Swiss1960

Yes, Global Warming is hitting Thailand (and Europe as well right now, see Spain) with full force!!!

I agree that it is a good idea to create the will with the help of a lawyer. It ensures the legality of the will in case some greedy people would want to contest it. 

When married and / or having kids, make sure to create a will for your wife also. My wife's will handles her assets (bank accounts, land, car etc), me being the guardian of her daughter (if she would not be of age at the time we need the will) and also me being the executor of her will (and she of mine).

Leaving the will with the law firm: I would not do that. Do you know whether the law firm will still be around when you need the will? Better to keep it with yourself and engage with a lawyer when the time comes. That is how my wife or I will do it.

Edit: Be careful NOT to be to specific, otherwise you need to change your will for every change like opening and closing bank accounts, changing cars, selling and buying land etc. Keep it generic like "all bank accounts in my name" etc.

6 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

 

Are yours both Thai Sims?  I seem to recall a recent discussion that it was the providers that mattered for this and it was country dependent.

One Sim from DTAC, one from Switzerland  (Swisscom)

Could it depend on the phone type? On my Samsung A8+ (2018),  the info is filled in (both SIM) and I don't remember having done anything about this. Each Sim has a name in the Sim card manager so it can not come from there. IMEI, serial number is also filled out in the "About" section

What is it about these "good wishes" for a commercial event that is described in an ancient book that still today lets people believe that the earth is 6,000 years old and flat and created by some maybe seven-tailed, bearded, sandal-wearing Spaghetti-Monster with the swing of a magic tail?

Happy New Year to all of you (thank you, Julius Caesar)

I restarted using Nespresso (restarted from my use back in Switzerland) when they halved their price in Thailand from 40 Baht to 22-24 Baht (depending on taste) and offered recycling for the capsules (I am a recycling person when ever I can). I can listen to my mood and make my own ristretto, espresso, lungo, americano, cappuccino, latte and so on with just one machine and one press of a button. And my first coffee in the morning is a double-lungo at 44 Bath (2 capsules) in my large mug, sitting outside at my pool and watch the world wake up and read my online newspapers.

I use CNN and FoxNews (opposing sides, makes it interesting to compare), BBC for island news, Spiegel and some others for Germany, NZZ and TagesAnzeiger for Switzerland (again, right and left views) and Aargauer Zeitung (local newspaper where most of my family and friends live). Most of my Thai info comes from articles on ThaiVisa or BangkokPost.

The main thing for me is always to try and find newpapers on opposite sides of the aisle in order to not get blinded by one side

16 minutes ago, Sametboy2019 said:

Yes but it's a huge wholesale market which you guessed it supplies seafood to central and northern Thailand.

Getting seafood from Southern Thailand would probably drive the cost price to high to sale unless you are a very big well visited restaurant.

Correct. And on top of that, you would need to find a seller who has the free capacity to fill the void from the other market.

34 minutes ago, topt said:

Err not strictly true.

You have heard of ESU for Win 7 - supposedly only available for Enterprise/small business?

https://www.howtogeek.com/443573/how-windows-7s-extended-security-updates-will-work/

 

With a bit of work available to most - 

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/standalone-installer-script-for-windows-7-esu-regardless-the-license/#post-2319627

lot of posts in this and other threads on Ask Woody

 

Also quick search found this article -

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/01/how-to-extend-your-windows-7-security-updates-past-january/

And I am sure there are others.........

First, I doubt that many of the guys writing here have Windows 7 professional or Enterprise installed on their machines AND spend money on the ESU for W7... there was a free upgrade period from 7 to 10 which they did not bother to use... and you did not even have to fight with 8.1 as I unfortunately did. 

Second, I doubt that many of the guys here have the expertise for this hack described above in your links and

Third, it is illegal, plain and simple

1 hour ago, Kan Win said:

Dear Swiss1960.

 

Thank you for your reply, still will use Windows 7, as they gave us Edge in exchange for I.E 11, so no need  Windows 10 for now anyway.

