Chunky

+1 for that!

On the forehead it is then.... I heard that pet chipping is to be free soon... Chunks

Personally, If biometrics are failing, give them a swipe card or barcode in their school diary/journal. Sometimes, things are a losng battle, and aren't worth persevering with, especially when there's alternatives. Chunks

LoL - no, you don't punch it hehe

Two alternatives: Thumb prints, or knuckle prints. Chunks

Would you like to offer your findings where you've disproved his credability? Steve Gibson is a long standing, old school IT expert. Anyone who's had the benefit of using Spinrite and getting irreplacable data back would tell you so. If you've listened to all his podcasts on security, and see something he's said was wrong, I'm sure he'll apreciate you pointing it out. (Given he is one of 11 of the TWiT podcasting networks' shows to be put up for awards, it kind of says something about him and his work... - or maybe you only know him for "shields up"?) Btw, you did realise he's the person who coined the term "spyware"... Chunks

I've had no problems with the same sort of situation - with sybase open on the side too... each to their own I guess. (and RAM isn't the only thing that impacts PC speed, so bear in mind a nice fast hard disk and CPU, etc, etc.) Chunks

copy your profile elsewhere, and recreate it from clean. Then check the size Chunks

Going back to the spec point - 1 gig of ram is very respectable for a PC that's usually running very little more than MS Office, SIMS / MIS, your finance progs and IE - especially if it's XP. Heck, XP can't even see the whole of the 4 gig if you stick 4 gig in it anyway. you can stick 2 gig in, but I'd say it wasn't an outdated spec. 4 gig is overkill... If their running typical school office software, 1 gig is fine. (My management / workhorse workstation with XP, SP3, 2 gig of ram will happily run with SIMS, Excel, Publisher, several Firefox sessions and a test machine VM all running at the same time.) I could joke that 1 gig is overkill for Solitaire an Hearts, but I like going into my school office (they work hard, really, whatever people think, they do!) Chunks

LEAs do seem to prefer to hold back on updates in case it breaks things. When they've built machines for the network, SP3 has been the base, and they've got their own update server now, and several of their packages are chronolgically "old" but that doesn't mean they don't work. (is any office security safe with Adobe PDF reader on them? For example, our LEA here has just this week started roll-out of IE7. The delay has been a problem which meant the ordering and finance system now works with IE7 (when it was originally tested, for some reason, it didn't want to work. So? they stuck with IE6 fully patched. It still did the job, and despite the frustration of not running all the "latest and greatest" IE7/8, etc, it was obviously far more important for schools to be able to use the finance system than the need to update their browser for anything else. Just imagine the scenario - They've installed this PC with all the software your office (and most likely all the other LEA schools' offices). Then, you decide to do some updating... You download and install SP3. Then IE7. Maybe IE8. Install all the updates for XP. Then the hardware / driver updates. Then install the new .net framework. You then hand it back to the office, who now can't get into their finance system, the registration system doesn't work. One of the hardware updates has a glitch causing the pc to randomly BSOD, or worse, you get the machine boot-rolling. Who do all your admin staff then blame for the office coming to a halt? What I'd do is point it out to them, simply tell them what you think should be done, and why it should be done, but don't forget to ask them why it hasn't been done - there may be an obvious reason - or it could be something as simple as forgetting to run the batch file to stick all these onto the pc. (or wrong build image) Best thing is not to jump to conclusions - and tread tactfully - if you annoy or rub your LEA up the wrong way, they'll remember it forever Also, if you are going to speak to them, prepare evidence which shows you need to update. Check out MS site for announcements that say "for security reasons, you need to upgrade to SP3" etc, etc. Finally, for Security information, check out Home of Gibson Research Corporation (click on the "Security now" link at the top of the screen - Steve Gibson is a security guru with a show on the TWiT podcasting network - unmissable stuff! (and after yo're listened to the last 5-10 podcasts, you'll get my "Adobe" reference...) Chunks

I bought my Revo 3600 (same as OP posted) back around 2 months ago, when they dropped from £169 to £144. At £129 delivered - if you've light internet useage, or for a little media centre / PC to attach to the back of your living room TV, then it's a real no-brainer bargain. I'm considering going for a 3610 with Windows 7 on it, 500gb hard drive and 4 gig of ram option for my main PC. (its got the atom 330 chip, which is dual core hyperthreaded, and shows up as 4 proessors, which is nice) Acer Aspire Revo R3610 Desktop PC - Desktops at Ebuyer It's gone up in price though - it was £259 a few days ago - now apparently "down to £299". Chunks

Do you have to configure the drive to be in its own array, as a single drive, (if that makes sense) so its initialized when the card comes online? Chunks

!!! COMMON SENSE ALERT !!!

Can't miss a freebie. PM sent.

No. It was the idea of a few people. I've seen them on the telly telling me it was their idea.

Doubt is what stops us all buying the same kit, dude

Sivadam's correct. If duplicate teachers are added, then the account they use to log into will have a different teacher timetable code. It's a pain, but solvable - check sims support. Chunks

I really hope you mean kettle *socket* one end, trailing sockets the other. Obviously if you're doing it the other way around, the pins inside the end opposite your stated "plug" would be live and open... OUCH! (but may wake some people up) You'll always be wanting a plug going into a socket, or you'll never need a barber again Chunks

I'm getting this just for the joystick - they were awesome sticks, and I think they were only surpassed by the original Atari stick. Chunks

I tend to buy our media from Bigpockets - BigPockets.co.uk Blank Media, CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, DL+, Dual Layer, 8cm, Recordable Discs, Epson, HP, Cartridges, PCs, Laptops, DVD Cases, LCD HD TVs, Free Delivery They have nice pair of sister-sites too (for people who like bargains!) PCI-E Card 256 MB Radeon HD 2600 Pro 512mb | BOFFER.CO.UK, Your Daily Deal and BigOffers.co.uk - Tiny Prices - Pound Shop - Bargains - Boffer Sister Site Enjoy the bargains! Chunks

I saw this at BETT too - looks fantastic - all I need to do now is persuade the powers that be that we need to invest in it. For what it costs, it's a cracking solution. (looks luch more functional than when I saw it a few years ago) Chunks

One point that's not been considered:- I'd take good quality cat 5e over cheapo cat 6 every day of the week. (and a lot of the 5e cabling is marked as "gigabit certified" (despite cat 6 being correct) Also, depending where you buy it, the price difference isn't much at all, and if you've any real concerns, go 6. Chunks

solution found by sticking "code to avoid google indexer" into google... (first link) » 6 ways to stop Google and other search engines from indexing your site | Antezeta Web Marketing Some good info there. Chunks

I'll do it for £8,499

You'll be hearing from my legal team with regards to the damage caused to my eyes due to viewing that screen. Chunks