Plastic Nev

Hi Steve, I hadn't seen this earlier so gave some instructions in the original thread for you. (don't disable the pad unless you have a USB mouse plugged in, you can't do anything otherwise) http://extremetechsupport.com/threads/15906-Solved-Are-these-two-compatible?p=104358&viewfull=1#post104358 Nev.

Hi Steve if you get back to see this, two things, both from Control Panel, If you wish to use an external USB mouse and not the touch pad, open the control panel and click on "Mouse", in the window that opens click the "Device settings" tab, you should find a button to disable the touch pad in there. Quite a few other settings there as well, depending who made the touch pad device, you may also find a sensitivity control. (Don't disable the pad unless you have a USB mouse plugged in, otherwise you won't be able to control anything or even re-enable it) Second one again in control Panel, click Windows updates, then in the left hand column click on "Change settings", You will see a drop down menu, select "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them" That way you get a notification there are updates, and also the chance to refuse things like the Bing toolbar. Nev.

Hi, first check your installed programs as being Microsofts own they sometimes included Windows Movie maker. If you have the full Windows Live package installed it will be somewhere in that. If not, it can be downloaded from here :- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-live/movie-maker#t1=overview If you haven't used a video editor at all before there is a short video tutorial you can watch here :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZZij3NNyVg There is quite a lot of stuff in the video you won't be needing to bother with, however he does give a Microsoft address at the end of it for further information. If you have already converted all the video to AVI, it doesn't matter, Windows Movie maker will work with that, though I think it may be able to handle the video in its original format any way. No harm in trying it. Now here is the handy bit that I had forgotten about, once you have stitched say a couple of the video's together, you can send them directly to burn a DVD, though I suspect it will link directly to Windows DVD maker. You will see a brief mention of burning to DVD at the end of the tutorial. If going to a DVD disk, you can actually join quite a few together as the capacity of them is much bigger than a CD disk. As far as the message about that failure you had where it asked you to check if the burner was connected after a previously successful burn, it may sound daft but it may require a reboot of the computer to reset things. I have looked up problems with the Windows DVD maker, and there are quite a lot of different things reported across many help forums and looks to be a bit of a nightmare. So if you were contemplating making a few hundred DVD's a week, it would prompt you to go and buy Nero or some other Pro third party DVD burning software. However, as this is a sort of one off I won't recommend that and lets see what we can do or struggle along with the free stuff. Nev.

A couple of things I need to ask, first is how big is each video file after conversion to WMV format, are they larger than 700MB? Secondly, do they have to be able to be played on a DVD player at some point or will they only ever be played using any form of computer with a disk drive? If larger than 700MB after conversion, they will have to go on a DVD disk. If they do need to be playable on a DVD player, then in the DVD format is best. However, if less than the 700MB and the requirement to play on a stand alone player doesn't apply, they can be made into VCD, or Video Compact Disks, using ordinary CD-R disks. Some, but not all earlier DVD players can handle VCD disks any way, so that may be another option for you. However they will still have to be converted from that original format to either AVI or WMV. If all the individual files are fairly small they could all be edited together into one full video using Windows Movie maker, the file output from that is always in WMV format, and the good thing is that Windows Movie Maker is a free download from Microsoft. Let us know if needing a bit more help or information. Nev.

For other forum members advice. Various big stores are getting famous for this ploy of trying to push extended warranty/insurance on products they sell. Even though you may be as explicit as possible in informing the sales staff you do not want this, they still try to sneak it through. The only thing I can say and advise, is right at the point of sale to watch for and be ready to stop any additions put onto the bill and till receipt before leaving. I even had one member of staff try to persuade me to have it by saying you can always ring up and cancel it when you get home. By that he meant ring my bank and cancel the direct debit, not the store. If I had done it that way, he would still have got his commission as it is their commission they want to earn by pushing these deals through. Nev.

Hi, I reckon the best bet is to wait till you get that Windows 7 disk, install it and you may find the LAN works OK, being the better operating system that it is, it just might have the correct generic drivers that will work with the hardware. Let us know how you get on with it, and if needed we will go further. Nev.

Thanks for the feed back and glad it worked OK. Just to put the icing on the cake as it were, three years back a rather large big wheel came to my town, and decided it would be nice to get a video of it going round with all the lights on, so here is the video that is also now on a DVD disk. it isn't that exciting as I only took the video from the ground. Now wishing I had bee riding it. Nev.

