This is a little rant I'm afraid. I know it's basically my fault BUT!!!!!

Sometimes when at clients premises, I have to use a series of rescue/installation discs to resolve an issue.

Sometimes, it can take quite a few hours to sort out the multiple problems people allow to accumulate on their computer before seeking professional help. A lot of which is helped along by the 'bar room fixers' who know absolutely sod all in real terms about much at all.

They don't know what the real problem is because they've not seen it and clients rarely know how to describe the problem fully anyway - not that there's anything wrong with that, I don't expect it.

The client then goes and mis-follows the wrong advice they've been given and make an even bigger dogs breakfast of the whole thing and after they've totally screwed their computer, they call me.

Now to the point of my rant.

After I've spent hours sorting out the cock-up, I put my things back in my bag (or so I think) and head off home. Some days, or even weeks, later I open my bag looking for the discs to find that I've accidentally left at my clients.

The annoying thing is the client, who now has a full set of service and recovery discs that I've paid for, and doesn't have a clue in hell how to use them, hasn't had the decency to ring me and let me know I've left them. This has happened every time I've done it.

I now have to go through the time and expense of getting a new set of dics together.

ONE THING YOU GET FROM ME IS HONESTY, IF YOU CAN'T RETURN THE FAVOUR THEN YOU DON'T DESERVE THE SERVICES I OFFER.

​I will work out where I left them and that person will have a heavy bill next time they call me!

It just goes to show, there's a lot of really dishonest immigrants out there.

Has anybody noticed the latest craze doing the rounds at the moment - internet TV boxes, no dish required.

Well, if you ask me, no internet TV box required either.

How does that work then?

Easy. The internet TV box is a small Android computer running some free software that allows you to scour the internet for videos, films, tv ....... and so on. All you need is a laptop, or a tower system and plug it in to your TV.

Even easier, if you have one of these smart TV's, you've already got the internet TV box.

What are you talking about?

Your smart TV is an Android computer, just like that little internet TV box. All you need is the free software, set it up and away you go.

No need to pay anyone €130 for a €75 box but if you really must have one, I can sell you the box for €75 and show you where to get the free software from. All you need to do then is have fun setting it up.

Hello everybody.

Please be advised that we are starting to get booked up for April, so if you think your PC has a problem, or you're considering taking up one of our other services then please contact us now or we may not be able to get you sorted before we go.

You might even miss out on our FREE telephone install offer available for this month only if you don't get in now! Check our Special Offer page for more details.

Please don't leave it until the last minute and miss out.

Over the past few months, I've been extolling the virtues of a wonderful website that allows all us ex-pats to view live UK TV without the need to do anything special, and without the need for satellite TV installations. This website is www.filmon.com. It seems that Filmon are now only able to offer live UK TV in the UK. This is probably down to licencing regulations and the fact that to receive licenced UK TV broadcasts, you should be paying for a licence.

This issue does NOT affect any of our Satellite Internet clients as they all have a UK Internet address.

Currently, anyone residing outside the UK should not be able to watch live UK TV. Scream and shout as much as you like, that is how it is. So why can other nationalities get away with it then - you ask. Well, that's because they don't have the same licencing regulations as the UK so as to provide you with honest and impartial reporting of world events (for most of the time, that is).

So, you don't live in the UK BUT, you want to watch live UK TV (shame on you ;-) ). How do you go about it?

You can always fork out for a satellite dish and receiver and buy a forged sky card, you can pay for an illegal card sharing setup, you can pay one of the many illegal re-broadcasters who pop up all over the place - and disappear just as quickly with your money or you can watch live UK TV through the Internet, either directly from the broadcasters website or from an aggregators website such as www.myiplayer.com.

When I try to watch TV on the broadcasters website, it tells me it's not available in my region. Of course it does, because it's illegal to watch it outside the UK - because it's licenced for the UK only! Please pay attention, I'm getting to that.

OK smart a**e, how's it done? I'll tell you. You use something called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that fools the website into believing you are in the UK.

How can I get one? There are many free one available along with some relatively cheap ones (5.00 GBP a month). I have personally used a 5GBP one from www.my-private-network.co.uk and it works fine, and they give you a full setup guide with pictures. We have also used the free "Best UK VPN Service" and find that works very well also.

What I do find a lot of - and have to uninstall a lot of - is Expat Shield. Whilst Expat Shield may be free, it's backed by advertisers, it also installs a 'handy' toolbar. Anybody who knows me knows how I feel about third party 'handy' toolbars. They're very handy at breaking things (as many of my clients can testify) and should be banned.

