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Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/03/2009 at 16:53
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I have a 'Laser 5000' MS Keyboard and mouse. The wireless quality is very poor and the receiver is only 6 inches away from the mouse & keyboard.
Looking on the web this seems a common fault with MS products.
The keyboard & mouse set are only 2 weeks old, they replaced a cheaper MS product which i had the same issue with.
This new set costs £70 so Id hoped the quality would have been good.
Has anyone else had similar problems and found a solution?
I have installed the latest Intel point software and also placed the receiver away from the pc (it seemed to get worse if placed ontop of the PC.
Both keyboard and mouse have brand new batteries installed but i still sometimes get 'low wireless signal' signs appear on screen. When typing on the keyboard it occasionally misses letters out!
Next time il be buying a Logitech or something else but for the time being im stuck with this so if anyone has any ideas they would be greatly received.
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As MS keyboard and mouse sets are almost certainly re-badged items from one of the top specialists in the field, the problem is more likely to lie with the configuration.
In the case of my wireless keyboard and mouse (re-badged A4Tech products) there is a routine to set the two channels correctly for each device.
This has to be done about once every couple of months when the rechargeable batteries in the mouse or keyboard have to be replaced. The sequence is detailed in the manual and also as a graphic on the bottom of the keyboard.
Edited by Stuartli on 26/02/2009 at 15:04
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Have tried pushing the button under they keyboard/mouse and the reciever but problem still arises.
I dont know why they bother selling these as I have to have the reciever so close to the keyboard I may as well have brought a wired one!
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The suggestion above was to set the frequency used. You could have interference on the default frequency. I wonder frequency range these things use??
Not the same at all, but we had a video sender to beam TV from a set top box to another room - it went bonkers when Bluetooth communication taking place and even worse when the microwave was on in the kitchen...
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Rob I always assumed wireless keyboard uses the 2.4Ghz frequency but I have never really bothered to find out, if I am right then bluetooth and WIFI could affect the frequency.
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That's why I mentioned it ;-) DECT phones also use the 2.4GHz range. I did have to fiddle with the video sender frequency choice and wireless LAN so performance was not affected.
But I think they actually use something more like 27MHz. There's no need for high frequency - not a lot of data to transfer.
Edited by rtj70 on 26/02/2009 at 16:33
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And some advice from Microsoft:
We recommend that you keep the mouse and the keyboard a minimum of 3 feet from metallic objects.
But the computer case is metal... some of my desk is metal too...
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>>.. have to have the reciever so close to the keyboard>>
My receiver is right under a 21in CRT monitor...:-)
The keyboard's signal is actually largely blocked by a pile of CDs in cases, but still works fine.
The point about the frequencies, as you may have gathered, is that they have to be allocated to each device.
Check that the transmitter's keyboard and mouse connections to the system are firmly connected.
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DECT in the UK is actually 1.88 - 1.9 GHz off the top of my head, so that shouldn't be a problem; I've just Googled the data sheet for the 5000 keyboard and it is indeed 27 MHz, there is only 1 RF channel used, so no point in trying to re-tune.
I would try and switch off or remove all other RF transmitters from the room, just to see if it is an RF interference issue or just a rubbish product.
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>>.. is only 1 RF channel used, so no point in trying to re-tune.>>
So how are two devices operated on only one channel?
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Sorry for my poor use of words there, what I meant was there's only one pair of frequencies, 27.195 MHz for the keyboard, 27.145 for the mouse, data sheet here:-
tinyurl.com/ab4tt9
It would be possible to use both devices on one frequency using time division duplex techniques, but probably overkill for this application.
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There is a DECT phone+base station right next to the pc. I wonder if this would be a cause of it?
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Totally different frequencies but maybe? How unreliable is the keyboard and mouse. A simple test but you might not be able to live without the phone? Or can you? If you have a wired phone elsewhere then I'd try it out.
