PattayaDavid

Man, you guys have exceeded my expectations. I think that it is now just a matter of which model she chooses. I will take her to look at both the Honda and Yamaha models. I'll definitely checkout the shops at the corner of 3rd road and Pattaya Tai and 3rd road and Pattaya Nua.

Again, I appreciate the positive and informative posts to this thread. You've given me enough information to go out and find what we want. It's a shame that the thaivisa.com forum doesn't offer a SPAM filter to screen through all the useless and insulting posts that we have to zip through. I know what you're thinking, we should just ignore these infantile remarks. It's just that I hate to see them when they're directed at you; subsequently I'm definitely irritated when their directed at me or my wife.

What a waste of time to post on this site. There are some good information posted at times, but unfortunately you have to read through so much BS to get to it.

I think you are getting your makes and models confused.

Just give her 50k and send her out shopping. smile.gif

Naka.

This post was not intended as a 'waste of time' I was simply pionting out that you

were getting your Makes and Models confused, as indeed you were !

Well the second sentence was tongue in cheek

Naka.

Naka,

You are correct, I was confused as to the make and models designed more for the ladies.  Having said that, since you recognized my confusion, it would have been much more helpful if you had offered some recommendations or alternatives as others have done.  I wouldn't have minded the tongue in cheek second sentence had you offered other alternatives first.  Actually, I didn't find your remarks insulting, just not very helpful.  Being that your response and that of PLASTIC PIG (totally uncalled for) were the first posts received, I felt that this thread was going nowhere.  Anyway, no harm, no foul, let's be friends.

Pattaya David

I see that the PLASTIC PIG has struck again; I hope that all 142 posts that he has made to this site weren't as totally useless has the two he made to my thread, however that is probably just wishful thinking on my part. Why does he even bother posting?

As for the truly helpful posters to this thread, it just happened that one of my neighbors had a party this evening and one of his guest rode up on a pink Yamaha Fino, the wife really liked the looks of it. We may go look at one tomorrow.

Ok, thanks a lot guys. I think I am now armed with enough information to get us started in the right direction. Again, thanks for the positive responses to my thread.

Are you sure it's a Honda Wave? They don't have a clutch.

Do your girl a favour and get a fully automatic scooter. Yamaha Nouvo or Mio. Honda Click or Air Blade.

They're better on so many levels they make the Honda Wave look like a dinosaur by comparison.

If she settles for a Honda Wave with gears, she'll soon tire of other girls zooming past her on the above.

A big plus on the scooters (particularly for a girl) is the foot protection from water, and the ability to carry shopping.

Don't let her choose a bike on colour alone.

Thanks Tropo,

Very informative reply; I guess I was mistaken about the Honda Wave, don't know that much about the motorbikes, this is why I started the thread. We do have a seven year old Honda Sonic 125 which has a clutch. My wife handles it very well and for some reason, prefers it over the clutchless models; she hasn't actually tried a true automatic model as yet, we'll have to give them a try.

Mike, I'll check out a few motorbike shops before buying; just wanted to hear of a shop or two whereby Thai Visa members have been satisfied doing business.  Yeah, I know the one by Pattaya Tai and 3rd Road; I've never been there, but I notice it everytime I pass by it on my way to TUKCOM.

Also, I would like to apologize to the majority of the Thai Visa forum members for my initial comments.  I was just a bit pissed off after reading the initial replies to my thread.  I do stand by my statement that there is too much BS to wade through at times before you find the pertinent and informative posts.  You may not agree, but there seems to be more and more of these useless postings, more so than in the past.  We really don't need all of the sarcasm and I wish that these people would find better use of their time.  I generally don't post unless I have something to contribute; otherwise it's a waste of my time and yours.

What a waste of time to post on this site. There are some good information posted at times, but unfortunately you have to read through so much BS to get to it.

I'm looking to buy a new Honda Wave for my wife.  She really likes that god-awful pinkish color wave model.  She wants electric start and prefers a standard clutch over the Hondamatic gearbox.  I live off of Soi Khaw Noi, but I am not restricted to purchasing from this area.  I'm looking for the best deal around as there are so many motorbike shops throughout the Pattaya area.  I would appreciate your input.  I want to make this purchase ASAP.

