Stuff! the house is falling apart again!

They do it anyway, I've tried being nice to them, but they just don't like me, maybe I'm to carbon based a life form for them and they really want someone more silicon?

TheCatWoman said:

tech gods are not my normal gods, they're false idols!

You realise that the mouse is going to delete something really important for saying this, don't you?

No Iain, tech gods are not my normal gods, they're false idols!

TheCatWoman said:

I think part of the problem is its trying to find other devices to connect too and I don't have any, if seems to flip its chip that I don't play games have no console to link up too, so it keeps trying to load samples

This is just Microsoft trying to upsell stuff to you by placing it in your field of view - it works for enough people to make it cost effective for them to do it unfortunately and is near impossible to disable so it is worth ignoring the icons that pop up for games.

Easier said than done I know.

TheCatWoman said:

I'm starting to wonder if a tin foil hat and a belt made of paper clips trailing along the ground would earth me and stop me arcing sparks like the emporer in star wars!

So long as you remember the annual sacrifice of a goat to the tech gods you will be fine. The tech gods are just a rebadged version of the older pegan gods that were shoehorned into this role by the Job center so it is worth cutting them some slack

TheCatWoman said:

As both the internaa track pad and the external mouse I plugged in are having the same problem I think its something internal going wrong,

If it is picking stuff up and moving it when you are not pressing the buttons then it could be the way you are holding the mouse (sometimes your fingers can press just enough for the buttons to activate.

To test this I would hold the mouse with your fingers completely away from the buttons and move it about to see if you can reproduce the fault. I've seen it often enough to replace the mouse as a perventative measure (not so easy with the trackpad) and train the users to try different ways of holding the mouse for a while.

Thanks Iain, we are trying to get a replacement freezer drawer, the last one they sent us was the wrong size as it was a bottom drawer front not the top one.

The tv we have is an LG and I would certainly look at that brand again. We'd have to go to England for a John Lewis, Liverpool is the nearest I think, what I'd be more inclined to do is look in curry's as its the only electrical retailer we have, find what I want and then order online, providing we didn't want to straight away. Humax might be one of the more expensive set top boxes, but they allow you to do more, record more channels at the same time and are generally better..

According to Mum I cursed the last washing machine, I said I'd be glad when it finally packed up as the spin speed was so slow, it died peacefully in its sleep the following night after nearly 20 years of service. Most washing machines are made by the same 2 or 3 compaines and just have a different box and brand name, so I will find out who's the real manufacturer before buying a new one, again look in the shop and buy online.

My pooter was reconditioned when I bought it and its quite old, I don't have a resident techie or a nearby one and somehow I always end up bottom of the list for visiting techies, my son had a look earlier in the month and he couldn't work out where all the extra stuff running in the background was coming from. I think part of the problem is its trying to find other devices to connect too and I don't have any, if seems to flip its chip that I don't play games have no console to link up too, so it keeps trying to load samples, I don't know where from. The security scans say theres nothing wrong, it just takes ages to load and shut down because its booting all this stuff up in the back ground that dosent' want to be turned off again. As both the internaa track pad and the external mouse I plugged in are having the same problem I think its something internal going wrong, its not helping that I have so much static that I can operate the track pad from an inch or so away by stroking its aura.

I'm starting to wonder if a tin foil hat and a belt made of paper clips trailing along the ground would earth me and stop me arcing sparks like the emporer in star wars!

You may need to start leaving an offering to the tech gods to stop them messing with you.

I found that leaving them a Kitkat (chunky one mind you) and a Red Bull has the desired effect.

Having said that, in recent years I have started working out how to repair a lot of this stuff and once you get into it, there is a simplicity to it.

eBay is a great source of replacement parts if you are confident to fit them yourself (like the freezer drawer) - most are designed to become brittle and break with age so you are encouraged to buy a replacement, so it is a form of planned obsolescence (speaking to designers in Electrolux confirmed this for me).

I also use an external mouse with my computers - a Logitech one comes with a little USB dongle that plugs into your computer and is paired with the mouse so you can use it on any computer - quite handy (and it is wireless).

The slowing down thing is Microsofts way of encouraging you to buy a new computer with the latest version of Windows on it - they (and Apple) have done this for decades.

You could use a captive techie (same diet as the tech gods) if there is one you know and get them to look at it when it slows down. Chances are it is just a Windows update, index of your files or anti-virus scan running so the techie can switch off the first 2 and show you how to update the virus scan manually. (typically a few clicks only).

The washing machine is probably on its way out with the circuit board that controls the programs being the common point of failure here - and they make this part so expensive that it isn't worth replacing.

One thing I would recommend is getting a replacement wth a 10 year warranty, or at least 5. I got this on my appliances here after haggling in the shop for it (the manufacturers outlet) as I leave the appliances in my flat when I sell it and a long warranty is what a lot of buyers like to have.

For the TV and Humax box, there are some good deals on TVs with the Freeview recording built in (called PVR ) - this will cover both items.

From some of the tech review channels I follow that Samsung has changed their manufacturing techniques for TVs now and they are much less robust than they used to be with so many new models suffering early failures - LG seems to be the best brand for durability now so I would consider them good candidates.

John Lewis have some of the best guarantee support schemes (if there is one you can get to, or order online) - they have a decent list:

https://www.johnlewis.com/browse/electricals/televisions/view-all-tvs/freesat-hd-included/_/N-6srfZluho

If you want a hand in selecting a model them let us know what you need and what is nice to have and we can look these up for you so you have a second pair of eyes on the selection process.

Unfortunately tech is all about being replaced now but we can do some things to make them last longer or at least get replaced free if they fail.

Turn the power off and then switch it back on again, cures all electrical apparatus. Just ask if you need anymore technical advice.

They could be, given the age of most of them, its more likely the want the right to retire, the telly's about 12, the washing machine 8 and the freezer about 10! Only the tumble dryer which is only about 4 or 5 isn't acting up!

Perhaps they are protesting against an unscrupulous owner for better terms & conditions !! 

I think my appliance are unionised and when goes out they all come out in sympathy and either stop working or work to rule.

I don’t think I can say anything, except I understand what you are saying.

That’s a lot of appliance issues, would not be loving it. Hope you get stuff sorted out

Much as I sympathise, I'm not going online shopping for you again, it doesn't work 

Wow, perhaps you have Gremlins?