. · • Limekilns Parish Church - Webmaster • · .

The Webmaster

This page is packed with lots of advice about your PC. There are the random tips at the top and a lot more information further down the page.

Ever wondered who The Webmaster is? Well, everything you couldn't care less about is on this page.

Anyway, this is me, and I am the one who is responsible for the content of the Limekilns Parish Church web site.

Mrs. Webmaster and I moved to Charlestown in December 2005. We have both worked, in Africa, with Mercy Ships, together we lead the New Life Service and also run a house-group at our home every second Thursday.

A few things about me which you might not know (and probably won't care - The Webmaster).

I used to hand-cut glass paperweights.
I like heavy rock music
I love useless pieces of information
I make rock buns and pancakes for house group
I can do a Rubik cube in less than 3 minutes

And, I have a tendency to take things less seriously than I possibly should, which might explain some of the little asides which are littered throughout the site. (Just because you go to church doesn't mean you have to be completely boring - The Webmaster)

PC Hints and Tips

For PC tips and advice, go to the top of this page and click the refresh button on the browser, and the tip will change to a new one.

I have also written articles for the Village Link Magazine which are available on the Village Link page. Most of the information in these articles is still relevant today.

There are more tips here and further down this page.

Browser Options Screen

You may have noticed recently a new icon on your desktop. It will be called the Browser Options Screen, but what is it?

Apart from being really annoying, as far as I am concerned it serves no useful purpose. Those of us who already use different browsers will still do so and those who don't will be confused by the choices.

This screen gives you the opportunity to install a different web browser on your PC, but if you don't already have one, how is this screen going to help you. After all, if you only use Internet Explorer you probably won't know what the difference is between the available choices; they are not all the same and I wouldn't recommend using some of them.

Fortunately for me, I never use Windows Automatic updates so have never had this on any of my machines. However, I have seen it on a few of my customer's machines. Usually I stop it running because most of my customers have Firefox already and it is unlikely they will need anything else. My advice would be, if you don't know what the difference between them is, don't install any.

Internet Explorer 8

Another confusing thing are the choices you are offered when Internet Explorer 8 starts. There are all sorts of things you have to decide upon, but what are they?

My short answer is that I have no idea what half of them do and I am guessing that neither will most other people. When I installed IE 8 on my machine, I switched off all of the options and updates and everything works as it did before. That being said though, I do most of my browsing with Firefox anyway. Internet Explorer is much slower than Firefox and these improvements seem to slow it down even more. Microsoft do say it makes things more secure, but I haven't had any problems by not installing any of the rubbish they wanted me to.

dodgy emails

If you get an email which claims to be from some official organisation which wants you to click some link or other, ask yourself if this is likely! E.g. Microsoft are not going to email you to tell you there is a problem with a file. You won't have won a fortune on a lottery you didn't enter. The bank does not want you to go a random web page and enter all of you bank details. And, no matter how many times you forward the heart-wrenching email you were sent, nobody is tracking it or giving anything to charity.

What are Netbooks and are they any good?

Netbooks are basically small laptops. They usually have a less powerful processor and around a 10" screen; this can vary but the basic ones fit this criteria.

If all you want to do is go on the internet and do office type tasks - Word, Excel or such things - a Netbook should do exactly what you want. They are small, do basic stuff quite well, the battery can last for several hours and they don't cost a lot. There are exceptions to that though and some Netbooks can be a bit more expensive. Personally, I think if you're going to spend more than £300 on one, get a laptop.

They do come with a variety of operating systems installed but my advice would be get one with Windows XP if you can. The version of Windows 7 which is on some is the lowest version and will use a lot more system resources than XP. Unless you know what you are doing do not get one with LINUX on it. There is nothing wrong with Linux, but it does require more experience to get the most out of it.

If you are going to want to play a few games or maybe edit pictures or sound files, a Netbook might struggle to cope so you need to be sure. I bought one for my son at the end of 2009 and it still runs well and does exactly what he wants to do.

Worth noting though is that they DO NOT have a CD drive and it is unlikely they will come with recovery discs. Most require you to back up the OS when you get it so that you can reinstall from that if you need to. If you do get one, do the back up or you might find it costs an awful lot to reinstall the OS later.

so what about windows 7

Windows 7 has been out now for a few months but is it as good as Microsoft would like you to think?

It is fair to say that so far the overall impression is favourable. I have had it on my laptop since the end of November and so far it hasn't crashed or given me any cause for concern. It did take a bit of fiddling, but I got it onto my home network and connected to my printer. All the programs which worked when it had Vista still work with 7.

I have configured it to stop doing some of the annoying things, e.g. I told it NOT to make me have to click continue every time I did even the smallest thing like rename some programs. I also switched off those pesky 'Balloon Tips' - you know? The ones which tell you that you have unused icons on your desktop and the like.

