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FRIENDLY - WARNING -
WARNING - WARNING!
Please ALWAYS make
a note of the password and your other settings to connect to the internet (an
identity probably containing the letters DSL and a password NEITHER the same
as your email), plus the connection to your router (probably something like
a user name and password), and your email settings (that's connection
details, password, pop, smtp, and security, plus possibly a secure port
number). When you have the details write them down on a piece of paper and
put it behind the clock on the mantelpiece - do NOT save it on your
computer! Why? We have just spent 5 HOURS
waiting on
the phone trying to speak to a particularly unhelpful ISP when the villager
left their laptop on the London train! They had a new computer but could not
get at their email. If you don't know what the settings are look
them up NOW! It might save your sanity plus a
LOT of money. p.s. Despite being geniuses we
can no more guess your settings than we can your bank card pin number! ;-)
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HARD TO FIND ARGOS
WEBCAM DRIVER - JUST £2-50
If you have a webcam from Argos probably with the name
Mikomi on it and looking like the above photos? Then you may have lost the
disk that came with it which is essential should you require to reinstall
your camera at a later date. We can't give you a definite manufacturer as it
was made by different people but ONE of the Argos codes was 676/6283, it may
well have been sold under other codes. It sold for about £15 or so.
This webcam is very small just over 1 inch or so
(35cm) in height and less wide (30cm), has a clip to attach to a laptop lid
which folds back to make a small sort of stand and it rotates on its stand
too. There is often no maker shown and on the back is usually just a serial
number, a C and an E and a crossed out dustbin. It often came with a USB
lead on a small roll up device that coils up when you pull both ends of the
lead at once. We have pictures one such as supplied above.
Now obviously you can look on line for the correct
driver (if you can identify the camera correctly!) but unfortunately you may
find that the links from the most well known driver site leads to - the
wrong drivers! In fact installing this driver can upset your add and remove
programmes file in that it shows as being over 5Gig in size! Oh, the site
will sell you the right driver but before getting it you have to join their
"club" of course and you have to give them your credit card details too! On
top of this when you do get the the download you will find that it is a RAR
file, in an obscure Russian script which requires another download from a
Russian server to unscramble! All in all a bit of a mess for such a popular
camera sold by one of the UK's largest retailers!
We had this problem and had great difficulty obtaining
the correct drivers. In the end we went out and bought a second camera! Now
that we have the correct (updated) drivers we are happy to let you have a
copy for just £2.50, paid by PayPal. This payment goes towards the cost of
running our village web site.
If you would like a copy of the driver please click
below to send us £2.50 by PayPal and we will send you a link to a copy of
our download. The download is just over 2Meg in a simple zip file which any
computer can open, so won't take very long!
If you would like a copy of our drivers for the above
Argos supplied webcam then please click the PayPal button below. Once you have
paid - you do NOT need to open a PayPal account if you don't want to - then you
will be taken to a page with the link to download your drivers immediately.
Any problems do not HESITATE to get in touch!
Please click here to buy the driver described above
for the "Mikomi" type webcam from Argos
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Major broadband outage
April 5th. 2009
Most villagers got their broadband back on Sunday
afternoon after a major outage caused by a fire in East London caused them
to lose connection for almost a whole day.
BT issued the following statement late on Saturday
evening...
"The fault is located deep in a tunnel, deep level
structural damage and high CO2 levels mean that BT will be unable to resolve
this incident by repairing the existing infrastructure. Mobile units
currently on route to the site and will be used to set up temporary
connectivity bypassing the affected tunnel span. It is estimated that all
necessary equipment should have arrived on site, been configured and a
work-around put in place for all affected services by 5pm this evening. Due
to the scale of this incident BT are unable to re-route any individual
circuits as they do not have the capacity elsewhere to be able to cope with
this..."
Despite supplying many different ISPs connections from the Dane Hill exchange
in fact all use the same BT 144 Meg/Second "pipe" to talk to the outside word,
in fact using a microwave connection to Tunbridge Wells. This means that
whether you use BT, Tiscali, NDO, AOL or any internet service provider your
computer will send its signals down this same connection.
We are using our back-up Three wireless broadband connection to
tell villagers what is happening as it seems that many ISP's customer
service departments close down over the weekend so there is nobody available to help.
If you are able to get on line (and of course dial up
still works at times like these) then you can check here as we will try to use this page to keep you up to date.
Our site
doesn't use any fancy coding so our pages should load quickly whatever connection
you use during the emergency.
