[Tutor] OT: need computer advice from wise Tutors

Marc Tompkins marc.tompkins at gmail.com
Sun Jun 27 19:57:43 CEST 2010


On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 7:41 AM, Alan Gauld <alan.gauld at btinternet.com>wrote:

> "Marc Tompkins" <marc.tompkins at gmail.com> wrote
>
>  having no default email client (what sort of two-bit operating system
>>
>>> doesn't have an email client in 2010?);
>>>
>>>  Jesus, you _miss_ Outlook Express?  Seriously:  the new default is
>> webmail.
>> Like it, don't like it, but it's really not as if you can't get your mail.
>>
>
> I will miss OE. I actually quite like it, its simple but has all the bits
> I need for both email and newrgroups. I tried thunderbird and use it
> on my Linux box but on windows I usually revert to OE.
>
I always hated OE, but I suppose it does have its uses. Backing up OE was
always problematic...



> And its lots better than webmail which is only useful for occasional
> browsing. But I get around 200 plus emails a day (and sometimes the
> same again in news messages) and trying to manage that on webmail
> is a nightmare - and you can't read it while offline. I really need an
> offline mail client.

As Richard mentioned and I will second, GMail handles that volume easily;
Gears enables offline reading, and if you've drunk the Kool-Aid like I have,
integration with Android is seamless.  Also it's instantly portable from
machine to machine.

In any case, I only meant to whole-heartedly endorse upgrading from Vista to
7, and dismiss the loss of OE as a reason not to.  Embracing the GMail way
appears to be another one of those dreaded religious topics - I certainly
can feel myself morphing into a ranting fanatic...


>  Just like XP and Vista, you're asked during installation whether you want
>> to
>> allow or disallow automatic updates.  If you breeze past that question,
>> then
>> - just like in XP and Vista - you can right-click on the little icon that
>> appears in your system tray (oops, I mean "notification area.")
>>
>
> OOh. I've never noticed the icon - what does it look like? I didn't
> do the install so had no say in the decision for work, but for my
> home PC I'd much rather decide if/when I do "upgrades" - I've had
> too mamy Windows upgrades kill my PC to the point of needing
> rebuiilds!

It looks like a rectangular pane of glass (a Window, maybe?) with an orange
halo orbiting it.  I don't see it on my machine at the moment (because I -
wait for it - turned off automatic updates when I installed), so I'm a
little fuzzy on whether it's a left-click, double-click, or right-click that
gets you the option to turn off the auto updates.
Regardless, here's a more direct way:
   Control Panel\System and Security\Windows Update\Change settings


 - Better wireless networking.  Coming out of sleep or hibernation, it used
> to take up to a minute and a half to connect to a known wireless network
>

I'll need to check that - I've just gotten used to going for a coffee when I
> boot up - it usually takes me around 5 minutes for everything to get
> started so I've never noticed the WiFi changes.


I was driving on the freeway a while back, talking to my sister on the phone
(hands-free!) when she mentioned that her computer was giving her trouble.
I exited and pulled into a Starbucks I'd used before (so my machine already
knew "attwifi7" or whatever it is).  I opened my laptop, signed in, and used
Chrome to sign into the AT&T captive portal; within less than a minute of my
butt hitting the banquette I was in Copilot.  She and I commiserated about
the good old days when at least I could have ordered my coffee before I had
to get down to work... 8-)


-- 
www.fsrtechnologies.com
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