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December 24

Speeding up Windows XP

24/12/2011 Is there a reputable software to speed up Windows XP? Hamish84 (talk) 03:38, 24 December 2011 (UTC) Question may have been answered earlier hence the date above for my guidance.[reply]

Hamish 84(still learning).

XPLite. -- Hoary (talk) 06:08, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean the answers you received to your earlier question Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2011 December 15#Speeding up Windows XP? Astronaut (talk) 23:32, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Gantt charts, etc, simply

The Project management software article tells us that PMS is a term covering many types of software [...] which are used to deal with the complexity of large projects (my emphasis). The missus wants to make and update Gantt charts for herself, and occasionally to print these out and email the resulting PDFs/PNGs/whatevers -- the latter would be the extent of the collaborative aspect of working on what are, by "enterprise" standards, minuscule projects. As I numbly click on one damn link after another among the "open source" options among Comparison of project management software, I tentatively (and very likely quite wrongly) bring the [Mac OS X, hopefully Japanese-language] options down to Redmine and GanttProject. But what little I can understand of either program (without actually trying it out) brings to mind operating a small drawing pin with a sledgehammer. Oh, and the would-be user is somebody who's highly averse to reading menu options, let alone instruction manuals. Is there perhaps a simple Mac OS X option for the incurious/timid/impatient? It could even cost a bit of money: paying money for something vaguely understandable and in Japanese would be less impalatable than screenfuls of instructions by and for the SourceForge-literate. -- Hoary (talk) 06:24, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have been using GanttProject quite sucessfully for exactly this purpose - it's in Java so it's not pretty, but it is actually about as simple as you can make a project manager without it not being a project manager anymore and becoming a todo list. For your use case you can totally ignore the "resources" menu (resources are people - this reminds me why I hate management-speak). Simply fire up the program, go to project -> new project, give it a name and click through to set the calendar options (public holidays and weekend days if you want them - I think it just puts them in a different colour). Ignore all the other options. Then click the "new task" button (a thick blue arrow in the top toolbar), give the task a name and fill in start/end dates. You can create dependencies (a task that can start as soon as another is finished) by dragging from the task to the dependent task. If you want to make the task a milestone (a task with no duration) double click on it in the gantt chart to bring up task properties, here you can do that, as well as changing colours etc. you can also manage/delete dependencies from the "predecessors" tab. To group or reorder tasks you can use the arrows in the toolbar above the task list (indenting will group a task under the next task up - which will change to a bracket in the gantt chart). You can export under "project -> export" as PDF, PNG or JPEG. There also appears to be a Japanese translation according to the website. Hope this helps. Equisetum (talk | contributions) 11:18, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, and I've just counted and my workflow only contains two menu options and ~~one~~ two dialog boxes ;) Equisetum (talk | contributions) 11:22, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I just found a lifehacker top 5 of the best personal project managers - and it looks as if tom's panner might be just what you need if you don't mind using a webapp and paying for it. It costs $9 a month for the mid-range package that allows export to an image and up to 20 projects at a time. It emphasises intuitive mouse-based editing of the Gantt chart directly (I guess by dragging tasks around). The main disadvantage (apart from being a webapp) is that it doesn't appear to have a Japanese version.Equisetum (talk | contributions) 11:37, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you Equisetum! I'll start by installing GanttProject tomorrow and giving it a whirl, and if this doesn't work then shall look at your other suggestions. -- Hoary (talk) 14:06, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I rarely use them, but have found GanttProject quite approachable and easy enough to use for basic tasks at times. Failing that, many years back I occasionally used to use Excel to hobble together basic Gantt Charts; so if you're desperate ... --jjron (talk) 14:47, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a free product for PCs similar to Garage Band on a Mac?

Someone told me to look at Jam Trax, but all I could download for free was Jam Trax XPress 2.0, which turned out to be nothing but a demo. HiLo48 (talk) 07:18, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This Yahoo Answers page lists several programs, including some free ones such as LMMS. RudolfRed (talk) 19:57, 24 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. That looks like an excellent link. Lots of possibilities. HiLo48 (talk) 05:25, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

December 25

Looking at night sky from Earth's surface in Celestia

Is there a way to view as if from a given position on the Earth's surface in a certain direction on a certain date and time in Celestia v1.6.1? 69.243.220.115 (talk) 02:44, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is there an English <-> Middle English translator anywhere?

