Andrew can’t seem to get online after playing the WOW game. There’s really too many possible reasons why you’ve no internet and since you’ve tried a few obvious things already like resetting the router, checking the connection, virus checking etc..Iwould suggest ringing your internet provider. They do go down regularly! Also, it’s possible you may have gone over your isp’s monthly bandwidth limit. Online gaming can do this easily!

Shawn can’t seem to download any of the above and while no error messages were mentioned I’d advise 2 things. 1. Try a virus scan and 2. Try using a different up to date browser.

Phil can’t see sites in Firefox or Internet Explorer but is connected to the web. Make sure you’re not in “Work Offline” mode for a start! Next obvious step is to ensure your firewall is not blocking any browsers or networks. You may also be the victim of a browser hijack so do a full scan in safe mode with a good, updated security suite and anti-virus program.

Niko has the strage problem of not being able to access certain website. They just come up blank. Here’s some possible reasons.

A good cure for this is simply a reboot of your modem/router.

This may also be Firewall or Virus related so turn off your anti-virus and firewall software and try the same sites again. If that doesn’t work, try deleting your browser’s cache.

Then I would try doing a virus scan with a good updated anti-virus and spyware program.

Might be worth giving your ISP a quick call to see if there’s something up their end.

Finally, try to download and install a different internet browser and see if the same problem occurs.

Carol is getting the above message every 5 minutes and the broadband network connection cannot be established due to the remote server not responding.

The first thing I would have said would be to contact the ISP but Carol has already done this and they said it might be a corrupted internet explorer so presuming they know what they’re talking about the best course of action might be to download and install a fresh copy of internet explorer. To do that go here:

www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx

Or better yet, try the FREE Firefox browser!:

www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Steve had a problem whereby he couldn’t browse the net on his home network. Here’s some possible causes.

Restarting the PC and Modem/Route:

This should always be the first thing you try and is usually the cure for most problems!

ISP (Internet Service Provider:

If the above doesn’t work and you still can’t see ANY sites at all then give your ISP a quick call on their Tech Support line and see if there’s any problems with them that are out of your control. If not, check the following:

Router:

Unplug the main cable supplying your router with the internet signal and plug it straight into your laptop then check the web again, if it works it may be a problem with your Router Configuration so check the router manual.

Antivirus:

Certain Viruses and Spyware can block internet connection for everything but their own needs so install a good anti-virus program, update it and scan.

Network:

If you have a home network, check that its setup correctly by running the Network Setup Wizard on all? computers (Start – Control Panel – Network Setup Wizard)

Firewall:

As in Stephen’s case the problem was most likely caused by either a hardware or software firewall. A firewall program such as Norton Internet Security may be over zealous in blocking internet attacks and end up blocking everything! Check your firewall exemptions or turn it off altogether temporarily to see if you can get back online.

You might see RSS Feed links on a lot sites these days, especially Blogs. So what are they exactly, why would you want to use one and how!?

Heres my simplest explanation on what an RSS feed is:

For a Website Publisher:

For the person who writes website content whether its a web designer or site owner, RSS is simply a method/format for publishing news and articles. If you use a blogging technology like WordPress, you’re RSS feed is produced automatically.

For a Website Reader:

‘Subscribing’ to an RSS feed using an RSS reading program allows a site visitor to read all new articles posted on the site without having to visit it. You can add multiple RSS feeds to the one program and keep up to date with several different sites from the one place.

My RSS reader program of choice is the FREE FeedReader (click to visit site) which allows you to add as many website RSS feeds as you want and then read them at your leisure. Everytime someone publishes a new article, post or blog, FeedReader grabs it for you.

Some modern internet browsers such as Firefox & Internet Explorer 7 have the ability to read RSS feeds but Internet Explorer 6 does not.

To add my RSS feed to FeedReader see below:

• Download and Install FeedReader
• On the left of this page right-click on the ‘RSS Feed’ link and select ‘Copy Shortcut’ or ‘Copy Link Location’
• Open FeedReader and go to ‘File – New – Feed’
• The ‘Add Feed’ field should be prefilled with the feed address from this site, eg – http://www.pcsolutionsireland.com/feed If its not just press ‘CTRL V’ to paste.
• Click Ok
• The item ‘PC Solutions Ireland’ should now be in the list of feeds on the left hand side in FeedReader, click to view all posts made on this site!
• The process is the same for all feed additions.

