Hasta la Vista, OS...

-
Like many others, my Windows XP box is starting to show signs of wear and tear and the reality of needing a new PC at some point in the next few months is starting to hit home. Yet I'm really not convinced by Windows Vista. And yes, I've read all the reviews and articles. To my mind, Vista is yet another example of Windows getting more and more bloated and of eye candy getting in the way of just 'getting the job done' (TM). There's no way in hell I'm upgrading any of our XP devices to Vista and I'm fighting to find a well-priced replacement device that doesn't come with Vista pre-loaded... I just know that all sorts of accessories and utilities simply won't work under the new OS, however many 'compatibility' layers Windows Vista now has. Or... I could buy a Mac. Now THERE'S a thought. Watch this space.

Comments

Duncan J Murray said…
Try a Thinkpad - they are available even in windows 2000 if you want. There's a very very nice model available from Lenovo U.K. - T60 with 14" screen 1400x1050 and most bells and whistles for £1400 - the one I'd go for (I have a T40 14", and it's been an awesome laptop).
4:58 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wavelet - and better sounding speakers (and headphones) on Android...

-
Image
You may well be fairly happy with the audio output (speakers and headphones) on your existing Android phone. Or, like me, you may welcome an extra step up. Perhaps more bass/punch, clearer treble, or perhaps just a volume boost overall. Now, there have been various 'boost' utilities for Android in the past and they've been a bit patchy in how well they work. But Wavelet, discovered by Ted Salmon back in 2021, is a whole different kettle of fish, in that it works supremely well, with extra bass, clarity, and volume,   BUT has a very confusing interface. Which is why a brief tutorial is in order. The steps come from Ted in bullet point form, but expanded by me here and with screenshots, which will hopefully help. By the way, ignore the 'headphone specific' text in the app's title - it works perfectly well for speakers too. In fact, by definition, I'd say that it's really ONLY for speakers, since with headphones you've usually got plenty of natural i
Read more

Bluetooth keyboard incorrect PIN or password - SOLVED

-
Image
Just in case this helps anyone else, I had a nightmare today with my Bluetooth keyboard and my Android phone - but I used some common sense and found a geeky solution. In my case it was a ZTE Axon 7 running Lineage OS and a Microsoft Universal Folding Keyboard (UFK), but I suspect this cure will work for more general issues. The symptom was that when I tried to connect a previously paired keyboard I first of all got just the raw Bluetooth address shown and not the keyboard name. And then, when I tried connecting, I got an "incorrect PIN or password" error message. No chance to reenter a PIN and no amount of restarting keyboard or phone would fix it. The cure seemed to be to reset something in the phone's Bluetooth system, but what? The keyboard wasn't showing up as paired, so I couldn't 'forget' it. I tracked it down in the end. Settings, Apps, then 'Show system' on the '...' menu. Find and tap on 'Bluetooth extensions'.
Read more

How to fix Blink XT2 Camera 'Thumbnail failed' error!

-
Image
Update - Jan 2023: Amazon/Blink just changed the interface in their app - so things may have moved slightly in the UI! The Blink XT2 cameras are great - a trivial way to keep an eye on a loved one (in my case an aged parent) without wires or complex DIY hassle. Just set a camera or two up on your Wifi and you can keep an eye on them from across the world.  And all is fine, generally, I tap to take a photo or video if my dad isn't answering the phone, to check where he is and whether he's OK. Yes, there's motion detection available, but I usually have this off as when he's well he'll move around and keep triggering images and videos, which then drain the batteries too quickly. (I do have motion detection on my own house's security cameras, outdoors) But recently I had the strangest error: 'Thumbnail failed' on one of the cameras and it persisted for days.  Now, I live 150 miles away and so Blink's suggestion of 'take the batteries out and put them
Read more