s8design

Well, that settles that... We'll just hold on to our wallets for now ;-)

I have the same logo, could be that they changed it. It's not the default logo for a website which hasn't specified a logo so my guess is it's a new SF logo. Matt

Ok just out of warrenty... Hmm, there is another option. Depreciated credit. There's no hard and fast rule about DC, it's something major retailers sometimes offer out of duty to the customer. In my experience this has been offered by the dixons group (Curries, PC World and Dixons) The basic principal is that if you computer breaks down out of warrenty but usually within 5 years and you can prove that it was due to a manufacturing defect (rather than normal wear and tear/accident) they will sometimes offer you part of the purchase value back in vouchers or sometimes cash. To prove it you'll need to take the computer to a registered repairer (basicly, not just a "mate") and their report must conclude a "manufacturing defect" was to blame. If this is the case the retailer will cover the cost of the repair and then give you vouchers based on the depreciated value of the product. Note: you MUST agree this with a member of customer services first, most likely from the call centre (stores are TIGHT). This was the case while I worked for Dixons group a couple of years back, things don't change overight in that kinda place so fingers crossed you'll be in luck. PPS: Your situation is a tad more complicated because you ??dont have the receipt?? You may need to obtain proof of purchase the way I mentioned earlier, and possibly provide a letter from the original owner stating that they sold it to you. How bad do you want a "refund" ?? :-p Hope this helps... - Matt

I know we're entering an economic crisis but you could just buy them like everyone else :-p (Just kidding! But then again what I know about stamp collecting you could write on the back of a... ... fag packet...)

Used vista today on a mate's laptop. Lost wifi connection for no visible reason and couldn't get it back up again, I'm not a dunce but vista really doesn't make it easy to sove problems, they hide all the "options" behind a dummy screen and offer you endless "useless" diagnostics etc... Me and my flatmate (both well versed in computers) tried to force it into submission but NOPE. Tried options on at least 3 totally different windows all perporting to do the same thing... Still, passes the time! Stable... My arse :-p Don't believe that windows outreach guy, vista isn't going to sovle any of your windows problems... After all, it's still windows!

haha, all the best rumours are started that way! :-p

Haha, Derren is a legend... I could never take credit for any of his work ^_^ Yea he's got a book out. Derren Brown had a TV series called "trick of the mind" (Also the title of his book). The book isn't about dream control as such, it's a mixture of things: NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming), Memory, Hypnotism and some facinating insights into the human mind. He's most famous for his hypnotism and "mind tricks" from his show. Very clever guy! Be warned, the second part of his book is primarily a rant about spiritualists, mediums and god... I quite enjoyed it but I can imagine it's not *everyone's* cup of tea! As for LSD and horror movies, that's not my cup of tea either But if I ever decide to "go out screaming..." ...Well *ahem* you get the picture!

Oh I just meant it was an unorthadox use of sound equipment, here's me thinking you want to do some singing or something :-p I take it you need a pre-amp because the signal isn't strong enough going direct from the mic to the PC? I know it might seem a bit silly but you could try pressing something against the wall to pick up the vibrations (like a card tube) and place the mic inside... ...Or maybe I've just lost it?! :-p I've posted about your nightmares actually :-) and I don't know, big girls shouldn't be having nightmares should they now? :-p hmm, tut tut ^_^

Usually they are related to external things, like anything which has been troubling you during the day. Or it could be an over-active imagination (or generally active mind at the time you go to sleep), so stop watching late night horror movies! :-p I've not had nightmares for a long time but one good piece of advice I've been given is to try to "control" the nightmare (if you are at all consious of it at the time) and exagerate everything until it reaches the point of being really silly and no longer scary. You can also do this in your head AFTER you've woken up, so long as you still remember and can "play it back" in your head. Another good piece of advice (from Derren Brown) on phobias in general but also nightmares is to play the nightmare back to yourself in your head, but pretend you're actually watching it at the cinema, then make the picture black and white then make it bad quality etc... Slowly shrink the picture down until it's really small and hardly fills the cinema screen. This mentally programs your brain not to be frightened of the imagery and hopefully it'll take the edge off your nightmares! Good luck. PS: Empty your bladder before you go to sleep and keep your hands off the gorgonzola and fizzy pop!! LSD is also a no-no :-p

I have job related Insomnia... That is, I'm still working at 4am!! :-p ...well, sometimes at least. Having stuff on your mind has to be the number one cause of insomnia... Think about it, your brain can't switch off properly because it has too much to think about. Drugs and medication is all well and good, but in my opinion the more you can relax your mind and put aside these thoughts (not easy I know!) the better you'll sleep. I've recently done some work for a local Massage Therapist who told me that a lot of his clients go to him to relax and de-stress rather than for physical symptoms. If you're interested his website is massagetherapysheffield.co.uk Right back to work... Or maybe I'll try and sleep now! - Matt

I think it's just XP which shows that message, either way if it is a serious error a re-install will most likely be the only option! (once data is backed up obviously) So I aggree with you Hippy, time to look for the installation CDs!