On the installs of Windows 7 I have seen, Windows Defender is switched off, which doesn't make a ot of sense. It's pretty straight forward to switch it on but why isn't it on already? There also isn't an email client like Outlook Express, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem either as there are other programs available and webmail is better anyway.

I recently installed it onto a two year old desktop and it sorted out all the issues the person had when the PC had Vista!

If you intend buying a new PC soon, I would say, unless you intend using some relatively unknown programs or are adding very high-end hardware, that Windows 7 should do what you want without much trouble; it's a lot like Vista, only without all the bugs!! However, if you have a Dell machine, you could be stuck with Vista. Dell do strange things to the BIOS on their machines which makes installing 7 less than straightforward and in many cases, it simply won't work. They do offer to sell you a new machine if your's cannot take Windows 7; that's big of them!

it just appeared one day!!

Despite my article in the Summer '08 Village Link (Available for download on this site - The Webmaster), I STILL see PCs where I have noticed something on the desktop which looked suspicious to me. When I asked the owner if they installed it many say, "No, it just appeared on day!".

Sometimes an icon may appear on the desk top which wasn't there before. Ask yourself where did it come from? Sometimes you might get a window appearing, usually saying you are infected with something or other. Unless this comes from you Anti-Virus program, it is more than likely not only bogus, but an infection claiming to be something which will help you.

It is important that you DO NOT CLICK IT - ANYWHERE!. That means don't even click the red cross in the corner. If you click on it, you will likely bring in further infections My advice would be to disconnect from the internet and then restart the PC.

Sometimes these windows claim to be a Windows Security Alert or words to that affect. In most cases, this is highly unlikely. What is more likely is that they are wanting you to click them, which will bring in an infection. Then, surprise surprise, they will ask you to buy their product which will, they claim, fix the problem. Main thing here is that any problems which now exist were caused by them in the first place; or to be more precise, caused by You when you clicked the pop up window in the first place.

sending group emails

Would you let me put your email address on the church web site?
Would you lend me your address book so I can show it to my friends?
Is it OK if I put your phone number on the web site?

Probably not to the first two and maybe not to the third as well. Why then do people continually send emails to groups of people and give everyone in that group, everyone else's email address?

Some people think this is an unnecessary inconvenience and it doesn't make any difference. They couldn't be more wrong!!

Spybots and robots trawl the internet constantly looking for ways to exploit people, and one thing they do is check for emails and addresses so they can propogate infections and SPAM. Many people get an awful lot of SPAM and also get their machine infected and then complain about both.

By sending, and allowing others to send emails where everyone's address is visible to every reipient of the email can be a contributing factor.

What's the solution I hear you ask! STOP DOING IT! As some people will be aware, when I get an email which has several addresses visible and mine is one, I politely ask the sender not to do it. I also ask people NOT to send me the latest verse/joke/picture or whatever it is that they think is hilarious and which has forwarded several times already. I don't want junk mail, I don't want to be called several times a day by someone selling kitchens and I don't want my inbox full of rubbish.

Don't simply accept that this is going to happen and is OK. It's not OK and you can stop it.

Of course, you might be perfectly happy to receive these things and if that is the case then there's no problem. However, if you are someone who sends them, do you ever ask people whose address you have if they want to receive them. Just because someone has given you their email address does not mean you are invited to send them every piece of junk you get sent; ask them first if they want it.

Consider the following Definition of Spam:
"The recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND, the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent" So, are you guilty of sending SPAM?

Did you know that more than 80% of home PCs are infected with some sort of virus or spyware?

If your PC is running much slower than it used to, it could be caused by a few things - see my article in the Autumn '08 edition of Village Link, (Aslo available for download on this site - The Webmaster). Many times it is either very short on RAM and/or there are a lot of things running which don't need to. If it is one of these, it can be helped to speed up fairly easily and cheaply and you will notice a huge difference.

other sundry tips

If your PC won't start, Get your data off it before you run any recovery discs. Just because it won't start, does not mean your data can't be saved. It is usually quite simple to get the data from a drive as long as the actual drive is not damaged.

Keep your OS and security programs up-to-date. I still see PCs with Windows XP Service Pack 1. This is not a secure operating system and should by updated immediately. But how do I know if I still only have Service Pack 1 Webmaster? Good question. The easiest way to tell is to watch your PC start up. There are small coloured lights which go from left to right as it loads. If the lights are green, you have SP1, if they are blue, you have SP2 or SP3. This only applies to XP machines. Vista currently has green lights, with or without SP1. There are other ways but this is one of the easiest.

If you have a PC with one of the expensive security programs installed, but you haven't paid for the subscription since it expired, you are at serious risk of infection. There are new threats out all the time and your security programs and OS must be updated regularly to make them effective. Remember though, you don't have to pay for security programs, there are some very good, free programs, if you know where to look.

