Anyone with a Benq 5000 colour scanner who is having difficulty finding drivers that work with Windows Vista or Windows 7 you can download them off the Benq EU website. Get them here.
Note: The Vista driver work quite happily with Windows 7.
Microsoft Office 2000 is coming to the end of the extended support period very soon, 14th July 2009 to be precise. On this date Microsoft officially retire this version and no longer provide security updates to keep users safe from the threats exploiting security vulnerabilities in Office 2000.
To quote Microsoft from their Office Lifecycle webpage:
Office 2000 – Microsoft will continue to offer mainstream support for Office 2000 through June 30, 2004. The Office 2000 extended support period will last from July 1, 2004 through July 14, 2009. The latest Office 2000 service pack is required for hotfix support.
What does this mean for user of this version of Office? Well you need to plan to upgrade to a more recent version of Office or uninstall it by or on the 14th July 2009. More recent versions of Office include Office XP, Office 2003 and Office 2007.
Alternatively, uninstall Office 2000 and try Open Office, which is free to use both for commercial and non-commercial use. It is pretty good for people with simple needs, but there are still compatibility issues with swapping the files with users of Office!
Continuing to use Office 2000 after the end of life date will see your computer becoming more and more insecure to the bad guys as time passes! Doing nothing isn’t an option unless you are happy for your system to be compromised.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Office, Open Office
Heise Security has made available a simple webpage Conficker test that gives an indication if you may be infected by Conficker or similar malware.
Check it out if you suspect you may be infected!
Technorati Tags: Conficker, Heise Security, security
Java 6 Update 13 has just made available from the Java download website so it was time to download it here in Freuchie!
The near 16MB file came down at over 600KB/sec which is stunning performance from an ADSL Max connection three miles from the Falkland Exchange.
It will be interesting to see the speed on the Speedtest.net website.
A little on the low side compared with the real world file download speed test done above. However, it still shows a very fast connection for us in Freuchie, Fife.
As an aside, we also completed a remote install on a Tiscali connection at 7am that came down at 800KB/sec. But don’t try to get this kind of speed out of Tiscali later on in the day, especially between 4pm and 10pm.
Technorati Tags: ADSL Max, broadband, Falkland, Falkland Exchange, Fife, Freuchie, Microsoft, speed test, SpeedTest.net, Tiscali
Just to prove the Falkland Exchange isn’t congested we repeat our earlier tests at 8:50pm – results below.
A little down on the earlier Speedtest.net test, but this could easily be attributed to busy Speedtest.net servers. Regardless, the speed is still about 4.5Mbps.
Oh dear, our earlier download from the Microsoft website is really slow at the moment. In fact, dial-up speed slow!
This is a problem with the Microsoft download servers at peak times. Who’d have thought they wouldn’t be able to keep their servers ticking over at decent speeds?
We can confirm this by downloading a file from FileHippo:
… and a few minutes into the download it had settled down to:
There we go, proof positive that one website can be having problems, even one as big as Microsoft, and others will give you full speed out of a decent ISPs ADSL Max broadband connection.
Try these same types of test for yourself and let us know how you get on.
Same tests at 10pm:
Even better than earlier just as the kids of Fife are sent to bed!
Technorati Tags: ADSL Max, broadband, Falkland, Falkland Exchange, Fife, Freuchie, Microsoft, speed test, SpeedTest.net
In a follow-up to our earlier post on the perceived problems with broadband in Freuchie, let’s look again at using Speedtest.net to see how the broadband in Freuchie is performing today.
Doesn’t look too sluggish does it? But then again, ISPs can manipulate results from speed test websites to make them look better than the true speed when used for real world purposes. Let’s check that by downloading a file from the Microsoft website at approximately 1pm.
… and a few minutes and 88MB of file download later…
Starts off really fast then drops off slightly, but these speeds are still incredibly quick for an ADSL Max broadband connection 3 miles away from the exchange.
Let’s hear some of your results from similar tests on the Falkland Exchange using some of the big boy providers.
Technorati Tags: ADSL Max, broadband, Falkland, Falkland Exchange, Freuchie, Microsoft, speed test, SpeedTest.net
Throughout the years many customers and other residents in Freuchie, and the surrounding areas of Fife, have complained about the poor performance and speed of the broadband supplied through the Falkland exchange. Very few users actually understand how their broadband connection is provisioned – a simple guide to ADSL is available from thinkbroadband.com.
They usually indicate sub 1Mbps performance at best during peak hours! Some broadband users would be better on dial-up on some occasions! What is going on?
Let’s first look at the technology available in the Falkland exchange:
That’s it! No SDSL, 21CN capability or Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) but then again it is a fairly small rural exchange!.
Still, residents of Freuchie should be getting somewhere around about 3.5 – 5.5 Mbps if they are on ADSL Max connection. Shown below is some proof from our own connection that demonstrates fast download speeds for a broadband connection about 3 miles away from the exchange.
