The Whine thread.

[JadziaKathryn]

Sometimes I wonder why I ever left dial-up.

Because it's slow as?

dark_rain, that sounds really unpleasant. Except the upgrade part, of course.

[WarpGirl]

No it was never too slow. I gave it up because I'm alone in a wheelchair and I can't have a tied up phoneline. BUT I still HATE wireless. But where I live Everything is wireless or satalite which means sometimes tv and internet dies. I hate it.

[Aquarius]

Oooh I have something I hate. I hate wireless internet! Really I hate and loath it. It stops working, won't tell you why, and then starts working again with no warning. But stops again whenever it wants too. Even if it DOES connect to a network it won't always connect to the internet. Why? It won't tell you. Sometimes I wonder why I ever left dial-up.

You may have issues with your router.

[WarpGirl]

Tell me about it. I swear the thing has been screwed up since we hooked everything up! I swear I came this close to a total meltdown yesterday.

[Aquarius]

Well, I'm no expert, but after living with one for so long, I know that some routers are just pieces of crap, others need software/firmware updates, etc., so you may want to have someone check it out...rather than, you know, risking a meltdown.

[WarpGirl]

When I have the money I'm taking it to the shop and saying "How can you help me?" But until then I'm completely broke so it will have to wait.

[Alelou]

The router is a fairly cheap part to just replace or upgrade, though.

Where is your wireless source? It's not your own cable?

[WarpGirl]

Nope I don't have cable it's almost impossible to get where I live. I don't even know where it is actually. I wouldn't know it if I was looking right at it, which I probably am. Pathetic I know.

[Alelou]

Maybe ask your landlord? Unless of course you're depending on someone else's wireless unbeknownst to them...

[WarpGirl]

Ooops it that bad. Anyway don't have a landlord thank god. I live in a trailer park. And no not the sterotypical type promoted by hollywood.

[Alelou]

My Grandma Thelma used to live in a trailer park and it was quite nice, except for the everpresent threat of a tornado sucking her house up. Oh yeah, and the backyard used to squish because the developer had buried tree trunks there and they were rotting. But the trailer itself was very comfortable -- nicer than our starter house in NJ anyway. (But oh man, those old people were having extramarital affairs and intrigues like something out of a soap opera -- they'd practically come to blows over a man who still had all his faculties -- and I'm afraid I have to include my grandmother in this. She made off with one of them, which is how she got out of the trailer park.)

Sounds like your connection is probably piggy-backing on someone else's ... so yeah, you're pretty much at their mercy. If it's satellite, bad weather can interfere. If their wireless modem goes down or just gets unplugged, your connection goes down. If you're all using it heavily at the same time, it will slow down. And if they figure out how to put security on their account, you're locked out... although in a trailer park you might have your pick of more than one account. Unless of course your homeowner's association or whatever it is actually maintains the wireless for everyone's benefit?

Mind you, this sounds more authoritative than it is because I don't really know what I'm talking about.

At our library, I'm pretty sure you can just go park in the parking lot and use the free wireless, although it might not work when the library is closed since they probably shut down everything.

[WarpGirl]

Well here it's like your typical neighborhood, with a few redneck exceptions you'd think you were in a little development on Long Island. Only more country of course. I mean I'm in the middle of the mountains. But someday I will not be dependent on piggy backing someday I will be free!

[JadziaKathryn]

I have an EVIL computer virus/malware.

What is wrong with the psychotic, human-hating heartless *&!@?# that make these things??? And can we increase their prison terms???

(Got this one at fanfiction.net, too. Another step down for that site...)

What it is, you see, is "Windows Antivirus Pro" has taken over my computer. I knew it wasn't legit. Now since most programs are 'infected' I can't open them. Like, say, a new security program that's supposed to deal with this. And my AVG Free can't remove or heal them... something about not on a local drive, whatever that means, even though my C drive is local, I'd say. Plus I can't manually delete because the computer spazzes about important programs.

And the one I was able to delete came right back because my computer is under the control of this probably demonic thing, which wants me to pay for the 'full' Windows Antivirus Pro. Maybe it's like some kind of mafia extortion scheme. "Protection fee? I don't need protection." *semi-automatic rifles come out and fire into the ceiling* "Oh, ah, yes. I can see where protection could be useful..."

So tomorrow on my day off I get to figure out if it's cheaper to drive up to the university and back so they can fix it, or find somewhere local.

[Aquarius]

Are your important files backed up? If so you can probably handle this yourself by blowing away the hard drive and then reinstalling the operating system and relevant programs. A little time consuming, especially when it comes to doing all the Windows updates...but it's free, for what it's worth. And at least this way you'd KNOW the virus is gone for sure.

[Nemo Blank]

Tell me about it. I swear the thing has been screwed up since we hooked everything up! I swear I came this close to a total meltdown yesterday.

Your router is probably getting hot. Make sure it is clear of obstruction and air can circulate around it. Often these things sit on carpet, or have papers and other equipment piled on them that blocks the cooling. If you have a small clip on fan, running it on the router could solve your problem. But when it locks up, just unplug the power or turn it off, wait about thirty seconds and turn it back on. That will often cure it until it overheats again. If you go through a router and then a wireless lan, turn them both off.