AndyFair

OK, next time you've got into Windows OK, you need to turn off automatic reboot after BSOD (the blue screen you see flash up contains some useful information). To do this, go to the Control Panel, then double click on the System icon (if you have My Computer on your desktop, right click on this and then select Properties, does exactly the same. As yet another alternative, you can press the Windows key and Pause key at the same time - all get you to where you need to be) Go to the Advanced tab, click on "Startup and Recovery" then make sure that "Automatically reboot" is unchecked. Next time the system crashes, it will stop on the blue screen (also known as BSOD - the Blue Screen of Death) - write down some of the details at the top of the screen and post them back here. The information you post will help us work out why Windows is crashing. Rgds AndyF

It depends on how many people you want to service at the same time: you'll need one modem and phone line per user. You can get modem cards that contain multiple numbers of modems on them, and you'd also need a server capable of running the cards, and user accounts for each of the users. You'd also need to pay for an internet connection (bear in mind that the more users you have, the more bandwidth you'll need, and even though you won't be making any outgoing calls on the modem lines, you'll probably end up having to pay line rental. So the short answer is yes, it can be done, but it'll take time, effort and lots of money

...and I definitely wouldn't use them to run something like BOINC or Folding@Home

Alternatively, you can add a line to the logon script as follows: NET TIME \\SERVERNAME /SET /YES You'll have to make sure that each user has the necessary rights to change the clock though. Rgds AndyF

Of course, the most secure way to run IE is to use Firefox

I've been a fan of Batman since I was a kid, I'm looking forward to the new movie. It looks like they're moving back to a darker film like the original 2 Batman movies (the Tim Burton ones) - just as long as it's nothing like the last 2 films, I'll be happy I'm not sure about War of the Worlds - just hope they don't do an "I, Robot" where the movie bears little resemblance to the original book. I hope they don't "Hollywood-ise" it - the point of the book is that there is no way of defeating the Martians, and it is only at the point of deepest despair that the Martians start to die of flu (yeah, okay, that's a Hollywood ending if ever there was one!). There are no huge chases, fight scenes or call for OTT special effects - let's face it, we already have a Hollywood version of War of the Worlds: Independence Day. The jury will remain out until the movies are released. Just my tuppence worth Rgds AndyF

Have you actually tried running memtest?

Double check whether the BIOS really is set to boot from CD, it sounds as though it's trying to boot from the hard drive. If the BIOS is set correctly, it looks as though your CD is fubar'ed.

Well, you could always try posting your question in a forum that is concerned with Xbox games, instead of one that's concerned with technical issues in Windows...

Even better 8)

Hmmm...I'd have to disagree with their comments about the logos - Firefox's is WAAAAY cooler than IE's. On so many levels, Firefox is so much better than any other browser out there. All we need now is to persuade lazy webmasters that there are browsers other than IE ;( Rgds AndyF

Database theory is a large, and sometimes complicated, subject. What part, exactly, are you having trouble with? There are tons of webpages that deal with database design - have you tried googling? Sorry, can't help with an open request... AndyF

Personally, I think that the US has become more arrogant over the last few years - various reasons lead me to believe this, like the Iraq war (on which I now hear that the US has tacitly admitted that they won't find WMDs), the refusal to sign up to Kyoto. As an atheist and living in a largely secular country, I also cannot understand America's rampant Christianity, to the point where people are saying that it was a major reason for Dubya winning the election. I think that it is this religious fanaticism that has caused much of the animosity from the Muslim nations. Another thing I can't understand as an outside is the apparent control that companies have on the legislative process - that lobbying can make or break whether a law is passed. Now, I'm not saying that the UK is perfect - after all, Tony Blair is just George Dubya's lapdog - but I don't think we're in as bad a state as you guys. These just *my* opinions, no one else's, and I may be flamed for what I believe - but they are just that: my beliefs. Rgds AndyF

Originally posted by jmmijo: Quote: I miss hearing/reading names like Deutsch Marc and Pound Sterling now erm...Pounds Sterling still exists 8)

