Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing

August 15

Vista "Run" and "Run as administrator"

I have UAC disabled (of course). But now any time I manually start a new process through the "Run" dialogue, or the New Task option in the task manager, it says "this task will be created with administrator privileges." Now hold on there cowboy, if I wanted cmd to be running with administrator privileges I'd use Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Is there any way to get "Run" to start programs with normal admin-level-but-not-really (the vista equivalent of a 'sudoer' I suppose) privileges? For that matter, am I automatically running everything I click on as an administrator since UAC is disabled? --froth^t 04:04, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Don't quote me on this because I'm not positive, but I assume that yes, everything you do is run as administrator privilages, unless your user has a different configueration. Hopefully someone that's certain can come along and confirm. Rfwoolf 13:27, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

It is possible to keep UAC enabled but have it automatically say "Yes" to all of it's permission request dialogs. Goto Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Policies > Security Options > "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode" and then "Elevate without prompting". Reenable UAC and restart and check. 68.39.174.238 21:37, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

10-Key SPM

Hello. I am trying to fill out an online application as a cashier and I have been asked what my speed in 10-Ket SPM is. The exact question writes, "Please note your speed in 10-Key in SPM:". Could somebody graciously clarify what 10-Key SPM is? Google finds nothing, and other search engines do not either. Thank you. -- Wilhelm Von Hortzweneger Über der Hügel [ 216.178.50.184 04:48, 15 August 2007 (UTC) ]

10-key is a ten key number pad, like is on calculators, your keyboard's numpad, or in this case the number controls on the register. SPM is "S" per minute, I'd assume Sales, or how fast you can ring it up. I'd just be honest and tell them that you don't have any prior 10-key experience. --Lucid 04:56, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Thank you muchly. --Von Hortzweneger Über der Hügel [ 216.178.50.184 04:58, 15 August 2007 (UTC) ]

Also SPM is an academic certification in malaysia :). But seriously if my last 2 summers of work experience as a cashier is of any value let me tell you that not many sales will be made in one minute unless you're working at CVS or something and they pay in plastic every time. Maybe sales per hour.. but I doubt it. I'd say 's' has to stand for something else and PM as a standard "per minute" is a good enough guess. But "10-key" seems an awkward way to refer to a keypad- do some cashiers work in hexadecimal for extra efficiency or what? I think we're way off track --froth^t 05:03, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Aha I think I might have an answer. 10-key is apparently a typing test and I'm betting SPM stands for Strokes Per Minute! Better change that resume because it's probably not a good idea to advertise the fact that you have no prior experience in typing. --froth^t 05:04, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Froth, 10-key is just a retail way of referring to a numpad. Saying you have prior experience in typing when someone is asking how proficient you are at 10-key is like saying you're a great driver when someone asks how you handle a Harley. The tests on google are just that- tests for 10-key typing, not QWERTY typing we're all used to. --Lucid 05:08, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Hm ok, well I'm still convinced it's strokes per minute --froth^t 06:12, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You're probably right about that, but it's referring to strokes per minute on a numpad --Lucid 06:13, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

vista in-place upgrade

I hear that vista performs abysmally after an in-place upgrade from XP. File locations are unreliably virtualized to different locations, settings are lost or misplaced, it's a mess. But how about upgrading from one version of vista to another? I'm not talking about the streamlined Anytime Upgrade but rather a full Upgrade installation to ultimate. I know it's possible but messing with windows setup is a big deal and I want to know if vista will weird out on me if I try it --froth^t 06:15, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

where to buy .fr domain name?

What's the cheapest registrar to buy a .fr domain name?--Sonjaaa 07:55, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Europeregistry is reasonable but probably not the cheapest. Djmckee1 - Talk-Sign 09:52, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

To avoid your question, why not buy a .com instead? - Kittybrewster (talk) 10:54, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Because A) almost all the legible .com names have been taken, and B) some people want their website to be identified as 'French'. But I admit I'm assuming here - the OP might have a different reason, but my point is that as great as a .com is, good luck finding a good one. Rfwoolf 16:37, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Thunderbird folder display

Back in golden times of yore Netscape Mail would display (for each mail folder) both the total number of messages in that folder and the number of unread (in the left-hand panel. The display would look something like:

• inbox (103/4)
• work (944/16)
  • project X (16/0)
  • project Y (330/1)
• private (1/0)

Now Mozilla Thunderbird just displays the total unread, and if none are unread there no number at all after the folder name. Is there an option (or failing that an extension) which restores this welcome behaviour? Thanks. Harmonation 11:29, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Another sadly lost feature of Netscape Mail is links upthread. —Tamfang 18:22, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

TDEncypt Application

when ever i ask my laptop to hibernate there is a error reported, saying the TDEncypt Application is not functioning properly. why does this problem arise and i tried gaining information about this kind of Error, but i could get nothing. Can you please hepl me out solving this problem.

• What operating system are you using? Are you sure you got the name right, is it not "TDEncrypt" ? If you're running Windows XP, press Ctrl + Alt + Esc to bring up the task manager, click on Processes, then click on the "Names" tab, and it will show you all the currently running process - see if you can find anything called "TDEncypt" or "DEncypt" or "Encypt" etc. If you find it it will give you a little more information about the process, and you can try end the process, and then try your hibernation. I would also do a search for it. Click Start -> Search, and type "Encypt" (you can leave off the TD because Windows will still find it - in fact you can even do a search for "ypt" or "enc"). This might leave more clues that you can use to try to find out what the process is, what it does, and when it is run. Rfwoolf 16:34, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

i tried this i could not find anything like that nor did i find it in when i did 'alt' 'crlt' 'esc'. i dont no what to do!!! help!!1

How exactly do you get the error? Does a dialog box come up with it? 68.39.174.238 21:39, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

There is no info on TDENCYPT on the web. A clue may be that I ceased getting an error for tdencypt when i removed my logitech s510 cordless keyboard

The TDEncypt Application (filename TDEMon.exe) is an application that autoruns from a Trek Thumbdrive (USB Flashdrive). It is a U3-like application which "installs" a virtual CD-ROM drive with pre-installed software. (I have yet to find a way to remove this from my Thumbdrive, because it is very annoying on startup and it takes up a lot of space on my Thumbdrive). I assume you also have a Trek Thumbdrive, or perhaps you only used one in the past. You will probably find TDEMon.exe in your C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Trek, and for some reason it messes things up on your laptop.

ChartXL by Harvard Graphics

I am looking for charting software, specifically stock charting software. I am looking for something that is easy to use with pre-made templates. The built-in stock charting options in excel are good but of no comparison to the best charts available thru subscription or for free over the internet which are copyrighted (i.e. yahoo/finance beta & bigcharts.com). I know that ChartXL has a few options but I cannot get samples or examples of what their software offers. Any ideas? --Gungnir 19:47, 15 August 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by John Bragdon (talk • contribs)

Can't enter BIOS

On reboot, I get in order: no signal, then a screen with it telling me the hardware configuration (Core 2 Duo, hard drives, optical drives, etc) then it boots to windows. I've tried tapping F1 and F2 but have not got into the BIOS, and it seems like there's no way to do so. Motherboard is a MSI P6N SLI Platinum. Should I just keep tapping random buttons, or have I missed something? -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 20:22, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

According to the manual I found ([1]), you press DEL to enter BIOS setup. --LarryMac | Talk 21:35, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! Looked for it but couldn't find it. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 22:42, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure all MSIs (or all recent ones) are Del to enter the BIOS. Pity it hasn't been standardized by someone. 68.39.174.238 21:40, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Maximum size for iPod?

Is there a theoretical maximum size for an iPod or other digital audio player? So far as I understand it an ipod is basically a hard disk with an amplifier. Does this mean the maximum size would be dictated by whatever size the largest portable hard disk would be? I realise this is an open ended question - portability depends on the person doing the carrying - but obviously in commercial terms the kind of weight carried by an infantryman (45 pounds theoretical maximum of 88 pounds according to this) would not count as portable. According to this boomboxes could weigh up to 30 pounds. Stroika 22:59, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I think you misunderstand the general use of the expression "theoretical limit". You're sort of right, the theoretical limit to TODAY'S iPod would be how big you can make a hard disk. The theoretical limit to the size of a hard disk is how dense they can get the medium. But an iPod doesn't rely on a hard disk, theoretically it can use any memory, so the theoretical limit to a magnetic spinning platter hard disk isn't the theoretical limit to an iPod's size. When someone comes up with denser memory then a hard disk, no doubt they'll stick it in an iPod or whatever is around at the time. I would say, there is no theoretical limit to the size of an iPod. Vespine 23:45, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I guess I don't understand your question because there is no limit to how big you could make anything. One could make an mp3 player the size of a freight train, but what would be the point? -- Diletante 01:50, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

If we want to keep things able to fit in a backpack or cargo pants pocket, you could easily take a standard 3.5" HDD and then just tack a processor, memory, screen and controls for the MP3 player bit. This could be done by hand if you're good with hardware and messing with linux to run it, and could be done now, and build a decent MP3 player with 500GB of storage for only a few hundred dollars. If we're going with boom box sized components, this gets much easier- 50$ speakers from Logitech, make a box for the PC, and have 8 of those 500GB drives in RAID0, for 4TB of storage, good sound, and basically a portable computer. --Lucid 02:01, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for that Lucid. Very informative. And the fact this HDD would be in motion, jogging up and down wouldn't be a problem? What is stopping Apple producing a 500 GB iPod? Simply a design imperative that it has to fit into a shirt pocket? What's the largest capacity using technology currently available that could be achieved to make a DAP that could fit in your shirt pocket (that's 4.5 inches for those who keep tank divisions - or freight trains - in custom made shirts ;-))? Stroika 05:22, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm not so sure about jogging with it. Modern computers should be fine with the hard drive being jiggled a bit, since the music is probably in RAM anyway, but I wouldn't go out running with it spinning full speed. A 500GB hard drive is stuff made for desktop PCs, it probably takes a bit more effort to make one that can take the jogging and stuff, as hard drives are rather delicate machines (A book I once read described a hard drive's precision, to scale, as being somewhat like the Sears Tower laid down on it's side, a few inches off the surface, and circling the planet every three seconds.) but I'm not sure what that entails. There's really nothing keeping anyone from building something about the size of a GBA or original Game Boy that would store and play 500GB of music, but it probably wouldn't be the best for music on the go. Personally, I'd go with flash memory if I wanted to make an MP3 player, but there's definitely the technology out there to make something with that much storage. As to apple, they like all their products looking sleek, and something bulky like this (you have to consider it would be around the size of AppleTV or Mac Mini, which are fully fledged PCs) would probably not be up their aisle. --Lucid 06:26, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

OK so I won't go jogging with my iRucksack (note to Steve Jobs, I got that name first). I thought that flash drives were prohibitvely expensive at larger capacities? But that's all my questions answered now. Thank you. Stroika 09:01, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Please remember that there are, basically, two different "streams" of iPods: the hard-drive based iPods and the Flash ROM-based iPods (currently, the "Nanos"). Right now, price is the constraint for the Flash ROM iPods. For the hard-drive iPods, it's physical size. People actually have taken their hard drive-based iPods apart and hooked them to much more capacious drives, but those drives aren't in the 1.8" form-factor that is required to re-assemble the iPod; these mega iPods are used as stationary music players. (Surely the software has some upper bound on capacity, but I've never read what it is; I'd imagine it's still "large" compared to modern disk drives.)

Atlant 12:15, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

What is the data-link protocol used between the routers on the Internet

I think that the heading is sufficient, however if you would like more surrounding text. I am familiar with TCP/IP on Ethernet on a LAN, and I know that we use PPP whe we are attaching to the Internet (ISP), but I cannot find anything authoritative as to what is used under TCP/IP when going between routers on the Internet 64.214.121.138 23:32, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I would imagine they use the cheapest practical technology of the time, right now I think that's that's gigabit ethernet. I guess its not very authoritative, but the third paragraph in Internet_exchange_point has some good info, it says that 95% of isp exchanges use ethernet.. -- Diletante 02:07, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Diletante's answer is quite correct for peering (where two or more ISPs have equipment in the same exchange building) and for datacenters and colos. But for long distance communications we have to go into the wacky world of Telcos. Long distance internet connections used to be IP on frame relay (or ATM) on a copper (and later optical) T-carrier. Now they're switching (or switched) to IP on Packet over SONET/SDH on SONET on Optical Carrier (e.g XO Communications' backbone is OC-192 (ref)) on an optical fiber physical layer. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:13, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

August 16

What Are The Different Types/kinds Of Browsers, wap browser, mobile browser, mini browser etc

As far as I know, there are three types of mobile browsers. 1)Wap browser (ones found in low end colour phones) 2)mobile browser (ones found in smartphones) 3)mini browsers (like opera mini)

My question is 1)Is there any other type of browser? 2)I have used opera mini and mobile browser in my moto ming. But where do I get a wap browser for motoming? what wap browser?

Your phone comes with a WAP browser, it's simply the internet function (or whatever it´s called) on your phone. --antilived^{T | C | G} 04:49, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Printer ink cartridge

I need to put a black ink cartridge and a color ink cartrige into my Compaq inkjet printer. Does it matter which one goes and the left and which one goes on the right?

When it does matter, they will normally only fit on one side or the other. When it doesn't matter, they fit on either side. That little circuit on the printer cartridge tells the printer which one is color and which is black. -- Kainaw^(what?) 13:11, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

It should say something about what cartridge should go in on the cartridge holder itself (my HP one has the cartridge number on the holder). --antilived^{T | C | G} 04:50, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Top IT companies in Israel

This is driving me nuts....does anyone know where I can find a list of the top Israeli IT cos? The type of classification (ie, by size, by revenue, etc.) isn't that important - I'm just wondering if this info even exists...?—Wasabe3543 13:48, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange might list something like that --h2g2bob (talk) 02:01, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Wireless-N backwards compatibility

I am looking into purchasing a laptop computer, and I was wondering...
At my home, we have a Linksys wireless-g router. If I get a laptop with a wireless-n card, will I still be able to access the wireless-g network at my home?
Thanks for the help...69.205.180.123 17:16, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Probably yes. Splintercellguy 19:58, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Refer to IEE 802.11 --PhoenixQc 13:42, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Most likely, but this is not a function of the .11n spec. However most chip makers (like Broadcom) include "b" and "g" flavors to ensure backwards compatibility. It is technically possible to have a chipset that only supports "n". --24.249.108.133 15:23, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

VOB (DVD files) to any other format

I have a DVD (that I'm legally authorized by the creator and publisher to copy) that I need to extract a clip from. What (free) programs can do this? I need to convert it to Quicktime, MPG, or Flash. -- Zanimum 18:45, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

VLC can covert VOB to MPG and many other formats. --24.147.86.187 01:46, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

ffmpeg can do the job as well if you're at ease with command line programs. --PhoenixQc 13:35, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Check out Handbrake if you have a Mac. --24.249.108.133 23:13, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Find / replace

Using regex or grep or something else, how would one do the following advanced find and replace:

If I have a document that contains this code:

* foo
* bar
* apple

how could I tell the computer to find everything between the bullet (space) and the line break and put it into a format like

* This sentence is new: foo.
* This sentence is new: bar.
* This sentence is new: apple.