I would like for it to work JUST like Google Translate.

The idea is to type in "Where are you?" and after clicking on a translation button, it produces "Where Art Thou?"

So where is a browser-based program that allows me to convert my text to Middle English or any other historical forms of our mother tongue? Thank you. --75.39.137.175 (talk) 10:10, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Where art thou" is not Middle English; at best, it's Early Modern English ("Elizabethan" English). Have you read those articles? You may find actual Middle English very incomprehensible: "whær" and "þou" use orthography that is not present in the Latin alphabet for Modern English. I am not aware of any computer software or web services that provide accurate English to Middle-English translation. Numerous dictionaries exist: The Electronic Middle English Dictionary, from University of Michigan, seems to be the most popular. In order to construct a machine translation for a language, there are several prerequisites: a critical mass of programmer-linguists who are fluent in each language; a critical mass of already-translated works (a "corpus") to form a training set for the algorithm; and sufficient feedback to correct errors in the algorithm and the training set. Middle English doesn't really satisfy those criteria very well, so it's probably going to be a long while before a free machine translator is available. Nimur (talk) 16:05, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

A corpus should be not hard to find, since many works were adapted to modern English. I don't know if there's gonna be a long until a translator is found. Google Translate includes Latin, so they are not automatically against dead languages, but not Ancient Greek, which might be more interesting than Middle English. 88.8.76.47 (talk) 23:36, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In Multiplayer games

Please add for MMORPG game lists Star Wars Galaxies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.255.255.121 (talk) 15:41, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

WP:BOLD 82.45.62.107 (talk) 17:55, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

DDR3 in a computer with DDR2 motherboard

Dear Wikipedians:

Before you dismiss my post right away from subject line. Please hear out what I have to say:

I know that there is no way of making DDR3 memory work directly on DDR2 motherboard, so I am wondering: is there a PCI-Express expansion card that act as a "Bus Card" that allows me to plug DDR3 memory onto the said PCI-Express card, and then pluging the PCI-E card into the motherboard and allow my Windows to use said DDR3 memory?

Also out of pure academic interest: why can't they make DDR3 memory backward compatible with DDR2?

Thanks,

70.29.24.167 (talk) 18:40, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I did a Google search and found the 'GIGABYTE GC-RAMDISK PCI Others RAM Drive Add-On Card.' It's discontinued, but there may be other similar products. http://www.google.com/search?q=PCI+RAM — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.208.225.140 (talk) 20:00, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. 70.29.24.167 (talk) 21:26, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is there an English <-> Shakespearean English translator anywhere?

The idea is to type in "Where are you?" and after clicking on a translation button, it produces "Where Art Thou?"

So where is a browser-based program that allows me to convert my text to Shakespearean English or any other historical forms of our mother tongue? Thank you. --75.39.139.46 (talk) 22:09, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As Nimur said above, it's unlikely. A machine translator is difficult to create, and the value of translation between two mutually-intelligible forms of one language, one of which is no longer spoken, is small enough that it's probably never been done. Paul (Stansifer) 22:59, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I prithee, kind Sir, for what end doest thou seek it? Methinks such artifice may be beyond the capabilities of those who dwell in cellars, and instruct the marvelous mechanical mills to which you allude. Or perhaps these learned gentlemen have not the incentive, nor the necessary stipend, to pursue such arcane quests.

