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December 12

What's the largest wikipedia disambiguation page and how many entries does it have?

I'm just curious. I like the idea of a versitle concept. 75.71.18.225 (talk) 04:53, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you should ask at WP:HD... flaminglawyer^cneverforget 14:15, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

A complete guess would be People with the surname Smith. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 14:48, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

That's more of a 'list of...' page than a disambiguation. SteveBaker (talk) 06:08, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

It's not properly a HD question. I have no desire to edit the page, just to see it. Balonkey (talk) 06:50, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Regular expression to extract urls from link

I'm trying to write a regex (in .net) to extract a url given the linked text (eg: <a href="http://www.yahoo.com">foo</a></nowiki> should give me: "http://www.yahoo.com")

I have tried: "<a href=(?<url>.*?)>foo</a>" but it fails when there are many urls (eg: <a href="http://www.google.com">google</a> <a href="http://www.yahoo.com">foo</a>" gives me: "http://www.google.com">google</a> <a href="http://www.yahoo.com")

thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.15.145.57 (talk) 00:46, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Regular expressions are greedy and will match as much as possible. Some implementations have a non-greedy option you can use. I don't use .net, so I don't know if you just turn off the greediness. If not, you have to tell it that > will not appear the URL. Using normal RegEx syntax, it looks like: "<a href=([^>]*)>". Of course, that will fail if you have something like <a href='somelink.html' style='color:red;'>. So, you need to assume that there are quotes of some kind around the URL and use <[aA] [^&gt]*[hH][rR][eE][fF]\s*=\s*['"]([^'"]*). Notice that I capture both upper/lower cases. I allow for any garbage between the a and href. I start after the ' or ". I don't need any more because it will stop looking as soon as it hits the next ' or ". -- kainaw™ 03:56, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

If it doesn't have quotes, you can extract it using the fact that urls can't contain spaces. Something like:

<a href="?([^" ]*)

should match it fine. It wont work if the link is like <a style="something" href="http://example.com">, so you might want to use

<a [^>]*href="?([^" ]*)

instead. That should work, but I haven't tested it. If it doesn't, report back. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 19:58, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Oh, yeah, about case-sensitivity: perl has an option (/i) to specify that the pattern matching is case-insensitive. Don't know if .net has such an option. That's the simplest way to make sure it works. Otherwise, replace "a" with "[Aa]" and "href" with "[Hh][Rr][Ee][Ff]" in my regex. Then it should work perfectly. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 20:02, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks guys. Both of your suggestions worked very well. I've combined elements of both and ended up with: <a[^>]* href\s*=\s*['"]([^'" ]*)['"]> as it turns out that .net has a ignore case option. In the first one I was trying to use the non-greedy option, but I think it only works right to left, not left to right, if that makes any sense. 98.134.241.110 (talk) 20:49, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Just one thing: I'm not sure that will work if the link-tag doesn't use quotes (that's bad html-writing, but it happens). I'd use ['"]? instead of ['"] just to be sure. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 21:23, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

C++ question!

the second expression is wrong. because in array declaration, the size of the array must be constant.

Ok now assume i've written 2 lines like this:

int n=10;

char name[n];

Don't think the following question is a stupid one before reading my argument! Now assuming these two statements are part of a bigger program.Would you say that this is a correct intialisation or a wrong one? Is it necessary to have the keyword "const" (constant) before the "int n=10;" making it "const int n=10;"??? And if it is a correct one then is it a static allocation or a dynamic one? My argument is that it is a correct one. Even if these two lines are part of a much bigger program when the compiler first compiles the program ,it will come to this line "int n=10;" and EVEN THOUGH there is no const keyword it will intialise n with the value 10 and right after that the intialisation of the char array is taking place,so the value of n DOESN'T CHANGE during runtime, so technically it should reserve the memory of 10 bytes for the array "name".So whatever be the value of "n" before this line,but at this moment right here it is 10 and it ain't changing so technically it should work and reserve 10 bytes. Which means that it is a static allocation right?Because the memory is being reserved during the compilation period. But most people claim this is a dynamic allocation.Does anyone have a logical explanation to this? Oh and yes i have tried the above code and it gives no error whatsoever. I extended it to two more lines after that and it got initialised.

int n=10;

char name[n];

gets(name);

puts(name);

And it executed perfectly and takes the input properly and outputs it.But even then most claim that "theoritically " it shouldn't work . So if anyone has an explanation of some kind i would love to hear it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vineeth h (talk • contribs) 08:48, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

In your example, n is a variable. It is not a constant. So, you are using a variable length for the name array. Doing so means you have a dynamic array. You claim it worked, but did it really work. Did you verify you didn't have a memory leak since you didn't delete the name array when you were done with it? A memory leak means it isn't working properly. -- kainaw™ 14:30, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

It's wrong because the C++ standard says it's wrong. C++ does not have dynamic arrays. It's true that it would be easy for a language to support the feature you describe (C99 does), but C++ does not. The fact that it works for you means that your compiler does not conform to the C++ standard in this instance. You may be able to pass it some flag like "-pedantic" to get it to complain about non-standard constructs like this, which will make your programs more portable across compilers. --Sean 15:08, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

The compiler knows that the expression n is constant due to Constant folding. The type of name is char[10], which is a fixed sized array type. The C99 extension defines dynamically sized arrays; looks similar but works quite different. Whether name is allocated dynamically or statically depends on where you write that code snippet. In a function body, name will be part of the stack frame of the function, which means dynamic memory. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.187.56.177 (talk) 22:58, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Also, the values in the name array are uninitialized, thus the call to gets is undefined. From the gets manpage^*: "gets() reads a line from stdin into the buffer pointed to by s until either a terminating newline or EOF, which it replaces with '\0'. No check for buffer overrun is performed (see BUGS below)."

The note in BUGS referenced in the quote applies to reading from the standard input stream (it turns out to be a security risk. The first sentence in the section BUGS is "Never use gets()."^*

Because it's uninitialized, you can't be guaranteed than either a terminating newline or an EOF will be within the array size. My point is, if the 4-line example you gave above runs correctly, you simply happen to be lucky. --Silvaran (talk) 01:46, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Sal ex

oes anyone know where i can find info on this virus? 147.197.229.134 (talk) 09:26, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Look for virus library on google or go to McAfee's website and look for info there. There are quite detailed lists about viruses on most of the major virus-scanning/protection websites. 14:05, 12 December 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.221.133.226 (talk)

Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle

My Xbox red ringed and I got a $300 check from dell to replace it. Since I can't just buy a core system through them I wanted to buy this bundle and attach the hard drive from my busted Xbox to it. Will it work? [1] Strifeblade (talk) 20:14, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Sure, no reason it wouldn't. The Arcade doesn't come with a hard drive, but the console is otherwise the same, and you can still connect a hard drive to it. You'll probably want to run this after. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 20:27, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the help! Strifeblade (talk) 20:30, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

How sure are you that the cause of the Red-ring isn't a failed hard drive? SteveBaker (talk) 06:04, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

A typical RRoD is a result of overheating in the 360. It causes the solder to melt inside the Xbox 360 and as far as I know the HDD doesn't overheat. My suggestion is keep that beast some where very open and cool. Rgoodermote  08:24, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Building a PC

I'm interested in building my own PC, but I'm afraid I don't know too much about it. If anyone could offer some insight, I would be immensely grateful.

First of all, should I build a laptop or a desktop? I would prefer to have a laptop, but I've heard they're more expensive and difficult to build. How expensive is it to build a computer? I'm not going to buy a lot of expensive graphics cards or whatever, just stuff that's good enough to run some games on- I'm not a big gamer. I especially would like to know how expensive the OS would be. I do not want Linux, I want Windows. Also... how difficult is it to build a computer and how long will it take? Are there any online tutorials I can use to help me through the process and where should I buy the parts from?

If there's anything else you think would help me, please tell me. As I said, I don't know much about building computers, so I may not know what questions to ask. Thanks! 24.180.87.119 (talk) 20:35, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Building a PC is much easier then you would think! First, go to a website like newegg.com to look up parts. You should build a desktop because building laptops are literally impossible. Things you will need for a custom PC is a 'computer case', a motherboard, RAM, a hard drive, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a CD drive if you want to install Windows. Get those things together in a list, suiting your needs, I build powerful PC for less then $500 dollars! So, budget won't be a problem, Building it is a diffrent story. You might want to hire an expert for that. That's my recommendations. --Randoman412 (talk) 21:13, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

OK, thanks. I'll definitely be building a desktop, then... is there any site that has directions or tutorials? How difficult would it be to put it together on my own? 24.180.87.119 (talk) 04:19, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

A 2 second Google search turns up this as the 1st result. flaminglawyer^cneverforget 06:10, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

It used to be cheaper to build your own, but nowadays unless you've a good reason otherwise I'd advise against it. Dmcq (talk) 17:32, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Note that "build your own PC" has two meanings:

1) Buy all the components and assemble it yourself.

2) Specify each component and have the retailer assemble it for you.

Do you mean option 1 ? StuRat (talk) 18:14, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I did mean option 1. I would also like to point something out to CheeseDreams- Google is good for finding basic information, but note I wanted a recommendation of a good tutorial site. Google cannot tell me whether a site is good or bad; you guys can. Hence the reason I asked here. Before rudely pointing someone to Google, consider why they're asking, not just what they're asking. 24.180.87.119 (talk) 23:26, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

The trick is to go someplace like Fry's (assuming you're in the USA) - they will be able to sell you a case plus power-supply (which is generally cheaper than a power-supply by itself!!) - let you pick a motherboard - tell you what memory and CPU options you have to choose from. Getting a CPU and memory that works with a particular motherboard can be tricky - so getting some expert advice is strongly advised. Then you'll probably want a graphics card - plus a hard drive and a DVD-player/writer, keyboard and mouse...pretty much anything works with anything else there. The actual assembly is really very easy - the toughest part is typically getting the CPU plugged into the motherboard with its heatsink and/or fan. You have to squirt thermal paste between the CPU and the heatsink and the clips to hold the fan in place can be fiddly. But plugging everything else together is pretty simple - most of the time there is only one way to do it - so you can't get it wrong. Once the machine will boot into the BIOS ROM, you should be able to run some self-tests to make sure that everything works - so now you can install your operating system. Be patient - take each step carefully. I've done it a bazillion times - it's not hard. I'm a big fan of building your own PC. My PC originally ran Windows 3.1 - and has been upgraded over and over for about 15 years! At no time have I ever replaced the whole thing - but not one part of it (except maybe the power cord) is original - most things have been replaced 5 or 10 times over! SteveBaker (talk) 06:03, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

online guitar auto tuner

hi,

is there anywhere on the web where a free guitar auto tuner can be found, with a sound input as a microphone or something? thanks, --84.69.235.69 (talk) 20:56, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

I don't know what you mean by an auto tuner, but will this suffice? Google is your friend. edit: I see you're looking for something that'll tell you whether you're out of tune, and by how much. I can't help you with that, but it may be worth learning how to tune it yourself. Sorry! [ cycle~ ] (talk), 21:49, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Did a google search with the keywords "guitar", "tuning" and "software" a la this. I try not to hassle people too much about not googling for stuff, unless I'm convinced by their experience that they should know better. Sometimes it's difficult to find just the right keywords to use in a search, after all. But kudos for leaving your original comment there instead of removing it completely :). To the original poster of the question: I would strongly suggest that you try not to rely on auto-tuning software. Sometimes struggling to get the strings just the right pitch can help improve your ability to distinguish between slight pitch differences. Also, remember that tuning a guitar is not just about twisting the keys on the headstock. Especially when installing new strings, you should check your guitar's intonation. I only mention it because I got hung up with this when I first started learning guitar. --Silvaran (talk) 23:14, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

There is, of course, this alternative! [ cycle~ ] (talk), 11:35, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

OS X language oops

I used the program 'Monolingual' (search for it on the Google) to remove some languages I didn't need from my hard drive. By accident, I deleted a language I needed (japanese) and now i cant get it back. I don't wanna have to reinstall OS X just to get 1 language back, what do I do? --67.81.115.70 (talk) 21:04, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

Just a guess, check the Startup Disk to see if it has any single install for a language. I haven't ever experienced this problem myself, and in trying to remember my past experience with the startup disk, I can't think if it has something of that sort. Hope I could help, Mastrchf (^t/_c) 15:05, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Debian package manager: Manually installed packages

How do I list the packages that were marked as manually installed? Can I remove this "manually installed" status from the package, so it appears as no longer needed when I remove dependent packages? --Silvaran (talk) 22:51, 12 December 2008 (UTC)

December 13

Yahoo! Mail Chat

Hey y'all. I have a Verizon Yahoo! account(ISP) and I sometimes use Yahoo! Mail. I have never used the classic interface sticking to the new one instead (Which is still boring). I sometimes also use the chat feature. (Not very well integrated, boring interface, etc, I prefer Gmail, :P) but I recently set some Custom Status Messages. How in the hell do you clear them? I only have three at the moment, (Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast[Out of order as you can see, but that's the way it happens, except for breakfast, I just added it for later on]) In Gmail I can clear my statuses in two clicks. But there doesn't appear to be any way clear your status messages in Yahoo! Mail chat???--Xp54321 ^{(Hello! • Contribs)} 03:40, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Nvidia GeForce 9800 vs ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics processors

On my laptop (Vista, 4 gigs ram), I'm using a GeForce 9300 and want to upgrade it. I use this laptop as a gaming pc. I've read [this review]and the 9800 slightly better, but I'm not totally convinced that the nvidia is the better deal. The over I'm willing to stray from the nvidia line. So should I give in to nvidia and buy the 9800? or buy the radeon 4830? Parker2334 04:41, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Uh while I can't answer your question I would strongly suggest you look at more reviews (especially reviews with different sets of games and configurations of games and different hardware configs (that uses a quad core which I doubt your laptop has). For example in that review the Crysis Warhead FPS is a little on the low side on all cards and would probably be too low for many. I'm guessing that the game is playable you just need to change the config and testing that would probably be more meaningful. Also it's quite common you'd find different games give different results. (Actually even that review shows that although the 4830 never really 'wins') Also the difference shown by the review isn't great so if there is a substantial price difference I would strongly recommend the cheaper one. However a big question might be do you know what you're getting into trying to upgrade the laptop video card? It's not unusual an easy process and sometimes may not be possible. (If your getting someone else to upgrade it then this consideration doesn't come into it). P.S. Remember to make sure the laptop versions of the card are the same configs (mem, GPU and shader frequency, memory config [256 bit or whatever], and number of shader) as the desktop versions otherwise the reviews are meaningless Nil Einne (talk) 08:40, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Among other reasons for choosing nVidia, is the higher percentage of games that are designed specifically for an nVidia chipset. --EvilEdDead (talk) 15:20, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

No games are specifically designed for Nvidia cards. Both use standards such as DirectX, and OpenGL, and should look practically identical at the same settings. While it was the case in the early days of 3d cards games were designed with a specific brand in mind (3dfx mostly) this no longer happens. Nvidia pays games companies quite a lot to put the Nvidia logo on their games though. However if these two cards are the same price the 9800 is probably a bit better, but if you can stretch your budget a tiny bit the ATI HD4850 would be quite a bit better. However if you plan on playing a lot of OpenGL games Nvidia drivers are faster at that. If you don't know if your game uses OpenGL then chances are it doesn't. edit: Um I just realised you are using a laptop. Are you totally certain you can upgrade your graphics card. I am aware of a couple of models that can use special graphics cards, but you won't be able to use standard onesGunrun (talk) 10:10, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Which is the best operating system?