Cheers. --MZMcBride 18:46, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I would use sed, as in: sed 's/\(^\*\)/\1 This sentence is new;/' yourfile.txt -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:07, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

More simply: sed 's/^\* /&This sentence is new: /' yourfile.txt --Anon, August 17, 04:08 (UTC).

Note, too, that sed does not edit a file in-place; it operates on a stream (which is what the s in its name stands for). If you do want to edit a file in-place, you can use a two-step procedure:

sed 's/^\* /&This sentence is new: /' yourfile.txt > tmpfile.txt

mv tmpfile.txt yourfile.txt

Make sure you do not try the "more obvious" simplification:

sed 's/^\* /&This sentence is new: /' yourfile.txt > yourfile.txt

If you have a bunch of different files you want to do the same find/replace on, there are various ways you could automate the sed-to-tmpfile-and-mv-back idiom. —Steve Summit (talk) 11:54, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Are there any online or downloadable tools that make a find/replace like this simpler? --MZMcBride 20:48, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

It depends what you mean by simpler. Sed is downloadable and the above is simple - it just looks weird. If you mean you want something that is more readily understandable then use some form of basic.

open "file" for input as #1
open "result" for output as #2
do until eof(1)
  line input a$
  if left$(a$,2)="* " then
    print#2, "* This sentence is new: ";mid$(a$,3)
  else
    print#2, a$
  endif
loop
close

But this is actually a lot less simple that the sed script. -- SGBailey 21:38, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps a program with a GUI that's able to perform this kind of find/replace function (with or without using sed). Something that would be simpler to use (for a regular user). --MZMcBride 21:42, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

You can find "* " and replace with "* This sentence is new: " in just about any word processor. The difference being it will also replace "* " that are not at the beginning of a line, unlike the other suggestions above. iames 21:46, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah I know, but that only works for this specific (simplified) example. --MZMcBride 21:49, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

What other sorts of (maybe not so simplified) examples were you thinking of?

Strictly speaking, there are two separate questions here:

Is there a nice user-friendly GUI for the find/replace function, or do you have to use a CLI?

Does the find/replace function support fixed strings only, or also regular expressions?

However, it often seems that these two questions are linked; it's often assumed that the user who wants the simplicity of a GUI has no need for (and would be put off by the apparent complexity of) a regexp option. So finding a non-gearhead tool that does support regexps is somewhat unusual. —Steve Summit (talk) 11:54, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

OpenOffice comes with a word processor that allows regular expressions. I'd have to look at it to remember if it provides a little more help for "regular" users. iames 21:58, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

If you want such functionality on Wikipedia, you may wish to install the Replace user script (or possibly wikEd). —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 22:09, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I was hoping someone had created a nifty and handy online tool that wouldn't require actual code writing. A bit like using this tool instead of a UNIX command like sort. I may just be out of luck. --MZMcBride 22:22, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Interesting site. What sorts of options might a similar find-and-replace web tool have? What would it do that the ordinary find/replace tool in any text editor or word processor couldn't do? See below. —Steve Summit (talk) 11:54, 17 August 2007 (UTC) [edited 16:17, 18 August 2007 (UTC)]

Vim has versions available for most platforms. Just go to command mode and enter and enter Kainaw's regexp preceded by a % (percent sign means execute the following command on every line) -- Diletante 00:05, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Just for fun, I threw together a proof-of-concept of a web-based sed. See http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/cgi-bin/sed.cgi. (Note: I'll be taking it back down in a week or so, as it's not production-quality code, and probably isn't even adequately secure.) —Steve Summit (talk) 16:17, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Firewall again

well i asked a question a while back about a FortiGate F60 firewall and i wanted to know how to do load balancing and fail safe type things with the 2 wan ports it has

i am working with windows 2000/server 2003 which are the 2 computers that are basically directly connected to it or can be i have been looking for 3rd party software to do this..but i have no domain server nor central server (the servers we have are used for other purposes) our schematic is 2 LANS-->SWITCHES-->FIREWALL-->INTERNET i want to use the 2 WAN ports not to make it faster, but to asign per say, 1 LAN to 1 WAN and 1 LAN to the other WAN...

any way to do this with the firewall itself and not using a server.?

THx in advance

Roger @ IntraRed 19:11, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Fluctuating router

I own a PS3, and sometimes, when I am bored, I just scan the wireless environment around me to see if any new networks have been put up. Each time, the PS3 detects our family's router, and each time the PS3 puts a different strength for our signal. It has, on occasion, been as low as 47%, or all the way up to 100%, even though it is normally around 74% (steel floors...). Before you make all your comments about doors and such, there is only one door between the PS3 and the router, and it is always open. Why would there be such a huge fluctuation even though neither the router nor the PS3 have been moved, and no new obstructions (or thunderstorms) have been put in the way?69.205.180.123 21:16, 16 August 2007 (UTC)
EDIT Maybe I should move this to the science desk? 69.205.180.123 21:17, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I think Computing is right. This site gives a few more reasons for a varying quality of signal, including interference from another radio-frequency source. iames 21:25, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Mozilla Thunderbird

When I print an email from Thunderbird, I get vast quantities of header dross. What do I have to do to make it only print Subject, From, To, Cc, Date and the message? I have asked this on Thunderbird's suppport forum and never gotten a useful reply. Several replies said "It prints what you see on the screen, collapse the data on the screen" - but this isn't the case. I get the dross no matter what I display. -- SGBailey 21:42, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I downloaded Thunderbird 2 (The green one that holds the pods?) and that appears to have fiuxed it. -- SGBailey 11:20, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

I've been waiting for AGES now to hear someone make that sortof a comment. 68.39.174.238 21:45, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Free video streaming from input

Is there any free software for the mac that will take video input from a camera, and stream it live over a network? Preferably open source.

What you're looking for is VLC Player, http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

I can not help you about using it on a Mac but I know it should do the job.

--PhoenixQc 13:31, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

VLC for mac can't use live video from a camera though...

Vista and takeown

Infurated at vista for not letting me replace a mysteriously-changed ntoskrnl.exe with a backup, I just ran

takeown /F c:\ /R

It got caught in a loop around Application Data since c:\documents and settings\*\application data\application data\application data\application data ... ad infinitum all redirect to the real application data directory. I'm worried that since I let this run for quite awhile, I have a gigabyte sized permissions file somewhere filled with useless information. So how does NTFS work- is the metadata stored right in the file (which would be good for my case since it's just chowning the same folder over and over) or is there a list somewhere? And is it a bad idea to 'takeown' the entire filesystem? Only system level code has access to protected files, but the only difference is that now I can give myself access whereas before it was impossible to even change the permissions. --froth^t 23:52, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I suspect it's per-file, but if not, check the Master File Table, since that's probably where it would be if it was in a central place. That said, if you're only going after NTOSKRNL, why not just take ownership of that? Or even just \WINDOWS or \WINDOWS\System32? 68.39.174.238 21:47, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

August 17

Dual monitors and fullscreen games

When I play a full screen game on one monitor and have, say, an MSN conversation or a browser window on the other, I can read the conversation or text on the browser fine. However, upon switching to inputting (clicking the window on the other monitor), Windows switches to that window as active and minimizes the game on the other monitor (even though I have both monitors configured in Windows). Does anyone know of a utility or something that can overcome this stupid, stupid UI flaw? -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 02:59, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I have exactly the same problem, never found a way around it. I think the problem is that the game is still tecnically "full screen" even though you can see what's on the other monitor, it's as if the other monitor is letting you peek behind the game, but as soon as you change focus from the game to any other application, the game says "well I don't have full screen anymore, so off to minimize I go." Vespine 04:47, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Well, what's even odder is that when I use a command line switch for Rise of Nations to play it windowed, it STILL minimizes it. Windows' focus system is sort of messed up as far as dual monitors go, I guess. I just want to use my dual monitors for what I intended them to do - be able to talk in another window between Counter-Strike rounds or something without using stuff like Xfire. :/ -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 05:21, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I find it very hard to believe that there isn't a fix for this. Hmmm Capuchin 08:24, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Dual monitors + full screen apps = hell, I don't care what your OS is. This is why I intend to buy a Big Ass Monitor^TM for any gaming computer, or use something like synergy --Lucid 08:49, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, but I got both of these for about $150 each, and they're 19" with a 5 or so ms refresh rate. Can you get a 40" LCD with a under 5ms refresh rate for $300? ;) In addition, a big monitor wouldn't help you much anyway, because you'd still have to worry about running everything in windowed mode at weird resolutions. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 09:57, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

40 inch monitor is more than four times the size of your 19 inch monitors... --antilived^{T | C | G} 23:24, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Uh, the side panels take up about an inch on either side at the most. I have about 17" total screen real estate x 2 = 34" then. Price challenge still on. Unless you're talking about the extra space vertically which is thrown off by the fact they're wide screen anyway. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 01:53, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

The area of a rectangle is proportional to the square of the diagonal so if you have two screens with same aspect ratio, the one that has 2x diagonal length will be four times as big as the one with x as the diagonal length. --antilived^{T | C | G} 05:44, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Question and issues concerning software/hardware firewalls

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have recently installed Zone Alarm Pro (version 7.0.362.000) along with PeerGuardian (version 2.0 Beta 6C) on my computer. Considering my network was already and currently still is protected by the hardware Firewall of my U.S Robotics router (model USR8054 802.11g wireless turbo with 1.67 firmware), have the previously mentioned applications actually strengthened the security of my computer or I should consider proceeding to uninstall them ?

Furthermore, I don't know which application is at fault, but I have experienced the following slowdowns since the installations (I am quite sure that my router is not at fault, it had already been previously configured and I had no issues with it for years): 1) MSN file transfer protocol is presently faster than the rise of democracy in North Korea. 2) The µTorrent no incoming connection triangle o' doom appears in the aforementioned program's tray - files are still downloaded but the speed seems at first sight limited (false positive?).

I made an half-arsed (I hope it's no too confusing) collage with the steps I undertook to unsuccessfuly remove the no incoming connection triangle o' doom warning.

Sincerely,
Thanks in advance considering I expect the Wikipedia help desks to be as useful than always,
Matt714 06:21, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

First question - nay. I think you'll see that if you open up ZA Pro, it will say something on the order of five or six intrusions stopped, and those intrusions are usually just programs trying to call home. I've ran my computer with no AV software and no firewall except for the router's for at least two years now (on a open network, no less! I like to surf dangerously) vwithout a single "hack attempt", virus, spyware, etc. Running no firewall is a quick recipe for disaster but being behind the router's should suffice. Uninstall your ZA.

I have had both of your other problems before as well. MSN file transfers are always slow. I have heard MSN throttles large file downloads over Messenger - I would not send anything important and large over it simply because if someone signs off you're screwed anyway. Instead of MSN, why not use a file host like MegaUpload or Yousendit? It's probably not your problem, it's Microsoft's.

Now uTorrent. First, shut off/uninstall your ZA to make sure it isn't that. Second, go to preferences -> network (or connection or whatever it is with the port) and make sure the port there is the one you opened in your router. Also, make sure the 'randomize port' checkbox isn't checked. Restart and try again, post results here. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 09:54, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Please excuse my late reply. As for my file transfer speed issues, they seem to have bene fixed after resetting the Zone Alarm program access options. I am still wondering if I should keep it but according to my research the general opinion seems polarized. After searching through internet security message boards however the opinion is highly polarized in a dichotomy of either seeing the software/hardware combination as invaluable or a inutilel computer resources hog. Additional opinions would be highly appreciated.

I have noticed that the aforementioned firewall has changed the test results of my ports on the Shields Up leak test from "closed" to "stealth", which in my interpretation is a positive thing.

Sincerely, Matt714 07:07, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

ZoneAlarm I've known to do things even if you explicitly tell it not to. I don't recommend it. That said, if you forward your port, disable ZA (quit it completely and stop the service) and run the program on that forwarded port, does a web-based port scanner show it as open? 68.39.174.238 21:51, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Web accelerators

At home I have a slow internet connection, and I was wondering: if i download multiple download accelerators onto my computer, will they all have a cumulative effect on each other? So will downloading 4 accelerators increase my download speeds by 2^4 times? I've tried this on my computer but it doesn't seem to be making much difference after the first one, can somebody please explain this to me? Thanks

"So will downloading 4 accelerators increase my download speeds by 2^4 times?" No. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 10:28, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

No, your best bet for better performance is a better Internet connection, and if that's not the issue, perhaps an AV/spyware checkup? Splintercellguy 12:19, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

With internet speed, you get what you pay for. It's all about bandwidth. No "accelerator" can squeeze more speed out of your line if you are downloading compressed files. Accelerators can help if you do a lot of web browsing for example, but only one will help. You cannot get an accumulative or, heavens forbid, an exponential benefit with accelerators! Sandman30s 13:31, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

The first constraint is the speed of your line. For example if you're on a 56K modem then you'd be lucky to get more than say 6KBps download speed. No matter how many accelerators you use, or no matter the quality of the connection between your computer and the webserver you connect to, you won't be able to exceed that speed. The same is true for much faster connections like cable or ADSL. So consider that your upper limit. Download accelerators won't have a cumulative effect, especially considering that each download accelerator manages its own downloads, and has no way of knowing what the other download accelerators are thinking. You should consider a faster connection. Another hint for you is to use google's cache of websites and webpages sometimes for faster loading (when you search on google click the 'cached' button next to a search result (if it appears) and that will load a copy of the page that google has in its memory, usually on your country's server. Rfwoolf 15:02, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

A "web accelerator", if it works at all, is probably a lot like a file compressor. And no compressor/accelerator can improve everydata stream/file, just some of them. Among the ones that won't ever be improved are those that have already been compressed/accelerated/whatever.