 

Win ???? 

That is up to you, you know the risks now. Just remember, no anti-virus solution and no whatever hardened browser can protect from the threats in Windows 7

4 minutes ago, Kan Win said:

 

Well below is my :-

 

Security Intelligence Update for Windows Defender Antivirus - KB915597 (Version 1.329.510.0)

Installation date: ‎17/‎12/‎2020 05:49

Installation status: Successful

Update type: Important

Install this update to revise the files that are used to detect viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software. Once you have installed this item, it cannot be removed.

 

As for KB............... I have the (Version 1.329.510.0) , does that not make it an Up-Date then for windows 7.

 

Microsoft Edge Version 89.0.731.0 (Official build) dev (32-bit)

 

Win ????
 

 

Dear Win

NO, it does NOT make it an update for Windows 7. Windows 7 is the operating system of your computer. For this operating system, there are no more updates available. To put it simple, if a new security vulnerability or software bug is found in Windows 7, Microsoft is no longer obliged to (DOES NOT) release any sort of patch to fix the issue on the unsupported operating system; and that's something that could put you in danger from cyberattacks, hacking and malware.

Windows Defender Antivirus is a completely different program running on a windows operating system. It does NOT replace an up-to-date operating system! It only supports it. Windows Defender Antivirus can NOT stop hackers from exploiting the vulnerabilities of your unsupported Windows 7 operating system.

Anybody who tells you different is an uninformed schmuck. Don't want to believe me? Read this article please

5 hours ago, sometime said:

Cloud no thanks. and I still get updates

NO, YOU DO NOT GET UPDATES FOR WINDOWS 7!!!!!

Since there are NO MORE updates being made for Windows 7 (since January 2020) - NOT EVEN SECURITY FIXEX - your Windows update process tells you that it does not find any updates BECAUSE NONE WILL EVER BE AVAILABLE AGAIN. And you know what is even worse? Nobody checks anymore for vulnerabilities on your version of windows. By now, you might have dozens of hundreds of even zero day vulnerabilities on your device, but nobody cares no more and nobody checks or fixes them no more for Windows 7.

You might get updates for other apps that you have installed on your device, but NOT (I repeat NOT) for Windows 7! Your computer can check as many times and as long as it wants... since Microsoft is NOT publishing anymore updates for this version, your computer will never ever NO MORE find any, nada, nil, zilch.

6 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

I believe you can still get a free upgrade from most W7 versions to the corresponding W10 version.  It will require a Google search or two to find out how.  It was still available a few weeks ago when I checked.

 

I can not comment on that, I would hope (for the users) that it is. BUT... and that is a BIG but... you would need to check the hardware whether Windows 10 can run on it. It needs many more resources than W7 and your hardware - processor, RAM etc - might just not be able to cope with it. 

My personal experience with my old (2017) HP Pavillion laptop was that I needed to replace the standard hard disk with an SSD disk in order to get ANY acceptable performance out of it - and that was a laptop that already came with W10, but the updates over the years just brought the speed to a limit.

One more thing: Best not to wait for the crash, buy a new device early and use the manufacturer's tools for migration. This (free) advice is also valid for other devices like phones. Invest earlier and save LOT of headache

Forget Windows 7, you are not protected anymore for bugs on that version. Buy a new one with Windows 10.

Check One Drive for all your data, worked perfectly for me, but not sure it's available on W7. Otherwise an external hard drive can protect you from too much data loss in case of crash (depending on your backup frequency). Any other cloud based backup, I.e. Google Drive would also work.

Settings from browsers should migrate on login, same passwords (if you allowed the safe) and extensions. 

Other apps you have to check individually, where they store their data.

10 hours ago, zlodnick said:

I'm going to buy a new laptop. I want Windows 10 and Google chrome.

 

Should I buy a laptop with Windows 10 pre-installed, and if so, how do I know if it's Windows 10 or Windows 10s ?  (I don't want 10s)

 

Thanks for any replys.

