Mikew

Look at your boiler documentation if you have it, my oil fired boiler has links for timer and/or thermostat. If no docs, post your boiler make and type here and someone else may have the info. Mike

Using msm Messenger, make sure that both of you have set up mics (and webcams if in use) via the tools, audio / video wizard, - on my laptop messenger defaults to a (non-existant) mic on the computer! Mike

Judging by some of the initial enquiries made on this forum, I think some people may benefit from a session! Mike

If it is a petrol mower, change the petrol for fresh stuff, it goes stale over winter and won't start the motor. (I had this problem recently, started first go on fresh fuel.) Mike

I've added a programmable thermostat to our system. This is programmed to change temperature at various times of day, and to drop to 14 deg at night. The boiler is left permanantly 'on' and under total control of the thermostat. As the route from the thermostat position to the boiler was difficult to run cable, I used a wireless linked thermostat. I used the system in the UK, and it proved itself with economy of fuel. This is our first season here, so I'm keeping a close eye on the fioul tanks! The computer controlled thermostat cost less than €250, expensive because it was wireless, a wired version would be a lot less. Only two wires to connect to the 'thermostat de ambiance' terminals on the boiler. Mike

I use Wanadoo because it is convenient, and that I do not live in a 'degrouped' area, so I cannot use some of the better offers from some of the other companies. I plugged all my UK gear in, only had to change the logon details, and it worked exactly as in the UK, no problems. There are channel differences for wi-fi, which I use as well, but again, no problems. UK was 512, here I use 1024. I leave the gear on 24/24 in the sous-sol and I get good wi-fi signal all round the house. Mike

If you are travelling you will keep a UK address for correspondence and bank use etc. You will therefore be on holiday in France untill you move permanantly. You must get the new E111 from the Post Office (now one per person not per family, I believe) as all holidaymakers should do. A new E111 is needed this year as old ons are no use in the run up to the new plastic card system already in use in France Etc. The pharmacist will affix the stickers from the medicine packets onto the form the doc gives you, this is what you send to the local health service (CPAM) with a copy of your E111. The only problem I see is that you are supposed to claim in the area you stay in. Repayment is made to you in Sterling to your UK address. Might be worth phoning Newcastle. I have also read somewhere that your own doc can supply up to 3 months(?) medicine for a prolonged absence. Mike

Last time I looked at pub leaflets for the two french sat providers ther was a section on the paper giving details of rights for dish installation. Might be worth picking up some at your local elec shop - although I dont know what is current. MikeW

According to "l'installation électrique"*, page 190(and my translation!): type AC: for all current domestic applications type A; posess the same characteristics as type AC, but detects equally residual currents with a DC component i.e.washing machines, cookers etc. type Hpi: 'according to the makers' superior performance, more than normes, used for protection of freezers, computers and alarm systems. *really useful book, deals with all things from renovation to new install, lights, power, alarms, gates, computer networks and telephone wiring - and is up to date. By the way, those sockets etc with hooks - can be used for maintenance of existing systems, but are also compatible with some of the wiring boxes in use, undo and throw away the hooks, then use screws provided with dry wall box or w.h.y. Mike W

I was with Zen in the UK before we moved. I signed up with wanadoo , service only, as it was convenient, although not as good terms as Zen. I bought all my UK gear with me, plugged it in and it worked first time after changing the ident info! So far service has been excellent at 1024. MikeW

According to today's paper the census is to a new formula. In lieu of a countrywide census every 8 years, a fifth of the population is to be counted every year,giving complete cover in five years. Towns of over 10.000 inhabitants are treated differently, a sample of 8% counted annually. A map of Charente in the paper shows communes counted in 2004 giving changes since 1999, -it looks like a random patchwork over the department. There is a list of this years communes as well. (Charente had 1.690.000 population Jan 2004, 50.000 new arrivals since 1999). There is a lot of other info as well. MikeW

We live in a six year old French built 'pavillion' house. The drainage system seems to run slowly at times, noticed because the toilet bowls do not empty as speedily as expected. The pipe system is visible, suspended from the sous-sol ceiling, and appears very neatly executed. There appears to be no vent pipe to balance water/air pressures as in the UK. There is, however, a small valve about an inch and a bit in diameter which has a rubber diaphragm arranged to admit air only, but it appears too small to be of much use to stop our u-bends gurgling merrily (and ponging)when the toilets are flushed. The problem does not happen at all times, we are on mains drainage and I don't think there is an obstruction because of the intermittant nature of events. Is this normal French design, or should there be an equivalent of the stack pipe? Comments please.

