E-Chat Quick Question Thread

[welshbairn]

On 28/07/2020 at 17:38, Empty It said:

Best way to watch club tv that requires out of UK IP, I know you can just use a VPN but when the subscription requires an address would registering then using a VPN be a problem without an international address?

You should be fine, a lot of genuine overseas subscribers are on holiday or doing contract work. 

[itzdrk]

I have been gifted free Sky Go by someone to watch the fitba this season, did a test run on my laptop tonight and it was jittering about while it was on, I've looked on the sky forum and some users there suggested moving to 30 FPS to get that to stop, I don't get that option, I'm in my phone just now but I have two options 60 or (I think) 48 FPS (if that's wrong I will update).  Any idea what I can do to make it smoother? 

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, MixuFruit said:

I use a password manager for all my passwords so they're a jumble of letters, numbers and special characters. I noticed on a recent one I generated that the password had the word 'webshot' in the middle of the string.

At first I thought this was just a fluke and rerolled the password, but webshot is a way of taking screenshots of webpages through code. That gave me the heebeejeebees. Do I need to re-do all my passwords and potentially switch password managers? Or am I being para?

Don't have clue but if it was me I'd change the really sensitive ones, like banks, and then explain it in an email to the password manager firm. Could be it's some kind of early test that's been lost in the software, or maybe you've won a holiday to Hawaii in a competition you didn't hear about. I can't imagine someone doing bad stuff would give away the clue in the password. I suppose it's just about possible that "webshot" would randomly appear though, however unlikely.

Edited September 7, 2020 by welshbairn

[charger29]

I use a password manager for all my passwords so they're a jumble of letters, numbers and special characters. I noticed on a recent one I generated that the password had the word 'webshot' in the middle of the string.

At first I thought this was just a fluke and rerolled the password, but webshot is a way of taking screenshots of webpages through code. That gave me the heebeejeebees. Do I need to re-do all my passwords and potentially switch password managers? Or am I being para?

Is it a well known password manager?

I use one of the many variations of Keepass and get similarly paranoid when I see patterns in my passwords but they're normally only a few characters repeated, not full words. Fluke is the most likely answer.

Could you have a settings turned on which allows passphrases or something?

 

This is where I looked to choose a password manager:

https://www.privacytools.io/software/passwords/

 

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, MixuFruit said:

Yeah it's keepass. All my really important things have 2FA and I don't show up on haveibeenpwned.

I'll email them I guess.

You could try here if you haven't seen it..

https://sourceforge.net/p/keepass/discussion/329220/

[Homer Thompson]

1 hour ago, MixuFruit said:

Seems like it's just a fluke according to them.

Anyway next question:

I've got a pile of old HDDs, mix of SATA and IDE. I was just going to drill them and chuck out but some of them are still reasonably big by modern storage standards was wondering if I should convert them to an external backup. I've got a thingumajig for getting data off them without installing them in a case, but I couldn't figure out if it was possible to have a mix of IDE and SATA drives in the same enclosure? Does such a thing exist?

Yes. You can get IDE to SATA adaptors. You can also get PCI cards with SATA plugs on them to increase the number of drives you can connect to the motherboard.

You might be able to find an older motherboard with both IDE and SATA connectors but adaptors are probably easier.

[pandarilla]

I'm looking for some laptop advice.

I've had a lenovo laptop (using windows) for about 6 or 7 years and i think it's had its day.

Last week something happened and now a whole set of keys on my keyboard are mixed up. You hit one key and it doubles up with another (about 8 are affected, in parallel lines on the keyboard (type a and you get a and d appearing, etc)).

At the same time the usb ports all went down, so nothing can be plugged in.

I've tried to update the drivers but to no avail.

Is 6 or 7 years a reasonable time to get a new device?

I do a bit of work on it, using Microsoft Office, as well as searching the Internet and doing banking and stuff. I've also had to use it for zoom meetings this year, and other video call programs.

I also enjoy a bit of fm2020 from time to time, but I'm certainly not a big gamer.

Any advice on how much to spend, or what to look out for when buying? Or should i try and get it sorted? A computer teacher in work says it sounds like a hardware issue and thought it was time for a new device, rather than faffing about trying to get it sorted.

[Homer Thompson]

37 minutes ago, pandarilla said:

I'm looking for some laptop advice.

I've had a lenovo laptop (using windows) for about 6 or 7 years and i think it's had its day.

Last week something happened and now a whole set of keys on my keyboard are mixed up. You hit one key and it doubles up with another (about 8 are affected, in parallel lines on the keyboard (type a and you get a and d appearing, etc)).

At the same time the usb ports all went down, so nothing can be plugged in.

I've tried to update the drivers but to no avail.

Is 6 or 7 years a reasonable time to get a new device?

I do a bit of work on it, using Microsoft Office, as well as searching the Internet and doing banking and stuff. I've also had to use it for zoom meetings this year, and other video call programs.