To get the "Best UK VPN Service", it is available from the myiplater.com website on the "catchup" page.

In my opinion, the only thing handy about Expat Shield is the ability to click a few buttons and it installs itself, along with the c**p it comes with. I used it for a couple of days then got rid of it and it will never darken my PC again. Not to be totally negative about this product, I do have customers who think it's marvelous, brilliant and all sorts of other positive adjectives.

Oh, I forgot to mention this option - Slingbox. An ideal option for those with relatives in the UK with a Sky/Cable subscription.

How does that work then? Well, it's intended for people on holiday who would normally be paying for their UK licence but they're not currently using it because they're on holiday and no one is in the house watching TV. That way, you're not breaking your licence agreement and it's legal.

It works by connecting a Slingbox to a Sky/Cable TV box in the UK. You then connect the Slingbox to your internet router. Whilst you're (ahem) 'away', you can watch your Sky/Cable package on your laptop or you would take something with you called a Sling Catcher. Sling Catcher is like a set top box that plugs into the Internet and the TV you're going to be watching. It then transports all your programs from the UK to where you are.

If that all sounds like black magic then when you've got the kit from Currys/PC World, just drop Sling Media support a line from their website and they'll set it all up for you. So that's the Slingbox in the UK, and SlingCatcher over here.

If you would like any more info, please feel free to drop us a line or comment below.

I have no connection to any of the products mentioned in this article.

All brand names and registered trade marks belong to their respective owners - not me.

Tooway internet keeps on getting better.

Not only has the speed barrier been broken, so has the price barrier! Tooway internet now runs at speeds of 20Meg download and 6Meg upload ANYWHERE with prices starting as low as €29.90 including taxes.

Not only that, when you get your Tooway 20M internet for just €29.90, you're not even tied in to a contract and giving you the freedom to turn it on or off at any time.

Thought Satellite internet was expensive, think again!

Click here for more information and price list.

Well, it's started happening. The big Sky switch over is turning people off just as I predicted it would.

How many of you were tempted to having the 1 metre dish installed because you were told that's all you needed to receive Sky. How many of you were actually told that this was purely a short term thing whilst Sky set up a new satellite so they could narrow the beam onto the UK so much tighter that the overspill we were getting here in Spain would be greatly diminished. Not many, I bet.

I have customers who are now reporting to me that they have no TV to watch apart from the local Spanish channels. Well, that's not exactly true. You see, on the links page on my website, there have been links to watch TV for free for nearly two years.

We have never had a TV system in Spain, we've always watched UK TV through the internet, originally using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which also allowed us to watch the catchup services of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 & 5. Nowadays, the only need for the VPN is for the catchup service because the two websites you can just go to and watch TV are geared up so you don't need them. Best of all, it's FREE! What could be better than that?

OK, where do we find them? The first, and easiest, is www.filmon.com; you can watch loads of programs on there including 5 star, 5 USA, Dave apart from the 'normal' BBC & ITV and many more. If you did want to subscribe, then you can watch in HD AND record a program while you watch another.

As well as filmon, there is www.myiplayer.com. This website has programming from UK, USA, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and more. Not only that, you can even watch a plethora of sports channels including Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 & 4 without it costing you a penny. There is a slight downside to this website; it's advert driven and you get a load of adverts blocking the viewing area for up to one minute before you can view it but that's a small price to pay. Additionally, not all streams are available all day but many channels have multiple streams so if one isn't working, just try one of the others. One word of warning about the adverts is, the close buttons are not in the obvious places - you need to look at them carefully or you'll end up with page after page of adverts on screen.

Myiplayer also has details of free VPNs that allow you to watch the catchup services along with details of how to set them up.

.One thing to remember if you wish to consider streaming live TV, I recommend you have at least 6M reliable internet. That lets out the dodgy wi-fi purveyors (you know who I mean) It can work on lower bandwidth but at busy times, you will get buffering where the program stops because your internet cannot bring the signal in quick enough.

That's OK, I hear you say, but I don't want to sit in front of the computer to watch TV. Guess what, you already are. What do you think that big flat screen jobbie is that you watch now. There are ways to connect your computer to your flat screen TV so you don't have to sit in the spare room in front of your laptop or whatever pc you have there.

Bottom line is, why pay a fortune for something you are guaranteed to lose because it's illegal. Get it for free while you can.

Just a quick post to let everyone know we will not be taking calls from 5th May 2013 until 21st May 2013 inclusive as we will be on holiday. We will be open for calls again on the 22nd May.

We are having a well earned break, not having done so for over 2 years. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

We will, of course, still be monitoring our telephone networks and will be in a position to remedy any problems should there be any.