Need to change providers or at least update my phone plan. I know the offers change all the time so picking your brains on best current plan.
Any suggestions appreciated
The idea of a "Vault" being cracked is a concern, but I guess it is a bigger worry to the people who provide them because their reputation and financial future is at stake, so they will be constantly working to keep ahead of the hackers.
The advantages they offer are in generating and remembering randomized passwords that are virtually impossible to crack and that can be accessed with a single password from any computer. The memory stick is not a bad idea, but there is always a possibility that it could get lost or become corrupted.
It seems likely that any security system can eventually be defeated, but most criminals go for the easy targets, so being more careful than the average punter will probably be enough.
I am reminded of the lady who said her computer didn't have a password - she just typed "let me in"!
Hi Shirley, you write "Surely the info you put on your usb stick is also buried deep in the hard disk also - even if 'saved as' and to the usb?"
The data is never written to the hard disk. For example if I need to find a password I have to insert the Memory stick into the PC and open the relevant file. I have just done a search on my PC for a matching literal string on one password and did not find a match so I think I am right but please tell me if you think I ma wrongh
We have just got broadband after 15 years in France and I ma thinking of doing another degree at the OU, now that files are easy to download. One possibility is some qualification in IT as I spent my business career in IT but now I feel more like an IT fossil, which given my first degree was geology seems entirely appropriate, though I would not like to go the way of the dinosaurs!!
Hi
My dislike or fear of these password "vaults" is if they are hacked into then you are really screwed. Maybe I am being paranoid but then who knows.
I keep all my stuff on a memory stick which is itself password protected (16 numeric/characters) and nothing on my PC.
Nearly all the ones I need to know on a regular basis (banks, credit cards etc.) I can remember anyway!
All the advice I have received says, long passwords (at least 8 if not 10 characters) and a mixture of alphanumeric.
I have only been defrauded twice, once by a restaurant in Dunstable who passed the credit card twice and once by I think an associate of Amazon in Florida, who bought himself a nice holiday somewhere in the Caribbean. I was refunded so no issue.
My current concern is the increasing requirement to provide passport details to meet "money laundering regulations" - Transfer Wise for example - and if those web sites get compromised then there is a real risk of "identity theft" but at least we "know" the regulations have been complied with, which do nothing to prevent money laundering of course.
Peter S
As I close in on my move to France, all this information about phone, internet and TV providers will be invaluable. Many thanks. On the password front, I record all mine in a LibreOffice document and password-protect it. The only issue is how to remember the password to my password list.
Al
I have difficulty remembering passwords, so I now use LastPass and only have to remember one. The basic version is free and works on any computer. The only concern is that, as the application works in the "cloud" if anyone works out how to crack the vault, they would be able to access all your accounts. But they seem very confident about their security and I haven't heard of any problems so far...........
I'm with you re. passwords Peter. I've tried all ways to remember 'em including writing them down in code but that's just as bad as forgetting them as I forget the codes ! These day I just write 'em down & hide the book. Problem then of course is 'where did I hide the bl**dy book? so I'm back to square one :-)
Hi all
Thanks for the feedback, but deleted GC and re-installed already to no effect as I end up with the same problem. I am told that GC retains all your settings on its own server, so when you re-install it copies everything back including the problem, if as I assume it is some "new" incompatibility.
The only thing I have done of late is to download NVidia which I was told I needed as I am now about, after 15 bloody years of waiting, to get broadband and I wish to talk/see my family via the PC as they are all scattered across the globe. Maybe there is some problem there.
I have to say that IE seems faster than GC and I am sort of getting used to it. So in some respects I don't really care BUT I like most of us I have been in IT too long to not have my stuff work as I expect or at least not to know why when it doesn't.
One aspect, is that having to re-install "favourites" is a very good way of getting rid of stuff KI never access anymore.
And as an aside, we are always being told "not to write down passwords and security thingys" but I am now up to 8 A4 pages, 2 columns, of all that information. There is no way I can remember all the phrases and etc so what does everyone do to reconcile the irreconcilable?
Thanks
Peter S
Thoughts as ever are appreciated.
Use IE to download a new version of Chrome and reinstall it, with any luck you won't have lost any of your personalised settings.
