certain member of management come and look over my shoulder whenever she sees me using the internet computer, even during breaks.

Compare this to her usage, which is usually during working hours and mainly consists of booking holidays, looking for insurance, finding jobs for her boyfriend - you get the picture. Also, the MD and another manager often look at things not at all related to work yet nothing is said. (OK, so the MD is a special case!)

All in all, I'd welcome my usage being monitored as it would be nice to be able to prove that, with the exception of the odd personal email, I don't use the internet for things I'm not supposed to be using it for.

So, in answer to the original question, the Backroom is definitely home only!
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Mon 12 May 2003 17:34
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - Mark (RLBS II)
Before I move this to "I have a question"....

Steveh42 - you should be worrying about why she *thinks* you are abusing the usage, not whether or not you are.

Unless she is out to get you, then something is making her believe that your behaviour is inappropriate.
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Mon 12 May 2003 17:45
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - eMBe {P}
Unless she is out to get you, then something is making
her believe that your behaviour is inappropriate.


If I had a suspicious mind (do I?), I might imagine this was somehow linked to SteveH42's long-running Insurance Problem (see his posts on "insurance questions revisited"). Is she the one you gently nudged from behind?

In any case, Steve's internet habits at work can easily be traced from his work PC; so if he really wants to prove this lady wrong, he can.
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Mon 12 May 2003 19:33
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - SteveH42
Is she the one you gently nudged from behind?


Nope, in fact the person I nudged is another of her targets.
In any case, Steve's internet habits at work can easily be
traced from his work PC; so if he really wants to
prove this lady wrong, he can.


Unfortunately not. We are not to be trusted to have internet access on individual PCs, we simply have one isolated machine with an internet connection. There is currently no way to prove who visited what as the machine is just left running to be used by all and sundry. That's why I said I'd welcome access monitoring - I could then prove what I was looking at.
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Mon 12 May 2003 19:30
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - SteveH42
Steveh42 - you should be worrying about why she *thinks* you
are abusing the usage, not whether or not you are.


Unfortunately, it's just the way she treats a number of people at work. She has no grounds for many of the allegations she makes, but as she is the MD's daughter can get away with making the life of a number of members of staff hell. I'm far from the worst affected but it does get annoying.
Unless she is out to get you, then something is making
her believe that your behaviour is inappropriate.


The only think I can think is that she plain and simple doesn't understand what I do, and seems to think that as I spend a lot of time on the internet I must be abusing it. Still, it was rather fun when she went running to my boss to tell him I was mucking around on the internet once. I wish I could have seen her face when he explained that an electronic engineer had good reason to be looking at the Farnell website!
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Mon 12 May 2003 18:42
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - Pugugly {P}
We pay a consultancy to Integrate our IT work and support. Internet access was put on line a couple of years ago on all PCs in the group, with a very limited access for all. Picture this -
all the Partners in the group wanted unlimited access (bearing in mind we actually own the company) and they got quite sniffy. Had to threaten to sack them when they said we had to do a business case...!
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Mon 12 May 2003 19:33
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - Obsolete
SteveH42: You will be surprised to learn that this is not the first case of a manager telling people to do as they say and not as they do. One senior manager in a company I used to work for spent large amounts of time downloading porn while the rest of us grunts got stressed out working to tight deadlines. It's all too common.
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Mon 12 May 2003 19:35
Backroom: accessed from Work and home - SteveH42
Leif, I think this person I have in mind could have a text book written about her for bad practice! Everything she moans at others about she does herself several times over, with the only justification being she is the MD's daughter. I can't see how that makes a shred of difference as she is still employed by the company with the same T&Cs as the rest of us.
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Mon 12 May 2003 19:40
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
Volume 9 is now open, new questions there please, although obviously the current questions can be concluded here.

I'll lock this one in a day or two.

Mark.
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Wed 14 May 2003 01:04
I have a question. Volume 8 - Dynamic Dave
Has anyone got anything to add to this thread before it's locked?
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Thu 7 Aug 2003 14:36
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
Pulling the volumes together
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Mon 13 Oct 2003 16:31
I have a question. Volume 8 - Mark (RLBS)
pulling the volumes together
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