If it were possible to accelerate an already-accelerated web connection, or compress an already-compressed file, then it would be possible to apply arbitrarily many compressors or accelerators in succession to achieve arbitrarily (infinitely!) great compression or aceleration. But that's clearly impossible (except in the eyes of "snake oil" compression vendors). --Steve Summit (talk) 17:13, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

CD Drive exploaded with cd spin

Recently I was using my friends PC to burn one CD using his samsung CD-RW drive.Using nero I burned some mp3 files, but unexpectedly it happened that the disk inside the drive was broken into several pieces with loud sound after some 10 to 15 seconds since it started burning disks...Didn't expect in my dreams..The drive never ejected...We replaced it though....I guess this isn't any software problem, but it couldbe some exceedings in physical limits while spin up\down..The drive was a new one purchased less than a month... What could've gone wrong?..Any idea?..Thanks

Look for reruns of Myth Busters. They covered this specific topic: CDs breaking at high spin speeds. The conclusion was that a wobbling CD could hit something inside the drive and break up. -- Kainaw^(what?) 12:00, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

This happens occasionally with weak/damaged CDs (the easiest way to weaken them is probably to leave them in sunlight or heat, such as inside of a car) at high speeds (40x+ usually), It's not exactly common, but it's not unheard of. They just don't have the structural ability to cope with the stresses from spinning that fast, the above mentioned wobbling. It's just something that happens, just take care of your disks and hope for the best --Lucid 12:12, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Expanding on what L said, the centrifugal force imposed on CDs by high-speed CD-ROM drives is near the theoretical breaking strain of the discs. As a result, discs with minor pre-existing damage will often fail explosively when run at high speeds.

Atlant 12:20, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

There is no centrifugal force. :p --antilived^{T | C | G} 23:20, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Pointless pedantry that would only complicate an otherwise-simple explanation..

Atlant 13:05, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I didnt believe the above until I found this: [2]--SpectrumAnalyser 02:22, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

MSN Messenger

Is it possible to pause the webcam when I lock messenger using MSN PLUS!? Thanks

In short, no. JoshHolloway 16:06, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Password protecting VLC http interface

How can I password protect the VLC http interface?

I'm not sure if you can, though I suppose if you're planning to access it over the Internet have the HTTP interface listen on loopback and SSH in to connect? Splintercellguy 00:55, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Nice. Thank you, great solution.

Yeah that was a really good idea, props to splinter --froth^t 04:40, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

looking for a blank, dual-layer, double sided DVD

do these even exist? I know they sell single sided, but I can't find a double sided for sale.

As best I can tell, there is not such thing (yet). DVD-18 has been used for some commercial releases, but it looks like for blank media, you can have either dual-layer or double-sided, but not both. This article seems to support that theory. I also checked at a couple of manufacturer's sites, and found no trace of such media. --LarryMac | Talk 20:19, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Recursively compare files in two directories on Linux

I'm sure someone has done this before (or it's in a system utility I don't know). I want to be able to compare two directories, a and b, which, in theory should be identical to find any differing files between the two of them. Any pointers on this? I'm not simply looking to see what files are in directory a and not in b (or vice versa), but also files which might be in both, but have differing contents. Donald Hosek 18:20, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Use diff with the -r option to recursively compare directories. -- Kainaw^(what?) 18:42, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

and -q to show only whether the files differ, rather than the differences themselves (which may be voluminous). —Tamfang 18:42, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

A far quicker comparison might be on the sizes and possibly creation and lastmod dates, if those are supposed to match. Of course, some very suble diffs, like a single bit error, might escape this quick check. StuRat 21:32, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

That's only "far quicker" if there's a standard or readily-available program for doing it, but there's not! Also, as you noted, it's only reliable in the case where it disproves your hypothesis that the directories were identical.

In practice, most of the time, plain old diff is quite adequately efficient. —Steve Summit (talk) 21:45, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Launch external process with ruby on windows

Windows script host has a function something like this:

   ShellRunWait("calc.exe");   //  run external app
   WScript.Echo("all done");   //  indicate we are done

The example above will run calc.exe, wait for the user to close the app, and then continue on with the rest of the script.

The next example does the same thing, except it doesn't wait for the user to close the external app.

   ShellRun("calc.exe");        // run external app
   WScript.Echo("app started"); // execute this immediately after running the app

Question: what is the Ruby (programming language) equivalent to the "ShellRun" command? It seems I cannot use system, because that operates the same way as "ShellRunWait". NoClutter 18:21, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't know, but do you need to fork and exec?

Kernel::system("calc.exe") returning true or false for success or failure. The Kernel:: part is not needed because the Kernel module is in use everywhere, so system("calc.exe") works just as well. Documentation here. --h2g2bob (talk) 04:23, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Game Networking Shop

Sunnypabla 18:35, 17 August 2007 (UTC)Hi, I'm new to wikipedia its helped me a lot.Could U b kind enough to let me know the basics of how to start , setup a game networking shop or where could i get this information from??, any links or advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks. Sunnypabla 18:35, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

help with recommending an improvement to the wikipedia front page

Hi - I was wondering how to contact your technical people?

I would like to suggest an enhancment to the front page

- namely the focus of the "search" box - so that we can all start

typing straight away?

Hi, welcome to Wikipedia. There's a sort-of-relevant discussion on this over at the MediaWiki bugzilla here. Apparently the search box doesn't get focus when the page is loaded as this would remove the ability to scroll with the up/down arrow keys (at least until the user removes focus from the textbox). If you don't need that functionality, giving the search box focus might be possible with a Greasemonkey script if you're using Firefox (or user script if you're on Opera). — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 19:34, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

More relevant discussions are here and here, which offer more potential solutions. Algebraist 00:44, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

http://www.wikipedia.org/ has the search box ready focused. Or you can add Wikipedia to your web browser's search box, if it has one. --h2g2bob (talk) 04:09, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

That's a good idea. Also, with google, you can customise your google page which where you can add a box that searches Wikipedia for you. That way, technically, you can have both google and wikipedia on your home page. Another idea is to make wikipedia.org your home page, and using Internet Explorer 7 you can make Google your default search engine, and thus use the search box at the top of your browser for google queries, and wikipedia.org for your wikipedia queries. Of course, some of this is assuming that you like Google, or want to make Wikipedia your home page. Rfwoolf 14:19, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Need a program to take a bunch of jpegs into a movie

I've been taking captures of a webcam once per day for a year or so, and I'd like to combine all these into a movie in avi or flash format. What would be the easiest way to merge them all into a video file? Corpx 19:15, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I've used this shareware before, pretty simple, not fancy. designed for GIF, but I think it takes jpeg too

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,3499-order,1-page,1-c,alldownloads/description.html

If you have mplayer you can run a command like mencoder mf://*JPG -fps 15 -ovc lavc -o file.avi -- Diletante 19:57, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Security on an open wireless network

I just started at an university which has a campus-wide wireless network - but one which has no security and is intentionally kept open for all users. What's the best/most practical way of securing my internet use while using this network? Are there any encyrption programs etc? (I'll have a Mac laptop, if that's of any relevance). >Thanks very much!!

VPN? Use HTTPS if it's available? --antilived^{T | C | G} 23:15, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

(ec)You may want to ask your university's help desk, to see what they provide. The problem with "securing your internet" is that it can't just be one-sided. If you hit a website which uses https, your connection to that webserver is encrypted, even though your physical network connection is not. Similarly, if your school provides VPN, this could secure your connection to the other end of the tunnel. Your question is a bit vague, so depending on what exactly you're trying to do, there may be other answers also. Friday (talk) 23:17, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

There are a bunch of answers, depending on what you're using the internet to do.

Me, just about everything I do that needs to be secure, I do over ssh connections. I'd be using ssh anyway, because I don't trust the open (wired) Internet, either. Since I always use ssh anyway, I can use unsecured wireless access points with impunity. For some things, and as User:Antilived mentioned, I use VPN, and again, this is just as good (and appropriate) for wired and wireless networks.

There are some other things you might worry about:

1. reading your email
2. browsing the web
3. logging in to websites where you have accounts (such as Wikipedia)
4. any other net services that involve private information such as passwords

For #1, your security depends on which of several protocols your mail software uses to connect with your mail server. Some of them have their own security built in, but if not, you'd be better off using VPN software (if applicable) to secure that channel. If you read your email via a web form, see #3.

For #2, the only concern is that snoopers might see which websites you've been visiting, which google queries you've been submitting, etc. If you're not worried about that, then, well, you don't have to worry about it.

For #3, if the website account you're logging into is at all sensitive, find out if you can use https. (Me, I don't tend to worry about this -- for example, I log in to Wikipedia over all sorts of open and unsecure networks, without using https -- but this is likely to be more of a concern in the future.)

For other net services, the issues are similar. If you don't want people seeing what you're doing, either make sure the service you're using has its own encryption, or use it only via a VPN, or else don't use it on unsecured networks. —Steve Summit (talk) 01:00, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

I suggest tunneling all your Internet connections through SSH. SSH dynamic port forwarding can tunnel any application that can use SOCKS. --Spoon! 01:39, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Could you use Tor? I think that makes all HTTP to HTTPS. Also, see if your email supports encryption. See man in the middle attack for information on this type of problem. --h2g2bob (talk) 03:58, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Yep, tor uses SSL --froth^t 04:27, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Web logins are pretty much secure (NOT ftp, telnet, irc) since they're sent over SSL but once you're logged in your session cookies can be intercepted and they can log in to your account and possibly change your password. This is the best way to handle it IMO:

• Set up an external server with a line to the ISP (for example at home) and get a good service plan.
• My campus's draconian net admins have 'blocked' the pertinent documentation but I believe you can use stunnel on top of privoxy. Install privoxy and stunnel on your home server, and have stunnel listen on port "X" and forward to port "Y". Have privoxy listen on port "Y". Set up the privoxy configuration to just forward all requests to your ISP.. this is a very easy 1-line configuration.
• If you don't have a static IP address, get dyndns.
• Set up your browser to use homeIPorDYNDNS:X as a proxy server. .. for example 123.123.123.123:4567

It'll slow down your browsing considerably but unless you want to use HTTPS on every single website (and not a lot of them offer it) VPN is the only way.. --froth^t 04:37, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Um, I thought HTTPS was used for connections from client to the Tor relays? Once it leaves the network its still plaintext. Splintercellguy 06:01, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

The concern is that it'll be intercepted by someone else on the open wireless network.. once it leaves tor it's wayy away --froth^t 07:24, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks to everyone for all the answers... um, is there an dummy's step by step guide to these solutions?

August 18

windows action on highlight

Is it possible to have something done when text is highlighted, system-wide (not just in a web browser or word processor but anytime on the windows system a piece of text is highlighted) ie without further user input (such as right-clicking on the highlighted text).

Thank you!

84.0.126.202 00:03, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Short answer: sure. It's just a function of the window manager (it's doing the highlighting/selecting). So: if the wm doesn't do what you want, just modify it. [3] [4] [5] <ahem> Heheheh.</ahem> Saintrain 21:13, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

That's so not an answer!!!! grrr >:| 84.0.158.159 17:32, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

writing to a wiki, best practices

Hi:

Is there such a thing as "Best Practices" for writing to a wiki?

Thanks.

72.19.150.123 00:36, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, so articles should generally be about encyclopedic stuff and in an encyclopedic tone. See Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles. --h2g2bob (talk) 03:51, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

While Wikipedia is a wiki, wiki is not Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.49.213.95 (talk • contribs)

True, there would be different answers for PenguinWiki and Conservapedia than here. Each wiki site has it's own house rules. See wiki for differences between wiki and Wikipedia --h2g2bob (talk) 14:55, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

The Wikipedia:Manual of Style provides alot of guidance on best practices for writing encyclopedia articles. -- Diletante 16:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Dynamic Scoreboard/Table

I'm wondering what is the best way to make a scoreboard with data that can be changed dynamically with an external file. I have done a bit of research and have found out that I could use the DataGrid component in , but I am having trouble figuring out the best way I could use it (or something else) to display that data.

The data would probably be inputted to Excel and will have a set number of columns and rows. At this stage I think saving as a CSV file would work the best, however I am having trouble displaying it on flash properly. There will probably be around 100 rows for all the different teams and the columns would be team number, name, rank and score.

I would be really grateful if anyone has any ideas. I have a moderate knowledge of Flash. Another idea I had was to use a database and make a frontend but I don't know any good resources that would should me how. I am using Adobe Flash CS3.

Thanks! Ronaldh 02:48, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

handicaps

If you don't have two functional hands (or long-enough fingers), how do you get Ctrl Alt Del or, for that matter, any shifted character (other than capital letters)? Presumably there have been numerous solutions over the decades. —Tamfang 03:11, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

In Windows, there's a utility called StickyKeys. Press the shift key five times, and then click "OK". It will allow you to hold down control, alt, shift, or the Windows key, without actually holding them down. I think the feature at least dates back to Windows 95 through XP (not sure about Vista, but I don't see why it wouldn't be there). –Pakman044 03:22, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

(edit conflict) It's called Sticky Keys, and it's included in Windows. Hit Shift five times in a row fast. You can then hit shift, the windows logo, ctrl, and alt one at a time, or shift and then a letter to get the capital. (Pakman: It is in Vista) --(Review Me) R ^ParlateContribs_@ (Let's Go Yankees!) 03:25, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

There are also one handed keyboards in existence, although I'm not sure if they take that into the design. if nothing else, get paperweights! --Lucid 04:21, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Ah yes, the dreaded sticky keys alert. This should teach you not to have the shift button binded to a frequent action in a computer game. Is there any way to disable it?--Funnyguy555 15:20, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Is opera mini legal?

Opera Mini I think reduces the size of images, cuts ads, cuts graphics etc etc of web pages designed by website owners. Is it legal to do that. How is it legal? How is this possible? How is this story going on?

