Stewby

 

Thanks

 Looks good I'll give the demo ago. Still looking at the freebies though. 

Rollocks,

 

I use WinAVI,  This is excellent and can convert to DVD and other way too.

Thanks Noel

 

Sadly it  is not free but it looks good so I will try the demo. AVSto DVD not bad though after one try but not as many file formats. Also can only convert to DVD not the other way round but it is free

I've had problems with my NTL account and their move to use the Google application. I found half my mail in their spam box.

 

See here Virgin Email Help Forum

No problem with my email.  Must be a staggered roll out of whatever it is they're doing.

Is anyone having troubles with Virgin media emails that end with "ntlworld.com" my brother in law has been told by VM that it will take 7 to 10 days to get the emaill addresses back following their cock up of changing their system, last week we were told it would take 2/3 days now a further 7/10 days. This service is really bad and am wondering if he is entitled to a refund on his charges.

I second Ubuntu! Free and as good as Windows, in fact if you have an older PC / Laptop its quite likely to run a lot faster with Ubuntu on it.

 

The only drawback is any Windows software wont run on it but if you only surf, email and play media files then go for it.

 

My wife has a six year old laptop running Ubuntu, it previously ran XP and kept crashing and all sorts. Not heard a complaint from her yet about it. 

I concur, Windows 7 is much better (and faster) than XP.

 

If you really want something different, that works, and is free, try Ubuntu:

 

http://www.ubuntu.com/

Evad

 

Why not do a re-install with the disk that came with the PC

Gillykins - "Both modems"?

 

I've not encountered issues with cordless phones causing problems with wireless routers before, but you have two options as to how to connect to your router: wired or wireless.  Wireless routers normally have some ports on the back and a cable with which you can connect the router to your computer (providing your computer has a network adapter anyway) which is exactly how my desktop PC connects to my router at home.  This does require the router to be close to the PC though, or for you to buy a very long network cable to connect the two.  Alternatively you could connect the PC to the router wirelessly by buying a wireless adapter of some kind.  This won't give you as fast a connection as going down the wired route, and may not be quite as secure depending on how you set it up.  

DavidU - Audacity is pretty good actually and I've been using it for audio editing (simple things like cropping hidden tracks on CDs, and other bits & pieces) for years.  There's an awful lot you can do with it, and for a piece of free software it is quite impressive.

DavidU - It can be done but is a slow process and fairly messy. 

 

The easiest way is probably to buy a USB turntable such as this one, but if you wish to use your existing equipment things are a bit more demanding.

 

First of all you'll need some software to help you do this.  Audacity does the job very well and is free - get it from here.  You'll also need to download and install the LAME MP3 encoder, which is also free.  You can find it here, as well as instructions on what to do with it.

 

Once this is installed you'll need a cable to connect the line-out socket on your turntable to the line-in socket on your computer.  These are inexpensive and can even be bought from the likes of Sainsburys, or failing that PC World stocks them.

 

As for the instructions on how to actually transfer your records, this is a good starting point.

 

Finally, set aside a lot of time (as long as the records you wish to copy, plus about the same again!) to do the job itself.

 

One last point: Once you've finished, make sure you back up your music files, as if you lose them or they are damaged in any way you won't be happy!

 

Good luck!

Brain picking time again!

 

I have a quantity of vinyl recordings dating back to the 1960s and I would like to transfer some of my favourites on to my computer as my stereo equipment is not exactly portable. (The bass reflex speakers alone are almost the size of a small fridge).

 

How should I proceed?

 

My laptop runs Vista HP and apart from the usual USB ports the only audio connections are two speaker / headphone outputs and a single mini jack microphone / line input connector. (The computer also has a built-in microphone and webcam).

 

My turntable is equipped with a magnetric cartridge which provides a low level L and R output. There is also a higher level line output from my amplifier. Dare I make a direct connection to my computer using a suitable conversion cable and if so what should I connect to where? I would hate for there to be a loud bang, a cloud of smoke followed by an awful smell and a large bill!

Will Windows Media Player perform the A/D conversion and store the tracks in the Windows Music Library or will I need some other software or external hardware to perform the A/D conversion between the analogue source and the computer?

I think there is a lot of stigma around registry tools, just like certain anti-virus and anti-spyware tools. Glary fixes it automatically and the site techrebpublic.com, which is a well respected IT site ranked it as a top 10 important software for Windows last year. It also includes a start up fixer as well. 

I agree that unless you really know what you are doing dont mess around with the registry, but Glary will find all those orphan settings in the registry which is quite common issue with Windows especially if you install / uninstall a lot of software.

 

I am an IT professional and this tool has been a lifesaver / timesaver, and should not be confused with the other registry repair tools that promise the earth, find problems then ask you for your credit card!

 

That said if the issue is with XP onwards, try System Restore. 

I personally use Glary Utilities which is excellent, has a registry repair tool which is great. Also has a handy Military standard file eraser. Best of all its also free for personal use.

 

You can find out more here