Still a bit confused after a whole weekend of reading..

[PropaTings]

Hi guys i seem to have a grip of how things work but i still have a few minor questions i could do with some help with.

ive never bought bitcoins before but i am about to invest in £50 worth for some purchases i have in mind, im uk based.

my understanding is that intersango exchange has no uk deposit option as things stand as metro bank has terminated there account?, has the same fate not befallen mtgox ?

i spoke to mtg support who seemed happy for me to make a deposit in cash at any barclays bank but im worried my funds may get tied up or lost as i dont fully understand what is happening to intersango and fear it may happen to mtg ?

also once i have converted my balance to bitcoins at an exchange how quick and easy is the process of moving the bitcoins to a seperate wallet ? and is it really neccessary to have a dedicated ewallet if i will be moving the coins out of the exchange immiediately anyway ? im not terribly tech savvy so im trying to keep this process as easy and quick as possible..  

[1714042411]

1714042411

[1714042411]

1714042411

[julz]

I can't answer the questions about exchanges from a UK perspective as I'm in Aus.
I've had no trouble with MtGox from here though. (well.. minor bank transfer issues sorted out in reasonable time)

For most exchanges I believe withdrawal of BTC is as simple as entering a bitcoin address and transferring your coins. Generally only takes minutes or less.

For a bitcoin wallet I'd recommend http://blockchain.info/wallet
It works in such a way that their web service doesn't actually have access to your unencrypted keys. (when you type your password, it decrypts it on your computer)
Make sure you either print out a paper wallet as a backup, or email a backup to yourself (which is also encrypted).