jetmorgan

If you can go a step further and have a full virtual machine inside VirtualBox (rather than the XP Mode) then it's possible to channel usb devices directly to the VM via VirtualBox without a driver for the host operating system. I do this on Linux Mint with VirtualBox for an Omron Pedometer that has no Linux driver, but is passed through to a Win 7 VM where the driver resides and it works fine.

Thanks for that but that does sound like it's a bit above my knowledge and skill level. A problem I find with modern computing...it's gotten more and more complicated so that only IT experts know how to do things which leaves us lesser mortals, than just want to switch on and get on with things and not find that with updating anything we have to keep changing everything, a bit up the swanny river

VueScan is excellent on Mac and your won't regret moving over to macOS. An iMac will do everything you need without fuss, but if you are serious about photography make sure you get one which is suitably specified, and when you buy it, be careful about secondhand machines offered by private sellers. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you could end up with a nasty surprise!

 

If you don't want to pay the full price of a new one, rather than risk secondhand, consider a Refurbished one from Apple themselves. The refurbished machines come with a full guarantee and support from Apple, just like a brand-new machine. They have been back to the factory in Cork, fully inspected and any cosmetic or functional parts replaced before they are completely wiped and a brand-new macOS installed. They are then tested and packed. Over the years my clients in the graphics industry bought almost 100 refurbished Macs from Apple in this way and every one was absolutely fine.

 

Look here: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

 

The list of machines available is on the left and changes every day.

 

John

Thanks for that, I had looked at Apple refurbished ones but just way too expensive and I'm on a tight budget of about £300-ish. I have found several websites that sell refurb used iMacs so I should be able to find something I can use and I also have a Samsung widscreen monitor, Syncmaster 226BW, which I plan to hook up to it as a second screen. Another option I have thought about is getting a Mac mini. I have had experience of used mac's off Ebay as I bought a G5 powerpc to replace an earlier G5 powerpc that had gone pop and after about a year that one went pop as well.I still have the hard drives from them as they have a load of software on them that I hope to make use of. Adobe InDesign CS4 including Photoshop and Quark Express among others as it was an old machine used at my workplace.

Thanks for the Vuescan info I might try that when I get the second hand iMac that I'm planning as I want to move the photography side of things over to Mac and then I might ditch windows PC altogether or just use it for a bit of internet use.

I'm looking to upgrade the Windows on my home PC. 

At the moment I have an old-ish desktop, Dell Vostro, from my workplace which is about 10 years old and running Windows Vista Business, it was being chucked out so I grabbed it for free as my home computer. I'm looking to upgrade to Windows 7 as I can no longer webcam chat on skype, however I have a dedicated slide scanner, Canoscan FS4000US, that will only work on Windows 2000, XP & Vista and not anything after that. 

Looking online at second hand Windows 7 disks I notice that there are 3 versions of Win 7, Home, Professional and Ultimate and on the back of the boxes of the Professional and Ultimate versions it has an XP mode. Does this mean that I can run a device that only works on XP on Windows 7 without any problems?

And will I also need to upgrade the Vista first to Professional or Ultimate first?

Some screen shots of Seven Days to Noon which had some railway shots. Opening credits are shots on the lines into Waterloo. Later some shots of Southern region carriage sidings which I presume is some where like Nine Elms. There are some shots of a footbridge but I don't know the location for that although the scene has one of the characters throwing a coat over the bridge and landing in the carriage sidings.

I know I've mentioned it on here before and there was a youtube clip...now deleted on here but there is a film called Terror on a Train, I think it was also called timebomb. I've got my finger out and finally got some screenshots of it showing an 8F 48600...supposedly somewhere in Birmingham. Also shots of Portsmouth station with a few Southern items so I presume Portsmouth is correct. Added to that a siding with wooden bodied open wagons full of sea mines, one of which looks like it's had some planks replaced from another private owner wagon.

Does bring up the prospect of a marmite and mustard sandwich!!!

that will never fit through the tunnel

Yes it will if it takes a run up...you know full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes

I'll send you my address, they are the king of biscuits and should be worshipped.

Sorry...not my religion      I'm on a bit of a Malted Milk, Nice or Sainsburys own brand choccy chip cookie fetish at the moment. But I have recently got myself off a Bourbon and a choccy digestive addiction.

Does anyone use shortbread biscuits as a food for birds? I've been given a big double pack of shortbread biscuits as a Christmas present and to be honest they really aren't my cuppa tea as a biscuit. Has anyone used them to mix in with bird food??? I can't think of many other uses for them. There isn't any chocolate in them they are just plain shortbread biscuits....I even asked my neighbours of they wanted some and the answer was a rather emphatic no.

Well it's a bit early for any reference to spring, except that a great spotted woodpecker (probably the one that makes daily visits to our peanut feeder) has been drumming in a nearby oak.

 

Chaz

Yes it is too early to start mentioning Spring...it's still 2017, cold wet & windy, I'm wide awake & it's too early in the morning......AND!!! I'm still trying to get into hibernation for the winter!!!

Been trying to get a shot of this fella for ages, my camera although very good takes a short time to focus through the window and they keep flying off!

 

DSC00726.JPG

 

and on the other shell through a window that picks up a reflection

 

DSC00727.JPG

 

at one time there were 6 in the garden but I was up to my neck in "muck & bullets" making a meatloaf!

