pumpkinstrokemarrow

Since then, the latter program has been trying to invoke a BT dial-up connection from time to time. Irritating pop-ups. No idea how to get it to stop doing that, short of getting rid of the thing altogether. Not keen to mess about with the BT end of the problem in case I damage the broadband connection and have to get into a long huddle with the subcontinental help desk.

And something prompted Microsoft to do something to the now not very often used Internet Explorer and went through quite a lengthy update.

And something else has prompted something called BigFix to fire up at regular intervals, telling me that this freeware is no longer supported.

Then this morning, Chrome and HSBC did not seem to work too well together. Chrome was trying to connect to an address which appeared to contain a repeating group of two elements. A sort of recurring decimal which Chrome could not cope with. Went to HSBC through Internet Explorer (now at version 8), chucked out reasonably gracefully the first time, probably because of a typo, then got in OK the second time. On the other hand, something called MSN messenger was keen to get my attention. Closed it down eventually.

So decided to uninstall BigFix. This seems to have worked and not so far seen him again. Also thought I would uninstall the Realtek audio controller, the corresponding hardware having gone to the tip a year or more ago. This went OK, firing up a reboot all by itself, at which point the PC announced that it had found some new audio hardware and would attempt to install it. Oh goody I thought, maybe I will get some sound back and be able to play with my recently acquired copy of iTunes (and the 20Gb of musical stuff which came with it). But no, after a while the PC announced no game. Need to find a CD for the controller in question. No chance, given that I had never heard of it before today.

On closer inspection, the screen I am using here doesn't have any of those arrays of little holes which suggest loudspeaker. Clearly too old for that sort of thing. So maybe there will be no sound until I install a whole new sound set up. Which is unlikely to happen and so the 20Gb will rest in peace.

On the other hand, the (ViewSonic, cathode ray tube) screen is a bit wobbly. I expect it will give up altogether one day and I will trot down to John Lewis and start again - because last time I tried to connect an exotic screen to this 5 year old Evesham PC (the late lamented Evesham. Good name at the time), the PC got into a right mess. Took about three reboots on the old screen before it would play again. So I don't think just replacing the screen is going to work if I do it. And is not going to be worth it if someone else does it. So John Lewis it is.