Hello, I'm looking into buying a new laptop and want to seek your unbiased recommendation (no fan allegiances, and thanks for recommending Firefox!). Disregarding the cost of the operating system, which would you recommend based on reliability, user experience, and overall performance? I've used Windows for my entire life and know that I do not like it, because of many reasons, and would prefer not to get another Windows. But would really like my new computer to be fairly compatible with Windows and .exe files even if it means possibly getting another Windows. I've used a Mac for half a year at my old work and really like it and all the thousands of features it had except that wasn't compatible with my home computers even though the Parallels application was good, I hated switching OS's. I haven't tried Linux or any other operating systems so I can't say much about them. Can they come with as many features as a Mac and be compatible with windows applications? Which OS would you recommend disregarding cost? -- penubag  (talk) 07:27, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

It really depends on what you're looking for. Look at this article for a basic chart of information for quite a few operating systems. If you like games ... go with Windows. If you want it for anything else (music, video, or just the basics), I'd personally go with Mac. Linux Ubuntu is nice, if you know what you're doing. –  LATICS  talk  07:39, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

What else is Windows better than a mac for besides games? Can the newest Mac read .exe files? -- penubag  (talk) 08:42, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

No, macs can't directly use .exe-files, because those are windows-programs, and mac isn't windows. However, they do run fine under an application like Parallels, which virtualizes windows (think of it as sort of a simulator, the program thinks it's really running under windows, even though it's on a mac. It's like running a computer inside a computer). Linux can run a lot of windows-programs using something called Wine (it will, for instance, run Word 2003 fine). However, even though different Linux-distributions have made great strides recently to become more user (and newbie) friendly, they are significanly more challenging to use if you don't know what you're doing. There is a fairly significant learning curve.

I do think you are thinking about your choice in a slightly wrong way. You shouldn't ask yourself "what operating systems can run .exes", because Windows is the only one that's built to use them. What you should be asking instead is "Do other operating systems have good substitutes for the things I need in Windows?". And the answer for Mac is essentially yes. Besides games (which is completely dominant on Windows), you can pretty much do anything on a Mac (or Linux) desktop that you can do on a Windows desktop. You can't run Office for Windows in a Mac, but you can run a version specifically made for Macs. Not to mention the excellent OpenOffice which is pretty much just as good as Microsoft Office, but with the added benefit of being free (it is also interoperable, you can both save and open a file in Office's .doc format).

Is there any specific app you just can't live without on Windows? Do you have a list of apps that you would like to know if there are replacements for on windows? I'm sure we can help you out. And in the (very unlikely) event that there is an app for which there is absolutely no good replacement on an Apple machine, you can always run Parallels, and it will take care of that as well. I strongly recommend you go with a Mac. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 14:43, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Some programs that I'd like to run on a Mac are just little tiny programs, stuff like these and such, I know Parallels pretty much nulls that problem, even though it still is a pain to have to run that thing. Another issue I have with macs is that I have 2 desktop Microsofts in my house all connected to each other via wireless network. I fear that getting a mac would mean that I wouldn't be able to wirelessly transfer files between the three. Is there an application or can a mac transfer with Windows?-- penubag  (talk) 08:50, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

As to games you may find you are better off with a games machine linked to your telly for games and just not bother with that requirement for your computing needs, i.e. have two machines. Dmcq (talk) 17:26, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

I would strongly advocate for Linux - but that's not the best way to answer this question because plenty of other people will advocate something else. So I'm going to say this: Why decide now? The good thing about choosing Linux as your alternative to Windows is that you can set up the PC to 'dual boot'. In this way you get a little menu pop up when you reboot your computer that asks you whether you want to run Linux or Windows - you could go nuts and install BSD Unix too - have a tri-boot machine! The only downside to doing that is the disk space it consumes - but you could install Linux (or whatever) on an external USB drive. This is a really low risk approach. When you wake up one morning and realise that you haven't booted into Windows for a month or two - simply wipe out that disk partition and reformat for Linux...if you find that Linux is too much of a pain to deal with - then erase that partition and hand it over to Windows. SteveBaker (talk) 05:48, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I am intrested in Linux but hardly any programs are written for it. Is wine realiable enough where I shouldn't care? I don't think having a dual boot will be good on my laptop as I'm not getting a really expesive one with a lot of disk space. Can you tell me another reason as to why I should go linux?-- penubag  (talk) 08:50, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

As I stated earlier, though ... Linux is only good if you know what you're doing. For me, it wouldn't be ideal because of compatibility. But if someone's using just for internet (that doesn't know a ton about it), Linux would be fine. For me ... with Photoshop, Zune, several games, etc... Windows is really the only option. –  LATICS  talk  06:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

To answer the more hardware-oriented question: I think that the ThinkPads are awesome computers. They're not manufactured by IBM anymore, but they still do a lot of the background support for them. I've got a T61p which performs beautifully, and Lenovo tends to have good sales (with plenty of ways to find extra % off through coupon codes or contractor logins). Washii (talk) 07:25, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

PC World ran a review several months ago and said basically the best PC laptop was a MacBook Pro. You can use it exclusively in PC mode and install Windows, Linux or whatever. So you get one box that can run all three major OSs. No other laptop can do that. Apple is also well known for their high build quality. Nearly the entire shell is milled out of metal, which is far more durable than plastic laptops. --71.158.216.23 (talk) 05:41, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for that info. -- penubag  (talk) 08:50, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a lot everyone for the replies. I have responded above. -- penubag  (talk) 08:46, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Another response, Ubuntu Linux (and linux itself for that matter) is pretty awful and overcomplicates a lot of things just for the sake of it. It is good, don't get me wrong, but BSD bases are much better. — neuro^(talk) 02:14, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Command Prompt unable to delete folder

Everytime I try to open a certain folder in my F:\ drive, Windows Explorer displays the following message:

Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

I tried deleting the folder (it contains subfolders as well) using Command Prompt using rd, rmdir and del, but to no avail. Each time I hit Enter, Command Prompt simply closes down. I can't delete the folder using GUI either. Please help. (Windows XP, SP2) 117.194.226.34 (talk) 07:38, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

You could try copying everything else off to another drive and then reformat F: and restore. Think about this carefully before you try it. -- SGBailey (talk) 09:19, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like filesystem corruption or something. I'd try a chkdsk and some similar kind of tools. Indeterminate (talk) 09:35, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Filesystem corruption wouldn't cause a user-mode program to crash. It would result in a BSOD. I would say the folder contains files/directories with weird filenames, or that there is some sort of user-mode hook on the API functions used to open directories. Try using a Windows "Live CD" like BartPE or a GNU/Linux Live CD with NTFS-3G. --wj32 ^t/c 10:50, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Could you browse to the directory in a prompt and type DIR, paste the outcome at http://pastebin.com/, and link to it here? — neuro^(talk) 02:12, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

• Your operation system DOES have computer viruses in it. Save any valuable information in a safe place and clean your computer ASAP! 194.99.216.134 (talk) 12:13, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Question

Where can I find computers that run old operating systems (such as Windows 3.1)? I'd like to have my own personal computer for old stuff. Yes, I know I can use Ebay, but I'd also like to know other places. (Country: Australia.) 58.165.14.208 (talk) 08:15, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

You should be able to run Windows 3.1 in VMware or other virtualisation program. The only potential problem I can see is midi support. You can also run Windows 3.1 on DOSbox [2]. The hardest thing may be finding a legal copy of Windows 3.1 Nil Einne (talk) 09:36, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

That's exactly what I'm trying to ask - sort of. I would like to know where, not counting Ebay, I can buy computers that run Windows 3.1. Though I have only used Windows 3.1 about 10 times, it's one of my favourite Windows operating systems - and it's only fair that I can find a computer that has Win3.1 on it. 58.165.14.208 (talk) 10:30, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

If you actually want a physical computer to run Windows 3.1 on then your current computer should do, just install Windows 3.1 on a separate hard drive and format it as FAT, or if you're willing to do a bit of work then you could even partition your current hard drive. It shouldn't be a problem if your computer uses Serial ATA as most BIOS can emulate for older hardware. If you want the full nostalgic experience complete with noisy fans, high power consumption and unbelievably slow loading times then I'd imagine you can pick up old computers at second hand shops, garage sales, flea markets etc or ask around your friends as many old pcs still lurk in their owner's attics and basements collecting dust. My advice though would be to use Qemu Manager to make virtual computers. You can set it up to emulate older hardware and Windows 3.1 works well on this. SN0WKITT3N 15:07, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Sorry but was with SNOWKITT3N I'm not sure if you're quite getting me or perhaps I'm not understanding you. I don't see why you need a computer with Windows 3.1 when you can just run it in a virtualisation program or emulator (you can also probably run it in your computer natively but as mentioned that might be more problematic for a variety of reason). Sure acquiring a computer may be one way to get a license, but it's unlikely to be the only way (and if it's an OEM license you may or may not depending on where you live and the license agreement be able to install it in another computer anyway). In any case, it's probably going to be difficult to verify the license is even legit since there's a good chance whatever material that came with the computer to prove the license is legit is lost Nil Einne (talk) 07:35, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I think we need to back up and explain that Windows 3.1 will run on either the old computers it originally was designed for or on newer computers. It will, however, be much faster on newer computers. In some cases, it can actually be too fast, if the programmer depended on the slow speed to give you time to view the display before it updated. One example of this is the information that scrolls by when booting a computer. It was originally displayed slowly enough that you could read it, but even a speed reader would be out of luck now, with today's faster computers.

So, if you want an old computer, then you may be able to get it with Windows 3.1 still on it. If you want a new computer, then you only need to find a copy of Windows 3.1 to install on it (I suppose there might be a few new computers that already have Windows 3.1 on them, but good luck finding them). What don't you like about buying things via eBay or other web sites ? If you don't like buying things over the Internet, then you're limited to computers near your home, and there aren't likely to be old computers and operating systems for sale in your town. If there are, they would be at garage sales, I suspect. StuRat (talk) 18:06, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

On a related note: for newer computers, are everything still compatible with those old DOS / Win3.1 drivers? Are sound cards, for example, still Sound Blaster compatible, and would one be able to get decent screen resolutions? It is my impression that the relatively decent plug-and-play capabilities of Windows XP has made people forget about the hassle this used to be. And the original poster should be aware that (as far as I know) networking on Windows 3.1 might not be easy; you would need some additional programs, right? Jørgen (talk) 18:46, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Good point. The last time I tried Windows 3.1 on a new computer I could only get sound to come from the motherboard's internal speaker and a screen resolution of 640x480. Also whenever sound played the system would lock up until the sound had finished. That's why I think its best to install 3.1 on a virtual pc as it will emulate older hardware which the drivers will work with. If you do install on a newer computer check out this site which has a collection of drivers for newer hardware, even DVD and USB drivers for Windows 3.1 and DOS. SN0WKITT3N 19:34, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

• You can obtain old PC here 194.99.216.134 (talk) 12:17, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Blue screen of death error report

Can anyone decipher for me the error report I got after I restarted from a blue screen of death. The error report said I had had a "serious error" and when I asked for detail on the report it was going to send to Microsoft (which I didn't bother doing), it gave me:

C:\DOCUME~1\(redacted)~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERccdc.dir00\Mini121308-01.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\(redacted)~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERccdc.dir00\sysdata.xml

Thanks.--71.247.123.9 (talk) 11:33, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if anyone here can decipher the report, but I'm sure they'd have to see it to even try. You need to upload those files so we can see them. StuRat (talk) 17:50, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

By chance, do you happen to have Kaspersky or Zonealarm installed and what are your systems specs? Zonealarm and Kaspersky cause errors like that. Also, outdated drivers could cause this problem. But without those two files. Knowing exactly what is wrong is not truly possible. It will all be guess work. Rgoodermote  08:01, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Upload the files, I have experience working with minidumps. — neuro^(talk) 02:10, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

...as does anyone who's changed a baby's diaper. StuRat (talk) 14:44, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

(outdent)LMFAO ... took a second on the diaper comment ... loved it. Anyway ... what they are saying is you need the contents on those files. The C:\DOCUME~1 .... ya da ya da refers to two files that can now be found on your hard drive. Using Explorer (not INTERNET Explorer) go to your C drive, then you will see a folder called Documents and Settings. (Now may need to change your folder options to view hidden files and folders) ... in there you'll find your user name, inside that Local Settings, and inside that a folder called Temp. that's where you'll find those 2 files. you can read the xml one by double-clicking on it (Internet Explorer) ... and if you right click the .dmp one and pick open with ... choose notepad. viewing these files will tell you error codes (usually in Hex) ... it'll probably tell you a filename (explorer.exe) caused a fault: 00xF00 something. Doing a google search will often tell what type of error was caused, and sometimes offer a solution. If you're still not sure ... contact Neurolysis (hey ... you offered) and he'll try to help. Ched Davis (talk) 04:10, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

You may want to check out this article on debugging STOP (blue screen) Errors With WinDBG. The results of that analysis (what caused the fault) should help point you in the right direction. --Martinship (talk) 06:04, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

My problem with a C program

As a part of a college project, I have been asked to write a C program which accepts an employee's username and password. The difficult part is that the output screen is not supposed to show the password while the user types it in the console. I have a limited knowledge about C (since my major in college is electrical engineering) and do not know how to proceed with this problem. Please explain what to do. I will be very thankful for your help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.227.68.5 (talk) 12:40, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

You don't say what platform your program will run on, and that makes a difference. On a unix platform, you'd call tcsetattr to temporarily unset the terminal's ECHO bit, read the data with gets or whatever, and then restore the terminal with another call to tcsetattr. Almost all modern Unix implementations, including OS-X and Linux, implement the getpass() call, which does this for you. I don't know the specific call for C on windows, but I'm sure it's much the same. 87.114.128.88 (talk) 14:41, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

#include <termios.h>

int get_a_char_from_kbd_without_showing_what_it_is(void)

{ /* blocking function to wait for a keystroke, then get it without also echoing it */

struct termios stored;

struct termios newios;

int fd, ch;

 

fd = fileno(stdin);

if (!isatty(fd)) {

ch = fgetc( stdin );

if (ch == EOF)

ch = 0;

return ch;

}

fflush(stdout);

tcgetattr(fd,&stored); /* Get the original termios configuration */

memcpy(&newios,&stored,sizeof(struct termios));

newios.c_lflag &= ~(ECHO|ECHONL);

#if defined(ECHOPRT) /* not POSIX */

newios.c_lflag &= ~(ECHOPRT);

#endif

#if defined(ECHOCTL) /* not POSIX */

newios.c_lflag &= ~(ECHOCTL);

#endif

newios.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON); /* not linemode and no translation */

newios.c_cc[VTIME] = 0; /* tsecs inter-char gap */

newios.c_cc[VMIN] = 1; /* number of chars to block for */

tcsetattr(0,TCSANOW,&newios); /* Activate the new settings */

ch = getchar(); /* Read a single character */

tcsetattr(fd,TCSAFLUSH,&stored); /* Restore the original settings */

if (ch == EOF)

ch = 0;

return ch;

}

Enjoy. -- Fullstop (talk) 16:11, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

As an alternative, couldn't you use the getch() function from the standard C library - I don't believe getch() echoes the key pressed. It also has the advantage of being portable across many platforms. However, getch() only returns a single character, so you will need a loop to construct the entered password string from the individual characters entered until it gets a <CR>, <LF> or <ctrl-D> or some other end character. Astronaut (talk) 22:19, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

getch() doesn't "echo" anything. Input functions don't echo anything either. It's the terminal that displays the characters the user types, not the input functions. tcsetattr with the right arguments tells the terminal not to display the characters. --wj32 ^t/c 00:53, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Yeah - that's really the heart of the problem. In a Unix system, the device driver is the beast that's responsible for echoing typed input back to the user - so there is nothing your program can do directly to change whether there is echo or not. Instead, you have to send a command to the device driver to tell it to turn off the echo (and to turn it back on again). Doing this correctly is a total pain in the ass. For example - you have to consider what happens if someone types a ^C while the echo is turned off...your program exits - but since nobody told the device driver to turn the echo back on again, you suddenly find that you don't seem to be able to type anything (although, in truth, you are typing - you just don't see the echo). So you should really be prepared to catch the various signals that could cause your program to exit and make sure you turn the echo back on again before the program exits. To be UTTERLY correct, you should read the state of the terminal settings when your program starts - then restore that setting when you exit.