Thanks,

Pattaya David

It's my understanding that Toyota is offering an Exclusive version of the Pre Runner in white color, however it doesn't have 4-wheel drive nor does it have an automatic transmission. I believe there is also a 2-door extended cab white colored version offered, however the 4-door, 4-wheel drive with auto transmission is no longer manufactured. There may still be some leftover models available for sale, but I seriously doubt it unless the dealer has jacked up the price so high that nobody will buy it.

I vote for an underground tunnel beneath 2nd road. The road construction crews in Pattaya are more familiar at digging up roads than they are with construction above road surfaces.

In Pattaya, I get Fox News on Banglamung Cable. Fox News is the only reason I subscribe to the cable service. It's a shame that I have to pay above and beyond my UBC Platinum subscription just to get my favorite news program from the states. When I was working in Saudi Arabia, I could get it off the Hotbird satellite off a 2 meter dish. You didn't say where you were located, but maybe you can find a local cable service provider that offers Fox News.

I second the GeForce 8800GTS (320MB) card. I bought the ASUS card and so far it's been great.

I used Norton Ghost for this - I am sure your software works equally well, however the one thing you need to make sure of is that you get a startup CD.

Short answer:

- Get the Western Digital MyBook 250GB USB external drive. HD + nice enclosure ready to use. No fuss.

- Connect everything

- Get Arconis True Image to make a startup CD for you. This is very important. If your internal HD is hosed, you need to be able to start up the computer from CD so you can restore the drive.

- If you can't get a startup CD, get Norton Ghost + startup CD. I have used that before, it works fine. A backup program without startup CD is useless. It's like an airbag that works except in an accident. MS backup included in Win XP falls into this category.

- Change your computers Bios settings to start up from CD first, then try the startup CD. You want to try that before your HD is hosed. Make sure it works - it should start up and present you with the option of restoring the drive. Once you are sure it works, restart into Windows again.

- Then, do your backup Most programs allow you to set up a schedule to do it every night or so, I would recommend that. Set it up in a way so it doesn't require you to remember to do backups.

Optional Info:

HD size: You should have as much room on the backup drive as is on the original drive. You _need_ as much room as the data you are using on the internal drive takes up. So if you only use 80GB on your hard disk, the backup image will weigh in at something smaller than 80GB. The backup program uses compression so it will be able to compress some files. Compression does not work on already-compressed files though, such as movies, images, and music. These also tend to be the largest files on your system so compression doesn't actually help all that much.

External enclosures: You can buy the external enclosure and the HD separately. It might be a wee bit cheaper even. However, you then need to make sure to get compatible drive/enclosure, both SATA or both IDE. You also run the risk of getting an enclosure that doesn't work all that well - there are many cheap enclosure manufacturers and some are really crappy. All in all, I don't think it's worth it when there are nice pre-assembled options like the MyBook drive. I have a MyBook, a Maxtor and some no name enclosures and the MyBook is IMHO the best because it has the best ventilation. Power bricks are always on the outside, that is normal. There are some enclosures with fans but I don't think it's necessary - passive cooling is good enough, you will not be using the backup drive much and you don't want it to sit there and make noise.

Below is a sample of WD Mybook's and prices from one of the shops (Busitek) in PANTIP PLAZA:

http://www.busitek.com/forms/pricelist.html

Harddisk External

                                 Item Description                                               Price       Warranty

WESTERN DIGITAL

                                 WD Mybook 3.5" 250GB , 7200 RPM   USB 2.0      3,890      3 Years

                                 WD Mybook 3.5" 320GB , 7200 RPM   USB 2.0      4,390      3 Years

                                 WD Mybook 3.5" 500GB , 7200 RPM   USB 2.0      5,690      3 Years

                                 WD Passport 2.5" 80GB , 5400 RPM   USB 2.0      3,490      3 Years

                                 WD Passport 2.5" 120GB , 5400 RPM USB 2.0      4,390      3 Years

                                 WD Passport 2.5" 160GB , 5400 RPM USB 2.0      4,990      3 Years

I see that only USB 2.0 connection is listed.  Do you know if it also has an eSATA connection or is available with ESATA connection?