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It could be. However, I use a cordless phone on a regular basis whilst at my computer and it doesn't affect the mouse or keyboard operation...:-)
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I have a Targus wireless mouse and the only time I have trouble with it is when I plug in a bluetooth adaptor to my laptop.
They both operate at the same frequency at short range. Have you got any bluetooth adaptors connected (or for that matter bluetooth on your phone switched on)?
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Wireless keyboards and mice use 27MHz (unless they are Bluetooth connected of course) and Bluetooth is 2.GHz range. And Bluetooth was designed to avoid problems with other devices around. My mobile, iPod, laptop, desktop etc. all have Bluetooth turned on.
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Actually, I was in Rymans yesterday and they well selling a well known branded wireless mouse using 2.4 GHz (and it was not bluetooth). They share the same space
27Mhz if I recall correctly from my youth is used for such things as radio controlled vehicles: particularly cars
Could be something like this causing interference.
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SWMBO has a Vista laptop with AVG installed, automatic updates on for both, and it has worrked happily in this configuration for 18 months, 2 years or so.
For the past week or so when she turns it on, Windows Defender says AVG is not running (and it doesn't appear to be), and she hasn't changed anything. Does anybody know if there have been any upgrades recently that might cause this problem, and how to get round it ?
cheers
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Could be trojan/virus that's disabled AVG. It does happen. Are you sure AVG is not running?
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Which version of AVG does she have as we are now on AVG version 8.
If she still has version 7 installed then it is quite possible AVG have stopped issuing updates to it although I would still expect it to run but with obsolete virus definitions.
If she has version 7 I would suggest uninstalling it and popping version 8 on.
If she already has version 8 then she should check to see it that program is set to automatically start when she logs on - to do this follow below:-
Click "Start"
Click "RUN"
In box that appears type msconfig "OK"
A new box will appear with several tabs - pick the "Startup" tab
This reveals a list of programs that start when you switch on - look for AVG and make sure it is ticked - if not tick it.
Click "OK"
Choose "Restart"
When machine restarts it will give you a pop-up message so put a tick in its box and click ok.
Edited by John Sheridan on 28/02/2009 at 14:14
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I had a problem with AVG a little while ago. One of their updates notified me that I had to reboot my PC for it to fully update the programme. After the reboot AVG played up in pretty much the same way. I ended up uninstalling and reinstalling AVG which solved the problem.
See the following link for more info:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=71...2
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It is AVG 8, fully up to date, and the problem is intermittent.
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Mine was Version 8 as well. Since an uninstall and reinstall everything has been fine.
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DD - SWMBO has recently dicsovered facebook, so it will be a while before I can prize the laptop off her, but I'll try than next
cheers
M
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I was summoned to a friend's today to sort out a few things with her laptop. All sorted except for one problem. If she has recorded a TV programme on her DVD recorder, WinDVd will play the DVD but without sound. I have tried all set up options (not many). It plays commercial DVDs perfectly OK, and the home made DVD plays OK on Windows Media Player, just not with WinDVD which is her preferred program.
Laptop is a dual core Acer with 2GB ram and XP professional. Any ideas please?
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Could be a missing codec(s).
Try installing the Full K-Lite Codecs Pack (the Mega version includes Windows Media Classic Player) from:
www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack/ (Click on Download Latest Version).
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PS
If you do install the K-Lite Pack, from the drop down menu select the last (?) profile i.e. Lots of Stuff but without Media Player.
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If that does not work, I have found that if you do not include AUDIO_TS folder on the DVD, some DVD Players will not find the Audio.
I was using Nero, then switched to Burnaware - I found that DVD's on my M-I-L's DVD player wouldn't play the DVD's, but other DVD's would.
I found that Burnaware was not putting an empty Audio_TS folder on the Disc.
Might be Worth checking this also.
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Thanks for the answers guys. I'll follow up this weekend.
