Nigel Powell answers your tech-related queries

Tag: Plug Socket

What’s the best way to run a cable from my internet router to a room 30ft away?

The best way is not to do it. You could set up a wi-fi network but these are often limited in range, especially if you have thick walls between the router and the room where you need the connection to reach. Instead, try a pair of Solwise HomePlug Ethernet connectors for £22 each plus Vat.

They work by piggybacking along the mains electrical wiring to create a home network. Plug one of them into the mains socket nearest your router and connect the two. Plug the other into a power socket anywhere else in the home and then connect a computer to it.

My wife died last year and I would like to print out a book she wrote and stored on floppy disks on an old, broken Amstrad computer. How can I do this?

Bryan Russell, via e-mail

I suggest you try Emag Solutions’ disk-conversion service (tinyurl.com/3f3o3w). The Amstrad floppy format was not common and, while you might pick up an old machine on eBay, it’s easier and more reliable to use an external service. Good luck.