COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Stanley]

Thanks to Canonical for a massive upgrade this morning which seemed to be specifically aimed at 64bit OS. I saw Ian refer to an upgrade problem with his Windows 10. Touch wood but the Linux upgrades seem to be bullet proof, over 80mb of alterations is smooth as silk.

[Big Kev]

Thanks to Canonical for a massive upgrade this morning which seemed to be specifically aimed at 64bit OS. I saw Ian refer to an upgrade problem with his Windows 10. Touch wood but the Linux upgrades seem to be bullet proof, over 80mb of alterations is smooth as silk.

I upgraded the FM2 a couple of months ago to Windows 10, after removing the bits I didn't want it's been behaving itself so far. There have been a couple of updates with no problem.

I obtained a new (old) laptop for 'er indoors, installed Ubuntu 12.05lts on it as it's the most recent version that'll work with the SiS onboard graphics it has, display is limited to a 4:3 format which looks a little odd on a widescreen but I'm sure she'll get used to it.

[Pluggy]

Weird laptop, I think Kev, SiS are long dead, I'm surprised they made into the wide screen era. I've never seen a widescreen laptop with SiS graphics. I've maybe lead a sheltered existence.......

I've been running a Windoze 10 VM for a while - I had a couple of Betas before it was launched and bought a license when it was launched. It works and updates OK, the way it keeps changing with updates suggests they haven't finished it yet. If you're going to upgrade to 10, I'd do a clean install of the OS (from an Install disk not the manufacturer's recovery system ) it came with before you start, leaving all the manufacturer installed cr*p and spyware its accumulated since new on there has a habit of screwing things over when you update. You needn't bother updating the old OS before installing 10 if you have an install disk. (Free download).

I think they are trying to kill Win 7 off before its time, doing a new install and trying to get it up to date from the last service pack is getting to be a non starter. It will bring a less than fast machine to its knees and take days to accomplish since 10 has been around. I think the M$ update servers are fully committed sending out Windoze 10 nagware.......

Never in M$'s history has it spent so much time and money convincing you to get something they're giving away. M$ ?, Agenda ?, Nahhhh.

[PanBiker]

In the main the upgrade to W10 has been painless, WiFi issue is well documented and easily fixed. It's an issue with upgrading over existing legacy software, so Pluggy's suggestion of a clean install would hold good there. Not the way most people will do it though or how it's being pushed. Main thing has been the learning curve of where some stuff is hiding now.

Looking forward to Feb 1st when the Open Reach Guy should come to enable my newly negotiated fibre connection. I stayed with Talk Talk and signed up for fibre with anytime calls on the phone. It comes in at £10 per month cheaper than I am paying for 17Mbps and Evening & Weekend calls. The phone package also includes caller ID and call barring on top of the normal voicemail. It's a no brainer really.

[Big Kev]

Weird laptop, I think Kev, SiS are long dead, I'm surprised they made into the wide screen era. I've never seen a widescreen laptop with SiS graphics. I've maybe lead a sheltered existence.......

Weird but gratis

[Stanley]

That's the package I am on now Ian after the free upgrade post hacking. Rock solid connection and the monthly bill including the £5 package for free international calls is running at £33 a month at the moment. Wonderful how they always manage to present the initial cost without including the extras. Still, it works and I am content..... The fibre and my new Humax Freesat box gives me free access to catch up TV as well.

[Big Kev]

Wonderful how they always manage to present the initial cost without including the extras.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35364065

[Stanley]

I heard that report Kev. Is someone reading my posts?

[Pluggy]

News which may effect Stanley, Tiz and others

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2016/01/goog ... scontinued

Google are killing off Chrome support for all 32 bit versions of Linux and all versions of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS from March this year.

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit will still be supported. Canonical will support 12.04 LTS until April 2017, about the same time Microsoft kill off Support for Windows Vista.

I know Stanley still has 12.04 but I don't think he uses Chrome.

