The Tech Thread

[Undefeated Steak]

Another bit of tech help please.

Family member got a smart TV in September. A Sharp TV from Currys/PC World. It was freezing whenever we tried connecting to the internet, and it kept switching itself off - I rang the helpline and tried running some basic diagnostics (just a couple of reset things with the remote) - person on the helpline said we'd have to take it in store for a repair. We did that and it's come back with the exact same fault. We've just had a TV repair man come out and he said we're going to have to get it replaced.

Before going into store though, what rights do we have to get a new TV? Family member doesn't have a paid insurance plan from Currys for it but I assume it comes under warranty. Are we legally entitled to a new TV, or are they allowed to take it and repair it again (family member will be without a TV again while it gets repaired and probably comes back with the same fault)? Ideally they'd like a new TV/refund to put towards another one?

Thanks.  

[Chest Rockwell]

So, on this Wi-Fi issue.. I have virgin and their 5ghz hub. The things I have plugged in via Ethernet are fine but the Wi-Fi drops connection constantly. As in, it shows I'm connected to the Wi-Fi but it just doesn't connect to the internet unless I wait a while, or quickly turn Wi-Fi off and back on on my phone. It's a real nuisance.

Would a decent router fix that problem? Is this problem something abnormal that virgin should be able to fix? I have tried to talk to them but they were pretty useless. I could try again if it is worth it though.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Chest Rockwell

[Onyx2]

52 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Wi-Fi drops connection constantly. As in, it shows I'm connected to the Wi-Fi but it just doesn't connect to the internet unless I wait a while, or quickly turn Wi-Fi off and back on on my phone. 

I don't own one of these but it sounds like it has an idle timeout set. I've googled it and can't see the setting, do they allow you to access your router setup through a Web browser? If so look for that setting. 

[Chest Rockwell]

I'll have a look! It's something that only started happening a couple months back, but has been happening consistently since it started. At the tumour I thought it was due to the number of devices connected as my aunt was staying with us. But it has continued since she left..

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, Chest Rockwell said:

At the tumour

 

[seph]

On 5/26/2019 at 9:28 AM, Ralphy said:

Sorry to say but the VM hub is indeed shite, i use my own router with the hub being used as the modem 

My router is gathering moss as port switching is a balls-pain and certain games can't decide what NAT type it wants me to be. Plus Maplins tanked so I couldn't get refunded.

[Rossman]

13 hours ago, Undefeated Steak said:

Another bit of tech help please.

Family member got a smart TV in September. A Sharp TV from Currys/PC World. It was freezing whenever we tried connecting to the internet, and it kept switching itself off - I rang the helpline and tried running some basic diagnostics (just a couple of reset things with the remote) - person on the helpline said we'd have to take it in store for a repair. We did that and it's come back with the exact same fault. We've just had a TV repair man come out and he said we're going to have to get it replaced.

Before going into store though, what rights do we have to get a new TV? Family member doesn't have a paid insurance plan from Currys for it but I assume it comes under warranty. Are we legally entitled to a new TV, or are they allowed to take it and repair it again (family member will be without a TV again while it gets repaired and probably comes back with the same fault)? Ideally they'd like a new TV/refund to put towards another one?

Thanks.  

It depends on the companies policy. If it's in warranty it's either repair or replace. If they can't repair it, they will replace it. If you tell them, it has the same fault as before it was repaired. You stand a good chance of getting a replacement.

 

 

For those with Wi-Fi issues. Have you tried going into your routers settings and changing the wireless channel? They are usually set to auto.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I'm getting a "HTTP ERROR 403" message on the tracker on Utorrent. Only happens on XWT-Classics, though. Nowhere else. Any help, lads? I feel like PunkSteps cock at the minute.

[Stinky Dad]

After a spot of advice.

Macbooks. 

So I’ve had use of one for the past month or so through work and now I want one. Mainly to use for work related bits and bobs such as video and audio editing. I’m a novice when it comes to most things Apple related (I have an iPhone and iPad) but I’m a very eager to learn. 

Ive been looking at refurbished Macbook’s On the Apple store but still a little more expensive than I’d like to pay given I don’t know if I’ll actually use it to its full spec. The model I had at work was the Early 2015 Pro, I’ve struggled to find that on most other refurb sites. They’re either earlier models or as per Apple 2017. Financing is an option if I end up going to the official site or Currys for a new one (they’ve got an offer on a 2017 MacBook Air at the mo around £750.)

If we’re talking budget then I reckon, preferably,  I could stretch to around £500. 