I will make another post in case you have seen the above. It turns out I was mistaken, Windows DVD maker appears to not work with the DVD format, I tried again with success with my video in the AVI format. From the specification for Windows DVD maker it will handle quite a few formats and burn them to a blank, however the format of your video is .VOB which it cannot handle, the other format additions you mention are only small information files so you can ignore them, just use the AVC (Any Video Converter) as I mentioned to convert the whole file to AVI, or WMV format first, Windows DVD maker should then work with that. Just in case you aren't sure if you are using the Windows DVD maker correctly, there is a full explanation here :- http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/54090-windows-dvd-maker-how-use.html Nev.

Hi, in theory converting all to DVD format should work. I am wrong, see the next post please. However as an experiment I tried a video, converted it, sent it to Windows DVD burner, where it accepted everything and commenced, however, a window came up saying "Encoding" Please wait. it got as far as 3.7% and hasn't moved since, I do know encoding can take some time, but it has been stuck at that for more than two hours. Whether there is something wrong with my version of Windows DVD maker as yet not sure. So, I will next look into a different DVD burning solution as it is not something I have done much of in the past, always kept the file on the computer or uploaded to Youtube. The few times I have burned video was actually to a CD as a Video CD, the video's involved were never that large to warrant DVD sizes. However I will give my system another hour or so before closing and looking for other means to create DVD's. We both seem to be stuck here, so if nothing happens to my set up in another hour or so, I will look into using a different DVD burning software. Nev.

Hi Mokles, It may well be in a format that isn't recognised, what is at the end of the file title, is it MOV, AVI, or something different? You may have to convert it to a different format as the Windows DVD maker does need the file to be in a DVD type format any way. I use the free version of AVC download it from here, http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/ Make sure you click for the free version download, not the ultimate version. Check and make sure there are no other unwanted things during installation, (I was asked if I wanted "Real Player" so removed the tick last time I updated it) then once installed and opened choose the file output type from the drop down menu on the top right, in your case you need to scroll down and select DVD PAL, Next is to click the small cog shaped icon, again top right, and select the folder you wish the converted file to go into. (Otherwise it creates its own folder which may be hard to find later) then find the file you want and set it to "convert now" The converted file should then work with Windows DVD maker. Nev.

Hi Ray. Strangely enough I had a run of phishing mails some time early 2012 last year, nothing as bad as one or more a day mind, but it has dried up again and haven't had one for nearly twelve months. These scammers harvest e mail addresses from all sorts of sources, hence why we edit them out when a member inadvertently posts theirs, unfortunately, apart from closing the account and creating a fresh account with a different address, not a lot can be done about it. When the scammers realise you are not biting, they do eventually stop. In the mean time have a look here for further advice and a means to report these phishing mails. http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/office-workers-swamped-by-phishing-emails-jan13 Nev.

Hi, thanks for the update on where you are at so far, just take your time and makes sure you understand everything before starting the actual install. Any problems do let us know, we are here to help. Nev.

Further to this thread for those who have experience in dismantling electronic equipment, I have found recently that at least two manufacturers, namely Acer and Dell do provide pretty useful service manuals which give full instructions for complete dismantling of most models of laptops. There may well be other manufacturers do the same, and a search on Google will usually find them for you. A hint is to type into the search bar, for example "Acer Aspire 5*** service manuals" You should then find a relevant manual in the quite long list that comes up. There is also a very helpful laptop repair website, the author of it regularly includes new articles as well. http://www.laptoprepair101.com/ I have no connection to this guy, I just found the site some time since and made note of how useful it is. Nev.

He Getnet, this is a quite old thread, if none of the suggestions above will work for you, please start a new thread so it will be noticed by someone who may have an answer for you. Nev.

Hi, not familiar with any of these portable devices, especially W8.1 and certainly not the RT. However, can it connect at all with the network, and if so transfer files? If yes to that, is it not possible to transfer an Office document to one of the computers, then print from that? Or even take screen shot and transfer as a JPG picture or photo file? Just suggestions is all. Nev.

Hi Steve, up Preston New Road , near what was the Fox and Grapes. I do know of that shop and quite a few more, though I only mentioned those I have used for various odds and ends. In fact the town is full of various computer or other related dealers, not to mention the various second hand shops that sometimes sell laptops and other stuff. Nev.

Hi Steve, next time your Mrs drags you round Asda, nip down the ramp to have a look in Maplin's they will have enclosures, and maybe also a docking station or two, no need to actually buy from them unless you see a decent offer, but at least it will give you an idea of what you are looking for. PC World out at Whitebirk will also have enclosures worth at least a price comparison. You could also call in at Park on Darwen street, they do decent deals and you can park at the back of their shop. Plenty of other places worth a look, the guy on the market comes to mind too. (Comes in handy when we are both in the same town LOL) Nev.