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Does anyone have any suggestions for a good freeware AVCHD video editor? My main (simple) requirement is to be able to view footage frame by frame and cut out the bits I don't want. The editor that came with the camera (Panasonic) only allows you to manipulate "scenes" i.e. the entire chunk that you've recorded.
I can export to MPEG 2 but I don't seem to be able to get any other program to read, edit or convert this. The final result doesn't need to be HD.
If I can't go the freeware route is something like Adobe Premiere Elements any good? (or any other cheap-ish suggestions)?
Many Thanks
Paul
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>>If I can't go the freeware route is something like Adobe Premiere Elements any good
I have used Premiere Elements and found it very good. Well worth the money. But as it's quite sophisticated it's not the most simple to use. I have others that can do the basic including a Nero piece of software.
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For a very basic movie editor try Windows Movie Maker which does the job of enabling you to cut certain scenes or footage and add sound tracks if you want.
A big plus is that it's free.
Premier Elements is a very good package and worth going for once you have played around with Movie Maker.
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Thanks chaps. I have now managed to get my AVCHD files into AVI which has made life a bit easier and allowed me to use other editors. I will be giving Elements a go once I can crank up my steam powered broadband enough to cope with the 650MB trial download!
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If your broadband is really that slow, drop me an email at rob_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk and I'll post a CD. It only took just under 5 minutes to download for me. You make me feel sorry for you. In fact I also downloaded the demo of Photoshop Elements so can stick that on the disk too.
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Am I right in thinking that URLs only need making tiny if they would otherwise exceed the width of one line?
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Basically yes, because it affects the web page layout - however, it's also much more tidy and neater to use TinyURL.
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however it's also much more tidy and neater to use TinyURL.
If people could put in brackets where the tinyurl is going to take them, it would also be helpful - not the whole link, just the first bit.
eg
tinyurl.com/bz3qrd (shortened link to www.honestjohn.co.uk)
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I've just been looking through my C drive useing WinDirStat to delve in to it.The reason for this is that it seems to be quite close to capacity.I've come across 50.7gb in something called CI Files.
This doesn't ring any bells for me and just seems to be a duplicated area.I've got 48gb in music and 15.6gb in pictures.I've got Itunes on as well with 10gb of podcasts.
I've tried deleting the CI Files but I am unable to.
Any ideas what they are and if I can delete them to free up some space.
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To check out which Services should be Disabled, Manual or Automatic, the Black Viper website advice has been well respected for a number of years.
Go to:
www.blackviper.com/
and scroll down to Popular Content; select your operating system from the list.
If you do alter any Services, you should have opened Services either by keying in services.msc into the Run box and then OK or via Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services.
If you are unsure if your system (presuming XP) includes SP3, go to My Computer>Properties>General tab.
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I've looked at your link and its quite helpful.I've found the files as it the file path was shown.The problem is that when I try to delete it all I am getting is an error message ie "Cannot delete.It is being used by another person or program.Close any programs that may be useing the file and try again.
I've turned the indexing service off so any ideas what else should be turned off/closed.
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I have the Indexing Service on Manual.
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"Cannot delete.It is being used by another ... >>
support.microsoft.com/kb/310312 [Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk]
tinyurl.com/bqy34l [using UNLOCKER]
tinyurl.com/cbe4z7 [using SAFEMODE]
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Sorry,my last post was re, crunchtimes.I'll have a look at the blackviper one now.Thanks
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I think I will need to post this in a specialist forum but its worth a long shot. I have setup a PC system for a client who wanted to use it as a music studio the problem is I have got more and more involved in the project and I have ended up setting up an entire studio from the little knowledge I got from my degree a long time ago.
The problem is in Cubase there is a bit of latency from pressing the key on the MIDI keyboard to the sound coming out.
I've tried two different keyboards and connected them both up using Midi or a USB interface nothing seems to make much difference. I have managed to play around with settings to get the latency to around 20ms but its still too much.