What I clack upon this fine board of orthographic switches may be not what you seek; but at this link you shall find merriment that echoes the question you have put before us. Twill occupy you for hours as you peer at yonder text window. --75.39.130.250 (talk) 09:01, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sir thou art a plagiariser of the most pernicious and pestilential persuasion. Thou hast pirated my well-wrought words of the month of July, and presented them as your own - as this enlinkment will clearly illustrate, should you pierce it with the mechanic arrow that is to hand Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Computing/2011_July_28#Is_there_an_English_.3C-.3E_Archaic_English_translator_anywhere.3F. Kindly compose in future such wit and cunning for yourself sir, rather than usurping those of your superiors, like some prattling playwright from Stratford on Avon, content to claim the words of Oxford Scholars as his own... AndyTheGrump (talk) 07:24, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe not quite what you're after, but there's at least a pretty cool Shakespeare insult generator here, with the DIY list here. Worth keeping on hand. --jjron (talk) 14:45, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Configuring texvc in MediaWiki

So this is my first time working with MediaWiki (latest version 1.18) and I'm having a bit of troubling getting math to render properly. When I attempt to use a mathematical expression, I get the "Failed to parse (unknown errornable to run external programs, passthru() is disabled.)" error. What exactly does that mean, and what can I do to fix it? I'm using a free online webhost (which I suspect is part of, if not the source of, the problem). 141.153.214.66 (talk) 23:48, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I've confirmed with the hosting service that, indee, PHP functions like exec(), passthru(), etc are disabled "for security reasons". So, then, are there any alternatives to displaying math on MediaWiki which don't require the aforementioned functions? 141.153.215.162 (talk) 02:49, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

December 26

PC laptop that looks as good as a MacBook Pro

I am looking for a non-Apple laptop that looks as good as a MacBook Pro and has just as good specs. Does anyone have any suggestions? --Melab±1 ☎ 04:09, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Try an ultrabook. They're lightweight, compact and (mostly) nice-looking laptops with good specs, by definition. It's a pretty new market at least here in NZ, so there's not many in existence yet. sonia♫ 04:50, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's difficult to be as thin as a MacBook thou. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.8.76.47 (talk) 00:25, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

HP Envy --178.208.197.58 (talk) 00:20, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

RAGE 128 PRO AGP 4X TMDS

I am working with a system having "RAGE 128 PRO AGP 4X TMDS" graphics card, according to dxdiag. I went to this page, which claims to enable Advanced OpenGL for said graphics device. When i ran it it said i have no hardware that is compatible on this machine, or something to that effect. Can i enable OpenGL on this computer or is the card simply too old? I would think if its too old there wouldnt be a website saying it can be enabled. =\

Thanks for any help

Edit: I am running windows XP Pro 5.1, by the way. 216.173.144.164 (talk) 13:12, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Reducing file size of JPG's

What's the best way of reducing file sizes of JPG's on a Windows XP computer? I have seven of my mother's Christmas party photos that she took on a Nikon digital camera. I'd like to email them to a relative on the other side of the world, but each file is about two megabytes, and sending fourteen megabytes of images by email doesn't sound like a great idea (zipping them doesn't help, but IIRC JPG's are already compressed?). Isn't two megabytes quite big for a JPG file anyway? I'm pretty good with computers, but clueless with images, since I'm totally blind. My mother can probably help me with things that require sighted assistance, but she's not very computer-literate. Thanks for any help that you can provide. Graham87 14:08, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on your software but try to right-click one of the files and see if there is an option to send to mail recipient with a choice of size. If it works and you want to send multiple files in the same mail then mark all of them first, for example with Ctrl + left-click, and then right-click one of them. You can also send an email to yourself if you want your own copy of the versions with reduced size. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:26, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Have you thought about uploading them to something like Flickr? Flickr will save the image in a variety of sizes; it'll be quick to load up, but if they want to have the full quality version (and 2MB is not large for a full quality photo JPEG) they just have to click a bit and it's theirs. You can set privacy settings on it so just your family can see them. It's what I'd do, anyway, if I wanted to distribute a bunch of photos. It's stone cold simple and doesn't require that the people on the other end do anything other than click a link. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:52, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Opening and saving the image under a new filename in MS Paint will often reduce the filesize of jpgs (but also reduce the image quality). You could try an online tool such as this which seems to work quite well. If you are comfortable installing new programs into your computer, paint.net has a very good jpg quality/size modifier tool. 82.45.62.107 (talk) 15:01, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Some thoughts:

1) Besides reducing resolution and quality, another option is cropping the image. If the subject of a photo is tiny and the background uninteresting, cutting off much of the background can be a good option. Of course, knowing what portion to crop does require a sighted person.

