baker7
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Posts posted by baker7
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Happy 20th Birthday MANDY!!! Hope you enjoy it
Brian
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... Some of them are getting smarter at this however and are using local caller ID numbers. ...
Semi-related: I needed a new garage door and hardware and wanted a local company. I look it up in the yellow pages and there's one with a local number and lists my town's name (I'm in a small town, there are, or were, only two numbers in use at the time -- that is, the first three digits).
Nope, they lied. They were from out-of-town. I've seen this several times since. Seems the phone company will sell anything to anybody for any reason.
I get these calls all the time. I hate them, because 99% of the time, they tell you that "This is the last chance to <Insert whatever they are selling here>" Then they have you press 1 to speak to a credit specialist or whatever they call themselves. Then, they tell you that you can remove yourself from their list by pressing "9", which I do and I STILL
get called by the SAME companies - They Never Stop.
EXAMPLE OF FOOLISHNESS:
The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) will do this to its borrowers. They will call you to remind you that a payment is "due" but what it is is an AUTOMATED reminder, that says to call XXX-XXX-YYYY, then all you do is HOLD for the next representative. This is why I don't like automated systems like this, because I do NOT need to be reminded every month I owe MONEY, and I certainly don't NEED to be called just to sit on HOLD for an HOUR......
Go Figure -wish there was a LAW that made it hard for these companies to nag you........
Brian
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There is a windows search entry in
start => programs => Startup
I moved that to my
Start => programs => disabled startup items
folder
(YOu can use code stuff starter to create one and do this or you can just use explorer and create a disabled startup items in the all users folder in documents and settings / startup
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (Disabled )
or
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Disabled
Just as long as it is removed from
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Thanks Pete - Will add this to the arsenal I was able to find the following fix, but I don't know if it would work - or at least it doesn't seem to:
Block WS4 - Using a Registry Fix
I did as instructed and I believe that it shows WS4 as NOT needed but still is available - did I do it right??
Brian
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Is google desktop search installed on this computer?
The new "Windows Search" which installs through windows update does the same things and can be incompatible on machines where certain other desktop search applications are installed.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/...ch/default.mspx
It is effectively a desktop interface for WindowsLive onesearch.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/...h/getitnow.mspx
Personally I disabled it.
Pete:
How do you disable this?? Looks like most of what I have says that you can't uninstall it and it takes a while to do this
Brian
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No Problem Marty
Brian
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C = Cow and Chicken
D = Dragnet - 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970
Brian
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Listening to Restless Heart Say What's in your Heart (My Mix)
Brian
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Level ONE (as in what they can call a Hospital with a Level ONE trauma Center)
Brian
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I now know why my local hospital has been ordered to close by the Berger Commission. I called early today and said I would be coming in so they could admit me. I arrived to a room full of people coughing, hacking and sneezing only to be told to wait. My lungs are bad enough that I didn't need to be inhaling the germs permeating the waiting area. After two hours sitting in a hard plastic chair my legs started swelling from the edema so bad that they seemed to be at the bursting point. I got up and paced about so my legs could get some blood flow. I noticed that a lady was curled up on the floor in pain where you sign in for admittance. Three hours later no one was called in and the lady still lay on the floor. I finally lost it and walked up to the window and told them to forget it, then left.
To think some people seem to think social medicine could make things worse.
Hey TT:
This is really bad - I also cannot believe that they would have had you even WAIT in an envornment like that!! At my local hospital, they ask visitors to don surgical masks if they have colds and would be sneezing or coughing. This is to protect patients and staff from getting sick!! Better Yet, if they could be sick themselbes, they are asked to stay HOME!!
What bothers me is that you have had your transplants, and they KNOW what the devil is going on, so why someone would NOT tell you of problems like this is unimagineable. The hospital is supposed to KNOW their patient, and especially one with a history like yours - I would have had you transferred to another hospital, or better yet, I would have called your transplant team and told them of how you have been to date, and tell them that you have edema really bad, and need to be admitted somewhere. Being unable to sleep is one thing, but not being able to BREATHE, with edema as bad as you say is NOT acceptable, and I would have triaged that and set you up somewhere, rather then to have to have you deal with this at home.
To top it off I was supposed to have a new personal physician assigned to me, but they found out she doesn't accept my insurance. Now I can't even contact my own doctor to get a script for Lasix to control my pulmonary edema until I can be admitted to some hospital for treatment.This Doctor (Primary Physician) stuff is helpful in some ways, but now, you have to shop for your doctor like you shop for your groceries. I am lucky that my doctor takes both medicaid and medicare, and can service me for most of my needs. I would THINK that you would still be able to get something from your local hospital or from a doctor on your transplant team, as it would make sense that you could get a script for Lasix REGARDLESS of who the hell your doctor was, as long as the records show a history of need, and consistant use that is warrented and that is working to control edema.
Why they make guys like us go through this is beyond me - I hate that sometimes I have troubles breathing, and have to use my inhaler for this - but at least I don't have the problem of having an assigned doctor that does NOT take my insurance - In this case, you needed help THEN - I am sure that the Team will determine that you need to be admitted, and I pray that they can help you, and make you better so you can return to what you do best
Good Luck, Godspeed, and Take Care TT!!