I also enjoy a bit of fm2020 from time to time, but I'm certainly not a big gamer.

Any advice on how much to spend, or what to look out for when buying? Or should i try and get it sorted? A computer teacher in work says it sounds like a hardware issue and thought it was time for a new device, rather than faffing about trying to get it sorted.

Thank you for not sharing what kind of fluids the laptops been exposed to to get in that state.

6 or 7 years is probably a reasonable time to look to upgrade, it certainly doesnt sound like the one you have is worth repairing.

How much you should spend depends on how much you want to spend! You could pick something up for between £500 and £1000 that will play FM202 but it might only last a couple of years before SI bump up the specs so it begins to grind (I do emphasise might, though) You could spend around a £1000 and get something more suitable for gaming but a cheaper one would do all the other general stuff you need

[pandarilla]

Thank you for not sharing what kind of fluids the laptops been exposed to to get in that state.
6 or 7 years is probably a reasonable time to look to upgrade, it certainly doesnt sound like the one you have is worth repairing.
How much you should spend depends on how much you want to spend! You could pick something up for between £500 and £1000 that will play FM202 but it might only last a couple of years before SI bump up the specs so it begins to grind (I do emphasise might, though) You could spend around a £1000 and get something more suitable for gaming but a cheaper one would do all the other general stuff you need

Cheers.

I haven't looked after it, tbh. I regularly sit with cups of tea or glasses of Coke but i don't remenber any spillages. I do drop it a lot, so I've made a commitment to look after the new one i get.

I think I'll go to curry's today and grab something for just over 500. I can get 40 quid off with a voucher I've got, so we'll go with that.

[spud131]

I'm looking for some laptop advice.

 

I've had a lenovo laptop (using windows) for about 6 or 7 years and i think it's had its day.

 

Last week something happened and now a whole set of keys on my keyboard are mixed up. You hit one key and it doubles up with another (about 8 are affected, in parallel lines on the keyboard (type a and you get a and d appearing, etc)).

 

At the same time the usb ports all went down, so nothing can be plugged in.

 

I've tried to update the drivers but to no avail.

 

Is 6 or 7 years a reasonable time to get a new device?

 

I do a bit of work on it, using Microsoft Office, as well as searching the Internet and doing banking and stuff. I've also had to use it for zoom meetings this year, and other video call programs.

 

I also enjoy a bit of fm2020 from time to time, but I'm certainly not a big gamer.

 

Any advice on how much to spend, or what to look out for when buying? Or should i try and get it sorted? A computer teacher in work says it sounds like a hardware issue and thought it was time for a new device, rather than faffing about trying to get it sorted.

Might sound abit strange but have you tried taking the battery out and putting it back in.

A few months my laptop was playing up, fingerprint scanner wouldn't work, tracking pad wouldn't work either and a few other things and taking the battery out and then back in fixed it, I've no idea why but its been totally fine since.

 

If you are looking for a new laptop go on to hotukdeals website and search for laptops, there's always loads getting posted on there.

Here's an example that I'd imagine would prob suit your needs https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/huawei-matebook-13-2020-amd-ryzen-5-3500u-8gb-256gb-free-mouse-and-backpack-for-ps49499-using-unique-code-at-huawei-store-3547372

 

[BFTD]

Buying my mother a tablet for her birthday. She'll only be using it for reading ebooks, playing music, and streaming films (once I introduce her to the concept).

Any suggestions? I'm assuming a Kindle Fire is the best option, but I'd be remiss if I didn't check with, err, a Scottish football forum.

[jimmy boo]

Buying my mother a tablet for her birthday. She'll only be using it for reading ebooks, playing music, and streaming films (once I introduce her to the concept).
Any suggestions? I'm assuming a Kindle Fire is the best option, but I'd be remiss if I didn't check with, err, a Scottish football forum.

Yesterday I bought a Samsung Galaxy A7 10" tablet. Discounted the Amazon ones as their OS can be a pain. Mainly need it for IPTV and third party streaming apps on which I watched Newcastle game and the picture quality was excellent. £219 well spent.

[Honest_Man#1]

My partner’s work has told her that they need to install a vpn on our home router as she’s working from home. Asking for the admin password so they can make changes to the router.

My company just have a vpn installed on the computer, is this normal to have it installed on the router itself? Does that mean all the devices in our home will now be linked to this workplace vpn? What implications would that have?

[Homer Thompson]

 

 

 

My partner’s work has told her that they need to install a vpn on our home router as she’s working from home. Asking for the admin password so they can make changes to the router.

My company just have a vpn installed on the computer, is this normal to have it installed on the router itself? Does that mean all the devices in our home will now be linked to this workplace vpn? What implications would that have?

 

I wouldn't say it was normal, but it's nit unheard of - to install a vpn on the router, work asking to do it does seems odd.