2) Knowing how the images will be used at the other end is also important. If they intend to print them out as 8.5" × 11" photos and frame them, then you will probably want maximum resolution. If they only intend to view them online, then a much smaller resolution is acceptable. If you can let us know what the height and width of your pictures is, in pixels, we can tell you whether that's appropriate for printed photos or viewing online. I also agree with the advice to post them online instead of mailing them, as this allows the recipient to choose the resolution. StuRat (talk) 15:30, 26 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, guys! I right-clicked on the images in Windows explorer and found a "reduce size" option, and emailed them in 640x480 resolution. Then I re-read the messages above, thought I'd at least *try* Flickr, and found it surprisingly easy to use for screen reader users! So I uploaded the images there also, in full resolution, naturally. They were all 3648x2736, which I gather would be suitable for printing, as only fairly high-quality images on Wikipedia seem to be anywhere near that resolution. Graham87 09:48, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

300 dots per inch is typical for printing, which would make your pics print at a bit over 12 inches by 9 inches. 640×480 is a bit on the small side for viewing online, so hopefully they will use Flickr to get the full res. Incidentally, what screen reader do you use ? JAWS ? StuRat (talk) 22:13, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, I use JAWS, as it says on my user page. I ended up using the Windows Flickr uploading tool to upload the images, which was fairly easy to use as well. Graham87 05:50, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK, glad we could help. I'll mark this question resolved. StuRat (talk) 20:14, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

December 27

Issues with Flash Games in Firefox - help, please!

I've got the latest version of Firefox, and the latest Flash version, but I'm having issues with the mouse in certain flash games, (not all of them, but it seems pretty random). Basically, when I click in the flash window, it doesn't pick up the mouse click, unless I do loads of them, then it will eventually react. It seems like it's not registering the mouse pointer properly, but there are no other issues with my mouse. I have done a little research, but the only suggestion I found said to switch off flash hardware acceleration, which I have done, without effect. Any other suggestions? It's really annoying, as I like to play random flash games online. Snorgle (talk) 14:41, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

When requesting help with something, you should specify the exact version number, not say "I've got the latest", for various reasons, including: you may have made a mistake, people may know of a better version you could be using that isn't the latest, etc.. In the case of Flash please also specify your OS version. Alternatively, copy and paste the two fields shown in the Flash object here. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:09, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Cheers. Flash Player version is 11.1.102.55 and Windows 7 (64-bit). Snorgle (talk) 00:22, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The flash games may just be slowing down your computer. Try running only the window with the flash game, and nothing else. Heck froze over (talk) 20:31, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, and do this right after a reboot, to minimize what's running in the background. StuRat (talk) 21:50, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you notice that your computer is slowing down, you may still be able to save your windows/game/whatever. When you notice the computer is slowing, just let it sit for a few minutes. It can usually catch back up given a bit of time (when you click and move windows you tax its cpu and/or ram even more than without so leave it alone). If the computer only slows down at certain websites, it may be that said websites have viruses and/or cookies trying to get on your computer. If the site is fairly well known, there could be lots of other people accessing the same site (and thus slowing the connection on the other end). Heck froze over (talk) 14:17, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, but it's only the flash game that is the problem, everything else is fine. Does flash usually slow down computers?Snorgle (talk) 18:06, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not to this extent. You might try another version first. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:01, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mobile phone

I bought a mobile phone but my friend says that it is a low quality one. How can i check the quality of a mobile phone? I want to know Where it was made in?, Is it an assembled one or original one? and other details. Thank you.175.157.84.14 (talk) 15:33, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do a Web search for its model number. Jim.henderson (talk) 15:39, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Short of things outright breaking or not functioning, "quality" is fairly subjective (though there are manufacturers that have better (or more enduring) reputations than others). ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:11, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Some things to check for:

1) Do the buttons "click" when you press them, or just "smoosh" ? Do you get one letter from each every time, or sometimes no letters and sometimes many ? Do you need to press some buttons harder than others ?

2) Is the display clear and bright ?

3) Is the sound good ?

4) Does the charger and/or phone get hot during charging and stay hot even after it's fully charged ? That could mean it's overcharging, which shortens the battery life ans wastes energy.