Most of the people who complain don’t get anywhere near the performance out of their broadband connection that the exchange is capable of supporting! Go check your own speed by downloading from a fast download website or check it at Speedtest.net and see if you should also be complaining!
Our test above shows speeds approach 5Mbps performance on this test.
Let’s now discuss some of the reasons for the poor speeds and general performance issues!
The choice of ISP is usually the most significant factor in performance. Big boy providers who offer cheap deals usually have congested networks during peak hours.
FIX: Change to a decent ISP
Your ISP is using Traffic Shaping technologies in an attempt to balance their congested network..
FIX: Change to a decent ISP
You are in breach of your ISP’s fair usage policy and they have slowed down your connection.
FIX: Check the contract T&Cs regarding fair usage and contact your ISP to clarify anything that isn’t clear .. or change to a decent ISP
The broadband connection is plugged into the first generation ADSL equipment at the exchange thereby limiting the maximum down speed to be 2Mbps.
FIX: Ask to be upgraded or change to a decent ISP
The general configuration of user’s computer.
FIX: Get an IT professional to look at your computer.
Hardware or software problems on the computer.
FIX: Get an IT professional to look at it.
Viruses and other malware installed on the user’s computers.
FIX: Get an IT professional to look at it.
Cheap routers or modems (usually supplied free by ISPs) that aren’t up to the job and have been badly configured/set-up.
FIX: Purchase a decent quality router and have an IT Professional set it up.
Telephones being plugged into extension outlets without going through an ADSL filter.
FIX: Fit additional ADSL filters as needed.
There are many other things, but the ones above are the biggies, with the choice of ISP being the most significant factor. You can check and also rate your ISPs on the independent website thinkbroadband.com. Try their Compare Tool to check out your ISPs performance against others.
Time after time we are called out to IT support calls due to broadband problems. The improvement in broadband speed is usually very noticeable after we have moved people over to Zen Internet, installed AVG Antivirus or AVG Internet Security, performed some housekeeping and reconfigured the computers and router.
Contact us if you are interested in us visiting you to get the best performance out of your broadband experience or wish to move to Zen Internet or purchase one of the AVG security products.
A closing thought…there’s no such thing as unlimited full line speed broadband!
Technorati Tags: 21CN, ADSL, ADSL Max, antivirus, AVG, broadband, Falkland, Freuchie, Fife, IT Professional, IT Support, LLU, SDSL, ThinkBroadband, Zen Internet
Over the last few days, a few customers have reported the following error with AVG Antivirus and Internet Security products:
Update failed – the connection with update server has failed
In cases where you start to receive this error message and your internet connection is working properly, please perform the following steps:
Hope that helps those people receiving this problem.
Unfortunately we’ve not seen the problem ourselves so are unable to investigate the problem further. We have provided feedback to AVG of this issue, who should hopefully fix it pretty promptly.
Technorati Tags: antivirus, AVG, Internet Security
Microsoft’s latest baby has just been released: Internet Explorer 8.
The latest incarnation of the world’s most used browser is for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.
Don’t miss out on enhancing Internet Explorer with some add-ons.
Wikipedia has loads of information on IE8 here. Well worth a look if you want to get quickly up to speed.
We will be testing IE8 over the coming weeks and will provide some information on its benefits, features and how to get the best from it in due course. IE8 will be rolled out to our contract customers once we’re happy it isn’t going to cause any issues.
Technorati Tags: IE8, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Vista, Windows, Windows XP, Windows Server
This has mistakenly been sitting as a draft for a while… we thought you’d like it.
Technorati Tags: Blaugh.com, humor, humour, funny, Windows Vista Ultimate
Some people find they have a problem with Windows Live Mail not having an British English spell checker.
There is a solution available:
Windows Live Mail Dictionary Fix
Technorati Tags: British English, dictionary, Microsoft, Windows Live Mail
Microsoft has been quick to release an out of cycle critical update to address a very serious vulnerability which is reported as already being exploited by the bad guys. This has the potential to be one of the biggest vulnerabilities for many years and is terribly dangerous for all Windows users. Microsoft don’t do out of cycle updates lightly and they only occur when the danger is real and urgent.
To quote Microsoft:
A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to compromise your Microsoft Windows-based system and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.
Security researchers at the antivirus companies are pretty worried about this one, with many working hard to understand the complete scope of the vulnerabilities and exploits possible. It is significant that they already have sample viruses from the wild in their labs. We can’t stress enough how dangerous this one is going to be!.
People using Windows Vista and Server 2008 will be better protected due to the security improvements in those products, but it is still possible for these operating systems to be affected by a careless user or if UAC is switched off. All Windows users must apply the update patch NOW.
You may already have the update installed if you are running genuine Windows and have automatic updates switched on. If you have any doubt then run Windows Update or Microsoft Update to ensure this important patch has indeed been installed. You’re computer will likely have asked to restart following the update.
Take care people… the bad guys are out to get you.
Technorati Tags: exploit, genuine Windows, Microsoft, Microsoft Update, MS08-067, Server 2008, UAC, vulnerability, Vista, Windows, Windows Update
Just as you grow to love Windows Vista you come across a change that drives you mad!
