zeltus

    Hi Can anyone help? I've got a neighbour who's trying to connect his Apple Powerbook to his Wanadoo account using a Livebox. I've had a look at it and the instructions SEEM to say that a) I've gotta connect the livebox to the Apple using an internet cable -     i) Is this just for set-up or is it a "this is the only way to use it" option?     ii) Does it matter whether I use the red or the yellow ethernet socket? I presume not as surely at this stage it's just acting as a router b) How do I "reach" the Livebox (on 192.168.1.1)? I have not attempted to tell the Apple that the router exists, it's just plugged in via the UTP cable. As far as I can tell, the     Apple DHCP gets in first and tries to issue a "strange" IP address to itself. I am very PC literate but it's years since I used an Apple so and (simple( help would be most helpful.... Cheers Bill

Has anyone any recommendations for Property Insurance, to include PLI for our gites? We're currently insured with AGF who we are desperately dissatisfied with (we've never made a claim but the premiums keep going up) - we WERE insured with AGF for car, health, motorcycle and property and altho' we're gradually manaing to move away from them, each attempt to cancel a policy has met with staunch gallic shrugs :-{ until we put in a lot of staunch british persuasion. Who invented this god-awful law if having to give x months notice by registered post anyway? Can you imagine trying to inflict such a law in the UK? Much as I love France, sometimes I'm astounded at the general lack of concern for us customers, who are just some sort of milch-cow to them. So hopefully, someone will point me to someone friendly and helpful - certainly in our time here, the concept if "Customer Service" is catching on, albeit oh-so-slowly. Cheers Bill

Has anyone any suggestions for me regarding technicak help on my (non-)ADSL wanadoo connection? Regrettably, my French is poor which doesn't help matters. Basically, at the end of March I (foolishly) upgraded online from Wanadoo Integrales 120Hrs. to ADSL, the website having informed me that ADSL was at long last available in the village. My Integrales account disappeared forthwith from the "Mon Compte" page but now, over two weeks in, I still haven't got a "modem synched" message when I try and set up. I have tried two modems, and other people in the village are also getting frustrated - so it points to me that wanadoo have been premature in letting us upgrade. Mostly, I guess I'm concerned that I'm being charged a monthly fee for ADSL and yet am paying for cost-per-minute 'phone calls to dial in via old-fashioned 56K modem. A visit to the local France Telelcom office in Perigueux resulted in the assistant, one Francoise, getting very stroppy with us "rude eenglish" after insisting that we certainly did have ADSL and that both my DSL modems were faulty - I simply could not get thru' to her that a) my ADSL physical connection was not working and b) my concerns over billing. As ever, any help and/or advice gratefully received. Cheers Bill [:(]

ta for that.. I have to go to Thiviers next week so I'll detour slightly and call in and see him... Cheers Bill

Dunno about "buttons" as such, but both www.3dflags.com & www.multimediapalace.com/fl/flags-fr/prov-fr.htm are good sites. I've pointed the 2nd URL to french provinces, my own favourite "secret" site of useful emblems, flags, symbols etc. HTH Bill

Yerse, tried that... Sony list about a dozen "approved" repairers across the whol eof France, which seems pretty p***-poor to me. Nearest one to me seems to be over in Bordeaux. I was hoping that there would be a nearer option that someone could recommend. Bill

My Sony AV Receiver is broken - it (mostly) doesn't turn on and when it does, the sound is less than the forte I expect. Can anyone help point me to a source for getting it repaired? Ideally, an real honest-to-god SOny agent of some sort in either Perigueux or Limoges, but a web reference to get me started would be helpful. Cheers Bill

Belay that. I just set up a gratuit Tiscali account and Wunderground is perfectly visible from that. So it's not my PC, it's summat to do with wanadoo.fr blocking access to the site. Now, all I have to do is work out how to contact wanadoo.fr and whinge mightily (anyone got a support@ type e-mail address for 'em, by any chance?) Cheers Bill