Why is it illegal? Does it break any law? --antilived^{T | C | G} 12:17, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Of course it's legal. There's no law saying that you have to view the entire website, including any ads, in order to look at it, in the same way that you're perfectly welcome to get up and make a sandwich when broadcast TV has a commercial break. We aren't that controlled by advertising. Yet. --Lucid 12:57, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Web-overlords W3C strongly encourages sites not to make any assumptions about web browsers (that is, sites should be accessible without graphics, through a screen reader, without javascript and on monochrome screens). So stripping pretty much anything from the site is ok. I don't see this as an issue, but a similar story is on Slashdot today, talking about ad-blockers. --h2g2bob (talk) 14:48, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

The questioner probably asked because Opera Mini does not directly download webpages. Opera Mini depends on a proxy server. The proxy server alters the pages then retransmits them to your portable device. The origianal questioner was probably asking about how copyright laws effect proxy servers that modify content. APL 19:30, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

(From the original asker of the question) I think that Opera is making a business by stripping ads. Let us take example of another issue. Most websites allow us to copy their photos and use them for private use. But we must not commercialize that. Why cant we apply that here. End users like me can strip out ads but if some company is doing that as their business, why cant that be considered illegal. I think another issue here is that most websites would like opera to serve their web pages because they get page views, and then get mindshare. And also want to know whether it is legal for proxy servers (not end user) to modify content. Imagine, if my cable operator cuts ads and transmitts programs of broadcaster. Will that be accepted? Tivo is accepted because end user is stripping ads. Cable operator is a middleman like opera here.

The cable operator has a contract with the channels it carries and must abide by certain agreements. Web browser companies have no such constraints. Web content providers put their stuff "out there" and must live with the consequences. --Nricardo 07:29, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

It's probably legal now, but it may not be so forever. An important case is where Titanic director Jim Cameron sued a company that made "family friendly" versions of the movie. Customers would buy a legal copy of Titanic, would mail the tape to the company, who would record over it an edited version (which had a nude scene and a sex scene removed). Although Cameron wasn't losing any money, he felt that the edit version infringed on his rights under copyright law to control the reproduction of the copyrighted work. He prevailed, with the court unholding his claim that, as copyright holder, he could decide the form in which his creative work was distributed, and could prevent distributions in a form which he didn't approve. This ruling reaffirmed some older copyright cases (where authors or journalists sued publishers for making unauthorised changes to their work). But how does that affect ad-removal/ad-skip technologies? - right now it doesn't. That copyright only applies to a coherent, creative work, something Cameron created when he was filming and editing Titanic, which is a single unitary work. Compare that with the way ads are added to Superbowl TV coverage, or to a web page. Those ads aren't part of that creative whole (they could just as easily be swapped for other ads and the work wouldn't really be affected). So the act of putting ads into a webpage isn't (generally) a creative act (mostly it's done automatically by a computer program that has little or no idea about the context, and clearly isn't capable of creativity). So that means, right now, the page-with-ads or program-with-ads isn't a coherent whole, and isn't itself a copyrighted work (it consists of copyrighted works, but simply composing them didn't make a copyrightable work). So, right now, it's probably legal for adblock programs to redact ads from websites, and for PVRs to skip ads. But copyright owners, fearful of such ad-skip technologies, as pushing for changes to copyright laws in some jurisdictions - changes that would make that mechanically-aggregated work a single copyrighted object. If they succeed then the protections that Cameron used would apply to them too, and copies of the whole work with the ads removed without their permission would be illegal. And, per the DMCA and its equivalents in other countries, technologies which enabled that could become illegal too. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 14:50, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I say "probably legal now", but it might not be as clear as that. There have been suits regarding unauthorised ad-substitution (where a web program running on the end-user's machine would substitute one ad for another). Gator was sued by large media companies for doing this; they claimed the whole page was copyright and that Gator's substitutions produced infringing works. Unfortunately the case settled out of court (ref) so no jurisprudence was established (and the settlement is sealed, so we don't really know how strong the lawyers of the various parties really think the case is under current law). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 14:50, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Not to politick but... (which of course means I'm about to politick :P) I'm sure this will be illegal in the near future. Legislation has been passed starting about a decade ago breaching the digital realm, deciding what you can and can't do on your own computer. The DMCA (the best legislation money can buy for the media lobby groups) is one of the worst- forbidding any kind of breach of any sort of cryptographic mechanism controlling access to copyrighted works, even if the mechanism exists in your own private computer's memory. You can no longer flip the bits you want within a computer, and now the door is open for advertisers to sue adblock.. they must lose millions of real $$$ from adblock, and with the way this country's going lately, I wouldn't be surprised if a case was held today and it became illegal to use/distribute adblock --froth^t 17:46, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

USB flash drive in linux

When copying files to a USB flash drive in linux (specifically slackware), how do you insure that the files have actually been written to the disk at that moment in time, rather than being stored in RAM before unmounting the drive? Think outside the box 14:06, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Well when you unmount it all the stuff will be written to disk. --Spoon! 16:47, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

But of course if you yank it out without unmounting it, it might not be.

You can type sync to force disks to be written without unmounting them. (I think sync still works in Linux, tho I'm not quite 100% sure...) —Steve Summit (talk) 17:34, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Steve Summit, I'll try that. By the way, I type sync in Console, right? Think outside the box 13:55, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Right.

If your flash drive has an activity light on it, you can confirm what's happening. If you copy a big file to it, you'll see a tiny bit of activity. If you unmount the drive a few seconds later, you'll see a bunch more activity, as all the deferred writing completes. Or, if you copy a big file to the drive, and then wait 30 seconds or so (without unmounting the drive or doing anything), you should see a bunch of activity as Linux decides it had better complete those deferred writes just to be on the safe side. Or, if you copy a big file to the drive and a few seconds later type sync, you should see a bunch of activity just then. Finally, after copying a big file, and then either typing sync or waiting 30 seconds for an automatic flush to happen, when you then unmount the drive, you should see little or no activity, and the unmount should complete faster, too. (Even if you don't have an activity light on the drive, you can get clues as to what's going on just by looking at how long things take.) —Steve Summit (talk) 16:43, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

graphics cards

Is there a 'human limit' on the power of graphics cards above which it becomes pointless to further improve the performance (ie taking into account diminishing returns and the limits of what people can actually perceive on a screen)?

If so do how near to that limit are we?

I'm thinking in terms of a point at which further developement on improving performance stops because there is no market for more powerful cards..87.102.92.28 14:52, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Even if we reach the point where no further improvement can be perceived, it's likely that some market will still exist, just because higher-than-average specs bring bragging rights (and an implicit claim to being able to tell the difference). NeonMerlin 18:44, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

There is also the issue of the limitations of the monitor. It doesn't much matter if you can provide 1000 frames per second to the monitor, if it can only display 100 frames per second. Personally, I can see "flicker" in an all-white screen at 60 frames per second, so I would say the human limit is a bit above that. As for color depth, 24 bits seems the same as 32 bits, to me, so I suspect we've hit the limit there. For number of pixels, 1600×1200 is the highest res I'd want on a 19 inch screen (or 1920×1080 for a wide-screen monitor). If I can get a large screen monitor, though, I'd love to have higher resolutions available on those. For example, if I could double the monitor's diagonal size, to 38 inches, and thus quadruple it's area, I'd like to have a 3200x2400 pixel standard or 3840x2160 pixel widescreen display. StuRat 21:16, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

24 bits and 32 bits have exactly the same amount of bits (8) to each colour, just that in 32 bits an 8 bit alpha channel is added. Some things, such as ray-tracing which are used in some major feature films to produce photo-realistic renders, is extremely computing intensive, and with new effects such as sub-surface scattering that will put even more load onto a future graphics card. Then if you want 3D vision (stereo rendering), you need twice that, and then anti-aliasing will increase it even more. In short, we are no where near the hypothetical perception limit in humans, we aren't that simple minded. --antilived^{T | C | G} 11:11, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Amarok scoring

In Amarok, is it possible to have all scores decay exponentially each night so that songs that haven't been played recently will have lower scores? Also, is it possible to adjust the scores when updated play counts are loaded off an iPod? NeonMerlin 14:53, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Transparent Overlay

I've been designing a web page for a client, and she's worried about people right-clicking and downloading her images. I can stop them right-clicking, but as my client's on a mac she's painfully aware of the limitations of that particular approach. A friend of mine mentioned I could position a transparent gif over the image so they'd only download a useless gif - how do I position this to be on top of the image I want? Do I need to use CSS with that, and if so, what's the tag look like? I'm used to basic HTML, Javascript, Java, and Perl, but somehow I never picked up much about CSS (and I've yet to need it, it's amazing how few features people need these days). Kuronue 19:24, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

You should encourage your client to not worry about that so much. Any scheme you come up with will be easily defeatable at best, and screw up the delivery of the content to the end-user at worst. What is the consequence of people downloading her images to their desktops? Who cares? Why worry about it? All you are going to do is irritate genuine visitors, and anyone who wants the image will quickly be able to view the source and grab it that way, or just take a screenshot (both of which can defeat the Amazon.com/Google Books attempts, which were created by people who were REALLY trying to subvert just such an attempt. If they can't make something modestly fool proof, I doubt anyoe can.) Downloading the image should not be something to fear — if it is, don't put the image up. If you are worried about subsequent re-use of the image, put up some nasty copyright notices and then issue DMCA take down requests everytime one pops up that you don't want. This isn't something that has a technical solution, and you are doing your client a disservice if you do not explain that to her. --24.147.86.187 19:43, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

If you client insists on this anyway, and you feel like billing them for useless work, here's how I would do it:

<div id="container">

<img src="dontstealme.jpg"/>

</div>

Then in the stylesheet, fill the #container with a single-pixel transparent .gif as its image, have it tile it across the container. That probably will work though I haven't tested it (it might just fill the background of the div). Again, I doubt that would deter anyone from getting the image. --24.147.86.187 19:46, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

That will not work, since the img element is above the div and therefore it will show up above the div. You can, however, do the reverse, setting the real image as the background of the div and a transparent img on top of that div, but that's really cumbersome for you and quite useless on anyone with more than moderate computer knowledge. There is no way of actually protecting the images that's fool proof, for your methods I could just save the page and all the graphics will end up in a folder next to the html file. --antilived^{T | C | G} 02:27, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I agree that this won't keep anyone from stealing the image. They can always just use Print Screen (on a Windows PC) and then paste it into Microsoft Paint. Some methods that others have used to display an image, and yet protect it, are as follows:

1) Provide a low res image on the web site for free, and make people send you money before you let them see the full res image. They could still steal it then and give it away to others for free (illegally), but at least you will have gotten some money out of them first.

2) Add an annoying "watermark" across the image, with the name of your web site, for example, and only show them the good image once they have paid for it. The same comment applies to them stealing the image after they pay to see it.

3) Only show them a part of the image at once. There are programs that will let people stitch them together into one big image, but that's a lot of work and most people won't go through that trouble. StuRat 20:52, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Also — if you restrict my ability to right-click, or anything else that has to do with my browsing, I'm going to be pissed off, as an end user. Maybe I want to view the layout source and don't give a damn about the images? Maybe it is how I am used to reloadin a page? Maybe I am viewing the page in a way that doesn't normally have forward and back buttons and I need to scroll in this way? Etc. etc. I would heavily advise against restricting user input or anything like that if you want to have good relations with your client base — all it does is throw up barriers that impede people who might actually be interested in the page, and have a high chance of going wrong (incompatibilities with old browsers, possibility that your javascript will crash the browser, etc.). --24.147.86.187 22:10, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

If the enduser has access to the HTML source, they can simply download the image by snipping out the image URL and manually entering that in the browser, as well.

It's not always quite that simple. Some sites check the HTTP-Referer and only serve up images if they appear to be on behalf of the page they're supposed to be part of. In that case, you need a way to fake the referer. —Steve Summit (talk) 00:28, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

It's not that more difficult to fake the referer, though; create your own HTTP request with a faked referer and then capture the output. It is, however, more difficult than manually downloading the image.

Referer checking doesn't do anything to prevent people from downloading the image from the web page itself. --antilived^{T | C | G} 02:27, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

The only reasonably effective scheme I've seen used to prevent someone from saving off a copy of an image is one employed by a sports event photography company (one of those things where you ran in a mass event and afterward typed your bib number into a website; they found all the images that contained you, showed you them, and offered to sell you paper prints). They mandated that you download a (windows only) plugin. The plugin downloaded the images in an encrypted format (breaking sniffing and saving-proxy attacks) and it displayed them using a DirectX surface (breaking the print-screen attack). Short of someone taking a lot of effort to reverse engineer the plugin there wasn't a way to save the images. But in the process they'd alienated a great proportion of their customer base - only Windows users could access the photos, and many (most now, I'd hazard) will just refuse to download and install a plugin for this one purpose (or couldn't, because it was a work machine or they lacked the technical confidence to do so). So while they'd succeeded in their goal of not having their images copied, in the process they'd taken their business model out behind the chemical sheds and shot it. The more effective a DRM scheme is, the more inflexible it becomes, and the more the customer feels like you're treating him like a dirtbag. For these cases I always say to people "upload the image at only a modest quality and size, say 640x480 (which will give a representative view of what the final product is like without giving away the farm) and sell your multimegapixel images from that". -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:21, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Even using a DirectX surface can be captured in a screenshot if you disable hardware video support (which isn't hard). --24.147.86.187 06:51, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the info, guys. I've told her multiple times that there's no real way to get around image-stealing, and suggested that she watermark her images instead (low-res and pieces of images don't work because this is her online portfolio she uses to attract customers to her photography business, so she needs it to look good), but if the client wants an almost-useless overlay image, then that's what the client gets, as I bill by the hour and am more than happy to spend extra time and thus get extra $$, and on the plus side that'd let me remove the annoying anti-right-click script which never really worked that well anyway (anyone on a mac, or using firefox, can still manage to snag the images, but in firefox you get an annoying popup that still doesn't actually disable anything, but she surprised me by emailing me the script and requesting it be put up, so I did). Kuronue | Talk 15:51, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Well, that's sad. She should be so lucky that someone would bother to steal her images and post them around. Put a watermark on the bottom with her name and URL, and then you can practically encourage people to pass them around. She won't lose money and might gain customers. But alas, how short-sighted people are. --24.147.86.187 06:51, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I'd put the watermark in the middle, not at the bottom, so that thieves can't trim the watermark off and resell the pic as their own. StuRat 10:25, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

What is the ruby syntax construct with a colon and square brackets

Take a look at the following Ruby code:

       rhash               = {"color"  =>  "red"}
       rhash[:color]       = 'blue'    ### <- what is being assigned to here?
       puts rhash["color"]             ### "red"
       puts rhash[:color]              ### "blue"

Where can I look to find the documentation for this syntax and what it's doing? rhash[:color]. I see this notation in ruby sample code, but I can't find the documentation for it. NoClutter 19:50, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

It's called a symbol. Using :a_symbol as a reference is like using "a_quoted_thing". Using symbols is encouraged, as it only stores the text of the symbol in one place and just provides pointers to it; rather than storing the same text string over and over. As you see using :whatever and "whatever" is different. Google for "ruby symbol" for all the salacious details --h2g2bob (talk) 23:21, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Can't play starcraft

I installed StarCraft on my laptop, which runs on 1280x800 widescreen and has windows vista. I opened starcraft and it said it was 'unable to switch video modes. to correct this problem, please set desktop area to 640x280 and color palette to 256 colors.'