This may seem at first sight to be an ugly way to proceed - but there are (as usual) very solid reasons why Unix works this way. Recall that you can take a program that reads from the keyboard and writes to the screen and redirect it's input to come from a file on disk. It's fundamental to Unix command-line usage that this be allowed by EVERY program...so you don't want the program to be echoing input that it thinks is typed in by the users because then every character that it read from the file would appear on the screen. Hence, the need to echo or not echo is an attribute of the DEVICE not of the PROGRAM. More importantly in the early days of Unix was that there were dumb terminals where the echo was done in the terminal itself - hence the computer would have to know not to echo things that were typed or else your keyboard input wwoouulldd ccoommee oouutt ttwwiiccee!! In those cases, the device driver would have to send commands to the terminal to tell it to turn echo on or off - and that absolutely, utterly, had to be something that the device driver did.

SteveBaker (talk) 05:35, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

How can I implement this feature in a database

How could I best implement the following in a (relational) database:
To keep things simple let's suppose I have table "Cars" which keeps records of information relating to various cars. It may have fields such as "Engine" "Drive" etc

Now say there's a field for the "Colour" of the car:
I want to be able to select a colour from a list in a manner which I could best be described by showing you the list below:
Red

Light red

Dark red

...

Blue

Light blue

Dark blue

Green

...

Yellow

...

...

From a list such as the one above, I want to be able to select "Red" or one of the types of red. It wouldn't necessarily be limited to 2 types of each main colour and there may be more levels (i.e. there may be different types of "Dark red")

Finally, I want to be able to search cars by colour so that if I search for "Red", the result will be any car which is any type of red. If I search for "dark red", the result will be any car which is any type of dark red etc

--212.120.246.219 (talk) 12:42, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

That idea, where "light red" is-a-kind-of "red" is one that natively sits well with an object database; if you wish to implement this in a relational database (where such familial relationships aren't captured" you could either:

1. have an additional field in your car table, say called "colour_family", where a maroon coloured car could have a colour of maroon and a colour_family of red
2. if doing stuff by colour was important (that you'd be doing a lot of queries and changes specifically in terms of colour, then you might chose to have a seperate colour index where you'd store cars in terms of their colours; you can have any number of entries for this, so a given car can be (if you choose) any number of colours. Obviously this is considerably more complex, and you need to keep everything up to date when making changes.

87.114.128.88 (talk) 14:35, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

---

You're basically trying to have a hierarchical structure in a relational database, which is a common problem. I'd suggest a structure like this for the color table:

    ID       PARENT     NAME      
+---------+-----------+-------------------+
| 100,000 |  0        | Red               |
| 110,000 |  100,000  | Light red         |
| 120,000 |  100,000  | Dark red          |
| 121,000 |  120,000  | Dark red metallic |
| 200,000 |  0        | Blue              |
| 210,000 |  200,000  | Light Blue        |
| 300,000 |  0        | Green             |
| 400,000 |  0        | Yellow            |
| 500,000 |  0        | White             |
+---------+-----------+-------------------+

There would then be some code to select a car color from this COLOR table which would look something like this:

ID = 0
LOOP:
 select COUNT from COLOR where PARENT = ID; ! Get number of sub-colors for this color 
                                            !  (or number of top level colors if ID=0).
 if COUNT = 0 goto END;                     ! Quit program if there are no more color levels.
 select *     from COLOR where PARENT = ID; ! Get sub-colors for this color 
                                            !  (or top level colors if ID=0).
 ...                                        ! Display list and let user select color (not shown).
 CONTINUE_SEARCH ?                          ! Once color is selected, user should be prompted 
                                            !  to either use that color or search for subcolors.                                
if (CONTINUE_SEARCH=YES) goto LOOP

Obviously there's quite a bit more needed to the code, like assigning local program variables, but that's the general idea.

Now, once a final color is selected, that color's ID would be added to the CAR table (as COLOR_ID, for example). To search for cars of a given color, you must first select a color from the color table. In this case, all colors should be listed. Note that you could make the list look more presentable, when displayed, by using some extra spaces in the NAMEs in the COLOR table:

    ID       PARENT     NAME      
+---------+-----------+---------------------+
| 100,000 |  0        | Red                 |
| 110,000 |  100,000  |  Light red          |
| 120,000 |  100,000  |  Dark red           |
| 121,000 |  120,000  |   Dark red metallic |
| 200,000 |  0        | Blue                |
| 210,000 |  200,000  |  Light Blue         |
| 300,000 |  0        | Green               |
| 400,000 |  0        | Yellow              |
| 500,000 |  0        | White               |
+---------+-----------+---------------------+

In this case a simple select would work:

select * from COLOR sort by ID;

You could also skip adding the extra spaces in the table and write some extra code to display the list that way, instead. Now, once you had the color selected, you'd need to prompt the user to either search for cars with that exact color or else that color and all subcolors of it. If they say they want that exact color, just do this:

select * from CARS where COLOR_ID = ID;

If they also want subcolors, here's where you could use the naming convention I've used for the ID:

select * from CARS where COLOR_ID like '1%%%%%%'; ! All cars any color under red.
select * from CARS where COLOR_ID like '11%%%%%'; ! All cars any color under light red.
select * from CARS where COLOR_ID like '12%%%%%'; ! All cars any color under dark red.  
select * from CARS where COLOR_ID like '121%%%%'; ! All cars any color under dark red metallic.

Note that this assumes that the ID and PARENT fields in the COLOR table and the COLOR_ID field in the CAR table are character strings. If they're numeric, some conversion between character and numeric fields would be needed in the program. StuRat (talk) 14:54, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

One other comment on the naming convention I've used for the COLOR table ID field: I've used numbers in the character strings in my example, but you aren't limited to just numbers. If you have more than 10 top-level colors, you could use uppercase letters for 26 possibilities, or uppercase and lowercase for 52, or add in numbers for 62. The same would be true at each level of subcolors. You could even use all ASCII codes for 128 (7-bit) or 256 (8-bit) possible colors at each level. However, beware that some of those characters are unprintable, so require more work when debugging (you have to print out the ASCII codes instead of the characters).

One other comment on the sort order of the COLOR table: I've sorted based on the ID, which works well for a static table. However, if you need to change the colors frequently, you can't change their IDs easily, as those are in the CAR table too. So, you might want to have an additional SORT_ORDER field in the COLOR table which controls how colors are displayed for selection. StuRat (talk) 17:25, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

---

However, if your set of colours and their relationships is fixed when you write your program, you can just do the work in your SQL query:

SELECT * FROM cars 
  WHERE colour="british racing green" 
     OR colour="green" 
     OR colour="moss"  ;

That's the very opposite of StuRat's suggestion; which is appropriate depends on your problem. 87.114.128.88 (talk) 15:36, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

www.a.com

Apparently, single letter domain names (e.g. www.a.com) are not allowed. Why ever not? I wanted need one. --Seans Potato Business 17:46, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

We have an article at single-letter second-level domains. According to [3], in the early days of DNS they considered splitting each TLD into 26 subdomains in order to split the load, so the English Wikipedia, for example, would be at en.wikipedia.w.org. They decided against it (obviously) and considered releasing them in 2005, but apparently nothing came of it. If they did release them, I imagine you'd have a hard time getting one - there'd only be 26 per TLD, and I could see some companies paying substantial sums for them (Google would probably want to snap up g.com, for example). There are some, actually - q.com and x.org are two. They were registered before it was blocked. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 21:01, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Google sites

Hello,

I recently wanted a info@mynamehere.com email for a website i'm in the process of building, so I went to 'gmail for organisations' and got one.. The bad news is that, becuase i bought the domain name through google, I can't see a way of uploading the website i've done in dreamweaver -i can only use their stupid templates. Does any one know how to get around this? I feel that as i've bought the site, its not for google to decide how it should look....82.22.4.63 (talk) 19:13, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Sorry guys, I've just found out that the answer seems to NO. Is there anyway, i can therefore take the domain name off google and host it elsewhere? thanks..82.22.4.63 (talk) 19:55, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Oh god, I've answered this one too! am hideous, ignore me..82.22.4.63 (talk) 20:00, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Homer Simpson's big blue pants

I've noticed that cartoons are still using the old cheat of having each character wear the same clothes all the time, so scenes can be used interchangeably, without concern for clothing. Couldn't the coloring be done by computer, with each item, say "Homer's pants", assigned an index number, so that they could be filled in with a different color just by changing the mapping in a look-up table ?:

Index  Description     RGB Color  
-----  -------------   ---------
  1    Homer's pants   00 00 FF 
  2    Homer's shirt   FF FF FF

I realize that some cartoonists may always choose the same outfits as an "artistic choice", but this would give them the option to change the color of a clothing item in every panel, when they render the images, if they wanted. Also, couldn't a variable texture be assigned in the same way ? You might end up with something like this in a large table:

Frame#  XY_Location  Item Index
------  -----------  ----------
200000   100,100       1           
200000   100,200       2
 

StuRat (talk) 20:09, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

They could, but characters wearing the same clothes and having the same hairstyle isn't merely a matter of not having to recolour or redraw character frames (indeed, colouring and tweening are, for mass-production cartoons like The Simpsons, mostly done using automated or mostly-automated systems). Characters in comics are typically drawn looking much the same, even when the whole strip is hand-drawn (and thus there's no copy-paste economy to be had). Homer actually wears all kinds of things as the situation demands (a suit to dinner and to church, a muʻumuʻu when he's super-obese, a spacesuit when he's an astronaut. The normal Homer outfit merely means "the clothes don't matter, don't pay attention to them"; a different outfit means "something special is happening; the clothes are the clue as to what". And given the heavily-stylised art style of The Simpsons, they need to do that to properly communicate - if Homer wore a cheap suit to work and a fancy suit for a special occasion, they really couldn't easily draw the difference. All the Simpsons characters are the same: Apu wears the same outfit all the time, but when they want to show he's out on a date (shirt with ruffled collar) or getting married (white outfit with sash) they change it. 87.114.128.88 (talk) 21:47, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

It appears that you are under the impression that no humans are drawing Homer's pants. Why? The first 13 seasons used traditional cell animation. Since season 14, they use digital ink and paint - which means the humans draw it and scan it into a computer for arranging and syncing the animation. -- kainaw™ 04:04, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Cartoons aside - the thing that our OP suggests is certainly used in computer games. In my time with Midway Games, I wrote software to take a single model of a person and switch colors textures and some interchangeable 'parts' (hats, hairdo's, cellphones, bags, etc) to create extra variety in crowd scenes. But there are a lot of traditional aspects to making cartoons - conventions that have come up and seem to work. Having four-fingered hands for example. I suspect it's just simpler to maintain continuity and to re-use animation from one part of the cartoon to another. If sections of the cartoon are produced in different locations and out of sequence - it's much easier if everyone can simply rely on the character's appearance never changing. In "The Simpsons" they frequently make jokes about their character's overly-standardized appearance - when Marge's iconic pearl necklace gets stolen - she briefly agonizes over it - then pulls open a drawer containing dozens and dozens of identical necklaces. SteveBaker (talk) 05:17, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

This is indeed mostly used in old games, the trick is called a palette swap, the most famous creation of which is of course Luigi (orignially just Mario with green pants). A character sprite takes up valuable space on those old-school cartridges (what with all the running and jumping and fifty other animated things it has to do) so it's a dead easy way of creating additional people. This is easy to do when your character is just a few pixels big, but you can't do that with Homer. He's far to hi-res and detailed, there's all sorts of shading and things you have to look out for. You can't just do a search and replace. Besides, I like his blue pants! 83.250.202.208 (talk) 15:12, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I'd think you could handle shading. Just have the pants be shaded beforehand in the usual way, but with a shade of gray, then add the color on top of that until you hit a black border. So, for example, an RGB hex code for a pixel of gray, like 90 90 90, could be shaded blue to get 90 90 FF, or shaded purple to get C0 90 C0. At times it might be necessary to specify an interior point on two or more discontinuous regions of the pants in a single frame, such as if he has something on his lap while sitting and each leg needed to be colored in separately. StuRat (talk) 17:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I don't doubt that this kind of thing already happens in digital animation, in one way or another. With things as complicated as Procedural generation of hair and cloth, I think swapping the colour of Homer's pants would be rather arbitrary wouldn't it? Vespine (talk) 00:48, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Uncheck "Read-Only" Globally; Windows98

You remember Windows98, don't you?

I've got several DVD's, loaded with thousands of photos, in hundreds of folders.

I want to copy them to a Win98 computer, and massage the data. However, the files all have Attributes of "Read-only". Is there any way to change that attribute on all of them in one swell foop?

Right now, the only way I know of to change them is to open up Window Explorer, open up the particular sub-(sub-sub-)folder, select all the files in that particular folder, and change them. If I change that attribute on the folder itself, the change is not reflected on the individual files. I'd hate to have to do this hundreds of time, and would like do it with one command.

While we're at it, what the heck is an "archive" attribute?

Thanks. Bunthorne (talk) 23:20, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

From a dos prompt (in XP do "Start | Run | Cmd") enter (without the quotes and using the correct drive and path) "ATTRIB -R X:\this\that\theother\*.* /S" -- SGBailey (talk) 00:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Fantastic! Just what I needed, and it works like a champ. Thanks a bunch Bunthorne (talk) 01:04, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

The archive attribute is designed to be turned off during a backup, and is turned on any time a file is modified. This way, an incremental backup program can tell if the file has been modified since the last backup. --Bavi H (talk) 02:38, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Resolved

Note on any version of Windows NT since at least I believe 2k you should be able to just change the folder setting from Explorer to change all files and subfolders Nil Einne (talk) 07:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

December 14

Persistent shift/ctrl/alt/win keypress popups in Vista

Hey all,

Here's a problem that is driving me nuts. I recently started using Windows Vista -- a move I'm not entirely pleased with, but that DirectX 10 support kind of decided the issue for me -- and for whatever reason, whenever I hit shift, ctrl, alt or the Windows key, a small yellow tooltip-like thing pops up on the screen with the name of the key in question written on it.

