IT Help, Please

[steve9872]

Reboot in safe mode.
Keep pressing F8 on boot up (if you see any windows splash screen its too late). A menu comes up allowing you to choose safe mode.
Once it finishes booting up, it will have loaded only minimal generic drivers. Typically virus's don't get loaded in this mode so a scan should just work.

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

Those of you who are still on Windows XP, I very much recommend that you now upgrade to Windows 7 or windows 8...or perhaps even try out a Linux Distro such as Ubuntu.

Windows XP is no longer being supported by Microsoft (as of 8th April) and that means no more security updates which in turn means your system is more vulnerable.

I am helping some of my close friends/family to migrate (yep, Beate, any opportunity to drink your awesome coffee, no sugar please :) ).

This is the time to finally accept changes XP lovers...I know how you feel, XP was a lovely operating system albeit needed care and attention rather like my first car, an old Pergeot 305. Its why it has lasted so long 13 years In fact (Xp, not my car) and as far as I am concerned still a capable system that can handle most things thrown at it but as with any other company, businesses survive by producing new products and retiring old ones for the sake of revenue but in so doing they do try justify their new products. Vista, Millenium were awful awful awful but then Windows 7 rectified things. Windows 7 has become my favourite operating system. I do recommend it. However, that cost money...though there are ways around that which I will not say as they are not legit ways. You can instead switch to a legally free operating system, called Linux which has a few flavours, most popular being Ubuntu. However, they need a learning curve.

If you still want to remain with XP, then be vigilant with your emails and internet activities. Dont use Internet Explorer. Install Firefox or Chrome because Internet Explorer is now HIGHLY exposed.

[Beate]

I am helping some of my close friends/family to migrate (yep, Beate, any opportunity to drink your awesome coffee, no sugar please :) ).

That's cappuccino, you philistine and you'll need loads of it, as this sounds like a pretty big job! Let me know when you're coming and I might get some carrot cake in.

[stuartboy]

Help, help!
My little ASUS notebook/laptoppy thing seems to have died on me. Forthe third time in a row it started to log me off and shut down during an episode of Shetland on BBC iPlayer and seemed to be trying to update Windows - Please do not turn off your computer - Windows is configuring. Then it stuck at 35%. Have tried turning it off and on again, waiting overnight etc. Now all I get is the initial ASUS black and white logo before it goes into a set-up mode. Nothing I seem to do in this mode will allow it to advance, and if I try to make it boot up from LAN ROM it starts asking me to connect to a source to boot from. I have no idea how to proceed as it is not like you can just reinstall the system software from disc etc. - no CD/DVD drive.
I have tried holding the f8 key down on start-up so as to boot in safe mode but it is not even allowing that.

Any ideas? I'm guessing the start-up info on the HDD has become corrupted somehow.

[steve9872]

This is where you need to insert the install disc in the drive and select repair disc. Any chance you can borrow a usb dvd drive and possibly an install disc? I have these things but we're not exactly local.

[stuartboy]

Ah. I was afraid of that. No I don't. I'm guessing it is a trip to the computer repair store then. Sounds like it could be a while I wait job though. Give me a Mac any day of the week. Lol. My desktop must be coming up on 10 years old (!) and still going strong. Indeed it is only "improvements" in web-pages that seem to slow it down at all, especially embedded YouTube etc. video.
I was given the notebook hence why I've no idea how the software got on there in the first place, but its constant desire to update itself really got on my nerves. It can't do that anymore though, so there! Damn thing!

[akh43]

Looking for advice re a new laptop as mine is on its last legs.

I am looking to "b*y" from Tesco using the current double up so wont actually be costing me anything I have managed to get down to these two and just wondered other than the £20 more for the bottom one, whether one was actually better than the other.

Acer Aspire E5-511 15.6" Laptop, Celeron, 4GB Memory, 500GB Storage
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire ... d=100-1180

Acer E1-522 15.6" E2/4GB/1TB Laptop
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-e1-522 ... d=389-1409

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[xznhjg]

Looking for advice re a new laptop as mine is on its last legs.

I am looking to "b*y" from Tesco using the current double up so wont actually be costing me anything I have managed to get down to these two and just wondered other than the £20 more for the bottom one, whether one was actually better than the other.

Acer Aspire E5-511 15.6" Laptop, Celeron, 4GB Memory, 500GB Storage
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire ... d=100-1180

Acer E1-522 15.6" E2/4GB/1TB Laptop
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-e1-522 ... d=389-1409

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Neither is good but, if you have to choose - go for one with Celeron on-board....
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/770/AM ... N2830.html

[akh43]

Looking for advice re a new laptop as mine is on its last legs.

I am looking to "b*y" from Tesco using the current double up so wont actually be costing me anything I have managed to get down to these two and just wondered other than the £20 more for the bottom one, whether one was actually better than the other.

Acer Aspire E5-511 15.6" Laptop, Celeron, 4GB Memory, 500GB Storage
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire ... d=100-1180

Acer E1-522 15.6" E2/4GB/1TB Laptop
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-e1-522 ... d=389-1409

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Neither is good but, if you have to choose - go for one with Celeron on-board....
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/770/AM ... N2830.html

Thanks for your comments, not sure what celeron means, but on looking at your link it looks like the cheaper one might be the better of the 2. I am right in thinking thats why the cheaper one has battery life of 7 hours and the other only 3.5hrs?

I am only looking for a cheap and cheerful laptop to surf mainly, I dont need it for anything fancy and just thought I would utilize my clubcard vouchers to get it.

[steve9872]

Looking for advice re a new laptop as mine is on its last legs.

I am looking to "b*y" from Tesco using the current double up so wont actually be costing me anything I have managed to get down to these two and just wondered other than the £20 more for the bottom one, whether one was actually better than the other.

Acer Aspire E5-511 15.6" Laptop, Celeron, 4GB Memory, 500GB Storage
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire ... d=100-1180

Acer E1-522 15.6" E2/4GB/1TB Laptop
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-e1-522 ... d=389-1409

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Neither is good but, if you have to choose - go for one with Celeron on-board....
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/770/AM ... N2830.html

Thanks for your comments, not sure what celeron means, but on looking at your link it looks like the cheaper one might be the better of the 2. I am right in thinking thats why the cheaper one has battery life of 7 hours and the other only 3.5hrs?

I am only looking for a cheap and cheerful laptop to surf mainly, I dont need it for anything fancy and just thought I would utilize my clubcard vouchers to get it.

There's pro's and cons for both but i'd also go for the cheaper one. The lack of an Ethernet port is more than balanced by the faster processor and strangely the longer battery life.