tog_in_sox

Hi Steveo, 3 yrs old? Is it running Windows Vista then or Windows 7? Is it a laptop or a desktop? If your daughter has been very assiduous and refrained from clicking random links she's encountered in mail and on sites, not been tkane in by various popup dialogs claiming to diagnose her PC, make it better or win the lottery, deleted all unsolicited mail spamming on about garbage of no relevance then I'd say perhaps the hardware was starting to give up. Particularly if it's been used in a dusty environment, around shedding pets, etc. Have either of you noticed a clicking sound coming from the PC when it's trying to load up or run programs? Very muich the giveaway for a failing harddrive. If on the other hand it's been used and abused by a happy go lucky user clicking indescriminately without a care in the world and without any due care and attention to occasionally clearing out the "digital garbage" that Windows accrues over time then the "system cleardown" suggested above is worth a good try. Try installing a great utility called CCleaner. This knows all the usual garbage repositories and enables the clearout in a few clicks. Be sure to select the various entries for the Internet browser(s) you use etc. Once you've done that reboot the PC a couple of times before doing anything else (I do this as a precautionary as Windows can be very inconsistent in completing its startup after misbehaving. If you know of software you no longer use then use the Programs and Features console from the Control Panel to remove these. Be sure that you only have one Anti-virus utility installed (Norton and Mcaffee are notorious for being bloated and performance inhibitors), AVG is a good free stop-gap if you care to flush everything else before choosing something you prefer. Once you've removed all the unwanted software you know about use CCleaner again to flush out all the remains that weren't deleted by Windows. If you do suspect some kind of infection then do a full and comprehensive sweep with the Anti-virus package you have, being sure that its anti-virus signatures are up to date. You can also use something like Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to try and flush out further gremlins. Again once you've removed anything run CCleaner to give it a good rinse IF after all this things are going better then use the Defrag utility (Go into your Programs menu and find the System Tools folder). Leave the PC alone to run its course. At the end reboot a couple of times and see what happens. This could all take a few hours. OTHERWISE: IF you can copy off all the data files (letters, photos, music, personal data) that your daughter wants to retain AND you have access to the System Rebuild and other desired Application disks (or System Rebuild utility that some Manufacturers install) then I'd be more inclined to do a completely fresh re-install of Windows as it's the best way to rejuvenate your PC. Your User manual (copy on Dell site) should be able to lead you through this. Enjoy.

It looks likely that my current private landlord will be seeking bankruptcy. Has anyone got any advice as to whether we may be able to negotiate continued (short) tenure or indeed it might be offered by the repossessor? Or any good estimates on time from petitioning by landlord to "eviction" notice from repossessor? Do we need to be wary of heavy-handed tactics by the repossessor (threat of bailiffs, locks changed, etc)? Sure I'll be looking for alternative accommodation but present market rates suggest that looks like a big hike in rent. I'm aware that some property management firms offer reasonable rates for tenants to occupy vacant properties (property guardians), anyone have any recommendations or constructive advice about that as an option? Many thanks in advance for your guidance.

Errm... when you say no flashy gadgets what do you mean because all DSLRs will offer fully auto settings to fully manual, plus a whole bunch of flash control, multi-point metering and focusing, sport mode, etc. Many might also offer video capture. There are many brands trying to enter the fray of the amateur to enthusiast market. Best is to try them all to see which one(s) you prefer for their ergonomics and layout of controls and menus. What type(s) of subject matter will you be photographing? If what you actually want is a point and shoot with perhaps a bit more capability to capture things further away, traveling faster or across wider vistas then there are plenty of more wieldy (concealable/portable) options.

Some of the fancier phones in the past few years have been able to batch transfer details via bluetooth, worth seeing if you have that option if both phones equipped. Depending on how old it is you should be able to use the support software that came with the phone (or download it) to pull all the contacts, sms, other content onto your PC and then use your Nokia's software to push the contacts (in form of vcfs probably) up to your new phone. I just used MyPhoneExplorer to backup the txts and contacts from an old W800i. Shouldn't be too difficult to shuffle your details off one and onto the other.

