Nick Who

Multi Point USB Charger

2025-07-25T15:03:00.006+01:00

USB Plug Charger, 4-Port USB Fast Charger Plug with 33W Intelligent Quick Charge 3.0 Wall Charger, Multi USBPower Adapter UK Fast Charging for iPhone 15 14 13 Pro Max X 8 7 6,Samsung S21 S20 S10 S9

Would do fine in your gobag Hear

Emergencies go bag(s)

2025-07-20T11:28:00.003+01:00

Today, emergencies happen often. Below is a list of emergency supplies that you should have available. This list is not made in stone. For instance, if you do not have children, then you do not need the baby stuff.

I have linked some products that may help or not..

Documents

Medical Records.
Cash this will become nessasary as the banks may not be working.
Passport if you have one.
Driving Licence if held.
May be your birth certificate mmight come in useful
Local Map.

Medical Supplies

A first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as
Bandages,
Waterproof plasters,
A thermometer,
Antiseptic,
Eyewash solution,
Sterile dressings and gloves,
Medical tape for dressings,
Tweezers.
At lest 7 days supply's of any prescription medicines.

Hygiene

Hand sanitiser
Wet wipes
Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener or buy packet food for lightness if you have to travel). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.

Baby supplies

Such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water.

POWER AND LIGHT.

A mobile phone use only when required,remember if thère is a power cut you may not have service.
Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles. These can also be recharged.
Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut. These can also be recharged.
Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone and other devices
Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on. Rechargeable would be good as these can be recharged when the power comes back on
Do not forget the battery charger.

Keeping warm.

No electric in the winter means no heating other than log burners.
Wear warm clothes.
Use a sleeping bag.
Use a portable gas heater or cooker to heat one room,if you have one.

Tools.

Ball pane hammer for getting through double glazing.
Safety gloves for getting through double glazing
Resperator to keep the dust out of your lungs.
Whistle to attract attention.
Duct tape for repairs
Multi tool knife

Misc.

Books and games for children
Glass's
Hearing aid

Some of the content comes from Get prepared for emergencies and from the author.

Chrome 138 the last supported

2025-06-28T10:41:00.000+01:00

Chrome 138 the last supported

Hey Everyone, Chrome 138 is the last version of Chrome that will support Android 8.0 (Oreo) and Android 9.0 (Pie). Chrome 139 (tentatively scheduled for release on August 5th, 2025) is the first version of Chrome that requires Android 10.0 or later.

https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/352616098?hl=en

Taken from a post on support.google.com

USB safe charging

2025-06-08T12:02:00.000+01:00

Do you charge your device in a public or on a non secure work space ? if the answer is yes then you are leaving your device open to be hacked.

Here is what Gemini has to say

A USB charge-only cable is a type of USB cable specifically designed to deliver power to a device without allowing any data transfer. Unlike standard USB data cables, which have four wires (two for power and two for data), charge-only cables only have the two power wires connected.

How it works:

Standard USB ports on computers or public charging stations are capable of both power delivery and data transfer. A charge-only cable physically blocks the data lines, ensuring that only electrical current flows between the charging source and the device.

Advantages:

* Security: This is the primary benefit. By eliminating data transfer, charge-only cables prevent "juice jacking" (a type of cyberattack where malicious software or data is transferred to or from a device through a compromised charging port). This is particularly useful when using public charging stations in airports, cafes, or other unsecure environments.

* Simplicity: If you only need to charge a device and don't require data syncing, a charge-only cable is a straightforward solution.

* Potentially faster charging: In some cases, with all power dedicated to charging and no diversion for data processes, it might lead to slightly faster charging times.

Disadvantages:

* No data transfer: The obvious drawback is that you cannot sync data, transfer files, or connect your device to a computer for any function beyond charging.

* May not be explicitly labeled: The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) doesn't mandate clear differentiation between charge-only and data cables, so it can sometimes be difficult to tell them apart without testing or looking for specific markings. Data cables tend to be slightly thicker due to having more wires.

* Slower charging in some cases: While sometimes faster, if a device "handshakes" with the charger to negotiate optimal power delivery, and that negotiation relies on data lines, a charge-only cable might result in slower charging if the device cannot communicate its charging needs.

Applications:

* Public charging stations: The most common and important use case is for safely charging devices at public USB ports where you cannot guarantee the security of the source.

* High-security environments: In corporate, government, or defense settings, charge-only cables can be used to prevent accidental or malicious data transfer from mobile devices.

* Travel: For general peace of mind when traveling and needing to charge your devices in unfamiliar locations.