Those are quality issues. Which features it has are also important, like a camera, full keyboard, internet capability, etc. StuRat (talk) 21:46, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

iPad2 Messenger

When using my iPad2 for the first time trying to send a message to a friend on my Address Book, I got a message that the name was "Not Registered". This happens when either I click the 'Message' app or when attempting to send via the contacts address page. I don't understand this can anyone explain please and how do I 'register' my contacts? Thanks in anticipation.--85.211.148.143 (talk) 16:18, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Make sure you've spelled the name exactly right. If it's supposed to be an email address (sometimes it can be hard to tell), make sure to include the @domain.tld bit and not just the first part. You could try and get one of your friends to register you instead to possibly give yourself some clues as to what needs to be done. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:13, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Scroll bar when there is NOT suppose to be one

When I look at certain Wikipedia articles on my 15 inch laptop, the sentences go to the right into never-never land producing at the bottom a scroll bar so I can go find the end (which is a long ways down to the right as I am looking at it). They are suppose to, of course, break at the end of the screen and drop down to continue the sentence (with no scroll bar). Another 17 inch laptop I am able to look at displays the page correctly with no scroll bar. What setting do I have wrong on my 15 inch laptop that causes the sentences not to break properly and drop down correctly? It always worked correctly before, however a couple of days ago everything went screwy. I know of nothing I changed on any steeings. What is wrong?--Doug Coldwell ^talk 16:35, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The problem only shows up where the article has in it "{{cquote". Other PCs do NOT have the problem, just mine. Perhaps I could use something else for the quote?--Doug Coldwell ^talk 16:43, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Other PCs with the same monitor size and resolution set do not have the problem? Otherwise please specify what your resolution is, and link to a page at which the issue manifests. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:37, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No, another laptop I am able to look at is 17 inch and it appears correctly. My PC says Resolution 1366 x 768. The 17 inch says: 1440 x 900.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otium --Doug Coldwell ^talk 19:44, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not just you, I'd bet most people with that "narrow" a resolution would see that issue at that page. Unfortunately {{cquote}} like many other templates has been protected, so the only way to fix it (if the problem indeed stems from that template) would be to prostrate yourself to an admin. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:53, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Turns out there was some poorly chosen CSS and some malformed HTML is all. Fixed. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:59, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes indeed. It is fixed! Works fine now. Thanks.--Doug Coldwell ^talk 20:05, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Class design in web application

I just realised I'm facing a problem with class design at work. I'm supposed to implement a .NET web application where a WCF service running on the server decides what controls should be on the page (e.g. buttons, drop down lists, tables...) and what they should contain, and the web application on the client decides how to draw them. The client queries the server for a list of controls, which the server returns as simple objects that are only supposed to be used for data transfer, and the client generates full-blown System.Web.Controls controls out of them, to place on the rendered web page.

The problem I am having is with the inheritance design of these data transfer objects. I need different kinds of objects for different controls (buttons, drop down lists, tables...) At the moment I have an abstract base class and subclasses for different kinds of controls. I have thought of three possible options:

Put all the logic of creating full-blown System.Web.Controls controls into the data transfer object classes. But this ties the server code together with the UI code, when the server isn't even supposed to care about how the controls are rendered on the page. And if I decide to use third-party UI libraries for rendering the controls, these libraries are going to end on the server side too, when the server code doesn't even use them.
Only use one class for the data transfer objects, with an enumeration describing the kind of the control, and have the client code use a giant switch block to figure out what System.Web.Controls controls it should create. But this faces the problem that different controls use different data. For example, drop down lists have one-dimensional data, whereas tables have two-dimensional data. And buttons only need one string of text.
A mix-up of the two above options: Have a full inheritance hierarchy for the data transfer objects, but do all the logic of creating the System.Web.Controls controls on the web application, not the data transfer objects. But this faces the problem of how the web application is supposed to know which control it should draw from which data transfer object. Using a switch block based on the data transfer objects' classes or an enumeration seems like a hack or a kludge.