You could try the Rohan store (one in Covent Garden: 9/10 Henrietta Street WC2E 8PS) They do travel suits in lightweight, packable fabrics. Not cheap but durable and functional, with traveller features incl secure pockets. Otherwise try online for linen collared, short sleeves shirts. Managed to get perfectly acceptable dark blue linen trousers from H&M this past season for cheap so if still available you could grab a couple of pairs. Material is quite thin so may not last years of trekking but should stand you in good stead for lightweight travel until you're in country and can buy local. Of course if you have the cash then Saville Row has a few specialists who will be able to help. Enjoy, you lucky b......

My question to KK: Does it have to be a laptop? You said your dad is elderly and only going to use it at home. Is there any concern that he may not want to carry the thing about? Is he frail? Any PC can enable the tasks you mention so you'd be better off spending not that much on the computer bit and perhaps spending a bit more on the quality and size of the screen to maximise the legibility and enjoyment of picture quality for your dad. If you shop about a bit you might even be able to get a fancy PC with touchscreen so making some interaction even easier and intuitive for him. Depending on your choice of construction the PC may be a whole lot easier to fix and upgrade than a laptop so will last longer. Is he accident prone? I'd rather dry out a separate keyboard from a cocoa spill than be sending the whole thing off somewhere to be fixed. Besides you can always get a spare keyboard and be back up and running in moments. If you're worried about support and fixing then it's worth considering what after sales service is available from your chosen retailer/manufacturer. If you are worried about accident or theft then there's the insurance aspect. You may find that desktop PCs are cheaper to insure than laptops. Is he an experienced computer user? If not then you might want to consider setting up the PC with a separate login for him that cannot do technical admin actions so he doesn't accidentally mess things up. (My dad has messed up several PCs left for him to email and browse with and his "technical minded" friends have all managed to make things worse trying to fix them [sigh]) Happy to answer any q's you have if you want to ask. Good luck

AM, issue with using dongles or tethering to phones is that they all come "unlimited" subject to a fair usage policy that can be limited to anything from 500MB to 2GB per month on the major 4 networks (3 offer higher limits but their coverage is notoriously patchy) In all cases of course you'd need to check to see just how good the reception was from the property concerned. Also, barring black spots of coverage, the different networks have significantly different performance levels. A recent poll showed that O2 came out top with around 2Mbps connection whereas T-Mobile not much better that 1Mbps. My personal experience with T-Mobile is borderline acceptable for one user. Forget about more than one person trying to stream any media content. If you haven't already considered it, think about the likely usage demands the connection will be required to serve. If they're a collection of law-abiding, absteemious literates who forswear recorded music and video then you're fine. If they're a bunch of Facebook and YouTube addicts with needs for both iPlayer and peer-to-peer pirated material then they're going to need a fixed line (phone or cable) connection with a high monthly quota, which won't be cheap. I'm guessing that they're likely the latter in which case something like a Virgin Cable XXL-type package would be necessary. If the home is only a short connection from the local phone exchange then your options broaden to all the 20+ Mbps landline offerings from the likes of O2, Be, etc. Check all for their fair usage limits, traffic shaping hours (slow downs) and if you're particularly concerned the likelihood that they will conform to Government plans to monitor and report all usage that traffics pirated material. Also I believe BT are still being pressured to block all sites identified as sources of pirated material. Given that this would be upstream from whichever landline provider you might choose you may be better advised to go for cable (unless they too comply). Gotta love all this civil liberties, censorship, corporate interests malarkey. Vive la Revolution!

3 fire engines, 3 ambulances and an air ambulance despite being half a mile from A&E, seems an awful lot of response for a fall into foundations. The firemen didn't seem in any rush to depart, all sat about chatting whilst a lone firewoman had to wash down some kit with a hose. On the up side got a couple of quick pics of the nice shiny red chopper B) (again in no rush to get away and rescue someone else.) Sadly no bouncing in the driver seat of a fire engine or ringing the bell just got some bloody fire prevention leaflets :(

