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(Sunday 27th April)BROWSER R.ENHANCER HAS GONE!!! I don't know what actually got rid of it, I suspect something I tried last night which didn't appear to work, but simply needed a reboot. Anyway, after opening the item in Add/Remove Programs to show Michael the irritating message again, I was surprised to get, instead of the usual request for a particular combination of numbers, a message box informing me that the uninstaller had been removed, and did I want to delete the entry in Add/Remove Programs? You bet! I can't believe it's finally gone - wahaay!!! Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions for getting rid of it.
Ordered a new hard drive, processor, memory and heatsink/fan today. Another installation of Windows ...... I don't think I can take it!
(Thursday 25th April)This forum thread is turning into a soap!
Clifford! How do you like the new paragraph colour? I decided to try your suggestion. I spent a lot of time trying to work out the hexadecimal colour code, but in the end, settled for plain font color=green, as I couldn't quite achieve what I wanted!
(Tuesday 22nd April)Continuing the story of my problems with browser r.enhancer, I've spent A LOT of time trying to get rid of this and would like to express my sincere gratitude to PC Answers forums for their efforts. Unfortunately I'm still plagued with this entry in Add/Remove Programs and have decided to publish a link to the message I'm presented with when I try to uninstall it. Carrying out the "instructions" produces this. PLEASE can anyone help???? I thought NetPal (see entry for Sunday 6th April) was evil enough, but this is proving even more stubborn and annoying!
(Tuesday 15th April)First, the good news! At last I have a background internet connection at work! (And a scrolling mouse.) Thank you, thank you Nick! It's going to make all the difference and I promise you've got nothing to worry about!
Now, the not so good news! I thought when I obtained first Trend Micro's PC Cillan product and then Norton Systemworks, little irritations like the following example would the reason I'd sacrificed speed for security, plus the knowedge that I no longer had to worry about any strange program which somehow ended up deep in our system.
I was uninstalling AOL8 to make way for their latest beta version, when I noticed that in Control Panel Add/Remove Programs, we had something called "browser r. enhancement". When I tried to ditch this, a box displayed, asking me to enter the four digits in the spaces provided to prove I was a human being not a machine! Stuff this (I thought) and clicked uninstall. "Incorrect!" I was informed, and "Try Again?" Well thinking maybe it really did require four numbers to be entered, I did what it asked. "Incorrect!" once more, and "Try Again?"
Deciding to investigate further, I tried to close Add/Remove Programs, which then totally froze! Not even task manager could end the process, although the rest of the computer was working as normal. Further down the description of programs populating the list, was just as weird an entry, called "Command on Demand for Command Software". These "programs" don't appear in Program files, or anywhere else which would make a manual removal fairly easy.
At that point I ran out of time. This is NOT what you need when you're trying to read and reply to 100 emails in under 15 minutes before going swimming! If anyone out there can shed some light on this, I'd be truly grateful!
(Monday 14th April)The photopage continues to drive me round the bend ... lining up new pictures, and getting them exactly the right size so the rest of the page displays where I want it to and people don't look like they've just stepped out of the hall of crazy mirrors, is a time consuming task! I really ought to bite the bullet and try tables, I guess. Anyway, two new photos on display, one replacing Philip at 18 (with an equally bad one of him at 21) and a fantastic photo taken by John on our LDWA Cleveland walk on Saturday, showing the top of the north pennines in unusually benign conditions.
(Friday 11th April)The great thing about the internet is the opportunity it gives people to express their views publicly, without risking censorship! If you feel strongly about something, it's a great way to let off steam, as I intend to do regarding people with double standards!
After a hard two hour swim training session the other morning, I arrived at work munching a jam and cream doughnut, earning the disapproval of Sandra (cream is bad for you). Then, this morning, she comes downstairs and announces that she feels "delicate" after over-indulging the night before. When I gently point out that maybe she's not in a position to pass judgement on my eating of cream doughnuts, I'm told that "alcohol is far less likely to cause cholesterol problems than cream" and anyway drinking too much "on a one off basis does no harm". What is it about our culture that alcohol abuse is so tolerated? That aside, if you looked at the overall picture, who is healthier? The person who's swum 5½ thousand metres between 5.30 and 7.30 am and fancies something to eat on the way to work, or someone who leads a fairly sedentary lifestyle and is suffering from the after effects of a large meal the night before, with too much wine?
