El Cata

Before I moved over here a couple of months ago, I thought I'd get rid of Vista from my old laptop & install a brand spanking 'copy' of Windows 7 Ultimate. However, with all the rush I only got around to installing it a few days before my flight & when I arrived I found it to be horrendously slow. It was a real pain, especially as I needed it for my course & I spent many frustrating nights trying to get my work done. FYI here's the specs of my so-called computer: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model: Acer Aspire 1691WLMi Chipset: 533MHz FSB, Intel 915PM Express Processor: 1.60GHz Intel Pentium M 730 RAM: 2*256MB DDR2-533 PC2-4200 SODIMM Dual Channel Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X700 PCI-E 64MB VRAM Hard Drive: 80GB Ultra ATA/100 WE Index: 2.3 I replaced the HD a couple of years ago with a 120GB Seagate ST9120822A (from an NTL set-top box!) & replaced the battery / power pack this year. It's not in bad nick although the fans could do with a good clean, especially in this heat. CPU usage rarely goes above 50%, but RAM usage regularly approaches 90%. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, the other day I was contemplating whether to go to Pantip Plaza / Fortune Tower to buy a couple of sticks of 1GB RAM, but simply googled 'Windows 7 slow' & found this great site - it's a list of 17 tips to speed up Windows 7: http://www.computing...e-guide-to.html After disabling 'Search Indexing', it was like having a new computer & I couldn't believe it! Indexing basically continuously makes a database of all the files on your computer, in order to speed up any searches; well I can't remember the last time I searched for a file in Windows - Thanks M$! I haven't turned off Aero Desktop or any visual effects, as I quite like them & my GC is still half decent; top spec at the time of purchase! I set all of the suggested services to manual & have had no problems as a result, but don't know if this made a great deal of difference, as I did a lot of other stuff at the same time. I'd brought over a few USB pen drives & decided to dedicate my newest & largest (2GB) one to the ReadyBoost feature. What this basically does is act as a faster caching service for small files, which would otherwise be routed through the slower HD page file; sadly it's not the same as adding 2GB of RAM. I didn't notice much difference at first, but after a day or so I've found that some applications open faster & switching tabs in Firefox is generally faster too. Also, I've experienced faster page loading times, especially on the Addicts & particularly on the ThaiVisa forum. So if you have an old laptop like me (6 yo) & are thinking of buying a new one or upgrading with expensive RAM, why not try these tricks first? Let me know how you get on & if anyone has any other tips feel free to post. :lol:

Evening chaps, unless you're reading this in the morning. Do you know of a company that will provide motorbike lessons in Bangkok? I have over 15 years car driving experience, along with over 10 hours experience riding a quad bike through the jungles, beaches, sugar cane fields & townships of the Dominican Republic. Is there a company that will drop off 2 motorbikes & a Thai man in a low traffic area, so that I can learn to ride (snigger) without being killed? Peace.

I've hear that England is in desperate need of English teachers. Bonus. :lol: Phuck that. Peace.

According to IH, Metropark has a free shuttle bus to 'the BTS', then a 10 minute BTS ride to the door of the school; door my arse, more like a sweaty 10 minute walk at least! So, worst case scenario: Wong Wien BTS to Sala Daeng, then (walk?) to Silom, or take the MRT to Silom Station? Feck this, I'm off to teach English in the Phillipines, on firmer ground. :P BTW, nice pic of the unattainable Bangkok Chinese whitey office girls. I prefer the Surin / Buriram look / uncomplicated life! Peace.

Talking to yourself is the first sign you know. :P Thanks for the info. I've done a bit of research since. Turns out that the school is next to the sala daeng station. So according to this map, where will I be staying & how close will I be to the school; also how much will it cost to get there. Lil 'help again! Peace.

I'll likely need a bed set next year; duvet cover, pillow cases, bedsheets, divan etc. Do you have a website or catalogue? What sizes do you provide? (Thai) King, Queen etc? Peace.

Thanks for the detail Mac, although I'm still confused about the location; is the link you gave for the same condo? Several agencies give conflicting information. Nearest BTS = Thaksin, Wong Wan Yai, Sathorn etc. Is the area called Sathorn, Thonburi or Lumpini? The school is located near the Sala Daeng BTS station. Lil' help? Peace. EDIT: Here's the details for the Metropark near IH: http://www.ihbangkok.com/page/87-international_house_bangkok_prestigious_english_school_in_bangkok_celta_th.html

Hello Simon, I'm moving to Bangkok next year, into a furnished apartment that will hopefully include curtains, but if not you will be my first port of call. You may have better luck on the pattaya addicts forum here, which has 100x more members: http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/ PM the mods, so that you can post in the business section. BTW, curtains (snigger). Peace.

Hello friends, LT PA BM, new BA BM. I'll hopefully be embarking on the CELTA at IH Bangkok during March / April. Their Bangkok & Board package includes accommodation at the Metropark apartments located in Lumpini Park. At 17000B per month + utilities, this seems a bit steep; especially for the bulk deal (kickbacks?) that they will get. Also, it requires a 20 min bus + 10 min BTS ride to the school. Can anyone recommend a cheaper / more convenient place? Peace.

Hi Brewster, Sound like the same problem I had last week. If you are accessing the site through your favourites / bookmarks menu, the 'old' link to the forum is not working. :P Delete the old link & add this to your bookmarks, should work: http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/index.php?/index Or enter the forum by the main site. Peace. :D