How do I do this? the lowest my monitor goes is 800x600

See if you can run the game in windowed mode instead of full screen. It is usually a rather hidden command-line option. -- Kainaw^(what?) 21:37, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

This link offers a program that they claim will put Starcraft in windowed mode. Alternatively, you may try connecting a monitor to your notebook, it may support more video modes that way. 69.95.50.15 18:56, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure if Windows Vista has this feature, but you could try running it in compatibility mode. To do this in Windows XP (likely the same if Vista has this feature), right click, go to properties, click the "Compatibility" tab, and select your settings. MalwareSmarts 21:59, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

I've heard of several complaints from many users about game compatibility with Windows Vista, like in Need For Speed Carbon, which is said to crash on Vista. Either downgrading to XP or waiting for Service Pack One might be the cure for that... Blake Gripling 00:45, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

VMWare question

Hi:

If I run Linux in VMWare on Windows XP. Can I access my Winmodem from Linux as a ordinary /dev/modem serial driver which is mapped to the emulated COM3 port provided by the Winmodem driver running in Windows?

Regards,

74.116.223.48 20:39, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it should work. (It possibly might map to something else than /dev/modem) -Yyy 10:50, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Yyy! 74.12.36.60 16:08, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Is there a freeware equivelent to Adobe Flash?

Just wondering. Has to be compatible with Windows XP. MalwareSmarts 21:57, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Nothing that really works yet, no. SVG as a format could someday compete with Flash in some respects, but as of now, it really can't. And personally I doubt it will ever really be able to replace Flash, unless they are going to built up something as comprehensive as Actionscript inside it. And I don't think there are any freeware Flash editors—the closest thing might be OpenLaszlo, which uses it own format but can convert to SWF. --24.147.86.187 21:58, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

Gnash and OSFlash[6] are available as open source SWF players, but often (in my experience with them) fail to work correctly, especially with video. These are reverse engineered: Adobe release the specs for SWF for creating SWF files only (hence OpenOffice.org can create them), but not for reading (which means no players. Adobe release Macromedia Flash Player for Windows, OSX and Linux, which are all good for playing SWF <= 8. See also SWF. For web applications, a mixture of CSS and JavaScript can replicate some functionality, depending on need. Alternatively, make it an executable (there must be some vector graphics libraries out there). --h2g2bob (talk) 22:33, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

No, I didn't mean a flash player, I mean an animation software similar to Adobe Flash MalwareSmarts 01:59, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikiwix

hum.. Wikiwix - so what is the relationship? if any? --Fredrick day 22:02, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

ok that is gone, so this might be useful for some context. --Fredrick day 22:03, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

According to their FAQ page, "(c) Linterweb 2007 - Wikiwix is a search engine that provides a comprehensive search within Wikipedia articles developped by Linterweb. Linterweb is a French company specialized in search engines, and is also the publisher of the Wikipedia 0.5 DVD". So it is a Wikipedia search engine by a company which is working with the Wikimedia Foundation to publish Wikipedia on a DVD. So there is some connection, I guess—Linterweb redirects to the History of Wikipedia article and discusses the deal. Heavens knows Wikipedia could use a better search engine. --24.147.86.187 22:05, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

What does "www3" means in web address like www3.nationalgeographic.com?

What does "www3" means in web address like www3.nationalgeographic.com?

It probably means they have multiple web servers, either to share the load, or to distribute different parts of their site. —Steve Summit (talk) 22:53, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

www3 is a subdomain of nationalgeographic.com. Different subdomains are often (but not always) on different physical computers (web servers). This technique can be used to divide a domain name into parts, such as wikipedia.org into en.wikipedia.org and fr.wikipedia.org. It is often used to reduce load on any one server by placing different parts of a site on different servers. For example, images on Wikipedia are located on the server upload.wikimedia.org, so if the image server crashes or runs slow then the rest of Wikipedia is unaffected.

Your computer matches web addresses with IP addresses - the actual computer's location - by asking special severs what name matches what address. This is the internet's domain name system (DNS).

www.nationalgeographic.com is at IP address 207.24.89.108, while news.nationalgeographic.com is at 207.24.89.110, indicating they are two separate computers. www3.nationalgeographic.com is also located at 207.24.89.110, so is shared with "news". "www3" responds to my HTTP requests with a redirect (HTTP 302 Found) to "www". --h2g2bob (talk) 23:10, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

August 19

The moment of truth: Windows Vista

After many questions regarding Windows Vista, it's time to install! There are just a few things that I need to go over before installation. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor pointed out some problems, but I'm not sure how to resolve them. It said I needed a new driver for "Realtek High Definition Audio," but I had trouble getting one from the link provided. The task list also said that before upgrading, I needed to uninstall "DVD-RAM Driver," "Bluetooth Stack for Windows by Toshiba," and "TOSHIBA ConfigFree." For one, these names don't exactly stick out in "Add or Remove Programs" in the Control Panel. Secondly, how am I supposed to uninstall the DVD-RAM Driver before I install Vista? Third, if I do a clean install, then why does it matter to uninstall programs? Won't they just be wiped out by the installation process? Also, a quick re-briefing of what I need to back up...all documents, make sure I've got the programs I need on hand...anything else? And one final thing...my license for Microsoft Office 2007 still has two installations left on it. Is there any way I can reinstall it on my computer after upgrading, while not re-using the license? It seems like an awful waste, a $110 devaluation...thanks for all the help!--The Ninth Bright Shiner 03:55, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

That's the reason why many people hate Windows Vista, such as those guys from BadVista.org. I could have sticked to Linux if only they had more hardware support. Blake Gripling 04:01, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

The upgrade advisor is going to tell you to remove stuff because it is an upgrade advisor. If you wipe everything and install (using a non-upgrade version of Vista), you might be OK, but you might need those drivers to have functionality on your machine. The DVD-RAM driver is OK to temporarily remove as that only deals with the DVD-RAM flavour of DVDs -- Vista is a DVD-ROM. Your Office 2007 license should be fine as you aren't changing machines, you're changing your version of Windows. If the authorization process gives you trouble, Microsoft will gladly help out as you're not contravening the license (afaik).

Interesting...I bought the upgrade version, which means I can still do a clean install, right? And if I temporarily remove the DVD-RAM driver, then how would I re-add it? Where would I find a compatible DVD-RAM driver? This is such a big change that my computer knowledge is scarce to none here. Thanks again.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 16:37, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Me personally would advise against upgrading for now. It's not obvious that you can perform a clean install from upgrade media but there are guides to doing so here: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp Splintercellguy 21:58, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Wow. Personally, I think that's technologically hilarious. I've been waiting months to get my hands on Vista (even after it came out)...will that "double installation" really work? I always get the feeling that when I try stuff like that, I'll press a wrong button, end up with an unusable computer, and have the feds at my door.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 22:32, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes it will really work, and it's horrifying to hear that you're afraid of experimenting with your computer because that's the impetus for all technological advancement! :( --froth^t 23:46, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Well, the thing is, it's the only good computer I have. The despicable desktop is too weak, old, and junky to do much, and if I screw up, how do I get another laptop? Even an astronomical allowance couldn't afford it. I've never had the opportunity to muddle around inside a computer (well, only once), so it's new and risky territory for me. Well, thanks all! I really appreciate all the help! Hasta la Vista, XP!--The Ninth Bright Shiner 04:24, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

DO NOT FORGET to save your emails and email address book!!!! I make this mistake EVERY time I do a clean install of XP. Also, make sure to save any docs and things cluttering up your desktop. Not all your files are conveniently located in "My Documents". Zunaid©® 13:04, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Darn! And I was just about to begin installation. Um...I don't know how to save e-mail messages. That's why all of my old e-mails are on the old computer. How do I save e-mails and whatnot?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 18:00, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Flagging Youtube users

I've been pissed off at those spammers at Youtube, that post comments linking to porn sites. I've flagged several users before, but I lost the URL for reporting unwanted users. Any suggestions? Blake Gripling 03:58, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

There are links which say "(spam)" next to every comment posted, and a "flag as inappropriate" link next to every video. --h2g2bob (talk) 14:56, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

No, I'm talking about the URL for reporting rouge users to YT for investigation... Blake Gripling 00:15, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Apparently, there's a YouTube video about it.  ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWPArKAuyg Instructions are available also by clicking (more) on the description. But I'll take the plunge and suggest the URL is http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/request.py?contact_type=policy&submit=Continue - does that help? x42bn6 Talk Mess 10:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Accessing Wikipedia

hi, i'm not quite sure where i should post this query, and i thought 'computing' may be a suitable category... basically, i love wikipedia but my school has blocked it for some unfathomable reason, so here is my question: are there any other ways (like other websites) through which i might gain access to wikipedia (the encyclopedia and the reference desk)? n i don't mean hacking the system... thanks in advance!

Mm, you could try a proxy, but keep in mind Wikipedia's policy on blocking editing privileges of open proxies. If you're not planning to edit, any random Internet proxy should do it. Splintercellguy 05:35, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Cell access is via http://wapedia.mobi. Some web browsers (like Opera) are able to render the WML pages. --Mdwyer 05:41, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Try getting in contact with the IT admin at your school. I did that a few months ago after Wikipedia was blocked at my school and it turned out it was entirely accidental.Mix Lord 07:09, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Look at proxy.org, for a list of them. Mathmo ^Talk 02:48, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and also a lot of sites are just copying stuff straight off wikipedia. Use google to find them (do a search for what is already in wikipedia). Mathmo ^Talk 02:49, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Here's an easy way of getting around blocked sites: search for it on google, if you know where to find it, and then click on the cached version. Works for text just fine. 68.231.151.161 04:47, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Answers.com: gives you wikipedia page along with other sources - Headphoneguy

response time

What's a reasonable response time on an lcd screen for playing counterstrike? what would be the upper limit that good gamers would consider playing with?

If you don't get an answer here, try asking at the PC Gamer podcast [7] --h2g2bob (talk) 14:49, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Just off the top of my head, I think that a lot of LCD screens used to pose a problem for gamers because of their response times. But now most modern ones that you will buy new should be fine for gaming with. Around about 5 or 8 milliseconds I think should sound around about right. Mathmo ^Talk 02:51, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

ATRAC3 Plus

Hi. I am planning on converting some of my MP3 files into the ATRAC3 plus format, for use on my PSP. However, whenever I try to do it in SonicStage, it comes up with a message saying that it cannot proceed, as file playback is in progress. However, even when there are no tracks playing and it is the only media app that is open, it still has the same message. Does anyone know of how to fix this problem, or if there is an open source alternative to SonicStage out there? Thanks Mix Lord 07:19, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

MP3 player won't use USB port

I have a Samsung YP-U1 MP3 player that I used to connect to a USB CardBus host controller on my laptop but now if no longer connects. I formatted the player but it still does not connect. The controller easily handles my other USB-related devices and flash drives but not the MP3 player. What do I do? --Blue387 08:05, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

One common problem with USB devices is that they "sag" in the USB port, causing either an intermittent connection or no connection. If this is the case, you need a USB extension cable so the MP3 player can sit flat on the table instead of hanging from the USB port. StuRat 10:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Adding Image Overlays Remotely in Google Earth.

I want to make a game that would be displayed on google earth via a downloadable kmz file. I will be collaborating with a friend who knows the C programming language. What we need to be able to do is find a way to make image overlays, and adjust the following properties from a remote program:

1) the actual image being overlayed
2) the manual location of the image (eg: 4°0'0" N 6°0'0" W being a corner)
3) the alpha setting

We surmise that there are two ways to do this:

1) DDE - I guess we dont know if google earth is capable of responding to DDE.
2) Web Updates - It seems other users have been able to creat things like markers that indicate the locations of all airplanes in flight in the united states live.... i dont know how this is done, but thats another option i suppose.

Does anyone have an idea how we should do this or any other methods that may be available? Thank you very much for your time!

172.165.22.98 08:12, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, you can do this, and it's actually pretty easy. Instead of an image overlay, you want to add a "Network Link". Basically, a Network Link is just the URL of a server somewhere which Google Earth will query. The server returns some KML (via HTTP, natch), and Google Earth displays it as usual. Google Earth transmits the corner coordinates of the user's current display along with the HTTP request, so the server knows where the user is looking.

I've used this feature to dynamically display placemarks, but as far as I know, there's no reason why a network link couldn't serve up image overlays, too. —Steve Summit (talk) 13:15, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Can two or more people register a domain name?