I haven't yet found another forum out there that provides the level of support we do here, with the level of expertise, and the general lack of flaming and trolls (apart from the Halo vs Half Life thread a couple of weeks ago) I think we should all be proud of what we've done here! And none of it would be possible without Phillipe! Rgds AndyF

Bear in mind that, if you're using ADSL, the upload and download speeds differ (hence the A in ADSL). Cable network connections also tend to be asymmetrical as well. The download speed is probably 512kbps (which will give you a download speed of 55-60Kb/sec), the upload speed will probably be 256kbps (which will give you an upload speed of 25-30Kb/sec) Other factors like network congestion etc will also affect upload and download speeds, so while the theoretical maximum speed for 256kbps upload is 32Kbps, that speed is unlikely to be reached because of other factors. Rgds AndyF

Originally posted by bushrat: Quote: Will it be possible to do the projector mentioned in the posts above ? No, because you'd still need a method of connecting the monitor to the graphics card - that's the difficult (if not impossible) bit.

It's very difficult to wire up a laptop screen to anything other than the laptop that it was originally connected to. This is because laptop screens use dedicated controller boards that are usually digital, and usually proprietary as well. To wire other devices to the screen, you'd have to work out the digital connections, and convert a standard VGA or RGB signal to this digital format, whatever it may be. Rgds Andy

Before you go out and buy more stuff, go into the BIOS and check that the floppy controller is enabled (forget where it is, usually in the section of the BIOS that is to do with integrated controllers). Even if the controller is disabled, the BIOS summary will still show a floppy drive, even though it doesn't actually know whether there's one there or not... ;( Just something to check Rgds AndyF

Are all sticks the same type (speed, CAS timings etc)? This may cause problems. Easiest way to see which stick is causing the problems is to install each stick one at a time then run memtest86 and see if it finds any errors. That way you can see whether one of the sticks is faulty or not. If none of them have errors, it looks as though you may be using incompatible types. Let us know how you get on. Rgds AndyF

Originally posted by Alec§taar: Quote: This one (Barney Calhoun): * THAT'S ROBERT DOWNEY JR. IF I EVER SAW HIM! Actually, I think John Cusack looks more like Barney: The only problem is that if you used John Cusack, you'd have to give his sister a role in the same film...and I don't think she'd fit the part of Alyx: Hmmm...

Originally posted by Alec§taar: Quote: <> So the top picture is Jean Reno, the bottom one Janet Reno, right? Easy to see why you could confuse the two...

OK, first things first: Originally posted by Waffler: Quote: My internet connection is 576kps vs Originally posted by Alec§taar: Quote: ...since you're on 56k I'm assuming you're on ADSL, not dialup? Anyway, I think the problem is not so much one of network capacity, because your ping doesn't really change that much - I think it's more that Skype is also eating up CPU cycles. I think Skype, being a true VoIP solution has more work to do than a simple gaming type "voice chat" solution. You might want to take a look at one of these other voice chat solutions (I forget the name of them, there are several that online FPSers and MMORPGers use) and see whether this helps. I may be wrong (it did happen, once, about 20 years ago ), but I think it's Skype that's causing the problem, not your connection. Rgds AndyF

To simplify what Ross said: If you look on the back of each of the drives, you'll notice a small group of pins (usually between the IDE connector and the power connector), 2 of which will be connected (top to bottom) with a jumper. There should be a diagram on the top of the drive which tells you what the jumper settings should be (beware though, they differ from drive to drive - just to make things complicated). If your CD-ROM and CD-RW are both connected to the same IDE connector, you need to make sure that one of the drives is set as the master and one of them is set as the slave. If they're both set as master, only one of them will work. To change one of the drives to slave, all you need to do is move the jumper to the right pair of pins, as per the diagram on the top of that drive. Hope this helps Rgds AndyF

Originally posted by Alec§taar: Quote: Janet Reno as a man, eh? lol... shame on you!!! Not Janet Reno, JEAN Reno - a French actor, pronounced John Ruh-no. Most recognisable in English speaking countries for being in Mission Impossible, but has also been in loads of French films, including Leon, amongst others. Janet Reno indeed! LOL AndyF