Pattaya Dave

Check this out, overclocking for beginners.

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=103676

I've got 3 hard drives installed in my computer, Western Digital WD3200YS 320GB SATA-II 16MB, NCQ (Raid 1 with additional backup drive). How can I check and monitor my hard drive temperatures? This is the first PC that I have owned in a long time. I've been using laptops exclusively since about 1996.

Also, my processor (Q6600) and motherboard (ASUS P5K Deluxe WiFi) run temperatures of 43 and 44 when not under heavy usage, any problem at that level?

Pattaya Dave

Personally, I would never buy one of these, so called, name brand computers. One or more of the internal components will always be compromised, primarily the motherboard and limit upgradeability. I just had my computer built by a shop called Busitek at Pantip Plaza. I am in no way affiliated with this company as I am retired and living in Pattaya, however someone had suggested their website to me, http://www.busitek.com/, so I will pass it on to you. Although I was surprised by the small size of their shop, they have a pretty nice website, a pricelist that is updated regularly on their site and very knowledgeable and in my opinion, very professional in their behavoir. You have 40,000 baht to spend, peruse their website pricelist and see what you can get for your money. I think you will be please at what you can build for this amount of baht. By the way, after determining what components I wanted installed in my computer system, I visited their store and discussed my system requirements. I asked, if I were to order a computer from you, how long would I have to wait for it to be completed, basically when could I return to pick it up? I figured that I would have to drive back to Pattaya and return several day later or possibly the following weekend. No way, 2 1/2 hours later and my system was up and running. The technician plugged it in, did a performance test, went to the systems page to show me the components installation list, shutdown, packed it back in the box and carried it out to my car. Actually, it was a very enjoyful experience and a learning experience. By the way, when you look at the pricelist, you'll see that they carry very high quality components. Now is a very good time to build a computer because Intel, as of July 22nd, has reduced CPU processor prices on some of their older models by 50% including the Core2Duo Quad Q6600 2.4 Ghz that I had installed in my system. Intel had also released new processors which are better and cheaper than their predecessors such as the Core2Duo E6850 3.0Ghz with 1333Mhz front side bus. By the way, Busitek's prices compare favorably to other shops and are considerably cheaper than most shops in Pattaya. Anyway, check out their website and pricelist. I printed out their pricelist and used it as a guide to what components were available and also used it at other shops for price comparison. I hope that I have been of some help to you. Good luck.

Pattaya David

You're completely correct!

Most probably the card alone will work! Failing that, moving your box over will work 100% sure!

It definately works as I borrowed my friends pre paid platinum card whilst he was away in the USA. Popped it into my decoder and all the channels where available so i suspended my gold account for a couple of months. When the pre pay contract came to its end, I simply asked them to reconnect my signal on my old card and carried on paying for the gold package............ no problems

well no problems other than the program content is dire on the gold package, especially the movie channels and the price is exhorbitant too. With UBC you get neither quality or quantity, with UTorrent, you get both and you can choose your own programming schedules...........

JAF

What is UTorrent?  I've never heard of it, but if it is better than UBC Platinum then I would certainly be interested.  What kind of programming is available?  Do they have their own website for viewing?

I just goggled UTorrent, I don't get it, what does it have to do with satellite TV?

Pattaya David

The card will definitely work as long as your satellite receiver/decoder supports IRDETO encrytion/decrytion service which is used in Thailand by UBC. I just had a friend of mine bring me the new HUMAX iCORD satellite receiver with built-in 160GB hard drive and it works fine, can record up to 4 channels simultaneously, has time shifting capability, basically the works.

Pattaya David

i thought vista, was installed with Windows Mail, which is the successor to outlook, works fine here, will try thunderbird though

I've never tried Windows Mail, however it would be the successor to Outlook Express, not Outlook.  Outlook is not included in neither Windows XP nor Vista operating systems.  It is a product of Microsoft Office, I'm running Office 2007 on my computer with no compatibility issures whatsoever with Vista thus far.

Pattaya David

Anyone else have this problem?