Thanks for reminding me that we havn't got our 'Acte', signed beginning of last August, we were told to ask for it after 4 months or so. I'll give the immo a prod. MikeW

We had a local builder to renovate the facade of our previous house, He took his time, plenty of it, a day or two at a time, the thing that got him going was that we told him our family was coming to stay at the end of the month. Next day all hell broke loose. Job finished in double quick time, to a high standard and our satisfaction! I don't think he wanted to lose face... Mike W

The hot would be around 60 deg. Surely the machine can cope, it is connected to both hot and cold, has a thermostat, and can mix both water inputs. We use our UK macine here, water was similar temp in UK and the low temp washes were and are no problems. There was no reference to avoiding the use of hotter water in the English instructions! Didn't even think of this problem when I connected it here. MikeW PS We are on 6KW supply (previous owners were 'careful' I think!), have all the usual apliances, use them wisely, and havn't tripped out yet. (Frantically looks for wood!)

I have used my iPAQ with a SanDisk Wi-Fi SD card, had to upgrade the iPAQ to recognise the card and it works, albeit slowly. Have you set up WEP? Try setting up your system with security disabled, then if it goes, add on the security settings. The main problem I have is that I bought a Wi-Fi card with 256MB of memory on it and this is not recognised by the iPAQ.   MikeW

Check with Credit Agricole branch. They seem to have two systems - collect or post, result depends upon which one you have been set up on! Mike W

Nothing like a good curry, if you can find one...... MikeW

Have been thinking of buying one of these for a long time now, has anyone any thoughts or recommendations? Can these machines provide boiling water for tea, or is it only steam? I'm not starting a café, only wanting it for home use! MikeW

Ecossais: Instructions to share files and print to a network printer are part of Windows, if you havn't found out by now! Lottie has the wanadoo settings, they were sent as part of the initial documentation on sign-up. Once you can contact the modem via your browser, it is plain sailing, I found that my browser would not talk to the modem until I had removed all traces of my old dial-up connection from Internet Explorer. MikeW

Your adsl gateway handbook should give you an address (something like http://192.168.0.1)and password to acess the setup screen for your adsl modem. Once you have acessed that, you will have to enter the ident and password from wanadoo. Most of these boxes have an express setup so you should be ok with that. I normally do the initial setup from my main computer with a wired connection, then get the wireless going, but as you seem to have the wireless link up and running , you can work via that. Don't forget to set up your wireless security systems as soon as you can after your system is working, you don't want next door piggy-backing on your net connection via your insecure wireless link! MikeW

11 deg here in 16 at lunchtime, I suppose a barbie would have been possible, but we chickened (or should it be turkied) out and had a trad english lunch! Whatever would our French friends have thought with all that food on our plates at once! A short intermission to take coffee and Cognac, before attacking a log bought from the local patisserie. Eat for today, because tomorrow we diet! Mike W

It is going to be a quiet Christmas here as well, but a family party has been arranged for January, I wonder how many of the fourteen grandchildren will make it? My wife had not seen her 2 1/2 year old grandson since we moved over here last April, but their family has at last got a webcam and we had our first video link up yesterday. Excitement all round! We were entertained with Christmas carols and 'twinkle little star' from junior! MikeW

A pabx system will block ADSL, as said, so the filter must go where the line enters the premises. ADSL does not like extension leads, unless marked for ADSL. You should not need filters for the phones off the pabx because they have been isolated by the incoming filter. I have it in my mind that you may need a special filter to deal with pabx's, seen something somewhere and can't remember the detail - try google! Multiple filters are only needed for phones paralleled off your incoming line. MikeW

I use AVG on my laptop and on a fixed box. The laptop updates automatically when it is switched on. The other machine is used less (at the present) and sits unused for a week at a time or more, and when switched on reminds me that updates are critical and I have to update manually - (by pressing a button). in no way does AVG require you to restart your computer, it is only the program that shuts down to update and restarts after. By the way you are using AVG 7, the latest version of this prog? MikeW