If the emergency had continued then we would have
suggested the purchase of a Three wireless broadband dongle. These can be
purchased for under £30 with a Gig of connectivity costing £10 for one month
and three Gig for a month costing £15. Alternatively a dongle complete with
12 Gig of connectivity valid for one whole year costs £99.
Can we make a suggestion? Touch nothing to try to get
your connection back, except perhaps trying rebooting your router or modem,
when broadband returns it will connect automatically. If you fiddle it will
make no difference and when things do eventually return to normal you will
have to put everything back as it was before before you are able to reconnect!
Apparently some villagers were STILL without service on
Monday. At 13.00 BT issued the following statement...
"BT can confirm that,
following significant damage by a third party to cables in a deep
underground tunnel, a large number of customers in parts of East London are
currently experiencing a loss of service. BT's engineers are working around
the clock to restore service as quickly as possible. BT would like to
apologies to all impacted customers.
Service has been restored to a significant number of customers, including
police and other emergency customers, commercial customers and other
communications provider circuits using alternative methods of connection. BT
engineering teams are working to restore service to all remaining customers
without service.
Given the complexity of the damage suffered, it is not yet possible to
accurately predict when all services will be restored.
BT will issue further updates as the situation changes.
If you get stuck, then as usual please give us a ring and
we'll come round and get you going again! |
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Waiting to
upgrade your xp computer? We recommend that you jump over Vista and wait for
Windows7
We at HorstedKeynes.com have been playing around with an
early copy of the
latest Microsoft operating system which is to be called Windows7.
Now if you are not a computer aficionado you may not know
that after the very popular WindowsXP Microsoft issued an operating system
called Windows Vista. Many think this was a great mistake as when issued
Vista did not work with many common accessories such as printers and
scanners. Indeed it was nearly one year before many new drivers were
released to make these older accessories work. You may be prepared to wait a
year to print out a letter to your bank manager but many other people are
not, so sales of a set of new accessories often accompanied sales of vista
computers!
As soon as this information became public knowledge many,
many people decided to reject Vista and stick with their old XP computer.
Sales of Vista plummeted and even today they are not anywhere like as high
as expected by Microsoft. So Microsoft have brought forward the issue of the
replacement to Vista which as noted above is to simply be called Windows7.
So have Microsoft learned their lesson with their new
operating system? - Yes we think they have!
Plug in an old printer to a Windows7 computer and it is
perfectly happy to use an XP or Vista or even a Windows 200 driver to get the accessory working, after this
it will actually go on line and keep looking for a more recent driver,
download it and then install it - all
without ANY human intervention!
Yes on first sight we think that Windows7 is much better than Vista. If
you are thinking of buying a new computer then we earnestly recommend that
you wait to buy until later in 2009 when Windows7 proper is released.
We will add to this log as soon as possible.
If in the mean time you would like to try Windows7 for
yourself then please get in touch and we will be able to help you with a
free demonstration copy, called a "Beta". You will though need a separate computer
(or at the very least a spare hard drive) to try it
on, at this early Beta stage we most certainly do not recommend that you
install the new operating system on your only home computer. Even Microsoft
can make mistakes (that's a joke by the way) and you might well lose all your work when you have to
reformat your hard drive when the beta demo copy runs out later in the year!
So how does Windows7 feel and look?
The first impression is that of a mix between Vista and XP.
the graphics are chunky (but can be toned down) and the screen is clean and
easy to use. We are not so interested in appearances however, it's what goes
on when you plug the computer in that interests us and most villagers.
The one problem that we have found is the same as Vista in
that the 7 machine does not show connected network computers. Where this is
very different from Vista however is that the 7 computer CAN see and get
information from the network it just does not show the connection on a
screen. No doubt Microsoft are working on this omission for their next Beta
due out in the Spring. After this should come the First release candidate,
then possibly the Second candidate. After that the Betas will start to run
out as Windows7 proper is released to the public.
Can we point out that if you want to try the Betas you have
to register with Microsoft, this is free and easy to do. Do it NOW and you
may well get a discount voucher for your purchase of the final release of
Windows7.
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The following computer is
sold but we can get another if you want it
FOR SALE BY HORSTEDKEYNES.COM TO HELP COVER
OUR HOSTING EXPENSES
BRAND NEW - TITANIUM CASED
“COMMUTER COMPUTER”

It's not a huge remote, it's a tiny computer that nevertheless still
has it all.
Metal case, just 1" thin, it's even got a built in camera!
This is a photo of our computer - your new one is still in the box.
If you
are fed up with lugging your present laptop to the office every day then
consider the following specification which is all contained in a tiny
titanium case and despite having a “desktop” specification weighs just
1Kg.