Vista no longer supports outlook express, so I'm using Outlook for now.

Problem is it is slow and clunky. I use it for my hotmail and for another webmail account I have.

Everytime I switch between folders there is a bit of a mini-crash, where the programme is 'not responding'. It takes ages basically to navigate around the darn programme. So:

a) are there any fixes?

Is there another email tool that I can use (and transfer my email files to??)

Thanks

Samran

I'm running Vista with Outlook and find no difference whatsoever between Vista and Windows XP.  I have 3 Gmail accounts and 3 hotmail accounts and all work exactly the same as in Windows XP, however POP3 Gmail accounts work much better than those of hotmail.  I hope to eventually eliminate my hotmail accounts altogether in the future.  Go with Vista & Outlook & POP3 Gmail and you should have no problems at all.

Pattaya David

Anyone know if these are still available.

Anyone know about the next Vigo release?

I spoke with my Toyota dealership after having seen several white exclusive models enroute to northern Thailand.  They are indeed exclusive models, however they are not of the 4-door variety, instead they are the extended cab versions of the Vigo.  The 4-door, 4-wheel drive models are finished so they tell me.  I have a white exclusive 4-door, 4-wheel drive model and am very happy with it so far.  However, had they offered the same exclusive package with the perforated leather seats etc. in the black color, i would have jumped on it, but I guess the black color is very popular as it is so I opted for the white.  I would like to see Toyota offer a Vigo in the red color.  I don't like the body style of the Mitsubishi Triton's, but I do like the shade of red offered.

Pattaya Dave

Hi all,

I only recently have built a Desktop PC, my first desktop model in a long time as I've always preferred notebook models for their portability. As anyone living in Pattaya knows, we do have our share of power outages. It wasn't a problem when I was using my notebook computer since it had a built-in battery backup, but with a desktop model, it's certainly a different story. I did however purchase an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for backup purposes for use during these outages. I purchased a Powercom IMD-1500AP model delivering 1500 VA, 900W, plenty big enough to power my computer and peripherals during a power outage allowing me to close programs and shutdown my computer.

I was looking through the manuals that came with my computer components when I ran across an interesting item that has now caused my concern. I have an Enermax Liberty 620W power supply in my computer. The manual states, use only Pure Sinewave Uninterrupted Power Supply units with this power supply. Pure Sinewave is the same type of current provided to our homes by the local electric company. Simulated Sinewave UPS units may damage the power supply unit. After further research on the internet, it seems like the Active PFC circuits found on most, if not all, better quality power supplies may be damaged by the current processed through the Simulated Sinewave UPS units. Browsing the internet, I couldn't find any quality power supplies, especially those supplying 500W or more that used passive PFC circuitry instead of the better regulating capable Active PFC.

My Powercom Imperial Series UPS model, unfortunately, uses Simulated Sinewave Technology. Even though I found the unit to be relatively expensive, 10,500 baht, from what I have gathered on the internet, a Pure Sinewave UPS model is substantially more expensive if you can even find one here in Thailand. I did find 2 models of interest while browsing the internet, the Powercom Smart King series, line interactive design and the slightly more expensive Powercom Vanguard series, true online design of UPS.

Sorry for all the lead up to my actual questions, but I thought it useful. First, have any of you, past or present, used a Simulated Sinewave UPS in conjunction with a computer power supply using Active PFC circuits? If so, have you experience any problems, loud noises etc. from your UPS or computer during a power outage? Does anyone know where I can purchase a Pure Sinewave UPS unit, preferably in Pattaya, such as those I have mentioned in 1250VA or 1500VA capacity? How much would it cost me?

I would prefer to continue using my present UPS unit, but I am greatly concerned that it may damage my computer power supply during a power outage which I have yet to experience during my two weeks of ownership thus far. I would like to hear your thoughts concerning my problem.

Thanks,

Pattaya David

Hi all,

I only recently have built a Desktop PC, my first desktop model in a long time as I've always preferred notebook models for their portability. As anyone living in Pattaya knows, we do have our share of power outages. It wasn't a problem when I was using my notebook computer since it had a built-in battery backup, but with a desktop model, it's certainly a different story. I did however purchase an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for backup purposes for use during these outages. I purchased a Powercom IMD-1500AP model delivering 1500 VA, 900W, plenty big enough to power my computer and peripherals during a power outage allowing me to close programs and shutdown my computer.

