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Welcome
Welcome to the resources section of the website.
You will find a whole series of tools on these pages which will help you look after and sort out computers. You may not want to do this yourself and if that's the case simply look at the services that the site offers to do the job for you. On the other hand you might want to give it a go. If you are new to this (and even if you're not!) have a quick scan of the how to download section. This will help you avoid the main pitfalls.
Click here to download a program which will check your machine's compatibility to run Windows Vista.
There's never a need to panic.
Stay calm... call Virtual Riders if you are getting stressed.
What's available
There are loads of free programs/utilities and drivers (normally quite small) which are useful to ensure your computer works as well as it can. There are IT people in your area supporting voluntary organisations and there are national organisations providing support. These are what we call resources.
The ICT hub has lots of links, as do their past newsletters.
Links to useful computer companies in the UK.
See in the utilities essentials section a link to default passwords for every hardware device in the world (nearly).
Microsoft downloads and Windows upgrades.
Save Money
Some resources can cost money, some you can try before you buy (shareware) and some are free (freeware). In addition to signposting you to sites that have these things we also can help you get the best value. For a small fee (see services page) we can help you get the best value products or we can point you towards someone who can help you. For example (although the link to free resources gives much cheaper results!):
Links to
for voluntary organisations
Free Word Processing & Spreadsheets
from Google
What are resources?
Resources can mean anything, but really they are the tools you use to help you out using and managing your computer. We've described some of the types of thing available and below are some links to test:
- different category links
- database
- national links
- links that might prove useful
- wikipedia
How to use, how to save and how to download!
Whatever the resource, if there is a manual, read it first. If there is a CD, run it (provided it is an original) and look for instructions or a manual. If there is no paperwork (lost), then go on line and see if you can download the manual or if there are on line instructions. Otherwise it is probably software that you can or have downloaded.
Unless very specifically instructed otherwise (from a respected source), never choose to run software over the internet. Always download it onto your computer first. Set up a special area/directory for these downloads and put each one in a separate directory (so that you can quickly find the original). When you have enough you can burn them onto a CD so that you can transfer them to another machine in the future.
When downloading bear in mind that unless you use specific software (such as bittorrent), it may take a long time (dependent on your bandwidth limitations - https://www.timekiller.org/meter.php - will test your connection) or the connection may crash out making you start again.
Once you have downloaded the software, explore what has been downloaded and set a restore point before installing/running the software.
Tel: 0845 337 2949 | Fax: 01482 345122
Virtual Riders, NBF, Second Floor, 94 Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AN
Virtual Riders, NBF, Second Floor, 94 Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AN