ProDave

Okay, got this remote disk access sorted. It did not remember my manually entered disk address after a re boot. But I found you can make a shortcut to it in file manager which it saves in "places" so now I have easy access to the USB storage plugged into the router. So now the question boils down to do I get a large USB stick? Or do I get a USB disk caddy and put either an SSD or HDD in it? I guess an HDD would probably be too much power to just plug into the router and would need a separate power supply.

That still mentions files -> Other Locations. I don't have this "other locations" EDIT: Bingo. Making progress. By entering smb://192.168.1.254/usb1/ (the IP address of the router and a bit of guesswork) gets me access to the USB stick in the router. How can I automate that / make it a permanent link? EDIT 2: Now I have "found" my USB stick it seems to remember it when I close and re open file manager. Further more, if I go to save in Libre Office, it is listed there too.

Zorin 15 I get a totally different view to what you describe. When I select home I have Device, which drills down to the entire file system. Places which lists common folders on this computer, and Network which offers Brows Network, finds "windows network" which it then declares to be empty.

One step forwards,one backwards. My router does not like a Linux file system. Tried a different USB stick with an NTFS file system and it likes that. Windows desktop pc can see and read the files on the USB stick over the network. No luck with Zorin. Samba cannot find anything on the network. Simply browsing the network with file manager finds "Windows Network" which it says is empty. Looking as @Onoff suggests for Start/Home/Other Locations/Windows Network/Home/BTHUB4/USB4.... I don't know how to do that. I can't even find start? I can find Home which contains the name of my local SDD and finds it's file system but no mention of "other locations"????

I guess the ultimate lazy way to store files is just buy a large USB memory stick. I thought this would be simple and cheap. I am not after a corporate file server, just one drive that can be accessed from any device.

That's enough to put me off a brand that does that.

Lots to go on there. I have installed SAMBA, next time the desktop pc is on I will see if that finds it's shared drive. I wans't expecting to have to build my own server and program it from scratch, I kind of expected an off the shelf cheap consumer solution to be available. I have a BT Hub 4. It has a USB socket. I have plugged a USB memory stick into it. If I interrogate the router, it says USB: No devices detected which I guess means it is expecting to find a computer, not memory? I do not want a cloud solution. Call me old fashioned, but I think this cloud thing is barmy. I do not want to trust all my data so some service that can be accessed anywhere, that might get hacked, that might go bust, that might not be available of there is a network problem, that might seek to earn money from exploiting my data. I am looking for a local solution under my control. More investigating to do.

My computing model is changing. I still have my power hungry, noisy, slow desktop pc but it does not get much use now. I am still revelilng in just how fast and reliable this Zorin laptop is proving to be. So now I have a distributed computing model, it is time I addressed file storage. I would like a file store that is accessible to all computers in the house on the network. It must be low power as it will be always on, and almost certainly should contain a SSD not a mechanical drive. I thought it would be a simple case of buy a network disk caddy, a bit like the cheap USB ones but obviously with a network interface instead, and just put your own disk in it. But everything I have seen so far seems much more complicated often including DVD drives etc So what are others using for this? Next question is how to access the drive? I have a folder on my desktop pc mapped to the network, and the other windows PC's can see that using "map network drive". I am guessing you do something similar for a NAS drive? But how do you do it on linux? I had my desktop PC on earlier so it should have seem my network mapped drive, but no amount of browsing the network on Zorin would find it, so I guess you need a dedicated program?

We did a similar thing when we extended our 1930's semi. The council wanted the wall of the extension stepped back, AND the roof. Well we stepped the wall back, a bit, not much. But the roof line we kept the same. I think it looked better for it, rather than trying to step back a hipped roof. It helped that the builder sourced some reclaimed roof tiles that were identical as well. I guess the planners could have forced me to change that. I just thought I was making it look better.

It's 4 months since I fitted the first of my 2 velux windows. I moved the scaffold ready to do the second, and then lost the weather, it was either too cold, too wet, too windy or I was too busy working. So finally today, taking advantage of an unusually mild and dry spell, I have fitted the other one.

The power was on, so the drain pump would have operated if that was the case. It could just have been a slow leak, not noticed as normally it never sits more than 2 or 3 days between uses.

No problem with flow rate from showers. It's possible to empty the 300L tank in just over half an hours showering, which with 2 females in the house, is not a rare occurrence. We don't have E7 but the ASHP is available to heat the house for roughly 12 hours. I run ours in the day so it can soak up any PV generation and because I prefer a silent house at night (no UFH circulating pumps running)

Can I mention another washing machine flood issue. One year we went away on holiday. As always turned off the water at the main stopcock. the WM door had been left ajar, apparently this helps stop them becoming smelly so I am told. We came back to a flooded utility room, the WM drum was full of water up to the level of the door where it had spilled over the lip of the open door. 2 theories as to why: It was still plugged in and the power was still on, so perhaps the software glitched? Just before departing we had used and flushed a loo. It would have tried to fill it's cistern and in doing so relieved any stored pressure. Someone told me that without any pressure the solenoid valve in a WM would likely leak so over the course of the 2 weeks, all the water left in the cold pipework drained down through the washing machine onto the utility room floor. Now when we go away the door is SHUT.

If rebuilding a laptop, I highly recommend buying a new SSD rather than just re formatting the old HDD. It is a game changer in terms of performance.

First thing would be seek permission from both neighbours to join onto their walls. then you only have to build a front and back wall.

Here is the comparison https://zorinos.com/download/#compare I chose Core. If I want any more programs I will seek them out and download them. I like the default layout so no wish to have alternatives.

No installing for a friend (our plasterer) who is building a house on a budget. All I know for sure is it is their cheapest range, 8kW

For anyone wondering BIGT = Back Inlet Gulley Trap I don't have one. 110mm straight in from the inspection chamber and then appropriate reducer down to 40mm.

SSD arrived today, so Zorin now installed. Very pleased with the performance on this reasonable but not startling laptop. Everything just seems to work quickly with no hanging about, boot, shut down and sleep all very fast. And I like the look and feel of Zorin, it is well presented and logical, and a lot less klunky than the old computer with Ubuntu. Definitely recommend it.

I will be installing one soon, if you can wait, I will give an opinion when I have done so. The cheapest range they di is not inverter driven.

We run our hot water at 48 degrees. Found by experiment to be the hottest I can hold my hands under, so no point having hot water any hotter than that. As a back up / top up, we have a Stiebel Eltron instant modulating in line water heater. It is set for an output of the same 48 degrees, so normally it does nothing, but if the HW tank is running low, then it will start heating and maintain the same temperature. If you had a need for say 50 degree water it could be used as the lift to give that.

I just put them in the wheelbarrow.

Up here, you can apply to Building control for a Certificate of Temporary habitation when a house meets certain basic standers even though not complete. We will be doing this soon. I have not heard of anything similar in England, but plenty of people do move in before it is complete. I suspect demolishing half a hipped roof will need some temporary props to support the ridge board and purlins where you cut it.

Planning is no issue. You get planning for the final finished build, how you get there is not a planning matter. I don't think building control is either. Our last build we built the house first while living in a static caravan and then moved into the house. We then built the double garage which was where the static caravan had sat. Building control did not sign it off as complete until that was done.

Would a static caravan fit on site for temporary accommodation? A lot easier than trying to live in half a house.