Haha! Tremendous! Thanks again Waderider (and all). It's much appreciated.

Thanks heaps Waderider! I'm at work at the moment but I'll go through your stuff this evening and pin the results on here if that's OK?
Thanks loads for your help.
Steve

Riding out to Langsett and then back via the Peak District's finest tomorrow for me.

It's like another language to me, all this but thanks anyway.
Its an Advent Laptop. 12 months old from PC World.
When I system restore to a date before the downloads, it works fine but when she turns it off properly, it downloads (now) 13 downloads and then that's it, it's buggered again!
She can still get on to MSN which is just about keeping her sane but Farcebook is beyond the sodding thing and she's starting to simmer :-)
I think I'm going to bottle it and take into the local repair shop.
Justin Beieber is doing something online over the weekend and she'll have to borrow my little laptop thing.
No doubt I've "officially failed"… again.
How much are Apple Macs?

Thanks for the help everyone.
I'm going to go for the reboot option. Is there anything I need to do before I start or do I just put the disc in and follow the instructions?

Aaargh! Turned off auto updates, shut the laptop down and it tried downloading 13 updates!
A quick stab on the OFF button and switched it back on and all seems good.
Checked the above Thechunk (thanks) it it's already done.
Turned off auto updates again, turned it off via shutdown and it tried auto installing updates again!
Any tips on how I stop the crap thing trying to install updates?
Anti virus is Norton.

Thanks for the tips guys. I've managed a system restore bit it was a mightily convoluted method, I did some Internet searching on this laptop and read some stuff about automatic windows updates causing problems so I've stopped automatic updates. My theory being, if one or more of the three downloads that take place is causing the problem, stopping it downloading will prevent the problem.
The only thing is, we're too frightened to close it down now :-)
Safari is going to be downloaded while it's working and we have the two cd's that came with it when we bought it last year so as a last resort (if safe mode doesn't work if it goes wrong again) I'll stick them in although I have no idea what they're for or what I should do when they're in.
One of them has a pretty serious looking lomng green bar cose label with a hologram on it and it is pretty well sealed in it's box so I'm guessing that could be a critical item?
Sorry monkeychild, that probably makes perfect sense to you but it's bonkers to me.

I was hammered more days of the week than I wasn't, locked in my bedroom for full weekends, humiliated in public, oh bollocks, all sorts of antics at the hands of my dad, left by my mum when I was 9 (there was 7 of us so I wasn't the sole brunt of his fun).
Anyway, I now work part time for a charity that emergency rehouses families in distress from domestic abuse, neighbour abuse, witness protection (occasionally), that kind of stuff. I did it full time but like all charities, they are struggling and can't take on any more staff so I was working 16 hour days, 7 days per week and living in more than I was at home. I couldn't keep it up.
I agree entirely about carrying emotional baggage but I make it my absolute policy to keep my thoughts to myself. The adults and certainly the children don't need me to tell them how crap it was for me, they know, they're going through it and to be honest, it's my revenge for what life was like for me. I spent Thursday last week on a park with three youngsters playing pooh sticks in the stream, hide and seek, eating ice creams (I bought three each – they weren't hungry for their tea for some reason :-} ) and at the end of each day that I do stuff like that, I think of my mum and dad smirk to myself.
It is possible to make it work for the best.

Not quite what I had in mind dasnut but thanks anyway :-)

It's in a house, not a field.
MTFU, wee in his shoes, own him with bombers…don't you lot ever get bored of the same old tripe? :-}
It was cold, I was cold. I like to be warm, especially when I'm trying to sleep. I'm grateful for the floor space. I suspect putting the heating on during the night my expediate me outstaying my welcome.
So, a small differing of opinions but a fleece blanket would help? I'll cycle down to Tesco and see what they have.
Thanks

Thanks. I'll have a look at those suggestions.
660mm or wider really.
I'd have been interested in those Paul if they'd have been black, grey or blue.

aww, I've been a presumptious tool again. Lesson not previously learnt.
Apologies ruminant

I was only saying….sheesh, some people :-)

I did the same thing at North West Mountain Bikes in Stockport once. A nice, friendly kiwi lady that I'd not seen in there before asked me if she could help, as shop people do. It was a Saturday and I wanted some advice pending a purchase of a complete Orange Sub 5. I wanted somebody who knew what they were talking about and I spotted Nigel Page putting a bike in a box. "Ha" thinks I "Nigel Page will know a bit about bikes, I'll have him help me"…..I made some lame excuse about just looking to said young lady and contrived to be served by Mr Page who proceeded to introduce me to his girlfriend Vanessa…… at the time current World Downhill Champion, very nice person and more clued up about bikes than I ever will be.
Yep, I felt a proper tool (and told them so – they both took the mick out of me which was only fair). A harsh but yet subtle lesson learnt that day. I still bought the bike though.

