Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing

May 13

Removing the harnig virus

Hello friends. I am not speaking on my behalf but the behalf of my friend, who got the a trojan today called the harnig virus. Here is symantec's page on it. She's scanned her harddrive with CA Security 2007, CCleaner and AdAware. She reports that CA Security 2007 found the virus once and then said it was gone. The problem this is giving her is that when she starts up in regular mode, a few applications load as usual but after a few moments her screen goes completely black, no little blinky cursor or anything. For the record, she is running Windows XP Media Center Edition Version 5.1 with SP2. Here is a link to a screenshot of her msconfig startup panel: http://i7.tinypic.com/5zm2jnr.jpg Do any of these look particularly suspicious? Does anybody have any recommendations for how to remove this virus? Thanks! NIRVANA2764 00:16, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Don't see any problems with that startup list. When the screen goes completely black, I assume your computer has literally just turned itself off? x42bn6 Talk Mess 18:06, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Possible Virus

I have an odd problem with my computer, started about a day ago. It connects to the internet (wireless), but won't load most pages. It's fine with Wikipedia and Google, and can kinda handle YouTube and a few other random sites, but for most it gives the same response as if it wasn't online. This includes my antivirus update systems, so they haven't received updates in a few days. My sister's computer has started having the same problem. Does this sound like a virus, or spyware, or some sort of hardware problem, or what? If it helps, we're running Windows (XP I believe). 76.185.113.55 00:30, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried running anti-virus, spyware? It might be a networking problem if tools are a negative for virus/spyware. Splintercellguy 00:32, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

We've run AdAware, SpyBot S&D, and AVG. They all found minor invasions, as they always do, and got rid of them, but nothing's changed. By "networking problem", what do you mean? Is it something we could diagnose? If so, is it something we could fix? 76.185.113.55 00:46, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, can you access the router configuration and see the DHCP information? Can you trying tracert-ing and see what you can get? Splintercellguy 02:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I can sure try. How do I do that? 76.185.113.55 04:00, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Start -> Run -> cmd. Type ipconfig, and look at the Default Gateway field. That is your router's IP. Open up a web browser, and type http://<the IP here>. You may be asked for user and pass, consult your router's manual. Hmm, it may not be DHCP. What have you installed recently? Splintercellguy 04:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I got the IP, but I don't know the username or password. (My sisters set it up before I got here, I can ask them tomorrow.) The default password in the manual didn't work, so they must have come up with a new one. I'm not sure what DHCP is, or whether I have it installed or not, but if it helps we've got a LinkSys router, Model No. WRT54G, with the in-package setup CD, labelled Setup Wizard ver. 6.0. We've got cable DSL through I believe Time Warner. Does that answer the question? 76.185.113.55 04:30, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Hmm, I may have gotten off-track with the router. Have you done the Repair operation for the affected computers' network connection? Splintercellguy 04:58, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, many times. I've also unplugged and replugged the wireless box, rebooted, turned off and turned on, uninstalled and reinstalled one or two things. No change. I've been seeing what I can access and what I can't, though, and can give a little more information on that. I can access Google and its search pages and any of its cached pages, but nothing it links to directly unless I could anyway. I've tried accessing proxies to see if that would effect it, and it hasn't. Those that I can get to (Google and BabelFish translation so far) don't give me access to anything new. I can get the Linksys support site, which is nice, but I'm not sure if I can get anything helpful there. I can get to Yahoo, but most of the flashy doodads don't come up. Mostly, what I can and can't get to seems pretty random, but stable over time. 76.185.113.55 05:29, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

(Going to bed, will continue tomorrow morning.) 76.185.113.55 05:50, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Wish I had access to your machine. Umz, could it be the browser? Perhaps trying to browse from a clean LiveCD? Forgive me if I am not helping as well as you would like. Could use some other editors' help :). Splintercellguy 05:50, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I fully appreciate any help I can get. I've gotten into the router configuration, and among other things it says "Automatic Configuration - DHCP". Later, next to "DHCP Server" the Enable button is activated. So, yes to DHCP. Also, I found a screen with "Ping" and "Traceroute" buttons. What should I do with them? 76.185.113.55 16:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

What's the assigned IP address and gateway? Make sure its not set to autoconfig or invalid IP. Jam release/renew to possible rectify that. Splintercellguy 01:52, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Good news! We called the tech support, and they suggested plugging the computer directly into the modem. My connection is fine now, so it must be the wireless router that was causing all the problems. We still haven't figured out what it's doing, but now we've got internet access. :) Black Carrot 05:39, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

AIM Profiles

I'm using AIM 6.1 and was wondering if there's some type of hack to make your profile bigger. Once it reaches a certain size, it won't let you save until you shorten it. I want to do this without using those profile sites that you link to. 69.117.143.204 02:13, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

CDs on iTunes

I'm having some trouble burning a playlist onto iTunes. The CD-R I'm using is an 80min/700mb disc and the playlist I'm trying to burn is only 55min/69mb and it still won't burn. I deleted songs and got it down to less than half an hour and it still says it's too large, yet when I tried burning an older playlist that was larger than my current one, it worked fine. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.82.135.128 (talk) 03:47, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

• You're probably trying to burn the playlist as an Audio CD, not a Data CD. An Audio CD will only support a limited amount of music, while a Data CD can support much more. --Ali 16:10, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

DVD-R Multisession

Any idea why the DVD-R multisession burnt on Nero cant be read on win-xp without service pack whereas it can be read by iso-buster??~~ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.92.244.211 (talk) 05:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

Depends on many factors. Did you burn it with UDF or ISO? Check these links for incompatibilities. If ISO, what were your settings? Did you heed Nero's advice on making the disk maximally readable under Windows? ISO buster (etc.) has been programmed to read non-standard formats of DVD's whereas your Windows kernel can read a limited set of formats. AFAIK SP1 and 2 did not upgrade DVD readability but addressed hard drives above approx. 130 gig. Sandman30s 16:18, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

As far as compatability is concerned, it is readable in xp on the machine where the dvd-burner is installed, but it is not readable on my machine even if I had installed sp2.only Iso buster can read it..210.212.194.209

Doesn't sound like an XP problem then. Most likely your DVD reader on your other machine using XP's native drivers cannot read the burned (multisession) format. Remember your burner comes with its own drivers to be able to read the non-standard formats it burns. Multisession is a relatively new addition from the original single-session disks that were written once. Certain DVD readers can read multisession but that is a whole new investigation by itself. Also try burning your disks in maximum-ISO-compatibility mode the next time. Or don't use multisession. Sandman30s 09:37, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

any idea if it can be solved??59.92.245.82

copy all your files to hard disk, then write them back to a new dvd using single session ISO mode with maximum compatibility settings. Sorry but this means the loss of a blank dvd which is a small price to pay for knowledge... Sandman30s 14:05, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

s/this/that

What are people referring to when they say "s/one word/another word"? (Punctuation doesn't Google very well, and a search for s-slash turned up everything but.) NeonMerlin 05:15, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It's a substitution operator, used most notably in vi and Perl. It means substitute the regular expression between the first pair of slashes with the expression in the last pair. (unsigned by 149.135.125.155)

It's used in IRC and online chat too sometimes, when if someone says a whole word in a sentence wrong they correct themselves with s/wrong/right/. JoshHolloway 09:07, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It's a reference to sed syntax (the same syntax is also, as noted above, found in vi and Perl). --cesarb 13:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I supose technically it is a reference to ed (text editor), which sed is modelled after. -- Diletante 18:42, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Go back one more level: it's from QED (text editor), which ed was a simplified version of. --Anon, May 18, 2007, 23:29 (UTC).

Underscore number in a password

Is there a way to under line a number to log in to an account? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 206.255.75.57 (talk) 05:32, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

What do you mean by "under line a number"? What are you trying to log into? --h2g2bob (talk) 06:05, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

If you mean enter something like 12345678 as a password, then no, you can't do that, as that's not available using the standard characters on a keyboard. To create them here, for example, I had to type in "<u>12345678</u>". StuRat 14:28, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Eh, I don't know about that. There's some unicode character that usually renders as a # but when you put text between two of them it underlines that text. I have them around my counter-strike nick right now I think. --froth^t 18:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

International shipping

Hey, a little bit off topic but I figured if anyone knows this it'd be one of you guys. I'm about to order a laptop online (Alienware) and have it shipped to me in Japan, and while they don't give any indication that they are able to ship to Asia on their website, FedEx (with which who Alienware ships) is a well established courier here in Japan as well, and at the worst it will just cost me a few extra bucks (US) to route it my way.

My question is about customs. I have, on a few occasions, carried electronics across borders in Asia without any problems, but this will be the first time anything major comes in the mail, and I'm really not sure what to expect; am I going to be hit with a hefty tax, errr... duty? When will the charge me? Is some dude going to come to my house and get me to pay the difference or what? Does anybody have any experience with this, and can help me figure out about how much I might get charged? The system is going to cost me about $1,500 US POP. Thanks!  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  08:31, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

A couple times a year I work for a gift company that used to do international shipping to some countries. Some countries had UPS and FedEx but we still didn't ship there due to the high duties that would have to be paid. The company only had one shipping rate for international shipping in order to keep things simple. What I'm trying to get at is that just because you have FedEx there, it doesn't necessarily follow that Alienware will ship there. I would double check with the company. Dismas|^(talk) 09:13, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I've sent a request but Alienware isn't really known for their speedy world class support. You're probably right that they could refuse to send it to Japan because of high rates. I've just spent a couple hours looking through a bunch of Japanese customs .pdfs and though I can find no specific mention of teriffs? on computers an electronics, the duty might be as high as 5%, though I don't know if that applies to single independant purchases, or if electronics even falls under the same category. The fact that buying laptops in Japan costs so much more than it does in the US (I show the specs and the price of the Alienware system to a budget laptop manufacturer and I get laughed at) makes me suspect that they're not going to make it easy for me to have it sent over here.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  09:30, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Japan has 5% GST/consumption tax which you will probably have to pay. Duties, if any, will be in addition. If AlienWare is willing to ship to Japan, you will be paying AlienWare. Expect it to be $75 or more extra. Bear in mind if your have a problem under warranty you will have to ship it back to the US at your own cost. You will probably have to pay to ship it back to yourself too Nil Einne 11:04, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

These laws vary from country to country, but as above you should expect to pay the tax PLUS customs processing fee which may not be insignificant. You are crazy ordering something before knowing the specific law. You should really find out beforehand. In Australia I buy a lot of stuff on ebay from America, customs duty is 10% for most things and the processing fee is about $40, even if your particular goods are not subject to custom duty! If the Japanese sales tax is indeed 5% you could still be up for over $100 extra and it won't be Alienware taking the extra money at the time of purchase, it will be Japanese customs once the laptop hits the shores, they won't release it until they have the money. In Australia you usually get a phone call to pay the customs with credit card, how good is your Japanese? If it isn't good enough to enquire about customs duty at your post office, maybe you should make a Japanese colleague the contact so that Japanese customs don't have a problem communicating, otherwise your laptop may end up in an illegal import sale. Vespine 02:14, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Movie Format

Hello,

• I downloaded the 'Bink and Smacker RAD Video Tool' thingy and managed to sucsessfully convert a .MOV format movie into .AVI but there was a problem. When i decide to play them using Windows Media Player or in Movie Maker they are very stuttery and the sound is practically un reconisable. How can i solve this?

