aarn

Too easy to open KBank account - just turn up with passport, cost ~ 250B to open acct + ATM card.

The debit card will be an extra cost.

Beware using KBank ATMs,

I am not the only person to have lost kBs at isolated ATMs,

if you are using an ATM at a bank branch and the transaction stuffs up,

just go inside and complain. AA

You have probably already done this, but it is first base. Go to Start - Control Panel - Windows Update. In the latter, there is a box 'Important Updates'. Select 'Check of updates but let me choose...; That way, you can look at the size of the updates. Also, if it is trying to update something you don't have (cf. bahtboy above), you can R-click on the update and banish it forever.

If you have slow www. speed, the updater can take the fun out of www.ing because it will prioritise itself over your pleasure... AA

OK, there are big buses (ChokAnAn Tour Co) that leave from CHMPN for Phuket ~ 4x daily, going via Ranong. You would have to get out on the Hway then take minibuses/taxi to Ranong Port - not easy to do with no local knowledge. Cost? maybe 200B

There are 2 minibuses daily CHMPN to Krabi - not sure if they operate out of Fame GH, but Fame can certainly book for you. Cost ~ 350B.

Unless you are in a big hurry, might be better to do visa run one day, enjoy CHMPN, then on to Krabi. I never stayed at Fame but did the 0530 visa run last year, they are very helpful. AA

XP does some strange things with system restore points - at least, what is going on was more obscure than with win7. I seem to remember, also, the ccleaner couldn't reduce the 'page file' thingy, which could blow out to 1Gb.

Maybe worth monitoring your system restore facility, reducing the amount of hard drive devoted by default to it (I think win7 starter allocates 4%!).

Good luck, AA

Catch slow train to Chumphon, leave HH ~ 1130, arr CHMPN ~1700, cost ~ 50B. Walk out of station to the west , past three old locomotives ~ 100m to traffic lights, look to north ~ 80 m Fame GuestHouse. Rooms 160B+. Book for next day visa run costs 1100B (includes the $US10), leave 0530 from Fame, put your big toe in Burma (all guided too easy, all you need is a photocopy of main page of passport or pay 20B at Thai side of border), return to Fame* 1130 and can get "Sprinter" train leaves Chumphon ~ midday, back in HH ~1600, cost ~ 200B

(*ask the Fame minivan to drop you off at the railway to save time)

Assuming you want something to last for more than a couple of years, it's worth considering a machine that can be upgrade-able with the progress of time. Technicians can upgrade the RAM and HDD for you (check if the RAM of your preferred machine can be increased - google search), but the processor is fixed. So maybe worth getting a machine with a top-end quad core processor now...later upgrade RAM and change from HDD to SSD. You can store stuff in external HDDs, won't slow up you system, I can't see the point of having a HDD>256Gb, as I have > 1Tb stored externally.

Also, it is possible order a new comp. and get it delivered, rather than be restricted to what the local stores have.

Here's a link listing intel processors, note that a 'Q' means quad core:

http://www.cpu-world.com/info/Intel/mobile-processor-number.html

Here's the link for online shops in Thailand:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/61857-on-line-computerelectronic-stores/

Here's what I was looking at - may not suit if you are a MS/Windows user:

http://www.invadeit.co.th/product/notebooks-laptops/dell/inspiron-14r-7420-v560402th-black-intel-core-i7-3612qm-8gb-ddr3-1tb-14inch-led-geforce-gt640m-ubuntu-p009879/

I am also looking around. But I think it is more realistic to spend 30kB, and get something that should function for five years, rather that 20kB, that may be smoked-out in 2 years.

Just my 2-bobs' worth, AA

try using another usb lead (or reverse the lead if you have usb/usb lead)

try another usb port in your comp.

OK sorry sounds stupid but has worked for me in the past. AA

You internet savvy guys can surely 'work' from anywhere that you have good internet connectivity. I guess that any income you make is deposited into paypal etc., can hardly be taxed in Thailand.

If you can get a 60day, 2 x 60day, or even 3 x 60 day tourist visa, then you can basically extend for 30 days (at the end of each 60day period extension, costs 1,900 baht). When that is up, you have to leave - which might be as easy as an afternoon in Malaysia - then re-enter to start your next 60day period.

The after your visa totally expires (could last as long as 3 x (60 + 30) = 270 days), you could reapply for another one (although it is VERY DIFFICULT to get more than 2 x 60days) in a neighbouring country. Plenty to see in SEAsia. AA

Mate, too easy for you. You will be able to extend your 12m next visa by demonstrating to your local Thai Immi Office that you have income in Austr (not sure what pension is now - $AUD20k ~ ThB 600k) + bank balance here in Thai of ~200kB, for a total in excess of 800kB.

Thai Immi Office will want to see a recent (ie.within a week or so) stat dec from the aussie embassy, attesting to your annual income (cost ~ 600B). The day before you go to Immi Office, just top up your bank account so you have the required total 800kB. In other words, there is no required 'seasoning period' for the bank balance. You can put money in, get a bank statement, do the job at Immi, and withdraw from bank the same day.

Be aware also, once you have the annual extension, no need to even go to Immi Office every 90 days - can just registered post (cost 18B) in your report (with a few required photocopies) form.

What I would do in your position - set up a bank account here asap, deposit say 100kB. When you go back to Austr, just get a 60day tourist visa, come back here, go to aussie embassy, get stat dec income statement, top up you bank account (so the total statement + bank > 800kB), go to Immi Office and get your annual non-O A extension. Check with lopburi3 here - he's a champ.