Can anyone give me information on how I should design this? JIP | Talk 19:09, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://webchat.freenode.net/?nick=JIP&channels=##asp.net (see topic for other .NET channels not focused on ASP specifically) ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:41, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I read the article Visitor pattern and decided to adapt it as a solution to my problem. I now have all the control rendering logic in the web application, as it should be, and there is no giant switch block deciding what kind of control to render, as each control has its own specific Visit() method. JIP | Talk 21:21, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Using HTTPS in an ASP.NET web application under IIS

It appears that an ASP.NET web application, running on Microsoft IIS, that we're delivering to a customer's servers has to use HTTPS instead of plain HTTP, because it's visible to the outside world and thus encrypting the communication between the users' browsers and the web application is required to prevent third parties from eavesdropping on the transferred data. How does one set up such a web application to use HTTPS? Is it simply a matter of application configuring in IIS or do we have to make code changes? Does our customer have to buy a certificate from some trusted certificate agency? JIP | Talk 20:10, 27 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

December 28

I've had enough of this bullshit

Pardon the language, but right now I am typing this with the utmost frustration. My computer keeps self-hibernating/going in stand-by mode without warning ALL THE DAMN TIME. And it's becoming more and more frequent. Restarting it no longer keeps the problem at bay, I have to continuously restart the PC literally every five minutes. I have reliable anti-virus software installed, and nothing suspicious comes up, so I don't know what the fuck is going on. I'm on Windows 7, and I've never had this problem with previous PCs or operating systems, even when they were chock full of viruses at times. I'm not overtaxing the system or anything. So what is this? 76.64.255.81 (talk) 00:18, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You may well get a nice technical answer to this question, but I had something very similar recently that had a rather simple solution. My monitor sits on top a couple of rack units, on which are a number of switches and knobs. One of these knobs lines up EXACTLY (both horizontally and vertically) with the "sleep" button on my keyboard. If the keyboard is pushed too far into the desk, *boom* – the computer goes off, no warning. I've removed the knob (I don't use it) so I no longer have this problem. matt (talk) 01:49, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind, I got some tech help and the source behind the issue is so much deeper than I expected and completely unforeseen. I'm gonna have to get a new computer altogether. 76.64.255.81 (talk) 01:53, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK, I'm all curious now. Hardware or software fault? HiLo48 (talk) 02:15, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Since I didn't buy the computer myself and don't know from where it was bought, I've been told that I may have gotten screwed and that the computer is running a version of Windows it isn't supposed to, and that it's a pretty old model. 76.64.255.81 (talk) 02:53, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have several older computers running software that's no longer supported. That doesn't mean you need to toss it out. It's quite possible that your computer isn't up to running Windows 7, in which case Windows XP or Linux might be a good choice. Did they tell you exactly why your computer can't run Windows 7 ? Is it the amount of RAM, speed, or what ? (You might be able to upgrade your computer to solve some problems.) StuRat (talk) 03:05, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Well, one is that it doesn't have enough gigs to handle W7 (they told me that it's barely sufficient enough to run Vista), and there's the fact that it's running the Enterprise version of W7, which in itself set off red flags to the people I was explaining this to. 76.64.255.81 (talk) 03:56, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds a lot like it's overheating, in which case there's no need to replace the computer. As a workaround, get a powerful fan and aim it at the guts of the computer, with the case removed. In the long run, perhaps you could replace the case fan and hard drive fan with more powerful ones. StuRat (talk) 02:29, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Powerful fan = noise. Avoid noise if you want to get work done. Barely sufficient to run Vista? I'm surprised any IT would even dare mention Vista as an option nowadays. It is/was a hog compared to Widows 7. Dmcq (talk) 10:55, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The noise issue depends on the person - I actually find that a bit of non-specific noise (as from a fan), or ambient music helps drown out other sounds (conversations in the street outside, aircraft overhead, dogs barking) that are far more likely to distract me. Equisetum (talk | contributions) 14:50, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The noise is far less annoying than a computer that goes down every 5 minutes. I agree that a computer than can't run Windows 7 shouldn't try to run Vista, either. Go back to Windows XP, or, better yet, Linux. StuRat (talk) 20:10, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It must be a very old computer if it is "barely sufficient enough to run Vista". Microsoft's minimum requirements for Vista were: 800 MHz processor, 512 MB RAM and 20 GB hard drive space, though I don't think Vista would run quickly on that configuration. (I'm typing this on a one Gig machine and it runs Vista adequately. I wouldn't want to run W7 on it, even though it meets the minimum requirements.) Could you tell us the specification? If it's just a very old computer with less than a Gigabyte of RAM, then StuRat's suggestion of Linux or XP might be the answer, or possibly just add some RAM, but if there is a faulty fan or processor then you ought to replace this (or the computer). Another possibility is a faulty power supply. Dbfirs 23:04, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

