Laura Cooke

I have almost nightly Skype video calls with my boyfriend and at least once per call the call will disconnect itself (It usually struggles to get the call back). Skype often tells me that my connection speed is medium, and everything else is fine. Sometimes it'll say there's a problem with webcam quality. As you can imagine, it's very annoying trying to talk to someone when the call randomly cuts out.

I'm not entirely sure what the problem is. Is it simply that I'm trying to hold a video call?

I have Virgin Media broadband and a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7, my wireless signal strength is almost always the full 5 bars, though rarely it's 4. My room is a loft conversion and the wireless router is downstairs so I did consider getting a signal booster but other than Skype I have no other problems with my internet. I'm almost always the only person connected as the Skype calls take places after 10pm, so it's occured to me that maybe my laptop is to blame? I've had it 17 months and I can tell it's slowed down a bit but before I start Skype I usually go on Task Manager and end any unnecessary processes.

Any input on the matter would be greatly appreciated before I fork out for a signal booster that might be useless. I'll try to provide as much input as possible.

Next year I would love to go to Japan.. it's been something I have wanted to do for years now, and I've finally decided to start saving for it.

Now, I'd like to go to Tokyo.. but I'm unsure of where to start. Does anyone have any tips or experience with travelling to Japan? What airline to use? Where to stay? What city or prefecture to visit (as I am flexible if Tokyo is too expensive)?

I like in the UK and have a part time job.

Thanks for the advice in advance!

Okay.. My Dad was kind enough to give me his old computer, which was slightly Frankenstein-ed to update it, before being passed into my possession. Now I'm at home trying to set it up and I've hit a wall.

I turn it on, and Windows XP starts up (very old.. I know) and the log in screen appears. I can't log on because I am asked to activate windows, I can't activate windows through an internet connection because my desktop has no internet - to set this up I need to log on. And to log on, I need to activate windows. Are you beginning to see my dilema?

Now.. My laptop is fully functional with a working wireless internet, hence why I'm typing this. So if anything needs to be done I can easily use my laptop, but I was wondering if anyone can shed any light on the situation, or help me sort my desktop out?

The tower case alone is over a decade old.. and it isn't super fast or super shiny. I'm not in possession of the paperwork - my Dad might still have them, I'm not too sure. Also, there is no "activate later" button. If there was, I wouldn't be posting this.

Any help appreciated, thanks.

I noticed Incredimail had snuck on to my pc when I was trying to download a program that would let me convert Youtube videos to MP3 files. I thought one of the two programs downloaded may of been the offending file, so I removed both and scraped Incredimail off my laptop.. or so I thought.

Just now I started Firefox and I had the Incredimail toolbar, which confused me.

I was under the impression I'd gotten rid of all the offending files and programs.

A recent Google search made me wonder if Facebook may of been the offender instead? Since apparently Incredimail users can link their Facebook..

Any insight on to the matter will be gratefully appreciated, since I DID NOT agree to install Incredimail or it's toolbar on my laptop.

Recently I've had to sort out a HP laptop for my Grandad, it runs Windows XP and the model is unknown because this thing looks ancient.

The wireless connection didn't work independantly, so my Grandad bought a NetGear N150 Wireless UBS Adapter WNA1100, which I installed and connected to my Sky router. After a minor bit of faffing around, I managed to get the two to connect so I could download AVG. This went without incident.

After restarting, however, the wireless simply did not want to stay connected. The wireless icon on the task bar would spend ages searching for the network address, blink green for a second and then flash back with a red 'x'. This went on constantly, so I started the laptop up again and so far so good.. however, I'm prone to recieving troubleshooting phone calls, and I don't want to hand the laptop back with it refusing to connect to the internet every other start up.

Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Is there anything in particular I need to do?

I'm not amazingly tech savvy, but I know enough to find my way around.

Any help appreciated, thanks in advance.

I think I may be allergic to Durex Play Strawberry lube. I've had problems with painful sex for one reason or another after loosing my virginity a few months back.

Now, when my boyfriend applied the lube, I felt a weird, almost stinging sensation inside which was rather painful. We had to stop as I was in a fair bit of discomfort. When we cleaned up and tried again, minus the lube, I was in pain, but it was more a "tight fit" kind of thing (I hope this makes sense, I'm trying not to be too graphic)

Anyway. Since I was minus the stinging pain, and only experiencing minor pain, I figured I might be allergic. I can't seem to find the ingredients anywhere for the Durex Play, so I was wondering if I would have any lucky using a different lubrication such as KY?

Any insight would be appreciated. I hope this is in the right section.