• With the Mozilla Firefox Video Downloader when you download a video how do you download it in .WMV / .AVI format?

thanks, --81.79.98.115 12:15, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

With Video Downloader, you download it in whatever format the website hosts it as (generally flv) and convert it yourself. Try playing it in VLC; if that fails try this guide to convert with ffmpeg. --h2g2bob (talk) 16:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Google Earth purposeful blurring of a location?

Check out 41.943837,-70.576826 on Google Maps or Google Earth — Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station. It looks like it has been purposefully blurred. It says that the data was provided by MassGIS, Commonwealth of Massachusetts — is it likely they blurred the data? (Personally I doubt there is any real security advantage to such a thing — it is trivial to find high-res satellite photography of the site on Google Images — but that's another question.) --24.147.86.187 14:20, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Same thing on Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant! ( 42°53'57.79"N, 70°50'58.93"W) Same image source! Note that there are plenty of other reactors which are not blurred — I suspect it is limitd to MassGIS's images. I wonder if Google knows/cares that they are receiving doctored images. --24.147.86.187

Indian Point Energy Center also looked blurred too but in a much more subtle way (not as chunky); they are New York GIS. Not sure what that is supposed to accomplish! --24.147.86.187 14:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It accomplishes the creation of a fig leaf. Since terraists are only smart enough to obtain aerial reconnaissance photography via Google Earth, if we obscure that data then the terraists can't possibly figure out where to aim their bombs. Or at least that's what they've told Georgie Porgy so he can sleep at night without a third glass of Jim Beam.

Atlant 11:44, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

How do you know that it doesn't actually look like that from above? 213.48.15.234 13:26, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, this "blurred" image is a hell of a lot clearer than the image of my home on Google Maps. So, I guess I should assume that Bush is blurring my house to protect me from terrorists, right? --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's worked so far, right? You're still safe in your home? ;-)

Atlant 15:42, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

It's not just Massachusetts. Take a look at the U.S. Vice President's residence. It's not even just the U.S. Look at this obscured location in the Netherlands and one in Russia. As for an explanation, I think we can credit bureaucracy, the "CYA" phenomenon, and morons who cannot grasp the idea that deliberately obscuring a location actually draws attention to it. --Tugbug 23:10, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Do you thing the goverment is so stupid? Are you sure that they are obscuring the 'right' hotspots? Perhaps they are covering some unimportant building to draw attention of the terrorists to the wrong places. Mr.K. (talk) 16:32, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Problem with WMP11 - Find Album Info

When I try to find album info for songs I have ripped from a CD I burned myself, Windows Media Player 11 fails to show the default "find album info" screen and instead shows "How do you want to search?," with the option of searching by artist, album, or "enter information for a CD you burned." How can I cause the default "find album info" screen to appear instead? I cannot obtain album art or album information properly with the new screen. Thanks! --Ali 16:06, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

ccApp.exe and ccSvcHst.exe problems

Hello. Usually, when I shut down my computer, a window appears and says it tries to end a ccApp.exe program followed by a window that says it has an application error with ccSvcHst.exe. That window says:

The instruction at “0x010ce0d4” referenced memory at “0x00000000.” The memory could not be read.

Click on OK to terminate program.

This window appears for a second or two and the computer shuts down. At other times, the application error with ccSvcHst.exe says:

The exception unknown software exception...

I did not have enough time to copy the rest. I searched for those files, finding them in Norton Antivirus 2007. How can I solve this problem? Thanks. --Mayfare 16:38, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Tried reinstalling Norton? --h2g2bob (talk) 16:48, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

DOSBOX/DJGPP

Is is possible to use DJGPP within DOSBOX or do I have to switch to DOSEMU? (I'm a Linux user) thanks

--Duomillia 17:26, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

DOSBox appears to be emulation at the hardware level (like Bochs), allowing the user to install any x86-compatible OS. If I remember right, DOSEMU does the emulation at a slightly higher level (like WINE does for Windows).

The DJGPP article says it runs on DOS, so if you run DOS within DOSBox it should work. It doesn't specify whether it works only with MS-DOS, or also clones DR-DOS, FreeDOS, etc...)

Cheers, Davidprior 17:58, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Should work fine. --h2g2bob (talk) 02:08, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Tracking

I remember that there was a website where on the bottom it said "Most recent visits" and it showed locations of the people that have looked at the site (with my location on the top). How is this done? 65.95.79.252 19:22, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

GeoIP, as below! It looks up your IP and finds the city it's in, then stores it in a database. JoshHolloway 20:14, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

IP address

Is there a way to know where someone is located based on their ip address? 65.95.79.252 19:22, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, take a look at Geolocation_software for information or HostIP.info to actually do it. It's accurate to the city, maybe suburb, but not more than that. JoshHolloway 20:01, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Note that it's accurate to the user's city/suburb at best - there are a number of things which can throw it off, most obviously the use of proxy servers. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 22:41, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

DNS records says you're in Ontario, Canada. --h2g2bob (talk) 02:06, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

...sitting in your bedroom at your computer in your underwear, while eating a peanut butter sandwich. :-) StuRat 06:05, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

...sitting naked in a bean bag eating Cheetos. Black Carrot 05:37, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Car SatNav

Can someone please explain in words of two syllables how a satnav works. I know it relies upon GPS signals, but how does that signal translate into verbal instructions. Sorry if this is not strictly a computer question but I'm sure it must come close. Thanks in anticipation of an answer that I might have a hope of understanding!--88.110.111.76 19:43, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

There are sattellites orbitting the earth which the satnav connects to. There will be 5 or 6 of these connected to your satnav at any time, sometimes more. Together they create a 3d electronic "map" of exactly where on the planet you are. The satnav unit itself has maps to the whole country and has a complicated method of working out the quickest route to take. As it knows where you need to go and where you are now, it can tell you what turnings to take etc. The voice which speaks to you will have pre-programmed phrases, such as "Turn right after 50 yards" and also be able to attempt to pronounce the roadnames. JoshHolloway 20:14, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

The GPS device doesn't quite "connect" to the GPS receivers. It simply uses the knowledge of the position of the satellites and clock time to calculate its location on the Earth. A receiver requires at least 4 satellites for good results. Splintercellguy 01:49, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Bzzt! Satellites is three syllables.

There are spacecraft in orbit around the earth. They have precise clocks on board. They use the time it takes for a signal to leave one spacecraft to each other to know how far apart they are. You receive that distance and the unit figures out where you are.

There's a quite-complex computer in the car's SatNav system, along with a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM full of programs and mapping data. The car's computer essentially runs software that is very similar to DeLorme's Street Atlas. Combined with the current-location information provided by the car's GPS system, that allows this computer to calculate a route to anywhere contained on its maps. As you move along the route, speech synthesis creates the spoken directions: "Prepare to turn right in 1000 feet", "turn right here", and the ever-popular "at the next convenient location, make a U-turn".

Where GPS doesn't work (like in tunnels or some skyscraper-surrounded city streets), the car uses dead reckoning to estimate its position based off of the last GPS data. This is done using odometer data from the vehicle's engine/transmission management computers and, usually, an electronic compass built into the car's navigation system.

Atlant 11:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I read somewhere that (in the uk at least) they were launching some new satellites that would increase accuracy even more, and that the new combination would allow for GPS to be useable for people "on foot" in cities (i.e. be able to direct people accurately with range of less than 10 metres). Also I suspect that the speech-package builds itself up from mini-statements/even just words into full sentences e.g. the sentence "in 500 yards take the second exit at the roundabout" may actually be an amalgamation of "In", "500 yards", "take the", "second", "exit", "at the", "roundabout". It might seem odd but then this way they save space (and time for the person recording the voice). I know that some software builds words in this manner (that's why you get the words [stressed]] unusually at times). ny156uk 17:16, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

There's been some interesting experimentation with "back-pack GPS" nav systems to assist blind people; as far as I know, the results have been pretty good, at least as long as the United States keeps Selective availability turned off. The new European satellite nav system should help with that last bit.

And yes, at least in my Audi, the nav system's speech synthesis is definitely canned phrases that are strung together as needed. It's especially obvious when it pronounces something like "Route 101-A"; the enunciation comes out something like "Route 101,,,,A". We always get a laugh when it says things like that.

Atlant 00:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Well I believe "the military" has to-the-centimeter GPS location worldwide already. --froth^t 18:19, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Unless you're using "differential GPS", GPS isn't that accurate. Propagation delay variations impose limits that are beyond "to the centimeter" accuracy.

Atlant 22:46, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Apple Ipod problem

When I first connected my new iPod about a year ago it downloaded from my Apply Mac system 10 all my music, all my photos and some only of my contacts. Now when I recharge it it up dates all those files but not my contacts. Why not and what can I do about it please. Any help will be much appreciated and acknowledged,--88.110.111.76 19:47, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

If you update your itunes and then plug in the ipod it should take you to the configuration panel and then you can pick what you want updated and what you want to stay the same --Nerdd

Thanks for this, but when I plug in the iPod to the Mac it just gets on with updating; no sign of a 'configuration panel'. How can I find that please?--88.110.111.76 21:18, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Later! your suggestion made me look deeper into the problem which I have now solved. Grateful thanks for your help.--88.110.111.76 21:41, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Subtitles for a video file (avi xvid)

Hi, does anyone have any experience with .SUB and .IDX subtitle files? The .SUB file is binary and the .IDX is a text file that contains settings and pointers to the binary images in the .SUB. Problem is that the subtitles of the movie shows as light green on yellow - unreadable! So I tried first to convert it to .SRT - problem is the converters cannot understand the binary text (OCR problem?) and ask me to type all the text in! Next thing I tried was editing the settings in the .IDX - makes no difference. Tried also various subtitle settings in VLC player, to no avail. Other players don't even show subtitles at all. Help :) Sandman30s 21:35, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Ah nevermind found the answer. Changed the settings to:

# The original palette of the DVD palette: 000000, 121212, 6d6d6d, d9d9d9, 000000, 121212, 848484, cacaca, 111111, 9a9a9a, ffffff, 828282, 828282, 828282, 828282, 828282

Sandman30s 22:18, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Streaming video capture

I ran the demo of WMRecording 11.0. It automatically downloaded streams as soon as they started as long as the program was running. Are there any free capture programs with similar functionality to avoid all the technical stuff or should I use a program that lets me select a rectangular space on my desktop for recording. In short: I'm looking for free software that lets me record and save streaming video (or capture it off my desktop of the first is not possible). For those who are worrying: I'm intending to use it for saving promotional trailers. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

VLC media player via its wizard? Splintercellguy 01:46, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

VideoDownloader, Javamoya, UnPlug, Ook Video Ook, etc. can download videos from a website. VLC can save many formats. Linux users can also use MiMMS to download mms videos. --h2g2bob (talk) 01:59, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

• The programs you mention work best with specific websites, I want something that is website independant, like WMR. I already have UnPlug and VideoDownloader and several of the videos I wish to download are not found by these programs. If they are, only the stream link is downloaded rather than the actual footage, so those are not what I'm looking for. - Mgm|^(talk) 07:44, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Javimoya.com seems to be able to handle a large number of sites. Splintercellguy 08:27, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Which website - perhaps I can add it --h2g2bob (talk) 02:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

