Don't be scared..............

Twice in the last week, I have had to calm people down as the scary prospect of.......A NEW COMPUTER....was approaching. But it will look different!................No it won't, I'll put everything back where you left it. But there will be different programs!........No, I'll use exactly the same programs. Many other questions follow, but eventually the most important question comes, the one that I dread, the one that I can't help myself but to answer harshly, the only question to which I don't have a calming answer............ "But I won't be able to find anything!!!????" .................. ......... .... No! You Won't! And who's fault is that! You save things all over the place, in twenty different folders, on the root of the hard drive, various unmarked backups on millions of broken USB drives, using the recent document list and not knowing where things are! Why didn't you organise things? Why don't you save things in one simple, easy to find-easy to backup place? I set up a server with a shared folder for you, wasted time showing you how to use it, your desk is so tidy, why isn't your file system? .............. ....... ... What I say is: "Don't worry, I'll find it all and save it for you..."

Buying a new computer....Why?

I have built one new computer in the last year! It's just not worth it, you can buy cheap components, but still can't build cheaper than a cheap readybuild (£150!!!) and when you want a better PC the processors alone are exhorbitant. So I have been supplying upgraded business machines like HP's DC7900 or Dell's Optiplex 745, great processors like Core Duos and freely available at less than £100, and just as fast in most cases as a £300 i3.

Now go one stage faster with the amazing i5 Quad Core from Intel in a HP Elite8300 small desktop machine. Available now at half the cost of a new one, with the same(well very close) specs. Call supergeek.co.uk now for a great deal!

Microsoft Don't Make it Easy

OK, I've been moved closer to insanity by Microsoft AGAIN...My son chose a windows phone for his birthday (Nokia Lumia 900, it is good value for the spec) and despite me doing all I could to dissuade him he wouldn't budge. I said "If you get it I'm not gonna help you..." of course I did. We decided to tell the truth about his age and set up a new live account, but he's only 13, and when he tried , it wouldn't let him download any apps, saying he needed to do it from a PC.....So I googled download windows phone apps from pc, and back came the message that you have to jailbreak your phone or that its not possible...wrong search term or wrong message? Ok. bit more googling says I need a live account myself...done No problem now surely go into settings, family permissions and add his account...no, you need an xbox live account.......why? Ok, made an xbox live account...permissions? add account? kids account? no matter how I tried I just can't break free (isn't that a song?) I went round and round in circles, hitting the keyboard harder and harder. I made accounts everywhere in both names and still couldnt do it. Eventually I saw a live chat help and after waiting ten minutes for each reply, I finally did it....You need a live account for you and your offspring, an xbox live account for you only (i think maybe both) and to install a complete time wasting bit of bloatware called zune(that for the sake of me I cant see what it does). Its not finished yet....then you log in with both accounts, put in exactly the information you have already put in six times before, then approve all the different types of media. It did work though. I am now going for a lie down and hope that tomorrow I only get asked about Good old Google phones, but then why have only one account when you can have SIX?

Cloud storage? Really?

Curries pc world do it again....Just to clarify, a hard drive box no matter how it's connected is not cloud storage. This type of advert misleads and shows how much expertise they have. People come to me all the time with broken external cases, they are extremely prone to break down, if you store anything On one, make sure it's only a copy or a backup. Although you could say the same for proper cloud storage, most reputable ones(like the one on my website www.supergeek.co.uk) will have multiple backups On multiple sites. Once again be very wary of the claims made by advertisers!

ITunes rules OK

Well I don't know if any of you store music On your computer(well I do actually), but what format do you store it in?
I was playing some music from my store in my usual player vlc player and it was terrible quality on certain parts of the vocals. I couldn't remember where I got it from but it was ripped at 128 kbps to an mp3. I went to the CD and it played great(my pc plays through a hiFi). I ripped it again at 320 kbps and it was still rubbish. Interestingly I ripped to a wave file ie full quality and although better it was still noticeably distorted. Finally I ripped to iTunes and guess what? As good as the original! I don't like it and will investigate further but it looks like Apple got it right!

Away to work day

Here's Jack one of my sons on work placement with me today. Does he look like he is working hard?

So many headphones

I've been travelling more on public transport recently, and couldn't believe all the people listening to music on their phones/mp3 players (still can't bring myself to say ip*d/iph*ne). Well, it turns out they don't all listen to music! I just discovered the Librivox app for free audiobooks.....AMAZING! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=biz.bookdesign.librivox Thats the link for android, app store people find it yourself.....only cos I can' find the link on PC Fantastic for older classics, highly recommend The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. The really wacky thing is the way they are read with no intonation or feeling, sometimes as in the suggestion it adds to it, but sometimes it does ruin it. Try it, its free!