Q: I am planning to join the happy band of English speakers who live
in France. My very old PC can't wait for the move and I must replace
it now. Please advise me: should I buy a French replacement?
Requirements: good help line (yes, I do know French ! ) and excellent
service. I need the computer for word processing; e-mail, to include
sending; internet access, etc. If I were not coming to France I would
choose from the Dell Dimension range.
A: If you buy French PC it will come with French-language Windows
and a French keyboard. This may give you problems if you try to install
English software - some of it requires an English operating system. The
opposite is also true - I've had problems installing French software onto
English versions of Windows. French keyboards aren't QWERTY, either,
but AZERTY and, if you're a touch -typist that could be a problem too. If
you bought your Dell computer in the UK you'd have no problems using
it in France - the only thing I'd really advise as being useful to buy in
France is a modem, as I've found that English ones aren't as reliable on
the French telephone system as native ones. Our new Microlink Fun 56
works much better than the (American) one in my laptop or the English
one on my network server, dropping the line much less. You'll also find
that the larger manufacturers - Dell, Compaq, IBM, Toshiba - have
English-speaking people on their helplines in France and that, in fact,
many calls from anywhere in Europe are often directed to the same call
centre. Talk to the individual manufacturers about what you're proposing
to do and see if they have any warranty problems with you taking an
English machine to France. Finally, check the essay I've written on
bringing an English computer to France in the France forum on
http://drkeyboard.net.
Q: I am converting an old barn in France and as such am an avid
reader of French Property News and find your articles most
interesting. I have Windows 3.1 and AOL on my old computer which
worked okay in the UK. In France I keep getting the message 'no dial
tone'. I have tried various things but still can't get connected. I have
read the note about phone leads and have an extension Americane
which does not say whether or not it is modem specific. I am going to
France next week and will try putting in another modem string,
given by AOL but am not convinced that it will be the answer. Any
ideas you have would be appreciated, as I am rather frustrated by
this situation.
A: UK modems don't understand everything about the French telephone
system, which is a mystery even to many at France Telecom. In particular
the signalling voltages are different so modems have problems like those
you mention. They also don't recognise when a call is coming in so UK
fax machines and modems won't answer the line. You can buy widgets to
convert UK modems/faxes to the French system for under £20 - John
Sidwell of Big Dish Satellite sells them, contact him at
bigdishsat@aol.com. Also, check through your modem properties (I don't
have a working W3.1 machine at the moment so I can't tell you exactly
where to look) to tell it not to listen for a dial tone before listening. The
problem could be that the modem tries to open the phone line, doesn't
hear a UK dial tone and just gives up. If you tell it not to wait for a dial
tone it'll open the line and start dialling regardless.
Q: I am experiencing problems connecting and maintaining a
connection to my ISP (Wanadoo). My previous computer (also
English) took a long time and several goes to connect but once
connected it rarely disconnected. Since I inherited this computer, no
matter what I do, it takes at least three attempts to connect - I usually
receive the error messages in the order "No answer/The line is
busy/Unable to establish connexion". It has never stayed connected
for more than 15 minutes. This makes it impossible to download
software or to do any extended research. I have had the phone line
checked for faults and entered additional settings on the advice of the
Wanadoo technical help line, who also suggested I download new
drivers (obviously impossible at the moment). When I contacted the
manufacturers they were of the opinion this would not improve the
situation.
What can I do? The computer is not old and as you say in your
column in French Property News buying a computer here is not that
easy.
A: I've been having a very similar problem myself with the Xircom
modem built into my Toshiba laptop - until this week. I downloaded new
drivers for it which, when installed, detected that the modem had been set
up for use in the United States (where I bought it) and, once it was
changed to detect the French telephone system, it has worked perfectly.
Of course, this relies on you being able to install new drivers for your
modem which are designed to work in France - do you have a friend who
could download them for you? Or, if you've already spoken with the
modem manufacturer, could you get them to post them to you? Modem
drivers aren't usually huge files and you may be able to connect for long
enough to download them. You can also use FTP programs like Getright
which will, if disconnected, restart on reconnection at the point where
they left off. Of course, you need to be able to download Getright in the
first place. Finally, I solved the same problem on my wife's computer
which had an old modem that couldn't be upgraded by simply buying a
new, external French modem (an Elsa) for about £40. It works perfectly.