I have the same problem with the Coal Tits...they are in an out before you can move to grab the camera. The Long Tail's are fine though and they hang about for ages, quite tame some of them and quite happy for me to watch them through the open window. 

And I know what you mean...I had 7 of them sat on the table and feeders but I was in the middle of making Mary Berry's chocolate orange cake and having to make 4 trips to Waitrose to do it!!!

Looking forward to the show...and not long to go now. Just need to get Christmas and New Year out the way. Really looking forward to Stodden Hundred again and Staindrop

Thanks

Much Murkle will be at the following shows in 2018, I hope one of these is convenient for you

 

27 & 28 January @ Southampton MRS, Eastleigh

10 & 11 February @ Festival of British Railway Modelling, Doncaster

6 & 7 October @ Wigan FRM

20 & 21 October @ Uckfield

 

I would normally like to do 6/7 shows a year but have had to reduce the number of bookings I can accept in 2018 & 2019 due to other commitments.

 

I already have 3 shows booked for 2019 and 2 for 2020, one of which is Warley.

Thank you for that, good to see Uckfield in there, that's my second local show after Tonbridge so Uckfeld is definitely in the diary for next year. The others are a bit too far for me to get to but I might give Warley a go again in 2020, I visited my first Warley show in 2015 and was a bit underwhelmed I'm afraid, so I've been a bit hesitant since then.

Have you any plans or ideas yet for where MM is going to get shown off next year? I'd love to catch it again

Looking forward to seeing Harlyn Pier again, one of my favourites and will be looking forward to Saltdean as well after seeing the pics on this forum. And on the perfect dates...right after payday so will have plenty of money in my pockets.

Just come across this on the BBC news website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-42286842

Doubled the value of the car!

 

Mike.

No worth it's weight as it's a V8 petrol...so I can drive to see my dad without having to pay the £100/day LEZ charge that I would have had to pay in my old Land Rover Defender. It's gone through 2 MOT's without anything needing fixing and just the same advisories, which I will have to get sorted out next year. Top of the range edition as well, heated leather seats...although the drivers side doesn't work at the mo. Electric sunroofs...which have the factory fitted leak which I need to sort out so they are sealed up with gaffer tape at the moment and the immobiliser can play silly from time to time.

It used to be that certain 'characters' were the ones you avoided on trains, often later at night and often on long distance trips, as it was fairly obvious that they were going to be trouble. These days it is impossible to identify where there may be 'trouble' or unpleasantness as so many think that their right is to do as they wish, regardless and that isn't just on trains. I am sorry to say that it is a social ill and will not improve. Anti social behaviour of a different type from what it was recognised as (damage to property and violent behaviour) is now far more widespread then it ever was in my memoryand by that I mean littering, spitting, drunkenness in public, drug related activity in public, not recognising another's presence (including whilst walking, cycling, driving, even sitting.....man spreading for example) threatening and/or stupid behaviour that can cause danger and unpleasentness for others. Yes, we have regressed to conditions similar to those in years gone by, before society became policed sensibly and communities often dealt with their own 'problems'. I can not put my finger on why this is without getting political or except for the self, self, me, me, look at me and how super I am gene that is now prevalent. 

The sad thing is that so many like me are too scared to intervene in case they get biffed. Bloo#y annoying.

V. Meldrew.

All this is why I try to avoid late night trains as it is all magnified hugely by alcohol.

I couldn't agree more...I think a better idea would be to have a booze ban on trains and stations to make travelling at any time more pleasant.

Fifty quid for a hinge?!? Are you driving a Maserati?

Sadly not...Land Rover Discovery 1...to be honest not quite £50....£46 including postage, but that is close enough to £50 for me to call it £50 and that was for an aftermarket one. If you wanted a genuine one that was over £50 plus the postage which would put it about the £60 mark. Mind you the Discovery was also an Ebay buy and so far has proved to be a good one as well, considering it's nearly 20 years old now with 110,000 miles.

Had an intriguing early Xmas delivery today while Ms. Signaller was at work, not allowed to "check" it though. . . :-)

IMG_20171201_170826.jpg

Don't be too sure....they may just have left off the H at the beginning of airbrush and it could be one of those £300 Dyson hair dryers that is your present to your lord and master lol

Does it work though?

At the moment I don't know. It was listed as Untested and I can't test it at the moment as I have put my controller in a safe place...and now I can't find the blasted thing. What I might do is take it along to the Tonbridge show, which is my local show as they usually have a test track there and then I can find out. I know that these things are as rare as rocking horse fertiliser and I only had a couple of minutes to decide to bid. Mind you I may come to regret buying it a smidgen as I've just had to fork out £50 to buy one hinge to fix the back door on my car and £30 for quarter of a tank of petrol...which means I'm now left with £10 to live on for the next 2 weeks until payday!!!

If anyone likes to donate to animal charities here is a small one I try to donate to when I have a bit of spare money. Any help gratefully received and they are always looking for new homes for animals.

A very good film, in my opinion, even without the railway content, but the final chase though the goods yard amid hurtling wagons is truly nail-biting. It looks as if the actors were genuinely in danger at times.

It wouldn't in the least surprise me if they were in danger knowing the lack of safety rules in the industry at that time. Rather than filling out safety forms it was probably a matter of being told not to have an accident

Not entirely sure it's a good buy but this arrived in the post at work this morning. Looks to be mostly complete just needing some repairing in places and finishing off along with a decent paint job. One for a rainy day I think...and the idea for an LMS layout.