Fellow computer experts.

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Does anyone know if Virgin has problems , I was looking at their offer of broadband and phone.

I have been with Virgin since the days of Dial-up..

First went with them cuz that had won a 'PC-Computer mag thing' best ISP for 2 years running award....

I would guess approx 9 or 10 years ago now??

Originally Dial-up PAYG.

Then Dial-up Monthly contract.

Then Broadband via single PC ADSL modem

Currently Broadband via ADSL Router working 2 x Desktop & up to 3 x Laptop when all the kids are back from UNI.

Typically 3 x PC surfing at any one time. (Inc Daughters watching blooming I-Player! headbang :_| )

All via the BT phone line..

nothing posh like cable coming into the house....

May do one day..

But at the moment still get sufficient service form our current arrangement..

Only had 3 faults during this time.

First one during dial-up days...

(Virgin problem they gave us a new dial up phone number to call)

Second one during broadband...

(Virgin kit at local BT exchange had gone AWOL!)

Last one during Broadband...

(Virgin had been doing some alterations & in the process changed the "Case" of some of my password letters "m" became "M" !!! headbang )

worst case we were without service for 3 or 4 days max.

Overall I can't complain about Virgin...

No worse than other ISP's IMHO

But TBH...

I haven't shopped around....

cuz of my work e-mail addresses on business cards & yellow pages advert etc..

all been out there for 10 years

so bit of a bugger to change

:| opcorn

 

[Apache]

I haven't shopped around....

cuz of my work e-mail addresses on business cards & yellow pages advert etc..

all been out there for 10 years

so bit of a bugger to change

I think they are not allowed to take your email address away. Heard it said somewhere that even if you leave the company.

 

[Theorysparky]

just a random side order

do you find that Skype slows the pc down ?????

thinking about installing it

 

[spinlondon]

Not really, and if you want, you can set it not to start up untill you click on the desk top icon.

There are gizmos about that will allow you to use your lind line phone via skype.

Some that will let you use skype when your computer is off, and others that only work when your computer is running.

 

[Andy™]

But TBH...

I haven't shopped around....

cuz of my work e-mail addresses on business cards & yellow pages advert etc..

all been out there for 10 years

so bit of a bugger to change

:| opcorn

i have email accounts as part of my website hosting. much better and more reliable than virgin

 

[Lurch]

But TBH...I haven't shopped around....

cuz of my work e-mail addresses on business cards & yellow pages advert etc..

all been out there for 10 years

so bit of a bugger to change

That's why I'd always recommend registering your own domain for email at least, especially if you are using it for business use.

just a random side order do you find that Skype slows the pc down ?????

thinking about installing it

Depends what you want to use it for, doubt it would noticeably slow the machine down but there are better options than Skype in general.

I wouldn;t bother installing it, but then I use VoIP for more than the occasional bit of free chatting so I have all the VoIP lines on a separate phone on the desk.

 

[Evans Electric]

[quote name='Andy

 

[Evans Electric]

Virgin is pretty reasonable. Are you going for the cable or ADSL offering?

Cable I presume , Lurch, (fibre optic I believe)

 

[Evans Electric]

Does anyone know if Virgin has problems , I was looking at their offer of broadband and phone.

do you live in a built up area i.e well populated terraced council area ????

or do you live private area ????

i only ask as it does have an impact

A built up non council housing estate , North Birmingham , Virgin cable is already installed in the area.

 

[Theorysparky]

Cable I presume , Lurch, (fibre optic I believe)

fibre optic to the hub.....

cable the rest of the way to your local dp then cable to your house.

its a good service if you are close to the hub.......

 

[Robin Spark]

I remember someone a couple of months back on the forum saying that "If you dont make at least 2 back ups of your computer data, then you dont really care about that data!"

The relevance has recently dawned upon me when my computer had been getting really slow to load, it was like turn on computer, go and make a cuppa, watch tv, read the newspaper...and then I would come back and maybe able to then use the internet.

One fine day last month my computer would not boot up at all, not even in safe mode and after trying everything I knew (not that much I hear you say:_|) i decided to recover the computer back to factory reset.

I have now lost all of my work data, although have hard copies for invoices, and 100's of family photos from the last 4 years. its also taken a while to reinstall everything especially with all of the updates from microsoft etc.

So please, please, please, take my experience as motivation for any of you who do not adequately back up your data to do it urgently.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Although this is slightly off topic you raise a good point Robin Spark. Backing up data has always been one of the most overlooked simple routines there could possibly be. With modern USB powered external hard drives, very large back-up capacity is available at a relatively cheap cost compared to the lost data. It is always good to know you have duplicates of every thing should you decide to do a re-install of your system.

Doc H.

 

[batty]

Like SL i have been with Virgin a long time and have not had too many problems. We get our internet down the BT line and seems good most of the time. Only time it seems slow if my son is downloading something for his XBOX. But he has a computer on and does XBOX live and I have a couple of computers on also but all is OK.

 

[Evans Electric]

Batts, How come your internet comes down the BT line ?

I imagined ,in my ignorance, that Virgin was based on the cable TV stuff that was installed some years ago . ( By Telewest in this area ) . I heard on the radio that internet down copper wires was old hat now .

 

[Theorysparky]

Batts, How come your internet comes down the BT line ? I imagined ,in my ignorance, that Virgin was based on the cable TV stuff that was installed some years ago . ( By Telewest in this area ) . I heard on the radio that internet down copper wires was old hat now .

Telewest and NTL were taken over by Virgin

Internet down copper wires to the house will be around for years

no-one has the money to put fibre optics to everyones house

Virgin will always be faster than BT ........

 

[steptoe]

Batts, How come your internet comes down the BT line ? I imagined ,in my ignorance, that Virgin was based on the cable TV stuff that was installed some years ago . ( By Telewest in this area ) . I heard on the wireless that internet down copper wires was old hat now .

ROTFWL

Deke has his coming down a piece of wet string probably.

 

[Lurch]

I imagined ,in my ignorance, that Virgin was based on the cable TV stuff that was installed some years ago . ( By Telewest in this area ) .

Virgin do both cable and ADSL, and have done for some time.

 

[Andy™]

Batts, How come your internet comes down the BT line ? I imagined ,in my ignorance, that Virgin was based on the cable TV stuff that was installed some years ago . ( By Telewest in this area ) . I heard on the radio that internet down copper wires was old hat now .

and what is your telewest aerial cable made from?

 

[Evans Electric]

I've no idea Andy, I'm on Freesat . That was my point really , I thought the cable TV stuff was a fibre optic TBH .

 

[Andy™]

I've no idea Andy, I'm on Freesat . That was my point really , I thought the cable TV stuff was a fibre optic TBH .

still uses coax for the signal