COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Tizer]

The email scams are getting more sophisticated and more precisely targeted, particularly those that trick people into clicking on a link and then end up with `ransomware' on their computer demanding payment or all your data will be encrypted. The latest ones are detailed here on the Action Fraud web site. It gets easier for the scammers now that so many organisations use third parties to contact their customers and clients. Action Fraud

There is more about the ransomware on this BBC web page: BBC
The usual precautions apply: be vigilant and don't click on anything in an email unless you are sure it's safe.

[Pluggy]

Just out of curiosity Pluggy, what's the current specification for the dream machine? Is solid state technology getting towards the stage where it is feasible? I love hearing your views on this and one day we will build it! No pockets in a shroud and I have to keep in front of my grandchildren...... (I know, I'm potty but I love cutting edge!)

Whats the budget ? With around £2K I could build a machine that would leave the FM3 for dead. The latest i7 chips are around 70% faster than the one in FM3, the world has moved onto DDR 4 memory at the top end and SSD are mature enough to use in a real world machine.

I'll PM you a reasonable spec for a more reasonable figure.

[Stanley]

Thanks Pluggy! That's given me something to dream about. At the moment it's a bit to pricey, especially with top ram and two SSD drives but I don't doubt that prices will come down and will become more realistic before I am ready to pounce! One thing is certain, we will do it if God spares me.....

[Sue]

I was without emails on iPad and phone along with many 1000s of others all day yesterday.it all seemed to stop working at 4.00 am. Yahoo denied a fault. I did everything they suggested , wiped my account but could not reload, cleared cookies, tried to get in via my second email address. All to no avail. My password was denied my email address Unknown. At 10.00 last night yahoo site acknowledged the system had a problem 18 hours after it failed. Their help page was useless as it just took you round in a circle. There was no phone number to contact. I thought I had been seriously hacked. Today normal service has resumed. I have reloaded my iPad with no problem. I knew I had the right password but how can you forget your email address when it come up automaticall When it asks you to log in and then it denies it is the right email. What a waste of many hours trying to sort it. I could still get emails on my lap top! I went to bed exhausted at only 10.00 pm

[Tizer]

Sue, I'm sorry to hear about your Yahoo troubles. Yesterday I received a scam email purporting to be from one of my friends and containing a malicious web link. Of course I could tell it wasn't from him and I didn't click the link, just deleted the message. He uses Yahoo for his email. It's not the first time I've had scam emails appearing to come from him and from other friends who used Yahoo. Like Microsoft, Yahoo seems to be a favourite target for scammers and spammers. If I were you Sue, I'd ditch Yahoo and go for Googlemail or Fastmail. I've used Fastmail as an extra email account for 10 years or more and never had any trouble with it. You can get an account from $10 a year.

[PanBiker]

I have used Gmail for a a while now as a supplementary to my normal tiscali account. I find it quite handy as it is integrated into the search engine bar and also across devices. My Android phone has Google embedded so you can retrieve and send on that as well. As it's web based it is updated in the Google cloud so available across all devices. I use Google drive as well to transfer stuff between devices, handy for photo's taken using the phones cameras. I have an odd Yahoo account as well but only to access some of the Yahoo groups I have an interest in. Same with Microsoft as a means to an end. Google is the easiest to use particularly if you use the search engine.

[Tripps]

I second that.

I've used fastmail.fm since 2004 and am completely satisfied with it. There is a free version, but with limited storage. Like you, I've paid for the upgrade, (don't tell anyone - I've my reputation to think about) - about $35 or so for three years. Spam is very rare, and again like you I've had false emails supposedly from someone I know.
If you have your wits about you, they are easily recognisable.

They are an Australian company. fm = (I think) Federation of Micronesia. Started off private, then taken over by OPERA, then went back private. Sounds like it's run by a bunch of enthusiastic Pluggys. I think you can earn credit by recommending new users, but I can't be bothered.

[Tizer]

Tripps, I have to admit that I'm still on a free Operamail account. I started out on that about the same time as you, I would guess. When Fastmail took over I was able to continue with the free account and it still uses my operamail.com address. It gets some spam but it's all obviously rubbish and easy to delete. I use it when registering on Internet sites and the like. For `proper' mail I always use my Plusnet address so that the mail is stored on my PC.