Some products exist that are "USB data blockers" which are small adapters that you can plug onto your regular USB cable to turn it into a charge-only cable, offering flexibility

Some mobile phones will stop working 2025

2025-03-30T14:53:00.007+01:00

4 and 5G phone

The G2 and G3 network is closing down, What does this mean to us the general public and why is it happening.

The network is being shut down to make space for new faster infrastructure, effectively making your handset obsolete if you do not have a phone with G4 upwards you will however be able to use the phone when logged on to a hot-spot or your home Wi-Fi. This will allow you to use the phone as normal if you have Wi-Fi calling switched on, also you will be able to use WhatsApp with a bit of juggling.

This will effect G2 and G3 phones only by the end of 2025.

Providers affected

Tesco

Three

Virgin Media

Will your game play on Windows

2025-03-26T11:32:00.002+00:00

Here's a link to a checklist to help you determine whether your Windows device is game-ready.

Skip the will it play/won't it play guessing game and learn how to tell if you can run a game 🎮 on your Windows PC: https://t.co/xiXjVw4vK3 pic.twitter.com/o38oYQItmL
— Microsoft Support (@MicrosoftHelps) March 25, 2025

Samsung Android Keyboard

2024-12-07T12:02:00.014+00:00

If you have a Samsung phone or pad and the keyboard is set to Google give the Samsung one a try.

Just go into the keyboard settings and set the default keyboard to Samsung. You should now have access to extra functions. These included all the Ctrl +y,z,x,c,v that are used in Windows there is also a clipboard viewer, Text functionality ,emojis and translation.

If you do not like it just switch back.

Passwords Made Easy

2024-09-09T12:24:00.006+01:00

Today i thought i would write about password security.

As we are all aware passwords are important but we continue to use very poor passwords when prompted for a new password. Here are some of them that have been used in the passed.

123456

password

123456789

12345678

12345

1234567

admin

123123

qwerty

abc123

I have even seen google used as a password.

Use a password generator and a password checker like the links below to find a safe password.

Password generator

random password generator#android

The alternative is pick a random word of about eight letters, chose 4 digit or more number and pick a couple non alfa numerically character @#£% etc. You then stich them together like mydaDd@987690#

Try using a password generator and a password checker like the links below to keep you surfing safely. These web sites will help you to secure your computer and application.

The alternative is pick a random word of about eight letters, chose 4 digit or more number and pick a couple non alfa numerically character @#£% etc. You then stich them together like mydaDd@987690#

If you found this useful why not buy me a coffee..

STADIA Games controller last chance to upgrade.

2023-12-07T11:04:00.005+00:00

Stadia was closed in 2023 by Google due to lack of take up on the system. google did refund people for there purchases and a way to upgrade their hardware to Bluetooth to so they could be used as a normal games pad.

This patch that was used to do that runs out at the end of December 2023.

Link to support articles

Devices are still for sale on amazon https://amzn.to/3uO3Jc3Amazon

Trouble adding Alexa Device's

2023-11-30T15:51:00.005+00:00

If you are having difficulties adding Alexa devices this may be due to having 5G enabled on your router. The device you are trying to add may like only to see 2.5G. Try this

Go into the router and see if 5G or both are running. if they are disable the 5G and restart the router. When it restarts try again to pair the device when it pairs re vist the router and re-enable the 5G. Then restart again.

How to keep your IP phone on during a power cut.

2023-09-16T15:11:00.007+01:00

Old telephones draw there power from the exchange,the new phones get power locally. If you have a power cut your phone will go off,your broadband router will also go off.

DISASTER you think well no. All you need is is a small up

Plug both the router and the phone into the ups, let the ups charge and all your router and phone will work.

This blog contains affiliated links.

ITV Hub Being Replaced Catch up TV will be Affected

2022-09-01T08:00:00.003+01:00

ITV Hub is being replaced with a new streaming system called ITV X from the end of September, this is because ITV wish to add extra content to its viewers. However this has a down side as some older TVs and set top boxes will not be able to receive this new platform. This will mean that those effected will not be able to uses catch up for there favourite soap.

All Computers, mobile and Tablets will be able to use the updated app. Here is a list of affected TVs that will be come incompatible. Samsung made before 2015 for instance will not be able to receive it.

• Avtex - 2013+

• CVTE - 2016 - 2018

• Hisense - 2016

• Humax 4000t

• Humax 5000t

• Panasonic TV 2015 C range models

• Panasonic TV 2016 D range models

• Panasonic TV 2018 F HD range models

• Sharp UMC 2017

• Sharp UMC 2018

• TCL 6586 (2018) 6 Series

• Freesat G2 2012-2018 Humax

• Samsung All TVs prior to 2015

Restore Windows App after a Crash.