We’ve bought several of
these new computers, one for us to use, and the others to sell on to
benefit the village web site. In this way we can ALL get a brand new
high ‘spec compact computer for a discounted price! This
absolutely
BRAND NEW laptop computer made
by the professional manufacturer HP and is the size and weight of a
small book yet has the following quite amazing features. We have
upgraded the operating system to Windows XP SP3 and installed lots and
lots of extra software too!
Remember this is a
Windows XP computer – it is NOT the Linux version which can have a much
lower specification. We also include more than £600 worth of Microsoft
software, Word, etc., all installed and activated ready to go!
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Titanium Metal Case –
Strong, Lightweight and wear resistant, it looks great too.
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120 Gig ‘DriveGuard’
Hard Drive that helps protect data if your computer is dropped.
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92% full size keyboard
with all the normal keys, touch typing is a doddle!
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1 Gig RAM – expandable
to 2 Gig.
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All buttons and
switches are made of metal – made to really last.
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Built in Camera
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Wireless Internet with
“aeroplane” wireless off switch on the front.
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Bluetooth inside
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Network socket
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Card Reader Slot
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New Style ExpressCard/5
4 accessory slot for 3G wireless internet etc.
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USB new style powered
socket.
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Brilliant quality HD
Wide Screen display with 1280 x 768 resolution.
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Windows XP Service
Pack 3 Genuine Advantage, fully updated
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Really Hi-Fi speakers
and stereo microphones, ideal for internet chats.
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Microsoft XP Word,
Access, Power Point, Excel, Front Page all fully installed, activated,
ready to use, NOT 60 day demo, plus anti-virus, DVD Player software
(to watch pre recorded TV and films on the train!
All in a case that is
just over 10” wide and just over 6” from front to back, less than 1”
thick it weighs about 1Kg. So easy to carry or put in your briefcase,
plus it fits safely in your glove compartment! This is ideal if you
commute as it sits neatly on the train table or your lap, yet it can do
all that your full size desktop computer can and more. Use it to watch
last nights TV too, with its 120Gig hard drive you'll get to the office
before the programmes run out - even if it's in New York.
These computers are
boxed, fully guaranteed (INCLUDING the battery - very rare) and
absolutely BRAND NEW, indeed they only came out of the factory last
month!
FOR
SALE to villagers at an unbelievable £359.
And we include over £400 worth of extra software!
If you’d
like to know more please ring 791624 or email
webmaster@horstedkeynes.com |
SUSSEX RECONDITIONED
COMPUTERS READY FOR SALE FROM THE VILLAGE
We are often asked if we can supply a spare or second computer at a
low price. Maybe your home computer has gone wrong, perhaps you just want a
spare or something for the kids.
While we have always been able to make up a computer for villagers
they often want one immediately. Because of this we will from now on try to
have at least one or two set up ready to go. All sales help with the cost of
running your village web site.
All these computers are thoroughly and carefully reconditioned, tested
and set up with a fully registered legal version of Windows as well as other
programmes already installed to get you up and running right away. All come
with a Genuine Advantage Microsoft label proving they are fitted with fully
registered versions of Windows.
To save costs we do not include a monitor in these prices although
they can usually be supplied from about £50 extra if required. If you want a
computer for the kids or just a backup computer remember to look here first.
Remember if anything goes wrong we are here in the village ready to help.
Also please bear in mind that we also have lots of accessories
including network plugs, sockets, broadband filters and leads which we are
happy to sell if required. You get the parts the same day without paying for
petrol or postage and packing and it all helps with our website costs.
The following are examples and may no longer be
available...
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FOR SALE LOW PRICE DESKTOP
COMPUTER
Older but perfectly acceptable computer complete with
matching keyboard and mouse in a smaller than average desktop case.
Ideal as spare or for the kids to use. Perfectly fast enough for
broadband internet, email, letter writing, etc.
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1.2 Gig Processor
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40 Gig Hard Drive
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250 Meg RAM
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DVD Drive and Software
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Network socket for broadband
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Modem
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Front and Rear USB sockets
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Supplied with matching keyboard and mouse
Complete with Windows XP Service Pack 3, a free
version of AVG Anti-Virus and lots of other software too!
FOR SALE locally for just
£80 including delivery |
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FOR SALE GENUINE DELL
MICRO DESKTOP COMPUTER

This Dell computer has a fast 2 Ghz genuine Pentium 4
processor as well as 500 Gig of memory. It is in a micro compact case
that can sit ON your desktop underneath your monitor. In this way all
connections are right to hand and your monitor sits at eye level. If you
prefer the unique design can instead sit on its side the floor when it
fits neatly under your desk. As well as normal email, broadband internet
and letters etc., this machine is fast enough to run many games and even
edit your videos.