Hey srisky, Funny you should mention the mechanic analogy as it came to mind during my first reply, all that sucking of teeth and sizing you up for the type of mug you might be, what kind of BS they could lay on you to get that ?1000 bill of services. As it happens I'm not a dentist or a hygienist but alas I'll cop to my Dad being one (retired) and two of my mates are currently. None of which means I have any interest in convincing others to go for anything other than necessary treatment. I last was in the dentist's chair about 3 yrs ago and prior to that it was probably 6+ yrs. I haven't had a filling in over 20 and I definitely haven't been blessed with strong teeth, it's just down to good day to day maintenance and that doesn't mean crazy amounts of scrubbing, buffing, digging and swilling. I don't use an electric toothbrush either but then I don't drink tons of tea or coffee nor do I smoke either. Whilst it might be a good precautionary measure to get the wisdoms out, how wise it is to get the students at KCH to do I'm not sure (my mates both qualified from there with a heap of hilarious horror stories). Sure you might get the busty Asian student kneeling in your lap (see previous thread) but I think that experience might be more likely from some dodgy general anaesthetic ;) Seriously though you'll be fine and many dentists might well refer you there if you're on a budget or to save their aching backs. The present contract is such a pain that it's not surprising that many dentists are being picky about patients they sign up, also the downturn has affected their income so again they'll be looking for patients who will keep the revenue flowing. Good luck with the gnashers.

Srisky, Did the cynic in you check the mirror? When you look at your own smile in the mirror do you think "Nice, pearly white!" or "Jeez, is Fagin the impression I'm making?". Seriously though what actual work did the dentist say you needed? Why did you decide to go in the first place? Hygienists came about because dentists as in dental surgeons got sick and tired of doing all the nasty, smelly digging around in poorly cleaned mouths. They realised that they could spend more time on the real money making and restorative work they were trained to do if they got someone else to do it. If you've had concern about your oral health and your own attempts at improved, more regular cleaning, flossing and mouth-washing hasn't made enough of a difference then a visit to the hygienist is worth it if you care. If you've got significant plaque build-up then the hygienist is the one to shift it, after that your own (improved) preventative practice should do you fine. If you don't believe them get them to take a photo and show you the issue. Some practitioners even use video nowadays. If they're not willing to show you the issues they believe you have then find a better dentist. Personally ?50 now is way better than ?20k+ on full restorative work after rotted teeth are extracted/excavated and jawbone shored up. If it gets that bad there was another thread a little while back about dental tourism to Eastern Europe. Good luck.

Susy, You have shown so much courage, caring and forbearance so far so please take heart. You've done the most difficult thing in confronting your abuser and making a stand, a stand you continue to hold more strongly as you share your troubles, make efforts to move on and seek support from those you can rely on. You will be strong enough to see this through, sure there will be times when you feel helpless, you'll cry with fear and frustration but after those moments you will be able to stand up and take the next step to making things work. You're a fighter, you'll try and want to struggle on not wanting to be a burden but listen to your sensible self and know when to reach out for a steadying hand. Your husband's violent troubles are his own to deal with. There appears to be hope in that he has seen some sense and taken himself away, by all means show him some concern by encouraging him to find his sanity BUT first and foremost protect yourself and your daughter, don't just let him talk his way back, don't give in to the need to have his old self back by your side, be mindful of protecting the harmony you are building with your daughter and build your new life for the better upon that. You are brave and inspiring. Life will be tough but you've shown you can take the very rough, now for the steady and smooth improvements one day at a time. Be happy, be well and be safe, there are many here to talk to to keep you company and help you along.

MM, Vomit away man. The language I chose was for the benefit of an intelligent adult forum to specify my opinion on the situation, any resemblance to specialist language, whether living or dead, is wholly coincidental. How one determines to teach the kids these concepts was not part of my proposition. Personally slapping, withholding, curfew and hugging in whatever combination worked for me. ?30k debt for fees vs prospect of c?200k for first mortgage on a pokey studio/1-bed tends to make the argument that there's a lot of bleating going on about something not so significant as they'd have us believe. What's the average credit card balance in the UK? The cost of an average car? Various studies still suggest that the advantage of a degree is some ?100+k in today's money over the average career. The greater concern is (the inability to) generating an economy that can provide the high value jobs that ever larger numbers of graduates feel they're entitled to. Just as we're failing the kids in juvenile education we're also failing to set working age adults' immediate expectations for careers and employment and how they might want to consider deferring their higher education until they're older and more self-sufficient. Since we're off topic, I find this much more woeful CC Debt for 55+ - The Independent and this CreditAction report - June 2011