Microsoft Outlook has a handy feature of auto-completion for email addresses, where it guesses the possible email addresses you’re typing in as you type. The data for this is held in a .NK2 data file within the Outlook profile folder.
In Windows XP, this file was located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
But, Microsoft has seen a need to change this location when Outlook is running on Windows Vista. You’ll be wanting to go here instead:
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook
Happy restoring now that you know where that .NK2 file has gone!
Older computers may have been built during a time when the electronic components used in their construction were of poor quality. In particular, a large number of capacitors suffer from a syndrome called the “Capacitor Plague” where they swell, bulge, burst and may even blow up with quite a bang!
Photos: A motherboard with the Capacitor Plague
Before these components fail catastrophically, they will likely cause stability problems with the computer. frequent lock-ups and crashes. The computer may even fail to boot or fail POST, amongst all manner of other issues.
How this came to pass is a story straight out of a James Bond movie. Several Taiwanese manufacturers used a stolen formula that had vital details missing, which resulted in the components not being manufactured to the correct construction or grade. The result was the supply of components to electronic device manufacturer that were destined to fail given some time and use!
The Wikipedia entry for the “Capacitor Plague” makes for interesting and comprehensive reading on this topic.
If you’ve got an older computer and are experiencing strange problems that don’t seem to be down to the usual Operating System, drivers and software causes then it is worth a quick inspection of your components for signs of this condition. Roundtrip Solutions can perform this inspection for you if you suspect it is the cause of your computer problems. This is a part of our computer support and repair service offering that covers Edinburgh, Fife, and Tayside. We will advise you of the necessary repair required to get your computer operating again both stably and safely.
Technorati Tags: capacitor, capacitor plague, computer repair, computer support, Edinburgh, Fife, Tayside, Wikipedia
The BBC is reporting the digital divide is lessening between rural and town communities and is even going so far as to say the “Rural Homes Dominate Broadband UK”
They report:
Ed Richards, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, said “Our report highlights a closing of the geographical digital divide in the UK. Rural households are today as well connected to broadband as their urban neighbours”..
Declan Curry of BBC Breakfast reported the release of the latest Ofcom report that is the trigger for the BBC news article. Our own John A Thomson sent in a comment that was read out in part online and we’ll expand upon these thoughts in this blog post. Thank you Declan.
Roundtrip Solutions, as a rural IT provider, uses and services both the rural and town communities of Fife. Our real world experience of typical broadband users of all denomination, geographies and providers gives us a real insight to the current state of play regarding broadband. What we do see on the front line isn’t necessarily the same as Ofcom’s interpretation of the higher rural take-up figures, performance levels and satisfaction ratings!
Let’s use a metaphor to describe the feeling of many rural broadband users:
The technologies of today, and more especially those coming in the future, will see broadband services supplied in towns running like formula one cars while the rural community relies on a horse and cart.
The share of homes getting broadband in the cities and rural areas isn’t the crux of the digital divide debate; this was the big problem some four or five years ago. The real issue has moved on as many people in rural areas struggle to get the fastest speeds available today due to their distance from the exchange, the age and quality of their telephone line, and the BT technology level available in their local exchange. Even when BT has rolled out their 21CN network (next generation), the last mile (the connection from the exchange to the home) in rural areas is liable to still be the same copper telephone lines that we have today.
Tim Hubbard, Head of 21CN Technology Futures for BT, gave a presentation to the Edinburgh branch of the British Computer Society in January 2008. He presented the vision for the next generation BT network during which it became evident that the last mile connection was liable to remain the same, especially so in rural areas where it is uneconomic to replace. John A Thomson of Roundtrip Solutions even questioned him on this very matter during the Q&A, resulting in the admission that without government subsidies then it is unlikely that BT would replace the last mile in rural areas.
There is a PPT presentation and an MP3 podcast available on the Edinburgh BCS website.
From an end users point of view, the town users will be able to access fast and faster broadband services as BT upgrades all elements of the telecommunications system, while the poorly serviced rural customers will look on in jealous amazement at the services available to them. To add to the teasing, the rural customers will have a local exchange with the latest generation broadband available, but they won’t be able to utilise it due to the “piece of [copper] string” connecting their home to the exchange.
The debate today is clouded by those people on a connection supplied by the big boy providers who have a sub standard service that cannot meet the demands of their customers especially at peak times.This is mainly down to the overselling of their services matched against the capacity they have in their networks. There are some very good broadband providers out there that supply very good experiences and decent speeds, but the next generation broadband services that rely on super fast broadband (24Mbps and above) will still be unavailable to rural customers simply due to the existing BT telephony infrastructure not being up to the job – specifically, the last mile.
We see many customers complaining about their broadband that are made extremely happy when they are migrated to a good supplier. If you would like to find out more about getting high speed broadband with UK based support at a reasonable monthly charge then please Contact Us.
Technorati Tags: BBC, broadband, BT, Declan Curry, digital divide, last mile, rural broadband