Presumably, it's some kind of an accessibility setting, but I swear I've gone through every single thing in those settings a dozen times. Everything should be turned off, but I still can't make it stop. Ditto for the keyboard settings. Not only do these popups distract me and, by this point, drive me into a state where a red mist seems to descend over my vision, but more importantly, they're also extremely inconvenient: when I work in Photoshop and try to do some detailed work with the selection tools, this goddamn thing pops up and covers the thing I'm trying to work on for as long as I keep the shift or alt key held down. The thing here is, of course, that those are vital keyboard shortcut keys for Photoshop, without which you can't really even do the work. Now, admittedly, I can just move the canvas a little and work around the spot that's claimed by the popup thing, but, seriously, it's driving me nuts. Google has revealed that others have complained about this, but no one seems to have found a solution.

Good people of Wikipedia, save what little there is left of my already questionable sanity. Help me out before I lose all control and just start biting my keyboard and crying in impotent rage -- it's a small thing, I know, but it's so very, very annoying. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:22, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

You haven't got a graphics tablet plugged in, by any chance? Windows enables its Tablet PC features when you install a graphics tablet, and these tooltips are apparently a feature of the tablet PC input panel. You can disable all tablet PC features by going to the control panel and searching for 'windows features'. Select 'Turn Windows features on or off' and uncheck 'Tablet PC Optional Components'. You might require a reboot after you click OK to get rid of everything. This only affects Vista's tablet stuff (handwriting recognition etc) - your PC will still recognise the graphics tablet and all your buttons and pressure sensitivity will still work fine. — Matt Eason ^{(Talk &#149; Contribs)} 02:03, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I do have a graphics tablet plugged in, as a matter of fact, and this was exactly what I needed to fix the problem. No wonder I couldn't find it from the accessibility settings! (I now realize that the problem also only occurred when I was using the graphics tablet -- or when I had placed the pen on top of the tablet, even if I was using the mouse at the time -- which explains why pinning the problem down was so difficult.) It's ridiculous how incredibly annoying that was. I was about half an hour away from turning into some kind of a terrible rage-fueled man-beast and running buck naked into the cold Nordic night, howling at the skies in my anguish and disemboweling with my bare teeth any poor fools who happened to cross my path. It would've been a pretty reasonable reaction on my part, so you probably saved some lives here tonight, Matt.

Seriously, you're awesome. Thanks! -- Captain Disdain (talk) 04:27, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Lol HP Lovecraft would have been proud of some of these passages! Sandman30s (talk) 20:08, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Oh, hell, no, Lovecraft's in a league of his own. I mean, I'm a writer by trade, but I know my place. =) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:49, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Is this idea taken (meta-music account)?

I'm thinking of making a website but want to know if it's been done before. Is there any site out there that keeps track of your authorized (as in $$$ used) purchases from various music/video stores like itunes/amazon/zune using various APIs? Other features are unimportant. Does anyone know of a site that does this? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.84.49.100 (talk) 03:21, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

itunes does this. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 18:02, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

SoundEdit 16 files

Are there any current audio apps that can read layered Sound Edit 16 files? --71.158.216.23 (talk) 06:44, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Booting into Mac System 7.5 & 8...

What are the newest Macs that can boot into System 7.6? System 8? 8.5? (I'm talking real boot, not Classic) --71.158.216.23 (talk) 06:45, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Generally, the newest Macs that support a given version of the OS are going go be the ones that shipped with it (or the last ones that shipped with an earlier version). After a bit of trolling through Mactracker's database, here's what I came up with:

Mac OS 7.6: the January 1997 PowerMacs (5500, 6500, 7220, 7300, 8600, and 9600) (note that these can also boot 7.5.5; the 7220 can even boot 7.5.3)

Mac OS 7.6.1: PowerBook 2400c and 3400c

Mac OS 8.0: the beige PowerMac G3's (desktop, mini-tower, all-in-one, and server versions), and the first- and second-generation PowerBook G3 ("Kanga" and "Wallstreet")

Mac OS 8.1: second-and-a-halfth-gen PowerBook G3 ("PDQ", aka speedbumped Lombards)

Mac OS 8.5: first-gen (bondi blue) iMac

Mac OS 8.5.1: Blue&White PowerMac G3 (& its server version), 5-flavor iMacs ("Life Savers")

-- Speaker to Lampposts (talk) 02:11, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

creating a string in PHP

My PHP book is not as clear as it might be, or maybe I'm simply tired. I want to display an image randomly chosen from a series with names of the form hilbert##.png, where ## is an octal number. In Python I'd write

"hilbert%02o.png" % randrange(48)

How do I say this in PHP? How do I ensure that a leading zero is not omitted? —Tamfang (talk) 08:28, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Use the C-style specification that Python is attempting to mimic: $image = sprintf("hilbert%02o.png", rand(0,48)); -- kainaw™ 14:53, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Been awhile since i've done PHP, but can't you just do

$image = "hilbert" . decoct(rand(0,48)) . ".png";

To me, that's easier, but then again I never liked that C-style so much. 83.250.202.208 (talk) 15:01, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure that will guarantee the leading zero. Better to use sprintf, which can do that quite easily. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 19:39, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, Kainaw! —Tamfang (talk) 23:24, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Keyboard Layout

What keyboard layout do I have? I found this keyboard in a cupboard downstairs. I´m living in the Netherlands, but they layout is not Dutch. The keyboard is very heavy and branded ´Tulip´. Here is a photograph [4]

That looks like a standard US English keyboard for Windows PC, to me. It's a bit blurry, but the only thing different from mine I can make out appears to be the Euro symbol on the 4 key. Is that just written on with marker ? StuRat (talk) 17:09, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Indeed, I wrote that on with marker shortly after appropriating the keyboard. :D My previous keyboard was mulfunctioning. I've just switched to the US layout and everything appears to be operating normally. Thank you very much for your help. ----Seans Potato Business 17:42, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome. StuRat (talk) 18:52, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Resolved

Puppy Linux manual install

I got the .iso of Puppy linux and since my optical drive went out I made a bootable USB drive. I partitioned my hard drive and copied all of the files on the USB drive to /mnt/hda3 (from Damn Small Linux. This computer is too old to boot from USB). Then I edited menu.lst and with the following:

title Puppy-Linux
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda3

I found that it is on (hd0,1) because I have 2 ext3 partitions and 2 NTFS partitions on that computer and DSL is on one of the ext3's so (hd0,1) is the only other ext3 partition on the disk. When I select Puppy-Linux from GRUB, it gives me error 15 (file not found), after that, I boot into DSL and check, and lo and behold /mnt/hda3/vmlinuz is there. So, why am I not able to get this to boot? TIA, Ζρς ι'β' ^¡hábleme! 18:25, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Update: I changed root to (hd0,2) and now it is getting farther in the boot process. However, it is telling me "no setup signature found". What does this mean and how can I fix it? Ζρς ι'β' ^¡hábleme! 19:40, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Googling the error message gives 26,000+ hits, maybe some of those will be helpful? Grub version differences was mentioned in one of the first hits. And of course, you did a grub-install, right? --NorwegianBlue ^talk 22:55, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I did a GRUB install. I did look it up and tried to update GRUB. First, I tried apt-get, which said everything was up to date, which it wasn't (I had GRUB 0.91), so then I tried to use .deb packages. It wouldn't let me install the dependencies because it said that something already on the system would conflict with the new libc6 (I didn't have the latest one installed, which was a dependency). Now, just a while ago, I tried using MyDSL browser. It seemed that this succeeded, but when I rebooted it gave me an error 15 on DSL. Obviously the only thing MyDSL did was overwrite my menu.lst (which it in fact did). So now, I am trying to fix by broken menu.lst from liveCD and am having to guess at which root (hd0,*) to use. Any advice? TIA, Ζρς ι'β' ^¡hábleme! 03:22, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, I thought you said your optical drive (which I interpreted as CD drive) was broken. First some general advice (which may be a little late now, but anyway): before getting too creative with things that might affect how your computer boots, it's a good idea to backup the master boot record, like so:

To save the MBR to a file (this contains the partition table too):

dd if=/dev/hda of=mbr.bin bs=512 count=1 

Check that the file is valid by doing a hex dump: the two last bytes should be 55 AA

To restore the MBR, without restoring the partition table:

dd if=mbr.bin of=/dev/hda bs=446 count=1 

To restore the MBR, including the partition table:

dd if=mbr.bin of=/dev/hda bs=512 count=1

If I've understood correctly, you want your DSL partition to be the one that grub is installed from. If you've got a working CD drive, I would suggest downloading the super grub boot disk. It will boot just about anything, and once you're back into linux, you can fix the grub problem. Be aware of one potential problem: The partition table has four entries. Sometimes, when you delete and recreate partitions, the order of the pointers in the partition table may not match the physical layout of the disk. For example, the first entry points to first partition, second entry points to fourth partition, third entry points to second partition, fourth entry points to third partition. This isn't really a problem, but it can be confusing when trying to go from (hd0,1) to hda1 notation. My impression from experimenting with this, is that the (hd0,1) notation reflects the physical layout of the disk, whereas the hda notation reflects the order of the pointers in the partition table. You can see if there is a mismatch by running cfdisk. If there is a mismatch, the partition hames (hda1, hda2, ...) will be shown in a different order than what you would expect. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 08:09, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Multiple interfaces and ambiguous method calls

In C# or Java, if class A has two distinct methods DoSomething(iFoo x) and DoSomething(iBar x) where iFoo and iBar are interfaces, what happens if I call A.DoSomething(Thingamajig) and Thingamajig is of a class that implements both iFoo and iBar? NeonMerlin 19:27, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Why don't you try and see? ;-) Method overloading is resolved at compile time, so if there is an ambiguity based on the types at compile time, the compiler should give an error, IMHO. --71.106.183.17 (talk) 20:46, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

At least for Java, that's what it does. To resolve the ambiguity the programmer has to explicitly cast Thingamajig to either iFoo or iBar. 87.114.128.88 (talk) 20:51, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

.swf

Hi, I have Adobe Flash Player installed and yet my computer doesn't recognise swf files. When I click "open with" I can't find Flash Player in my Program Files folder, but the Flash Player download section of the Adobe website says I already have Flash Player. What should I do to open these files. Thanks.92.1.80.167 (talk) 20:05, 14 December 2008 (UTC)</

Usually Flash Player is a plugin for your browser. So you don't just run it by itself. You have to run it through your browser. (i.e. "open with" your browser, or put in the local address of the .swf in the address bar of the browser). --71.106.183.17 (talk) 20:44, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks 92.6.220.85 (talk) 21:40, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

You can generally download a stand-alone Flash Player as well. They can be really helpful (and tend to start up a lot faster than a new web browser). Washii (talk) 05:15, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Adjusting the size of the pages i download

Hi - when browsing, the pages are always too big - don't fit the screen - I have to scroll left and right to see it all; I'm continually having to zoom out to make the page the right size. Is there a way I can set my Firefox browser so I don't have this problem?

Thanks Adambrowne666 (talk) 20:59, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Change the resolution of the monitior. Ζρς ι'β' ^¡hábleme! 21:48, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Holding the CTRL key and pressing the + or - keys or rolling the scroll wheel on the mouse will scale the page up and down. -- Tcncv (talk) 03:36, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, Tcnv, but it doesn't last - I have to do it again every time I log in. Forgive my ignorance, Zrs, but how do I change resolution? Adambrowne666 (talk) 12:47, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Try using Opera for reading. Scaling up or down is very easy Phil_burnstein (talk) 20:08, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I second the Opera suggestion. You can turn on their "Fit to Page" option, or adjust the scaling... and the options will stick. --Mdwyer (talk) 01:32, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

To change screen resolution:

1. Right-click on desktop
2. Select "Properties"--."Settings". You'll see a nice little drop down menu with the available settings. There's other options but the screen may end up looking real weird if you mess with them. :P--Xp54321 ^{(Hello! • Contribs)} 04:14, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Graph union in Excel

In Excel, if I have labeled adjacency matrices for several graphs that aren't disjoint, what's the easiest way to generate the adjacency matrix for their union? NeonMerlin 23:06, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

You can just add the matrices together, then the number will indicate how many link there are between the nodes. The hard part will be to make the node indexes match. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 00:12, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

December 15

Problem

Sometimes, when I view a Web page, I get a message saying something like "Internet Explorer cannot open the page (page name). Operation aborted." and then I get a "page cannot be displayed" page. Why? 58.165.14.208 (talk) 01:03, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Probably more information than you want. To fix, upgrade to IE 8, if it's available yet.  :) Indeterminate (talk) 01:33, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Latest version is IE 8 beta 2. It is only available for 2003 server, 2008 server, XP, and Vista Phil_burnstein (talk) 10:42, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

"Bookmarks" menu item in Firefox 3 upgrade

I upgraded my Firefox browser to 3 after some pop-up kept pestering me to do so. I don't usually like upgrades because I rarely get some that actually prove to be an improvement. More often than not some thing gets messed up or doesn't work as it used to. This time it's the "Bookmarks" menu item. It now automatically bookmarks the page I have open even when I actually only clicked the menu item to "open" an existing bookmark, not to create a new one. S.o. have the same problem and/or know how to fix it?? Thks.76.97.245.5 (talk) 01:22, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

If you're referring to the star, that's not supposed to open a bookmark menu. It's supposed to do just what it's doing - bookmark the current page. If you're referring to the little book icon, then that's got a problem. Try reinstalling it. And if it keeps happening, consider pressing Ctrl-B instead of the book icon. flaminglawyer^cneverforget 21:00, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I don't have a book icon. (Windows). There is a pull down menu selection item between "History" and "Tools" that says "Bookmark". Before the upgrade I could click on this word and it would open the pull-down menu. Now it opens a selection window "bookmark this page" which I have to close. On the subsequent second try the pull-down menu then works again as it used to. I guess something gets misdirected the first time around. ("Bookmark this page" is the first item of the pull down menu, but I'm sure that I don't click twice and this is the only pull down menu which shows this kind of error behavior. This would rule out a hardware error IMHO. Plus the behavior is reproducible with the first action always causing the misdirect and the second time thereafter working fine. I guess I'm going to have to live with Ctrl B till the next upgrade and hope it will be fixed then. Ctrl B opens the Bookmarks in the sidebar, with I don't like that much, but at least it works. Thks. for y'r help. 76.97.245.5 (talk) 23:43, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Internet problem

Hello! On my laptop, whenever I close the screen and put it in standby mode, occasionally after exiting standby, my Internet connection will stop working until I reboot. In addition, when this happens, when I try to reboot or shut down, the computer won't shut off unless I hold down the power button to "incorrectly" shut it down (screen comes up when I restart and tells me improper shutdown, can run in safe mode, etc.). The problems are strangely related. I've gone into the device manager (Vista 64-bit, latest updates) and switched the setting for my network adapters to not turn off the device to save power, but I still get the problem. When I try to get to the "Network and Sharing" window after this happens, it just won't load. Any advice? Thanks!--el Aprel (^facta-_facienda) 01:26, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

It's probably an issue related to the chipset drivers supplied by your laptop manufacturer. Try updating all your drivers from the manufacturer's website, and look around there to see if it's a known issue. If you want to post some info about your laptop, maybe we could be more helpful. Indeterminate (talk) 01:37, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

You might also check your control panel and see if you see something there for your adaptor. The Dells around the office had problems with the power-saving code. They would turn off the power to the card when the machine was on batteries, then forget to turn it back on when the machine was powered again. There may be driver changes to fix this, but the other option is to make sure it is set to 'always on' so that it never turns off. --Mdwyer (talk) 01:30, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Video cards/S-Video

