Whats Worse ?

[UrbanManc]

My computer is playing up , it takes 25 minutes from switching on before it will allow me do anything

It made me realise if it suddenly dies completely I will be in serious s***.

I do all my banking , correspondence , pay all my bills , video , photo , games , music , movies etc etc .

But what would be worse, loosing computer and internet access , or loosing your bike

Which loss would devastate you most .

[matt_twam_asi]

I've been a geek practically all my life. I only started cycling seriously last year. Sorry - I would always choose my compy.

If your computer is suddenly taking far longer than usual to boot you may have some kind of virus/spyware. Are you using Windows? Do you have any antivirus/anti-spyware programs? Do you get any error messages when you turn your computer on?

[UrbanManc]

I've been a geek practically all my life. I only started cycling seriously last year. Sorry - I would always choose my compy.

If your computer is suddenly taking far longer than usual to boot you may have some kind of virus/spyware. Are you using Windows? Do you have any antivirus/anti-spyware programs? Do you get any error messages when you turn your computer on?

No error messages ,Windows Vista with all the latest updates , I'm using BullGuard anti-virus, scans don't find any problems. Once the first 25 minutes are up, my comp works perfectly, it's a strange one

[Mick F]

"I could not live without my bike"

So very true for me. Even if I was too old or even physically unable to ride, I would still never part with my bike. I want to be buried with it!

[pigman]

I dont own a computer. i use one 8 hours a day at work and thats too much. If i was faced with no work, then I'd be computerless and that would be ok. Ok, i wouldnt be forum contributor, but I can live with that. If I want to do a websearch or research prices etc, then I'd go the library and use theirs FOC. Whilst out of work, i tend to do physical things - walking, cycling, DIY etc. I have a real job sitting for any length of time, so TV, books, PC's etc all play a small part.
On the other side, whilst i have a history in cycling, its not the be al and end all. I'd join a walking club or possibly athletics club or sommat. Family commitments and continually crappy weather means I'm not the cyclist I once was. So I didnt vote, as both alternatives were a bit extreme for me.

[eileithyia]

Bike def gets my vote, though internet access a close second.
Got a virus that prevented me accessing internet a couple of years back, made me realise how vulnerable I would be if I did everything inc banking via the internet, so I don't do it.

[kwackers]

I've been a geek practically all my life. I only started cycling seriously last year. Sorry - I would always choose my compy.

If your computer is suddenly taking far longer than usual to boot you may have some kind of virus/spyware. Are you using Windows? Do you have any antivirus/anti-spyware programs? Do you get any error messages when you turn your computer on?

No error messages ,Windows Vista with all the latest updates , I'm using BullGuard anti-virus, scans don't find any problems. Once the first 25 minutes are up, my comp works perfectly, it's a strange one

Hardware fault - usually a faulty cache or iffy disk (can you hear it thrashing the disk?). Is it on a network? (could be hanging around trying to map drives etc). Faulty RAM? (does it report the amount of memory you expect it to have - could be swapping stuff in and out of the disk cache).

Failing that I usually re-install windows, eventually you get loads of little useless tasks hanging around that insist on loading stubs and whatnots - although if you're running Vista I wouldn't have thought you'd had the computer long enough...

[UrbanManc]

I've been a geek practically all my life. I only started cycling seriously last year. Sorry - I would always choose my compy.

If your computer is suddenly taking far longer than usual to boot you may have some kind of virus/spyware. Are you using Windows? Do you have any antivirus/anti-spyware programs? Do you get any error messages when you turn your computer on?

No error messages ,Windows Vista with all the latest updates , I'm using BullGuard anti-virus, scans don't find any problems. Once the first 25 minutes are up, my comp works perfectly, it's a strange one

Hardware fault - usually a faulty cache or iffy disk (can you hear it thrashing the disk?). Is it on a network? (could be hanging around trying to map drives etc). Faulty RAM? (does it report the amount of memory you expect it to have - could be swapping stuff in and out of the disk cache).

Failing that I usually re-install windows, eventually you get loads of little useless tasks hanging around that insist on loading stubs and whatnots - although if you're running Vista I wouldn't have thought you'd had the computer long enough...

Yeah I suspect a hardware fault, had the computer 18 months, I can hear the drive ticking slowly as if it's trying to access data, and I'm not on a network.

Having said that the 'ethernet' light on my modem flashes away like mad when the PC is frozen.

I might go to PC world and get a refurb laptop as an emergency back-up and hope my desktop lasts a bit longer at least recouping some of the cost.

[kwackers]

Yeah I suspect a hardware fault, had the computer 18 months, I can hear the drive ticking slowly as if it's trying to access data, and I'm not on a network.

Having said that the 'ethernet' light on my modem flashes away like mad when the PC is frozen.

I might go to PC world and get a refurb laptop as an emergency back-up and hope my desktop lasts a bit longer at least recouping some of the cost.

Ticking usually isn't an issue - if it's the drive you'll hear it constantly recalibrating. The noise depends on the manufacturer - the only thing I can say is it's not a tick, more of a buzz or low frequency noise that lasts half a second or so and repeats.

[matt_twam_asi]

Yeah, it could possibly be something like dodgy RAM. You could run Ultimate Boot CD to check.

If not that, then it may be something you've installed recently conflicting with Vista. A quick search shows that Bullguard doesn't play nice with Vista SP1, that may be another possibility.

(Or you could ditch Vista for a real Operating System )

[UrbanManc]

Yeah, it could possibly be something like dodgy RAM. You could run Ultimate Boot CD to check.

If not that, then it may be something you've installed recently conflicting with Vista. A quick search shows that Bullguard doesn't play nice with Vista SP1, that may be another possibility.

(Or you could ditch Vista for a real Operating System )

I wouldn't know how to use the 'Ultimate Boot CD' , the only download I have made recently is Firefox , but the problem didn't begin happening till weeks after.

Once I log on , it's having problems booting up the desk top.

The tool bar ( at the bottom ) seems to be the main problem.

If I leave the mouse/keyboard alone it appears to rectify ( and boot up ) quicker .

I might do a de-frag and see if any corrupted sectors are found.

[anniesboy]

Why not try this forum. This link does not go straight to it,look in Helproom.

For me I need both but my bike is insured ,but then if its hard drive fails?

http://tinyurl.com/5nectj

[dan_b]

Don't know. If I lost my bike, I'd use my other bike.

... Mind you, the same applies if I lost my computer, and it'd probably be cheaper to replace, too

[Mick F]

If I lost my bike, I'd be heartbroken.

[PW]

Me too. Computers and forums are nice, but I survived most of my life without them and could no doubt manage the rest. I even missed having a bike in my early 20s when I was still a m*t*rist.