Brian
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Congrats Jeff!! Well DONE!!!
I assume that Now, you have all of the TLD's that have to do with Besttechie??
Brian
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Hello Everyone:
I recently went to my friends house, and he runs Windows Vista Basic on his laptop. When he does Windows Updates, there is an update available for Windows Search 4.0 for Windows Vista When he attempts to install this update There is no green progress bar, and then it will say:
"Some updates were not installed (Failed: 1 Update) Errors Found: Code 80073712 (Get Help)
Most recent check for updates 6:50 Am 9/17/08
It seems that this update will not install and I have tried it 2-3 times. Is this Update an update that is really required, and if it is, I would like to install it, in case it is stopping other updates from being detected and installed. I can install other updates, but want to make sure this one wont crash the system.
Does anyone have any experiences with this update?
Brian
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Did your brother just hang up when he realized his mistake?
That's awesome they made absolutely CERTAIN there wasn't a problem. That could've gone any number of other ways.
Agreed:
He Might have - I dont know....
The thing that was strange was that my brother DID come to me and say that he made the mistake and said he called 911 instead of 917 - The dispatcher was very understanding and dealt with it well. I was just shocked that with my POLICE SCANNER ON I did not hear the officer being dispatched because I was talking to people in my livingroom - Had I heard the original dispatch, I would have called Barre City Police and told them immediately of the situation, but they had called me at about the same time as the officer arrived.
Yes, its a GREAT thing that the check to see if there is really a problem after a 911 hangup call. This assures them that no emergency exists
Brian
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... tails
Tuxedo
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Hello Honda Boy:
I Personally have NOT seen any drastic slowdowns because of AVG8, however, it was a tad hard to install to a clients laptop when she first got her machine, because Vista did not recognize AVG8 as an allowed program, which made using it a little strange, because you have to get Defender to play nice with AVG8.
UAC was asking for 'permission' all the time to run AVG8, and I could not find a way to add it to the allowed list.
SarahwThe Malware community used to swear by programs like AVG Anti Virus and Ewido. After Ewido was bought by AVG they released 7.5 and then incorporated it into there security suite. They have totally changed there programs and nobody really recommends it anymore. For Anti-Virus I recommend Avast! and for a Anti-Spyware I recommend Malware Bytes
Yes, its too bad that good programs like this get bought up and changed for the worse. I used to use AVG AS all the time when I wanted an on-demand scanner, and now I shy away from these, because of the issues that I have heard about. MBAM seems to be a great tool (Otherwise Jeff would not be supporting its use) I use Panda Antivirus and Firewall (7.0) for AV and firewall. (I use the full version of Panda, but will investigate others at some point)
Brian
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Yesterday I had my brother over to my house for a while. He asked to use the phone to call his buddy to set up some plans for later that night. He wanted to dial a number with the prefix '917.......'
Unfortunately, he mistakenly dialed '911' when his fingers slipped. This started a chain of events that resulted in my local police department calling me back and asking if I had called 911. I told the dispatcher that I had my brother using the phone to call someone with a 917 prefix, and he made a mstake and dialed 911. The dispatcher was awesome and he told me that an officer was responding to my residence to check to see if everything was OK - I then told the officer the same story and he told me that the nextt time this happens, to answer the dispatcher's call, which I did, and he said everything was OK.
I like the fact that our PD responds to check whats going on with 911 calls - sometimes you have someone who calls in for help and then on callback you hear everything is OK - It just shocked me that they had sent an officer at about the same time as the call from our dispatcher.
Lesson Learned, Glad to have the PD on the job
Brian
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Tonight while in my favorite coffee shop I noticed a pile of "free invitations" to view an upcoming screening of "The Lucky Ones" at a local movie theater. So I took one.
Later, upon reading the fine print, I noticed the following disclaimer: "Arrive AT LEAST ONE HOUR EARLY. These screenings are monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you AGREE not to bring in any audio or video recording devices AND you consent to a physical search of your belongings and person. Please allow additional time for HEIGHTENED SECURITY."
HUH? I very reluctantly agree to the heightened security BS when I'm flying on an international flight! And you think I'm going to show up an hour early to have the "privilege" of submitting to a body search, paying for parking, buying a $5.00 child size small popcorn and a $5.00 small diet coke just to see a movie that probably won't see the light of day after the release? I don't think so.
I found this humorous short video on the web that explores this invasion of privacy. ......( I listened to it, it's very funny, but it does contain one X rated word. So consider yourselves warned)
Joe
I question the need for heightened security. I mean, you PAY fior the privelige of seeing a movie, and if you are willing to PAY for it, why would it be necessary to have someone there running security checks to make sure you do not record the movie? Movies recorded with cameras rarely come out well, and for the price you pay to get in, which seems to INCREASE as much as $5.00 for a night show every year or so, it is NOT worth videotaping the movie on a camera, when you can go to the local store and BUY a DVD copy for $15-25 a few months after the movie comes out.