Graphics cards commonly have an S-Video connector sitting meekly beside DVI etc. Is this an input or output, and what would be its application? Thanks in advance. –Outriggr § 06:55, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Usually it's an output and allows you to send your computer desktop to a regular TV (back when TVs were all about S-Video!) if you wanted to do a picture slideshow or movie etc. I find that the picture is usually pretty "soft" and fuzzy via most graphic's card's S-Video outs. NByz (talk) 09:06, 15 December 2008 (UTC) And you often can't get them to be the same resolution as your TV. NByz (talk) 09:07, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

To understand more, you need to look into the DiY Tivo culture. I don't know what the current status is now that everything is going HD and the limitation has always been the ability to keep up with the amount of incoming video data. -- kainaw™ 13:10, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I made a couple of DIY PVRs using old 800 mhz dell computers a couple of years ago. I tried $100-$130 video cards (they had to have onboard mpeg decoding) with S-video outs and it just didn't cut it. The component Video out was what I stuck with NByz (talk) 21:46, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Convert .cab to .exe

My operating system has becme too corrupt to use. My daughter's computer has a more recent operating system, but I don't have disks for it. I did notice that she has a bunch of .cab files that are each the size of a filled floppy disk. Can I convert the .cab files into install disks? How? Phil_burnstein (talk) 07:13, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Are the files all scattered in one folder on her computer? The .cab files will be archives. If they are the OS files, they will probably have an install or setup ".exe" around somewhere that will proceed to decompress the files. Sometimes you can run that installer right from where it is, and just tell it where the .cabs are. If not you can mount the .cabs using a "daemon tools" type program (advanced, but quick) and point the installer to the drive that you mapped. If you're not sure what a daemon tools type program is, then don't worry about it. Yes, you can make them into disks. Usually old programs like that will expect the setup or install ".exe" file to be on one disk (usually with a bunch of other stuff, you can tell what by trying to run it and seeing what files it says are missing) and each .cab to be on the next several. If you have only one floppy disk you can just copy the installer program and files onto one disk, run the program, then overwrite the disk with each of the next several .cabs one at a time. Since this is an OS install, you'd have to do that using another computer. If you have a whole bunch of disks, just put each .cab on a separate one. It sounds like the tricky part might be finding the right contents of the first disk. NByz (talk) 09:04, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

The above method is highly unlikely to work. You could use this, which I recommend personally. — neuro^(talk) 19:14, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Using a TV for Computer, Xbox and movies

I'm going to be moving in about a month, and won't have a TV when I go. Also, the dual monitors on my PC are both VERY old CRTs that are getting crappier by the minute.

I'm thinking of just getting a 24' - 32' LCD TV to be my primary monitor (and only keep one of the crap-tastic CRTs). I would be using it as a regular PC monitor (audio mixing, occasional gaming, regular internet use), XBox 360 monitor (has to be HD!), occasionally use it for watching DVDs and - more often - downloaded TV shows and movies. I may buy a new laptop in the next year or so as well, so I may end up wanting another input for that (so I can sit the laptop down and just plug right into the TV via a cradle or something).

I was thinking that the best way to do this would be to buy a rotate-able, swing-able, "human arm"-type stand that I could screw into a flat desk. This would allow me to have the TV face either towards the desk's chair, or swing it out toward the main living area.

Can anyone anyone give any advice on a set-up like this? Is there a good arm-like stand that I could use (that is sturdy enough to support a high-20-inch LCD)? Anything I should consider about the monitor itself? A good (cheap but quiet!) A/V switch that I could use to easily switch between inputs? Any other advice?

Thanks! NByz (talk) 08:56, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

You shouldn't need an A/V switch. Most decent LCD TV's should come with a plethora of connectors at the back, DVI, HDMI, VGA and RCA should all be present. You'd just need to change inputs using the remote. Note however that LCD TVs (as opposed to LCD monitors) have a much lower resolution (and thus a much larger pixel size - especially in the bigger TVs). A typical 20" widescreen monitor might be 1600x1050, compared to a 26" 720p TV which might be only 1366x768 (I think 1280x720 in the States?). 1080p should be better at 1920x1080 resolution. The upshot of all this is that a 720p TV (or even 1080p in the larger sizes) does not make a good PC monitor unless you're willing to up your font and icon sizes. The text is a bit "fuzzy" and hard to read for normal PC use. Zunaid 09:49, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I'd say a 1080p TV can be good as a computer monitor, provided it's one with a nice crisp image. A fuzzy TV, where the pixels blend together, would make a poor monitor, but a sharp one, where you can see every pixel, would make a good monitor. You probably won't be able to find a 1080p TV any smaller than around 32 inches. StuRat (talk) 13:41, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

You do need to check the inputs on any TV you buy to make sure they work with the outputs from your computer or laptop. Also, using some inputs you may not be able to get the max resolution of the TV. Read the user manual or look at user reviews of the model you want to ensure that the inputs you intend to use actually support the max resolution. StuRat (talk) 13:49, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

As for the swing arm, that would work, yes. Another option is to reposition the desk so your back is toward the main living area when you use the computer, which would put it in the proper position for viewing TV (although you might have to move the chair, if it has a rather high back). StuRat (talk) 13:49, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks guys! NByz (talk) 22:10, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Widescreen (large) CRT's?

The question above got me thinking. I have yet to find an LCD or plasma TV that gives a better picture than good ol' CRT. With LCD's it's jaggy edges and low contrast ratio, and plasmas just look un-sharp and lacking crispness. Is there no manufacturer producing large widescreen CRTs for high-def use? I know they would be enormous and bulky but after you've installed it in your living room you're hardly likely to move it.

While CRTs do still have some advantages, primarily on colour fidelity and to some extent ghosting and viewing angle these aren't particularly relevant to TVs but high quality computer monitors (well except for the viewing angle bit perhaps). While I've never owned or used a plasma or LCD TV (or even monitor much) I'm pretty sure that for a TV the best quality ones are loads better in terms of picture quality then probably any CRT you are likely to encounter. I don't know what LCD of plasma TVs you've been looking at but it sounds to me like you're looking a crappy ones. Alternatibely, particularly your comment on jaggy edges and un-sharpness, this may be related to the fact the TVs your looking at are a lot larger then the CRTs your used to, so the SDTV picture is going to look a bit shit. A HDTV picture may be better. Alternatively try comparing a comparing a CRT to a LCD of comparable size side by side. One issue that may be relevant is that if the picture going to the LCD or plasma isn't the same resolution as the native resolution of the LCD or plasma, it needs to be appropriately upscaled either by the TV or the device sending the picture. If you do poor upscaling then you get poor results (quite a big problem for games run at non-native resolutions). In terms of CRT, it not just that they're enormous and bulky but that they cost a lot to make. Nil Einne (talk) 12:56, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Compared to a typical Television CRT, a LCD or plasma blows it away hands down. There are higher end PC Monitor CRTs that perform well but you are comparing apples to oranges there. If you are using an LCD/Plasma with your PC and are troubled by jagged edges, you are sitting too close! I use a Sharp 46" 1080p LCD TV as an entertainment monitor and it's every bit as effective as any other CRT or LCD at word processing or web browsing. The only difference is the pixel pitch is plain HUGE if you are used to a PC LCD or CRT, and up close the difference is obvious. This is why you simply don't sit as close as you would with a 20" monitor.--66.195.232.121 (talk) 12:46, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Viewing-distance is the most important factor. A large screen is not designed to be viewed up-close, just like (most) large photographs aren't designed to be viewed up close. It's important to consider your viewing-position when assessing the quality of any screen/image, because the design of the product will be based on an assumed viewing-distance range. So you can get giant billboard posters that look like photos from your 50-yard viewing distance, but up-close they look terrible quality. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 13:15, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Large CRTs just get to heavy, too quickly. Let's compare a 20" CRT to a 40" CRT. The 40" is twice as wide, twice as high, and twice as deep. In addition, the glass on the edge of the tube needs to be around twice as thick. So, we end up with a monitor that weighs maybe 2×2×2×2 or 16 times as much as the 20" model. If the original weighed 50 lbs, then we are up to maybe 800 lbs. This is more than even two people can move. You'd need to use a forklift to bring it in, which won't fit through the door, so you'd need to build the house around it. The 16 times heavier CRT is also likely to cost at least 16 times more. A 40" LCD TV only needs to be twice as high and wide and just a little bit thicker, so is maybe 5 times as heavy as a 20" LCD. Also, the weight of the 20" was lower, maybe 20 lbs, so we get more like 100 lbs in the 40" LCD, which can be easily moved by a pair of delivery men.

Another technology you might want to look at is DLP, which is a digital rear projection TV. They are bright and huge with good resolution and are inexpensive to buy. The downsides are that the bulb burns out every few years, it uses a lot of energy and gets hot, as a result. StuRat (talk) 13:27, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Better bulb for DLP TV ?

These TVs seem to use incandescent light bulbs, which waste energy, are hot, and burn out in a few years. Why can't they use CFLs, LEDs or some better technology ? StuRat (talk) 13:27, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Did you read the article you linked to? "replaceable mercury vapor arc lamp unit (containing a quartz arc tube, reflector, electrical connections, and sometimes a quartz/glass shield), while in some newer DLP projectors high-power LEDs are used as a source of illumination." and "Ordinary LED technology does not produce the intensity and high lumen output characteristics required to replace arc lamp" which is sort of what I expected (okay I expected halogen). Basically it hasn't been possible to produce sufficiently bright LEDs or fluorescent lamps until now (at least not at the needed size). Nil Einne (talk) 13:35, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

I was going off what I've seen in stores. While I couldn't see the bulbs directly, judging from the heat they put out and energy requirements, it was not a very efficient form of light they were using. It looks like there are some LED models out now. But why won't CFLs work ? What I'd really like is a bank of commonly available CFL bulbs, as opposed to a single, expensive light only made by one manufacturer, with a patent on it (and thus a monopoly). I don't want to have to pay a hundred dollars for a replacement and also don't want a total failure of the TV when one bulb burns out. StuRat (talk) 15:42, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

The other problem with CFLs is that they do not generate a point light source, which makes it difficult to focus them. Also, to get sufficient brightness in CFLs requires more space that a projector is usually going to have. Note that for non-projected screens, like LCD, CFL can make sense. However, they normally use cold-cathode fluorescent lights instead of CFL or conventional fluorescent lighting. --Mdwyer (talk) 01:26, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

LED 1080p TV projectors ?

Are any of these on the market yet ? I wasn't able to find any with both the 1080p resolution and an LED source. I'm talking about the separate projector system, not a TV with attached projectors in the front at the bottom (do they still make those ?). StuRat (talk) 16:22, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Can we update offline in Kasersky 2009 as in Kaspersky 7?

Hi guys,I would like to buy Kaspersky 2009, but I can't connect to internet often. So I prefer ofline updates. Also I've heard that offline update is not possible with Kaspersky 2009 prior to Kaspersky 7. Is this true?.can any users suggest me this and help me out?. Thanks for your time!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.164.67.7 (talk) 11:19, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

From the horse's mouth [5]. So unless the computer you plan to use to download updates also has Kaspersky the answer appears to be no. If you are planning to use the same computer to download updates, I don't see why it matters that you can't connect often. You should be able to schedule updates so they only occur whenever you connect or alternatively on demand. Nil Einne (talk) 12:44, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

My problem with a C program PART 2

ON DECEMBER 13TH I ASKED THIS QUESTION BUT I FORGOT TO MENTION TO MENTION WHETHER I WAS WORKING ON WINDOWS OR UNIX PLATFORM: As a part of a college project, I have been asked to write a C program which accepts an employee's username and password. The difficult part is that the output screen is not supposed to show the password while the user types it in the console. I have a limited knowledge about C (since my major in college is electrical engineering) and do not know how to proceed with this problem. Please explain what to do. I will be very thankful for your help. I AM SORRY THAT I FORGOT TO GIVE THAT INFORMATION. I AM WORKING IN WINDOWS PLATFORM. CAN YOU TELL WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE IN WINDOWS PLATFORM. THANKS FOR ANSWERING MY PREVIOUS QUESTION. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.227.68.5 (talk) 13:39, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

As far as I know, the functionality you are looking for is is not part of ANSI C. Did you check out if your compiler implements a getpass() function? If it doesn't, there will probably be a nonstandard function that receives characters from the console without echoing them. In Microsoft C++ 6.0 (which I'm still using...), the function is called _getch(). Note the leading underscore. The function waits for you to type a character, and then returns immediately with the ascii/character code of the character you typed, without echoing it. Its prototype is in the header file conio.h. You can try it out with the following program:

#include <conio.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
    int ch;
    do 
    {
        ch = _getch();
        printf("%d\n", ch);
    }
    while (ch != 'Q' && ch != 'q');
    return 0;
}

This program outputs the ascii/character codes for the characters you type, and exits if you type a Q. In your program, you'll have to test for an end of line, instead of the Q's in my program. The end of line character could be ascii 10 or 13 (you'll catch both if you test for '\r' and '\n'). You'll need a character array to store the password in, and an index that is incremented whenever you receive a character. You'll need to make sure that the length of the password is shorter than the length of your buffer, and you'll need to null-terminate it. And remember to prompt the user for a password twice, to make sure that no mistake was made. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 15:08, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

PS: Follow-up questions are best asked as a continuation of the original thread. You could have done so by clicking the "edit" link of your question a bit further up the page. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 15:08, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Have fun...

... DOS/Win console code to get username/password. Includes example as main() ...