I am wanting to know if two or more people can choose to have a domain name registered in their names, thus they would all have shared legal ownership of it. Currently the only way I suspect it can be done is through creating a shell company that everybody has equal shares in, and then that company registers the domain name. This is far too much legal stuff that I'd want to bother with however, so is possible to simply register the domain name in multiple people's names? Thanks. 202.89.38.70 08:55, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Could one person own it and offer the other a contract outlining rights and responsibilities? --h2g2bob (talk) 14:45, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

This would mean the original person would still hold the ownership, and in a sense the use of the domain would be "leased" (for free) to the second person? Hmmm.... could look at that option, but is not at all what I'm trying to determine if it is possible. I want I want to have ideally is shared legal ownership between two (or more) people. But from everything I have read the impression I have got is that a domain name can only be registered in one person's name? 202.53.199.75 21:12, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I think only one person can be listed in WHOIS records, but I'd suggest asking some domain name registrars for advice on this. Terms and conditions vary between the different domains and different registrars, so it might be worth asking a few different registrars. --h2g2bob (talk) 01:00, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I too believe there is only the one person listed as the registrant on the WHOIS records. Been looking at many registrars' FAQs and their Terms & Conditions, all seeming to say the same thing in only referring to one registrant. Mathmo ^Talk 01:28, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Diablo II crashes when starting game

I don't know what's going on, but lately my Diablo II has been crashing at startup, generating the following error message:

Assertion failure Location : C:\D2\Source\D2Direct3D\Src\d3dTextureCache.cpp, line #82 Expression : tCache->nMaxNumItems

First of all, can someone explain what that "location" even is? I don't have a directory C:\D2, and I've tried searching for the file "d3dTextureCache.cpp" but with no avail. The thing is that it used to work, so I don't know what's going on. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the game. And I'm not running a cracked version of the game; even when I download the trial version from the blizzard website, and install it, I still get the exact same error. So I'm assuming that .cpp file, independent of the game, is corrupted or something. How do I fix it? I'm no C++ programmer, so can someone tell me how to fix it? Or is there something else I am missing? Thanks.--Funnyguy555 11:07, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Never mind: lol. --Funnyguy555 11:08, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

But I'm still curious: what's with the "location"? --Funnyguy555 11:24, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

d3dTextureCache.cpp is one of the source files for the game. Once the source files have been compiled to an executable, they're not normally needed, so they're not provided to the customer (except, of course, in open source projects).

An assertion is a debugging tool used by programmers. An assertion records an assumption that has been made, such as that a certain resource is available, or that a certain pointer is non-null, or that some other necessary condition is known to hold. If, somehow, the assumption is false, the assertion is violated, and this is a "can't happen" error. When an assertion is violated, a message (such as you have seen) is printed, and the program shuts down.

In a C or C++ program, an assertion looks like this:

assert(p != NULL);

This is basically just a shortcut for what could have been written as:

if(p == NULL)

{

fprintf(stderr, "Assertion failed\n");

abort();

}

Wise programmers know that "can't happen" errors sometimes do happen. Usually, catching them with an assertion is better than just letting the program continue, because the result of a program trying to continue when its assumptions have been violated like this is usually a segmentation violation and/or a core dump or a general protection fault or a blue screen of death.

As I mentioned, assertions are primarily thought of as debugging tools. It's a matter of some debate whether assertions should be left enabled in the released, production versions of programs. As you've seen, failed assertions can be bewildering to end users, almost as bewildering as GPF's and BSOD's. Theoretically, once a program has been thoroughly tested and debugged, it will in fact be the case that none of its "can't happen" errors can happen. Traditionally, therefore, assertions were usually removed from production versions. However, the more complex a program gets, the more likely it is that it will have obscure bugs which weren't caught during development and are lurking there for an unsuspecting end user to find. Therefore, some developers choose to leave assertions enabled.

One problem with assertions is when programmers mistakenly use them to catch a "can happen" error. Assertions should only be used to catch conditions which represent fixable logical bugs in the program. An assertion should never be used to test whether a certain file or other resource is available, or whether a user has done something wrong, because it's quite possible that those things might happen. Normally, the absence of a critical resource (and, obviously, every mistake the user can make) should be tested for and diagnosed with a proper user-friendly error message, not a cryptic assertion failure. —Steve Summit (talk) 13:08, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the info =)

By the way it seems to be a hardware issue, something is wrong with my driver. But apparently all other programs run fine. And it works on my other computer, yay =).

Wait but I have a question re your code. Now I'm a Java programmer, but I'm not totally ignorant when it comes to C or C++ code. When you wrote:

In a C or C++ program, an assertion looks like this:

assert(p != NULL);

This is basically just a shortcut for what could have been written as:

if(p == NULL)

{

fprintf(stderr, "Assertion failed\n");

abort();

}

The first part is a method named assert, right? and p is some system resource?--Funnyguy555 14:19, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

P is just a pointer (in java, a "reference") to something. But really this assertion isn't going to help you fix your problem - assertions are only of use to people who have full access to the source code - they're not intended for the ordinary end user. All we can infer from this one (from the name of the C++ source file in which the assertion triggered) is that it just might have something to do with Direct3D, so making sure your D3D install is correct and the video driver is up to date and working. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:02, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Problems with "locked" documents on microsoft word

Ever since I opened this one document on my computer, every single document I try to edit comes up with the message "This modification is not allowed because the document is locked". This happens to every single document! Even when I try to start a new document I can't type anything in it! How do I fix this? --Candy-Panda 11:29, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

You could try uninstalling and reinstalling it, or uninstall it and install OpenOffice. --Seans Potato Business 18:01, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like you have some sort of template problem, or potentially a virus. Try searching for and deleting the "Normal.dot" file. --24.147.86.187 20:58, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Bittorrent ?

What's the best way to hide your IP address while using bittorrent to legally download, files that aren't illegal or copyrighted?--172.163.113.245 12:01, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Not knowing the full details of how these systems work on an IP level, I understand that your IP address is vital to Bittorrent to be able to work its magic by downloading 'bits' from many users, and anybody seeding/downloading will need to be available to other clients via their IP in order for the system to work efficiently. Could well be wrong though! ny156uk 16:04, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

If other people couldn't see your ip, they couldn't send you data.

It's impossible unless you want to tunnel through tor or something (at extremely slow speed, and high cost to tor servers), and the legality of what youre downloading isn't relevant at all. --froth^t 20:52, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Think of it as asking for something to be mailed to your house, but not telling them where your house is. It's the same sort of thing. The IP address tells the internets where your computer "is" on the network, and without that BitTorrent can't function. In any case, if you are using BT for 100% legal transactions, why worry about it? RIAA, etc., only monitor obviously illegal transactions, I am fairly certain.--24.147.86.187 21:02, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Even if they monitor you, what are they going to do, sue you for making a legal download? They're just a lobby group that tattles on people to the recording companies they represent --froth^t 23:34, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Beginner's class for Senior Citizens

I am a member of a Senior Citizens Club and am planning a computers class for rank beginners. My own literacy level is quite low but am willing to try to instruct other seniors on basic computer skills. Is there a course outline somewhere that I could download? Or a Web site that I can develop my own ourline from? Thank you for any help.

It's nice that you're taking some time to help people with their computer skills! I had a look on google and found:

http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/BC/BeginnersComputing.html

http://www.ocdsb.edu.on.ca/teacher_res/pcbasics/defaulta.htm

The second one is very basic but includes handouts (you needn't print them off, if you can get everyone to read it from a computer screen). --Seans Potato Business 16:36, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

• In my experience in teaching people how to use basic computer skills, it is good at first to stick with "how to do specific tasks", which will help them get a bit more comfortable for how a computer works in general. Things like "How do I send an e-mail?", "How do I seach for a web site whose address I do not know?", "How do I print out a letter?" are good beginners topics. I also recommend giving specific step-by-step instructions (numbered, usually), that are basically "recipes" for doing the above tasks, because most people need to do something a few times on their own before it really "sinks in." AARP appears to have some how-to tutorials that you might think about using—here is one on how to use search engines, for example. --24.147.86.187 21:09, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I teach computer skills to seniors (one is 99 !), and these are a few problems they've had and how I've dealt with them:

1) Many have some vision loss, so set the screen to the lowest resolution available, such as 640x480, so everything appears large. Also, if possible, use full-screen magnifiers, like ZoomText (that one is quite expensive, though).

2) Many have never touched a computer, but have used a typewriter, so just tell them the computer keyboard is "an electronic typewriter with a few extra keys". For example, explain that the ENTER key is just like the RETURN key on a typewriter and that the SHIFT, CONTROL and ALT keys must be held down when another key is pressed, just like the SHIFT key on a typewriter.

3) Many are afraid that "they will break something". Explain that computers "lock up" all the time, but a reboot almost always gets you right back to where you were.

4) Many have trouble remembering, so you must write down things and have them repeat them many times for them to "sink in".

5) Many have trouble using a mouse (such as those with arthritis), so have them use the keyboard arrow keys whenever possible, such as when scrolling on a page, and enter instead of clicking, as when they need to pick the OK button on a menu.

6) Many have limited energy, so keep the classes short, say under an hour per day. StuRat 09:52, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

In addition to what StuRat said above, it might be a good idea to take the hard drive out of the computers, and have them use a LiveCD from an easy to use linux Distro, such as Ubuntu, so that they can become familiar with things like email, web browsing, office documents, without having to worry about messing up the computer --lucid 09:58, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and in addition, I'm not sure how good Ubuntu's accessibility features are, since I've never tried them, but they do definitely exist and are worth trying. You might want to try Ubuntu's built in Compiz functionalities, as it has a simple method to be able to zoom in on certain parts of the screen, which could help read things that are hard to see, without sacrificing space --lucid 10:01, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Many years ago, I taught basic computer use to seniors. I quit because I ended up spending hours on end trying to teach "double-click". It went like: "You need to double-click on the little picture here." -click- "Double-click means you need to click twice." -click- "No. Twice." "I did click twice." "No, twice at the same time, like click-click." -click-... ... ... -click- "No. like click-click, not click... .... ... click." -click-... "What were we doing?" "We're trying to open the email program. You need to double-click on that picture." ... -- Kainaw^(what?) 16:04, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, teaching seniors certainly does require a lot of patience. As for the double click problem, you can set the computer to accept a single click, instead, but I don't like that because then they are lost when they go onto another computer that expects a double click. I do, however, set it to accept the slowest double-click possible, and also encourage use of a single click followed by the enter key (once or twice), since that's easier for seniors. StuRat 19:01, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Well, teaching total newbies, senior citizens in this case, to use a computer does require a lot of patience, since either they're latecomers when it comes to such technology, or some disability such as arthritis keeps them from clicking the mouse like what younger people do. Just like my grandmother for example - I had difficulty at teaching her how to compose a text message on her Nokia 1100 cellphone. OK, no person is too old to try tinkering with a PC. Accessibility features may help, such as Magnifier, and the college that I'm currently attending has a mouse in some of their computers that is equipped with a double-click button, that when you click it, it sends out a double click signal to the computer, thus firing up Grandpa's email program is much easier... Blake Gripling

Protection afforded by DMZ?

The Demilitarized_zone_(computing) article says that the DMZ would be a dead-end for hackers, but if that was the case, wouldn't all companies properly implement a DMZ and you would never hear of customer details etc getting stolen? --Seans Potato Business 16:19, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

The DMZ idea works, no matter what. When you hear of data being stolen, either a DMZ wasnt properly implemented or a security flaw in the internal network was exploited. For example in both the Windows 2000 and Half life 2 code leaks, the exploit occured on the internal network, not on a server in the DMZ. --froth^t 20:51, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Often company details getting stolen or university social security numbers getting stolen, etc., has to do with something far less technological, e.g. someone stupidly putting all of the data onto a laptop and then having the laptop get stolen. Unfortunately security is only as effective as its weakest link. --24.147.86.187 21:19, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

voice recognition / AI

Weird question but; Does there exist somekind of AI program for p.c's. i.e, voice recognition or something. Or a program that you can interact with, and responds logical? I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for myself, so. Any help would be appreciated. -- 84.16.197.184 17:36, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Voice recognition software has existed for some time (speech recognition) but they're still working on artificial intelligence. Opera, the internet browser has speech recognition built in for doing various web-browsing things, but I've never tried it. Take a look at the articles and see what you can find. I know that there are some IM bots that you can talk to, but they're generally pretty useless and repetitive. --Seans Potato Business 17:56, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Speech recognition software doesn't seem "production ready" yet, to me, as it's quite expensive and/or doesn't work well. Specifically, the software needs to be "trained" for your voice, there can't be any other noise in the room, and you need to be careful to pronounce your words well and leave silences between each word. The one place it does work fairly well is when you can only say a small number of very different words, and it picks between those. On the other hand, if you can say any word in the English language, the chances it will get the word right each time are not good. They also have trouble with homonyms, like "to", "two", and "too". You would need a fairly low error rate, say 1% or less, to make it practical. StuRat 09:37, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

There are two different things you speak of. The first, voice recognition, is simply taking sound and converting it into text like this. Then, depending on the implementation (the program that's doing it) it can then understand the text and act appropriately. For example in Microsoft Word it would just type the words you speak and follow certain commands. Now, the second thing you speak about is artificial intelligence. To this date there are computer programs that have been written to appear to be human - see turing test - so in theory it would be possible to write some program that could respond logically to some things you say - the rest if would have to fob off and answer your question with another question, or look up what you say in the dictionary and just tell you the definition - all these are excuses for not understanding what you're talking about. Rfwoolf 14:03, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

monitor connection

I bought a new lcd flatscreen VGA or DVI input. My Radeon video card has both VGA output and DVI output. Right now it's on the analog VGA, and I lack a cable to even try the DVI. Would my high-end games and the DVD's I play on my PC look better using DVI?

no. --froth^t 20:47, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

The difference is pretty minor, unless you have both a high-end graphics card and a high-end LCD panel. The only real advantage is that DVI is a pure digital signal, while VGA is analog. The difference in data integrity is minimal in most cases. -- Kesh 21:09, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

probably won't be a large difference, but it might be there. Using DVI is generally better, as otherwise your video card is making an analog signal for the VGA cable, just to be reconverted to DVI for an LCD, as I understand it. But then, I haven't read up on monitors in awhile, so I forget --lucid

But the video card has dedicated hardware for the VGA connection and so does the monitor, so it's no more taxing on the system. I don't see any benefit in a digital signal- streams interpreted directly by the human senses are where analog equipment shines. --froth^t 23:37, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

If you use sub-pixel rendering for fonts or frequently changes resolutions it's more convenient to use DVI so you don't need to be constantly adjusting it. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:34, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Displaying 4:3 with a widescreen monitor on an ATI card

I can't seem to find anything in the Catylist control center to run my widescreen monitor in 4:3 for fullscreen apps that are dated and won't accept widescreen resolutions. Can anyone help me out here? --154.20.111.209 22:07, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