[Pluggy]

Gmail fan here. I have mail from about 5 different accounts, most not gmail being picked up by it, so somewhat ironicallyl perhaps I rarely use my actual Gmail address. I just use it for my other email.......

[Whyperion]

If ones computer hard-drive was 'hi-jacked', how realisitically difficult would it be to copy out the data by using the HDD as a slave in a linux( whose syntax I dont really understand ), to a SSD then re-install normal OS to the HDD (or replacement), must generally be (a) feasible, (b) darn sight less than £30k ransom money?!

[Pluggy]

If by hijacked, you mean encrypted, Linux isn't going to help. The new encrypter malware isn'i difficult to get rid of, getting your files back is next to impossible.

Offline backup, the malware didn't get to is the only viable way.

[Stanley]

Being a dinosaur I only use Thunderbird to communicate with Talktalk server. There are times when it has a brain fart and refuses to recognise password but all I do is leave it alone for an hour or two, it always comes back to normal in the end. I reckon that all these systems are on the verge of being overwhelmed by the quantity of mail flying round. I am absolutely ruthless with mail I don't recognise, I never open them, simply mark them as Junk and carry on. After my narrow escape a few months ago I am equally ruthless with anyone who cold calls me no matter how persuasive their spiel is.

[Tripps]

I am currently receiving brief videos in connection with a project, which are recorded on an iPad. I can play them - but the come out upside down. I seem to recall that Sue had the same problem with pictures from an iPad. Is there an easy solution I can tell the sender?

[Stanley]

Hold the iPad upside down when recording?

[Tizer]

Sue's problem was aired on the Garden Railway thread but I don't think any solution was reported there. If you put the words invert ipad video into google it brings up various apps for turning videos around. Best wait and see if any of the more techie members have a solution!

[Tripps]

Thanks for reminding me that uncle google usually has the answer to nearly everything.
I have found a website which says -

1. In fact you can properly shot videos with iPad iPad or iPod touch to avoid this video upside down or sideways problem.
When shooting iPad video always turn the iPad on the side and film in landscape and make sure to hold your iPad with the Home button on the right. Portrait iPad videos will play 90 degrees sideways with Windows Media Player, landscape iPad videos with the Home button on the wrong side will play upside down on Window PC.

I've advised the sender, and asked him to try that - so we will see.

[Whyperion]

On ms win systems there is a setting in control panel, settings mobile settings screen invert, also accessed by a shorcut keyboard ( which the cat found by I didn't) this will invert the entire screen though I got used to working upside down for a while.

[Tizer]

When shooting iPad video always turn the iPad on the side and film in landscape and make sure to hold your iPad with the Home button on the right.I've advised the sender, and asked him to try that - so we will see.

I found that and reported it to Sue but she said it made no difference.

[PanBiker]

I thought I had made this comment earlier but I must be mistaken, the easy answer is to dump the Apple platform and buy a decent tablet that actually works for a lot less money.

[Tripps]

You are 'preaching to the converted' here Iain. It's not my iPad. I have told the sender about the possible 'fix'. He says he will try it - if he can remember. I will be meeting him fairly soon, we can talk about it then.

[PanBiker]

I know it's not yours Tripps, I think the video and picture problem was first posted by Sue, she has tried it all ways up. It boils down to the Ipad platform not being all it's cracked up to be. £150 will buy something decent that actually works. Sally loves her Google Nexus does everything it say on the tin, right way up as well.

No great shakes Tripps but I am a Johnny foreigner Ian not a Scot.

[Tripps]

Sorry Ian - my next door neighbour has an 'i' and I've got into the habit.

[PanBiker]

I have never understood the alternative spelling, the extra vowel does nothing to a three letter name that already has two.

[Stanley]

The first time I was asked to use a video camera I reverted to normal camera mode and tried shooting landscape..... Much hilarity all round!

[Tizer]

I thought I had made this comment earlier but I must be mistaken, the easy answer is to dump the Apple platform and buy a decent tablet that actually works for a lot less money.

Ian, as Tripps has said, "It's not my Ipad" but perhaps you've misconstrued what he says. If I'm correct he doesn't mean "There's nothing wrong with my Ipad", I think he means the problem is with the Ipad used by the person who took the video and sent it to him. Tripps is probably using something other than an Ipad. (Am I right, Tripps, or have I just confused the issue even further?)