Another example of double standards is employers who are great at telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing when it comes to the Health and Safety at Work Act, or the Data Protection Act, yet when it comes to employment laws, conveniently ignore current legislation regarding paid holidays and days off in lieu of bank holidays. So much fuss is made about people who cheat the system, when in fact a lot of people are cheated by "the system". It always seems to be the people who can't stick up for their rights that get exploited, ie youngsters, low paid workers who can't afford to pack a job in, or people who don't even know they have any rights.
(Thursday 10th April)Having received an email letting me know that the "Good Evening" message on the site was showing the date as 2002, I thought I'd better do some maintenance. The good news is my prayers have been answered regarding work, at least for another month. I've been asked to stay on at CISV until the end of May!
(Sunday 6th April)Computers!!! Also more trouble than they're worth sometimes and quite often capable of drawing you in and sending you off on tangents. Before you know where you are, a sizeable portion of the day has been spent following red herrings, achieving nothing very much. I spent the best part of yesterday ridding this PC of what I think has been the nastiest piece of malicious code I've yet encountered. Not a virus, as it's not capable of replicating, but a browser hijack of the worst kind. Beware of visiting sites like Altavista - you run the risk of falling foul of this particular nasty, called NetPal. I deliberately haven't added a link to either site, as in my opinion, they need to be treated with real caution, and I wouldn't want to point anyone in that direction.
On a pleasanter subject, I've had a thoroughly enjoyable day competing in a Masters Swimming Gala at Darlington Dolphin Centre, efficiently organised as usual by Darlington Masters. Pity I left my best, most expensive racing suit at the pool, but with a bit of luck someone will have handed it in!
One of the competitors from last Saturday's Cleveland Survival produced an excellent photographic record of the event, which can be viewed on here.
(Friday 4th April)Cars!!! More trouble than they're worth and an endless drain on finances! I just had my insurance premium more than doubled, thanks to one claim last year for something that totally wasn't my fault! Norwich Union are now asking me for £111 something a month, which is more than my 21 year old son pays, for heaven's sake! They justify it by saying I lost my no claims. What no claims? I only had a couple of years! My first thought was, it would have been cheaper paying for the repair, but learned from the insurance company that although they'd quoted approx £550, they'd actually charged £1,000. No way could I have paid that!
Philip is also having problems with his car, bought from a garage a few months ago, when it was only 6 months old. It's a Renault, and all seemed fine until he discovered a flat tyre and found the wheels had locking nuts on. He doesn't seem to have a key and neither do the garage, which is not a problem you expect to encounter buying an almost new car from a reputable garage. The garage have offered to send off for a key, which is unique and has to be ordered from Renault, so is expensive and will take 5 weeks, or they can chisel off the locking nuts, also an expensive process entailing several hours work. Meanwhile, his car has a slow puncture and has to be blown up at frequent intervals!
(Monday 31st March)The Child Protection Act has a lot to answer for. St Georges has decided that choir members need to be police checked, and whilst I completely embrace anything which helps prevent child abuse, I wonder how long it will be before every organisation decides they have the right to probe into someone's private past, and uncover secrets maybe not even known to their family?
Let me say at this point that there is nothing in my past which would even suggest I'm not suitable to be around children! I was a childminder for many years, and of course had a police check before I was allowed to look after other people's children in my own home. However, I'm of the opinion that spent convictions should be just that, or else there's no point in trying to rehabilitate anyone, and as far as I'm concerned the only information disclosed by the CRB to an organisation like a church, should be convictions relevant to child abuse (or very serious offences like murder and rape). If a person got involved in criminal activities 30 years ago and is now leading a respectable, honest and decent lifestyle, what business is it of the local vicar's to put them through the shame and embarrassment of exposing a past prison sentence?