Basically, what I want to know is have you ever bought a refurb model? Do you know any trusted sites? Anything I need to be wary of or avoid? Pro or Air? Will a noob like me miss out on anything amazing if opting for an earlier model? 

Any and all advice is greatly received, cheers. 

Edited August 28, 2019 by Stinky Dad

[Your Fight Site]

I much prefer the pre-Touch Bar ones to the ones with. I have a 2015-ish model at home, but got a new model when I started a new job last year.

The keyboard doesn’t feel as nice as my older one, and the work’s one is quite buggy. We do regular video catch-ups and constantly having issues with video and audio not being detected. If I disconnect it from my desk monitor, it seldom detects it when reconnecting and usually requires a reboot.

I’ve not bought a refurbished model but I imagine the ones from Apple themselves will be in good nick. I’d much rather have one of them than a brand new one. Much better value for money if you’re wanting to put a wedge down for one.

[Chest Rockwell]

Let's talk backup!

Who here has a good backup system or routine? What do you use - drive, cloud? Do you have any workflow tools? Is your process manual or automatic?

[JNLister]

41 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Let's talk backup!

Who here has a good backup system or routine? What do you use - drive, cloud? Do you have any workflow tools? Is your process manual or automatic?

 

I use the free version of SyncBack, which has a mirror option. That means it only copies files that have changed or are new, rather than copying everything over every time.

I do a daily backup to a USB stick of all my documents (which lives in my pocket), and then a weekly backup of the entire drives (including applications and media files) to an external hard drive.

I'll also occasionally copy a file manually to Google Drive if it's something that would be a major and imminent problem in the unlikely case that both my hard drive and USB stick failed, for example if I'm midway through an article or if I've got an audio file of an interview that isn't transcribed yet.

[wordsfromlee]

3 hours ago, Stinky Dad said:

After a spot of advice.

Macbooks. 

So I’ve had use of one for the past month or so through work and now I want one. Mainly to use for work related bits and bobs such as video and audio editing. I’m a novice when it comes to most things Apple related (I have an iPhone and iPad) but I’m a very eager to learn. 

Ive been looking at refurbished Macbook’s On the Apple store but still a little more expensive than I’d like to pay given I don’t know if I’ll actually use it to its full spec. The model I had at work was the Early 2015 Pro, I’ve struggled to find that on most other refurb sites. They’re either earlier models or as per Apple 2017. Financing is an option if I end up going to the official site or Currys for a new one (they’ve got an offer on a 2017 MacBook Air at the mo around £750.)

If we’re talking budget then I reckon, preferably,  I could stretch to around £500. 

Basically, what I want to know is have you ever bought a refurb model? Do you know any trusted sites? Anything I need to be wary of or avoid? Pro or Air? Will a noob like me miss out on anything amazing if opting for an earlier model? 

Any and all advice is greatly received, cheers. 

I bought a refurbed one from Apple and it was great. You’d have never know that it wasn’t new. 

[Chest Rockwell]

On 8/28/2019 at 12:32 PM, JNLister said:

 

I use the free version of SyncBack, which has a mirror option. That means it only copies files that have changed or are new, rather than copying everything over every time.

I do a daily backup to a USB stick of all my documents (which lives in my pocket), and then a weekly backup of the entire drives (including applications and media files) to an external hard drive.

I'll also occasionally copy a file manually to Google Drive if it's something that would be a major and imminent problem in the unlikely case that both my hard drive and USB stick failed, for example if I'm midway through an article or if I've got an audio file of an interview that isn't transcribed yet.

Hey I have a follow up question for you if I may..

 

When SyncBack mirrors does it delete things that are no longer there, or does it just add new files and update changed ones? I don't want it to delete stuff that I have "archived" and no longer need on my active drives. (I realise this isn't proper backing up because then that stuff is only in 1 place, but I wouldn't do that with anything important).

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Chest Rockwell

[JNLister]

17 hours ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Hey I have a follow up question for you if I may..

 

When SyncBack mirrors does it delete things that are no longer there, or does it just add new files and update changed ones? I don't want it to delete stuff that I have "archived" and no longer need on my active drives. (I realise this isn't proper backing up because then that stuff is only in 1 place, but I wouldn't do that with anything important).

 

There's two main settings:

"Backup" just copies across any files that are new or modified on the original drive since your last backup. It doesn't delete anything from the backup drive. (Sounds like that's what you want.)

"Mirror" copies across new and modified files, but also deletes anything on the backup drive that's no longer on the original drive. So once it's run, the two drives should be identical.