Topic: downloading probs

[Margaret]

Please has anyone got any ideas how to solve this dilemma?

I found the update I needed for my antivirus programme,pc cillin and paid for it,choosing to download over the net.Except,too late,i realised just how long it was going to take!! Freeserve cut me off after 2 hours and i tried twice,each time I got nearly there then.........

Very frustrating!! i cannot carry on downloading once I reconnect either.

I have emailed freeserve and asked their advice.........no response.i have applied to swap the download for the programme to be sent instead and they won't do that,no r will they cancel the payment.All that was left was to ask for a refund,which i have done,but they are very slow in responding.I have been going round in circles all day.!!

Can anyone see a way out of this or should I just learn from this? yes i know the answer is to get broadband but it is not something i felt I needed till now.

[Chaz Hunter]

I may be wrong but from what I remember about freeserve is you can alter the length of time you want to stay connected for. I'm sure you can alter the settings somewhere in that connection box that pops up when you want to connect to the internet.

[gavin]

Hi Margaret

(and Chaz - sorry, there's a maximum 2-hour connection with Freeserve!  :( )

A couple of suggestions:-

Where can you download from?  Only the US?  Try at 4.00am (THEIR time!) - the load on their server may be so light that it will push the file to you a bit quicker.  

Or try the nearest download site in Europe (at 4.00 am our time? - anyway, when everybody sane is asleep!)


Most download sites allow the user to "resume" a broken download - very easy indeed in the Opera browser I use, but I couldn't find a similar feature in Internet Explorer.  IE users - have you found it?

[update]Waste of time looking - according to Microsoft, there is no "official" way of resuming a broken download!  Bunch of inept ba' heids![/update]

Otherwise - you probably have to download a "Download Manager";  I'm not very comfortable about that at all.  I'll do a bit more digging and see what I can find for you, Margaret.

[update 2]This page http://www.tucows.com/manager95_default.html has loads of downloaders to download - and it tells you if they are supported by advertising, or worse, if they add advertising ware to your computer.

A clean one - seems to be pretty innocuous, and small enough for you to download - http://www.tucows.com/preview/193980.html (but I haven't used it!).[/update]



All best - Gavin

[Margaret]

Thanks Chaz and Gavin for replying. Freeserve(Wanadoo) except they don't!!!have replied and suggested a download manager.I did not realise they could come with advertising so thanks for the tip.I am first going to see if I can get a refund so I can send for the pack by post,otherwise I will probably have to use a download manager.

Another question for you........what info do you have on Spy Bot,where they find your very annoying pop ups and other adverts so you can delete them? i have been given a cd to use,is it safe?

[gavin]

How Microsoft survive is beyond me!  But that's me going off on a pet hobby-horse.

Moving on - if the programme on the CD is "Spybot - Search & Destroy" or "Spybot - S&D" (and probably links to/comes from http://security.kolla.de/), it's the good one!  But once again - there are a few rip-off merchants, who arrange to do precisely the opposite of what they claim - and use similar names!  More b*st*rds!

Have a look at the thread on Slotch - the last contribution has a few relevant links; Spybot S&D comes highly recommended.

All best - Gavin

[Margaret]

Hi again Gavin.i have downloaded the Adobe download manager which stops downloads being cut off when you get disconnected.Should this now just go through ok,or do i need to do something first? I don' t want to waste another 2 hours !

I found the site from your list,and it was a freebie so thanks again!

My turn to update now. Just heard from the company concerned and they have offered me a refund so am going for that.

Having been offered Norton personal firewall and anti virus 2002,by my stepson last night,which he uses and has no probs with; i am tempted to use that instead.What is your considered opinion? He tells me he can update regularly at no charge.

As you can tell,I am not very good with computers. Give me a pond anytime!!

[Admin aka Dan]

Personally I do not like Norton !

I use AVG from grisoft, who do a free version !

That was short but sweet !

[Margaret]

Thanks Dan,I'll have a look at that.If you are using it,then it must be ok!!BUT  you can download in less than 2 hrs I hope!!

[Admin aka Dan]

Margaret,

I don't think norton will help you with the two hour limit - but I might be wrong.

