Anyway, my DC02 is a “limited edition” De Stijl that they don’t make any more, so I don’t want to throw it away, plus it’ll cost £200 to buy a new one.

So I went looking and found a most excellent website – DysonMedic.com, with a guide to dismantling a DC02 which I followed easily due to the great pictures and text.

Out came my motor – half of the contact strips on the armature had disintegrated and were embedded in the plastic casing (literally melted into the plastic!), new motor ordered on eBay, job’s a good ‘un.

Highly recommended if you need to fix your Dyson, the site has nearly every model on it and is well laid out and easy to use.

Thanks Dyson Medic!

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The Woolworths till is a Wincor Nixdorf system, with the following components…

• A ‘Beetle’ CPU (a basic XP computer)
• Wincor Nixdorf touch screen with swipe card reader
• Wincor Nixdorf BA63 display pole
• Epson TM-H6000 till receipt printer

 
I used the following settings in the 4POS program (under Utilities, Configuration).

Till Configuration: select “Receipt Printer Connect” and enter the following code for the Epson TM-H6000 – 27,112,48,55,121

4POS doesn’t support the RS232 barcode scanner or the swipe card reader that comes with the Woolies system so we used a PS2 keyboard wedge barcode scanner (the type that effectively pretends to be a keyboard) purchased from eBay for £35. We don’t need the card reader as there is a separate chip and pin terminal associated with their merchant agreement so no worries there.

They had destroyed the original cash drawer that came with the system (half due to the fact the previous software packed up and half rage – they didn’t realise you just have to ping them with 24V!), so I purchased an IBM 41J7680 (with an SDL connection) and converted it to work with the Epson printer. I used the following pinout…

I also have downloads of the Epson drivers and various bits of documentation for the system components – if you need them get in touch, but you should be able to find these via Google.

Good luck!

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Turns out it’s because I’m using a USB keyboard and mouse. Swapped these for good old PS2 ones and it boots from the CD no problem.

Computers never cease to surprise me with their little fussy ways! :)

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This basically means that your registry is corrupt! To restore it, follow the steps below…

Possibly the easiest way to do this is take the HDD out and put it in a slave computer. Otherwise boot up with some form of recovery disk, The Ultimate Boot CD is what I would normally use.

Navigate to C:\Windows\system32\config on the corrupt system.

Locate the following files, and rename them to include “.old” on the end:

• DEFAULT
• SAM
• SECURITY
• SOFTWARE
• SYSTEM (i.e. this will now be “SYSTEM.old”)

We now need to put a recent (hopefully undamaged) copy of the registry from the System Restore folder into this folder.

Check that Protected Operating System Files are displayed (Tools, Folder options…). Navigate to C:\System Volume Information. You will need to add your individual user account to the Security options with Full Control (see Microsoft KB article 307545 if you’re having trouble).

Once you’re in to the System Volume Information directory, you’ll see the _restore folder with a long GUID code, go into this.

Now you’ll see a collection of folders beginning with RP then a number. Select one that isn’t the most recent, i.e. from a couple of weeks or so ago. Now select the Snapshot folder.

From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files:

• _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
• _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
• _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
• _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
• _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM

and paste them into C:\Windows\system32\config

Now rename the five files to their original names, e.g. “_REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT” becomes “DEFAULT”

That’s it! Replace the HDD in the computer and power on, the PC should boot up and log in fine.

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Luckily, Acer do provide a factory default image on a hidden part of the hard disk on the computer. When you install this, your computer is returned to an out of the box condition. You can access the recovery partition in two different ways.

If you’re still able to use Vista on the computer, go to the Acer Empowering Technology application (the long green strip). Find the eRecovery option and follow the prompts to do a factory default recovery. This will completely wipe your computer’s C drive so make sure your data is backed up in a safe place.

If your computer won’t start Vista, you can access the recovery partition by pressing ALT + F10 when the computer is first switched on and you see the Acer bootup screen. Follow the prompts but again, this will completely wipe your computer’s C drive so if you have important data that needs backing up, contact me or your local computer repair company to see if anything can be salvaged.

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Reduce

• Given the choice, I will always buy computer components that are non-retail packaged.
• I combine my orders where possible to save on packaging and delivery miles.
• I will avoid using chemical products if more natural alternatives are available.
• I am now trying to drive my car as smoothly as possible to save on fuel (it’s expensive in Europe!) and reduce emissions.
• I use low-energy light bulbs where I can and turn them off when I’m not using them.
• I print as little as possible and on re-used paper where appropriate.
• I make full use of appliance energy saving features.

Re-use

• I will try and re-use delivery packaging if I am sending anything in the mail.
• I hate throwing things away, they’re bound to come in handy one day :) .