This isn't like a federal building with the President in attendance, so I see no reason to have increased security over a movie. I have seen this happen when you have a high profile movie (such as the Simpsons movie) that premiered in Springfield, VT. You may want security increased, but not to the level where you are physically searched. You want security so that the people in town can be protected from strange people or actions, or so that traffic can move normally through the area.
Just My .02
Brian
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To play Devil's Advocate: How many people call tech support for things that CAN easily be remedied by a script? 90%? 80%? I'm sure it's OVER 50%, so the script thing probably helps enough people to make it worth the trouble.
Then, there's us. People who have SOME idea of how to fix such minor problems and have already gone through "the script" on our own.
In my experience, once you've convinced the script reader that you need more technical help than the script can supply, you get bumped to the next level and ... THAT level has almost always been professional, helpful, and actually capable of fixing a complicated problem.
Of course that leaves people like us wondering why we couldn't get the second tier support person right off the bat, but it's that 80-90% of non-techies that get in our way.
When I had an issue with my Mom's Broadband Connection with VZ, I had to go through the motions and got to a level 2 tech after my first callback. They TOLD me to tell the Level 1 person to trasfer me to Level 2 techs, and further, told me that to speed my calls through I should ask for Level 3 techs right off, because what I was telling the Level 1 person was beyond them - I would rather deal with Level 3's because I can actually explain what **I** think the problem is, because I have a better understanding of what is going on in front of me. Once, I told them that they were having problems with their mailserver, and they swore up and down that there was no problem, and when I was on the phone, some alert SAID that there was a problem ehehheh I knew that before they did!!
I always "humor" the level 1's and then ask for the transfer up the line, because I know that they have a job to do, but it does get annoying to have to do basic stuff when YOU KNOW that its on their end
Brian
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I'm gonna redact the company's name -- I just happen to be listening to a legal podcast so I'd rather overreact than not:
I have my computer's calendar set to remind me when it's time to request my legally mandated free credit report from each of the three companies that supply them. So, it's time to get one from company X. I fill out all the forms, submit them, and get a reply that they cannot give me a free form at this time since I have already requested on this year.
I printed it out last year so I dig it out and ... sure enough, it WAS a year ago. I have NOT requested one this year.
They have an e-mail contact help form and I use it, saying:
Subject: Denied because you say I have already ordered my free yearly report.
I haven't ordered my free yearly report this year. The last one I have from X is a year old, though the EXACT DAY is difficult to assertain since the date is not printed as part of the report I received from you last year.
Response from X:
Your question has been received. You should expect a response from us within 24 hours.
The next day, from them:
We will assume your issue has been resolved if we do not hear from you within 96 hours.
For further assistance with ordering your annual online FACT ACT report, please contact a customer service representative at 1-866-744-8221.
Umm, that's not very helpful. Knowing how pointless any further contact via e-mail might be, and being the smart-aleck I am:
What's the point of having an e-mail problem resolution option available if the only result is to refer me to a phone number?
To paraphrase your e-mail to me, "I will assume you are unwilling to resolve my issue if I do not hear from you, via e-mail, my chosen form of communication, within 96 hours."
Their reply (which came almost instantaneously):
This email service does not offer support for the online product you are attempting to order. For further assistance with your online FREE annual credit report order, please contact a representative at 1-866-744-8221.
JDoors:
I don't use "free" <insert service here> anything like this online because they make you have to sign up for other services that entitle you to a free service at the end. If they really wanted to provide a "free" service, they would not make you sign up for god knows what for years and years just to get something that you need. This sounds like a scam, or better yet, sounds like someone is saying that they don't believe you, or just plain don't want to deal with you.
This reminds me of the "free Xbox360" threads I have seen on other forums. Of course, we know that you just don't get a "free" anything anymore - You HAVE to do something, buy something, or try something before you get the "free" item. Most times, you click your life away, or you end up generating mail to your postal box, or to your email box. (Mostly spam)
If there was a way to get a FREE copy of your credit report, I would go directly to the company that you want to get the report from, and ask for it - this way, you have it, and you don't have all this junkmail cluttering up your box. Also, you can get the email address of a PERSON who would read it and realize that your right.
Good Luck!!
Brian
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... five
six
Brian
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I =Ironside (Raymond Burr)
Brian
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H = Hawaii Five-O
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Indeed, VERY Funny
Brian
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I think the India support people are ordered by their superiors to read the script and go no further. At least I was able to get back online and visit DSLReports to get the phone number for the level 2 techs based in Ohio. Next time I have problems I'll call someone that isn't a script reader.
I would rather have US support techs then anywhere else in the world, because I cannot understand them when they talk fast, or have a VERY heavy dialect or accents. This is nothing against anyone, but I like my support in the US, rather then to call someone who is unable to help me at the call center.
Good Luck, TT, and I hope all goes smooth for you
Brian
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I SECOND That - Congrats - well desserved
Brian
Besttechie Forum Upgrade
in BestTechie News
Posted
Good Luck Jeff
Brian