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Tech Help (Beyond This Forum)

Stormkhan said:
I'm finding that since Christmas Day, my loading of this website has become really slow. The connection has not changed, my broadband and usage has not changed. This is via both ethernet and wifi.
For example, the typing of this post hasn't changed ... but it took at least four to five seconds to show it. I anticipate the same delay for this edit.
Note: the delay on original post was about 8 seconds. The delay on the edit was about the same.
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All seems to be back to normal now (as of: Thursday 28th December).
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As suggested, I've transferred the following post from the Chat board:

'Anyone know if it's possible to schedule emails in advance, please? Only, this morning I received a 'Happy New Year' email from someone who passed away in January last year. I know all this sounds very Fortean, but the truth is that I'm puzzled & just angry - rather than intrigued - that emotions have been stirred up again; I've been trying to get over their passing. So I'm really hoping that this is just proof of my lack of knowledge about emailing. I'm really hoping that this isn't a mystery at all. I can't express how pointlessly teed-off I am about this, which is futile - and that futility stems from the longstanding, horrible frustration that I could do nothing to stop them dying.'
 
Steven said:
As suggested, I've transferred the following post from the Chat board:

'Anyone know if it's possible to schedule emails in advance, please? Only, this morning I received a 'Happy New Year' email from someone who passed away in January last year. I know all this sounds very Fortean, but the truth is that I'm puzzled & just angry - rather than intrigued - that emotions have been stirred up again; I've been trying to get over their passing. So I'm really hoping that this is just proof of my lack of knowledge about emailing. I'm really hoping that this isn't a mystery at all. I can't express how pointlessly teed-off I am about this, which is futile - and that futility stems from the longstanding, horrible frustration that I could do nothing to stop them dying.'
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Depending on the email client it is indeed possible to schedule when an email is sent.
 
Thank you, Sid. :) I'd even thought, in my usual muddled way, that perhaps the deceased's family might have arranged for such mails to be sent out. But that now seems unlikely, if a kind and thoughtful gesture.
 
My internet disconnected when I went to reset I discovered that the network had been set to "open", initially couldn't reconnect then it reappeared as the previous name with a space and a "2" at the end:

"Ogdredweariesinternet 2"

Any idea what's going on?
 
Steven said:
A really useful feature, that.
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Yeah, I should have mentioned that the email gets queued within Outlook on your computer. It doesn't get queued on the mail server. Therefore your computer will need to be on for the email to be sent.
I use this feature when I don't want to bug someone during the weekend.
 
BT have contacted me recently to say they’re phasing out my landline. I’m pretty annoyed as this is a step backwards as far as I can see as the point is that in an emergency, a landline is highly likely way to get a connection. If the internet goes down, you’re buggered and will have to rely on your mobile. Age disaster alarms aren’t compatible and home security alarms may also be compromised.
So I’m thinking what I need is a home phone - something simple, reliable, almost indestructible and proven technology. I don’t know how much BT make on handsets but Nokia - Get in there!! Your moment has come. We can play snake while waiting in a queue.
 
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Analogue Boy said:
BT have contacted me recently to say they’re phasing out my landline. I’m pretty annoyed as this is a step backwards as far as I can see as the point is that in an emergency, a landline is highly likely way to get a connection. If the internet goes down, you’re buggered and will have to rely on your mobile. Age disaster alarms aren’t compatible and home security alarms may also be compromised.
So I’m thinking what I need is a home phone - something simple, reliable, almost indestructible and proven technology. I don’t know how much BT make on handsets but Nokia - Get in there!! Your moment has come. We can play snake while waiting in a queue.
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Landline phones are powered separately from the grid in an emergency. They are powered by a battery system, which kicks in if the power fails.
Mobile phones aren't a good replacement.
The phone companies no longer care enough about this - this may be due to the cost of maintaining landlines, digging up roads, cable thefts, etc.
 