2022-05-30T09:54:00.002+01:00

If you have a situation that requires an application to always be up then try

Restart program after a crash downloadable from https://w-shadow.com.

This will monitor your application and when it closes and write to a log file and reopen the application. This works on all versions of window and I have tested it on Windows 10.

Check for duplicate and large files on Android 11

2021-12-07T10:11:00.001+00:00

To check you storage and find Duplicate files on your phone (tested on Android 11 Samsung A52 )

Go to Settings
Battery and device care
Tap Storage
Scroll Down to Duplicate Files
Press duplicate files

To delete select those that you wish to remove then use the delete button on the page.

The same can be done for large files.

Android Gingerbread coming to an End

2021-09-08T10:24:00.002+01:00

Google is withdrawing support for Android devices running Android 2.3.7 commonly know as gingerbread.

This is effective from the 27 September 2021 and will effect YouTube, Google Play Store, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Calendar and more. All these apps will cease to work showing a sign in error.

Some apps like Gmail will still be available via a web browser, but unless your device can be upgraded the apps will be unavailable.

From Android help

Access your Google Account on Android 2.3.7 or lower

To help protect your account's security, you can't sign in with your Google Account on an Android device with Android 2.3.7 or lower. If you perform any of the following actions on devices that run Android 2.3.7 or lower, you may get a username or password error.

Try to sign in to Google products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps
Add or create a new Google Account
Perform a factory reset and try to sign in
Change your Google Account password, which signs you out on all devices, and try to sign in again
Remove your account from the device and try to re-add it

Learn how to check your Android version.

Access your account or email

You can sign in to your account with Android version 3.0 or newer. If your device can update to Android version 3.0 or newer, we advise you to do so.

If you can't update your device to Android version 3.0 or newer, you can sign in to your Google Account on your device's web browser. You can still use some Google services when you sign in to Google on your device's web browser.

Open your device's mobile web browser.
- To access your account: Go to myaccount.google.com.
- To use Gmail: Go to https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h.
Enter your username and password.

WhatsApp will stop working on these phones.

2021-09-06T10:28:00.001+01:00

According to WhatsApp, some mobile phone operating systems Like Apple’s iOS and Android will no longer be able to run the popular messaging app.

The affected phones covers all operating Makes

WhatsApp has recommended affected users to upgrade to phones running Android OS 4.1 and above, or iPhones running iOS 10 and newer to continue using the app. WhatsApp also says that select phones operating on KaiOS 2.5.1 newer are suitable.

Apple

The iPhone SE, 6S and 6S Plus.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy SII, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy Xcover 2, Galaxy Core and Galaxy Ace 2.

LG

LG Lucid 2, Optimus F7, Optimus F5, Optimus L3 II Dual, Optimus F5, Optimus L5, Optimus L5 II, Optimus L5 Dual, Optimus L3 II, Optimus L7, Optimus L7 II Dual, Optimus L7 II, Optimus F6, Enact , Optimus L4 II Dual, Optimus F3, Optimus L4 II, Optimus L2 II, Optimus Nitro HD and 4X HD, and Optimus F3Q.

ZTE

ZTE Grand S Flex, ZTE V956, Grand X Quad V987 and Grand Memo.

Huawei

Huawei Ascend G740, Ascend Mate, Ascend D Quad XL, Ascend D1 Quad XL, Ascend P1 S, and Ascend D2.

Sony

Sony Xperia Miro, Sony Xperia Neo L, Xperia Arc S.The Alcatel One Touch Evo 7, Archos 53 Platinum, HTC Desire 500, Caterpillar Cat B15, Wiko Cink Five, Wiko Darknight, Lenovo A820, UMi X2, Faea F1 and THL W8.

Sources Various

Router Change

2021-09-02T13:20:00.005+01:00

Well I finally did it changed ISPs , I was expecting it to be a pain but surprisingly it was simple. Now remember I have about a twelve Alexa devices connected around the house and a EV charger on the wall out side which needs to connect to the internet.

When the email arrived to tell me the switch over had been completed I was surprised, I had not had any interruption in service at all.

So despite being after 21:00hrs I just had to dig in and get the new router set up. Well the physical swop over took about five minutes no problem at all. Except for the fact nothing could connect to the new router as the SSID and username and password where different. Now as my previous posts Changing internet providers. and Things to consider before changing ISPs

The way around this was.