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2 Gig Pentium 4 processor
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120 Gig Hard Drive
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Half Gig RAM
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DVD Drive and Software
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Network built in for Broadband
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Front and Rear sound and USB sockets
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Supplied with genuine Dell keyboard and mouse
Complete with Windows XP Service Pack 3 and lots of
extra software.
FOR SALE locally for just
£130 including delivery |
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FOR SALE GENUINE DELL 2.4
GIG LAPTOP COMPUTER

This 15" Dell Inspiron laptop cost £700 new and comes
complete with built in WiFi and a lightning fast 2.4 Gig processor - it
rocks! There is half a gig of super fast memory and a 40 Gig hard drive.
Being a Dell this laptop is really built to last, it's as solid as a
rock yet light enough to sit on your lap. Although this computer runs
for a reasonable time on the replicable built in battery because this is
a reconditioned computer and to keep the price down we cannot guarantee
the battery longevity. Replacements are readily available from the Dell
website.
Ideal if you want a small footprint computer to sit on
your desk.
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Built in WiFi for Wireless Broadband (NOT an external
add-on)
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2.4 Gig Pentium 4 processor
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40 Gig Hard Drive
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Half Gig RAM
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DVD "Combo" Drive and Software
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Network built in for Broadband
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Modem
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Sound and USB sockets
Complete with Windows XP Service Pack 3 and lots of
extra software.
FOR SALE locally for just
£180 including delivery
For a GENUINE Dell laptop this is an absolute bargain |
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AVG update is "mucking about" at present
We know that many people in the village use the AVG
antivirus programme. You may be getting warning about your AVG being unable to
update at the moment. Don't worry this does occasionally happen. We suggest
that you just keep waiting for a few days while AVG sort it out. You should
be covered as it is only the updates that are giving problems.
Whatever you do do not try to reinstall the programme in the hope that
this will clear the problem - it won't as the installation will not complete
without an update. We are here to help if you get stuck. |
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Orite Audio IP-Cam (IC301) Firmware Update - HERE!
The above is a popular camera that connects to your home
or business network and enables you to look at the picture at home or
anywhere on the internet. Like many specialised units the manufacturer seems
to have disappeared from the internet which is unfortunate as the original
firmware is a bit tatty.
There is a genuine update available but is very, very
hard to find. We use several of these cameras and have the last firmware
update made which is version 02.08.03EN.OR01R. If your camera shows a
different firmware version then you would be well advised to update it.
We have copies here, please get in touch if you'd like
one, it's only a Meg in size so very easy to download, and the update
procedure is quite painless. No charge although we'd always welcome a
donation after you have updated your camera and found how much better and
easier it is to use! ;-) Please email
webmaster - at -horstedkeynes.com
to get a copy.
Orite IP Cam IC 301 Version 2.08.03. Firmware update
download - for the search engines
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COMPUTER GETTING SLOWER AND
SLOWER? WE'LL SORT IT FOR YOU!
It's quite amazing how many village computers have
slowed down to a crawl lately. There can be many causes but the cure does
NOT usually involve the purchase of a new computer nor in most cases much
money! Please get in touch if you would like some help.
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Worried about
upgrading to wireless?
As many of you know we are pleased
to help villagers with their computer problems. Since Christmas it seems
that just about everyone in Horsted Keynes wants to go wireless - and it
also seems that many people are apprehensive about getting their system to
work.
If this includes you then please
give us a ring 791624 or drop us an email. We have set up well over 100 wireless
networks in our time - and they all work!
We can either fit a kit that
you already have or supply the whole thing, it's up to you.
So if you'd like help, or you just
get stuck half way, you know where to come!
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HORSTED KEYNES . COM
RECOMMEND NETGEAR FOR NETWORKING! |
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Don't let Dell mislead you!
We were recently asked if we could meet the price for a
laptop on the Dell website. They had what appeared to be a genuine Dell wide
screen laptop for £299 including delivery! Now we all know that Dell have a
base price for a computer that will just about run but when you go into the
details to get a full specification computer you have to pay more - a lot
more. When we looked into the prices we found that we couldn't even buy a
basic Dell computer for this price trade! So what is happening?
Quite simply Dell used to offer really high quality
computers - some would say built like the proverbial tank - but they were
solid and worked and lasted for ages. Now it seems that Dell are
meeting a demand for rock bottom cheap laptops by selling computers that
they are buying ready made in bulk from China and are just budged as Dell.