[Tizer]

We don't use Chrome either but thanks for telling us. I note that the Ubuntu 12.04LTS runs out in 2017 so I guess we'll have to be prepared for some big changes then.

[Big Kev]

We don't use Chrome either but thanks for telling us. I note that the Ubuntu 12.04LTS runs out in 2017 so I guess we'll have to be prepared for some big changes then.

I didn't notice a lot of difference when I put 15.10 on my old machine, unfortunately a hardware failure soon put paid to that. I've had to go back to 12.04lts because of graphics drivers on the "new" machine. I'll keep Googling for a custom driver, someone may come up with something

[Stanley]

I've never used Chrome and when 12.04 loses support I'll take advice from my IT Technician.......

[Pluggy]

Ubuntu 14.04 is the last LTS version which I've been using for about 18 months. Its fine, however if you have an old machine paritculary a slow one, 12.04 runs a lot better than its later sibling because of the increased resources of the later one. The next LTS version is due in April this year (16.04) I'll keep you posted.

The machines I| built for Stanley and Tiz in 2013 will work without issue with 14,04 LTS 64bit and almost certainly with 16.04 when it comes out. 14.04 isn't a big change, you can use it interchangeably with 12.04. You have to go digging to find the differences. 16.04 is an unknown quantity at the moment.

[Stanley]

Nice to know Pluggy.... When I do change we'll take a view on the price of the new SSD technology and consider a new, even faster computer! The FM4 could be quite a beast! Before anyone starts saying I don't need more speed, you are right but it is so nice having the best and being on the cutting edge.
Talking about cutting edge, thanks to Canonical for a new version of Firefox....... As usual, clean install with no problems.

[Stanley]

Canonical were busy during the night. 80mb of new Linux OS delivered and installed this morning with no problems.... Lovely service.

[Tizer]

After my Ubuntu update this morning the login screen was different - it was offering options, Ubuntu and Ubuntu2D.

[PanBiker]

I ordered up and received all the bits I need to enable a master socket where I need to put my new router when it arrives. I have no convenient mains socket where my original master socket is. My commissioning day is now the 8th so I want to get this extension in place before then. I am told by Talk Talk that an engineering visit is not required as all the kit is user installable, upgrade to fibre routing done at the exchange and street cabinet as required. I know my existing connection gives 17Mbps solid over copper to my master socket so the existing copper infrastructure to the premises is as good as it gets.

BT Open Reach own all the infrastructure up to and including the master socket and back base. The front plate is the user side of the installation and has connections for extensions which can be legally added and anything connected are the customers liability.

I need my master socket further into the room where my existing router is and there is power. I have a CAT5 connection there through to my Freesat box in the front room. I have bought a full replacement Pressac master socket with VDSL faceplate and an extra VDSL faceplate to replace the standard one on my existing master socket. These plates have in addition to the normal IDC punch downs for extensions, unfiltered A/B connections for line extension. As these are on the user side of the master socket on a VDSL plate you can legally extend from the original to a new master socket. I bought 10m of original CW1308 spec cable which is what BT use for internal extensions. My existing telephone extension to the router and main telephone position is just on a normal flat flexible cable extension which is fine for ADSL but will not be suitable for the bandwidth of fiber, it is this infrastructure I am replacing.

The VDSL front plates have filtering built in so there will be no need for any additional micro filters. I have an existing wired extension from the original master socket up into our bedroom, I will rewire this in to the new faceplate as a reserve connection. We are replacing our phones with DECT wireless units so it's not strictly required but it's not eating anything so may just as well remain. I will then extend the unfiltered line connections up to my new master socket which I will install next to the router position in our computer alcove. The VDSL plate has dual sockets for a phone and a filtered output for RJ45 or RJ11 connections.

£23.00 for all the bits as opposed to £120.00 if you ask Open Reach to come and do it, I have 4mm cable clips and I won't charge myself for my labour.

