Nerd/Boffin Technical corner. Page 38

Months ago I downloaded iMovie HD because I found iMovie(whatever comes with Snow Leopard) not as easy to use. Now I can't find the latter iMovie. Would the old iMovie have written over it? A folder remains in its place called "iMovie (previous version)".

When I downloaded iMovie HD I got it from Apple.com all legal n that. But now when I go to look for the latest version apparently iMovie '11 they want £10.50 for it. Would have thought it would be free seeing as it comes bundled with the OS.

Anyone know where I can get the original version from that comes with Snow Leopard?

Never mind.

This looks really interesting

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Now I just need to make my sons as enthusiastic about it as I am

Quote: Ishy @ January 14 2012, 9:08 AM GMT

This looks really interesting

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Now I just need to make my sons as enthusiastic about it as I am

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I'd like to draw attention to one cost in particular that really created problems for us in Britain. Simply put, if we build the Raspberry Pi in Britain, we have to pay a lot more tax. If a British company imports components, it has to pay tax on those (and most components are not made in the UK). If, however, a completed device is made abroad and imported into the UK - with all of those components soldered onto it - it does not attract any import duty at all. This means that it's really, really tax inefficient for an electronics company to do its manufacturing in Britain, and it's one of the reasons that so much of our manufacturing goes overseas. Right now, the way things stand means that a company doing its manufacturing abroad, depriving the UK economy, gets a tax break. It's an absolutely mad way for the Inland Revenue to be running things, and it's an issue we've taken up with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

My PC kept crashing, but seems to be OK (so far) in safe mode. What should I do next?

What happens when it crashes and when?

I get a blue window with a lot of little words telling me my hard drive might be busted.

Ah. Can reinstall Windows easily or do a restore point thing?

They are special programs that can analyze the health of your disk but I don't know what's best to recommend sorry.

I f**king hate that blue screen.

NO OFFENCE, BLUE SCREEN. PLEASE DON'T COME BACK.

Quote: zooo @ January 25 2012, 5:22 PM GMT

I f**king hate that blue screen.

NO OFFENCE, BLUE SCREEN. PLEASE DON'T COME BACK.

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Known in the trade as BSOD

Blue Screen of Death

Thanks for the replies, very helpful. The bluescreen told me I had "kernel data inpage error", I've tried the 'free' RegCure now, but it wants me to pay; but will it actually work, and is there a genuinely free one I could try instead? The web gives lots of suggestions, and I'm not sure which to pursue.

EDIT: AVG offer 24hours free, so I'm trying that.

Here's a website you might find useful - http://alternativeto.net/

Quote: Nogget @ January 25 2012, 4:26 PM GMT

My PC kept crashing, but seems to be OK (so far) in safe mode. What should I do next?

View original

The most likely culprit is either a driver of a new piece of equipment or an update to a driver of an existing piece of equipment. Use the Restore facility (start from the Windows HELP if you don't know where Restore is) to go back a few days & see if the problem disappears, if so install any driver updates one by one in the hope of finding which one is a problem.

Or it might be hardware; there the most likely culprit is that a cooling fan bearing has dried out and the fan labours to turn or is jammed completely.
If you are OK with opening your computer, switch off, make sure you ground yourself frequently (to discharge any static electricity (its there even if you think it isn't)). The fan can be fixed by taking the fan out, then peeling off the central label & putting a tiny blob of sewing-machine oil on the exposed bearing pin and spinning the blades by hand until they move smoothly.

Second most likely culprit is oxidization on a contact. Ease each memory DIMM strip out of its socket & then press it back; the movement cleans the contact. Do the same for each cable connector on the mother board, and each plug-in accessory card. I don't recommend trying to ease the connectors of the CPU itself unless you are very familiar with the task, because it is very tricky and you will also need some heat conducting grease when you put its heatsink back on.

I have seen computers, including my own sometimes, which have collected so much dust & fluff inside that they no longer cool properly and that can cause blue screens. It's best to BLOW the dust out with an air duster can or a 'vacuum cleaner' with the air pipe stuffed in the outlet instead of the inlet. Do this outdoors if there is a lot of dust & fluff. Try to make sure you blow all the fluff from the heatsink of the CPU and any heatsink on the video card.

Quote: billwill @ January 26 2012, 11:33 PM GMT

I have seen computers, including my own sometimes, which have collected so much dust & fluff inside that they no longer cool properly and that can cause blue screens. It's best to BLOW the dust out with an air duster can or a 'vacuum cleaner' with the air pipe stuffed in the outlet instead of the inlet. Do this outdoors if there is a lot of dust & fluff. Try to make sure you blow all the fluff from the heatsink of the CPU and any heatsink on the video card.

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I so agree with the last bit of billwill's statement that I'm fit to burst. My first computer died because I knew so little about PCs at the time, I was too afraid to open one and when I finally did, it looked like something out of Stig Of The Dump.

If you don't have a can of compressed air, then find an old toothbrush and gently get the gunk out of all the nooks and crannies, especially the fans. As billwill states, you need to be grounded, so after unplugging your computer completely and taking the cover off, make sure one of your hands is always touching the metal case.

I clean out my computer every two months now and I've had no problems.