Specs:-
Compaq Celeron Dual Cure Dou 1200
1.5GB RAM
300GB HD
Vista Premium
EMU 404 PCI Soundcard
ESI 49 Keycontroller connected via a MIDI cable
Cubase 4.0 LE
I've tried reducing the buffer size which has helped a lot but its not solved the problem. The sound card is advertised as being zero latency and its designed for this purpose so I have a feeling its down to the settings. The PC maybe a Celeron but its a Core 2 Dou based one and the system is pretty fast.
Any ideas?
Edited by Rattle on 03/03/2009 at 22:25
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>>Any ideas?
Sorry, I've never done any musinc specific work.
I've had long running struggles getting modern windows machines to do things *exactly* when I want them to. Is there any way to raise the priority of Cubase, so that the keyboard gets sampled more often? Are there processes running which are hogging CPU resources, and could be shut down?
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Not reallly I mean its just MIDI, it is a very very simple system and has been around since the days of New Order and Blue Monday. If their C64 and EMU sampler or what ever they used was in sync I can't see the problem with this powerful setup.
As soon as the musicians hits a note on the keyboard a MIDI signal is sent to the PC, the MIDI controller (Cubase) then tells the sound card what sample to play which is stored in the sound card itself. Now my knowledge of this ends when it comes to configuring buffer sizes etc. I understand that a lower buffer size means lower latency but there is a load more technical stuff of this soundcard which i need to configure for zero latencty I just don't understand.
In terms of computing this should be a very easy thing to achieve :(
A sound engineer is coming to look at it next week so I am hoping he will have a better idea than me.
Like you I suspect windows may be a cause of this too.
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What CPU exactly is in the machine? You mention Celeron dual core. What speed.
But this is likely to be related to the problem. What is perfmon showing?
At university I had to write in assembly a programme to transfer files acrosss a Midi/serial interface (on an Atari ST).... that had an 8MHz CPU!
More info please.
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1.8Ghz Dual Cure I seem to remember, very very little CPU resources are being used so the seems to be more than enough power. i think the problem is due to the millions of settings this sound card has and as this person said he used do MIDI stuff on an Atari ST without any latency issues. Surely a modern Intel Microsoft setup cannot be slower than a 20mhz 68030?
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The Atari ST originally ran a Motorola 68000 at 8MHz Rattle ;-) MIDI worked fine on it. It's a form of serial interface. It was much later they used other Motorola CPUs at higher speed but we digress.
And what is a "Dual Cure" :-) ??? Flu and cough?
This is not something I have experience of and nor do you. Pass it on to someone who can sort it?
>>Surely a modern Intel Microsoft setup cannot be slower than a 20mhz 68030?
As for that... it depends what you're doing! Modern systems need many Gb of RAM. I ran Slackware Linux very well in 8Mb including X-Windows on an Intel i486SX CPU.
Edited by rtj70 on 03/03/2009 at 23:20
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I used Linux on my old P233MMX with 64MB RAM, still have that laptop but not been used for years. I used WIFI and Firefox on that without too much issues. Perhaps we should all go back to Windows 3.1 and IE 3 :D.
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Not Windows 3.1.... back then Linux and IBM OS/2 were so much better :-) And a P233MMX way faster than an i486SX at 33MHz! No maths co-processor either. And no CD drives so Slackware installed from many many floppy disks.
Back to the problem... post somewhere where you can get help but probably an area few will be able to help with. You have tried Google?
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I have tried google, found some links which did help regarding buffer sizes but most of it is just full of adverts for zero latency sound cards. I will just post on a sound production forum tomorrow :).
I used OS/2 Warp on my IBM 386SX (no coprocessor) with 2MB RAM. Was very slow though but if I had 6MB RAM it would have flew. On the 386 though I mainly just used DOS 6.22.
I was only a young kid at the time and having no access to the internet Linux was just unknown geeky stuff for me. We did first get the internet in 1997 though, on a 14.4Kbps modem. I remember installing windows 95 from floppy disk once, never again!