If you are thinking about replacing an ageing PC but don't want to go to Windows Vista, don't worry just yet. It is still possible to get PCs and laptops with XP. XP machines are still available but are getting harder to find, plus they might cost a little more. However, it is worth mentioning that Vista is not as bad as many people say it is. I have Vista on my laptop and have had no problems in the last two years. Also, when XP came out, there were the same scare-mongering people who condemned it back then!

If you are replacing a PC, what it is going to be used for might make a big difference.

If it is just for Office type stuff and browsing the internet, then an entry level PC can be bought for less than £400, and that will include a monitor. However, if the kids want to play things like The Sims, you are going to need, at least, a better processor, more RAM and and a much better graphics card; it could make as much as £200 difference. (Kids Eh? You can't live with them, yet they're everywhere - The Webmaster)

In my opinion, there are certain types of processor which should avoided in any new PC as it can cost as little as £30 more to get a good one. Bottom line is get advice first!

What about Broadband?

I am not going to plug any particular ISP (internet Service Provider) as you should look at your own requirements and decide from there. However, I would say that I have just left Tiscali/Pipex because of some shocking service and gone to BT.

Some companies offer really good deals but most are dependant on having their own equipment in the exchange. Unfortunately, in Limekilns and Charlestown, we are on an exchange which is unlikely to support these better deals for quite a while. That means some of the really good deals like O2 are not going to be an option. However, there are still some good options available.

Don't go for a package which offers you more than you are going to use as it will probably be more expensive and therefore wasting money. If all you want is broadband, just get broadband. If you are not going to watch TV or make internet calls, don't pay for such a package. For example, the package I have gives me broadband, line rental and free calls 24/7, but you might not need free calls through the day!

What about Wireless?

Wireless broadband connections are great when they work, and to be fair, they do work most of the time.

However, there can be times when your wireless connection is causing real problems. It might be a low signal, you could be losing the signal all together, or you may get told you have limited connectivity. This often happens when Windows resets the IP address to 169.xxx.xxx.xxx instead of the 192.168.x.x you should have. This often happens when Windows takes too long to find the router and it then sets a Windows IP address. That is the cause, but it can happen for no apparent reason and is very frustrating. Most times I have seen this has been when a PC has been made wireless by adding either a wireless card or a USB adaptor.

I have come across several machines which have displayed this problem and getting them to hold the connection can be problematic; if the machine is connecting, it is difficult to diagnose what is causing it to drop, and when it drops, it usually can't even see the network.

One of the best, and easiest fixes, is to connect to the router using you electric cabling. There are a few different makers who supply devices for this and like most things, some are better than others for a variety of reasons. The ones I use require no setting up - you just plug them in and they work! Main thing is that just because you are one of those who keeps losing your signal, there can be a relatively inexpensive fix.

If you have been with the same ISP for years and are still using a USB ADSL MODEM, you should get in touch with your ISP and get them to send you a free router; it is unlikely that the ADSL MODEM will work if you get a new PC with Windows 7. If they tell you it will cost you to get it or they will have to increase your package, tell them you are going to cancel and go somewhere else where you can get a free router. I haven't heard of any one who will want to lose you as a customer for the price of a free router!

Free laptops?

I have been asked a few times about these free laptops which some companies offer. In most cases, you are going to be paying around £35 per month for mobile wireless and usually for a minimum contract of 18 months, which is around £630. You can get basic broadband for as little as £15 per month and only £7 for the first three months of that for a minimum 12 month contract. Even carrying that on for the 18 months, it is only around £260, which is around £400 less than the free laptop deal.

If you really need mobile broadband, my recommendation would be to get a basic Pay-As-You-Go mobile broadband package, then buy a basic laptop for around £360 and get a lot of sweets with the money left over.

If you are not sure about anything, or just want some help, I would be happy to give free advice via email, my email address is at the foot of every page

The web site

I wanted to contribute something to the church, so in 2006 I offered to build and maintain this web site and, after working on it for while, uploaded it on February 21^st, 2007. Since then, it has grown quite a bit and now gets around than 1,500 visitors a month.

The Limekilns Church web site is gradually growing into a complete record of information about our church.

The site itself has several scripts running which do a few things automatically. E.g. the PC tips at the top of this page and the service times on every page. The verse of the day script on the home page checks to see which month it is, then calls an array of verses and puts the correct one on screen. This takes its readings from your PC's clock, so if your clock it not set to the correct date, you will get a different verse to everyone else. This script lets me input the verses for several months in advance. There are similar scripts running on other pages; e.g. random quotes on the Worship page.

If, for any reason, you don't have Javascript enabled on your browser, you won't get this information.

If there is anything you would like to see added to the site, let me know.

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