Firefox has its problems too. As computer applications evolve, they end up trying to do too much and as a result they begin to fail to do even the basic things properly.
I am still using Firefox, but with "Classic Theme Restorer" because I feel comfortable with the clean looks and user-friendly layout of the earlier versions.
Try Firefox, Peter? You can import your bookmarks.
Hi off topic but some help please.
Google Chrome has stopped working.
It says it did not close properly, restart? Then it says GC has crashed, do you want to reload, then it says Windows cannot find a solution and closed down.
I can get access to the Internet via IE but prefer GC.
Anyone any ideas?
Thanks
Peter S
been with virgin since they bought out télé2 - absolutely no problems and good deals too ;-)
I note no mention of Virgin. Quite right too.
Now have VOIP (after 2 years) !!!!- will check a call to OZ tomorrow when they are up but worked locally. Thank you Orange Carcassonne for fixing it (and who told me it could take up to 2 weeks)
Thank you everyone for the valuable input - this is obviously an evolving issue with different options at different times but thank you
This is not whinging OK but let me tell you about my experience so far.
SIgned up with SFR originally 2.5 years ago. Took 6 months of no Internet or anything else (but still being charged) to get rid of them.
Went to Orange. Internet OK but made more complicated by this being a holiday house I get to from Africa a couple of times a year for 3-4 weeks at a time and disconnected between trips. Usually took 2-3 weeks to get reconnected each time. Landline/VOIP has never worked in the 2 years I have been with them. Finally after many complaints, calls on English helpline/French helpline/emails, a very nice techie turned up yesterday. Turned out it was installed wrongly 2 years ago so VOIP was never going to work. (Thanks Orange for all the previous promises to come out and check).
At this point I am going to go with Orange for Internet (which has usually been OK) and VOIP - fingers crossed (TV is included but not of interest) - 36 Euro per month
I am going to go with the 2 Euro SIM from Free for mobile as I dont use it much and its not a use it or lose it plan as most are
PS while Orange are hopeless (as are most of them - especially their English help line - last month 22 unsuccessful calls to them), the Orange shop near the station at Carcassonne could not have been more helpful or kind, especially given my lack of French
Steve (who will report back as to results)
I have decided to keep my uk phone with orange and switch to a two year deal where I get unlimited European calls and texts with Internet only in the uk. Is is £26.99 per month with a iPhone 5c handset. This way my family/friends can call me and it comes off my allowance as well as there minutes but doesn’t cost them anything extra. Gives me continuity of communications while I set things up in France.
Telly/Internet I will go with orange in France but treat that as a separate deal. Thank you all for posting advices/experience it really helps when making decisions -)
My thoughts too, I have Orange Pro at work and SFR at home, although I have no problems with SFR (have had alice and neuf too in the past) when I have had problems with Orange I've had an engineer out within 24 hours to fix the problem. It took over 2 months of fannying about between sfr and orange to finally turn the line on at home when we last moved!!!
We use Orange with an all-inclusive Internet, Mobile and Land-line (via internet) deal ... I think we could have TV included but don't bother have satellite system. The deal is expensive compared with what is available in UK but is pretty reliable and Orange do have an english speaking help desk (which I've found excellent). My only gripe with the system is when the internet goes down, we also lose the land-line which makes reporting the fault difficult (have to use the mobile).
Steve, I talk to Oz most days of the week, but I still use Skype and it's never let me down yet, and it's free and I know when my contacts are online - as they do with me. I need visual contact mainly as I show lots of pix etc. PLUS I have huge problems with the telephone anyway being largely deaf and with a couple of external speakers on the computer I can whack up the sound a treat! You can still be sound only on Skype anyway if,you are the shy type?
In the house we have the combined deal with Orange which is about €36 a month - TV, Haut Debit unlimited Internet, and unlimited landline calls, which most people I talk to seem to think is a good deal. Only problem is if the box gets ballsed up through storms etc., you do lose the lot, including Skype.
I don't have nor use a mobile despite the urges to do so, as if there is an emergency I can't hear what is being said, and my French remains schoolboy level (less probably) so why bother?
For what it's worth? Probably not a lot, but that's my take on it.