OK that's fine anyone is allowed to sell whatever they
like as long as they don't mislead, but naturally the public see what they
think is the bargain of the year, a computer that is the same build quality
as any other Dell computer for a bargain price. We were taught that if
something looks too good to be true it probably IS!
So please - make sure that you are comparing like with
like, one Dell is NOT like another. Don't be mislead! |
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Replacement for Vista
"out in Beta inside 18 months"
If you, like us are still waiting to upgrade to Windows
Vista we thought that you might be interested to hear what is the latest on
the rumour mill. It is that Vista is "so popular" that the replacement
(called "Windows 7" by the designers) is to be released in Beta form "within
18 months"!
Now even if this is not true it certainly does seem to
confirm that Vista is a huge problem for Microsoft, and that's not
forgetting their customers too!
If we hear more we will pass it on but we aren't rushing
out to obtain 9 copies of Vista for the computers in our home. That's even
at the latest price of £40! Yup, Microsoft have stopped checking and it
seems that anyone can obtain and install the reduced price education version
of Vista even if the nearest they come to education is watching "Play
School" on TV!
If you have children, or even know a child then you are
fully entitled to this discount too. Don't waste your money!
It seems that Windows 7 will have some great features.
For example you will be able to go to any computer, anywhere - as long
as it's on line of course - and get your own desktop, emails, even
programmes as you use them. Now that might be well worth having. Seems that
Vista might turn into another Windows ME. An operating system that people
are embarrassed to have on their computer. |
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RUN
TWO COMPUTERS WITH JUST ONE MONITOR,
MOUSE & KEYBOARD!
SAVE DESK
SPACE OR RUN YOUR LAPTOP ON THE SAME KEYBOARD!
We have for sale a clever
little device which attaches to two computers so that you can run them both
on a single monitor, mouse and keyboard!
Incorporates an electronic switch to select one computer without upsetting
the other one. (Normally a computer objects when you disconnect anything
while it is switched on)
FOR
SALE Complete with all necessary leads for just £20 if you
collect it from us.
Alternatively we will deliver locally and set it up for you for £30.
PLEASE
RING HORSTEDKEYNES.COM ON 791624
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SUITABLE FOR DELL AND MOST OTHER COMPUTERS
Your computers must have standard PS2 connectors for mouse and
keyboard -
(the normal round green and mauve connectors that almost all computers
have).
We can supply suitable mice and keyboards if necessary. |
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Windows ME and
Windows 98 users must upgrade NOW!
It's been a long time coming but Microsoft announced that from 11th
July 2006 they will no longer support or help in any way with the above
versions of the Windows operating system. Beyond that they will no longer
issue ANY UPDATES for these users so pretty soon it will be stupid to use
these on the internet.
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This is rather important if you like to keep your computer activity
secret! |
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We are currently writing this notice so you may see
some errors in punctuation etc.
Are you seeing a new warning on your screen which says that your
copy of Microsoft software is counterfeited? If so you are not alone in
the village and your software is possibly perfectly OK! By the way did
you know that your computer now contacts Microsoft EVERY TIME that you
switch it on and tells them your location and enough details so that
they could contact you? We bet that one escaped your knowledge! Read
on...
Microsoft, who are beginning to act rather more like Big Brother
than Big Brother have updated your computer with a new piece of software
which checks if your Windows software is valid and not counterfeited.
Well we suppose that they should be allowed to do that, but the story
goes a little further than that.
Firstly the software is giving lots of "false negatives" in other
words telling villagers that their computer contains illegal software
when it doesn't. The reason for this is somewhat complex but involves
blocked ActiveX and ports on routers. All beyond the average user of
course. Microsoft are "working on a solution". We can offer an instant
solution, stop checking!
Unfortunately the self same software has been designed to "ring
home" or communicate with Microsoft EVERY TIME that you switch on your
computer, or if you are the sort of person to leave your machine on all
the time it rings home at the same time each day.
You will LOVE Microsoft's explanation for all this! "We didn't
know if the software had any errors so we designed it to call home each
day so that we could turn it off if we needed to"! We kid you not!
Now we at HorstedKeynes.Com would have thought that software that
worried legitimate computer users by telling them that they were using
illegal software WOULD be classed as faulty, not by Microsoft though!
More as soon as we can.
8 June 2006 |
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Horsted Keynes now has (up to) 8 Meg Broadband! |
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We are delighted to announce - well let's face it
nobody else has bothered - that the Dane Hill exchange has now been
upgraded so that we can all have faster than 2Meg broadband, up to 8Meg
for some villagers..