Rob on my P233 I did used to surf the internet properly though and all that entailed, where as a 486SX it would be surely very slow using a graphical web browser? I remmeber my 386 would take 3 minutes just to process a JPEG image!
Edited by Rattle on 03/03/2009 at 23:37
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Your mention of zero latency sound cards could be key. Old computers like the Atari ST were not multi-tasking like modern computer operating systems. So more like a real-time OS.
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Yep it does have a so called zero latancy sound card though :) It is just setting it up which Iam stuck on.
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Is the driver/controller using interrupt or poll servicing?
Kevin...
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My recollection is that there might be a MIDI clock issue here. MIDI has a clock system to ensure that everything is in Sync. One of the instruments is a Master and one is the slave. Cubase should be able to change this.
I have a feeling that you can also offset the clock for specific instruments. Might be worth checking to see whether you have preferences in Cubase to do this, and adjust the clock offset to get rid of the latency.
I found this link which might help
tinyurl.com/2ldbmv (www.soundonsound.com)
Charles
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I've used AVG antivirus for years, but not a firewall - just a wireless router and the standard Windows effort. In January, stirred by something I read on here, I installed Comodo IS.
Yesterday there was an update, following which the machine would not boot except into safe mode. Uninstalled Comodo, reinstalled AVG and now its OK.
Has anyone else had this update, did it work OK? If so I might have another go. Alternative is stick with AVG and find another free firewall - any suggestions?
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There were some comments in one of these very threads about Comodo (which sounds to me rather like an invalid's appliance) a few weeks ago which were less than complimentary.
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which sounds to me rather like an invalid's appliance ............
Sounds to me like a dragon, and I wouldn't want to be bitten by one of those either!
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Comodo is getting more user friendly, with fewer pop-ups and the new security suite has many good features integrated into it. The AV element is not yet up to speed, but Melih, the CEO of Comodo, has promised that within the next few months it will be up there amongst the best.
A fair degree of user knowledge is required as it incorporates Defence Plus, which is an advanced HIPS module which monitors every aspect of your computer's operations and prompts if any alteration or "run" request is made. This is to stop malware installing itself or "calling home".
If this very high level of protection is not required I would strongly suggest Online Armor, free edition. (The paid edition is equally as good as Comodo), It as an excellent firewall, from Australia, and also incorporates a HIPS module, albeit rather less intrusive than Comodo.
PC Tools firewall is also free and if combined with their Threatfire, a behaviour blocker, gives a good level of protection. PC Tools AV is not generally reckoned to be up with the best, though.
As far as free AVs are concerned, the main players, in descending order of effectiveness, seem to be:-
1. Avira PE free.
2. Avast! Free.
3. AVG free.
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Comodo is getting more user friendly, with fewer pop-ups and the new security suite has many good features integrated into it. ... >>
As Pugugly says, from recent threads in CRQ, you can find that even Altea-Ego who is no novice at IT gave up on Comodo.
Comodo is gaining a reputation as the best firewall around, free or paid, beating even the major players such as Symantec, McAfee, Zonelabs, etc.
The last tow new versions have reportedly caused problems on some PCs with Vista, but have been quickly sorted - according to the Comodo users forum.
Its alerts can be set to a low level while it is initially learning your PC's behaviour. If you later set it to a high alert level, it will only bother you with alerts which are real potential threats.
You do need to RTFM to get the best out of it, but many people who just want an OOBE give up as they can't be bothered to learn about a new product's set up.
I have been using it on Vista machines for around a year now without any difficulty.
P.S. Whenever a new version is released of any software, I always wait a while before "updating" or "upgrading" to the new version, thereby avoiding any potential problems such as Manatee has experienced.
P.P.S. Even Avast and AVG have had lock-outs reported in the last few months when updates have gone wrong. The huge variety of computer set-ups around, plus the fast pace at which some new complex viruses are released, and products updated to meet the threat, means that these days there are greater chances of some computers finding the update incompatible with their set-up.