By the way, I understand that for disab pension there is a new requirement - cannot be outside Austr for more than 6 weeks??? Check www.centrelink.gov.au. Cheers, AA

Spot-on, ripstanley. I wonder if kiwis of that era also got that no-go?

There was an aussie journo, Wilfred Burchett, running round in NVietnam at the time,

stirring up trouble for the Holt, and successive, governments...

reckon my first passport would go for a few on ebay. AA

My first pport (issued 1968) had a stamp 'Not valid for North Vietnam' in the Observations page. I wonder why that was...

My (aussie) passport starts with a blank page, overleaf is the main page, then THREE blank pages, before page 2. I have stamps on the un-numbered page, before page 2. If you didn't get two extra pages like this, you wus ripped off! She'll be right mate, AA

I've been carting 26"-wheel, used, folding bikes into/out of Thailand for 17 years, never paid duty. In boxes or bags, as part of the luggage allowance (if fying in). A bike bag is really useful, fold the bag, put it on the rear rack, and get on yer bike. If bored or raining, just fold your bike, bag it, put it under the bus (or inside the train) and it comes along for free.

Various companies make 26" wheel folders - Dahon and Montague are prominent, plus various design rip-offs. I think you are better off sourcing a bike + bag in your own country (ebay is the place to go!), setting it up to suit yourself (no point buying power tools over here, for a one-off minor job), then come on over.

But I must say the one-off $200!!! fee (was $45 in 1994) for flying out of the USA is on par with the everyday rip-off fees of aussie banks. AA

(Not that I can add much to above posts, but here's my recent experience/2-bob's worth).

You will be given (well, you paid for it) a visa with an expiry date stamped on it, expiring one year after the visa was issued. You have to enter Thailand before the visa expires...

You can't stay inside for more than 90 days (by going to a border crossing, at least the Thai officials have an idea as to where you are). But sure you can come/go as many times as you want...

If you decide you want to live here, then close to (within, say, two weeks of) the time your visa expires, apply for a 12 month extension (this is what is commonly referred to as the 'retirement visa' - it is actually just an extension, which can be done every year).

Be aware, too, that if you want to live here, you need to show every year that you have an income in your country of 800,000+ baht OR a bank account with a balance of 800,000 baht OR (best way) a combination of the two. So a good idea is to take your passport a bank and open an account... can search through the forum here for more detailed info. AA

This should give you chrome/google in English, you will have to open it from Ie, FF or Opera etc.

https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/chrome/browser/?hl=en-gb

There are quite a few free, lightweight operating systems out there. Www.distrowatch.com provides a fairly comprehensive, comparative list.

No need to set up a separate computer to check those dodgy websites etc. You can set up a 'dual boot' system with your computer by allocating a 10-20Gb partition to a (free) linux system, install antivirus in linux (and use it to check your windows files), and get the computer to preferentially boot into windows http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2012/05/17/how-to-dual-boot-ubuntu-12-04-and-windows-7/

My old netbook (Intel atom processor) is running zorin.lite (boots in <30sec) and win7 starter (~40sec). AA.

The plan I signed up to in April was 3BB 6Mb @ 590B (+ tax)/month for 12m, installation was ~ 2kB but that was free, and as I had no router they supplied one for 1,280B which is mine forever (actually it WAS mine forever, but I paid out the year's contract and left the lot with the ex - sucker me!). AA

MS is dropping support for hotmail (according to previous thaivisa posts). I am also finding some strange things happening, such as clicking arrow for next message not working... but in the interim strongly suggest you change your password (google how to do this). AA

So keep us informed if win8 performs well - many critiques say it is a dog

Have tried many in past few months, dual-booting with win7 on an older toshiba notebook (2Gb RAM).

Using www.distrowatch.com for daily release announcements.

There are a lot of derivatives of Ubuntu 12.04 becoming available.

Fastest I have tried is zorin lite, released ~ 28 August 2012.

Otherwise the mothership Ubuntu 12.04.1 has all the bells and whistles. AA

Methinks you did something baaaadddd in a previous life, and instead of being reborn as a worm or a frog, have come back as a puncture-prone velocypedalist. I think that there are 'puncture proof' tubes out there - which have a honeycomb interior. Also, there is something called 'slime', I think you just hook up an aerosol can. to a punctured tube, and the tube fills up with some neurotoxic plastic stuff that fills out the puncture.

Please don't have bad dreams and cast this unfortunate, evil spell further afield. AA

Lopburi 3 giving very sound advice. It is (almost) too easy to apply for the annual 'retirement visa' extension, on the basis of a mixture of income in home country, and bank balance here. Once you have it - can report every 90 days using the postal system, no excruciating border runs in minivans with gung-ho drivers and extra costs... AA

Going a little off-topic here, I have used a number of HDDs and most problems appear to be related to corrosion in the junction ports. Simply reversing the lead (if the HDD has the same-style port as usb) can fix the problem.

I left a Hitachi (?) 320Gb HDD idle for three months, on firing it up again, it was stoofed. Although I bought it in Trat, it had a 12 month warranty and an IT outlet in Uttaradit was happy to service it (actually, it was replaced with a new unit) for 100B.

ebay-equivalent in thailand is http://shopping.sanook.com/, but it is rather minor

Hi,

it sounds like you have a complicated (but nevertheless useful) Ub installation.

I normally free up 20Gb HDD space in Win, download the latest Ub (12.04.1, see my post yesterday),

put it onto a usb using unetbootin, reboot from usb, then install UB 'alongside other operating systems',

it does all the partitioning work for you.

That's a good tip to block Samba (thx ITGabs!). AA