#include <stdio.h> /* fileno, fflush, stdout */
#include <string.h> /* memmove */
#include <ctype.h> /* iscntrl */
#include <conio.h> /* getch, putch */
#include <io.h> /* isatty */
#include <errno.h> /* errno, E_ defines */
         
int getpass(char *buffer, size_t buflen, int hidden)
{
  size_t pos = 0, len = 0;
  int nextch = EOF;

  if (!isatty(fileno(stdin))) {
     errno = EIO; /* actually ENOTTY */
     return -1;
  }
  if (!isatty(fileno(stdout))) 
     hidden = 2; /* hidden=0=show input, 1=show stars, 2=show nothing */

  for (;;) {
     size_t t;
     int ch;

     if (hidden < 2)
        fflush(stdout);
     if (nextch == EOF)
        ch = getch();
     else {
        ch = nextch;
        nextch = EOF;
     }

     if (!iscntrl(ch)) {
        if (len < (buflen-1)) {
           if (pos < len) 
              memmove(&buffer[pos+1], &buffer[pos], len-pos);
           buffer[pos] = (char)ch;
           len++; pos++;
           if (hidden < 2) {
              for (t = (pos-1); t < len; t++)
                putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
              for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                putch('\b');
           }
        }
     } else {
        if (ch == EOF) { 
           ch = 0x04; /* ^C, end of transmission */
        } else if (ch == 0 || ch == 0xe0) { 
           ch += (getch() << 8);
        } else if (ch == '\b') { /* backspace */
           if (pos > 0) { /* like 'del' key but on previous char */
              pos--; 
              if (hidden < 2)
                 putch('\b');
              ch = 0x5300; /* code for 'del' key */
           }
        }

        if (ch == '\r' || ch == '\n') { /* end-of-line */
           break;
        } else if (ch == 0x03 || ch == 0x04) { /* ^C, end of transmission */
           errno = EIO;
           return -1; 
        } else if (ch == 0x4b00) { /* arrow left */
           if (pos > 0) {
              pos--;
              if (hidden < 2) {
                 putch('\b');
              }
           } 
        } else if (ch == 0x4d00) { /* arrow right */
           if (pos < len) {
              pos++;
              if (hidden < 2) {
                 for (t = (pos-1); t < len; t++)
                   putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
                 for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                   putch('\b');
              }
           }
        } else if (ch == 0x5300 || ch == 0x7f) { /* delete */
           if (pos < len) {
              len--;
              memmove(&buffer[pos], &buffer[pos+1], len-pos);
              if (hidden < 2) {
                 for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                   putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
                 putch(' ');
                 for (t = pos; t < (len+1); t++)
                   putch('\b');
              }
           }  
        } else if (ch == 0x4700) { /* home */
           if (hidden < 2) {
              for (t = 0; t < pos; t++)
                 putch('\b');
           }
           pos = 0;
        } else if (ch == 0x4f00) { /* end */
           if (hidden < 2) {
              for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                 putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
           }
           pos = len;
        } else if (ch == 0x3500) { /* numpad divide */
           nextch = '/';
        } else if (ch == 0x4500) { /* numlock */
           ; /* nothing */
        } else { /* not handled */
           if (hidden < 2) {
              if (ch <= 0xff && ch != '\a')
                 putch('\a');

           #if 0 /* 1=show_unhandled_keystrokes, 0=don't */
              for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                 putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
              printf("   (key=0x%04x)", ch ); fflush(stdout);
              for (t = pos; t < (len+15); t++)
                 putch('\b');
              nextch = getch();
              if (nextch == EOF)
                 nextch = 0x04;
              for (t = pos; t < len; t++)
                 putch( (hidden ? ('*') : (buffer[t])) );
              for (t = 0; t < 15; t++)
                 putch(' ');
              for (t = pos; t < (len+15); t++)
                 putch('\b');
           #endif /* for debugging */
           }
        }
     } /* if (ch == ...) */

  } /* for (;;) */
  buffer[len] = '\0';
  return len;
}

int main(void)
{
  char user[64], pass[64];
  int rc;

  printf("Username: ");
  rc = getpass(user, sizeof(user), 0);
  if (rc >= 0) {
     printf("\nPassword: ");
     rc = getpass(pass, sizeof(pass), 1);
  }

  if (rc >= 0)
    printf("\nResult: username='%s' password='%s'\n", user, pass);

  return 0;
}

I slapped that together in about 40 minutes. Please post questions about the code on my talk page. -- Fullstop (talk) 21:20, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Game has resources in a .cat file

All the resources in this game are stored in a .cat file. I can't find a program to open a .cat file because it's supposedly a "Security Catalog." Can someone help?  Buffered Input Output 14:27, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

If they are genuinely stored in there, it is nonstandard and likely a one developed by the game's creators. You might find a tool on their website, or a third party tool elsewhere - what is the game? — neuro^(talk) 19:12, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

You may be lucky to find that the data is stored uncompressed/unecrypted within the .cat file, and be able to extract their names from said file. However, this needs to be done manually at first in order to figure out how the .cat file works. In some cases, you could ask the author how the .cat file works, some of them may give you tools. --Sigma 7 (talk) 19:42, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

The name of the game is Zulu Assault (sorry i should have told you). It's on one of eGames many game packs. Happy Hunting (i got this CD in 1999 and still cant find anything):)  Buffered Input Output 14:04, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes games programmers don't WANT you to be able to get at game resources - so they may encrypt them - or simply compress or store them in a non-standard way ("security through obscurity"). If they wanted you to do it - it would be obvious - if they didn't want you to then you probably won't succeed without an outrageous amount of effort. SteveBaker (talk) 04:37, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I found a demo of it, and took a look at the file in question main.cat. It's definitely proprietary, and has almost no plain-text, (but has some, so it's not simply encrypted.) Since I couldn't get the demo off of an official site, you'll be hard pressed to get any sort of tools from the developer. Your best bet is to hope that there's an obscure forum group out there that has taken it apart on their own. But judging from the fact that you got it in a bulk-pack, and the screenshots I saw were completely unimpressive, I'd say this game has passed so far off the radar that it's surprising that I found a demo at all. --EvilEdDead (talk) 12:53, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Plugin required?

Hi! There is a web-page with a password-protected PDF embedded in it, here, which has suddenly started refusing to display in either Firefox (3.0.4) or IE (last version before tabs - not sure what number!). Anyone got any clues?

It definitely works for some people. ╟─TreasuryTag►contribs─╢ 17:36, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Says "This operation is not allowed" for me. Perhaps the people who can access it are using a different version than you and I? — neuro^(talk) 19:11, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

It's not working for me. I go there, and it says "download plugin" inside of a blank box. Then I click to download it. Firefox searches for the appropriate addon, but to no avail. It seems that there is no plugin/addon for that file type. flaminglawyer^cneverforget 19:15, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

On that page, the PDF is embed using the HTML "embed" tag:

<embed src="http://patentedpages.googlepages.com/tifquotesL6.pdf" width="900" height="520" href="example1.pdf"></embed>

and none of my plugins seems to be able to deal with that. I am not sure whether it is standard to embed PDFs this way. I have seen one other site that does this. You can easily go around the problem by going to Page Info or viewing the page source, copying the URL of the PDF, and paste that into the address bar and access it directly. --71.141.147.69 (talk) 19:41, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for this, but it always did work for me before (as in, from a year ago up until last week) - what can have changed? ╟─TreasuryTag►contribs─╢ 20:10, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

The plugin/program? — neuro^(talk) 02:07, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

It seems to be working fine for me. (Firefox 3.0.4, Adobe PDF Plugin for Firefox and Netscape installed as well. Only relevant plugin I have.) No idea why it wouldn't work for an average user, since I haven't done anything special when it comes to PDFs on Firefox. --EvilEdDead (talk) 13:05, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Transferring an article in WORD into a new Wikipedia entry.

I am a computer pioneer. I have prepared a 4-page article in Word that I wish to contribute. It meets your submission criteria. I am not a registered contributor. Can I just send you the article in an E-mail and have you enter it? If so I need an E-mail address. R. L. Patrick —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.205.246.185 (talk) 19:03, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Why not just create an account and then add the article yourself? --Sean 19:13, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Creating an account is both free and no-strings-attached. Better yet an account is more anonymous than editing without an account. (When you edit without an account your IP Address is published for all the world to see.

If you don't want an account, you can still request that someone else create the article by asking at WP:Articles for creation.

(If your first sentence wasn't a joke, please keep in mind that Wikipedia's policy on conflicts of interest forbids you from creating an article about yourself, or an organization you've founded.) APL (talk) 19:28, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Creating a straight text article here is quite easy. Articles with illustrations or mathematical formulae are quite a bit more complicated, however. Is this a straight text article ? StuRat (talk) 20:02, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

thunderbird w/ msn

Why can't you access MSN (or Hotmail or Live) with Thunderbird (or Outlook Express, or Mail, or any other client)? I know that there's that addon for Thunderbird that lets you do it, but why can't you just do it normally? flaminglawyer^cneverforget 19:25, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Because normally you can only use one of the standard mail access protocols (IMAP, POP3). So if they offered IMAP/POP3 access, then you would be able to; but they don't, at least not for free. --71.141.147.69 (talk) 19:33, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

In a word: money. — neuro^(talk) 02:08, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

At one point, I used to use Outlook Express to get my hotmail, however, as was already stated it's no longer free. Quote from Hotmail's help system:

Add your e-mail account to Microsoft Outlook Express
If you have a Windows Live Hotmail Plus subscription, you can use a POP3 (POP3, or Post Office Protocol 3,
is a protocol that's used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server.) server to add your Windows Live Hotmail
account to Microsoft Outlook Express and access messages there. If you download and install Windows Live Mail beta,
you can add your Windows Live Hotmail account to Windows Live Mail beta and access your messages and contacts there.

That's the simple truth. --EvilEdDead (talk) 13:01, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Web Photo Portfolio

Hello.

I`m looking to make a web photo portfolio, but without getting into Flash or PHP. I can stick uniquely to CSS and HTML. Something along the lines of this page: http://www.beatricepeltre.com/

However, when I delved into the code of that page, I realized that each picture has its own particular html link and folder and address. Is there a program that automatically creates these for you? or do I have to do it by hand?

Thanks!

-jacko- 82.123.66.225 (talk) 22:20, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

There's nothing that'll create something exactly like this website for you. There are other ways get the same effect, though, with, say, just Javascript. (Or, dare I suggest it, a tiny bit of PHP. But I know you don't want that, so I'll hush my mouth.) If you want more info I'd be happy to provide it. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:44, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't take much PHP. I did this with very little PHP. Most of it is JavaScript. All PHP does is see which directory (month) you selected and sticks the photos from that directory into the JavaScript. -- kainaw™ 23:24, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

That's a tough call. All that fancy scrolling stuff really demands JavaScript. My web photo portfolios are made with PHP and JavaScript - with some C++ code that creates the HTML automatically from a list of files in a bunch of directories. But it's a hackish solution that only works on my setup. This is my son's portfolio - which was created with the same tool. Notice that it works with movies too! But this isn't much of a solution for you I guess. The page you reference [6] uses JavaScript - and probably it was generated with PHP. SteveBaker (talk) 04:31, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

December 16

Windows XP driver for caching index of removable drives

Does a driver exist for Windows XP that would save the last seen directory structure of removable drives, so that the folders and file names could be browsed even when the drive isn't connected? This would be very useful with various USB memory sticks and external hard drives. Search frameworks like Google Desktop might be able to give a sort of a snapshot, but I'm looking for an ordinary view in Windows Explorer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.97.228.7 (talk) 13:13, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Conway's Game of Life

< moved from Village pump Julia Rossi (talk) 10:03, 16 December 2008 (UTC) > < moved again from Entertainment desk TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:57, 16 December 2008 (UTC)>

A question for those who know Conway's Game: are there any P60 backrakes under the rule B3/S23? If so, please draw it out below or on my userpage. As an example, here is how a glider would be drawn:

**0**
***0*
*000*
*****

Lucas Brown (talk) 04:18, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

That's a question for the Wikipedia:Reference Desk -- Derek Ross | Talk 04:35, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

For reference, he's talking about Conway's Game of Life. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:57, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Suggestions for a good printer...

Does any one of you know of a good, reliable and inexpensive printer to replace that crappy Epson Stylus C90 my family uses at home? I get pissed off at this piece of crap every time it jams a piece of paper or warns me of low ink. Whenever one of the colour tanks runs dry, it locks up and forces me to buy another tank in order for me to continue printing. And that one ran low again after a few sheets. Sorry for venting out my disappointment over the company here, but what do you think? Blake Gripling (talk) 14:33, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I love my HP PhotoSmart C6280 All-In-One printer. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 16:13, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

The HP printers I've used have the ability to continue printing when one of the ink cartridges runs dry, although with lower quality, as would be expected. However, I've never seen any printer that wasn't subject to constant paper jams. I've resorted to feeding in one sheet of paper at a time, which seems to stop this. StuRat (talk) 17:02, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I would recommend any printer that has built-in duplexing. You can print on both sides of the sheet and therefore save paper. (Personally, I like the HP D5360 -- it's the only one at that price that has built-in duplexing). --70.167.58.6 (talk) 18:20, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Though duplexing is a sure-fire thing for paper jams after awhile. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:17, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Unless you need to print colour, go for a mono laser printer - a single toner cartridge will print thousands of pages. Exxolon (talk) 23:20, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I have a laser printer and a free color printer that came with some computer I bought. 90% of the time the laser is all I need. Eeeevery once in awhile I need something in color, and pull out the color one. If you don't need the color, just grab a cheap laser, and keep the color printer as occasional backup. Easy solution. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:18, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Game programming

Hello/HALO,

I was starting game programming and studing basics but came across a problem in which environment I should programme.Is XNA or DirectX or OpenGl or any another.I just want to know which is best(may not easy) and other which is easy(may not best). -- 122.163.15.188 (talk) 15:27, 16 December 2008 (UTC)Harshagg

I think OpenGL is easier to work with than DirectX, but perhaps it is only a matter of taste (and I am not an experienced game developer). --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 16:10, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

If you want to develop 3D games for the Microsoft Windows platform, then probably DirectX is the better choice, though. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 16:12, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Performance depends on driver, Microsoft provided slow OpenGL driver to support its own DirectX 3D. Id Software successfully uses OpenGL. MTM (talk) 17:35, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

DirectX does a lot of the work for you and is easier to develop for. OpenGL is far more flexible, but requires more brains. Compare Unreal Engine 3 (DirectX) vs. ID Tech 5 (OpenGL) --70.167.58.6 (talk) 18:24, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Hi! I'm an actual game programmer! Graphics is my speciality.

Most Windows/XBOX games are written in DirectX - this is not an easy ride for many reasons - but that's how it is. XNA is pretty much ignored (and a good thing too!). OpenGL is the only portable graphics API and it's also the only game in town for Linux, MacOSX, iPhone, Google Android phone - and it's the graphics API for things like Nintendo DS and Playstation are more closely modelled on OpenGL than on DirectX. DirectX has some severe problems because it's a Microsoft-controlled standard and they can make life arbitarily difficult for you...hence, for example, if you want to use such nice features as Geometry shaders or Texture arrays, you have to have DirectX 10. DirectX 9 won't do. Unfortunately, in a typically Microsoftian move - they refuse to publish DirectX 10 for Windows XP - you need Vista. But far more games players are running Windows XP than Vista - so most games writers are 'stuck' on DirectX 9. In the OpenGL world, there are nice extension mechanisms that allow individual hardware vendors to add features to the API without help from the OS vendor. Hence, OpenGL under Windows XP has both geometry shaders and texture arrays if your graphics card is "DirectX 10 capable". That's a bloody ridiculous situation. So with all of that information at hand - you'd think it'd be a slam-dunk and we'd all be using OpenGL. But not so. Sadly, DirectX has enough momentum behind it on two of the most dominant games platforms that people tend to stick to DirectX - despite all of it's many faults.

IMHO - it doesn't much matter which you learn initially - you're going to need to know both of them if you want to be a low-level graphics engine programmer. However, if you're going to work with (say) the Unreal Engine - you'll probably quite rarely go near that low level. Unreal provides it's own 'portability layer' over the top of DirectX, raw Xbox, bare-to-the-metal Playstation, etc. You program mostly using the portability layer and you don't give a damn whether it's DirectX or OpenGL or raw register access commands. On the very rare occasion you delve that deep - consult the DirectX/OpenGL manual!

The huge complexity of all of these API's is also way overstated and I strongly disagree that there is any complexity difference between them. These days you load textures, load shaders and DMA triangle meshes at the hardware as fast as possible. This is probably 10% of the respective API's - most of the other 90% is stuff that's obsoleted by shader technology and may safely be ignored and looked up in the manual in the unlikely case you'll ever actually need it. Shader technology has superceded a lot of old junk like "how do I draw a dotted line?" - well, you certainly don't rummage deep into the DirectX/OpenGL manual...you draw a regular line and write a shader to make it dotted.

In addition to the graphics API's - you need to get REALLY familiar with the shader languages - HLSL, Cg and GLSL. They are very similar to one-another but the small differences can kill you - so pay attention to those tiny differences!