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There were some comments in one of these very threads about Comodo (which sounds to me rather like an invalid's appliance) a few weeks ago which were less than complimentary.
I know I mentioned I was having some problems with it previously, but that was user error - seems to be working well now.
Just checked - no updates available.
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It's the 'suite' - it was a fairly major update, over 100MB followed by an install process and restart, not just a definitions udate.
Thanks for the replies.
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Just checked - no updates available
Some version updates in recent weeks:
Important Note for Windows Vista Users Upgrading From Older Versions
The Windows Vista users, who have CIS version 3.5.57173.439 or older installed(32 and 64 bit), are going to have 2 updates because of the nature of this release.
* The first update is going to update some critical files that are necessary in order to continue with the second update.
* Then the second update is going to finalize the upgrading process to version 3.8.65951.477
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I am using Vista, might have something to do with it. I didn't see the above, as it was just an 'auto update' notification.
Maybe I'll have another go. It was OK apart from all the 'warnings' which are I suppose to be expected, and being seemingly alarmist over 'malware' - it claimed to have removed various things (from a Wordpress.org download and a CBT training disc from work).
I still have Comodo Safesurf installed though I don't really know what it is and it hasn't chirped yet!
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I am using Vista, might have something to do with it. I didn't see the above, as it was just an 'auto update' notification .. >>
I have not installed the last 3 versions [released since 12 Feb] on my Vista PCs due to the problems that were reported. When the latest version has had 4 weeks to settle in, I will then usinstall the old version [3.5.57173.439 : 3rd Dec, 2008] and then install the latest 3.8.65951.477 as a fresh install:
www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/release_notes.html
forums.comodo.com/empty-t31196.0.html
I do not use safesurf, but the forum is here:
forums.comodo.com/comodo_safesurf_and_comodos_own_.../
Edited by jbif on 07/03/2009 at 13:57
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I've been using Comodo Firewall Pro for several months after switching from ZoneAlarm after many years - it has proved excellent and any updates have caused no problems with XP Pro. Avast! is my AV of choice.
In addition I also have Comodo's Registry Cleaner, another first class product.
In view of the fact that these are freeware products, I believe they offer far more than one might expect.
Edited by Stuartli on 07/03/2009 at 15:11
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>>In view of the fact that these are freeware products, I believe they offer far more than one might expect.
Agreed, I wasn't thinking of asking for compensation ;-)
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>>Agreed, I wasn't thinking of asking for compensation ;-) >>
I wasn't suggesting that in any way whatsoever..:-)
One point about Comodo Internet Security Suite is that it was only introduced quite recently - until then each product had been offered individually, which is why I come to have Firewall Pro and Registry Cleaner.
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.. any updates have caused no problems with XP Pro .. >>
Most problems are linked to Vista, which is a complex beast. Zonealarm came a cropper with it too a few times.
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Help!
My children have managed to play with the keyboard and now the screen display is at 90 degrees to the holizontal. As I am typing this , the words are going down the page, not acress it and I am reading th etext with my head resting on my shoulder!.
What do I do to get it back to horizontal??
Thanks
{header changed from the default}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 08/03/2009 at 12:06
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Problem solved.
Ctrl and Alt and cursor arrow up makes it go back to normal.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 08/03/2009 at 12:07
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Wow, didn't know that one, there's a practical joke on unattended computers :-)
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Wow didn't know that one there's a practical joke on unattended computers :-)
(a) several of my colleagues are antipodeans (b) I'm not sure they were listening in my IT security seminar :-)
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A friend of a friend is running Windows XP and has a dial up modem connected to his telephone landline.
Apprantly when anyone phones him on his home phone number, it boots the PC up.
He switches the pc off in the normal way, Start- Shut Down etc etc.