I have catalyst set up to center lower resolutions in fullscreen mode- this is so when I run UT2004 (which only supports up to 1280x1024) it doesn't try to stretch it to 1400x1050 (my native resolution) and look terrible because LCD monitors can't scale. Maybe you should just use this option.. I doubt you'll be able to find a 'force 4:3' option. You'll have to live with a tiny screen area for really old apps that only support VGA/XGA, though. Just turn on the Advanced view and take a look through the options, im sure you'll find it --froth^t 23:41, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Browser bookmarks

I just switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox. Is there any way to transfer the bookmarks to the new browser, so I don't have to re-type them all? — Michael J 23:29, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > File > Import. Also it asked you when you ran it for the first time --froth^t 23:37, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. (It asked me a lot of things when I first ran it, I guess I must have missed that!) — Michael J 23:43, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

August 20

Image Scanner

Hello. I have read the image scanner article. Other than color depth, optical resolution, and density range; for what else should I be looking when planning to buy a new scanner? Thanks in advance. --Mayfare 04:37, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Depends on what you want it for. Are you planning to scan photographic negatives? (If so, make sure it can do so.) Are you planning to take it around with you from place to place, or will it be kept in on place? (If the former, you might want to get one that uses LCD banks as its light source, as they weigh a lot less.) --24.147.86.187 06:44, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Optical character recognition is important is you want to scan in documents and be able to edit them, search through them, etc. Related to that is the ability to take a slightly rotated image (say 1 degree) and fix the rotation so you don't get "jaggies" on straight lines. The maximum size of the image that can be scanned is also important, of course. One problem with my scanner is that it doesn't compress the scanned image onboard, but instead sends it to the computer to do that. This slow transfer of an uncompressed image makes it take a very long time to complete the process on max resolution (it also uses the slower USB 1.0 cable). StuRat 09:26, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Questions about Puppy Linux

I just installed Puppy Linux on my computer and I have a few questions:

• Can I install APT and dpkg on Puppy Linux, I know it's not native?
• How do I uninstall applications that came with Puppy Linux
• How do I install OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox, and Inkscape

 Tcrow777  talk  05:58, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Public domain SHA512 code

Can someone point me to a PD SHA512 implementation? Any language will do, but C is preferrable.

Touch pad scroll

Hello all, I have a Dell inspiron laptop(6400), but recently, the scroll down on the touch pad wouldnt work on some sites. Any ideas on how to fix this?

One problem I've had is that the scrollable area on a page isn't always selected. If this is the prob, you need to pick on that area, or on the scroll bar for that area, first, then you should be able to scroll normally. StuRat 09:16, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Repeatable table in InfoPath 2007

I made a form on the InfoPath 2007 and put a repeatable table in it. The form is supposed to take a name and search for the records that have this name in them. I have a submit button, and added a rule on it to fill the fields in the table according to the given name. The problem appears when I have more than one record containing that name, as only one record would appear. I know that this might be because I bind the returned result to a certain field in the table, but how could I represent all of them ? (I just feel like I need some sort of a loop but I dunno how)

programming

was perusing thru the questions being asked by guys.the guy who asked about programming.its some days back but he or she was a serious student and wanted to teach himself programming.personally i dont think its possible.am trying to learn c ++ in school and its tough enuff.i dont think its advisable to give false hopes to guys.or if am wrong and someone knows anybody whose a self taught programmer.plse feel free to share the info with me

Uh, simply put, you're wrong. Thousands of people have taught themselves how to program with no problem. There's not very much at all you can't teach yourself. Hell, some things are easier to learn by yourself than in a class room-- I practically slept through my HTML classes because I could finish the entire assignment in a matter of minutes. I taught my classmates more than the teacher did by fixing problems for them, I had pretty much nothing to do there --lucid 10:29, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I think it's fair to say that most or all top-flight programmers above a certain age taught themselves how to program, since instruction simply wasn't widely available at the time. I personally learned everything I know about programming from reading books on my own, as my university education was very CS theory-oriented with minimal actual coding involved (sadly, many computer scientists in academia consider actual programming to be an embarassing detail of their discipline). --Sean 13:49, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

The problem with programming is the scope is currently huge. There are dozens of languages, several operating systems, different implementations (database programming, web programming, graphics/games) etc. So at the end of the day you need to ask yourself what your goal is. To be a programmer? Or just to program SOMETHING? If you'd like to move into the world of programming, it is very difficult to get into a position where your skills are up to date (to get some high-end jobs) (the world is constantly changing) but that's no reason to not master a language well - pick a language (C++ if you like), dabble and dabble, buy the books, do whatever tutorials you can, look at other people's work, and you'll get there. Indeed HTML is one of the easiest "languages" to learn - you could spend about 30 - 45 mins (even much less) and already be up to speed on HTML (of course a lot of practise makes you good) - so there's hope for that. There is some merit in learning programming through college or through a degree -they usually go into great unnecessary depth and will teach you how a computer operates first - meanwhile others just skip all that and stick to the language and get by just fine. Rfwoolf 13:58, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

HAHA! Computer science is by nature a self-taught field. "i don't think it's possible" to stuff it into a classroom! Give Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution a read. If you can't teach yourself, it's not something you want to be doing for the rest of your life, since perusing obscure documentation for days is one of the hallmarks of a good programmer :) --froth^t 14:38, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Several notes:

• Stricty speaking, HTML isn't a programming language, it's a markup language.

• I usually claim that "learning to program" is an almost-completely-separate skill from learning any given programming language. The skills you learn in learning to program (basic procedural stuff, loop control, representation of data, etc.) are pretty-much universally applicable no matter what language you end up implementing in.

• Choice of language isn't all that important; once you learn one C-like language (C, C++, Perl, PHP, Java, Javascript, C#, etc.), you can quickly learn to speak additional C-like languages. The same for Lisp-like languages. Pretty much the same for the older languages like Fortran, BASIC, and COBOL.

• I certainly agree that beyond the basics, you'll be self-teaching a lot of the time so you might as well learn to do it now ;-).

Atlant 18:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I know that, I'm saying that some things are easier to teach yourself than learn in a classroom, HTML doesn't have anything to do with programming --lucid 18:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Bare 'buntu?

Is there any way to get Ubuntu without any non-essential programs preinstalled, so I can pick and choose what I want or don't want? Like, install the Ubuntu GNOME desktop, but not be stuck with all the games and graphics stuff I never use. Like, install it and have the Restricted Drivers manager, but install gedit/OOo/GIMP as I need them? --lucid 10:47, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Ubuntu is a pretty form of Debian. As such, Ubuntu installs all kinds of stuff for you - which you had to do manually in Debian. I'd suggest switching to Debian if you don't want Ubuntu's extra help. -- Kainaw^(what?) 12:10, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I tried debian, the package and permissions were all sorts of messed up. I like Ubuntu's stuff, I just want to be able to pick and choose what programs I install and don't install --lucid 12:15, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I read that you can do a server-install and then this:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core xterm gdm icewm menu firefox synaptic

to get a minimal desktop. --Sean 13:54, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, but then you still get all the server edition software =/ Same smell, different crap --lucid 15:34, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

You do realize that you can use apt to remove anything you don't want, don't you? -- Kainaw^(what?) 15:59, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Not true-- the default desktop package includes a lot of packages that can't be removed without removing a lot of useful things, last I tried --lucid 18:17, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Those are dependencies. A program you want may depend on one (or many) you don't want. You have two choices: Accept the dependencies or build from source. Obviously, accepting the dependencies is a lot easier. -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:10, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I know what they are, I'm saying that they are not needed, which is why a bare bones version would be helpful --lucid 19:12, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Here's the deal. Bare bones Ubuntu, as you call it, is Debian. You said you don't want Debian. You want Ubuntu - which is Debian with a lot of stuff force-fed on you without asking if you like it or not. So, you apparently want to fork off Ubuntu to turn it back into Debian without calling it Debian. You are allowed to do that. -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, ok, you don't get the point at all. So, does anyone know of something like what I'm talking abotu? ---lucid 19:16, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Rather than getting a bare kernel, maybe xubuntu or kubuntu will be more to your liking. Kainaw's very correct in his advice - you can get Ubuntu and remove all the programs you do not like; or you can get Debian or a raw linux kernel and build up to your comfort level. Unless you put significant effort in, no pre-packaged distribution will have exactly the amount of "stuff" installed that you personally desire - you will find distributions with lots of addons, and distributions with zero add-ons; and you can add or remove as you wish. Nimur 19:24, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Part of the problem the OP is experiencing may be that some software packages — particularly desktop environments like GNOME or KDE — are highly modular, consisting of dozens if not hundreds of little subpackages. This leaves the would-be user with two choices: either install a single "metapackage" that depends on all the components, or manually pick just the packages you want and install only those and their dependencies. The problem with the latter approach is that, unless you're very familiar with the internals of the software you're trying to install, you may end up with a system that is technically functional but not really very useful — simply because you've left out a package or two that, while technically optional, are nonetheless highly recommended for a normal user experience. (For example, it's in fact possible to install a desktop environment like KDE without an X server. However, unless you're planning to use your desktop remotely from another computer, you'll almost certainly want the X server, and most likely a display manager like kdm too.) Essentially, the problem is that, going beyond the one-choice-fits-all metapackages, you get too much choice in what to install. Compound this with the fact that even package maintainers aren't perfect (I've ended up with circular dependencies in the Debian KDE packages before) and the mess is complete. By the way, all this applies equally well to Debian and Ubuntu, and probably to most other distros as well. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 23:27, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Activation of extended buttons in Edit box toolbar.

I am working on building my own animation related wiki, but am hopeless at coding for things like wikitables. I wanted to activate the extended set of buttons on the edit toolbar (Insert a Table, etc) but according to the wiki code, the code for those buttons is in a file which doesn't come with the Mediawiki software (wikibits.js, supposed to be in the style folder). Can someone please point out the correct area to go to either get the relevant code, or point me in the direction of what I need to do to activate those extra buttons. Thanks. Thor Malmjursson 12:57, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

This is Wikipedia's wikibits.js. Don't know if it contains any Wikipedia-specific code. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 14:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Had a look, and that doesn't look to be too helpful. I can't see anything in that which could contribute to me being able to do what I need to do, so I am gonna have to ask for help to get these buttons activated. Can anyone please assist with what I need to do, please? Thanks for the assist Matt, but I am pretty poor with Javascript!!! :) Thor Malmjursson 14:31, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

OK, here are the URLs to the Mediawiki codes that may help you with your problem; I tried it in my wiki and it worked like a charm...

Common.css table formatting stylesheet Common.js - this one adds additional buttons to your Edit box toolbar

I hope this helps with your problem... Blake Gripling 00:35, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Blake, you are a God. I have printed out both sets of code as I don't have a media storage device to transfer on, but I will get those done tonight (36 pages of code) and get that up and working. I have no doubt it will do the job I need it for, so many thanks! Thor Malmjursson 10:37, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Transferring hand written text to the computer

I have some papers that I wrote in pencil (very neat printing) and I want to transfer the text to the computer so that I could print it so that it seems as if I typed the text. Is there a program or a way to do this through scanning? Thanks a lot.

See optical character recognition - there's a list of software near the end. I don't have any experience with any of them; someone else might have a more specific recommendation. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 14:21, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Unless your handwriting is really excellent, you might be better off to just type it in yourself, or hire a typing service to do it for you. My local craigslist has typists for US$15 per hour. --Sean 15:09, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Shouldn't typists be paid per letter/word/page, not per hour ? (A typist paid per hour will get paid more per job the slower they type, so I could make a fortune !) StuRat 17:20, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

S/he's obviously figured out your cunning business model. Just take on as many jobs as you can, and never type any of them, and you'll soon pass Bill Gates^W^W, er, some Mexican tycoon soon. :) --Sean 18:19, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

It's private info so I'd prefer not let someone else read it and type it. Can anyone recommend a good software from this list which Matt linked to. Thanks.

I agree with Sean that it's not likely to be the time saver you imagine, because you'll end up spending more time scanning and correcting OCR errors in the documents than you would if you just typed them in yourself. StuRat 18:55, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

tv on computer

Hi, I know that this is a very vague question, but how do you get TV on a laptop? I don't think I have a TV card, though I was going to use my expresscard 54mm slot in the side of my computer. I see this card http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/12/siano-announces-suwonexpress-expresscard-for-mobile-tv/, but I wonder sometimes how good the reception would be, with such a tiny ariel. What is attractive about it is that it is so compact, because the ariel goes straight back in again when your finished with it. In tv cards for the expresscard slot I don't think the ariel normally is built in, and I think that the linked one would only receive terrestial.

Can you get freeview (Im in Britain) in expresscard slots like this, and if so, do you need an external ariel, or digibox etc. separately for it? Given that siano are israeli, are there any implications for it about tv being broadcast in different formats and different countries? (Sorry for being so vague, but I know virtually nothing about doing this!

Let me address some of those questions:

1) Yes, you need a TV tuner card to be able to show broadcast TV on your laptop. There are, of course, many TV programs placed on the web, so you could get those without a TV tuner, but they tend to be low resolution, low frame rate versions capable of being sent over the Internet quickly.

2) A large external antenna will certainly help reception dramatically. A pair of telescoping rabbit ears are rather compact and lightweight.

3) The TV tuner card would definitely need to support the broadcast format or formats in all the places you travel.

4) You didn't ask, but the typical max resolution of a laptop (1024x768, 24 bit color, say) is adequate for low res TV broadcasts, such as PAL, but not quite as high as HDTV broadcasts, especially as compared with 1080i, which has a resolution of 1920x1080. You would therefore have to cut the resolution approximately in half to display it on a laptop, but that's still far better than most webcasts. StuRat 17:15, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your answer. 1) Is there a directory floating around somewhere that will tell me if I have a tuner card? The ebay listing wasnt very detailed on computer internal organs.

2) I'll be very skeptical then, of any ariel as short as Lord Farquad (short King out of Shrek). By rabbit ears, you mean this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole_antenna#Set-top_TV_antenna?