For those who listen to internet radio and find themselves going to the stations page and clicking ‘listen now’, then this little free application could be useful…

Screamer Radio is an internet radio player with hundreds of preset stations which can also be recorded to your hard drive. Designed not to be intrusive, Screamer Radio will not slow down your computer and will hide itself in the system tray.

The main pionts to know about this one -

# A small application that takes very little resources, perfect for running in the background and listening to the radio while doing something else.

# Supports hundreds of internet radio stations from all round the world.

# You can browse dozens of presets by genre, region or langauge…and also set your own favourite presets easily

download from -

www.screamer-radio.com

A question that comes up a lot from computer users with younger children who access the net is ‘what child protection is good, easy and affordable?’

Well, I think I may have a contender to fit the above criteria

It’s good {been using it on various machines for months now}, it’s extremely easy to use, and its free {which should cover affordability }

The software I speak of is K9 Web Protection – www1.k9webprotection.com

K9 Web Protection is a free service…I say ‘service’ because the way it works is the sites you visit are filtered through their servers as opposed to being checked by something that’s installed on your computer…also, another good thing is that K9 doesn’t slow down your web surfing, which similar softwares sometimes suffer from.

You can manually enter sites into its settings to have them blocked or allowed, and if you happen to land on a site that is blocked but you don’t think it should be, you can override K9′s decision for 15 minutes by entering the administrator password or choose to override it permanently.

All-in-all I consider this an excellent piece of software, doing exactly what it says on the tin…for those in need of such software, grab it while its free, as it may not be free for too long.

.

K9 Web Protection is -

Free !

Easy to use

Blocks images from sites that are known for hosting offensive material but still allows a site using that service to be viewed {unless the site is offensive enough to be blocked completely}

Provides one set of internet filtering configurations to be set for all users {not individual profiles}

A web-based service with always up to date detection database

..

www1.k9webprotection.com

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For those of you seriously curious about how things do what they do and how stuff works, www.howstuffworks.com is the place for you!!Simply visit the site and choose a category and sub category from a wide range. I picked ‘Electronics – Phones’ and was presented with a ton of info on how the various different phone types such as mobile and home actually work. Additional info includes links to info on computer to phone calling, 3G and using a mobile phone as a credit card!!

Check it out if you’re amazed at your latest gadget!

You’ve decided to splash out on a new Computer to see what all the fuss is about re Emails, the Internet, Bebo, etc.. and you are wondering? which company and package to go for? Read on..

Heres some of the options for connecting to the internet:

• Dialup-up – using a lead to connect your phone line to your pc, this was the first and most common method but is being replace by Broadband. You get charged per minute and its added to your phone bill. Price : expensive if you use the internet a lot. Companies: Eircom, BT, etc..
• DSL Broadband – this also comes down the phone line but doesn’t tie up your main number and is typically ‘always-on’ meaning that whenever you turn on the pc its online. Its also light years faster than dialup and is the most common type of broadband. Price: cheapest packages available. Companies: Eircom, BT, etc..
• Wireless Broadband – nothing to do with the phone here. Typically, you get a small alarm-sized box on the house exterior and a lead from it comes in to your pc. This is also always on but is dependant on a clear line of sight (not even a leaf in the way!) bewteen you and the transmitter. Price: Mid-range. Companies: Digiweb
• Wimax – a pretty new technology not fully available yet but very similar to wireless above except that theres a greater range and it doesnt require a clear line of sight. Price: Mid-range to expensive. Companies: unknown yet
• Satellite Broadband – this is available almost everywhere but is quite expensive and may be slowish. Some packages require that you dial a number and stay on a call while you are online. The ones that dont are usually way too expensive. Price: Expensive. Companies: Digiweb
• Mobile Broadband – this is also only a couple of years old and is the system I use here in the office. Its potentially better than all the rest in that its cheap and VERY easy to install, no dishes or boxes – you just plugin a memory stick sized yoke and away you go! It can be used with laptops on the move and in a good strenght signal area i
  
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