Analogue Boy said:
BT have contacted me recently to say they’re phasing out my landline. I’m pretty annoyed as this is a step backwards as far as I can see as the point is that in an emergency, a landline is highly likely way to get a connection.
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It's not just you, grandad, it's the entire country.
BT's infrastructure has been Internet Protocol for years. Data is data, and voice is data.
You'll get a mini UPS in order to make calls in the event of a power cut.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Landline phones are powered separately from the grid in an emergency. They are powered by a battery system, which kicks in if the power fails.
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I don't think so. Electrons come into your home via one set of cables and also via another cable, the telephone line. No battery involved.
#formertelephoneengineer
 
I've had patchy internet since Xmas Eve. (I couldn't do all the revision I wanted for my final accounting exam. I did all the book & paper-work but couldn't use the recommended online resources & do online sample tests online written ones in the books. I just managed to do my payroll homework *I'd done the paper-work tasks & reading but needed to use online resources & do online reading* I was worried I wouldn't have everything done for tomorrow.) My laptop broke so I bought another. (The phone has been on & off for the last couple of weeks.) I think the storm has been the reason for the telephone & internet issues.

I'm very sorry for the off-topic post but I thought I'd let everyone know I know how you feel. (I thought I was going to be told for not doing homework & I hope less revision doesn't mean I've failed & need to resit.)
 
Herr Cloaca said:
I don't think so. Electrons come into your home via one set of cables and also via another cable, the telephone line. No battery involved.
#formertelephoneengineer
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I was told back in the 70s that that was how they did it.
Do they just use a backup generator?
 
Herr Cloaca said:
I don't think so. Electrons come into your home via one set of cables and also via another cable, the telephone line. No battery involved.
#formertelephoneengineer
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How come when there's stormy weather the power often goes out (usually blamed on a downed cable) but the telephone never does?
 
Floyd1 said:
How come when there's stormy weather the power often goes out (usually blamed on a downed cable) but the telephone never does?
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My phone went off quite a few days the last couple of weeks due to the wind. We still had our electric. (Thank goodness.)
 
Horsa said:
My phone went off quite a few days the last couple of weeks due to the wind.
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I don't think I've ever known the landline to go down (unless it was a fault inside the house). Plenty of powercuts though, especially where I used to live.
 
Floyd1 said:
I don't think I've ever known the landline to go down (unless it was a fault inside the house). Plenty of powercuts though, especially where I used to live.
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I didn't until the other week. (Other people down our street did too so they sent out a technician who solved the problem. They solved the other problems on their side though.) I've had more power cuts than phone outages though.
 
I'm not a telephone engineer but was interested by the question, apologies if this is inaccurate: It seems that power is supplied in the same cable that carries the signal in a phone. This power comes from huge banks of batteries in the phone interchange and is about -48v DC. The signal is AC and modulates the DC voltage. When your phone is ringing, the interchange sends a higher voltage to it, and the phone knows what to do.
 
James_H said:
I'm not a telephone engineer but was interested by the question, apologies if this is inaccurate: It seems that power is supplied in the same cable that carries the signal in a phone. This power comes from huge banks of batteries in the phone interchange and is about -48v DC. The signal is AC and modulates the DC voltage. When your phone is ringing, the interchange sends a higher voltage to it, and the phone knows what to do.
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Yep, that's essentially what I was remembering. The exchanges had banks of old-fashioned rechargeable batteries (back then, it was probably the lead-acid type). I don't know what's been changed in the years since.
 
Years ago when my last desktop packed up, I was annoyed as I had some photos that I couldn't retrieve.

I can't remember the details now, but I ended up buying this device that would allegedly have got them back for me.
I never used it for some reason, (or tried and couldn't do it perhaps).

Now I am in the same position where the old comp is getting old.
Can I use this to store my photos, or is there a better way?
 

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Floyd1 said:
Years ago when my last desktop packed up, I was annoyed as I had some photos that I couldn't retrieve.

I can't remember the details now, but I ended up buying this device that would allegedly have got them back for me.
I never used it for some reason, (or tried and couldn't do it perhaps).

Now I am in the same position where the old comp is getting old.
Can I use this to store my photos, or is there a better way?
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I would buy some drive to USB cables, plug the hard drive/SSD into the new computer and copy the files off - if it is encrypted it is a little more complicated because you will need to decrypt the drive first.
 
SimonBurchell said:
I would buy some drive to USB cables, plug the hard drive/SSD into the new computer and copy the files off - if it is encrypted it is a little more complicated because you will need to decrypt the drive first.
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I wasn't thinking of buying a new one as this one (might) still have some life in it for a while.
 
Floyd1 said:
I wasn't thinking of buying a new one as this one (might) still have some life in it for a while.
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In that case, buy a USB-connectable external hard drive and copy everything onto that. I use one all the time for backup.
 
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