The only reason for Windows lets me down again.

Edp, I think there were three updates at boot up, then I guess it downloaded the FF update whilst it was running, then froze until I shut it down (FF, I don’t think the laptop itself). Then of course the post shutdown update (7 I assume). I don’t think all the three pre-boot updates would have been FF. Stop the updates? I can’t be a***d to find out how, not really used Windoze myself since XP, 10 years ago at least.

Graham, I just checked the boot time (and no updates this time), 3-1/4 mins until the little whirlygig stopped whirling, but a total of 7 mins before FF would stop its own whirlygig and find the page of my choice.

Fit SSD, I do have a 60GB, so I guess I could, but how much time would I waste installing on that? I seem to recall it took all one evening and some to install last time.

I have an 8″ android tablet somewhere, but I assume that is not an “Android Box”, and if it was I would have to learn to use it, and I have too many things to do without learning to drive that. I have a Pi with Kodi on it, but there is nothing left there that will open Ch 4.

Planeman, I am tempted, but would I use it? Is there any learning involved, or just tap what you want and go ahead?

Is it my imagination or am I just becoming an out of date old Dinosaur? But I still enjoy life, especially out on the Ducati (Cagiva actually).

Les.

Wow, suggestions, suggestions.

Bob, a TV tuner card would not help when the signal is the problem, either record or watch live. At that point the only option is view via www.

I just checked the other identical laptop, and that has an 80GB HDD, which has 40GB free space with a Linux install and 10 years of Ebay stuff plus a few other minor items, so obviously the Win7 unit could be shrunk and cloned, though really I ought to fit the SSD into the Ebay laptop. Actually, that only takes about 1 min to boot with Linux, so maybe not worth bothering.

Maybe Duke has best suggestion, if it really is that quick. But I will NOT go to 10. Can’t be a***ed to learn it, and it is used for NOTHING else. It has a fault whereby it will KILL its battery, so for the last maybe 5 years, it has been run on PSU only, just that it seems too good to be scrapped.

Edp, maybe I should try your suggestion. I can see that Windoze can slow down the starting procedure by as long as it wants, but only the firefox update will crash the live viewing.

I suppose what I should really sort out is the Ch 4 signal, but I don’t think it is just signal strength, since I can receive up to 140 stations (TV and Radio), and I am unaware of any others with this problem. I suspect a clashing source from elsewhere, a sort of cross modulation, that is the route cause. It is a special “Quad bowtie” aerial with a high gain masthead booster, and as a precaution, I replaced the booster fairly recently.

Thanks all, Les.

Planeman, I did as you suggested and fired up the tablet, went to more 4 and tried to “Watch in the app”. That took me to an “enter your email”, which just went nowhere. Later I tried the “download the app” route, and that did not work.

Eventually I got to a different login window, and that turned me out with “This programme can not be watched in your country”!

I vaguely recall that I MAY have originally created the account using the address and postcode of the house I bought in 1966 and sold in 1970.

It looks as if I had better keep things exactly as they are at the moment, but with Edp’s “block FF updates”.

I could ALMOST understand all this stupidity if I did not have a TV licence, but I do. Strangely BBC progs sometime ask if I have a licence, but never ask for its number. It looks as if after TWO FREE YEARS, I will have to pay for it again come February! The ONLY BBC stuff I watch online is from 10:35 on a Thursday, as N.Ireland go their own way. This suggests neither your Android box not the one Dave linked to would be any use, and probably none of those Blacklion suggested either.

Les.