How does this work?
Provided your ISP can supply the faster service
(they should have been in touch) you sign up for the new faster service.
That's the easy bit, it then gets a bit more complicated (you thought
that anything to do with broadband was easy?)...
On the day of changeover to the new higher speed
you must reboot your router/modem or simply switch off your computer if
you have a simple USB modem. Then EVERY day for the next ten days you
must reboot your router/modem or again switch off your computer
remembering to REMAIN ON LINE FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR each time!
On each day the system will automatically try
different connection speeds and will see which speeds are stable and
which cause problems (this really should be transparent) but your
connection speed may well seem to be a lot lower than the theoretical
maximum of 8Meg. In practice we doubt that anyone in Horsted Keynes will
get a connection speed above 5Meg, but this is still better than 1 or
2Meg that we get now.
This is IMPORTANT! At the end of 10 days
(rebooting everyday remember) the system will have decided your best
speed and will leave it set at that.
What happens if you change your equipment after
that, time will tell, but we guess that a call to some automated
computer at BT will start the whole business off again!
Once we have more experience of how the speed
upgrades work we will report it here, so please look back. |
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Norton Antivirus
now available on the internet free!
If your anti-virus is out of date you can now get a
copy of Norton Antivirus 2005 complete with 6 months updates free!
Simply go to the new Google Software Pack
http://pack.google.com/ where you will
find the option to download lots of programmes. What you may not know is
that you can select any, or all, or none of these programmes. Simply select
the Norton download and that is all that you will get!
It is simple, you don't get spammed, and you have
nothing to lose! We understand that this sudden volte-face is because
Microsoft are to soon issue a free (for now!) addition to their present AntiSpyware programme offering an anti-virus component.
You may know that we have until recently thought that
Norton were the best anti-virus makers in the market but recent updates to
the software which can slow some computers immensely, are making us rethink
our opinions. Perhaps we are not alone! This may be a reason why Norton are
having to consider giving their software away!
Try it, and please let us know how it works for you. |
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Beware what is not "included"
with your new computer!
Several villagers who bought computers over Christmas
have been well and truly "conned", hence this small article. What was wrong?
Quite simply when you buy a computer these days the manufacturers
(especially the household word ones who advertise a lot) often won't tell
you clearly what software is included. You will assume that everything will
be supplied, and manufacturers just love assumptions!
Obviously you will get a full version of Window XP Home
edition included which is fine for controlling almost everything that you
are likely to want to do with your computer but what about the programmes
that actually do the work - Word for letter writing, Access for data bases,
a photo editing package, an anti-virus and spyware programme. Until recently
it would have gone without saying that all these programmes, and many more,
would have been included in the package. This no longer applies!
Write letters is usually at the top of the list for new
buyers and what will not be made clear is that if the manufacturers include
a Microsoft product such as "Works" it may only be a demonstration version
which expires after a few weeks! Likewise the anti-virus programme. In the
olden days (last year) you would have got a fully functioning programme such
as Norton or Mcafee and it would have worked for a year before asking you to
pay to keep it up to date.
Today many manufacturers give just 4 weeks cover before
expecting you to pay up to £60 for the next 12 months anti-virus cover. The
odd thing is you can buy a full years cover in the shops for just £40!
Hence this warning if you are looking to buy a new
computer. If you want to write letters, edit photos, or just look at the
internet without catching a virus you will almost certainly have to pay a
lot extra to do the job properly. Beware cheap computer offers - the
manufacturers will want to get their money back one way or another!
p.s. We just heard of a villager who bought what they
thought was a complete computer package and they didn't even get a keyboard
or mouse! |
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The following is the text of an article to be published
shortly...
Is your
Windows installation legal?
Dozens of computers in the village
are not running genuine Windows software. In this case “not genuine” does
not mean counterfeit, it means that the key used to unlock the Windows has
been used on another computer before.
In the past when Windows was very
expensive it was common practice to use the key from a friend or colleague,
or from the office to set up your home Windows computer. Now that a copy of
Home Windows XP can be bought for about 50 quid (without installation) the
reason for using a friends key is not nearly so valid, but there are still
many people who are unknowingly running what Windows (who delight in
scarring and intimidating its potential customers) still calls “fake” or
“illegal”.
Building an operating system such as
Windows is not an exact science. Indeed when Windows XP was first released
it was quite literally “full of holes”, mistakes in the programming which
anyone who knew what they were doing could use to either take over another
machine, and cause it to crash, or more likely use it to “hijack” another
computer and look inside to find credit card numbers, passwords etc.
