Preparedness for when

short_bird

Nope, GQ, can't be your fault about the bank. I suppose the fuss is a) it's politically convenient as a lot of poo can be flung a long way over quite a lot of people with this mess and b) you have further to fall if you have any kind of ethical stance The problem was, I'd read "The Day The Dollar Died" the night before... PANIC :rotfl:

I will be looking at spreading the risk even further. And keeping a small wedge at home, since I dobbed in my £2 coin stash 10 days ago

What on earth is he cooking in the kitchen, it's making me cough and I'm 2 rooms away? :eek: If I can get any closer, I'll go and have a look.

Perplexed_Pineapple

GQ, you could clone your hard disc to have a copy that included the operating system (XP and service packs), I'm sure the Wiz could do this for you. Alternatively, and I'm pretty sure this will work, you can download the service packs and burn them onto a CD for later use, that will get you the main upgrades at least. I think XP systems will be good for another five years at least. Wise words about keeping a paper record of your important phone numbers and addresses, I also keep a copy of my logins and passwords (which kind of reduces the security element, but I doubt the NSA is going to hack into my address book).

jk0

GreyQueen wrote: »

pineapple, I once saw The Blue Screen of Death on a work PC. I was using it and it hung, restarted it, then just blueness from edge to edge.....:eek:

Colleague who'd done pooters at college learned over and told me the hard drive had gone. We called the techmeisters out of their cupboard and they carried it away to be re-driven and returned a coupla days later.

Jonas GQ moved onto another machine rather nervously........:rotfl:

jk0, not really the kind of workplace to leave something like that, I don't have a desk or a locker or anything. I don't have shedloads of stuff on my PC but I have XP plus it's many fold service packs and if it went down before they stop supporting XP it'd be a beggar and if it went down afterwards, it'd be a right pest as I could reinstall from the disk but I wouldn't have the service packs plus all the other gubbins.

The Wiz is chilled about running XP without the support as he thinks it's a low probability that some hackers would be writing stuff specifically for XP or retrospectively to include XP so I could probably cruise along happily for a while. He happily used 97 well into the noughties.

I quite like my elderly PC in it's putty-coloured wonderfulness. It does the job just fine, the motherboard is in good nick plus has been pimped up with extra chips and a network card. And, who would want to steal something with no financial value whatsoever?

Heck, this CRT monitor weighs 21 kg, so you'd have to be insane to bother running off with it.............:rotfl:

Oh, well another option that I use is a company called Mozy:

http://mozy.co.uk/product/mozy/personal

This automatically backs up all my files online initially, and then every week it adds any new ones I've created. It can also be set to back up to a local disk, and can be accessed from another computer if for some reason mine packs up or is inaccessible.

I recommend them.

maryb

Had to smile when I saw the Crystal Methodist had been arrested - looks like they couldn't let a bank go all but bust without being seen to DO SOMETHING. But if they start arresting bankers for using cocaine half the city will be quaking in its shoes - and that's a conservative estimate!

GreyQueen

Thanks, PP and jk0.

It's time I got it together so I will set myself a mission to buy a removable hard-drive in the next few days. I like the idea of having a cloned drive. I have my files backed up to USB stick and that in the BOB. Just thinking if the "big end" went on the pooter.

My PC was very lightly-used in its first few years, largely to do with it being in a freezing cold bedroom in the old flat, but has had a busier life of late.

The Computer Wizard is a s/e IT pro whose attitude I like; he doesn't believe in changing things for change's sake and as he doesn't sell pooters he doesn't have any interest telling you to upgrade. The times he's taken The Beast's cover off reveals that the motherboard and its capacitors (I think that's what they're called) are all very nicely. He's pimped it for a few quid (think £5-£10 and you get idea) over the years and it's running well.

pineapple, how did you get coffee inside the pooter? Is it one of those with a horizontal unit (mine is the old skool vertical one hidden in the bowels of the pooter desk). The Wiz once found a dead mouse inside a pooter tower.

I had some dust in mine. Not very much, the Wiz said charitably; he's seen a lot worse. He's known me for more than a decade and knows I'm technologically challenged.............:rotfl:

I'm chortling at the term Crystal Methodist........oh. but if we had Spitting Image still, what fun we could have with that.

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

The Wiz is chilled about running XP without the support as he thinks it's a low probability that some hackers would be writing stuff specifically for XP or retrospectively to include XP so I could probably cruise along happily for a while. He happily used 97 well into the noughties.

Overall I agree with your Wiz, though Microsoft will be running ads to persuade you that you really must upgrade to a supported operating system. The biggest concern will be what anti-malware software will be available if you go venturing after things you shouldn't (not you personally). I will continue to run several XP systems (alongside a Windows 2000 and a 98SE, as well as Windows 7) for a few years yet.
Cloning your hard drive is fairly simple - I recommend Paragon (link to the free version) its reliable and fairly straightforward -do create a boot disk.
You can download the service packs (look for the network or offline install options) but the numerous patches are also available in the form of a DVD image (updated monthly)
HTH

cornishchick

Quick post, I've scanned and emailed my important info to myself from. Shss . Work email, so always have access from other places, things like passport, driving licence etc. Will now make a file off important numbers etc to email as well. Make sure you make a special folder Iin your emails so you can find it. X

GreyQueen

Thanks, nuatha, I think I almost understood that.

I [STRIKE]may[/STRIKE] will come back with stoopit questions later when I actually do it. Have bookmarked that for now.

Have just been combing thru phone memory and turning old and battered address book into the new one I got from the c.s. Beggars will keep moving about and causing crossings out.

I've been on at Mum to do something similar at her's for years, she has about 4 address books with different addresses for people, plus Grandma's address book full of peeps who'd be about 120 if still alive.

I like to think my life would pass the Bus Crash Test; as in, if I was in one, people could pick up the pieces without too much hassle.

craigywv

good evening all hope your all well and fine. may I pls ask a bit of advice regarding the old computer. last yr mil bought son a laptop...............1 year later not working and place bought it from is in liquidation! anyway got friend to look at it as we are no computer buffs in our house and he said the hard drive is away with it! ...............might as well talk in Burmese as I don't understand what it is. now reading some posts on here tonight would I be right in saying it can be fixed as we were told that's it away to the big computer chip in the sky! ended up getting a third hand laptop for 50 quid off site on face book that's what I on now but would be delighted if newer one could be fixed thanks in advance xxx

[Deleted User]

Anyone read this in the Daily Express today?

National Grid calls for foreign cash in winter blackouts fear.

http://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/444406/Grid-calls-for-foreign-cash-in-winter-blackouts-fear

In particular, this paragraph.

Holliday said the UK had lost 7,500MW of generating capacity in the past year, mainly through the closure of coal-fired plants, while just 700MW of new capacity, mainly wind turbines, had been built.