Cool, if a little unorthadox :-p I'll ask my flatmate (who did sound tech at uni) if he'd recommend a vocal or instrument mic (I guess you'll be putting it up against an interior wall) As for the pre-amp, if this is the only use you could buy it and then sell it on once you're done. The better quality you buy the more likely you are to get a good re-sale. Heck, some stores might even buy it BACK off you (at a discount of course) :-p Let me guess... You're up at 4am because of your neighbour?

For that price a general rule of thumb is to make sure the laptop has decent RAM (2GB+) Fast processor is always a plus, hard drive space is not so important (it's easy and cheap to buy extra space when you need it) Brand wise HP are pretty good quality, you'll get a better spec for the same price if you take a cheaper brand so there's a tradeoff. If you're thinking of going to PC world... I've done customer services for PC World and had a lot of contact with the staff/tech teams. The "Bargain" deals they offer are usually pretty crappy laptops but the mid-range price bracket laptops they sell are actually competatively priced. Be careful though else they'll up-sell you a laptop case, 500 CDs, 10 different colours of CD pens and a furry mouse cover! Tech support has it's ups and downs, generally getting better but woe betide you if you have any serious issues with the products. PS: Check their online price before you buy in store. You can reserve online and sometimes get a discount, sometimes upto £100 off... I'm not kidding! - Matt

Looks like a hardware fault, scanners generally work straight out of the box but there's no harm in having a rummage through the software to see if there's a setting which needs to be changed or calibration to be done before you send it back. Printer Scanner Copiers are pretty affordable these days, if you run out of options with scanners why not try and all in one solution out. - Matt

Possibly, I'm in a band and there's usually lots of gear changing hands in the community I can keep my eye's peeled for you. Just to make sure i'm looking for the right thing, are you after a vocal, instrument or condenser mic? As for the pre-amp what is the usage, will you be going into a PA system or recording? Oh and heck, what's your budget? - Matt

That's one way to put it

That's probably more to do with your new computer, not Vista. "fast" isn't at the forefront of microsoft's agenda when It comes to developing a new OS Just wait for it to get cluttered up with junk... We've all been there ^_^

I agree with deploytheweb some critical system files could be corrupted. If their advice doesn't resolve the issue it might be time to start asking your neighbour if they have backups of their data, or any data they don't want to lose. If they're not fussed about saving old data you could just re-install windows. If they need the data they should seek professional help (From a computer technician, not a shrink :-p) who should be able to help backup or restore the data. Good luck, whatever you decide!

Warrenty or not, chances are you'll need the receipt enless the original owner registered the laptop with the service department (ie: It already has a service history). Within the first 12 months the warrenty is usualy handled by the manufacturer but in most cases you have to go through the store where it was bought first. If you don't have the receipt and have to go through the store, you'll most likely need some purchase details like the name and address of the purchaser, possibly card details etc... Anything to locate your particular purchase (and the receipt/warrenty details) Good luck! - Matt

Yep, the actual option is even *more* hidden! Once you get to the regional language settings screen you must choose the "languages" tab at the top, then click the ambiguously labled "Details" button which will present you with the keyboard layout options. Happy "hunting" (after all... This is windows) - Matt

My flatmate has a Vista theme pack, there was little impact on the performance of his machine so it's not out of the question.

Why do you need to upgrade? If there's a feature of windows Vista that you absolutly need and you can justify the time/money to upgrade then I'd say go for it. My own opinion is that Vista offers little over XP, since it's release I've not heard of a single good reason to make the switch. If XP isn't performing well for you, try backing up your data and reinstalling. It should run quicker and it'll probably even feel like a *new* operating system. Yea, but you've got 4GB of ram, top end dual-core processor and two high end graphics cards. No wonder everything's hunky dory! As a comparison to XP Vista uses far more resources, and for what? There's nothing to get excited about, even Microsoft can see they've missed the mark. Ok rant over... Viva XP