I use getright at home for a download manager - no advertising, will allow you to pause / restart downloads and other things also (oh and it's free - get a nag screena bout once a month but that is all).

Cheers

Dan

[Margaret]

Dan the difference with Norton is that I don't need the internet to do it,because I have the 2 discs that have been given to me.Unlike anything i may use from an internet site.What a hassle this has turned out to be!!

The one you use,I take it,is a firewall as well? i have looked at AVG but do not fully understand what it offers in terms of what i need to protect myself and my (not so at the mo) beloved computer!!

[OP]

OK there's a few things here I should point out.

Firstly, even if you have purchased a 'new' antivirus programme (Norton, PC Cilin, whatever) you still need to download patches for it as every few weeks theres new ones out to deal with new viruses, and it's the new viruses that cause all the trouble.  If you haven't updated your virus scanner in the last 6 months then it's probably not doing anything other than hogging system resources on your computer.

Secondly, Most ISP's for low bandwidth connections (28k, 56k, even some of the 128k) set limiters on connection of about 2 hours. This is particularly crappy of them, and is an attempt to stop people using their connection for anyhting other than web browsing, as basically their infrastructure can't cope with too many people downloading to many things.  If you're on AOL or Freeserve in particular I would recommend looking for a new ISP.  Personally I use Demon and find them brilliant.

Thirdly, Just patching your virus scanner isn't enough. make sure you visit http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp regularly, or set your PC to constantly check for new updates.  Every few weeks microsoft release criticial updates for windows which seal up insecurities in the programme. Windows has more holes in it than a rusty buicket, and again, unless you've been patching regularly, you may as well not even bother with haveing a virus checker.  The majority of viruses attack security weaknesses that microsoft have already patched.  The SASSER and NETSKY worms both attacked a vulnerability that microsoft had patched a week previously.  

Fourthly, Trend Micro offer a FREE virus scanning tool online. Go here: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

These guys are the daddies of virus checking (PC Cillin is their product).  This scanner is updated as regularly as their main software, and all you need to use it is a web browser.  Completely free and you can use it as many times as you like.  Saves you having to worry about updating your own virus software, and is a lot cheaper.  

[OP]

Nope - sounds right to me...

Firewall (zonealarm) closes down the ports you don't want accessed
AntiVirus software (Norton) Kills the viruses and worms that would otherwise get in anyway
Spybot kills off the adware, malware, and general rubbish that you get on your system from web browsing and installing third party software.

Each one does a different thing, each as important as the other.  If I were you I might install Lavasofts Adaware as well.

[Jesse]

OP, What does Lavasofts Adaware do?

[gavin]

Hi there - neither Spybot nor Adaware catch 100% of the various bits of mal-ware; basicall Adaware does the same job, but catches the bits that Spybot has missed!

Worth mentioning maybe - I update both Spybot and Adaware every few weeks; same principle as anti-virus programmes - there is always new mal-ware coming out.

All best - Gavin

[OP]

One last tweak that will help you all out with minimum hassle:

Every time you start your PC, open a file, edit a file or create a new file stuff gets moved around on your hard-drive.  It's a bit like a library where the boks don't all get put back in the right place.  Instead of replacing the book in the right place, they just put a new index card in.  That means that the disk can still find what it needs, but it takes more time.  The more this happens, the slower the disk operations become.  This is how your isk becomes 'fragmented'.

Windows comes with a disk defragmenter in programs -> accessories -> System Tools -> Defragmenter

Now, you should run a defrag programme at least once a fortnight. These programs re-order all the files, and make sure all the bits of each file are kept together, making the disk access times much faster. Thing is, the windows one isn't the best piece of kit out there and doesn't do a particularly good job.  Much better is a piece of freeware calle Diskeeper Lite (you can also get the full version for a small fee that allows you to schedule the task to run in the background permanently.  Have  a look here: http://www.webattack.com/get/dkeeperlite.shtml

[gavin]

Thanks for that, OP - what a little cracker Diskeeper Lite is.  I used to have to set my Windows defragment to run overnight - I don't even have time to make a cup of coffee with this one.  Nice one.

All best - Gavin