 

Yes, it means exactly that, all your devices will be going through their vpn. You might not notice any difference but you couke find streaming services sroo working and depending on the capacity your speed could drop significantly. Its also possible theyll have some restrictions on certain types of network traffic, so again streaming services, gaming etc could atoo working.

 

Unless she works for MI5 it seems like massive overkill

 

ETA - it is possible with some routers and vpns to set it up so that only certain devices go through the vpn

[Honest_Man#1]

15 hours ago, Mr X said:

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't say it was normal, but it's nit unheard of - to install a vpn on the router, work asking to do it does seems odd.

 

Yes, it means exactly that, all your devices will be going through their vpn. You might not notice any difference but you couke find streaming services sroo working and depending on the capacity your speed could drop significantly. Its also possible theyll have some restrictions on certain types of network traffic, so again streaming services, gaming etc could atoo working.

 

Unless she works for MI5 it seems like massive overkill

 

ETA - it is possible with some routers and vpns to set it up so that only certain devices go through the vpn

Okay cheers, good to know.

Got another question. Earlier this week, whenever I was in my office both my work and personal mobiles on EE have no signal at all. Literally if I open the window and put my phone outside it went right up to full signal and 4G. Then it went back to normal for a couple of days, but now is happening again. EE have said there’s no issue on their side, but it’s affecting two separate EE devices so isn’t the phones with the issue. Anyone got any ideas?

[Homer Thompson]

Okay cheers, good to know.
Got another question. Earlier this week, whenever I was in my office both my work and personal mobiles on EE have no signal at all. Literally if I open the window and put my phone outside it went right up to full signal and 4G. Then it went back to normal for a couple of days, but now is happening again. EE have said there’s no issue on their side, but it’s affecting two separate EE devices so isn’t the phones with the issue. Anyone got any ideas?

Sounds like your work has installed a Faraday cage.

Has your area got 5g recently?

[Geedub-MFC]

23 hours ago, Honest_Man#1 said:

My partner’s work has told her that they need to install a vpn on our home router as she’s working from home. Asking for the admin password so they can make changes to the router.

My company just have a vpn installed on the computer, is this normal to have it installed on the router itself? Does that mean all the devices in our home will now be linked to this workplace vpn? What implications would that have?

Do you have it in writing what they intend to do? It sounds more like the VPN they are using  requires a certain protocol to be enabled. This is perfectly normal and is just a tick box setting.

To install VPN onto the router you usually need to use one not supplied by your ISP as they usually don't have options to do this easily.

If they do want to install a VPN directly on your router you should be telling them to get fucked. It will mean all traffic connected to the router will pass through the company network. It will slow your connection massively and they can see whatever you are looking at.

[Honest_Man#1]

4 minutes ago, Geedub-MFC said:

Do you have it in writing what they intend to do? It sounds more like the VPN they are using  requires a certain protocol to be enabled. This is perfectly normal and is just a tick box setting.

To install VPN onto the router you usually need to use one not supplied by your ISP as they usually don't have options to do this easily.

If they do want to install a VPN directly on your router you should be telling them to get fucked. It will mean all traffic connected to the router will pass through the company network. It will slow your connection massively and they can see whatever you are looking at.

This is starting to sound like my mrs has been secretly doing an IT degree on the sly, and is now attempting to catch me rifling through vast amounts of porn.

In all seriousness though, she has had nothing in writing, and I’m going purely by what she has told me so she may have completely misunderstood. The IT guy apparently just asked for our ISP and the admin password for our router and said he needed that to add the vpn to the router to give her access to their server. However she says he’s now done it without the admin password, and there’s (so far) been no impact on internet speed/connectivity, so maybe it is was just your first paragraph and she hasn’t understood his explanation. I’m still a bit wary of anything like this that I’m not being properly informed about tbh.

[The_Kincardine]

22 minutes ago, Honest_Man#1 said:

This is starting to sound like my mrs has been secretly doing an IT degree on the sly, and is now attempting to catch me rifling through vast amounts of porn.

*riffling

Absolutely fine for your Mrs' firm to install a VPN on the router - she'll be accessing the company's intranet after all.  The best thing is to get a second phone line installed - and expensed, of course.

[Geedub-MFC]

34 minutes ago, Honest_Man#1 said:

This is starting to sound like my mrs has been secretly doing an IT degree on the sly, and is now attempting to catch me rifling through vast amounts of porn.

In all seriousness though, she has had nothing in writing, and I’m going purely by what she has told me so she may have completely misunderstood. The IT guy apparently just asked for our ISP and the admin password for our router and said he needed that to add the vpn to the router to give her access to their server. However she says he’s now done it without the admin password, and there’s (so far) been no impact on internet speed/connectivity, so maybe it is was just your first paragraph and she hasn’t understood his explanation. I’m still a bit wary of anything like this that I’m not being properly informed about tbh.

https://www.speedtest.net/

It should come back with your ISP. Anything else means you're on her company VPN