• I've opted for using an URL snooper together with a free download manager that looks a lot like HiDownload the name of which I forgot. So far it worked like a charm. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

May 14

De-tokenize a Dragon 32/64 BASIC

This file is a rip of a Dragon 32/64 tape containing a tokenized BASIC program. Either because of the cassette file's container-data or because Dragon BASIC is too dissimilar to GWBASIC, a typical detokenizer won't handle it. I also haven't been able to find an emulator that will route standard or printer output (from a LIST or LLIST command) to a plain text file. What is the text of the tape's program? NeonMerlin 04:15, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

This looks interesting. I didn't decode the text, but I did find some information about the file formats. Color BASIC Cassette File Format describes the format of the cassette file of the compatible CoCo computer. The CAS file you provided seems similar, but I noticed two differences at a casual glance: a. The CAS file has only 16 (not 128) bytes of $55 at the beginning. b. Each block begins with $3C only (not $55 and $3C). Once you extract all data blocks from the cassette file and put them together, Dragon Information Files has documents about the BASIC storage format and tokens. -Bavi H 06:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Also, I found an emulator called "T3" for MS-DOS that can save printer output to a text file. You can download it from this page. Bavi H 03:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Single file download from Huge torrent file

Is it possible to download a single file(2.7Mb mp3) from a torrent archive(1.2GB) file??~~ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.212.194.209 (talk) 08:59, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

Yes. Use a torrent client that supports selective downloading (uTorrent on Windows supports this, for example). 09:13, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, unless the torrent is a single .zip or .rar. Try Azureus. APL 23:32, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Don't try azureus unless you particularly like the JRE sitting in your memory. Which I can't see could be anyone at this point.. --froth^t 06:46, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

uTorrent is a much, much lighter alternative and lets you download specific files from a torrent that has many. Down M. 04:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Missing taskbars in Xubuntu

I downloaded the Xubuntu LiveCD the other day so I could give Linux a try, but when I booted the CD, the taskbar and launchbar at the bottom and top of the screen were missing. However, the desktop icons still showed up and I could use the file browser and even open an AbiWord document.

I'm using an Acer TravelMate 2201LCi notebook with the following specs:

• CPU: 2.66GHz Celeron D
• RAM: 256MB (minus 64MB for integrated graphics)
• Video: ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 (integrated)
• DVD/CD Combo Drive
• Acer IPN2220 Wireless card
• HDD: 40GB

Can anyone explain why my taskbars are missing, and how I might get them back? --Lumina83 09:31, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Don't know why (I've noticed Ubuntu is tetchy with gnome-panel), but if you can get a terminal window, start "gnome-panel" from the command line. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.125.155 (talk) 10:21, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

I had this happen too, I believe due to Feisty's compiz use. Try sudo apt-get install compiz-tray-icon, and configure that. --- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION!

Sap Insurance

I did PG Diploma in Insurance and Risk management and have experience in insurance industry. I want to do SAP Insurance in India. Would U tell me where I can have it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.165.48.100 (talk) 10:23, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

You are looking for a job? If so, having worked in the insurance industry, you should be better qualified to answer that question that just about anyone else. If you really don't know, ask some of your friends/contacts in the industry. Or, if you are not looking for a job, please restate your question. --Tugbug 23:23, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

testing insurance projects

Do u have any information about insurance projects that you tested or come across. If so please let me have it. How can I become a best tester for Insurance projects —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.165.48.100 (talk) 10:26, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

What do you mean by insurance projects? Are you talking about some kind of software? You'll need to be able to write more clearly to succeed as a professional product tester. NeonMerlin 19:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Vandal Proof on Mac OS X?

Hello. I am running Mac OS X 10.4.9, and am trying to run VandalProof via CrossOver. I am recieving an error message that says:

Run-time error '445': Object doesn't support this action

Has anyone ever run this program via Mas OS X or can you point me to another similar program? Thanks, Curran (talk) 19:11, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

^{Fixed your VandalProof wikilink — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 19:52, 14 May 2007 (UTC)}

I used to use VandalFighter, but instead now I use the IRC channels and revert tools from a modified monobook.js. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 23:31, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

iPod hard drive model

Which is the ipod hard drive?

^{I've split your question into its own section — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 23:15, 14 May 2007 (UTC)}

The hard drive is the storage space for your songs. See also iPod. --h2g2bob (talk) 02:24, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

In the full-sized iPods, it's typically been a Toshiba 1.8" hard drive. In the Mini, I'm pretty sure it was a Toshiba 1" hard drive.

Atlant 14:01, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

And in case you didn't know, the Nano and shuffle don't have hard drives.Mix Lord 04:14, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Why don't companies make cheaper computers?

I was thinking, the Wii could be a very cheap computer, if nintendo made a few mods to it. First, turn the output into a VGA or DVI out, so it can be displayed at a decent size. Two, add a couple internal USB connections, and use cheap flash drives for hard drives (Could easily make 2-4GB for under 30$) Three, totally eliminate the Wiimote, package cheap but nice looking USB keyboard and mouse. Cut out the gamecube connectivity. I'm not saying the Wii specifically, but why don't companies make small, cheap computers like this? People have been able to run OS X on an Apple TV, Apple could easily repackage some units as "Mac Nanos" and sell them off cheaper than Mac Minis, bam, Mac just got market share. Obviously there's OLPC, but what good does that do to people who want to BUY a cheap piece of computing awesomeness? My point is, we have the technology to make a 100$ laptop, such as the OLPC would've been, India is even talking about mass producing laptops to make them 10$ each! Why isn't anyone really taking advantage of this blue ocean? Nintendo has shown that even people who aren't gamers can enjoy video games, someone needs to show that even people who aren't computer users can enjoy computers-- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 23:01, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

First of all, seen from a long-term perspective, companies do make inexpensive computers. 25 years ago you couldn't get anything really usable for less than USD 2000. Now USD 400 will get you a decent entry-level system. Factor in inflation, and the price drop has been extreme. Second, beyond a certain minimum, apparently companies just don't make enough profit to stay in business. After all, it has been tried. Sinclair sold a computer for GBP 100 'way back when, but it didn't do them much good. --Tugbug 23:20, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Not only that, keep in mind that of that $400 computer, a good fraction of the cost is software. Every time you buy a home computer at least $100 is paying for Windows. Some home computers also come with Microsoft Office, which is probably about another $100. At that point, if the computer costs $400 total, the hardware doesn't cost much more than a Wii.APL 23:30, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

This is my point, software is cheap. Hell, a company selling cheap computers would probably want to run linux on them anyway, so software isn't a factor. My question is, why don't companies that could easily sell computers for 100$ do it, not are computers expensive nowdays. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 23:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Get rid of the Wiimote and it's not really a Wii anymore. In any case you are also talking purely in terms of hardware — companies are also recouping their R&D work, their advertising, etc. No computer product, especially an entertainment product, has its cost based purely on hardware. --24.147.86.187 23:57, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

One of the reasons it's so cost-effective to assemble your own computer rather than have a company do it for you. It's hundreds of dollars cheaper for an hour of work. --froth^t 06:48, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Another factor to consider is "fixed costs", like research and development, advertising, setting up distribution networks, customer support, etc. If it costs, say $10 million to do this for a new computer, and you sell 100,000 of that model, that works out to an additional $100 per computer, right there. StuRat 03:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm thinking the Model T of computers though. Something that could be able to serve people's needs (and thus, stay in production) for a decade or longer (which is easier to do nowadays, since computers are becoming able to do more and more with less power, not counting graphical tasks). For example, I have an iMac next to me that's easily 7-8 years old, and can still do most things I do on a day to day basis, and do it smoothly. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 07:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Have you seen our article about Nicholas Negroponte's XO-1 (laptop) computer?

Atlant 14:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure about the Wii specifically, but most game systems are actually sold at a significant loss, so this may be another reason why this would be untenable. TheSaddestWookie 21:21, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

And then there is the customer service costs. I think you live in USA. People dont have any doubts using their wii. They dont call wii customer service every week while I call HP customer service may be every week or every two weeks. I dont even think wii has a phone customer support. Each time you call customer support, it will cost $1 to $10! Usually, wii is sold at a loss and profits are made in the game titles yo buy.-Jerry Kim.

Colour Inkjet Refills

Hello. When I refill an HP 28 Colour Cartridge that is low on ink as indicated to me on my computer, I can only refill about 1 mL of each of the three colours (magenta, cyan, and yellow). The cartridge says it can hold up to 8 mL. Why can't I refill 8 mL of each colour? Thanks. --Mayfare 23:58, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Just speculation, but, if it's an airtight container and you are using a needle to inject new ink, you will need to draw air out to allow room for the new ink. StuRat 01:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your speculation, StuRat. However, I am not sure if my colour ink cartridge is airtight. I went on HP's website and couldn't find any information on it. I even tried searching on Google. No luck there. Does anybody know if an HP 28 Colour Cartridge airtight? --Mayfare 02:45, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Why not do an experiment and use the needle to draw some air out first, and see if that doesn't allow you to inject more ink ? StuRat 02:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

May 15

Flowchart

Two questions. 1. does anyone wanna fix the image at Image:LampFlowchart.svg. If you look closely, the word "yes" is missing from a part of it. 2. Is there software or any tool that can generate a "normalized flowchart" like the preceeding one from a purely "pseudocode" description? Im thinking along the lines of a bunch of "if then" statements that are clear representations of the "logic" ... in case you want to send the text of the chart to someone in an email and still have it be comprehensible. NoClutter 02:09, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I don't know about your question, but I did fix the image. BrokenSegue 02:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

re 2: Graphviz may, but it may require fiddling to get the output precisely what you want. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.125.155 (talk) 09:13, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

The following is done with the Graph::Easy Perl module. You don't have to know Perl to use it. You can play with it online over here, and here is the manual. --TotoBaggins 16:58, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

File:User-TotoBaggins-flow.png

graph         { flow: south; }
node.start    { shape: rounded; fill: #ffbfc9; }
node.question { shape: diamond; fill: #ffff8a; }
node.action   { shape: rounded; fill: #8bef91; }

[ Want flowchart software ] { class: start }
  --> [ Did you read our flowchart article? ] { class: question; }
   -- No --> [ Go read it ] { class: action; }

[ Did you read our flowchart article? ]
  --> [ See the software listed? ] { class: question; }
   -- Yes --> [ Follow links ] { class: action; }

[ See the software listed? ]
  -- No --> [ Scroll down to "Automatic" ] { class: action; }

HP laptop reset button?