Connect a laptop to the router, No lap top change one device.
Navigate to the routers home page, ISP will have provided the IP Address.
Logon as the admin user.
Find the SSID name and change it to the same as was in your old router. Something like BT-337c
Change the password to the old one.
Save the settings.
Reboot the router.

You should see your old routers name in the list of access points. All your devices should now connect without any changes.

Not working

Make sure that the SSID name and password are correct,

Restart any device that are not working

If the new router has separate passwords for 5G and 2,5G make sure they are the same as the original.

Subscribe for more.

Teams Being Retired from IOS V13

2021-08-25T09:00:00.001+01:00

Teams is retiring support for iOS v13 devices see full text below.

Retiring Teams mobile support for devices running on iOS version 13 and below

We will be retiring the Teams mobile support on iOS version 13 and below. Instead we recommend that users upgrade to newer iOS builds, which is where we will continue to invest our development resources. We will also begin encouraging users to update to the newest version of Teams if they're running builds older than 1 year.

Key points

Timing: The retirement will begin in early October and is expected to complete by mid-October.
Action: Instead of using iOS 13 or below, we recommend updating to OS versions 14 and above.

How this will affect your organization:

You are receiving this message because one or more users in your organization might be using iOS mobile devices that are running on version 13 or lower.

The exiting Teams build 3.17.0 will continue to work on iOS 13 devices but there won't be any app updates going forward. In addition to this, you will not be able to reinstall the build from the app store if you uninstall Teams or reset your device.

Additional Information

Microsoft 365 apps and services support for IE11 has ended

2021-08-19T09:54:00.001+01:00

Microsoft 365 apps and services support for IE11 has ended

As previously communicated, (MC220490 - August 17th, 2020), Microsoft 365 apps and services have been focusing their efforts on modern browser support over the last year. As of today, August 17, 2021, Microsoft 365 apps and services no longer support Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) and users may have a degraded experience, or be unable to connect to, those apps and services from IE11. These apps and services will phase out over weeks and months to help ensure a smooth end of support, with each app and service phasing out on independent schedules.

Microsoft 365 applications and services

Timing: Microsoft 365 apps and services no longer support IE11 as of today, August 17, 2021.
Action: To access Microsoft 365 apps and services using a supported platform, open with Microsoft Edge, another supported browser, or use an applicable Win-32 app (if available).

For a full list of Microsoft apps and services that have ended (or will end) support for IE11, please review Microsoft apps and services to end support for Internet Explorer 11.

Note: While Microsoft 365 apps and services no longer support IE11, the IE11 desktop application remains a supported browser by Microsoft until June 15, 2022. On June 15, 2022, the IE11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on certain versions of Windows 10.

Please see our retirement announcement and FAQ page for more details.

How this will affect your organization:

Important: Support is now unavailable for Microsoft 365 apps and services on IE11. Additionally, you should expect no new features and that the daily usage experience for users could get progressively worse over time until the apps and services are disconnected. Banners will be used to communicate and to alert users to upcoming changes in experiences, such as app or service disconnection and/or redirection.

Initial degraded experiences beginning today, August 17, 2021, include:

Outlook Web App: Users logging in with AAD accounts will have the full experience but will not receive new features moving forward. Users logging in with Microsoft Accounts (MSA) will be redirected to the Outlook Web App Light experience.

SharePoint’s Open with Explorer and View in File Explorer in IE11 features:

These features only exist in IE11 and while some customers may continue to use them, they will remain in maintenance mode and will not receive further development. We recommend transitioning to Microsoft Edge and OneDrive Sync for a better user experience and will soon bring the View in File Explorer feature in the Modern SPO Document Library to Microsoft Edge as well (more details to come). Please read this article for more information.

What you need to do to prepare:

To avoid an unsupported and degraded experience, or one where you are unable to connect to Microsoft 365 apps and services, upgrade to Microsoft Edge as soon as possible. Microsoft 365 apps and services will continue to support Microsoft Edge.

Additional Information:

If you’d like help upgrading your organization’s devices to Microsoft Edge, FastTrack can help.

Self-service automated tools are also available through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

For help with web app and site compatibility, learn more about the App Assure program.
Read more about these changes in the Lifecycle announcement.

Our blog also provides more information about these announcements.

To learn about the IE11 desktop application retirement on June 15, 2022, please read this retirement announcement blog.

