MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MEETING ON 13th OCTOBER
Future Themes
After Christmas, sessions will continue, but I do not propose to repeat the current course for the third time. I am looking to you, the audience, for suggestions as to what YOU would like to see discussed in these sessions. Please e-mail me you ideas, to questions@billnot.com
Saturday's Meeting
We had an attendance of 17, not bad given the weather.
The first thing we discussed was the problem with computers hanging (failing to respond to keyboard or mouse), which they will all do from time to time, even when you have done nothing wrong. The cause could be a rogue software application, a clash between two programs, or, most likely, a momentary problem with the mains power supply. When your computer hangs, there is a set sequence you should go through to try to get it working again.
(1) Press the ESCape key, which means "get me out of here". If this doesn't work,
(2) Press Alt-F4, which means "close the current program". If this doesn't work,
(3) Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, the "three fingered salute". This should bring up a box listing the current running software, one of which will be shown as not responding, and which you can close. If pressing Ctl-Alt-Del once doesn't work, try pressing the combination twice. This should initiate what's called a "warm reboot", i.e. a clean shut down followed by a restart.
(4) Sometimes none of the above will work. This is the point at which you give up, turn the computer off, wait ten seconds, and turn it back on again. Windows (assuming you are using it) will complain it was improperly shut down and go through various diagnostic checks, most significantly a hard disk check (called Scandisk). Resist the temptation to cut this check short, and allow the computer to complete the checks. Hopefully, your patience will be rewarded with a functioning, rebooted computer.
A HUNG COMPUTER IS SELDOM THE FAULT OF THE OPERATOR!
After an explanation of various Internet Three Letter Acronyms (TLAs), we turned our attention to obtaining an Internet account with a major Spanish ISP. This requires a very basic knowledge of Spanish. We went to the Wanadoo home page http://www.wanadoo.es and got as far as the page inviting you to apply for an account when we stopped for tea.
After tea, we had a volunteer wishing to obtain a new account with Wanadoo. Once again, things conspired against us, and we could not get the Wanadoo server to accept the details. I am going to find out what went wrong, and will report back to you.
If you're still thirsting for more, I hope to see you on October 27th.