What setting might he have set up to cause a phone call to switch the pc on again?
Could it be a fault?
thanks
Edited by rtj70 on 09/03/2009 at 14:47
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It is not a fault. It's an option on PCs. There is an option in the BIOS to allow the PC to be woken up by the modem. Deselecting this option in the BIOS will fix it. Depending on BIOS company, it's often F12 or F2 on bootup to get in to it.
Rob
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With an AMI Bios, it's Delete.
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would a 'phonecall start the computer up from shutdown "off"?? I wouldn't have thought so! although i agree it might wake it from "sleep" or "hibernate" especially if the modem is configured for Fax as well.
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When you shut down most PCs they are not totally off. Only way of doing that is to physically switch it off with the switch on the power supply.
Another feature that can turn on a PC if it's off (not by the switch mind) is the network by sending a so called magic packet to a computer containing it's MAC address.
Anyway when you hibernate and switch off a PC via software it's still in the same power state. Only difference is the operating systems knows it has been hibernated so restores the state of the PC from a file.
Granted in standby the memory is being kept powered but most of the rest of the system is off.
So the answer to the question is yes the phone ringing can turn on a PC unless the PC is really powered down via the switch. This has nothing to do with fax as the fax service runs in the operating system.
Edited by rtj70 on 09/03/2009 at 16:13
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I once considered doing this for my home PC - i.e. have it wake-up if I phoned home so I could get access to files remotely. But immediately saw the flaw in that idea - it would wake when someone called on that line. Granted few know the number of this phone number (we have two) but all the same.... could have it turned on by mistake.
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There we go! i've learned something else '-)
back in the days of steam when i had "dial-up" internet via internal "Voice-data-fax" moden (conexant) when i knew that i was going to recieve a fax, i had to leave the computer on, but let it go into "sleep" mode, it would then only wake after four rings and then only if it was a fax,(how it knew i'm not sure!) but it wouldn't wake for a voice-call, or recieve a fax if it was "shutdown - off". If a fax came through when it was off, the fax was always left on the phones answer-phone as a screeching ear-bashing!
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Probably all dependent on the fax modem configuration about waking up the PC. Go back far enough and not all PCs could be woken like this though. What it does mean is they are using electricity when you think they are "off".
Fujitsu Siemens has released a PC that really does consume no power when "off".
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ISTR a 'Wake on LAN' feature that could be turned on/off from within Settings.
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If the computer has onboard Ethernet then wakeon LAN can be turned on/off. As can the modem one.
On older machines with separate network cards there was a cable that connected to the motherboard to provide the Wake On Lan signal to the computer. These tended to be business type PCs where turning them on out of hours for maintenance jobs is very useful - like installing patches or new software or even new operating systems....
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Just been given a ten year old Microlaptop and its tiny, it is the size of the mini Asus things. It has a Pentium III processor and 196MB RAM (shared graphics) it also has a 20GB hard drive which I suspect is on its last legs.
The screen is on top notch condition and I have a docking station for it but sadly no battery.
If I can find a battery I thought this owuld be a brilliant machine for traveling as it weighs nothing.
It has a Windows 2000 COA but I want to forget that. I have a Linksys WIFI card which I intend to use with it.
I need a no fuss version of Linux which will run on this spec but also have the majority of the popular WIFI drivers built in as I am sick of spending hours trying to get WIFI to work with Linux.
I was thinking of Xbunto or Vector Linux. I have an old P166MX laptop with a 6.4GB hard drive, I know the hard drive is healthy so I may use that instead of this old 20GB unit which sounds unhealthy (Windows currently does not boot as the files are currupt).
I want to use Firefox and WIFI but that is the only use this laptop needs to fill.
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So what's the question? I always thought the very small Toshiba UMPC (Libretto 110CT?) from late 90s were even smaller than the latest netbooks.
What laptop have you just been given?
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It is a Compaq Evo N200. It has a 700Mhz PIII processor. My question was from peoples experience what would be the best linux distro for it?