DaveR, The thinking is not muddled at all. DJKQ seemed to be suggesting that the entire student intake of private schools be high capability individuals. This is not necessary and the socialisation of students with peers of different capabilities is an opportunity within a supportive and encouraging environment to become as understanding, accepting and collaborative as possible. Any capable school can cope with students of different ability in the same class provided the class size isn't too large. I did fine in a mixed ability school with class sizes of 26. Your point about med schools (or any undergrad/apprentice facility) is flawed because there are plenty of washout doctors, etc and others who pass but are unfit to practice. Besides the point about schools being as plural as possible is not necessary in higher/further education because by that time the emphasis is on the specialism of ability to further ones interests and propects. Students are supposedly well capable, nay hormonally inclined, to mix as widely as possible within and across subject boundaries. DJKQ, The aspect of elitism is something that can't be avoided, it can be mitigated and given proper context through education to minimise the prejudice that comes with the status. That's down to the schools being motivated by moral and legal imperative to produce humane alumni rather than exploitative, selfish, egomaniacal "bankers". The elite schools will make the best of their pupils abilities and enable them to shine as brightly as they can but being from such a school does not mean that you have to be an elitist bigot. Being part of the elite can be good given the presence of good moral and temperamental fibre. Sadly very few schools if any are capable of providing a guarantee of this. Many succeed with most of their students but perhaps not enough. The points we all concur on about ensuring that all children are catered for is the Holy Grail that has eluded all governments for so long now, primarily because we've too many parents and too many children incapable of exercising their responsibilities through neglect, naivety and willful ignorance. This isn't just about the alienated underclass but also the consumerist, wealthy fools who fail to exercise and exert restraint or enforce discipline and respect in their priviledged offspring.

No, no, no! Making all the bright ones go to public/private schools whether on bursary/scholarship/sponsorship is not part of the answer. You still run the risk of creating a culture of entitlement and elitism. Both systems should represent a cross-section of intellectual capability so that students evolve in as pluralist a representation of human capability as possible (money, ahem, aside). The flaunting of wealth and possessions is something that should be addressed at all schools. The one thing that can be learned from private schools? That instilling discipline in children is the duty of every parent and the respect of authority should be shown by every member of an organisation. Sadly that's no great revelation and the deterence of exclusion/expulsion from private school to flounder in the state system along with the shame borne by the parents in their social circles is not replicated in the same action by a state school. Shared facilities across the state and private sector might go some way to integration, tolerance and cohesion. Area teams composed of the top local students competing regionally and nationally. Intercollegiate study groups, peer-to-peer mentoring and shared extracurricular interest groups. Students should be helping students with the oversight and support of the teachers from across the establishments. Perhaps this kind of sharing would go some way to dismissing the prejudices of auld.

DJKQ, I made no claim that all or a majority of those in private schools were bright, but a good number are bright enough to make a difference, and as you say 50% of Oxbridge intake is not inconsiderable. And just because many aren't bright you would deny all the others their futures? Inequality in the education system will take longer than the next few generations of A-level takers. The social engineering to address the challenged children's underlying issues of morality, respect, attention span, etc will require a societal shift you can't just fix by eliminating private education. The inclusion you aspire too will not be won overnight and in the meantime would it be right to deny opportunity to those children who are poised to well for themselves. You still need to redesign the whole educational curriculum to give kids the opportunities to find their fortes, convince them that some subjects are truly fundamental, cultivate an appreciation within them that all can make a worthy contribution to community and that dedicated work is the most satisfying route to success not because it earns big bucks but because achieving goals, making things, doing things that bring happiness and prosperity to self and others is the real reward. Successful integrated education will only be possible when enough of the majority intake are inclined to be educated. Then we will have the opportunity to truly assist the less inclined to face their objections and hopefully realise that these can be overcome to their benefit. It's not so much about peer pressure as self-actualisation, raising their awareness of self and others to where they can make a reasoned, moral evaluation to their advantage and not at the expense of others.