A little question - I've just downloaded I Tunes to the kids PC so that they can import their CDs to it. One tab asks us "Import Using" and then "Setting". What should we tick? We don't need particularly high quality imports and ideally we'd like to then upload some of the CDs to various devices like HTC phones, a Creative Zen, and an I Pod.

Thanks inn advance.

As is usual in times of computer strife, I find myself asking the Massive for their help.

I've got an Acer Aspire 5920 laptop. Had it for 3 years now and it's been a good tool, being both speedy & responsive. It runs Vista and is used almost exclusively as a work tool, although whilst working I also use I Player, Spotify, and check out the same sites every day - The Word, The Guardian, BBC News etc.

Since New Year it has got noticeably slower. In particular it takes well over 5 minutes to get going after switching on. Xcell & Adobe PDF's also take 20-30 seconds to load.

It's got 2 hard drives; C (Acer) and D (Data). C has a capacity of 111GB and has only 3.72 GB left available. D has a capacity of 107 GB and is empty. I keep hardly any music or photos, and no videos. If I individually add up the size of each folder or program within C then I should have something like 80GB free.

I've uninstalled all unwanted programs and deleted all recycled bin contents and temporary internet files.

How can I have filled over 100GB? How can I (and should I) transfer stuff to the D (Data) hard drive.

Any help or advice, as always, is welcome.

Sometimes in a song there lies that little bit extra; that special bit that slaps you on the back and tells you that today will be a good day.

Whilst driving my kids to the bus stop this morning my daughter put on her latest fave, Hanging On The Telephone. Clem Burke provides that special bit at one minute in. I just love that 2 second drum break.

PS Thanks for a great Tuesday evening. Highlights include Wilko obviously but Norman even more, the wonderful surprise of hearing A Genuine Freakshow for the first (but defintely not the last) time, to see DH cutting a small rug in the DJ booth, and to see Mossman at all.

Morning Massive

One of the many great reasons for supporting the Word is the opportunity to call on the Massive for occassional help. So here goes:

The laptop has done a mental. The screen has inverted itself, so that not only does everything appear upside down and back to front, but the mouse also moves across the screen in the opposite way to how it should. The commands etc. all seem to be OK - have the kids just pressed the wrong button at the wrong time? All operating discs are long since gone, but if you can think of anything fairly straight forward I could do then I'll raise a glass to you.

Dear Massive

My little girl loves a particular track on one of the Word CD's from earlier this year. Trouble is that it's in the car and we're away on holiday, and I can't remember who the artist is.

It's Track 6 on this particular CD, which also features a lovely version of that Genesis song though this time played with trumpets and strings. The song we're after has a boy and girl singing, with him taking the lead and she doing the chorus. It's a great song and the production sounds both old and up to date at the same time.

I've even played their album on Spotify recently and really liked it, but as we've already established, my memeory isn't quite what it was.

If you can point me in the right direction then I'll drink a pint of Ales of Scilly's Scuppered in your honour tonight.

My first gig was Judas Priest, my second was Black Sabbath.
The best gig was also the loudest - Primal Scream on the Accelerator tour.
I love rugby, real ale, and (when I was allowed to) roll-ups.

But by God this is a great song.
(Warning - features a 'tache)

Interesting 30 minutes on Radio 4 this morning with a programme by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes about the song and real life story of TLDOHC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s77wp/The_Lonesome_Death_of_Hatt...

In a few days I'll be rowing on the Scilly Isles in the World Pilot Gig Championships.

One of the St. Martins gigs is called Iron Maid, after the crews' devotion to all things Eddie. They contacted Steve Harris to check he was OK with this; he was delighted and the boat even got painted in West Ham colours to celebrate Steve's favourite team.

We'll still stuff 'em come Sunday afternoon mind.

Every time Franck Ribery's name is mentioned on Five Live or some other footie commentary, I find myself saying "Ribery" in the style of Michael Palin's Pontius Pilate.

Returning from the new Rick Stein fish and chippery in Falmouth this evening, my youngest asked me to go to CD 1 - Track 8 on the autochanger thingy. It was The Decemberists and Shankhill Butchers from one of the early Word CDs - she sang along beautifully.

She is 10.

Oh dear.

Anyone else seeing the Motorhead logo?

After a couple of rough years business wise, I've started to visit some of my old contacts in Italy again. A couple of weeks ago I was watching telly in the hotel prior to going out and a political debate show came on. It was a little like Question Time. And what do you think the music was that played over the opening credits? Child In Time by Deep Purple.

How great is that?

Seriously injured in car crash, accoring to 5 Live.

Any news? New I should have signed up to Twitter.

Cooking and music obviously a theme lately. World Party's "Put The Message In The Box" came on tonight - what a great song. Got me wondering about what Karl Wallinger is up to. I know he has been unwell - is he on the mend? It would be nice to get a catch up in The Word on him - a hugely talented man.