Tom Cat

I used to able to click on a hyperlink in excel and it would automatically open in a IE web browser to a product webpage of our suppliers. If I had not logged in that session to our suppliers website it would ask to log in and then open on the product webpage. Once logged in it would automatically open on a product webpage without further log-ins. I could then click through my excel version of their online catalogue and each product page would open on their website. I believe IE updates have now prevented this and it makes my job harder now. Interestingly if the same link is pasted in an Outlook email window it will open automatically in an IE web browser to a product webpage as it did before on my excel ss. I tried in other applications: It does not work from Word. It does not work from PowerPoint. It does not work from Mozilla or Chrome or Safari Please help.

Well, not literally! OK, I nearly bought this spec last night, as I do like the reviews I've read. But before I do, could you recommend a higher level processor and motherboard I could have if I upgraded what I already have and if you think I could keep some of what I currently have. My current system is an upgraded Dell Dimension 9150 which is nearly 3 years old: -Dimension 9150 Viiv PD 940 processor Dual Core (3.20GHz, 800FSB, 2x2MB) -4MB Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz (4x1GB) Memory (Crucial) -NVIDIA GeForce 8600GTS 256MB -Samsung 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive -HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 320GB 3.5" SATA Internal Hard Disk Drive (Just bought as system crashed) -16x max. DVD+/-RW Drive -Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme music card -PSU 375w -DELL 2007FPW Wide Screen TFT It is now very slow and it cannot cope with the CAD drgs I produce now. I am told an ATX Motherboard will fit in the case. Any feedback would be appreciated. Regards Tom Cat

OK guys thanks for your replies. I will read and digest each component part over the weekend. Regards Tom Cat

New Computer Spec? Thanks for your reply. My thought was to buy all new at near latest spec, as my current PC is over 3 yrs old. I was hoping to sell it to raise some cash towards the new machine. The reason I added the HDD statement was when selecting a new Dell business computer the HDD options start off quite large and way over what I require. My current usage is 45GB of a 150GB drive and 12GB of a 75GB drive. So I would rather spend the money on speed and not capacity. I do want to include 2x new HDD's in the price. Yes sorry, by saying 'a new base unit upgrade' what I meant was a complete new base unit, as I have upgraded my monitor, keyboard & mouse to match my needs, so they are to be excluded from the spend. Monitoring my software usage I tend to have AutoCAD, Outlook, Explorer, Internet Explorer, Acrobat and Excel running all the time, flicking back and forth quite often, so multi-threading / multi-tasking quite a bit. My email is full of large attachments on a daily basis, which I guess is slowing me up, but I need to have them available for reference. I use my media centre remote to control movie watching and this is essential to shut down my computer from bed. With such good discounts around at the moment I thought I'd try and get a good deal on a high spec machine, as I need to turn work around pretty quick. I hope this gives a better understanding of my needs. Thanks for your time! Regards Tom Cat

I don’t know if anyone can help? I want to buy / build a computer somewhere between Mid-range to High end, essentially to run AutoCAD for 2D and 3D on a daily basis, which I want to run very fast, even overcapacity. (For future upgrades) It will also be used as a media PC as I play movies on PowerDVD through DVI-I to HDMI my Sony 42” LCD in my bedroom. So I want to ensure it can play HD content to its best ability with all the HDCP etc. Ideally I would like to run two 20” LCD’s one for email / Excel and the other for CAD, but I have the second DVI slot taken for movie watching. I don’t need large capacity hard drives as I tend to remove large finished projects to DVD, but want superfast access to CAD files. I currently have C: Drive 150GB and D: Drive 75GB as a back up drive for my work, only half full. When I look at business machines they have different processors than an equivalent home machine for movie watching etc, which is where I get confused. I also share my computer on a home network that allows another computer to print to the printer attached to my machine. I want to ensure this “connection” has enough capacity to not slow my computer too much. I don’t use my computer for gaming, but I still want it to work very fast and show the best picture and create the best sound it can for movies. I don’t understand what parts of the computer I need to dedicate towards getting faster loading of CAD files, faster 3D renders and orbits. Would any one like to write a spec for me? I am only looking for a new base unit upgrade as I have Logitech Wave keyboard and an MX Revolution mouse. 32bit or 64 bit? I can spend up to £800. I currently use a Dell, but found out component parts have bits missing here and there and are not the same spec if you bought it from retail. Regards Tom Cat