I have Office XP for Students and Teachers. I need to move the program to a different desktop computer, and I know it can only be installed on one system at a time. How do I go about moving the program?Clean up the old machine, and uninstall XP. Install on the new machine, and it’s going to ask for the activation code. One of the options for the regular version is to call Microsoft to get a code…you probably need to do that and tell them your story. (what a job that must be) Hard to tell if they go easy on you or put you on telephone-trial.

but that’s probably the only way. The activation people have been really great the couple of times I’ve had to call. In fact, on one call, I was trying to install using a CD from a different system in the office because I couldn’t find our IT guy to get the right install CDs. The activation girl didn’t even call me a crook or anything! (But she wasn’t able to help me activate, so I had to call the IT guy to come back and get the CDs. Ah, well.) I was actually pleasantly surprised. The only time I called they were great, too. Tech support has to be a lot easier wih the mandate they must be working under. Something like: anybody who calls is probably legit, so help them out.

Frankly, when I was a CSR I looked forward to those great stories…I wish I had kept some of the good ones. “Dear Sir, Would you please fix this Heathkit. The cat run behind the TV & knocked it on the floor, & it hasn’t been working since.I’d not expect many. Primary is to make sure you’ve hired a quality cable installer and quality patch cables. Have someone shoot all the cables to make sure they’re good ahead of time. Installing the Ethernet cards in the clients should not be any more work than installing a Token Ring card. Same for the card in the server. Remember Ethernet uses a maximum packet size of 1518; you’ll have to modify NET.CFG on the clients anyway, adding an entry for the net card. Make sure you change Maximum Packet Size if it exists.

Do you not understand the concept of keeping ones friends informed as to what one is doing (note the [OT] tag). Perhaps it is arguable that it should have been posted to the OT list, but I’m not sure of who’s reading that. And I don’t have to justify myself to you anyway. There are people reading this newsgroup who I am closer to than I am to my own family (which reminds me, I’d better ring my father and let *him* know that we’re moving). Be assured that you are not one of them. Okay, real life puzzle that occurred to me as I was packing boxes last night.

Given a house with your average distribution of possessions (books, cds, children toys, videos, kitchenware, ornaments etc), what packing algorithms would you use in order to minimize: 1) Packing time 2) Unpacking time 3) Number of boxes used 4) Risk of breakages 5) Variance of weight between boxes What would you say was the ideal algorithm for simultaneous optimization of all of the above (of course, this is an empty question without some kind of valuation given to the different attributes to be minimized, but a qualitative answer would be fine) I did six house moves last year, for myself and other people.

Don’t know if it is an algorithm, as such, but the whole process is massively seeded up by using boxes of a regular size and shape, which can comfortably hold enough for one man to carry. This facilitates packing and unpacking a lorry. The more you get in a lorry, and the fewer the number of trips you have to make, the quicker the move is, generally speaking. Label the boxes. Also – invest about £30 in tough plastic mat-sheeting and castors. This allows you to roll washing machines / dishwashers / couches etc rather than carry them over carpet.

A transit is better than a box van because you don’t have to lift heavy things so high to get them in. Use handkerchiefs to protect your fingers from sharp edges when you lift things. They are easy to store when you don’t need them, and less annoying than gloves, which you will be forever taking on and off. Don’t have women about the place, except to feed you. Salad is not an option. (Unless you deep fry it first.) These things will make your move more efficient and speedy. edeb (trembling at the prospect of premenstrual responses.

I had not even thought of that and I like it  I need some curtains made anyway (who the hell constructs a cinema room with windows in three sides and no bloody curtains ? but yes, it does have windows and no curtains and a “poxy” Sharp projector Interestingly the guy has a Pioneer 515 DVD player and a Sammie DSP-A1 av vamp (same as mine !) The screen will be over one lot of windows, so that will just be blacked out with thick black plastic behind the screen but I could get the curtain making people to make me tricky little “masking curtains” that just attached with Velcro strips

I might try that and see what think. “Double good point”, though I had thought of this even in the current room, for masking 1:2.35 which seems the ratio of choice in most movies I seem to watch. Alas something like a Stewart Masking screen is way beyond my HT budget I am guessing it might be a pain in the arse to have to come up with a system to manually change the mask ? ie if the little curtains are fixed to mask a 120″ 16:9 screen to 100″ and I want to keep the screen width the same and change ratios to 1:2.35 I need to lower the top bits and raise the bottom bits.

I will talk to them when I get them around. shouldn’t be too hard, black velvet or some such a bit stretchy would be good + Velcro cut to size and added to your standard masking to bring it down to 1:2.35 i take it you don’t use it for any 4:3 or do you just zoom it down in your 16:9 if so you could add side masking the same way or use adjustable side curtains I just can’t understand my wife either, certainly not appreciative of fine picture and high quality sound (level of course). I think it would be great if all us male enthusiasts got together occasionally like how they have those car “sound off” thingies.

I moved up to Leicester about 8 months ago from Surrey. We’ve finally found a house to buy and everything will go through in time for us to move next week. Since we’ve a fair amount of time to move we’re going to the it ourselves (with able assistance from friends and colleagues who will no doubt need copious beer). I’m going to hire a tyranny for next weekend preferably a futon. So finally with the background covered…. does anyone know a decent place in Leicester to hire such a beastly. I knew where to get one in Surrey after living there for 5 years, but haven’t seen anywhere obvious or heard any good/bad stories about any local companies yet.