Nice one Ken, didn't know you had a wood spinning tool (lathe) I am more a metal worker and not that good with wood, you can't weld it. Nev.

Hi, further to KenB's advice, we do not normally tell anyone to do repair work on laptops due to the complex dismantling required, which without the right knowledge can easily result in something breaking. However, if you have prior knowledge of complex dismantling and re-assembly and are prepared to risk it, Dell do provide a manual with full instructions in it. The manual can be downloaded from here :- http://www.dell.com/support/Manuals/us/en/19/product/vostro-3750 I have had a look myself, and although it does mean a quite large amount of work, it doesn't seem too difficult to be able to access and replace the cables or complete screen. If however you are unsure at all about doing this work, we do recommend taking it to a reputable repairer. We cannot be held responsible should you do some damage, the above information is supplied for information purposes only. Nev.

Hi Steve, Sorry to be asking questions rather than give any answers, but we do need to know some things first. So, which operating system is or was on it do you know? The spec I have seen suggests Vista and 64bit capable. Is it still working or what is the problem that made you get another hard drive? Thirdly and quite important, do you know which type of BIOS it has? What I can tell you is that from the spec I found, you should be able to run Windows 7 64bit on it with little trouble, providing you use its existing hard drive. This is why I ask about the BIOS system, if it has the Acer InsydeH20 or similar you will have trouble getting it to accept a different hard drive. The reason is that it is actually the newer UEFI system, not the old BIOS if indeed it has Acer InsydeH20. That system has built in security which prevents a different hard drive from being recognised. The only way to change hard drives is with exactly the same make, model, and capacity as the one already in it, and even then it may recognise a later serial number and refuse it. (Not too sure about the last) The only reason I know about this problem is I have an Aspire 5935G, I tried to fit a bigger and different make drive, it wouldn't accept it due to the security. As yet not found a way round it either. This is the specifications I found for your model, unfortunately doesn't tell us the BIOS or UEFI type. http://www.cnet.com/laptops/acer-aspire-5920/4507-3121_7-32461074.html Edit to add, I have now found a full service manual for the 5920G, if yours is with the "G" fine, if not hopefully this may be near enough, the good news is it may be the Phoenix BIOS, which will mean you shouldn't have a problem changing the drive, being the older BIOS system it won't have the same security as the later UEFI system. Here is the link to the manual :- http://www.scribd.com/doc/15021242/Aspire-5920-Service-Manual Nev.

Just to add to all the good advice so far, there is also Kingsoft Office if not too happy with Open Office. Kingsoft do a free version and a pro paid for, however I find the free version is more than good enough and prefer it to Open Office as it is a little more compatible with Microsofts Office and Microsofts Works Word. http://www.kingsoftstore.com/ Nev.

Further to answering Kens question which will be a help to know. After that and just in case the original system wasn't fully reformatted, there may also be quite a lot of files and folders labelled Windows Old, they also will be taking up space, let us know if you find any labelled as such. Also if you can't see the extra files that are building up they may be hidden folders and files. To be able to see them, and please do this only as a temporary thing and revert back to hidden afterwards as being hidden is a level of security. Click the start then type in the search bar Folder Options. and click on "Folder Options". Click the view tab and scroll down the list to Hidden files and folders, then transfer the dot to "Show hidden files and folders" You will probably see a lot of folders and files with odd names after that, don't as yet delete any as some may be vital for the system to work, however do let us know what you do find so hopefully we can advise what to remove or delete. Nev.

I got all questions correct, which it acknowledged, but no other result, I would have though there would be some time element involved as well. I did take my time to be sure I understood the question first, then when a bit of simple math was needed, I am always a little slower than most LOL. Nev.

Hi Ian, it still may be a blocked IP address at Active Shooters end as well. Your mobile phone will no doubt have a different IP address that isn't blocked. However considering you have sent e mail to both them and Sky, it is a matter of wait and see, at least for now you know you can use your phone, though watch your credits as some phone companies charge and quite heavily for internet use. Nev.

Hi, that means the disk you have is the original Windows 7 and somehow the installed Windows 7 has managed to get service pack 1 installed. Have you been in touch with the guys who put your motherboard in and did the other upgrades? If they are a reputable company, and wishing to keep a good name, they should have an up to date disk and be able to do it all for you at minimal charge or at best for free. Worth asking them before tying yourself up trying to do it yourself and risking getting it wrong. However to go further yourself now, it will mean downloading and burning a disk with that service pack 1 as part of it from the links within the article I linked to. However, if service pack 1 has managed to install, it does make me wonder why it cannot now download newer updates. I am hoping that a download of the latest version with service pack 1 can be used OK to repair it, and hopefully solve the problem. Nev.