SteveBaker (talk) 04:19, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

That comment was really insightful. Thank you steve. -- penubag  (talk) 09:08, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Google Chrome as Default Browser

Is there a way to make Google Chrome the system's default web browser? The button "Make Google Chrome my default browser" under "Settings" does not work. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 16:08, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

The button did work when I executed Chrome as administrator. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 19:15, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

...because to modify "system" settings you need to have administrator rights. --grawity 20:19, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, but it is really bad designing (of Google), not to make the "Administrator Rights" dialog box appear when clicking the button. It appears just as if the button didn't do anyting. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 22:24, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

That's MS' fault, not Google's. Awful web browser mind. :L — neuro^(talk) 23:28, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Actually, that would be Google's fault. I'll give an analogy. MS is a fruit basket, and your default browser settings are an apple inside of the basket. Google is your mother. Your mother can tell you about the apple, or not. If she doesn't tell you about it, you don't know about the apple. But this doesn't involve MS at all - they just supplied the apple. flaminglawyer^c 01:24, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Or..... to put it in another way, when you try changing the default browser and fail because you don't have the right to do it, there should be a dialog box that pops up and (helpfully) says "You have to be logged in as an administrator to do that". At least then you know why it's not working. Belisarius (talk) 01:29, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Except with an apple, and my mother. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:51, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

back to the question at hand: If Chrome won't change the settings I am guessing that you are running Vista and the UAC (User Account Control) won't allow you/Chrome to change it. Right Click on the "Default Programs" (should be on your start menu, but you can also find it in the Control Panel) and pick the run as administrator option. Hope this helps. Ched Davis (talk) 10:21, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Thumbs

My main Music folder is subdivided into folders by artists, for music I got off CDs, plus a folder for downloaded music, which is further subdivided by artist. In each of these artist folders, in the downloaded music folder only, there is a little gear icon labeled Thumbs. I don't know how these Thumbs got there or what they do or if they mean anything at all. My music has been transferred through two other computers, an mp3 player, and an iPod, before finally ending up on this computer, and these Thumbs seem to have popped up somewhere along the journey. Are they actually anything, do they serve a purpose, or can I just delete them? Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 16:56, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Assuming you are using Windows (any version), then this file is the thumbnail cache. To delete the file, go to Tools>Folder Options, then the View tab, then check the "Do not cache thumbnails" box. The file should disappear. If it does not, you can delete it manually, as it's from your other computer.  Buffered Input Output 17:08, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Or you can do the same as above but instead select "hide protected operating system files" or uncheck "show hidden files and folders". Both of these won't delete the files but will just hide them. All the thumbs.db files do is store thumbnails of images in a folder so they can be viewed quickly when the folder is opened. SN0WKITT3N 17:56, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. So if I delete them, nothing bad will happen? Cherry Red Toenails (talk) 00:46, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

No, but if you don't do as mentioned above, they will be recreated the next time you reopen the folder. — neuro^(talk) 00:48, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Difference between a "method" and "function" (in context of C#)?

I am new to C#. I read somewhere a method is void whereas a function is a special kind of method which returns a value. I always thought they were synonymous!! On googling I got all kind of answers without proper explanation. Please provide an answer with valid references if possible!! :P --Sanguine learner (talk) 17:02, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't matter which term you use. Anyone who gets confused isn't worth worrying about. They probably spend all their time worrying about other important things like arguing that if you put a RAID card in a JBOD, your JBOD is no longer a JBOD. -- kainaw™ 17:31, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Come on! There has to be something more to it. --Sanguine learner (talk) 17:50, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

In the object paradigm for programming, objects have methods. In languages that have their roots in a procedural language like C++ and C# (which are based on C), methods are implemented exactly as one would implement a function. As Kainaw says, those who concern themselves about magical rules to differentiate between certain terms are way too pedantic. --LarryMac | Talk 18:21, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Lets clear up some of the terminology (this is very brief and very general):

• A subroutine is some portion of code that is generally separate from the main program, that performs some specific, often repetitive, task. Procedures, methods or functions are slightly different kinds of of subroutines.
• A function is a subroutine that takes some amount of input and produces some output. This is very much like the concept of a function in mathematics. A good and simple example is the square root function, sqrt(). It takes a number as input and produces output that is the square root of the number (so if you use the call "sqrt(25)", it returns "5").
• A procedure, a term used in procedural programming, is simply some code that have been stuffed in another place so you don't have to repeat it all the time. And if you need to alter it, you only need to do so in one place. Say you have a computer program that's controlling an elevator, then you might have a procedure called "goToFloor()", which makes the elevator go to a specific floor (call "goToFloor(5)", and it goes to the fifth floor). There are several different reasons an elevator might go to a specific floor (someone might have pushed a button in the elevator, someone might have pushed the call-button on the fifth floor, someone might be controlling it remotely, or maybe the elevator is set to go the first floor whenever it's not in use, as that is where people are most likely to enter). The code for this procedure may be very long and complicated (as it has to control many different motors and electronics and lights and things), so it's very handy not to have to type it out four different times, for five different parts of the code. It cuts down on the error-rate (since you only have to get it right in one place), and if it ever needs to be updated (like if new hardware has been installed) you only have to do it in one place.
• A method is closely related to the procedure (the terms are sometimes used synonymously), but the word tends to be used in object-oriented programming. In OOP, you use objects, and a method acts directly on a specific object. Say you are making a racing game with several different in-game cars. Each car is represented as an object (the definition, or blueprint, for an object is called a "class"). So say you have an object called "car1", and you want it to accelerate. Then you'd type (different languages use different notation, not sure what C# uses) "car1.accelerate(25)". That would accelerate "car1" to 25 km/h. Now, if you typed "car2.accelerate(25)" it would accelerate "car2" to 25 km/h, but it wouldn't do anything to "car1". The method specifically belongs to an object, not necessarily to the the whole program.

As I said, this is a very brief and general overview of what the different kinds of subroutines do, and many times the line is very blurry. Say for instance that the elevator function, goToFloor, returns a value, maybe how many seconds it will take to arrive on the floor or whether or not the move to the floor is successful. Is it a procedure or a function? Well, it's kinda both. It's a function, because it returns a value. But it's also a procedure, because it actually does something, not just fidgets with the input and returns a value. Or what if you have a procedure that acts on a specific object, like a method, but only by using the object as an input (like "accelerate(car1, 25)"). And what if it returns some value? Is it then a method, a procedure or a function?

While it is good to have the lingo down, it is much more important that you understand what is actually going on. Whether you call something a "subroutine", "function", "procedure" or a "method" (and we haven't even broached the elusive co-routine!) doesn't necessarily matter. Just understand what a subroutine does, what its purpose is, and how to write them. If you do that well, the specific name of what type of subroutine isn't all that important. Belisarius (talk) 23:29, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I think this may be a confusion between C# and Visual Basic. The documentation (I only have 2003, but I don't suppose it's changed that much) in the Visual Basic Language Concepts section Procedures Overview defines amongst others the following:

Sub procedures perform actions but do not return a value to the calling code.

Function procedures return a value to the calling code.

Property procedures return and assign values of properties on objects or modules

The C# documentation says:

C# makes no distinction between functions and procedures, as Visual Basic does. A method either returns a value or returns void. The syntax for declaring a C# public method is:

// C#

public int ConvertMatterToEnergy(int matter)

{

// Conversion code goes here.

}

(Visual Basic and Visual C# Concepts: Method Implementation in Custom Controls).

Therefore in Visual Basic, there is a distinction between functions which return a value but sub procedures which do not; but in C# there is no such distinction. C# methods (which are equivalent to functions and procedures in Visual Basic) can return a value or not return a value. Read the above Wikipedia links for more details on what a function, method, etc actually is. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 16:07, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Knowing the difference between function and method is knowing the difference between procedural and object-oriented programming, and I think it's great that Sanguine learner wants to understand the difference. Anyway, if you're doing OO, you can safely use them interchangably since method is a subset of function. That is, a method is a type (oops! don't want to use that word) kind of function that is a member of an object. I'll also (incorrectly) use class and object interchangably even though they are not the same thing. In formal and semi-formal writing, I try to be more precise in my terminalogy. 216.239.234.196 (talk) 20:43, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

The simple answer: A method is a kind of function that, unlike a normal function, has an implicit context upon which it operates.

Examples:

• C library functions, such as fread(), have no implicit context.

int f = open("foo",O_RDONLY);

read(f, buf, 10);

Here, everything needs to be explicitly passed to the functions.

• Compare the fstream:read() method

fstream f("foo", fstream::in );

f.read(buf, 10);

Here 'read()' is a method of class 'fstream' in which the implicit context (upon which methods of the class operate) is the class instance (i.e. the object 'f').

Here 'read()' doesn't have to be passed 'f' because 'f' is the context within which 'read()' operates. Inside the code for the 'read' method, the 'this' operator automagically refers to 'f'.

Explicit versus implicit:

If you disassemble the code calling the C function, you will see 'read' being called with 'f' as the first argument because that's how you explicitly used it.

If you disassemble the code calling the C++/C# code, you will see 'read' being called with 'f' as the first argument, even though you didn't explicitly do that.

Get it? -- Fullstop (talk) 21:38, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

x86 assembly programming

I have a few questions about this:

• Are functions such as MOV AH, 09h INT 21h part of DOS or part of the BIOS?
• Is it true that 0B800h:0 is the memory mapped location of the colour video?
  • How would I access 0B800h:0?

Thanks, *Max* (talk) 17:12, 16 December 2008 (UTC).

int 21h handler is provided by DOS. Ralf Brown's Interrupt List is useful for such things. 0B800h:0 is the location of character mode memory of CGA-compatible graphics cards (for graphical mode A000h:0 is used), it can be accessed with B800h in segment register, assuming real mode addressing. MTM (talk) 17:41, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your help. A few more questions:

• How much/which parts of the real mode address space is memory mapped?
• Which mode do most programs use to access memory beyond the first meg?
• How does the BIOS find interrupt handlers?

*Max* (talk) 02:07, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

The real mode address space does not have one standard layout, IBM reserved some memory mapped areas in Upper Memory Area. A part of memory beyond the first megabyte can be accessed in real mode -- High Memory Area. A much more popular way is using protected (or long with AMD64) mode. Interrupt handlers are described in detail in the INT (x86 instruction) article. MTM (talk) 14:31, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

data storage

Where are all the emails and account information literally stored for yahoomail,hotmail,friendsters or similar websites.? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Crackhead1331 (talk • contribs) 18:02, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

On enterprise data storage devices (big rack-mounted arrays of RAID disks) in their respective data centers. Some of these are located in big metropolitan areas like Silicon Valley and London's Docklands (Telehouse), but increasingly they're being built in places where land (and labour) is cheaper and power is plentiful - see this article for example. A large internet outfit like those you list will have several, geographically distinct, data centres, often in different countries. 87.114.128.88 (talk) 19:03, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

How do I clear a Yahoo toolbar?

I have just updated Java and the update seems to have installed a tacky and definitely unwanted tool-bar. I did not ask for this pesky, damned thing to be installed but for the life of me I can't find a way to uninstall it. I use Firefox. Can anyone advise me how I can get rid of this thing? Please. Richard Avery (talk) 19:51, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Assuming you're on Windows or Linux: Right-click the bar at the top that has File - Edit - View - History, etc. A thingy will come up that has a list of toolbars in it with checks/unchecks beside them. Just click the Yahoo! toolbar and it should disappear. And to uninstall it, go to Tools → Add-ons and it should be under the Extensions tab. flaminglawyer^cneverforget 21:26, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

It just happened to me in Firefox 3, and I got rid of it by clicking View > Toolbars > Yahoo! Toolbar (unchecking it). Dendodge Talk^Contribs 21:29, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Damn, that's it!! So simple, how embarrassing is that. Like some doctor or other once said, "Diagnosing a patient is easy - it's thinking of the diagnosis in the first place that is difficult". Thanks Flaming lawyer and Dendodge. Richard Avery (talk) 22:59, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Windows games

Are there any downloads for the original (pre-Vista) versions of Hearts, Solitaire, Minesweeper, Freecell, and Spider Solitaire? 58.165.14.208 (talk) 19:58, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Not legally, at least, since they are copyrighted by Microsoft. — neuro^(talk) 23:27, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

But if you wait until the copyright(s) expire, you can get them free of charge. (Note that the copyrights will not expire for another 50 years or longer, depending on where you live.) flaminglawyer^cneverforget 23:44, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Way to be a pedant... --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:42, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

There are many clones. I have the same games, just with a different name, on my computer - all downloaded from the Fedora repository. -- kainaw™ 23:43, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure this would work... If you have the disks for the older version of Windows, try to unpack the hearts.exe, solitaire.exe etc. from the relevant .cab file on the CD. In Vista, you can run programs in "compatibility mode" (one of the tabs on the program properties). However, I suspect you might have to pull some .dll's over as well. Astronaut (talk) 18:05, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Wrong Disc Inserted error after patching SWBattlefront 2

once i install the update, the game comes up with this error:

Wrong disc inserted. Please insert the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 CD/DVD.

I know its a SecuRom error message, and i've already disabled my Virtual CloneDrive. I got the game at a Scholastic book fair. I want to update the game, because the mod tools dont work with v1.0 can someone help me?  Buffered Input Output 22:51, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

December 17

Remote Linux options

I do a lot of work remotely. I start on a Fedora box, SSH to a BSD box, SSH to a Debian box, and then SSH to another Fedora box. I primarily do everything from the command prompt, but sometimes tunnel X. What other options do I have to make this rather easy. I know I can run KDE through a tunneled X to see the remote desktop on my local screen. I've seen a Java applet that fakes a KVM to show the screen and give keyboard/mouse controls remotely. I will be increasing my remote work to become most of my work during the next few weeks, so I want to know what I can do before I choose what I will do. -- kainaw™ 02:06, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I'm by no means an expert, but have you tried using VNC? It works quite well for me in getting remote access to the desktop. You should probably tunnel it through SSH though, it's not all that secure otherwise. Belisarius (talk) 15:08, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I didn't consider VNC before because I couldn't connect directly to the host machine. I just found out that there are VNC reflectors that I can put on the in-between machines to make it work. I wonder how slow it will be. -- kainaw™ 17:22, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

computer

I have a pop up on my screen, that says this screen saver may not be compatable? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.35.250.63 (talk) 03:15, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

1. You haven't given us very much information. What kind of computer? What operating system? Exact text of the message? When did it come up?

2. Most questions related to errors or messages can be solved by Googling the exact phrase of the message and looking at some of the results. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:04, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

And there's quite a few viruses that infect by getting people to put on a nice screen saver. It's called social engineering. So do you really need a new screen saver in the first place? Dmcq (talk) 06:38, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

But, if you don't install the screensaver, your computer won't be turned into a bot to send out spam and some guy in Pittsburgh won't be able to order his fake Viagra pills from South Korea. Can you live with that? -- kainaw™ 17:13, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Next Upgrade for my Computer?

What would the best upgrade for my computer considering the performance boost relative to the cost?