Hi y'all. I can't get at the Weather Underground pages at http://www.wunderground.com any more. All I get is the standard "The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings." page - but I'm pretty certain all my settings are correct - certainly, I can't find any other sites I can't reach. Wunderground is definitely up and running - a mate down the road can access the site from his AOL account - so I'm wondering if it's something wrong at with my wanadoo account. Would a few kind souls like to try and access wunderground from their accounts and report back? I'm particualrly interested in whatehr anyone using wanadoo.fr can get at the weather. Any other suggestins also gratefully received.. In puzzlement Bill

An update... To cancel a Tiscali subscription (should anyone do a search for this in the near future) It is necessary to send a letter (Registered Post [Recommande]) to the following address... ---------- Tiscali Service Dept. Resiliation 33070 Bordeaux CEDEX --------------- It is necessary that this letter be written in French and that it contains your username and customer number... In our case, they're demanding 30 days notice. If you don't have a customer number to hand, you'll have to undergo the pain of telephoning Tiscali on 0892 95500 and getting your details from whoever answers. And we were on hold for ages. Still, we got there in the end - I dunno why this is all double-spaced - I can't see any means of changing the line spacing. Bill

Thanks for all the suggestions.   Tiscali can't collect any money automatically form me, as the card has run out. But I suspect they will try and continue to mount up the debt each month.   So I will telephone them to say "I AM cancelling" and leave it at that. I don't see why I should have to give them a reason why, just a statement that I want it cancelled. Sometimes, the way individuals get treated in France does get me down a bit - Customer Service? What that? I signed up online using a computer with no printer. I can't remember any of the passwords, they won't respond to my requests to reset them, I can't therefore pick up e-mails using web2mail or similar and I have never been able to respond to e-maisl from AOL addresses (that might well be AOL being, shall we say, a bit zealous, but I'd still expect tiscali.fr to fight their corner on behalf of their subscribers) - so time to get on to a service that does work.   Shame really, tiscali had a good reputation for a long time... Cheers   Bill

How do I cancel a (steam-powered) Tiscali dial-up subscription? I can find nothing on their oh-so-not-helpful web pages - all it wants from me is the details of my new bank card and/or change of address details. I have really had enough of them and want to cancel (it runs out at the end of the month as the card number they have expires then) - but I'm afraid they'll somehow keep racking up the charges unless I formally cancel.   Any help gratefully received etc. etc. etc.   Bill

Cheers everyone... didn't know French TV's wrere multi-standard by default. George, if you can let me have your model details, I'd appreciate it... Thanks again....

Anyone got any tips re choosing a PAL & SECAM TV? A make/model would be really good. A sony make/model would be even better. I also need two scart sockets a tthe back, one for a digibox and one for a DVD player. I'd prefer a 14" or 15" portable type model if possible. caveat: I don't really know what I'm talking about here so please be gentle: if I've asked for summat stoopis, it's 'cos I am stoopid. Bill

Does anyone know of any other beetle, 4-6 mm, brown, armoured head, that makes a tapping noise in the beams? I caught one last night... it was using a tin tray as a sounding board. How do I get rid of it's brothers and sisters? Does Xylophenol work as well on them as well as the other furniture beetles.

I was a little aghast to read all the adverse comments re CA Britline, as I sent off the application form a few weeks ago to open an account. To date, I've heard nothing from them Attempting to telephone them results in a pre-recorded message stating their offices are closed Are they still open for business or what? Someone mentioned a tie-up with HSBS and CCF - who they? Cheers Bill

Has anyone got a pointer to a website that displays the recent performance of the Euro against the Pound? (We have agreed a price for a property in Sterling but have to pay in Euros. And I don't wish to get fleeced, any more than the seller want sto get less than he is asking for!) Cheers Bill

We're bout to move to France - we'e buying a place that has a couple of gites, other than that, we're going to live off our investments... We've been told that we can claim french medical care by filling in E111 before we go. What that? Is there a source on the 'net that'll tell me (must be in words of one-syllable or less!) exactly what we need to do to live in France and still get medical care? Not that we're unfit/unhealthy or anything but without some sort of cover, sods law is sure to kick in... Cheers Bill