[PanBiker]

Extension with upgraded cable and VDSL filter faceplate on the extension master socket sorted. Just looked at the stats on my ADSL router and I now have 19Mbps down link from the exchange, that's a 2Mbps increase, I checked it at 17Mbps before I started, not bad for a 5M cable and socket upgrade. Should serve me well when they enable my fibre.

[Stanley]

BT moved my master socket from the window to next to the FM3 free because after I was connected to fibre I was not receiving any incoming calls. Even the engineer couldn't identify the reason beyond the fact that fibre is far more sensitive to the smallest fault. There was, on the face of it, nothing wrong with the original master socket but he reckoned it must have had an internal fault and so it was BT's responsibility. No problems since..... (I'll bet that's a mistake!) Solid 40mps connection.

[PanBiker]

I wondered why you had a visit from the BT guy. Talk Talk don't deploy on a new or upgrade job unless you have a fault. BT was the same with our Jack's recent install. He had a master socket on a window in the stairwell but no signal at all on the test socket, so they deployed an engineer to sort it. I asked him to move it to a more convenient point and he left me the cable to run round while he went back to the exchange to sort the connection.

With my own upgrade yesterday I was quite surprised on the 2Mbps enhancement gain from what is in effect a minor upgrade of the sockets and cabling. The normal flat telephone extension cable must be very lossy and maybe the old microfilters were throttling it a bit. Anyway £20.00 well spent I reckon.

[Stanley]

Talktalk threatened me with a surcharge if the problem was 'my fault'. The BT engineer was a nice guy and he told me that he was reporting it as a BT fault and that if Talktalk billed me, which he reckoned was quite likely, I should refuse the charge and refer them to his report. They never tried.... He must have made a very clear report. He passed the heavy connecting cable I had put in as OK and it's all been fine since....

[PanBiker]

BT Open Reach own and maintain the infrastructure up to and including the test socket within the master socket. Any further infrastructure connected via the faceplate is the customers liability. If anyone has a fault, its a simple matter to disconnect all the additional stuff and test the line at the test socket in the master, that's why they put it there. The ISP's who effectively rent the infrastructure from BT are paranoid about customers crying wolf because they get charged for any non network faults hence the dire warnings if it turns out to be your equipment or cabling at fault. All I have done is swapped out the faceplate for one that gives me access to the incoming unfiltered line pair, extended from there and put a new socket where I want it. The only difference in what I have done and what the BT engineer would have done is that he would not swap out the faceplate but just crimp the wires together at the original socket position, it saves them the cost of a new faceplate. If the customer does that it is considered interfering with the network and BT will charge to "regularise" the installation. £120.00 is a nice little earner for 2 crimp connections!

[Stanley]

My original master socket and the internal connections was installed by BT themselves and I think that influenced the engineer. My own personal view is that it helped when I told him to forget the internal connections to the jack plugs in other rooms. I only have one phone connected now and that is direct to the master socket.

[Tizer]

`GPS error caused '12 hours of problems' for companies' BBC
The article says the public wouldn't have noticed the problem but now and then something corrupts the time on my alarm clock which receives RF updates. I don't know where they come from or how they are generated but it seems unreliable.

[PanBiker]

A letter from LCC regarding my employment at West Craven asking me to complete an online Starter Checklist Form. Fine, apart from the fact that the form from HMRC should be completed interactively online according to the blurb won't open on my computer. It's an Adobe document, I have the latest version of the software as advised and have tried on two different machines and browsers. It also says that if you have problems you can right click and download the form, that doesn't work either!

I hasten to add that I have provided all the information required previously on various other forms. Name, address, proof of identity, bank details for payroll, NI Number and all the relevant information for my DBS check. I rang LCC up and availed them of the fact that I had worked for LCC previously in various education roles for over 10 years, they already have all my information as they are paying me a monthly pension from that employment. It makes no difference, apparently it has to be on the Starter Form (formerly P46). They are sending it out via snail mail. Talk about joined up thinking, Doh!