Hi

I have an HP laptop. I'm sure exactly what breed it is, it's part of the entertainment series. Anyway, it won't turn on. This has happened before and it was fixed by finding some magic reset button under the battery - I didn't see this done, though. So my question: where do I find this button? Thanks in advance for your help! 202.180.72.232 03:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Question retracted. It fixed itself! It's a miracle! Aaadddaaammm 04:10, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

what on earth is happening to wikipedia!

someone has glitched the toolbar at the top of every page that allows me to acccess my talk page, watch list and contributions! it keeps hiding behind the globe symbol!--Lerdthenerd 08:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I have no such problem. What browser are you using, what dimensions are you running the browser at (in pixels), and have you tried switching your skin? -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 08:56, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

it was normal an hour ago then it just went wierd, i think it might be a bug--Lerdthenerd 09:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

if you don't answer our questions, it's impossible for us to answer yours... -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 09:32, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

That happened a bit to me on IE 6, but now that I use Firefox it doesn't happen at all. --Lwarf 10:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

My problem is that I keep getting a program (index.php) every time I try to edit a page, including my own user page. Whether I download it or not, I still don't get to edit. All I can do is ask questions. --Manga 12:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

This is a common problem and it is usually something you did. It didn't "just happen". Whatever browser you are using (IE, Firefox, Opera...) has been told that it needs an external file handler for PHP files (notice the "php" at the end of the page address). I fix this problem at least twice a day on various users computers by selecting "open with" when it wants to download the page and selecting the browser. I make sure to check the "always open with this program" option. Every time, I ask over and over if the user did anything at all between the time it worked and it didn't work. They say no, absolutely not. Then, I say I'll just check the download and install history and see what they installed. Oh! Suddenly they remember installing something stupid like Limewire. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Go to your preferences, and under Editing, uncheck "Use external editor by default". --h2g2bob (talk) 19:13, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Best device for writing on the go?

I like writing things, but I don't get much of a chance to do it, since when I'm on my computer I'm too busy forum whoring, and I can't use pen and paper (my handwriting looks like a cross between a first grader and a semi-literate seismograph, depending on how fast I write.) I'm thinking a PDA would be the best solution to this, but what would be the best combination of usefulness, comfort, and size? I've never took a terribly deep look into PDAs before, so I could really use advice. I figure my three biggest things would be: Display- Obviously if i'm going to spend a lot of time looking at a small screen, it has to look at least somewhat nice, and be easy on the eyes. Size - If it's very big, I won't use it. I figure this won't be a problem with the PDA, but with the keyboard. Compatibility - I'd prefer to avoid Windows CE, mainly because, in my previous experience with it, it's an annoying ass OS, but also because my main computer(s) use Ubuntu Linux (Feisty), so they must be compatible with that (and thus, use OpenOffice Writer files).

Then for the keyboard, I'm also somewhat discriminating. Size- Needs be small enough to fold up and be about the same size as the PDA, but also comfortable to use. Durability - If I do decide to punch out a novel, it needs to last. Tactile feedback - I love my G15. I really do. Most fold up keyboards i've seen are flat, like laptop keyboards, which I can learn to live with, but i'd like something that's at least somewhat more comfortable. Cost- I'm broke. This also applies to the PDA.

What would be the best to go with? I'm thinking something old and used off CL, what brands/models should I look for? What type of keyboard should I get? What kind of case should I get to hold said PDA and keyboard? Thanks -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 09:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Hello PhoebaWright, your question is interesting and clearly stated. I'd like to have an answer as I've been asking it myself too long. I do scribble on pads and type back on MSWord. I consider'd PDAin' but screen and kbd do look small. I think that tech is slowly improving, see the DS where children may scribble without learning OCR script. Good luck!-- DLL ^{.. T} 18:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I decided to relearn handwriting from scratch at age 23, after I had to teach students at my university and nobody could decipher the stuff I wrote on the board. To my big surprise it took less than a week and has been of great benefit not only for my students but also for my personal notes. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.187.9.82 (talk) 20:38, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

I never really learned handwriting in the first place, not to mention my hands become incredibly painful if I write for more than 5-10 minutes, a problem I've never had with typing. This would still be more convineant for me -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 21:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Installing Driver for USB card on Mac

I just recently bought an Edimax EW-7318Ug USB Wireless stick and am trying to get it to work. I downloaded the driver from the seller's website (other people seem to have had no problem with it, so I doubt it is the driver's problem), but, when I try to unzip the .zip file from the desktop (my default for all downloads) I get an error message at the end of the unzip saying that I could not open to desktop, and the action was not permissible (Error 1 - Operation not permitted). Can anyone help here?

Thanks, a struggling Mac beginner.

--Manga 13:00, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I found this info:

open up terminal in the utility directory and copy the [missing word] into you home directory.

from terminal type:

unzip filename.zip -d directory name

Now I just need to find out what 'home directory' means, and how to access it. Any ideas?

--Manga 14:03, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Found it. Obviously, it was the one with the picture of a house as its icon. anyway, I unzipped it, and it created an empty folder on my desktop.... What should I do now?

--Manga 14:10, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, done it all now.....phew.....--Manga 14:48, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Actionscript error

I get this error in my Flash document: Left side of assignment operator must be variable or property. This is the part of the code it refers to: if (hittimer == 40 or hittimer == 30 or hittimer == 20 or hittimer == 10 or hittimer == 50 or hittimer == 60 or hittimer == 59 or hittimer == 51 or hittimer == 49 or hittimer == 41 or hittimer == 39 or hittimer == 31 or hittimer == 29 or hittimer == 21 or hittimer == 19 or hittimer = 11 or hittimer == 9) { ship._visible = 0; } else { ship._visible = 1; }

Any thoughts? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ipmin (talk • contribs) 15:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

If you lay out your code neatly, these problems will be much easier to spot. Can you see the error now? --TotoBaggins 15:57, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

if (   hittimer == 40 or hittimer == 30 or hittimer == 20
    or hittimer == 10 or hittimer == 50 or hittimer == 60
    or hittimer == 59 or hittimer == 51 or hittimer == 49
    or hittimer == 41 or hittimer == 39 or hittimer == 31
    or hittimer == 29 or hittimer == 21 or hittimer == 19
    or hittimer = 11 or hittimer == 9)
{  
    ship._visible = 0;
}  
else
{
    ship._visible = 1;
}

You can also make your code clearer by using a data structure to avoid having to explicitly mention all those magic numbers (caveat: I don't know Actionscript). --TotoBaggins 16:19, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

var invisible_times:Array = [  9, 10, 11,
                              19, 20, 21,
                              29, 30, 31,
                              39, 40, 41,
                              49, 50, 51,
                              59, 60 ];

ship._visible = invisible_times.indexOf(hittimer) == -1;

I see the error now. Was short an = sign. Thank youIpmin 20:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

XPS 710 H2C

How fast would the Dell XPS 710 H2C be if it had an extreme QX6800 processor, 1.5TB performance and physical accelerator? Would it like be so fast that it would be maybe 5 seconds max. that one pushes the power button it goes to the welcome center?Jk31213 15:42, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Boot time has more to do with hard disk speed than processor speed. The operating system has to read a lot of stuff from disk to initialize itself, but it doesn't necessarily have a lot of actual CPU work to do. --TotoBaggins 15:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

And what do you mean by 1.5TB performance? Or physical accelerator? My computer boots to the vista login screen in less than 5 seconds (see my userpage for specs).. maybe it's time for you to upgrade OSes. --froth^t 18:15, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

He means "physics accelerator". --ST47Talk 20:39, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Online Database

I'm looking to set up a vast online database, (30Gb+) and need to find some software to sort out accessing and user accounts to control who edits them, and for searching it by fields from the internet publicly, but still have control over the database software, also, any advice on a good management console would be appreciated.

By the way, i'm using google adsense, and got my friend to click on an advert on my website to see if it would register, but my account didn't seem to pick it up, any solutions? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.29.174.142 (talk) 16:04, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

If you want something non-custom and user-friendly I think the commercial solutions like Access might come with graphical frontends. But my recommendation is to write it yourself and use a free solution like mysql or postgresql. --froth^t 18:17, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Access is innappropriate for any thing approaching even 2 GB, as it becomes very unstable. I agree with MySQL, or PostgrSQL as open source alternatives to MSSQL. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Czmtzc (talk • contribs) 18:54, 15 May 2007 (UTC).

I agree with Czmtzc - an SQL database is required. This easily hooks into making a website (eg with PHP). Different accounts can have different access levels. As an example, see the PostgreSQL Manual for technical details. PostgreSQL and MySQL are free. --h2g2bob (talk) 23:57, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

How does one destroy a web site?

In theory, what program would one use to destroy an entire website? And is this legal? 71.34.246.188 17:51, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Umm, rm ? -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

And it's not legal unless it's you control the website.. or the company that runs the website. For example if you destroyed google yet are a majority shareholder you could move to dismiss a civil suit against a certain hacker (you). Or just not press charges in the first place if it's your site. Otherwise if you get caught you'd be liable for damages. --froth^t 18:13, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

On second thought, that might be a criminal charge, not a civil charge. It depends on the jurisdiction I believe, but I'm not a lawyer.. --froth^t 18:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

There are a billion programs that can destroy a website. Anything that can destroy a computer can destroy a website. x42bn6 Talk Mess 18:33, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

See computer crime --h2g2bob (talk) 18:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

A website is only a bunch of files on a hard drive (server) somewhere else, even though you can use your own computer as a sit server. All you need to do to destroy a website is to enter, get permissions, and go on and delete them. There are also different kinds of attacks, like Man-in-the-middle attack, or denial-of-service attacks. I personally like the last one the best :) There's also programs at each of the articles for doing it. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 20:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

The question asked how "one" can destroy a website. A DOS is hard for "one" to do. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:28, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Oh no, there are ways. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 16:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

True. For example, one can ping of death (ancient and unpatched) servers using a single box. --h2g2bob (talk) 19:34, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

This is the original poster; could you please give some details on exactly HOW one would get the payload (something designed to wipe out an entire hard drive) onto the server and cause it to execute without utilizing e-mail, as you don't e-mail to a server, please? In theory, of course. 71.34.246.188 00:18, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, the only webpages you need to know how to destroy are ones you own. Wikipedia will not help you to commit crimes. Just because it might fly at other forums doesn't mean it will here -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 02:04, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Please trust me on this, if you're asking that basic question then you have no business whatsoever inquiring.. you're far from being able to do it. --froth^t 05:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Find where the site is hosted, break into it, find out which computer is it hosted, use a fire axe or something and hack it (pun not intended). --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Um, it's the original poster: I wasn't planning to destroy any websites for real; just I'm curious. What do you mean "fire axe"? An axe on fire? 66.224.229.18 15:08, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Your intentions aren't important, it would be a violation of wiki policy to give instructions on something that's highly illegal. Would you expect us to tell you how to grow weed or manufacture meth? How about how to get away with insurance fraud? Of course not -_ Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 22:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Good thing there's an encyclopedia nearby! --LarryMac | Talk 15:12, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Data transfer between two modems

Hi, how would I transfer data between two modems, with nothing but an RJ11 line in between? I have Windows on both machines, and in hyperterminal both modems respond to ATZ. How do I establish a connection to get ready for ZMODEM file transfer? --Kjoonlee 18:29, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I can't get Ethernet to work; is there a better way to do what I want, with the same resources? --Kjoonlee 18:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Should I just do ATH1 on one end and ATA on the other? --Kjoonlee 18:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried a crossover ethernet cable? That would probably work better directly from PC to PC than modem to modem -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 19:23, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

One of the computers is a Win98 machine with no PCMCIA cards and no ethernet. USB storage doesn't work (no drivers) so in order to transfer drivers I need to use what I have. :( --Kjoonlee 19:45, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