For this reason Microsoft issue
Windows updates on a regular basis, and if your Windows has been installed
properly the updates are applied when the computer is otherwise idle, most
people know nothing about it. Occasionally you may be asked to restart your
machine when you are in the middle of something, but normally the actual
work is done when you turn off your computer at night.
Now Microsoft are realists, and
until recently they calculated that there must be many millions of computers
running fake or clone keys, apparently 90% of Chinese Windows computer
installations are in some way compromised! If all these computers remained
unpatched the security of ALL internet users could be compromised. So until
now Microsoft decided to not ask for any confirmation that your computer had
a genuine Windows key before updating it with essential security related
upgrades.
For a couple of years Microsoft have
been phasing in a confirmation protocol for OTHER Windows XP updates, and
especially updates that private users might want, such as the latest
“Windows Media Player” which has now reached incarnation number 10. If you
want to download this all singing and dancing (literally) media player then
you have to go through what Microsoft calls “Genuine Advantage” checks
before being given the software. Those in the know could sidestep this
requirement in seconds, but for the average person in the street this did
warn them if their Windows installation was fake so they could do something
about it.
The clever part of this strategy was
while most users didn’t mind if their music wouldn’t play with a pretty
picture on the screen, they most certainly would object if they couldn’t
type a letter or send an email. Gradually home users and especially the
young who use their computers for entertainment more than work would in this
way become aware that they were missing out on what their friends had if
their installation wasn’t genuine.
Had Microsoft been more restrictive
they could have prevented ANY upgrades to Windows systems without a definite
verification each time. The main problem with doing this is, believe it or
not, in-house computer departments who are renowned for not only employing
“engineers” who rise to a level one above their knowledge and experience,
but who are also renowned for taking every sidestep that they can.
A large business may have paid
Microsoft for 1000 copies of Windows, which would give them a few CDs
together with a list of 1000 genuine numbers. The fact is that an
organisation with a large number of computers will have technical problems
with some of them. Mix these faults in with such a large number of machines
and it won’t take long for the actual machines to become muddled up. If each
machine had a different 25 digit number attached to it and were that number
required each time that a computer had to “check in” with Microsoft before
any even vital updates, the whole enterprise could literally overnight grind
to a technological halt! Therefore it is common practice for in-house
technical support departments to use a SINGLE number for all their 1000
computers.
Following on from this it didn’t
take their poorly paid employees – the ones that often knew a lot more about
computers than their bosses - to work out that using a single number for all
1000 machines meant that there were 999 numbers which Microsoft had
authorised but which were sitting completely unused in a drawer or residing
on the in-house database. Couple this with easy ways to sell things on sites
such as eBay and suddenly Microsoft had a huge problem. If they came down
hard on those who had used a single number for many installations they might
quite easily close down the systems of some of the larges computer users in
the world. It is rumoured that the first day that Microsoft tried to harden
up their update procedure the very first organisation to loose its updates
belonged to….the North Wales Police Force!
The requirement was quickly and
quietly removed. Microsoft had to think again, quickly!
For the reasons explained above
therefore until now Microsoft have been policing (!) their registration keys
with a very light touch….until now!
Microsoft now reckon that the latest
updates to their operating system means that it is very secure from invasion
and hacking (yes, I said Microsoft now reckon…) so were some updates to go
uninstalled it wouldn’t be the end of the world, not for Microsoft anyway. A
second and rather more compelling argument is that within a few months
Windows XP will be old, ancient, in fact to many as old as Windows 98. There
is a new Windows coming out this Autumn called “Windows Vista” which will
have a massive publicity at launch. So were large users to suddenly find
that some of their machines were to “go wrong”, i.e. have software failures,
it might be just the nudge that they needed to look at getting the “latest
and greatest” new operating system Windows Vista!
For this reason there is every
chance that when you next switch on your computer you may get a polite gold
coloured notice appear in the bottom right corner of your screen saying that
unless or until you “verify” your installation you will get no more updates,
even vital ones.
Following on from this it doesn’t
take much stretching of the imagination to see that the next warning might
say…”If you don’t verify your installation within 28..27..26.. days then
your operating system will prevent you altering any data on your computer”.
Just as happens now when you don’t activate Windows XP on first
installation. Note, we don’t think they will ever prevent you actually
accessing your data as this would apparently be illegal in some areas of the
world. Areas EXCEPT the United States where such restriction to data IS
legal. So if your computer system has been set up to the default settings by
an idiot then it will think that it is in the USA despite being here in
Sussex. In this case, and you can tell this if when you type an @ (at
symbol) you get another symbol) it’s time to be afraid, be VERY afraid!