If there was some evidence that identifying people who were once guilty of shoplifting was actually going to prevent a child being abused, then I would be all in favour of it, but I'll bet there's no proof that it does, as a lot of paedophiles have never been near a court of law! It's no good saying that the information obtained will be confidential - when I worked at County Hall it was amazing how much "confidential" information could be found if you knew where to look. And what happens if an employer/friend was to ask the local vicar for a reference/recommendation? Would he really be able to agree that an ex-drug offender was a suitable person to be offered a job as a pharmacist? And where is the line drawn when it comes to looking at someone's record and deciding whether they're a danger to young people? As far as I can make out, the vicar and one other person will play "god" in deciding if a past conviction is serious enough to prevent them taking an active role within the church. Would a conviction for armed robbery 5 years ago qualify? Hardly a good influence within Sunday school! But arguably that person has just as much right to be part of the church as anyone else.
Aren't we supposed to be equal in God's eyes??? Because no matter how much people deny it, if you know someone once served two years for fraud or was convicted of harrassment, it WILL influence the way you regard them. Society is very judgemental and quick to condemn, and in my view must not be allowed to keep on punishing someone for mistakes made many years in the past.
(Sunday 30th March)Yesterday I took part in the Cleveland Survival again, which I thought was harder than last year's event. Thinking about last year's time has also made me seriously doubt that it was the 26 miles I reported. In fact, I don't think I remember reading anywhere even an estimate of the distance. As it would appear that yesterday's time of 10 hours 12 minutes was barely 26 miles, I don't think we walked anywhere near that distance in 2002, when I completed the walk in 9 hours 26 minutes.
I'm a lot stiffer than after last year's event! True, the planning of the 2002 Survival had to take into account lingering FMD restrictions and was maybe less adventurous than usual, but I think it was mainly my own fault for basically opting for the running route and spending what seemed like most of the event on the A171 - tarmac is not the kindest of surfaces for legs not used to a lot of pounding! It was also unfortunate that the day ended up being unseasonally hot for March, which meant I had to carry all of the protective, warm clothing I'd brought along - necessary equipment for walking in a remote, inhospitable upland area, but hardly vital for what we actually did or the way the weather turned out. Who needs fleecy, waterproof mits and a balaclava for a brisk walk along the A171 in blistering hot sunshine?
(Sunday 23rd March)FINALLY got an index page archived .... what else is there to do on a warm, beautifully sunny, Sunday afternoon in March? Well, it's also possible to put the day to good use by spending a couple of hours arguing with an American mailing list over whether or not we should be going to war - and any time left over can be spent catching up on my Learndirect course, getting to grips with the Linked Table and Switchboard Managers in Access. Why don't I get a life?
(Saturday 22nd March)Decided to demote Harley's quotes to the bottom of my index page! I would like to replace them, but have to acknowledge that they're are quite good and the javascript is actually quite complex, so it remains rather satisfying when they work.
Very busy right now, but will definitely archive this index page tomorrow - it's long overdue. Still trying to get my broadband changed to another phone line, still waiting for my Easyjet refund, still waiting for AOL to send my MP3 player. Apparently the person dealing with this is on holiday until Monday, so they can't be despatched until then. How pathetic is that!
(Friday 7th March)Well, my computer upgrades aren't usually problem free, but tonight has proved a remarkable exception. Not only is my new DDR RAM running at 266 instead of the 200 I was expecting from a Duron processor, but the second machine I put the spare 256 SD RAM into is telling me (on System Information) that I have 768 MB physical memory, of which 359 MB is available. Not bad, when you think I only added 256 to the 256 which was already there!
I also appear to have won an MP3 player for being a diligent AOL 8 beta tester! Among other things, my bug reports were of "superior quality" (sending nasty emails when their software wouldn't do what I thought it ought to) and they were impressed by the number of builds I had downloaded and tested (no choice in the matter when they "sunset" the earlier versions eventually).
(Friday 28th February)Hooray! At last I've got a semi-decent, respectable picture and only 11k - thanks Nick!