Re-cycle

• I always recycle/compost my normal waste where possible.
• I ensure that any faulty components go to the local council’s computer waste recycling.

Other things I do

• I will try and use green alternatives unless the additional financial cost appears to be an unjustified premium. For example, I use Supergreen to host this website as they claim to supply their datacentres with ‘eco-friendly’ renewable energy. Their hosting plans cost the same as their parent company, Just Host.

Everyone has a responsibility towards the environment. I hope you can use some of my tips above to contribute too. If you have any tips you’d like to share, please add a comment.

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I knew that things were going to get chewed, you have to expect it of puppies. What I never fully realised though was just how much they were going to test my fixing skills (and my patience).

I was only supposed to keep one, but for various reasons figured two would be better so now have Rodin and Solja.

At the time of writing this, they’re coming up to a year old and I have to say the damage hasn’t been that bad. I mean, does it look as though butter would melt in their mouth?

The passage of time has meant I’m not as spittingly-mad angry as I was at losing a priceless retro-classic 70’s shoulder bag shaped like an artist’s paint tube. The new lino floor I laid in the playroom (after they had ruined the carpet) that now lies in tatters teaches me I should have used a more durable solution (sheet steel maybe?). The scar of finding one of my favourite leather shoes with the back chewed off (fixed) has healed a little - I’ll get them back by making slippers from their ears. My car’s steering wheel and handbrake lever now have familiar little holes in them. Strangely, they left the look-a-like-wood gearknob. The financial and emotional cost of losing several of the kids toys / shoes / favourite teddies has passed. Not forgetting the thrill of visiting the vet after they found and devoured mum’s Mothers Day chocolates (dark, of course) – I’d only left them by the front door half an hour before we were due to leave! Lucky it wasn’t Easter.

I have forgiven Solja for bringing me my phone when it was ringing, despite leaving a tiny tooth mark in the outer casing. He was only using his initiative.

I will probably continue to forgive them for as long as they possess that knack of looking up at you when you’re cross. They know when they’ve been bad.

I guess you have to look at it as your fault for leaving the things lying around in the first place. That’s not counting the day they opened the door into my office, managed to close it behind them and then proceeded to ransack it in their confined state – ate my stash of car sweets, destroyed a copy of MS Office, corner of the rug, chewed the top off a welly boot (hey, it’s still usable), etc. Needless to say, I now lock the door.

And you thought kids were destructive.

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What you’ll need…
   - A small container to use as a soaking pot. I use an old bit of plastic blister packaging because it’s just the right depth to lean the back edge of the printhead against – you’ll see what I mean in the photos but anything around 2-3 inches square with sides at least 3/4’s of an inch high will do.
   - A bit of paper kitchen towel.
   - Some hot, but not boiling, water.
   - A sink or similar worksurface or some newspaper to protect your granny’s antique table.
   - Almost certainly another bit of kitchen roll to wipe your fingers on. Do what I always mean to do and get some of those plastic gloves from a petrol station otherwise you’ll have ink on your hands for at least 24 hours (it’s a badge of honour :) ).

Step 1 – Put the kettle on, this will be your hot but not boiling water in a couple of minutes. Some people advocate the use of Windex, etc. but I have found in most cases hot water alone works just fine. I’ve also seen various statements about the temperature of the water, but thermal inkjet printers work by super-heating the ink to create a steam bubble (so hotter than 100C) which forces the ink out of the nozzle (see here) so any level of hot is fine. You don’t want it boiling / too hot because it will make your soaking container go floppy :)

Step 2 – Open the printer by pulling the grey panel below the buttons / above the paper exit toward you. The printhead mechanism should move to the centre of the bay. Gain access to the printheads by raising the ink cartridge holder. This isn’t the same as the ink cartridge release button, it’s the lighter one underneath that when you pull the handle it swings open the catch. When you open it, the entire ink cartridge holder will raise up and you’ll see a line of printheads (that look a bit like cartridges) with clear plastic handles on top of each one of them.

Step 3 – Grab the plastic handle of the blocked printhead and pull it upwards to remove. Try and keep this upright, hold it (tightly - don’t drop it unless you want to be amazed at how far a teaspoon of ink can go!) in your non-writing hand. You need your other hand to close the ink cartridge holder to prevent any ink drying out on the other printheads and cartridges. Close the printer and don’t worry about the missing printhead message.

Step 4 – Assuming your kettle is in the kitchen, this step is probably best performed on the sink draining board, otherwise you should really put an old newspaper on the kitchen worktop if only to pacify the missus. You’re unlikely to spill any ink at this stage if you keep the printhead upright, but it’s always when you don’t take precautions that these things happen. Fill your soaking pot with about 1/2 an inch of the hot water from the kettle and put the printhead so the printing end (the copper bit) is in the water.