We were going to stop here but then
received a very valid question…
“What happens if I perform a
“Genuine Advantage Verification” and then accept Microsoft’s recommendations
to try and make my installation legal?
Well it would be great to report
that Microsoft said.. ”Thank you for your honesty, we will reward you with a
new valid key for just a few dollars. After all your system is working ok,
and we don’t actually have to do anything except sell you a new 25 figure
key”.
Unfortunately Microsoft don’t only
THINK money, they ARE money, so instead they will expect you to pay them
well over the shop price for a valid key. THIS IS MADNESS! It has been
possible to buy in the UK a 100% legal copy of Windows Home for just over
£50 including VAT. Unfortunately you cannot (legally) use this key to make
your present Windows system legal unless you rub the whole hard drive clean
and start all over again! Yes, you have to loose everything on your computer
and start with a “clean installation” to make your machine legally
acceptable to Microsoft. There ARE ways around this, but these take time and
you will certainly have to pay an experienced engineer for several hours
work to install this system – with the continuing risk of losing data.
Indeed even Microsoft warn you that you may lose all your data if you use
their expensive update! Add to this the fact that when you reinstall Windows
you may well find that your Word and other Microsoft programmes won’t run on
the new more modern version of Windows. – This does happen quite often!
So what is the best thing to do? Buy
a new computer, with the latest operating system, erm, that’s Microsoft
Vista isn’t it? Now we are not suggesting that Microsoft are doing anything
illegal but they did set up the system in the first place. Do you understand
why Bill Gates is so rich, and why there are organisations out there whose
sole purpose in life is to sidestep Microsoft at every step? |
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On line computer help
We regularly get villagers 'phoning us up with their
computer problems. Whilst we are happy to help please remember
that we sometimes don't have the time to advise you there and then.
Therefore if you can get on line we ask that instead of
ringing us you email your request. We are then very happy to give you a
considered reply to your query and we intend to publish some of the more
interesting replies here - without naming any names of course! Please
send your questions to the address at the foot of this and every page.
Until we get some questions sent in to us here are a couple of
telephoned questions that we have recently answered...
My printer has lost one colour, I have replaced the
ink cartridge without any difference.
We found out that the owner had tried cleaning the print
head by running several "purge" cycles without effect and suggested that as
the printer was several years old the best bet would be to buy a new printer
as the print head was obviously completely blocked. Unfortunately the design
of inkjet printers means that if they are not used regularly ink residues
will gradually build up and one of the colours will eventually become
totally clogged. Whilst you can try using a solvent to clean the print head
this seldom works for long as the holes through which the ink runs are
microscopic and will simply clog again - that's if you can
even get at the fixed print head at all!
The main difference between old printers and newer ones
is that when you replace the ink cartridge on modern models you actually
replace the print head at the same time - problem solved at a stroke! WH
Smith have some Lexmark printers for just £30. Obviously these come with a
very small quantity of ink so you will have to buy a new cartridge very
soon. There is also a printer scanner for just under £50.
If your printer is a specialised or very
expensive model then we could try replacing the print head but the cost
would almost certainly be uneconomic - and that's if the parts were still available.
If the model is much over a year old they won't be!
I can't get my brand new wireless laptop to connect to
my home network.
This was a simple one! Quite simply the new laptop, a Dell
model, had a built in wireless card. The owner had bought a Netgear router
complete with a free USB "dongle" receiver. Her computer got very confused
with both receivers connected at the same time especially as she had also installed
the Windows 98 drivers on her XP system!
The answer was to remove the dongle and then perform a
Windows system restore to bring the computer back to how it was when it was
delivered, which neatly removed the faulty drivers and any registry
references to the unneeded Netgear dongle. Windows XP has very useful device
called system restore which regularly "takes a picture" of the
complete computer system settings. If you
get a problem you can reset your computer back to how it was, hopefully removing
any new problems at the same time. Answer 2 to what
appeared to be the same problem. This was far more interesting. The
computer, a laptop had been happily chugging away for a year or more but was
now required to connect to the wireless box supplied by new ISP. Trouble was
the computer was sold as "wireless ready" which is a clever marketing ruse
which is fortunately becoming less common. "Ready" means there is a hole in
the base where a wireless modem can be fitted. It wasn't supplied with this
particular economy model! Price for the correct modem (naturally it was non
standard) was almost as much as a new computer! The solution? The spare
dongle from the above resident - we put the two villagers in contact!
Now say it's not useful asking your local computer experts! |
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