In order to get two modems to talk they both have to partake of the modem hookup protocol (that thing where they squeal various tones and encodings at one another until they agree what they'll both talk). By directly connecting them (without an intermediate PBX) you probably can't have one dial and the other answer,and modems only go into the syncup mode after they've done one or t'other. Some modems have s-registers which will force them into that mode, but you'd need the manuals for both modems to get them into that condition. In your circumstance I'd either:

• just take the hard drive out of the old machine, set it as a slave, and graft it into the newer one, and then just copy the desired files over. Things get a bit harder if one or both machines are laptops (you'd need IDE cables/size-adapters that you might not ordinarily have).
• boot the old machine with a linux liveCD (ubuntu linux or knoppix work very well), which will support a USB drive, and copy the files from the '98 partition to the USB disk that way

--Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

The problem is that both machines are laptops, and the old machine doesn't have working USB mass storage support (no drivers). I don't have any USB floppy drives or USB CD-ROM drives either. :( --Kjoonlee 20:01, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Why are you still using Win98? I can almost guarantee that something like Puppy Linux or Damn Small Linux would work better for you, since it would have support for more modern things, while still not demanding too much from the computer. -_ Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 20:12, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

You can buy a super-cheap USB IDE drive enclosure and a laptop-regular IDE converter (like this). Take the hard drive out of the old laptop and connect it into the enclosure using the converter. Then plug this into the USB port of the new laptop. Or you can find a cheap drive enclosure that natively takes laptop drives (like this). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Do both PCs have serial ports? If so, you can get an RS-232 crossover cable and skip the modems completely. --LarryMac | Talk 20:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Why am I still using Win98? Because I haven't installed Debian yet ;) --Kjoonlee 20:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I might try the laptop enclosure thing. The newer PC doesn't have a serial port. --Kjoonlee 20:59, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

I tried searching for "two modems" and it seems I need a dialtone simulator (voltage provider) to do what I had wanted. I think I'll have to use a USB floppy or a USB enclosure. Thanks everyone. :) --Kjoonlee 21:18, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Instead of using a phone simulator (which can be hard and expensive to find), do you have two phone lines you can use? Maybe one at your friends and another at home? Then no other equipment is needed. —EncMstr 22:14, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried doing serial-serial (or parallel-parallel) transfer?

Back before the fancy ethernets and interwebs came about, I found myself in the same situation on occasion. I used one of two relatively quick methods to transfer files. The best is a laplink-compatible or 'direct connect' parallel cable, which works well in windows 95+ to share files. The second is through forcing two modems to negotiate with each other. I accomplished this with nothing more than a phone patch and generic AT commands, set one modem to auto-answer and start a dial on the other, plug them in and wait for them both to chat. This worked well in hyperterminal, but the speeds are less than impressive. --Jmeden2000 17:22, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I am surprised that only one person mentioned a direct serial link. It is silly to use two modems to get a serial link when you can just plug a serial cable in between them directly, this is usually called a Null modem. EDIT: I missed that one machine has no serial port, you can get a usb->serial adapter -- Diletante 18:48, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

What is a "normal file"?

Such as what is being checked for when you call aFileName.isFile() in java, with regards to the system specific details?? [1] Thanks, Mathmo ^Talk 22:28, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

A file that contains a sequence of octets meant for normal processes to read, as opposed to a directory, a symbolic link, a device file, a named pipe, etc. Which of these are available depends of course on the file system being used. --Tardis 22:35, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

What you write is what people usually mean by "normal file", and is what the linked documentation implies, but is actually not true for Java. The rule seems to be "return false iff it is a directory or non-existant, or is a symlink to one of those". --TotoBaggins 16:52, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

# cat IsFile.java

import java.io.File;
public class IsFile {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
            File f = new File(args[i]);
            System.out.println((f.isFile() ? " IS FILE: " : "NOT FILE: ")
                               + args[i]);     
        }
    }
}

# ll

brw-r--r--  1 root root 0, 0 May 16 12:29 block-node
crw-r--r--  1 root root 0, 0 May 16 12:30 character-node
prw-r--r--  1 root root    0 May 16 12:30 fifo-node
drwxrwxr-x  2 root root 4.0K May 16 12:37 a-directory
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root   11 May 16 12:37 dir-symlink -> a-directory
-rw-rw-r--  1 root root    0 May 16 12:39 normal-file
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root   11 May 16 12:39 normal-file-symlink -> normal-file
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root    7 May 16 12:41 dangling-symlink -> nowhere

# java IsFile normal-file normal-file-symlink block-node character-node
              fifo-node a-directory dir-symlink dangling-symlink
              non-existent-file

 IS FILE: normal-file
 IS FILE: normal-file-symlink
 IS FILE: block-node
 IS FILE: character-node
 IS FILE: fifo-node
NOT FILE: a-directory
NOT FILE: dir-symlink
NOT FILE: dangling-symlink
NOT FILE: non-existent-file

Cell Phones

I recently purchased a razrv3 unlocked cell phone from ebay. I have found the sites with information on how to set it up. I have not been able to find out what mobileQQ is. Can you help me with this? Also, I know when the flip is closed while on speaker ,it should not disconnect the call, but it does and I have read about this problem on faqs I have visited . No where can I find any information on how to fix this problem. Can you find any information for me on this? It would be most appreciative if you can find answers for me. Thank you in advance.71.30.204.158 21:06, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Could mobileQQ be related to the Chinese IM program Tencent QQ? FiggyBee 00:58, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes mobileQQ is Tencent QQ for mobiles, so it seems the phone was originally from China... --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:18, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

May 16

saving web-pages in one file

How can I save web-pages in one clickable file? (I mean, when I save a web-page it is actually the page and an extra folder). I want to have both together.217.95.65.120 00:00, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Pics are going to be in separate files in a folder, called from the main HTML file, that's just the way HTML works. The only way to save a web page as one file would be to take a snapshot of it and save it as a pic. That would be easy if it's on one screen, not so easy if it scrolls off the bottom of the screen. Once saved as a single pic, though, you can't modify it very easily. StuRat 00:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

There is a format called "MHTML" (Mime HTML) that is intended for saving web pages as single files. Internet Explorer can save in it. [Do "Save As ..." and then set the "Save As Type:" to "Web Archive, single file (*.mht)".] According to the MHTML article, current versions of Opera and Safari can also save the files, but Firefox cannot. --Tugbug 01:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

There was a plugin for FF 1.5 that let me save in MTHML, but it doesnt work in FF 2 anymore :( Shinhan 07:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

You could save it as a PDF with supported links, on a PC you'll need a plug-in, but on Mac just print as PDF -- no plug-in required! --Cody.Pope 10:02, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the links just become blue, not actual clickable links, if you do the Print > PDF on a Mac. --24.147.86.187 12:26, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Need help with useing the same internet connection on two computers without another routher

i have a router that uses cables to connect to one of my computers. (that pc has 2 internet cards). i have the other internet card (the one not being connected to the internet) connected directly to my other computer. i was wondering if there is any for both of them to be able to go onto the internet. NOTE-- the pc connected directly to the router can go onto the internet. BOTH computers have windows XP —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.175.15.245 (talk) 00:05, 16 May 2007 (UTC).

You might be able to use a switch or hub (or even passive hub/splitter), but the problem is that many ISP's only give you one IP address, and you'll need two for those computers to operate over the same connection. Cheap RJ-45 jack splitters are in the ~$10 neighborhood (or less) at Radio Shack, etc., so you might want to go and get one and see try it out to see if the second machine will automatically acquire an IP address.

Alternatively, if you don't access via networked wall jack, but rather say DSL or a cable modem, you might be able to do a similar thing, depending on the cable or DSL modem. Without knowing specifically what you have, I can't really answer the question down this direction. –Pakman044 00:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

i dont think it is a problem with the ip because my laptop (wierlessly) and my other computer use the router. for what internet i have it is verizion fios (very fast fiberoptic internet) i think the cables that i use to connect the computers is a cat5.

If you have a router, is it not a simple matter to just connect the laptop to the router? Splintercellguy 02:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

If one computer has 2 network cards, one plugged into the internet and the other into another computer you can get internet on both XP computers by running "internet connection sharing wizard" on both computers. Vespine 04:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I do this on my PC by bridging the two connections - under Network Connections, select both and right-click - Bridge connections. I'm sure a Google will give you plenty of guidance also. --Worm 15:38, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Autorunning batch files?

I'm trying to make it as simple as possible for my parents to use their digital camera. Is there some way I can create a batch file -- one that's automatically run whenever the SD card is inserted -- that'll cut and paste all files on the SD card (except the .BAT file obviously) to a specified directory on the hard drive, then show a large "OK, all done" message? Down M. 04:40, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Presumably it would be executed by an autorun.inf file on the sd card. Maybe try something like

cp E:/* C:/pics/

? --froth^t 05:25, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

How about using something like Picasa and automatically run it every time camera is connected? That would be much easier to sort and manage than just oopying them to a directory. --antilived^{T | C | G} 08:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Autorun.inf isn't a shell script, and Windows doesn't support "cp", it's called "copy". —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.125.155 (talk) 09:35, 16 May 2007 (UTC).

Well who said it was a shell script? And nice catch with the "copy"- I haven't used dos in ages --froth^t 13:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I wrote a similar copy program, but had it run when a suitably labeled icon on the desktop was clicked. StuRat 00:18, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

String in C

Hello all. I just got a question from a friend of mine about strings on C. Can I, somehow, declare an object as a string, like,

String ABC;

like that? And if the answer is no, is there any easier way than using arrays of characters? Thanks in advance —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Imoeng (talk • contribs) 08:50, 16 May 2007 (UTC).

No, on both counts. If you want a lightweight OO overlay on top of C, go Objective-C. If you want something more complex, go C++. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.125.155 (talk) 09:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC).

The only way I know of creating stings in C is with an array of characters, try C++ it has all sorts of stuff that makes creating and manipulating strings easy. --Lwarf 10:21, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Sure; you can create any kind of new data type you want, and then define operations on it. It's not anywhere near as convenient as with a language with built-in OO support (or even with a decent standard library), but can definitely be done (example below). It's what other languages are doing under the covers with their powerful encapsulation mechanisms. --TotoBaggins 17:09, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

// string_lib.h
typedef struct
{
    char *char_buf;
    int  char_buf_size;
} String;

String* string_new(char *initial_str);
void string_append(String *str, String *pendant);
void string_destroy(String *str);

// main.c
int main()
{
    String *s1 = string_new("hello");
    String *s2 = string_new(" world");
    string_append(s1, s2);
    puts(s1->char_buf); // prints "hello world"
    return 0;
}

Here's what the program would look like in FORTRAN, a language with proper string handling built in:

PROGRAM HELLO_WORLD
CHARACTER*80 S1,S2
S1 = "hello"
S2 = " world"
S1 = s1(:5) // S2
PRINT *,S1
END

StuRat 00:12, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

This doesn't mean that you can universally get away with never having to deal with character arrays in C. It only masks the "discomfort" in all the code someone personally writes and nothing else.

Countdown...

