Q&A about getting the most from your home technology

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I tried to get faster broadband through Virgin but despite leafleting the road saying their services were available they said the only way I could have it was with wires up the front of my house. The people who sold the package were incredibly hard sell - only interested in getting a signature on a form. i explained to them that I couldn't have anything up the front of the house but they weren't interested in discussing how it would happen. I think they must have got the commission regardless of whether the sale actually went through. The whole thing was a depressing experience. Do all companies use these techniques and how could I get faster broadband without festooning the house with cables?

Why sometimes when I am out and about with my computer do I find it impossible to log into the internet and get a message saying either than my computer has not got an IP or has a self-assigned IP and therefore cannot connect?

Seems to be OK when I get home...

Is it wise to "lock" the screen on your ipad or iphone so that after a certain period of time you need to enter a four number code to be able to use it? I always thought it was good in terms of security but then my DS pointed out that in an emergency no one would be able to access my ICE (in case of emergency) numbers to let them know something had happened

Very interested to see what you say to katykat's question. Am also intrigued by the pic folders on the iphone...

And following on from the earlier ones:

Is icloud better than dropbox then? Does it work in the same way?

And I'm due an upgrade soon on my iphone 4 - is the iphone 5 much better in your opinion? Or should I stick to the iphone 4 and rather negotiate a better package.

And also, is the problem of other people hacking in to your own wifi still an issue? I have a strong password (I think).

My question is about online storage - or backing up in general. I have always used an external hard drive to back up my computer in the past but a friend pointed out that if the house burned down and my computer went with it the hard drive would likely go up in flames at the same time.

I mainly want to back up all my photos and my documents. I got the free drop box thing but it's already running out of space and I am unsure whether to pay to upgrade - partly because it seems expensive and also because I wasn't sure if there are better options.

Thank you in advance

At the risk of iphones hijacking the whole thread trying to work out whether to buy an iphone from apple and then get a sim deal or whether to get the same phone on a monthly contract. Essentially if I assume it will last 2 years and pay (approx) £500 for the phone and then £15 a month on the iphone sim deal (which has enough minutes and data for my needs plus unlimited texts) it works out that I am spending the same as if I do a 2 year deal with the same provider and get the phone (more or less) included - there is a small fee at the start for having the phone I want. So what I am trying to ask in a rather roundabout way is are there advantages to one method or the other that I might have overlooked?

Hoping I can squeeze a mac question in too! Between us we have a macbook computer and an ipad and I also have an iphone. My question is about icloud back up which I have been told is on my phone. How does it work? Is it on my ipad too? And can I put it on my computer so I can keep all of my stuff saved together (and actually - I would really like to know more about icloud in the first place - how does it work? what does it save? and how do you access it if you need it?)

Am I too late to add my question? It's also about photos on an iphone and I had forgotten until I saw Floribunda's question.

If I click on the photo icon on my iphone a list of "albums" comes up. There is one called "From my computer" which is photos I have compiled to make a little album to keep on my phone. There is "Camera roll" which is the photos I take on my phone or save on my phone. But then there is also "photo library" which has more photos in it than "from my computer" but not as many as there would be if you added both the other albums together. So what is this album, what goes into it - and is it duplicating the other two albums and therefore taking up lots of storage space?

Why is it that companies (not just yourself, but Sky, BT, Virgin etc) all advertise a package with broadband, TV, whatever - but then there's a small bit where it says line rental on top? If line rental is necessary for broadband, why isn't it included in the price?

Also, Virgin run cables, so why is line rental necessary for the broadband package?

Can you help explain how iphone storage works? I have a 16G iphone 4. I have some music on it - but not a ridiculous amount. A few videos I have shot on the phone (all approx 10-20 seconds long and only a handful of them) and quite a lot of photos. But when I sync my phone on my computer it shows I have basically used up all my storage.

I love having the photos on there (grandma's bragging book) so what can I do to free up a bit of space. I have about 600 photos in total

Hi there. DS loves playing with the iPad, but I'm always a bit hesitant about leaving him to it, incase he presses random buttons and I end up with a huge bill! Is there parental control on the iPad? Or is there an app I can use?

What is the best entry level i-phone for a beginner? I am currently on a pay as you go tariff but friends and children keep telling me I would be better with a contract deal.

Hi Mr.Fofie, Two questions, both relating to my TalkTalk email. I use Chrome as a browser. 1) For no apparent reason, when I log into Webmail, my new messages aren't showing as such. They look as if they have already been read. This was fine until a couple of months ago. 2) How do I resize photos to send in emails? I have tried so many things with no success! Cannot find "advanced" tab in "Settings" for email. Many thanks in advance.

Currently got a Toshiba Laptop running on XP. How difficult to load Windows 8 on myself, or would I have to get a tech person to do it ?

I've had a Smartphone since last autumn, but know very little about what it can do for me! I know how to use it for phoning, texting, taking photos (though I don't know howto upload them onto the computer) and for Facebook, but other than that I feel I'm missing out on a lot? Can you give me any advice, please?

Hi
Since we recently went to high definition tv and I retuned telly with built in Freeview, I have not been able to sort out my joint cd viewer and vhs player/recorder.

I have reread loading instructions but it says to tume to channel 22 with which it previously worked very well.Now, of course channel 22 is a tv channel. Can you advise me if it is possible to getmy cdpalyer cum VHS player/recorder to work with the new tv set up?
Regards
Lin

A magnifying glass?

I need help please with 'something happening' on my laptop.....From time to

time the pages of my Ebay keep shrinking from the sides, untill I have a HUGE

margin and just a wide column of tiny print down the centre!! I know this is

easy to rectify! and I have tried every key on the keyboard, but try as I might,

I just cant find the solution on my own. Not only am I a beginner, but I'm a bit

of a thicky where these pc's are concerned. Please can you (or anyone else) advise.

I have a TalkTalk SIM only contract including Internet. Why does my Samsung Tocco Lite not send or receive MMS on this service?. The phone is fully set up and MMS is activated but does not work. I had big trouble with TalkTalk in the first week of the contract even activating the SIM. I never had any trouble with MMS on Vodafone so I believe it is a SIM setup problem, your helpdesk is not very helpful, they just churn out generic solutions time and time again. I have tried everything they have suggested but to no avail. Please can you help?

Which is the most user friendly smart phone with easily viewed and decent sized numbers and keyboard. What is a realistic amount of data storage required for a non game, non utube user.

I have a Toshiba notebook pc, Samsung Galaxy S GT 190000 mobile phone, Acer EE Tablet and Kindle fire (plus normal Kindle). This may be an impossible question but can I get them all fully syncing to each other? The Tablet, Kindle Fire, mobile phone and Notebook, all do receive the same emails but the sent ones do not appear on every device. My main interest is the calendar feature can I get this to sync on devices, or at least on any of the devices? Thankyou.