The Cheshire Ring canal towpath is a long circular ride at 110 miles and if you time it right, passing through Warrington and Manchester City Centre and East Manchester can get the heart beating a bit faster than normal.
It's proper boring for the rest of it though.

I will Rickmeister. I have 10 days off to ride up and around and then get the train home and I love Glentress.
If they still come with EA30 stuff, I think the seatpost is 350mm isn't it? You might find a 410mm post on the 16" fits the bike nicely for you but as above, mine fits me with a 410mm post, 110mm stem and low risers but only just. I'm going to see how a wide flat bar makes it feel.

Rickmeister – if you're anywhere near me (Peak'ish), you're more than welcome to try it out for size.
If you do, can I come riding with you? I loaned my tandem out last year and the borrower has failed to return it.
I'm riding it up to and around Glentress and the like next month if you're up that way?
I have a 410mm seatpost and it's almost at its limit as well.

I have a 2009 version. I love it but I think they're about to become the new Mondeo of the bike world.
Mine was £899 with full SLx drivechain apart from XT shadow rear mech. Formula K18 brakes and EA30 bar, stem and seatpost. Nobby Nic Front and Racing Ralph rear tyres. Reba Team fork with lock off. Nice Sun Ringle wheels. It was a bargain. I got it just before the price hike and spec. downgrade.
I'm 5'9" and normally ride 17" mountain bikes but this is an 18" frame and I've fitted a longer (110mm) stem. It is 'just' a nice fit now but I sometimes think I could do with another 10mm on the stem.
The bike itself is superb. I ride it weekly in the Peak District and I took it touring round NZ (South Island) along with loads of trail centres in the UK.
I recommend it very highly.
The only negatives are it's a bit porky for a bike with "Race" in the title and as above, they seem to be becoming the defualt Cycle to Work bike choice.

Bloody hell coffeeking, you're very young for a person with so many opinions!

Oooh, harsh! Total purchase (voucher) price in May 2009 was £939 (including eggbeater pedals) and final payment today was £40.61

I prefer mine in white and blue but they're ace bikes, very good choice.
My final payment on mine went out of my pay today.
It's now my baby
Enjoy the bike!

"Its sensory overload due to stresses off the bike/things on your mind with family/work etc…….."

Is it? I never knew that.

Edale Road (Edale)
Holme Moss (South Yorks)
Eccles Pike (Chapel-en-Frith)
Mellor Road (Mellor)
Bugger Hill (out of Chapel in to Dove Holes)
Long Hill (Whaley Bridge)
Noel Pymm (Goyt Valley)
Chunel (Glossop)
Monks Road (Charlesworth)

"Big wheels, crap offroad"

I beg to differ.

Shit! They look like 39" wheels, forget 29"
There's something wrong with that picture.
I've just looked at it again. The front wheel is bigger than him!

I'm just playing devils advocate but what would stop a person from riding what ever bike they liked? Disqualification? I can't see how that would matter unless you were aiming for a top three finish.
I can't imagine a marshall on a qaud bike would knock you off and nick your seatpost and saddle.

Richpips has some corkers I think
Qwerty something?…I'll have a look.
http://qwertyphoto.com/
Some astonishing photo's on there but I couldn't find any of the Peak apart from the Cycling Plus/Nick Craig feature. It was only a quick glimpse though.

I have one long route that I could do every week and not get bored>
My house to Ladybower. I go off road at Holiday Lane and for the first section, it could almost be the Marin Trail. Over Pooh Sticks Bridge and the hammerfest down the tree lined pebble lane. Over the road and up through Chadkirk Singletrack. A bit of abugger of a climb and not always doable, a real test of how I'm going. This is followed by more Marin Trail like woods that is descending down to the canal. A bit of a pootle along the canal and then down to Roman Lakes and then No Dabs Allowed up to the wall below Mellor Cross. Past the Cross and down and round, over the road and down and round, on to the road and then down and up to the Shouty Dog Run at the farm at Birch Vale. Drop onto the Pennine Bridleway and round to Lantern Pike, Middlemoor, Shooting Cabin, 20 Trees, Kinder Res. South Head, Roych, Rushup, Mam Nick, Hollins Cross, Edale, Jaggers, Edale Cross, Hagg Farm, Lockerbrook, Fairholmes.
So many reasons why I love that route but you need a day off and good legs on the day. I've love dthat ride every time I've done it. The views, the peace and quiet, the hard climbs, the fast descents the diet coke and flapjack and some bird seed for the ducks…..the cold grip of fear when you realise you didn't bring a wallet for the train home. The gushing relief when the guard on the train can't be arsed asking you to pay and stays locked in his room reading The Sport.

Sorry, just realised, you meant one single place? any section of the above is just a section on it's own to me. Nothing special. It's putting them all together that makes it.