Hello, Someone emailed and asked me to find an online (free) countdown to add to their blog. They want it to be something that they can change (like, set it to end at 11:15 today, then change it to a different time a different day). Is there such a component? Thanks!! --Zach 13:17, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Typing javascript countdown timer in to Google should keep you busy for a while. - X201 13:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I dont think the java ones are working... lemme try flash... --Zach 13:53, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Note that Java and Javascript are two different things. Javascript should work if you're using a mainstream browser, but Java may need extra things installed. JoshHolloway 15:48, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Halo 3 Beta

I had signed up for the Halo 3 Beta at halo3.com, and I got an email 9 hours ago from Bungie with a download code, saying am welcomed to the Bungie Friends & Family Halo 3 Beta. However, I did not play on Xbox Live for 3 hours nor buy the game Crackdown like the Rule of Three requests. Can I still download and play the Halo 3 Beta? Based on the Wikipedia article, I'd say there was more than one beta program, so things are looking up. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 16:43, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

From what I hear (and this is an opinion and I am probably not accurate), you can only sign up if you're in the US and if you're in the UK or whatnot then you can use the Crackdown CD. JoshHolloway 19:07, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Why don't you try it and tell us? -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 22:23, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

My friend and I agreed that we would use his box. In the afternoon I should be there to enter the passcode. [Mac Davis] (unloggedin)

Precision in printf

I want to print a floating point number with the printf function in C (actually in Octave, but it works the same as in C). When printing the variable x, I could write printf("%e", x), which would round the number off and give me 5.861571e+07 as output. However, rounding is not acceptable – I need to output all information that is stored in x. How do I do that? Do I really have to manually specify a precision that I know will capture all of x, i.e., write printf("%.40e", x) and get 5.8615710000003218650817871093750000000000e+07? Can't I get it do determine automatically how many digits are needed? Thanks. —Bromskloss 17:55, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

printf has no idea how many digits are necessary to accurately represent the number you believe to be represented by the float or double x - so it just prints how many you tell it. It's entirely false to believe a) that it will store all the digits you want, and b) that digits following what you'd consider to be the last one will be zeros - floating point is all about approximations. If rounding really isn't acceptable then you shouldn't be using floats and doubles at all, but an arbitrary-precision arithmetic library instead. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:19, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Looking at Octave's page, I'll guess that it already has an arbitrary-precision library. Is x really a float, or is it really a bignum? If it's a float, the above applies, but if it's a bignum then the comparison with C is misleading, and the question really is how does Octave's printf behave. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:27, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

It is a float (64 bit), and I am fully aware of that it has a finite precision. I just don't want the use of printf to reduce that precision further. —Bromskloss 18:57, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Could you explain why you need all the information? If you just want to store the information, you can store the 64 bit directly without considering its meaning as a float, like 0xAFB2312422FB1228.

I will import the output into another program. —Bromskloss 22:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit conflict] What you should know about this is given at Apple's floating-point guide, with some of it (and a lot of other useful information) given at Sun's more mathematically-oriented site. The skinny is that (at least for numbers that are not near the edges of the representation's range) every decimal number with at most 6 significant digits "survives" being represented as a float and then reformatted to 6 significant digits (as by "%.6g"). However, given a float, one must (in the worst case) write down 9 significant digits in order for reading the output as a float to yield the original value. These numbers for double are 15 and 17 (which happen to differ by only 2 instead of 3). So the question of "How many digits does this floating-point type have?" is somewhat ill-posed; put simply, you must supply (as input or as output!) the larger number to specify a value but must expect only the smaller number back if you have a "correct" decimal answer in mind. These smaller numbers are available with GCC as pre#defined macros __FLT_DIG__, __DBL_DIG__, and __LDBL_DIG__.

This is of course complicated by the notion of the "exact value" of a floating-point number, which, instead of being the shortest decimal string that would round back to it, is the actual value represented by the bit pattern. Since $2^{-n}$ has n digits after the radix point in decimal, and doubles have 53 bits of mantissa (including a hidden bit), the exact decimal representation can be quite long. For instance, the smallest double greater than 1 is $1+2^{-52}$=1.0000000000000002220446049250313080847263336181640625. However, following the "17" rule, it is sufficient (if it is understood that we are discussing only doubles) to give this number as the somewhat-more-manageable 1.0000000000000002, which will round to that double value if re-read. Which of these two values you consider to contain "all information" is something of a judgment call: the second number is clearly different from the first and from the double it represents, but it does uniquely represent that value in the (IEEE 754 64-bit) machine numbers. So the short answer is that "%.16e" or "%.52e" will do what you want, depending on what you want. [edit conflict: apparently you'll be happy with correct re-reading, which is the smaller precision] (The precision for %e does not include the first digit, which is never 0 (except for 0.0e+00, of course); for %g use precisions one greater.) Does that help? --Tardis 22:30, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

If you want to transfer binary floating-point data exactly, without a pair of binary/decimal conversions and all the attendant complications and "gotchas", C99 has a new format: %a, which gives you binary floating-point, not decimal floating-point. Here, and as long as you use enough digits, the result really will be exact. Figuring out the right number of digits will still be somewhat tricky and machine-dependent, but more straightforward than the decimal case.

The downsides are that %a is not available under all C libraries, and its output is (obviously) not so human-readable. I have no idea whether Octave supports it. —Steve Summit (talk) 01:19, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Name for RAM overload?

Is there a particular name for an error in which a computer tries to transfer too much information from its hard drive to RAM? (Perhaps in some sort of failure or error relating to direct memory access?). Does this ever happen? If so, what is the result? Thanks. --Brasswatchman 22:40, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Your question can be interpreted a number of different ways. The error could be a buffer overflow, a low-memory situation resulting in thrashing, a DMA error, and so on. What is the context of your query? --TotoBaggins 22:54, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Err, the context is my own curiosity? :) I honestly don't have a hardware error of any sort (though my laptop has been hitting the virtual memory pretty hard recently). I'm just trying to educate myself about hardware. Thanks. --Brasswatchman 22:24, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Think about what happens in a modern OS. Note that you're not really copying stuff straight to physical RAM, you'd most likely be doing it in a virtual memory layer. VM fakes that every program has 4G of RAM, and because not every program uses 4G of RAM, it only copies what bits each program needs into physical RAM. When all your physical RAM is unavailable, it transfers some of those bits from your physical RAM onto your hard disk (which is several orders of magnitude slower than physical RAM).

Now back to your question. If you transfer a heap of stuff into virtual memory and your physical RAM is exhausted, you'll begin to start swapping (transferring stuff from RAM to your hard disk). If your swap (the bit of your hard disk reserved for transferring bits from RAM to the hard disk) is exhausted, nasty things will happen, such as your OS grinding to a complete halt.

I see. And how does the swap become exhausted? Can that particular path actually burn itself out? (And is what you're describing the same as what Toto Baggins calls thrashing?) --Brasswatchman 22:24, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Windows calls it "paging" and it's just a large file in system32 or thereabouts. The kernel or filesystem restricts its size to whatever you set it to, and if it exceeds that size and no optimizations are possible, then it's full and that's that- the OS will not allocate any more memory and will return nulls for any program that wants a free address --froth^t 00:09, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

I know this is irrelevant but I believe (no warranties) that the hardware does not 'burtn out when you run out of swap (aka virtual memory) . A nice protection from this happening is very simple actually. Get more RAM on your system that the OS Distributor recommends. and get a swap file of fixed size that is about two to four times your RAM. --Kushal User_talk:Kushal_one 23:37, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

There's no fundamental answer to this- it's just however the OS chooses to handle it. I don't actually know how any of them work in this respect, but if I were making an OS I'd just refuse to allocate memory once paging is full and ensure a safe margin of error to keep the OS alive. Also programming language specs often have compilers keeping their kids safe by refusing to let them even ask the OS for too much memory, so they can die gracefully or hopefully decide to free up some memory or something first. You're not going to cause physical damage by running out of memory- it's just bits flipping in very low stability areas (absolutely nothing bad will happen to your rig if your swap partition/file is corrupted). I know that memory used to be a problem for me back in the win 98 days and the OS would die if you ran out of memory- but after a restart all is well. --froth^t 00:04, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

And by the way, are you specifically asking about DMA (you said from its hard drive to RAM) or could it be any insufficient-memory problem? --froth^t 00:07, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

==Move system folder on Windows XP==

Dear fellow Wikipedian: I am here today with a most singular question. Is it possible to MOVE a huge system folder (namely, C:/Documents and Settings/) to another partition on the same hard disk drive (namely, D:/) without much fuss? Can this move operation be transparent to the end user (so that [s]he does not have to know what I have done)?

The C partition has 11.17 GB capacity (7% free). The D partition has 12.89 GB Capacity (15% free [1]). The F drive has 13.22 GB capacity (15% free). Thank you for your kind co-operation. Yours sincerely, User:Kushal_one --Kushal User_talk:Kushal_one 22:43, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

---

[1] I can have this partition formatted, scanned, and defragmented before the move operation. Some details [2] on the configuration: (mostly useless) Processor: Intel (R) Pentium (R) 4 CPU 1.50 GHz L2 Cache: 256 KB Memory: 128 MB Monitor: Default Monitor Video Card: Intel (R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller Mode: 1024*768 with 16 bit color depth Input: Mouse: Standard Serial Mouse Keyboard: Standard 102/102-Key PS2 Keyboard Windows: Windows XP - Professional (5.1.2600) Service Pack 2 Installed: 12/18/2005 4:10:08 PM (Local time)

[2] Please remove personally identifiable information from this configuration description, if any. Thank you. User:Kushal_one PS: You can e-mail me if you like. Just click here and write away!.

---

Can we assume you tried to do a drag and drop of the folder to the new partition ? If so, what error did you get ? StuRat 23:59, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

I have not done anything yet. The computer might catch a cold or freeze altogether or something! I want the new location to be functional like the old onewith all applicaqtions apps and what not running smoothly and well and accessing their profile and application data folders as usual. Is it at all possoible? --Kushal User_talk:Kushal_one 23:37, 17 May 2007 (UTC) PS: I think I should add that the hard disk is an FAT 32 partitioned one.

Thank you Stuart for responding so swiftly.

From memory it is one of the options in TweakUI, otherwise you would have to manually mess with the registry.Vespine 00:26, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Will it work? I mean ... will it work seamlessly? such redirecting Mozilla thunderbird to the new application data folder and so on .? has anyone tried it? User:Kushal_one (logged off at a public cyber caf`e) Offline

Wire gauge with 24v

I had a job interview a few months back (didn't get the job). One of the questions they asked me has been bugging me. IIRC, they asked me what gauge wire (AWG) is needed to wire a 24v circuit. I think this is one of those trick questions where you don't have enough information and the answer is "depends on the environmental conditions and amperage". However, I am coming here to see if anyone can help me figure this one out. Thanks. -Andrew c 23:20, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, the voltage isn't really a big issue until you start to approach electric fields that could cause dielectric breakdown in the insulator (even small wires are frequently rated for 300-600 V). You'd generally choose wire gauge based on the current you expect it to be carrying since larger wires with lower resistance are needed for larger currents to prevent undue ohmic heating. For future reference, you might want to pose questions like this on the science reference desk. -- mattb 23:35, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

As you expect, the voltage has little relationship with the wire gauge, unless one is considering VHF and higher frequencies where skin effect becomes significant. The voltage has more to do with the insulator properties. Did the question address overall power transfer? For example, if a 24 VDC circuit is transferring 1200 watts, what gauge wire is appropriate? 1200 W / 24 V = 50 amps, so standard practice would call for 6 (or preferably bigger) gauge wire. —EncMstr 23:37, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your help. I was torn over where to ask this question (here of the science desk). -Andrew c 01:54, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Besides the ampacity (current rating), you'll also need to consider the IR voltage drop. For low-voltage circuits, that often is the "ruling" consideration rather than ampacity, and you often end up using a much larger conductor than the minimum needed just to carry the current without damaging the insulation. You might enjoy our American wire gauge article.