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I've got a Dell C610 laptop, Rattle, with a similar spec to yours - PIII 800, 256mb of RAM. It's running Debian Testing very well, and the wireless works flawlessly. I've not tried Vector for some time, but I recall it being a bit hit and miss with hardware compatibility. All the PCs (and a solitary Emac) in our household run Debian - quicker and more flexible than any flavour of Ubuntu, and easy to install.
The wireless card is a cheap PCMCIA from Ebay with the RT2500 chipset - no problem at all to set up. Look on tinyurl.com/22p2em for info' on your Linksys card.
Incidentally, try Galeon rather than Firefox - does the same job, but is a bit quicker on older hardware.
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I've got two old normal-sized laptops that I dual-boot into Win2k and Linux. I've tried various flavours of the latter, but the most successful so far has been Crunch-Bang Linux, which seems to recognise WiFi adaptors better than most. It's also quite lean and quick, with a slightly quirky but pleasant GUI. Go to DistroWatch for the download.
There is also a version of Ubuntu designed for netbooks and called (toe-curlingly) 'EasyPeasy'. Not sure how well that would work with old hardware, but worth a try, perhaps. I haven't yet - still getting over the name... :-)
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I'm after a bit of software which will let me create a DVD with menus of all the photos on my PC. I have the bundled software with Vista, but this will not let me create a DVD with a menu so that you can choose which photo album you want to watch. It just lumps all the photos into one huge slideshow
Any one have any recommendations?
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.. It just lumps all the photos into one huge slideshow .. >>
Let me guess, you store all you photos in one single folder named "Pictures".
windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-NZ/Help/4cf7f...x
Have you tried creating sub-folders within the Pictures folder?
Edited by jbif on 10/03/2009 at 19:51
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Nope, all photos are in sub folders based on event, e.g wedding, family, holidays etc.. each with there own sub-sub folder
The bundled software is Windows Movie Maker (lets you make 1 video file at a time using photos) and Windows DVD maker.
Just want software which will let me create a DVD Menu Page with 'Weddings' 'Family' 'Holidays' etc with subfolders within like 'Rome' 'Paris' 'Burnley' etc...
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I should add that I want the photos as a slideshow in DVD Video format, and not just a DVD full of the raw JPGs as data.
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The problem with DVDs of photos is the poor resolution. I did a few and never rushed to do more because of the quality. Tried some photo shows on the LCD TV from the laptop and they are so much better.
I'm looking at how to best do slideshows with the equivalent of menus.
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... software which will let me create a DVD Menu Page .. >>
Does the following not work?
www.vista4beginners.com/How-to-burn-a-Video-DVD-us...r
"4. If you want to, you can click the "Options" button and set things like the burning speed, the aspect ratio, the video format or you can choose if the DVD will have a menu or not. "
www.windows-vista-tips-and-tricks.com/vista-burn-d...l
"If you have rent a DVD movie sometimes, you know that a DVD often starts with a main menu with options about what to show from the DVD. For example you can click on 'Scenes' to see a particular scene.
These menus with scenes you can also add to the DVDs you create with Windows DVD Maker."
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/creat...x
To split a video or audio clip
1. In the Contents pane, click the video or audio clip you want to split.
2. Under the monitor, move the slider to where you want to split the clip.
3. Click the Split button on the monitor.
The resulting video clips now appear in the Contents pane.
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The problem is that I would first need to create individual video files of each photo folder in Windows Movie Maker, save the files, and then import each saved video file into Windows DVD Maker. Or, import the photos directly into Windows DVD, encode it, then split, then re-encode. Thanks for the links though, I didn't know about the 'split' function.
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Try the free Microsoft Photostory 3 to create the slide show for the folders. With little effort the results can be very impressive. Output will be AVI files with music, transitions etc.
Edited by rtj70 on 10/03/2009 at 21:47
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