We need more feedback to answer this properly. As Stu suggested it might be over heating. It is easy to take the side off and look at the heat sink on the CPU. Is it covered with fluff? If so, then this need to be removed as it will coarse the chip to overheat and shut down. On a old computer this is one the first things that ought to be checked. ---Is it covered with fluff?--Aspro (talk) 23:21, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I apologize for replying so late (hopefully you guys will still care at this point). My computer is a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 7659. I am not sure exactly how many gigs mine has, but it seems that its maximum capacity is 2-3 gigs of RAM. And apparently, they usually come pre-installed with XP, Vista Business or Linux, so it's a great mystery to me as to how one would manage to get Windows 7 installed and running on it. And I've heard some unusual noises coming from the computer, which I guess is a result of overheating, but the weird behavior started months ago (not soon after I got the computer, which is refurbished) and have gotten progressively worse. 76.64.255.81 (talk) 11:07, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Where else is startup stuff?

At my workplace, mostly PCs, there's a local startup script that runs at each user logon, to unmount and remount the network drive, giving me an N: drive. (I think I know this because the black cmd.exe box opens and closes.) I'd like to chase down this script and look at it, but have been unable to find it. I'm thinking the script is NOT on the file server (how could I access it before it was accessible?), so it must be on my local disk -- somewhere.

I've scanned for .bat and .txt files, and for the text string "mount", to no avail.
There's nothing recognisable in All Users -> Programs -> Startup.
I've dumped the registry to text and searched for "mount", which found an instance of mountvol.exe, but that doesn't seem to have any paths in it and it's part of NLS Languages something.

Can anybody volunteer other suggestions for (a) What should I look for, and/or (b) Where should I look for it? My system is WinXP sp3.

Thanx! --DaHorsesMouth (talk) 01:29, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Log on scripts I believe are usually *.vbs files. Default location for log on scripts is %SystemRoot%\System32\Repl\Import\Scripts. However if you are logging onto a domain, your computer might not have local scripts, they might instead be in Sysvol\DomainName\Scripts. Also, "mount" is not the command to map a network drive on windows, I think that is usually done with "NET USE". Lastly, I work in IT Support and advice you DO NOT to stuff around with your production log on scripts, it's probably against your IT policy to do so. If you have a problem or requirement which is not being met, talk to your IT support or manager. Vespine (talk) 05:44, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If your system is part of a Windows domain (in other words, if your organization's system-adminstrator set up a centralized administrative server for all the Windows computers), then before your system even allows a user to log in, Windows is already running whatever the domain policy is configured to run. You can read more: Group Policy from MSDN TechNet. "Group Policy provides an infrastructure for centralized configuration management of the operating system and applications that run on the operating system." In other words, you are, in this case, entirely at the mercy of the system-administrator. Your computer might not have permission to view all of the startup scripts that the domain administrator is running for you. Nimur (talk) 20:21, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Renaming Tabs in Excel 2007

How do I do that? Cheers! KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 01:31, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In Excel 2008, I right-click on the tab and select rename. I'd guess it probably works similarly in Excel 2007. RudolfRed (talk) 02:31, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Speed up XP

How to thank all who offered a variety of solutions to my question. Let it stand that I do thank them, and appreciate the time they took.

Hamish 84 Hamish84 (talk) 01:44, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You could best thank us by telling us what suggestions you took and how much each helped to speed things up. Thanks. StuRat (talk) 02:33, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mobile Telecommunication ( IMSI / MSISDN )

1. What happens when same MSISDN is mapped to two different IMSI in a network ? If a subscriber calls this MSISDN will the call be routed to both these IMSI's ?

