Revision 24.06.07
A 6 year-old Dell laptop has been installed in the apartment and there is a subscription to the France Telecom ADSL high-speed Internet connection using an Orange "Livebox" and a Wifi connection. These notes should help visitors use these facilities. To use email, you will need to know the URL (web address) for remote access to your email supplier.
The laptop is old and is therefore rather slow. However, Internet access is very fast and it is possible to look at up to date regional weather forecasts and listen to the news on Radio 4 or to the Archers or anything else that takes your fancy.
When the laptop starts there is a screen (after between 10 and 15 seconds), which allows you to choose the operating system. You must scroll down to choose "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" otherwise it will default within 10 seconds to Ubuntu which is Open Source software. There is as yet no Internet connection using Ubuntu (which my son installed) because I have mislaid my note of the system administrator password and can't remember it! I hope to sort this out in September.
Please be sure that the laptop is connected to the mains (green light on the black voltage supply box); the battery has only a little life left and so the laptop "hibernates" soon after the mains supply is interrupted.
The system asks you to provide a password for user "Ian McFarlane". The password is blank so just click OK or press Return.
In Windows there are a number of programs installed including a fairly old but very good version of Microsoft Office. It is also connected to a small Canon printer (a spare Black cartridge is in the cupboard).
It is best to gain Internet access using the Mozilla Firefox browser (top left hand corner icon). This has a Google Toolbar and has a number of useful "Bookmarks" including Google Mail, various local weather forecasts and some BBC pages.
Because the computer is old but using newer software, it can get a bit hot, especially the Wifi card and the voltage adaptor. In hot weather it is best to shut it down when not in use and disconnect the voltage adaptor. There is a possible fire risk if it is left on in hot weather with the cupboard doors closed.
There is anti-virus software that needs to be renewed in May 2008. Please do not download Windows Updates (yellow shield icon) since they may upset the system.
To connect to the wireless base to your own laptop (if you have
brought one) you first need to press the small black button (marked REG) on
the base of the Orange "Livebox". The name of the connection is "d29f" (there
is another wireless connection within range but do not yet know who this is
or the key). When prompted to enter the key for "d29f", this is as on the base
of the "Livebox" and is...
ED 4C 21 4F 1F D9 55 5C 9F 29 77 42 97
...which must be entered without spaces. It is also on a notepad file on the Dell desktop called WEP key.
If the Wifi connection is lost, you may have to switch the Livebox off and on and repeat the connection procedure.