Specs:
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Intel Core2 Duo CPU E6750 Shipped: 2.66 GHz OC'd: 3.40 GHz
2 sticks of 1 GB Buffalo Ram (Off brand that came with computer)
650i P5N-E Asus Motherboard
8800GT Nvidia Graphics Card

I'm thinking possibly I'll upgrade RAM or operating system, but I'm not sure. Do I really need 4 GB of RAM? (Yes, I am aware of 32-bit limitations.)
Upgrading the processor or getting a second graphics card are other options.
Nkot (talk) 04:29, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Upgrading the memory is probably your lowest cost upgrade. Next step, upgrade to Linux the no cost upgrade. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 04:49, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Except that this is almost certainly a computer used for gaming. Noticed you didn't post anything about your HDD. A good price vs performance upgrade for when you've already got a good setup is going for a RAID5 or RAID0 setup (5 is better, as it can be recovered when one of the disks starts to fail, RAID0, not so much. If recovering information isn't a problem (it rarely gets used for anything other than gaming) then you can cut the cost by only having two drives, instead of three. --EvilEdDead (talk) 11:45, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I'm curious about this advice on upgrading to Linux. If the OP wants to use this as a gaming machine, do all the current games run on Linux? Does DirectX work on the Windows Emulator? I tried Linux many years ago and was disappointed by the lack of support for popular software. Has this changed recently and is Linux now a viable alternative for playing modern PC games? Sandman30s (talk) 12:06, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

It's only slightly more viable for gaming than a Mac is. Wine is pretty much the way to run games on Linux. It gets pretty regular updates, so if your target games are about a year (give or take) older than your computer, then you could probably work with Linux for gaming. Emulation will never be as efficient as running native, no matter what they might try and convince you of. Moreso than simply switching to Linux, you need to be confident in your problem-solving, since even after getting a stable baseline, almost every game will need various tweaks to get it working as well as it could/should be. --EvilEdDead (talk) 12:26, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

The reason it's called wine is because it's not an emulator, despite the persistent misconception. :) The whole reason it's interesting is because it isn't emulating or pretending to be windows, it actually tries to teach linux how to run windows programs natively. If the wine developers write more efficient API implementations than Microsoft did, then a program could certainly run faster under wine than under windows. But config problems and an incomplete set of API implementations, not to mention the extra libraries, make it hard for the end user to get to the point where that would matter. Anyway, I just wanted to quibble. You're basically right. Indeterminate (talk) 00:06, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

To be more specific to your questions however: Do all the current games run on Linux? Not by a long shot. This is especially true for games that don't use OpenGL (almost all of them.) Does DirectX work..? Yes, but it's limited and/or old versions (DX8 was the latest mentioned in the official info.) ... is Linux now viable for modern gaming? I suppose your definition of modern and gaming are the most significant factors here. Don't expect the majority of games released in the last 3 years to work. Many casual games will work fine, as will most anything else that doesn't use 3D. If it uses 3D graphics, and you don't know that it uses OpenGL, be prepared for disappointment. --EvilEdDead (talk) 12:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks EvilEdDead, I suspected that little has changed over the years. Sandman30s (talk) 15:02, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I agree with changing the operating system, but suggest Windows XP instead of Linux. XP will be more familiar to a Windows user and will support more of the programs you currently use. Like Linux, it will be more efficient than Vista, which is a resource hog. Thus, your computer should run better with XP. Microsoft, of course, claims that Vista, being their latest operating system, is best, but those are all just lies to improve sales.StuRat (talk) 14:33, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Exactly, this is what I would have said. I would be interested to hear Graeme's comments. Sandman30s (talk) 14:43, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Getting back to the original question. It really IS an upgrade to XP if you're a serious gamer. And use 64 bit at your peril - there are many problems with XP 64-bit and even more problems with Vista. Just use good old plain XP 32-bit and you will have the most compatible games machine for PC games. I just hope that MS fixes all their Vista issues with the next release. Sandman30s (talk) 15:02, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Get more ram. Xp will not be used by many after a year or two. Do they even sell xp anymore? --93.106.37.211 (talk) 21:24, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

That depends on who you mean by "them". Microsoft very much wants to push Vista, so doesn't sell XP any more. However, big retailers, like Dell, continue to offer XP because their customers demand it. StuRat (talk) 05:58, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Procedure to connect wirless gsm modem into allean brady plc controllers??

Please help me if you know about connecting a wireless modem i.e.. gsm sim operated modem to the Allean Bradly plc controllers through DF1 protocol. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Naag slet (talk • contribs) 05:05, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Apple Mac 2.4

I want to copy iTunes from iMac to Ipod shuffle. How do I start off with everything unticked rather than everything ticked? Kittybrewster ☎ 10:43, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like you have it on Auto Sync. Just go to the iPod menu and set it to Manual Sync, which essentially does what you want it to do. flaminglawyer^c 11:55, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

JSP Code

JSP code for transfer file from one machine to other machine in LAN and JSP code for getting IP address of all machine in a LANMail2irfu (talk) 11:49, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

It appears you are trying to use a search engine. The reference desk is staffed by real people. If you want to search, Google is a good choice. If you want to ask a question, there are some guidelines on how to do so at the top of this page. --LarryMac | Talk 15:34, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

FTP Mirror

What are FTP mirrors and how do they work? Any information or link will be much appreciated. The article on FTP doesn't say anything about mirrors. Thanks! ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 13:34, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

An FTP mirror is a server (other than the main FTP server) that has all the files that the main FTP server has. There is a little program on the mirror that checks the main server for changes and, if there are any changes, downloads the new files from the main FTP server so the mirror will continue having the same files as the main FTP server. In other words - it is a mirror of the main FTP server, or an FTP mirror. -- kainaw™ 13:56, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Alrighty, thanks! =)ReluctantPhilosopher (talk) 14:16, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

GIMP: Need a palette file to change boot screen

i want to change the boot screen (among other things) for my XP computer. I am not able to view or edit the file i extracted from ntoskrnl.exe (bitmap/5/1033). I obviously need a palette file, but all the .pal files i download aren't accepted by GIMP. Does anyone have a standard 16-color palette file compatible with GIMP? I know i asked a question about this previously, but it got archived and forgotten.  Buffered Input Output 14:26, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

How about you instead do this:

1. Create a 640x480, 16-color picture at %SystemRoot%\boot.bmp
2. Add option /bootlogo to %SystemDrive%\boot.ini, so it will look like this:

[boot loader]
timeout=7
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut /bootlogo

This way you won't need to modify ntoskrnl (modifications of it can cause various things to fail after updating Windows). --grawity 19:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I have XP Home edition. Is that a problem?  Buffered Input Output 14:09, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

WMM question

How can you get .rm files into Windows Movie Maker, because-Oh, jeez i'm gonna sound like a crazed fan here-Applemask managed to get TV Ark files into WMM. The evidence I have is the effects he used. Oh, and this Waaaa.--Editor510 ^{drop us a line, mate} 16:22, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I'd assume it would be a matter of conversion. — neuro^(talk) 16:50, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

You can use MediaCoder to convert from rm to wmv or avi which will be compatible with Movie Maker. SN0WKITT3N 10:37, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

youtube video download

recently i downgraded my pc(p3,256ram),from p4,512 . previously i was able to download any videos from youtube or metacafe etc. with mouseover-ing and selecting 'download 'with the aid of real player beta or 11. but now though i have latest version of real player 11 (downloaded from net, like the previous one), the option from real - "download this video" does not appear, as a result i am unable to download any video. I have account in both the mentioned sites.why am i unable to download videos using real as before ,& what should i do to get it as i used to? thanking you in anticipation ---Pupunwiki (talk) 16:29, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

This is a good addon. — neuro^(talk) 16:48, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Video DownloadHelper is another good addon, or you can use a site like this SN0WKITT3N 10:30, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

thanks much. i'd check them out.--Pupunwiki (talk) 17:05, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Monitor Display Problem

Everytime I log in to Vista on my secondary account (my other half's log in) it causes errors on my main/administrator account. On the secondary account the font is massive which makes using the internet a headache as everything so large. If I reset the font/display properties it is still too large and will reset when the account is next used again no matter what I do (i.e. I adjust screen resolution and sizes etc but it is unable to retain this info). This then causes problems on my account where all my desktop icons are rearranged (back to alphaorder and autoarranged/aligned - not how I have set them), for a minute or so my icons are large then the screen blanks and the size is back to normal. I have completely deleted this account and set up new/multiple ones using different names etc to resolve this and also logged in as a guest with the same result everytime. Also if I never use this account then I have no problems. Unfortunately I need to be able to access both as the pc is for more than one user and I don't like allowing anyone else to use my log in. I have checked the display settings - screen res is 1280x1024, magnifier is off, it say the monitor is working correctly. I would just reinstall vista (home basic on a 32 bit) but never got the disc with the machine (am chasing with supplier). Any ideas? Thanks. --Gingerzilla (talk) 20:12, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Ask your other half if s/he has screwed anything up in the settings. Perhaps the source of the problem is the operator... flaminglawyer^c 21:25, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks - it's not the issue (did think that myself at first). I've created new accounts which only I have used and the same thing happens, also my other half doesn't touch settings they just use internet explorer and that's it (nothing has come up on virus etc scans either). --Gingerzilla (talk) 23:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

(reformatted) I have no advice (except to put responses in places that are not inside of sigs... :] ). flaminglawyer^c 23:59, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I'd say it's pretty important to get that Vista disk, or at least the Vista registration numbers, because you'll need to reinstall Vista sooner or later. If you have the registration numbers, and actually have a legal copy of Vista, you should be able to download Vista from Microsoft and reinstall. StuRat (talk) 05:49, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

December 18

Video Card

What it the best gaming video card on the market? This would be for a desktop computer running windows XP Service pack3. I am going to build a computer and the type of video card will help with selection the motherboard. Money is no issue. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.172.159.131 (talk) 00:12, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Why just one card? You get a bunch of high-end nVidias with SLI and plug them into each other. Sure, it is expensive and overkill, but you said "best" and "money is no issue". -- kainaw™ 01:08, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Actually, the best video card on the market at the moment, pretty much unanimously is the Radeon HD4870X2. If you can afford 2 of them you can go for intel chipset board with crossfire support. Vespine (talk) 02:49, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

If it were just about the hardware and benchmarks then maybe the Radeon would take the prize - but if you consider device driver issues - then get the latest thing nVidia are selling because ATI's drivers are really crap. The badge of "fastest" is a tricky thing to assess because there are so many aspects to performance and some cards do better at some things and worse at others. In any case, whoever is in the lead this week is unlikely to be in the lead when the next card comes out. If you're using XP and it's a DirectX game - then you aren't using half the stuff on the card because you're stuck on DX9 which doesn't provide support for a bunch of stuff that's in the very latest hardware. So get a motherboard with dual PCI-Express interfaces - both with a decent number of lanes. A pair of SLI'ed 9000-series nVidia cards will do just fine if you have quad-core CPU's driving them. SteveBaker (talk) 05:10, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Why the 9000 series when you can SLI the GTX 280? This is what I would buy if money were no issue. You might as well investigate a modern PCI 2.0 motherboard for this if you're spending that much on a card. Oh, and lots of gaming RAM. And a monstrous LCD won't hurt. Ohhh it hurts, stop now! Sandman30s (talk) 09:43, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

If money is no object for buying video cards I'd buy a nVidia Tesla. I don't think there's many games written for it yet though so it may not be so good for your purposes ;-) Dmcq (talk) 13:21, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

domain register-ing

When I "register" a domain name through a domain name registrar (like GoDaddy), what am I actually doing? Am I "buying" it? Or am I just renting it for a while? Or am I "borrowing" it? Or shibbledy-goobauschenheimer with coffee and popsicles in a meadow on a warm summer day? I'm confused. When I do one of Godaddy's search thingies, it says "For sale! $14.99 per year/month! Buy now!" But that contradicts itself - how can I buy something and then pay for it monthly/yearly (excluding credit cards)? flaminglawyer^c 06:14, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

You would be renting it. The 'Buy now" thing is a marketing ploy, its much more attractive than 'Rent now!" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.229.127.26 (talk) 06:23, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Agreed; the "x dollars/year" thing suggests that you are actually renting a domain, instead of buying one outright. This rental thing makes sense especially if you only made a site for, let's say a political campaign that's only going to last for a year or two. You rent a domain like "leonidasforpresident.com", and after you won the elections (or otherwise), you may have your domain cancelled and call it quits. Blake Gripling (talk) 10:11, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Windows Explorer needs to close

Hi

About once a day my PC displays the message "windows explorer has encountered a problem and will now close" {approx} and then I get the pop-up about sending the data to MS blah blah. It's more of an irritation than anything else as explorer always starts again straight away. I was wondering what might be the likeliest cause. OS = XP Home Pentium D 4GB RAM Thanks for your time —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.211.45.43 (talk) 10:12, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Just out of curiosity - are you using Roxio media/burning software? I was having much the same trouble and that trouble went away when I removed my install of Roxio Media Creator Suite 9 (or whatever the heck it was called). Just a SWAG, there. Matt Deres (talk) 14:03, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

do new hard drives fit old cases (a Dell Dimension 4100 = Pentiun III 900 mhz)

Hi guys,

So I don't have much money right now and I'm using a Pentium III computer, but I bought a graphics card for it for 50 euros a couple of years back, it's a Radeon 9250 with 128 MB Ram, so actually the computer is really very good for everything I do, which is mostly on the web, nicely accelerated (solid scrolling etc). It has 512 MB or RAM and I don't have complaints. But the hard-drive is dying.

If I buy a new hard-drive, do I have to worry about what kind, or will all new hard drives be able to replace my current one?

Thanks! -Jenny. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.27.214.30 (talk) 14:01, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

The most common types of Hard-drive 'types' are SATA and IDE. The PC you describe will almost definitely be IDE so go with that. Even if it can take the SATA ones (which are a faster connection as I understand it) it'll probably be able to handle an IDE drive. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 14:07, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict)All desktop hard drives are a standard size which is 3.5" width. In terms of physically fitting into the PC case it should not be an issue. Your motherboard and old hard drive are almost certain to have PATA connectors (also known simply as IDE connectors, it is the flat grey "ribbon" cable connecting your HD to your motherboard). Most modern hard drives and motherboards use SATA connectors (which uses a much narrower cable and smaller plug/socket). Look at the articles for pictures. If you're buying a new hard drive make sure to buy an IDE/PATA type. Or else buy a SATA hard drive and a SATA/PATA converter which shouldn't cost more than a few dollars. Zunaid 14:16, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Mez screensaver?

Hi. Many years back (6-8) I had a screensaver application called Mez, Mev, or something like that. Three letters anyway. It had a really great road construction screensaver where lines of yellow machines would travel across your desktop laying down sand, gravel, tarmac, etc until your screen was a road, and then another machine would come and tear it all up again. Does anyone know if I can still get this today, or what it was even called? Thanks. -mattbuck (Talk) 14:14, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

I had something similar, also called Mez (or certainly 3 letters ending in z), but I had it a lot longer than 6-8 years ago - more like 13 years ago on Windows 95. If I remember rightly, it was an application which had lots of different screen savers. I'm at work now, so I can't do it but am sure it still exists and that google will help out. -- WORMMЯOW  14:38, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps part of After Dark (software)? --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 15:39, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Changing directory on XP command line

I don't use windows much anymore, so forgive me if this is obvious, but how can I cd to a directory on another drive? I have tried "cd J:" and sticking different paths after that but nothing seems to help. --93.106.56.181 (talk) 15:06, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

You have to "go to" the drive first; at the command prompt just type "J:" (enter). Then you can use cd to move around on that drive. --LarryMac | Talk 15:12, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Ok, thanks! --93.106.56.181 (talk) 15:24, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

I recommend Powertoys for XP. Open Command Window Here lets you right click on a folder and open the command prompt pointing at the selected folder. I use a lot of DOS utilities at work and this is very handy. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 15:32, 18 December 2008 (UTC)