Normally, you will get either no OS installed or then Windows 10 Home pre-installed with some goodies per brand and price. I have never seen or heard 10s to be pre-installed and I just bought a new laptop few days ago.

Important: Ask specifically about the OS and whether it is genuine or copy. Even better: ONLY buy boxed laptops. Boxed meaning they are still in the original box and not been tampered with. Only once, I bought a cheap Asus for a kid in the family only to discover, that the laptop had previous owners and I still found configurations and some data on the disk. That laptop was bought in a small shop in Tukcom.

How to get rid of 10s - if pre-configured - you can read above. Most important info is that you can't go back once you deactivate it.

Chrome you will not find pre-installed, Windows 10 comes with Microsoft Edge pre-installed. Open it, type "download chrome", click on the link and the download starts. Before you do, make sure that you anti-virus solution is up and running and up-to-date. This would either be Windows Defender (default) or any pre-installed tool that comes with the new laptop. My Dell came with McAfee pre-installed, but the first thing I did was replace it with my package that I licensed for the whole family.

Before you switch, also make sure all your data is backed up (any kind of cloud like OneDrive or external hard drives), your settings/passwords etc. in Chrome and your Google account (if any) are saved and available once you sign-in on the new device.

I agree with the above poster. Microsoft Edge has evolved massively and is almost as good as Chrome, I have both installed and use them just to have an alternative. I dropped Firefox long ago, no benefits there for me. You even can import all your settings, passwords, extensions etc. from Chrome AND if you tell your Microsoft Edge browser to accept extensions from non-Microsoft Stores, you will be all setup in Edge within Minutes.

Enjoy your new laptop

Question to the knowledgeable:

• Anybody using TransferWise for sending their monthly amount to Thailand? What I do see is that (when arriving in SCB), the TransferWise deposit comes with channel ATS (automatic transfer system) from my Euro Account (with Belgian IBAN), but direct transfers from my Swiss bank arrive with channel IFT (Interbank Fund Transfer)
• When I am sending money, do I have to send in a foreign currency and let my Thai bank do the exchange or can I send in THB when I get better rates and fees from my bank / TransferWise?
• Can the amounts vary every month, as long as they are above the monthly requirement? can the receiving dates vary every month, as long as 1 payment per calendar month is made?
• And finally: Does immigration care about where your money comes from (country, source of income like work, rental business etc) or do they only review 12 amounts that must be higher or equal the requirement for the chosen extension?

Thinking about changing from bank account method to income method or even combination of both and exploring possible stumbling blocks.

Thanks in advance

Well, you are definitely too early for Christmas lunches/dinners... all offers I see so far (i.e. on Facebook group Thailand Wine&Dine) are for 24th and 25th.

But just go to one of the higher end restaurants all around (I.e. Casa Pascal on Second road near Pattaya Tai or The Bistro on Soi 13/1) for fantastic food.

I have seen some pretty amazing offers in ITcom (Tukcom), maybe check again?

Otherwise check out Wattana Systemation, opposite Foodland on Pattaya Tai. Different brands and models. Shop is an official reseller and repair shop i.e. for HP and they ordered a new (internal) battery for my 3y old Laptop from the US and installed it. They did it for the same price as Tokcom shops, but with original battery and warranty.

Now for Windows 7: You know that this version is no longer supported and can have any numbers of vulnerabilities that allow others to attack your computer and steal or delete all of your files?

Upgrade to Windows 10 immediately!!! Or change your computer to any other operating system like Mac or Linux. Since you write that you are a computer dummy,  Windows 10 is your best choice. 

Ping 71ms would be VERY high. It should be less than 3ms. Ping is when your computer "calls" your next server and how long until the answer comes back. Kind of like phone answer time.

Upload and download numbers are incredibly good (assume Mbps?), you probably have a 300/300 contract? No need to change that.

Ads have nothing to do with your internet provider, they come with websites/ apps you visit / use. Thaivisa is one prime example of showing more and more ads to make money,  ignoring user experience completely.