I was looking through the manuals that came with my computer components when I ran across an interesting item that has now caused my concern. I have an Enermax Liberty 620W power supply in my computer. The manual states, use only Pure Sinewave Uninterrupted Power Supply units with this power supply. Pure Sinewave is the same type of current provided to our homes by the local electric company. Simulated Sinewave UPS units may damage the power supply unit. After further research on the internet, it seems like the Active PFC circuits found on most, if not all, better quality power supplies may be damaged by the current processed through the Simulated Sinewave UPS units. Browsing the internet, I couldn't find any quality power supplies, especially those supplying 500W or more that used passive PFC circuitry instead of the better regulating capable Active PFC.

My Powercom Imperial Series UPS model, unfortunately, uses Simulated Sinewave Technology. Even though I found the unit to be relatively expensive, 10,500 baht, from what I have gathered on the internet, a Pure Sinewave UPS model is substantially more expensive if you can even find one here in Thailand. I did find 2 models of interest while browsing the internet, the Powercom Smart King series, line interactive design and the slightly more expensive Powercom Vanguard series, true online design of UPS.

Sorry for all the lead up to my actual questions, but I thought it useful. First, have any of you, past or present, used a Simulated Sinewave UPS in conjunction with a computer power supply using Active PFC circuits? If so, have you experience any problems, loud noises etc. from your UPS or computer during a power outage? Does anyone know where I can purchase a Pure Sinewave UPS unit such as those I have mentioned in 1250VA or 1500VA capacity? How much would it cost me?

I would prefer to continue using my present UPS unit, but I am greatly concerned that it may damage my computer power supply during a power outage which I have yet to experience during my two weeks of ownership thus far. I would like to hear your thoughts concerning my problem.

Thanks,

Pattaya David

There is no law, even in the U.K, which says motorbikes cant filter through cars. You must be jealous that you have to sit for hours in traffic while motorbike riders can get to their destination much quicker. Oh well, your loss.

Madjbs,

Are you saying that it is legal in the UK for motorbikes to filter through cars (between vehicles travelling in the same direction in parallel lanes) even while traffic is moving?  Are you sure that this is legal or is it just accepted practice as it is here in Thailand?  It's not that I'm jealous, it doesn't really bother me when motorbikes filter through vehicles stopped for a redlight, however I think it's quite dangerous for motorbikes to pass between two moving cars moving in the same direction or opposite directions as occurs frequently here in Thailand.  Also, don't forget who will be held liable when there is a collision with between a car or truck and a motorbike, twice as liable if you are a Farang.

Isnt that the point of a motorbike? Do you think motorbikes should sit in line like cars?.

In most western countries, motorbike riders have to follow the same traffic laws as cars and trucks.  The point of owning a motorbike, especially in Asia, is bec

ause they

are cheap to own and operate.  I would guess that even in Thailand, there are not two sets of traffic laws, one for cars and trucks and and another for motorbikes.  The main point I was trying to emphasize in my post was that the danger associated with the recklessness and total disregard of traffic law by many of those riding motor bikes was much greater than the danger imposed by those driving a car or truck above the speed limit.

By the way, the answer to your question is yes even though I am not stupid enough to think it will ever happen.

Personally, I have no problem with people driving cars and trucks above the speed limit on major highways which can certainly support the higher vehicle speeds. A car or trucks speed is ultimately limited by traffic congestion.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the millions of motorbikes cruising the roads throughout Thailand. The typical motorbike rider is not limited by traffic congestion as he weaves in and out and between vehicles at whatever speed he chooses. These idiots ( I think you know the ones I'm talking about), not all motorbike riders, are the real threat on the road. They are dangerous to themselves and to others and show no respect for traffic laws, general common sense or just plain common courtesy. Sure, my life is not at risk if I am involved in an accident with a motorbike while driving my Vigo 4x4, but rest assured that my pocketbook will be greatly at risk.

Pattaya David