Various stuff Virgin couldn't advise on

[jojosqeeky]

Right, first things first...

I am not very good at any of this, but I need to ask for advice. I have tried Virgin, who were unable to help and I can't quite work things out from searching online. Rather than blindly having a go (and beggaring it up), I would rather ask, at the risk of sounding a total muppet.

I have a rubbishy old PC from about 2000. It was set up for Blueyonder years ago with the old broadband webstar modem. Times have moved on and I couldn't be doing with it taking 35 minutes to boot up and go through all the updates, the antivirus software, etc.

I bought a MacBook. The PC has been switched on about 5 times since. I obviously don't need it and it's taking up space that could be better used by a whole lot of better gadgets. So I want to get rid of the old doorstop.

At about the same time, I got the wireless router from Virgin and the line has subsequently been upgraded to 10MB - I just ran the BBC iPlayer speedtest and it came out at an overall speed of 6.7 odd, but most times I have done this it has come out at 9.something. It is also likely that one of the kids is also running their old windows laptop in their room.

Anyhow I had a load of problems with it hanging on refreshing screens and Virgin came out and stuck an attenuator on the back of the webstar. This solved the hanging problem, but, when I asked how could I remove the PC altogether and have the Mac as the number one machine, all he could say was 'I dunno. We only do PCs.'

I haven't updated to Snow Leopard yet.

But it takes far too long to load pages.

I was thinking that maybe the Mac was asking for access, then the router was checking it was permitted, as everything is set up for the PC, then allowing internet access (as you can tell, I really don't have a clue). Something about DNS perhaps?

I didn't have a single problem adding the Wii onto the network, the DSi will browse through Opera but it won't allow the youngest to use MarioKart WFC (which I suspect is something to do with the WPA security)


Can anyone advise?

[Stuart]

:welcome: to the forum.

Virgin do not support Macs, but they do work with the service if you use the Ethernet connection on the modem (in fact, as Ethernet is an international standard and platform independant, it will always work with a Mac). In fact, with Ethernet, the router actually doesn't know what is on the other end of the Ethernet cable, just that something is sending it signals through the cable.

You can have the Mac as the primary machine. A lot of people do (including the Admin Chris).

You just need to ensure that the Wireless router is plugged into the modem and able to connect. You can then have whatever device you like connected to the router.

Macs do support all the latest Wireless protocols and security, so will handle an 802.11g or n network with WPA (or WPA2) security easily. All routers can supply either a G or N network.

[graf_von_anonym]

Virgin do provide technical support for Macs, they just tend to panic when confronted with them because the training is minimal, and they are rarely encountered. Macs work pretty reliably, but most of those who consider themselves to be "computer literate" are usually only familiar with PCs. Until recently Macs were just too expensive (and fey) to appeal to the kind of hormonal troglodyte looking to upgrade their pornography fetching now that their discretionary income had surged with the abandonment of the Games Workshop hobby. This leads to a general discomfort with the Apple platform, akin to dragging a kid in a Slipknot hoodie to the sea-side.

Macs' reliability and low market penetration relative to the Wintel juggernaut mean that commercially they were a low priority, and there's no software supplied by VM for the Mac platform, neither for wireless configuration nor security. Not that either is really needed, to be honest.

You can get help over the phone while using a Mac as your primary machine. You might encounter some confusion when it comes to the wireless, but the information you (and the agent) need is all accessible through Virgin's systems and "knowledge base". What you can't get is a referal to PC Help, because they don't touch Macs at all, but at £1 per minute it's unlikely that you'd want them to.

[jojosqeeky]

Thanks everyone!

Excuse me for being slow - I'm not being deliberately obtuse, I promise - does this mean I can just disconnect the PC and murder the hard drive, or do I have to change any settings on the router configuration page online before sending it to the great workshop in the sky?

The MacBook, albeit a bit slow on the loading of pages at times, works perfectly happily wireless, but I'm not sure what I should do next.

[xocemp]

Hi jojosqeeky,
You can just remove the PC and continue to use your Mac without the need to make any changes to the router.

[jojosqeeky]

Thank You!

[AndyCalling]

Just remember to keep hold of a length of ethernet cable in case you need to connect your mac directly to the router to do certain operations (updating router firmware, messing with certain router settings etc.).

[madnutter0102]

i fell foul of this phishing scam thats been in the news the last day or 2, i phoned virgin this mornin, they reset my password but im still unable 2 get messages from my ntlworld account.

i get my messages via windows live, will i need 2 get in touch with them to set up another account?

thx.

[xocemp]

Have you changed your password in your mail client?
Just check you can login here, then you know the pass that was set for you is correct and working
http://webmail.ntlworld.com/

[madnutter0102]

yeah it worked, i logged in np, i have a funny feeling i need 2 set up a new account with windows live but im not great with these things and dont know how 2 do it.

[xocemp]

Give these a bash.
http://www.virginmedia.com/help/email/get-started/oe6-ntl.php

[madnutter0102]

i dont use outlook express though, its windows live, i should also mention i use xp. i came across a page on how 2 set an account up for vista but i'd imagine it would be roughly the same.

will i give that a try?

---------- Post added at 19:46 ---------- Previous post was at 18:59 ----------

i also tried settin an account up using windows live help but i dont think i set it up properly.