Microsoft have just released a document about the changes to Windows Vista Service Pack1 Beta.

It contains handy information particularly about deployment.

So if you need a heads up about what’s going in the SP1 beta check out the link below.

Download Link: SP1 Beta Documentation

Please note: This is based on my experience in dealing with Dell and not necessarily Dell’s Official stance on laptop batteries.

Dell will only consider replacing a battery under warranty if the laptop is still within the first 12 months of  it’s initial warranty.

Due to the nature of batteries they deplete over time and will eventually no longer successfully hold a charge.

So if you plan to own a laptop you should factor in the cost of a new battery every 12 to 18 months.

However if you are well within the first 12 months and you get either a warning from the Dell support software basically saying “your battery is nearly at the end of life, buy a new one”.

Contact technical support and ask for a replacement under warranty.

I have had to do this several times from my fleet and each time they capitulate almost immediately.

My Internet connectivity problem has miraculously fixed itself. I am now back on line.

Backstory: Permanent Link to Even I.T Guys have I.T Problems

Just in time I see - iTunes in the UK now offer TV Shows. The future is nearly here.

I have had patchy Internet access for about 4 days. Seriously you don’t appreciate something until it’s gone.

Tip1: Always have access to an analogue Dial up connection so if the worst comes to the worst you can use dial up. 56k is a nightmare but if it’s all you have….

Tip2: A windows mobile phone can be a life saver, I just managed my e-mail from my phone for the duration. I use a Orange SPV M3100 running Windows Mobile 5.0 so I could manage my e-mail with relative ease.

Tip3: Do everything you can to help out the technical support helping you. Stop moaning and just jump through the hoops.

Tip4: If the Internet is crucial to your living have a plan B. Mine was to move in with one of my clients. Those lucky people.

Tip5: if your ISP offers “Enhanced Care” on your account get it, as your issues will be escalated and typically a guaranteed fix in about half the time. That time still works out at 20 hours.

My ISP offers “Enhanced Care” at 120 pounds per year. 

I am not going to follow that advice, I have a few telephone lines coming into here so I am going to Broadband enable another line with another ISP to create redundancy that way.

I am now off to download the entire Internet onto one floppy disk just in case this ever happens again.

If you have any other tips for surviving without Internet access use the comments.

Photo Credit- Colin DiPonio

Would someone please plug the Internet back in again…………………….

My own Internet connection started playing up on Saturday Morning and due to the Bank Holiday in the UK has only been escalated to BT today (Tuesday).

Netcentral (www.netcentral.co.uk) is my chosen provider and have been my Internet service provider for a long time, circa 1995 to Date.

The Problem:

Basically the broadband connection drops 6 times an hour. 

Tue, 2007-08-28 14:03:41 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 14:19:42 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 14:40:33 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 14:50:04 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 14:53:14 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 14:54:35 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:04:46 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:22:36 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:25:27 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:43:48 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:44:59 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:47:19 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 15:53:30 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:10:11 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:21:02 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:29:12 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:34:13 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:38:04 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 16:56:34 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 17:03:35 - LCP down.
Tue, 2007-08-28 17:13:46 - LCP down.

So the purpose of this post is to share some of the troubleshooting tips I put in place to help isolate the problem. That is sadly still unresolved.

1) My Vigor 2800 router is wireless, was this a wireless problem?

No, I jacked in via RJ45 and still have the connection drop.

2) Change microfilters

I am now on my 3rd set of microfilters.

3) Isolate all other telecom equipment off the line

I tried this and the problem persists.

4) Is the Router Faulty?

No, I Rebooted it,then reflashed the firmware and did a factory reset. Then to finally put this issue to bed I replaced the router with another from Belkin the problem persists

5) Get the ISP to do a test, they call this a Whoosh Test.

Did this, the problem persists.

6) Get BT to do a network test.

Of course when they do this the system is up and it passes all the tests.

7) Is it something external like a Denial of Service

No, we checked the logs 

Get a BT engineer to investigate.

To be continued……………….

Tip1: You can just interchange wireless routers if you give them both the same SSID and Wireless Encryption. I have multiple computers on the inside of my network and by giving the new router the same IP Address, SSID and Wireless Encryption settings as the previous router I can just quickly swap  routers without any reconfiguration to any machines on the network.

Tip2: Although possible to configure a router wirelessly it is much easier to do this on a wired connection then you can bypass any Wireless Encryption issues. Doing it wired will save you disconnecting and reconnecting once you have changed the SSID and applied the Wireless Encryption.

Last week details of more than 1.3 million people were stolen from the job site Monster.com.

The motivation behind the theft was:-

 The attackers wanted to get hold of personal information in an attempt to make e-mails supposedly sent by recruitment firms more plausible.

By getting people to open the fake e-mails and click on the attachments the thieves aimed to steal more saleable information or hijack an infected machine. 

Stay safe folks and be triple careful of attachments, even if they look like they are 100% legit.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6961880.stm

On a similar topic of getting people to compromise their own computers. An accident waiting to happen is Facebook.

A typical Facebook user gets tons of e-mail from the system. Every time something happens on their profile. So much so the user will get blind to it and just be clicking links without thinking.

Mark my words “Facebook” and “Accident waiting to happen”.

This is probably one of the reasons why Facebook is getting banned on corporate networks. That and the fact that employers actually want their staff to do some work from time to time.

Link: http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&ned=uk&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1119692576