Atlant 11:34, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

May 17

Is it possible to sell blogger domain names

I own many blogger domain names like the following. I registered once because I wanted to start a blogging empire. But I have found it to be difficult and if possible want to sell those names. First of all, is it legal to sell those names? Can anyone explain? The names I own are

digitalnewspaper.blogspot.com; yahootoday.blogspot.com; newspaperindustry.blogspot.com; digitalbooks.blogspot.com; bookopedia.blogspot.com; booksforum.blogspot.com; futurenewspaper.blogspot.com; a9today.blogspot.com; googletoday.blogspot.com; ebookforum.blogspot.com; digitalmagazine.blogspot.com; microsofttoday.blogspot.com; ideatimes.blogspot.com; universaltimes.blogspot.com; bloggersday.blogspot.com; ideastoday.blogspot.com;

You don't own the names, Google does. (Google owns Blogger and the blogspot domain). The specific portion of the Terms of Service would appear to be: 7. No Resale of the Service. Unless expressly authorized in writing by Google, you agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, trade, resell or exploit for any commercial purposes (a) any portion of the Service, (b) use of the Service, or (c) access to the Service. --LarryMac | Talk 00:20, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Yep. Sorry bud, but Blogspot/Blogger/Google owns the domains, not you. if you want to own the domain name, you have to purchase it. This would be like creating a wikipedia page and trying to proclaim some sort of power over it, or a Wikia page and act like it's all yours. -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 01:46, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

You may also be interested in reading the cyber squatting article, not implying any of your blog names are trademarks. Vespine 02:07, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Vista Desktop

I'm running Vista home edition and I was wondering if I could make my desktop icons smaller.

And how can I add contacts to the contacts gadget?

Regarding your first question, apparently, you can press control and use the scroll button on your mouse. - Akamad 08:21, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

To the first question, right-click desktop -> View -> Large Icons / Medium Icons / Classic Icons (small)

To the second question, you can open your user folder -> Contacts, and click New Contact from there --Spoon! 08:37, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

TI Programming

I am attempting to do some programming on my TI-84+ however, i would like to be able to edit the program on my computer. What program do i need to install on my computer to do so. I am running XP Home, with TI-Connect software installed.

Thank You Omnipotence407 02:09, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

The old TI GRAPH LINK 83 software, which is a pain. You're much better off doing it on your calculator, it's much faster and easier, especially to test. Of course if you're doing assembly you need the computer though (unless you have the opcodes memorized!) --froth^t 00:17, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

One can also try out Virtual TI, a TI-calc emulator for various calculators in the series. It seems to be quite accurate. --Edwin Herdman 23:11, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Virtual desktops in OS X

Is it possible to get the virtual desktops that are in KDE on a Mac running OS X? I'm just looking for a program with similar functionality. Dismas|^(talk) 09:42, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

The Mac people will tell you that "you're not *supposed* to use virtual desktops" and use Expose, but I think there's functionality out there.

P.S. I've searched and there seem to be a number of them but most are abandoned and the one that wasn't is $40. I'd rather find a free, shareware, open-source, etc. solution. And yes, Expose is okay but not quite the same. Dismas|^(talk) 09:55, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I just thought I'd get that unhelpful response out of the way already ;)

I thought they are going to introduce that in their next release, Leopard. --antilived^{T | C | G} 10:13, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Ah, right you are: Spaces (software). Dismas|^(talk) 10:32, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps VirtueDesktops will do the job you're after? Drinniol 2:58 22 May 2007 (GMT+8)

about wikipedia's platform

hi; This is kim. I have a question about the wikipedia site's platform. what is it? Can you please help me with that.

Thanks!

Take a look at the article on Wikipedia. Weregerbil 10:28, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Specifically, the software and hardware section. In short, it uses a piece of software called MediaWiki, which is written in PHP and uses the MySQL database management system. It runs on over 100 Linux servers, running the Apache HTTP Server software. The combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP is used by loads of sites and is commonly referred to as LAMP — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 11:05, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

The Linux distros that are used will include Fedora Core. Probably Ubuntu as well, but I'm not sure. --Kjoonlee 11:31, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Sending pictures over the internet

I recently took over 100 pictures on my school leavers day and i want to send them to my friends, what is the best way to go about doing this? Attaching them to an email using hotmail, would take forever. Sending them directly through msn, also would take a considerable amount of time, the best solution i have at the moment is to put them all into the sharing folders on msn, this takes less effort on my part, but people say only around 8 pictures have come through so far, and it has been at least half an hour :S

If anyone has a better solution, which takes minimal effort, it would be much appreciated, thanks in advance RobertsZ 12:07, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Well first, I would look at the resolution. If you are a maximum resolution the picture may be saved as a full screen sized gian picture, when all you would need would be a much smaller compression. This could save megabytes per picture if you shrink and compress them before posting them.-Czmtzc 12:14, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Try zipping them into a zip file and then emailing the zip file to all your friends. --Lwarf 12:23, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

If you have a large data set, e-mail is a particularly bad idea. Most e-mail providers will reject mails over a certain size. The folder at msn is a good solution, since you only need to upload the data once instead of once per friend. What size are your pictures, what format are they and how fast is your connection? Maybe 16 pictures per hour is all you can get.

Bittorrent is the best solution to this. Particularly, use a client such as Bitcomet, which should be automagically able to make a torrent file, then send the much smaller torrent file to your friends to use -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 13:03, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

They are all .jpeg files and are around 1000 kb each, my brother has just shown me a nifty tool on hotmail, which compresses things, its working as i type, so that may do the job, thanks anyway. RobertsZ 13:08, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I agree with the anonymous poster above: don't send them at all. Post them somewhere that your friends can get them. The folder is a fine idea, but if that doesn't work, what about trying Flickr or any of the million-and-one similar sites? --Tugbug 18:16, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Be careful not to post your private pictures on a publically accessible site. Use something that requires a password to see your pictures and give it only to your friends. Everything that is ever fed to the internet tends to stay there forever. Oh and by the way, I am the anonymous poster and I would like to have an account, but I refuse to call myself "wrtfhguztkshtz". ^^

Uh ... so call yourself something else. --Tugbug 17:24, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

So, to summarize, post the pics somewhere and only e-mail your friends a link to them and a password, if needed. StuRat 05:38, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

You might consider setting up a Flickr account, which is designed for sharing photos. I'm pretty sure you can upload them en masse in some way. --24.147.86.187 14:23, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

User blurs off

On the web, what does it mean when a user blurs off a text area or pop-up?

I am familiar with the term "blur" as used in Javascript; it means to lose focus. Here is one reference discussing the onBlur event. --LarryMac | Talk 15:12, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Oblivion

Hi,

Any duplicating cheats for oblivion on PS3? Preferably the non-scroll based one.

Thanks

Nebuchandezzar

Try www.gamefaqs.com Vespine 23:54, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

An up-to-date community project covering all aspects of The Elder Scrolls games is available at The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages. Have fun. --Edwin Herdman 23:16, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

java/swing: textfield in table header

I want to have a JTextField in the header line of a JTable. Is this possible in a way such that the field is able to take focus so I can write in it?

Tahnks. 84.160.208.134 18:11, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

See here. --TotoBaggins 20:07, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks alot, that brings me back on the right track. 84.160.231.206 20:26, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's a bit more tricky. What I really have to do is to write a wrapper around an existing TableCellRenderer and add two text fields for each row. I managed to do that but they don't take focus. ... Not a big surprise once I noticed that the component in place is not my JPane with the text fileds but the TableCellRenderer .... . So things look bad and I fear there is no way around building a deeper understanding. Is there any good tutorial or reference on how these things work? I've seen many tutorials on how to do things, but I didn't find one on what's going on and why.

Thanks again. 84.160.231.206 22:02, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Adobe Question

Hello. I have Adobe Reader installed on my PC. I recently downloaded a .pdf file that I'd like to type into (instead of printing and filling out with a pen). I'm assuming that I cannot do this since I'm using Reader? What do I need to download in order to type directly into the pdf?

Thanks!!! Rangermike 18:30, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

As the name suggests, there is a lot of adobe software at adobe, for example http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?platform=Windows&product=9 Some of it is free of charge, some is sold. Have a look at hte license.

84.160.231.206 18:52, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Adobe Reader does allow typing into PDF documents that are set up to allow it (that's how I do my tax return, for example). --Tugbug 18:54, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Strike-through text

The PDF I'm using now will not let me type into it. So, I need Acrobat Writer? The link you provided was for Writer for Windows 95??? I'd appreciate any comments! Thanks!! Rangermike 19:51, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

The link was just the first hit on google, you should be able to navigate from there. I'm using the free version of acrobat reader and I cannot write into pdf documents with this. I'm not familliar with adobe software but I know that there are programs with which you can write into pdf docs. I suppose these programs are not free. 84.160.231.206 20:03, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Im back! well anyways...here is a solution...if the company that made the PDF made it writable...then you can write into it...check this in the file>document properties field once within acrobat and then click on Security tab and see what fields are allowed. if it is blocked...you will not be able to with adobe write either because it is probably password protected. if it is allowed but your reader cannot write into it...try other solutions such as this one http://www.pdfill.com/ 200.35.168.129 21:57, 17 May 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

You can type and print the form if fillable. (Check by going to the document properties ... Control or Command + D is the shortcut I think)However, you can save the changes usingAdobe Reader only if the content provider (assuming [s]he is also using Adobe Acrobat professional) has allowed for it.

If you think you can get on without saving the filled form to your computer, most decent PDF forms can be filled and printed if you do it in one session. Hope that helps too. --Kushal User_talk:Kushal_one 23:37, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the comments. The file is not secured, nor is it fillable. I tried to type in the form from the web, but no luck. I'm guessing that I'll just have to print and fill-in by hand. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!!! Rangermike 00:00, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

If the PDF is not set up to be filled in, then you would need to have Acrobat and make it a fillable form. Which even at its best is very tedious and takes much longer than just printing it out and filling it in my hand. --24.147.86.187 14:22, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Windows Vista & MSN Messenger

The date execution prevention feature on Windows Vista is preventing me frm signing into Windows Live Messenger; I have tried disabling the feature but have been told that the default setting cannot be changed? How do I change these settings and allow windows live messenger to function on my laptop?

If you have an Acer computer, then the instructions here might help. There is a patch you might want to try. x42bn6 Talk Mess 21:46, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I have a thinkpad and it's a security option in the BIOS setup --froth^t 00:15, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

google

I so don't like what google has done with their layout, does anyone have any good recomendations for google mirrors that retain the origional layout?