Step 5 – Reboil the kettle and, in true British spirit, have a cup of tea. It depends how blocked the printhead is as to how much time to leave it in, but I always leave it for at least an hour (and put it somewhere safe so you / kids / cat won’t knock it over). This allows the water to soften the dried ink in the printhead. You’ll see it working as the water will slowly change colour.

Step 6 – When you think it’s had a long enough soak, remove the printhead from the water and dry the surround thoroughly with a folded sheet of kitchen roll.

Step 7 – Test to see if the ink is now flowing through the printhead by gently dabbing it onto a clean bit of kitchen roll. If it’s flowing, you should be left with two lines of ink on the sheet. I find that smearing the printhead (gently but firmly) on folded kitchen roll can help to get the ink flowing.

Step 8 – Reinsert the printhead into the printer, push it down firmly to make sure it’s properly seated and then close the printer. You’ll be asked to perform printhead alignment. You can’t avoid this but it may be a waste of time if the first bit of ink is diluted with water and doesn’t give a clean printout. Check the alignment printout and if it’s still faint or streaky anywhere then run the full three stage cleaning cycle from the command centre on your PC, and/or print out test pages until the ink is flowing properly and you get solid colours (create one yourself that is just that colour to save ink). Then run the alignment test – Menu, 7, 3, Enter – again to ensure a quality printout.

If the ink still refuses to flow, go back to step 1 and re-soak until you get a decent bit of ink coming through in step 7.

If you seem to be getting nowhere, soak overnight or, instead of water, you can try the cartridge flush fluid that you get with inkjet refill kits (but don’t put this in the kettle!). This is a bit ’solvent-y’ (it’s glycol, I think) and seems to work its way in if the ink is really dried up. Also, just make 100% sure that the ink cartridge does actually have ink in it :) – you’ll see this by comparing the top of the printheads at the end of step 2.

Good luck!

If in doubt, check with your little helper puppy. I can’t seem to do anything without mine…

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Web pages were not being displayed within any browser, but I was getting internet access (i.e. Windows Update and Messenger were ok). This led me to suspect some sort of firewall issue, and disabling Kasperksy allowed the internet to work fine. A re-install of Kaspersky made no difference.

So with Kaspersky disabled, I’d got the web browsers working and I downloaded the manual update files. Configured to do the manual update which processed three files and then failed with the same error.

But I’ve never had these problems with Kaspersky before, so was starting to get doubts about this normally great piece of software. I couldn’t find anything relevant on their forums with the search terms I was using. Luckily the client had mentioned to me that the laptop did have Norton pre-installed on it before he installed the Kaspersky… apparently Kaspersky had reported that it removed Norton. A bit of internet surfing later and I came across a thread that pointed the finger at Norton, which I have to say came as no surprise and I really should have started out on that track.

I ran the Norton Removal Tool and hey presto, I can surf the net with Kaspersky fully enabled and the updates downloaded and installed fine.

Job done (curses to you, Norton).

P.S. If you need to download the NRT, go here. If the link is broken, please let me know, then Google “norton removal tool” and look for the symantec site.

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There’s two stages: first is getting your key and second is putting that key into the Avast program on your computer. It’s easy, I promise…

Stage 1 – obtaining the Avast antivirus license key

Go to the registration page on the avast website:

http://www.avast.com/eng/home-registration.v2.php?lang=ENGUK#register-form

Enter your email address (twice to confirm it), enter your name, select your country. You can fill in the optional info if you wish. Enter the three letter verification code and press Register.

Wait for the registration code to turn up in your email.

Stage 2 – Entering the license key into Avast

There are a couple of ways to enter the license key into Avast.

If you see the red box at the bottom right of your screen, click on it and you’ll be shown a splash screen with a picture of the product. Look to the bottom left of the screen and click on ‘I already have a license key’.

If you don’t see the red box, go to the Start menu and find Avast in the program folders, or if I’ve put an ‘Anti Virus and Security’ folder (the padlock icon) on your desktop, double-click the Avast icon in there.

You should now see the ‘Enter your license key window’.

Go to your email program and find the email from Avast.

Click and drag over the license key to select the text and press CTRL and C (at the same time) to copy the text.

Get your email program out of the way so you can see the Avast license key window. Click in the license key field and then press CTRL and V together to paste the key into the window.

Press ok, your license key is confirmed.

Now you don’t have to worry about your virus protection for a whole year. There, wasn’t that easy?

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