Cyprus Hector

gas0line Thank you for your advice.

With the new iMac due to go on sale in December 12, does anyone consider the Mac to be a good way to go for a not to savvy user like myself? It's the "it just works' tag that attracts me.

I've read such mixed reviews that I'm undecided on the upgrade. I'm seriously thinking of just buying an iMac when the new models are on sale in December.

I recently upgraded my graphics card to the ATI Radeon HD 5850 which got an excellent review in PCPro magazine. There has just been an upgrade to the 6 series you may want to check out. The card is big and just fitted into my HP 6360 desktop PC. Have a look at Graphics cards | Reviews | PC Pro

Thanks for that advice. I rather fancy the Dell u3011 but very expensive(£1299 on Amazon) or the 2711 (£700) which is somewhat cheaper. Are they worth the money? Should I wait for improved models?

I went into BestBuy today but the monitor section was sparse to say the least. I spoke to one of the 'Geek Squad' and his response was that the reason for lack of monitors was simply that most people simply bought a TV as a monitor as he had done. There was no market for plain monitors. I assume he is correct. Is there any point in buying a plain monitor or is a decent HD TV just as good?

"I have dual Dells" Would you recommend them? How do you find having 2 monitors in practice? Is it 'how did I manage before?' Appreciate your comments.

PC Pro magazine (pcpro.co.uk) ran an article on graphics cards in it's November 2010 issue. I bought a new ATI Radeon 1Gb HD 5850 card it recommended as a result. £229 PCWorld online.

What would you buy around £400?

There is much discussion on what spec for a PC but little on monitors. I don't mind paying extra for good quality because it usually worth it in the end.

Did that work?

I'm currently using a LG 22" TV as a monitor and it's fine. I've bought a new i7 HP Win7 Home PC which has HDMI & Blueray player, upgraded the graphics card (to a Radeon HD 5850) and now fancy having 2 monitors. I'm retired so do play with my PC rather a lot for surfing, learning on how to use a PC i.e. Lynda.com, email, photo & video editing, Office 2010 documents, games (Call of Duty) etc Trouble is, looking at what monitor to buy is very confusing. I'm looking for a good quality 24" or larger monitor, hdmi & dv-i connections that will be the biz for what I want to use it for including playing blueray movies, games, video editing etc. What specifications, makes etc should I go for? Really appreciate any views, advice.

I wonder if your HDMI socket is working correctly. May be worth getting that checked out. I have a TV as a monitor and use the HDMI cable from my PC to that. I didn't play around with my bios settings nor have I altered Win 7 to 2 monitors as I only use the one. When I want to watch TV I simply use the input button on my TV remote to change from HDMI to TV or DTV.

How have you got on? Wondered if you have found the solution.

Thanks for that I've done as suggested but it still doesn't like my copy of Office although I have had it validated by phone so I know it's genuine. I really don't think Microsoft has got a grip on this.

I'm pleased to say that Amazon has refunded my money including postage. Lesson learned re buying software that's too cheap. I've now purchased Home & Business 2010 from PCWorld. I can see the difference with the Microsoft label and the disc itself as regards hologram. Trouble is, I've tried to authenticate the new copy through Microsoft genuine web page and it wont! Windows authenticates but not Office. Am I blacklisted by Microsoft now?

Thanks for the link. I've spent some time going round in circles on the Microsoft sites trying to actually have an online conversation with someone without success. I've tried the various 0800 phone numbers but none work. I've found a page that does talk about genuine & counterfeit software but it appears Office 2010 is far too recent to appear and certainly not part of any Microsoft replacement scheme. I'm losing the will to live...

Do you have a link for that please? Trying to find my way around Microsoft isn't proving helpful.

Oh and further to my post above, despite emailing Microsoft they haven't responded.

Amazon has replied I'm pleased to say unlike the seller. Amazon apologised for me having problems and of course doesn't allow counterfeit goods to be sold etc. I have to wait 3 working days before I can submit a claim for reimbursement under Amazons A-Z guarantee. I was surprised that they only allow you to have 5 'disputes' in your lifetime. I'm still surprised that I was able to install counterfeit Microsoft software, have it verified on line by Microsoft so it worked and then get updates without realising it was fake. If I hadn't seen the warning I would be totally unaware. So when would I have had problems or would Office stop working? I can't be the only person unknowingly using counterfeit Office 2010.

Thanks everyone. Reading Amazons dispute procedure I have to give the company concerned 3 working days to resolve the dispute before I can submit a dispute. Nowhere does it mention counterfeit goods which I would have thought Amazon would want to stamp on very quickly.

I did as you suggested and of course my copy of Office failed to be authenticated even though it had been when I installed it. I checked my copy of Windows 7 and that was fine. I presume that Amazon will help me. We shall find out.

Thanks for that. I've been to the site but I'm no further forward. The Microsoft websites keep referring to the software activation process on installation as being the time when a fake copy would show up. My copy has installed and activated. Can I assume that is it, my copy is genuine and I won't suddenly get Microsoft jumping on me at a later date to say they've decided it was fake after all? How come the ebay seller had a photo of the alleged fake serial number on the box that was identical to my copy?

I have just bought Microsoft Office professional 2010 through Amazon. I've loaded it and it's registered itself and it appears to be working ok. I have just seen a warning of fake copies by a seller on Ebay which contained a photo of the fake copy seal etc and it's identical to mine. SEALED Microsoft Office 2010 Professional - Commercial on eBay (end time 12-Aug-10 17:32:08 BST) The seller claims my copy is genuine. How can I find out if my copy is genuine?

Have you checked that the TV is set to the right input channel i.e an AV channel? Once the HDMI lead is plugged in to your PC and the TV, your PC should know which monitor it's using without changing your bios. Mine worked fine with just plugging the lead in and checking the input channel on the TV rather like plugging in a DVD player.