It's almost the exact same minimalistic layout that they've always had. Is the bar at the top what you object to? Dismas|^(talk) 22:53, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I am not up to date with the layout (I use the Google toolbar more often) . Could you tell us what changes you dislike and why? I would recommend Elgoog mirror sitebut that probably will not be of any help, either. --Kushal User_talk:Kushal_one 23:37, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah I can't see any difference, maybe there is a customise setting that has changed on your PC rather then Google it self. Vespine 23:50, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Well they made the ads at the top of the results look more like results. I hated google's initial change from their original look and it's been downhill ever since IMO. But we'll all learn to put up with the latest senseless change I suppose... and it's doubtlessly had millions in R&D so it's inevitable --froth^t 00:14, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Google randomly tests different layouts on people. Look up 'google skin change' and such (on google itself, naturally), basically it involves going to google.com, and then putting a javascript:YADADAYDYADYADAYAYDYAYADADADDA thing in your address bar to alter a cookie -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 05:42, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

May 18

Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library

Hello. When I insert an Encyclopaedia Britannica 99 CD into my CD writer, I can search for definitions in the dictionary. If I leave my Pentium 4 computer idle for a few minutes and I search for another word, my computer initiates a search. A window appears and says:

Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library

Runtime Error!

Program: C:\PROGRA~1\BRITAN~1\BCD\Program\g.exe

abnormal program termination

The only buttons I can click are OK and the X button on the upper-right corner of the window. After I click on one of those buttons (it does not matter which button I click), the dictionary closes. To make the dictionary work again, I must put the CD back into the DVD-ROM. However, this problem does not occur in newer model computers. Why is this so? Thanks in advance for your help. --Mayfare 01:06, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

There is an error in the program you use to view your encyclopedia (the one that is on the cd together with the data). There is a plethora of reasons why it could happen only on some computers (for exapmle a race condition). The only thing you can do about it is to see if there is an update for the encyclopedia software from the publisher that fixes the bug.

Apache, .htaccess

Hello all,

I have created an .htaccess file to protect a subdirectory in an Apache server. To test it, I took the first file at hand, in this case 'pdftk.1.txt', and uploaded it to the subdirectory. Strangely I was able to download it. I tested the configuration with many more files, but just this was not protected. Why does Apache do not protect files like *.1.*? Mr.K. (talk) 03:44, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

It's really hard to diagnose something without knowing what it is in the first place. Maybe you should put your .htaccess file up here? --antilived^{T | C | G} 09:24, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Also, we need to know the httpd.conf or apache.conf settings. Is your Apache configured to allow user .htaccess files? --Kainaw ^(talk) 12:19, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Check the <directoy> stuff in httpd.conf is set up to check for .htaccess. I forget the exact command - check apache.org --h2g2bob (talk) 20:08, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

My .htaccess file is:

 AuthUserFile /home/content/.../.htpasswd
 AuthGroupFile /dev/null
 AuthName "Members Only Area"
 AuthType Basic
 <Files pdftk.1.txt>
 require valid-user
 </Files>
 require valid-user

With or without <Files... </Files> the file like *.1.* are not being protected...This is in a shared server and I don't have access of httpd.conf or apache.conf. Mr.K. (talk) 02:28, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Half Life 2 List of Weapons

Where has the page which portrays all the weapons in half-life 2 gone?! I've tried searching and it comes up with a list of combine technology.

It was probably deleted for being a guide or cruft -- Phoeba Wright^OBJECTION! 08:40, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

See it's AfD discussion. It lives on at the Internet Archive's Cached version from May 2006. --h2g2bob (talk) 20:01, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Also appears to have been transwikied to stratergywiki. --h2g2bob (talk) 20:05, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Uploading SVG Images

Hi I recently created

File:ChaserWar.svg

this

vetor image, it looked great in inkscape but when I uploaded it in firefox it turned out all munted. Any Ideas what when wrong? --Lwarf 10:15, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

It looks broken in Firefox's SVG renderer too. There's something weird about the three text objects - when you select them (with the text tool) in Inkscape, their blue boxes are inexplicably huge. If I were you I'd recreate the three text objects again. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 10:28, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

The Text is ment to be huge, itś suppost to be the chasers war on everything title page for a userbox. A smimlar thing happend with

this

which is ment to look like

this

--Lwarf 10:41, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

You misunderstand me. If I make a new text object in Inkscape, its blue text-clipping box is the same as its normal select box. But your text objects have blue boxes that are vastly bigger than their select boxes - much much bigger than the SVG's cliprect. It looks to me like you made the text objects by dragging with the text tool (to make a blue text box), typed text into them, and then scaled the text to fill the space you wanted. It seems Inkscape's renderer supports that properly but libsvg doesn't. If you make new text objects just by clicking with the text tool and then typing (which makes an auto-sizing blue text clip) and then resizing with the normal select tool, then that makes text objects which precisely fill their blue text clips, which libsvg can handle okay. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 10:56, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Incidentally, it looks like you're hoping to reproduce a copyrighted logo (from The Chaser's War on Everything). Even though you've drawn the SVG yourself, that SVG would still be a derivative-work of the original, so its use on Wikipedia would have to be under the fair-use doctrine - it's not GFDL. And that, unfortunately, would mean it couldn't be used in a userbox ;( Perhaps just the text "WAR" would be sufficient, and shouldn't cause a copyright concern. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:07, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

You may want to convert your text objects to paths. You can't edit them as text after that, but it helps ensure they will display the same anywhere, even on systems that don't have the same fonts. rspeer / ɹəədsɹ 17:52, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Try selecting the text and clicking Unflow from the Text menu. --h2g2bob (talk) 19:56, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

cd/dvd piracy

Hi. Is it possible for a computer/cd/dvd drive to detect a difference between a pressed original of software and a digital copy of that data onto a recordable cd/dvd? (without using some extra method of authentication eg online registration). ie are there features on a pressed optical disc that can not be replicated on a recordable disc? Thanks87.102.47.231 16:47, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Sort of. There are several tricks which can be used, like marking sections of the disk as "bad sections" and seeing whether they still exist - this would catch some types of copying. The disk could also check items like the disk serial number. Also, you can't (normally) burn dual-layered disks, so the disk capacity of rewritable DVDs is effectively half (4GB single layer / 8GB dual layer).

The normal way to get around such restrictions is to have the DVD data on your hard drive and use virtualization to pretend that data is in a DVD drive (see also virtual machine). Content providers (ie the publisher) can try to detect this by running copy-protection software on your PC, like starforce does. My knowledge on this is limited, but I think it modifies the device drivers for the CD/DVD drive, effectively rooting the machine. --h2g2bob (talk) 19:50, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

How to improve a download/install process

There's a program called NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) which is a screen reader to enable the blind to use a computer. It's freeware, so could be quite useful. However, it's incredibly difficult to install. First off, it comes as a ZIP file which is not self-extracting. Then you have to change which directory it stores into, at least with my ZIP extraction software, or it will put it in a temporary directory. Then it doesn't have an install wizard, but rather you must navigate to NVDA.exe and run it to do the install. Then it doesn't provide a desktop icon/sytsem tray icon or submenu under Start + Programs, so I had to create a shortcut icon, move it to the Desktop and rename it. I've written up a 22 step install process here: User:StuRat/NVDA. My question is, how can I convert this freeware to run with a single install wizard ? I'd like a blind, elderly person, who has never used a computer before, to be able to do the download and install it, themself, if possible. I realize that's rather ambitious, though, so would settle for something a sighted family member can install. Another option might be to put it on CD, already installed, and distribute it that way. StuRat 16:51, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

I guess you could unzip the stuff yourself and then package it up with NSIS. It looks like all the NSIS installer has to do is unzip and create a shortcut, which is well within its capabilities. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:09, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

I think there's a step between the unzip and shortcut. It has to "install", which requires navigating to NVDA.exe, clicking on it, and letting it run. I'm not quite sure what it's doing at that point, perhaps changing the system registry and/or linking. Can NSIS handle that part, too ? StuRat 18:33, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

This page describes how - I think you'd just need to call ExecWait in particular. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:37, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

And if that inner-installer needs user input, you can (apparently, I've not done it myself) use FindWindow and SendMessage to click buttons and type stuff automagically into that window. I have seen installers that do this, and is a fairly uncanny poltergeist-like experience. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 18:45, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

One complication is that the process may be slightly different on different Windows versions, using different browsers, different download managers, and different unzip utilities. How are all these differences addressed by NSIS ? StuRat 22:20, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

A few things are solved by doing stuff relative to environment variables like %systemroot% (rather than C:\WINDOWS). But beyond that you'll be writing a more sophisticated install script (in NSIS's scripting language) that sniffs around for things and does the appropriate thing (generally you'll figure out what is installed, and where, by looking for their respective entries in the windows registry). You don't need to worry about unzip utilities because NSIS has its own compress/uncompress stuff - it'll compress the files when you build the installer, and will decompress them (to destinations you specify) when the uninstaller runs. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:48, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

If this is to be done only once, the best way will be that you'll go there and do it by hand, especially to see any unexpected behaviour. If this should be done repeatadly, much work is to be done. My approach would be to write a command line script (a batch file) to do this. As I'm not into windos, I'd install cygwin (including perl) and do it with a unix-like shell script. At least, "navigating to NVDA.exe and clicking on it" would simply be sh -c $(find . -name 'NVDA.exe'). 84.160.252.186 19:32, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Testing versions do have an installer so try them. If you want to get the main version wroking with NSIS, you can use their NSIS scripts. --h2g2bob (talk) 00:11, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Historical currency exchange rates?

Now this is not a pure computing question but, since i can only make do with data already in computer readable format, I'm askin that question here.

Is there a source for historical currency exchange rates somewhere on the net, free, at least for private use? I'm thinking of daily exchange rates among US$, EUR, YEN and possibly more, of the recent years, going back into the past as long as possible. 84.160.252.186 20:58, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

There are several sources, though the amount of detail and the number of currencies covered tends to diminish as you go back in time. (Also, it used to be more common that currencies exchanged at more or less fixed rates, in which case daily information would be unnecessary.) Just google on "historic*" and "exchange rates". --Anonymous, May 18, 2007, 23:25 (UTC).

Mac OS X program to monitor socket connections

Is there a free (hopefully open source) and preferably command line that will listen to a socket connection that has already bean made by another program, and display it on screen in real time (the data that is passing through). Thanks!--Ryan 23:22, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Wireshark? It's probably able to run from command-line. Splintercellguy 23:44, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

It has some command line stuff,[2] and it has an OSX port. And I heartily recommend it. --h2g2bob (talk) 00:04, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

tcpdump is the old-reliable for UNIX-like systems, so presumably it works on OS X. --TotoBaggins 00:42, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Haven't yet tried wireshark, but tcpdump works well. Thanks everyone. You know what's funny? I can tell what websites my friends are on now ;)--Ryan 01:24, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

May 19

Reserving one processor for a program.

Is there a way, in Mac OS X, to give a single program full control of a single core/processor? The OS and other programs would run on one core, the program would run on it's own core. Thanks for helping out!--Ryan 01:26, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

I poked around but didn't see any. The call that does this goes by the name sched_setaffinity() on Linux, bindprocessor() on AIX, processor_bind() on Solaris, and so on. I didn't see any mention of such functionality existing for the BSDs (at least in user space), which I guess would be the closest to Darwin. --TotoBaggins 02:44, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Autotune settings

I've read in a lot of places that Auto-tune is used to achieve that distinctive vocal effect heard in many songs such as those by Daft Punk. However, I've not been able to find a guide that actually explains how to use the software version of Auto-tune to recreate this effect. Any help?