View this message in the Microsoft 365 admin center

Print from Picturebox VB.NET

2021-07-29T07:57:00.003+01:00

To print an Image from a picturebox try the following method( used for printing QR Codes in this instance)

Once the picturebox has been loaded and if required saved ad the ref to a print document highlighted

Private Sub qrcodeGen(msg As String)

        Dim qrCode As New QRCodeEncoder
        qrCode.QRCodeEncodeMode = QRCodeEncoder.ENCODE_MODE.BYTE
        qrCode.QRCodeErrorCorrect = QRCodeEncoder.ERROR_CORRECTION.L
        Me.PictureBox1.Image = qrCode.Encode(msg, System.Text.Encoding.UTF8)
        PictureBox1.Image.Save("The path to save")

        PrintDocument1.Print()

    End Sub

then add the following

Private Sub PrintDocument1_PrintPage(sender As Object, e As PrintPageEventArgs) Handles PrintDocument1.PrintPage

e.Graphics.DrawImage(PictureBox1.Image, 0, 0)

End Sub

The image in the picturebox should now print.

Can Not publish aspx pages Visual Studio ( GatherAllFilesToPublish )

2021-07-22T07:38:00.002+01:00

This week I had an issue with Visual Studio 2019 professional where my web project would not upload to the web sever. the error was to do with GatherAllFilesToPublish.

I did all the usual things and looked at all the solutions on the web and came up blank for my problem. so I asked a colleague if he had seen this error before, he said uninstall all the versions you have on your machine ( I had 3) and reinstall. So reluctantly i went through the process of uninstalling each version i had.

I then did a reboot to get rid of all the rubbish and reinstall VS2019 , then came the setting up. That done i tried a tentative publish of the site and bingo all was now correct no error.

Happy coding

Things to consider before changing ISP

2021-07-03T11:22:00.001+01:00

A little info for the non technical Internet user.

Everywhere you are being told to switch providers to get a better deal! But when you change ISP for that better deal, you are not reminded that you will have to change settings in all your devices, as well as changing your router.

When you change your ISP things change behind the scenes. One of the biggest things that happens is that the name of your router changes. This means that none of your WIFI devices will connect as your old router has gone

You now have to reconnect all your gadgets to the new router. Taking out the old name and scanning for the new one.

A quick shortlist would be

Every mobile phone in the household .

Any games consoles.

Any Computer /Pads

Then we come on to home automation

All Alexa / Google home automaton

Lights,

Plugs,

Clock,

Speakers

Household appliances,

If you had a static IP (PROBERBLY NOT) with your old ISP then that will change as well So as you see there is a lot to think about when changing its not just changing your ISP for a cheaper one.

I am not trying here to put anyone off changing Providers here just trying to to put the record straight. If you know someone that is technically then they might be able to clone the old routers settings. But if you are using an old router with low security settings then probably best to start a fresh

Also see Changing Internet Providers

Changing Internet Providers

2021-07-03T11:00:00.000+01:00

All Internet providers are not equal.

When comparing internet service providers it is worth remembering that the products are not the same a cross providers. Most packages offered vary one way or an another, so it is important to know what you need. You can use the tools found on the internet to work this out, uses this search link to help you

To see most of your choices at once use a comparison site. Please review all the offerings before making you choice as All ISPs are not equal.

Customer service varies a cross the range of providers, these are now rated on the comparison sites. Some also charge for support so please be aware of this.

Bandwidth, this is the amount of data you can download before you are charged extra. If you watch a lot of films etc try an unlimited package. Do not forget to use the tools on the internet.

Package details, what's you get for your money Tv ,mobiles or land line allocates. Note that some of these packages include free to air stations like Freeview that are available through your Tv be sure to discount them if you already have it.

Equipment. Is there an upfront cost for equipment postage and packaging etc. Also check out reviews on the company routers. Are that robust, what's the Wi-Fi range etc. You could end up spending money on extra equipment.

Again do your research on the internet.

Autofill Not working.

2021-02-26T10:50:00.006+00:00

If you autofill / Auto suggest on your browser is not working then you may need to white list the domain.

Check out here for Edge

How to whitelist a website in Microsoft's Edge Browser. #CREDGE #Adblocker #whitelist - Forum News - RESET Forums (homeservershow.com)

Here for Chrome

How to whitelist a website in Chrome? | Google Chrome Whitelist (comodo.com)

Aiding productivity in Outlook

2021-02-12T10:39:00.000+00:00

Templates for email message

To create a template message in outlook 365

Open a new message.
Look at the ribbon bar and select View Template

A sidebar should open as below with built in templates In.

Press the Template + Symbol the sidebar will Change.

Type in the Title and the body of the text you want to appear in the e-mail, Close the window.

Your new template has been created and will appear in the list. Click on the template t use.