3)Does broadcasting format vary much throughout europe/n. America? (though, the above linked machine seemed to be very flexible)

4) That would be encouraging. My computer screen is a wide one (16:9, I think) so that will help. Though a good reception will probably help more than a good screen. Suppose there's no way to know until I try it, then.--Farsi597 17:51, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

1) You aren't going to get a TV tuner card included for free with your laptop unless you have one heck of a high-end laptop, so that's quite unlikely. You could go to Control Panel + System + Device Manager tab to look through the hardware on your system, but I'd say your chances of having a TV tuner card are less than 1%.

2) Yes, that's what I mean by rabbit ears. They are inherently portable.

3) Yes, see the PAL link for a chart by country (although there may still be slight variations within a format, as well). Most of Europe is on the PAL standard, with a few SECAM nations, like France. All of North America is currently on the NTSC standard, but the US is switching to HDTV, with NTSC scheduled to be turned off there in 2009. So, if you were planning to travel between the UK, France, Canada, and the US, you would need support for all 4 standards.

4) I have a TV tuner card on a desktop computer, using rabbit ears, and it's reception is about the same as the TV. StuRat 18:35, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

AFAIK all European countries are transitioning to DVB, and your only problem with broadcasting format would be with the American ATSC. There are lots of cheap DVB USB sticks on the market, and they do require an external aerial if the signal isn't very strong. The selection of ExpressCard DVB receivers seems to be more limited. 84.239.133.38 20:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

1) For a laptop bought at less than GBP500 last year, a tv tuner card isn't going to be there. OK. But is that not what comes in the USB/expresscard slots, so that is why I'm looking for one of those?

2) OK.

3)UK support will be quite enough. I think I'll be happy with pal/secam - but is there any way I know to use which one/both? The map lists the UK for pal and secam.

4)Well in that case I will not be trusting the siano link above.

To be straight, though, I would rather not have a tv swallow one of my two usb ports, whereas I can't see myself doing anything else with an expresscard hole. Might as well put a plug of some kind into it. Though can anyone fit freeview into the picture? (Since all uk terrestial is duplicated on freeview anyway, terrestial wouldn't be a problem if I had freeview. And I don't see myself, in Europe, as wanting to pick up an ATSC signal.)

To get this all untangled (which it is tangled, to me): you need a tuner in the form of a USB/expresscard stick, which the ariel plugs into. Minus a liscence and possibly freeview box, that's about it?Farsi597 23:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

If you get a DVB-T receiver for your computer, whether USB or ExpressCard, you will be watching freeview, and not the old-style analog broadcast. No separate set-top box is needed. However, I don't think you'll be able to see any pay-TV channels, but perhaps someone from the UK knows better? 84.239.133.38 05:59, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

What's wrong with Wikipedia? (or my computer?)

I'm getting terribly exasperated. I don't know what's going on with my web browsers (all of them, FireFox, Opera, IE) or some errors from Meta that cause such annoyance. Thing is I couldn't see the diffs. I even couldn't edit pages with FireFox and Opera as well (I have to use sucking IE to post this message). Each time I open diffs or click edit this page, that time appears stupid warnings like these (the browsers compel me to download the index.php file):

Firefox:
-----------Opening index.php-------------
You have chosen to open
index.php
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/
What should Firefox do with this file?
• Open with (Browse)
• Save to Disk
--------------------------------------------------

IE:
-------------File download---------------
Some files can harm your computer. If the file information below [blah blah blah].
File name: index.php
File type:
From:http://en.wikipedia.org/
Would you like blah blah....
--------------------------------------------------

And Opera the same content. -_- So WHAT I SHOULD DO NOW? Or I have to use IE for my lifetime to post but not be able to see diffs? @pple 16:46, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

OMG, even IE doesn't work when I click "edit this page". It only functions when I click the "+" sign or edit particular section (like this section). What's going on? @pple 17:01, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like the HTTP Content-Type is getting stripped off somehow. Your browsers aren't getting the clue that Wikipedia pages are all, in fact, in HTML (even though none of them actually end in ".html"), and are therefore throwing various fits not knowing what to do with the blank or missing content type.

Since you're having it with all your browsers, it's not a browser problem. Since I'm not having it, it's probably not a Wikipedia problem. I've never heard of a cache or proxy that strips out Content-Type lines (because that would obviously be fantastically broken), but that's what it sounds like is, bizarrely, happening... —Steve Summit (talk) 17:20, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

This page shows some discussion of a similar sounding problem related to Wordpress software. One potential culprit seems to be the Google toolbar, do you have that installed? Also, what other software might you have installed recently? --LarryMac | Talk 17:25, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Go into Special:Preferences, and look for the checkbox that says "use external editor" and uncheck it. Relatively common problem, that shows up on the Help Desk from time to time.--69.118.235.97 21:37, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Oh, great thanks, IP. It's true that I tweaked my preferences on 19th and from then the problem occurred. i didn't understand why I ticked that sucking checkbox, though. I just wonder why meta developers still let that function enabled while it just creates trouble? @pple 01:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

dvd writer drive that doesn't write dvds!

Hi, i have a philips ed16dvds external usb drive. It can read dvds and cds. It can write cds. It USED to be able to write dvds +/-, but doesn't anymore, for a reason that is beyond me!

When i create a writeable folder on the blank dvd (using the windows tool), and click to write, it tells me to make sure im using a writeable disk or one that isn't copy protected.

ive tried various firmware updates to no avail. Can anyone help?

cheers.

Have you tried using alternative burning programs like Nero or CDBurnerXP? Splintercellguy 19:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

harddrive recovery?

What are some good freeware programs that can be used to try and recover a bad harddrive?--69.118.235.97 20:04, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

I dunno; the only option that I know of as of now is to send the damaged hard disk to a data recovery center. To my knowledge, such firms are only located in Singapore and the US/Canada region (and they're expensive, too)... Blake Gripling 00:40, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Try 'Drive Rescue' (available free on the net [8]) before spending good money on a hard drive recovery company.

If the HDD won't start at all or is physically damaged, then yes the data company. If the HDD is still accessible, then I would use TestDisk. Splintercellguy 03:39, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Keyboard switching languages

I have a really confusing problem. My computer is a Canadian edition of the Toshiba Satellite laptop, and it comes equipped with a dual english/french keyboard. It`s running windows vista. For some reason the keyboard will spontaneously switch into french sometimes, and I can`t figure out why. When it does, it only types french in text boxes in the browser - notepad and word still type in english. Also, in the OS language settings, only US english appears installed for both the system language and the keyboard layout. So what gives? How do I control when it changes, how to I stop it changing, and how do I switch it back to english? Thanks. (I can`t even sign my post because I can`t find the tilde key on the french keyboard!)

Shape tweening in Flash CS3

I am trying to do a very simple shape tween in Flash CS3 and it is giving me the most ridiculous results.

To illustrate the problem, I have copied the exact same shape to two different parts of the timeline and told it to shape tween into itself. The shape itself is just a modified rectangle—very simple! Here is the before and after shape to be tweened:

File:User-Panoptik-Shape Tween problem 1.png

But here is what it gives me for every frame of the shape tween:

File:Image-User-Panoptik-Shape Tween problem 2.png

Now I know the basics of shape tweening but this confounds me. I haven't broken any major rules to my knowledge (i.e. applying shape tweens to layers with grouped objects etc.), and it doesnt have a little "warning" button on the properties window as it does when you do something improper. Yet it can't handle this simple tween (much less the slightly more complicated variation that I really want it to do, where the nodes move out a bit).

I have tried adding shape hinting but it made absolutely no difference. What's up with this? Why can't I get it to work? Changing the tween settings from distributive to angular had no effect on the result. Can Flash really not tween such simple objects (I know it can try to do more complicated objects—does the simplicity throw it off?)? Note that when I add a keyframe to see what the intermediary shape is, Flash has simply deleted one of the nodes (and made it a triangle). Which is retarded.

Any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks! --Panoptik 20:32, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

download speeds

all things being equal if i was to download 2 files would it be any quicker to download them one at a time, or both at the same time, assuming say a negligible delay when downloading them seperatly for clicking the next link?--Colsmeghead 21:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Usually it is faster to download them both at the same time, since you are not likely to be actually capping out your download speed cap with any single file stream, unless it is one heckuva fast connection between you and the other computer. Assuming that they are both coming in at slower-than-your-maximum-downstream, having two file streams coming in simultaneously will get you both files faster than having them come one at a time. If, however, you are talking about a situation where you have a very limited total download speed (like on a modem), then having simultneous streams doesn't help things. --24.147.86.187 21:19, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Assuming that both files are coming in through the same bottleneck (which will usually be your personal internet connection, whether dialup, ADSL or whatever), any difference will be due to intricacies of the TCP flow control mechanism. Such effects are likely to be complicated, and I can't honestly say which way the overall effect might point, though they're likely to be minor in any case. Of course, the situation will be different if the speed of one download is limited by a bottleneck that is not shared by the other: in that case, downloading both at the same time will obviously be faster. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 23:05, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Tracking down an IP range

How would I track down the IP range of a named organization (say, a news service or an oil company)? Is there any way of doing it?— Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.176.249.239 (talk • contribs)

Go to ARIN, and enter the name of the organization you want to track down, and it should give you a set of IP ranges. --69.118.235.97 23:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Im having some limite success that way - are there any other ways of getting thse that they don't have?

A lot of news services and big companies are blocked by PeerGuardian. Try subscribing to all the blocklists and searching through the files, those people are usually pretty thorough. --froth^t 01:46, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

August 21

Flash video to MP3 conversion

I have a .flv file that I'd like to convert to .mp3. What's the best free software to accomplish that? Corvus cornix 02:06, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Try this Xilisoft Video Converter 3.1. @pple 02:26, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Free Website Advertising Services

Im trying to get my website name out there.... basically i want to find a good quality free service that allows my site url to be seen by possibly a target audience that i specify, or maybe some other way of ensuring that the people i want to see it see it.

I remember some type of service long ago where you had to look at other peoples ads, and each ad you looked at ensured you that someone would see yours. I guess theres lots of systems out there and its hard to go through all of them and determine what the easiest fastest way is to get traffic.

NOTE: If it helps, i am trying to promote a community on IRC which promotes cultural learning/interaction and general information sharing.

Any suggestions?

172.165.22.98 03:33, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

(PS: is http://www.linkreferral.com/adwel.pl any good? https://www.mochiads.com/ ?)

Well, one place you shouldn't try to get your website noticed is on Wikipedia articles or on your userpage, because the wiki software we use prevents external links from topping search engine results. –sebi 03:56, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

That is not my intent. :) I am simply asking if there are any services which people have noticed are fast, easy, and free.... that work good :) note that i havent actually posted the URL to my irc community here ;D

172.165.22.98 04:36, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

This is bad...

This is bad. This is real real bad...I successfully installed Vista with that silly "double-installation" method. Everything going well, so I decide to install Microsoft Office 2007. Thing is, I got the upgrade version, back when I had Works sittin' around on my computer. But Vista doesn't come with Works. Is there any way I can salvage this Office Professional 2007 disc? Could the upgrade consider the old Windows files? Is the only way to buy another Office disc? I'm really worried now, 'cause everything was just going fine...--The Ninth Bright Shiner 04:17, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Man oh man oh man...now I'm having trouble with iTunes. I've got all of my music and stuff on my iPod, and I've transferred purchased music from iTunes, but what about music not from my iTunes? I remember a way to transfer an entire iPod library to an iTunes one, but I can't remember...oh boy...--The Ninth Bright Shiner 06:05, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

ip not resolving but name through resolving..

we have fc7 and opening pages through ip(http://196.12.53.10) it shows "Bad Request

Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand. Apache/2.2.0 (Fedora) Server at 192.168.36.202 Port 80"

but through name(http://mail.iiit.ac.in) is working fine..

where the problem??? plz solve the problem, i have done latest updates also.. problem may be fc7 php or httpd ??? but fc5 working fine

..john--196.12.53.9 05:37, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't know, since I am not an Apache expert. Your server certificate seems to be screwed up though. Firefox gave me some warnings about it. Splintercellguy 05:43, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps you've got a name-based host set up, such that apache doesn't know what to do with connections to the IP. Check the error_logs. In addition, I see that connecting to the named host issues a redirect to the https:// site, which has a self-signed certificate for localhost.localdomain. You really ought to regenerate the certificate for mail.iiit.ac.in at least, otherwise some browsers won't read it. -- JSBillings 10:38, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Keyboard/mouse codes ?

Dear Sir/Madam,

One of my computer game stores its input settings in a file by the name of UserInfo.cfg and I have been trying to manually make it recognize one of the buttons of my Logitech MX700 cordless mouse. However I have no idea whatsoever in what programming language these keys are being referred. Does anyone have any idea reading the involved code and ultimately existence of a comprehensive database of the actual keyboard and mouse commands for that matter ?

As an example keyOptics[]={82} is [NUM 0] and keyWalk[]={65539} is Mouse Button #4.

Sincere remerciements in advance,
Matt714 06:53, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Windows Movie Maker

How do I mute video clips so that my music plays over it? --124.254.77.148 06:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Domain name selling related help

I am having 5 good domain names. They are readersday.com, bloggersday.com, browsersday.com, timesz.com, u4universe.com. I am interested in selling those domain names. What do you think is the best price for these domain names? Where can I sell these names? Or, Which website can I sell these names? Should I sell them one by one or all five of them in one? -Balaji.

duplicates

Are there any freeware programs that eliminate duplicates? Clem 08:20, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I have been using CloneSpy for years and it is in my opinion the best freeware file duplicates finder. It takes a while to learn the advanced features, but it's well worth it. Matt714 08:38, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Pentium D with 2 cores?

Hi!, I have a PC with Pentium D 3.00GHz and 1 GB RAM and 160 GB HDD running WINXP SP2. The Main board is INTEL original 965 RY model. After installing the IC and the OS, now by running <msinfo32.exe> in cmd I can only see one CPU in the processor column showing my pentium D details where as in my friends PC which is on 945 Intel motherboard with Pentium D 2.8 GHz shows 2 processor in that list of system information...I checked out other few same pentium D systems where all shows the 2 CPU in that list, but in my system it only shows one CPU...Is there anything wrong with my CPU or BIOS setup? or maybe with hardware?...I think INtel didn't make a faulty pentium D CPU with one core logic...I couldn't find any options in bios.I tried all the provided options in BIOS too...But I can see two coloumns in Task Manager chowing two CPU status graph under performance tab...I'm totally confused here...Please help guys..Thanks a lot in advance..