Kumar.saurabh90 (talk) 10:14, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

IM contacts

Rather a newbie when it comes to talking to people online, if someone asks for my MSN or YIM contact details, would that be the same as the email address that came with my Yahoo account and my windows live email address? As in [whatever]@yahoo.com and [whatever]@live.co.uk?

Also, whiilst I'm here, is there any way of copying something from my photobucket account to upload onto, for example, youtube, if the original is saved on a different computer?

79.66.106.204 (talk) 11:58, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

When I use to use Yahoo messenger, my instant messenger name was ctjf83 and my email was ctjf83@yahoo.com. So if they are asking for the name to contact you on messenger with, I'd just tell them your screen name minus @yahoo.com or @msn.com. I can't help you on the other question. CTJF83 12:43, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Listen to cell phone/MP3 on radio

Is there such a device that I can plug into my cell phone or MP3 player's headphone jack and then play the music through the radio, wirelessly? How does it compare to the headphone jack to tape thing? CTJF83 12:29, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

They certainly exist - see e.g. this amazon search, and our article on them here. I haven't used one for a long time though (my current car stereo has an auxiliary port) and have never used a tape adaptor - so I couldn't tell you how well the ones out now work, or how they work in comparison to the tape thingy. My recollection is that they worked acceptably in my (rural) area, but weren't free from hassle (selecting a clear frequency) or interference issues. See the article for more details on limitations of these devices in large cities with lots of radio stations. You should also note that not all such devices are legal in all countries (depending on power, frequency range etc.). Equisetum (talk | contributions) 14:44, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, they are sold for car radio reception in the UK, but they work fine in country areas, using a 12v portable battery and transmitting to a cheap radio receiver perhaps 20 or 30 yards away. The transmission frequency can be adjusted to a less-crowded part of the dial, but this might be difficult in some areas. The quality is inferior to a direct connection from headphone jack to tape input because of the frequency modulation and demodulation involved, and quality can be much more seriously affected by poor reception and interference from other transmitters. Dbfirs 16:21, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, CTJF83 22:01, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Arabian hacker group

Hello. A couple days ago, I read about a group of Arabian hackers that exists to break down Arabian government restrictions on internet communication so citizens can communicate/revolutionize freely. I want to research this group for an essay, and tried googling "Arabian hackers" and couldn't find the group. Perhaps any of you know it? thanks!--SR-71 pilot (talk) 17:14, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://news.google.com/news?q=arab%20hackers ? ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:03, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Telecomix was what I was looking for. thank you!--SR-71 pilot (talk) 00:08, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Kindle Restart Problem

I am using Calibre to create collections. every thing works fine. All files get uploaded as they should. As you know to get the .mobi files in their proper collections (folders) one must RESTART Kindle. But I fail to get the "RESTART" option from the Menu ( It worked well yesterday ) One has to press MENU, select "settings" and then choose RESTART but I don't get to the "restart" it does not appear when I press "Menu" the SECOND time. The whole box that contains all options including RESTART, does not appear... Please help. Jon Ascton (talk) 21:33, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What model of Kindle are you talking about? On mine (a Kindle Keyboard) you do not need to restart for uploaded files to appear, if they are in the right directory. It takes a moment but the Kindle finds them automatically. I'm reasonably sure the Kindle Keyboard doesn't have a "restart" option, anyway. --Mr.98 (talk) 22:51, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks 98 for your response. Yes I have the one with a keyboard. It is not registered (am in India), so "make collections" is not working . The only way here to manage folders is by using the Calibre, which I have been doing successfully till now.As I write this..I have noticed two mysterious files (hidden) in Kindle folder, out of documents...can it be some new type of virus

Re: a virus, it seems unlikely to me. Maybe if you told us the file names, though, we could be helpful... --Mr.98 (talk) 00:23, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sum of digits of 2^1000

I'm trying to solve this problem which is to sum the digits in 2^1000. The obvious thing seems to be to just brute force it by working out 2^1000 (using big ints) and then suming the digits. However, I feel that that would be missing the point and think there may be a more clever way of doing it; perhaps based on the digits behaving in a predictable way every time they are multiplied by 2. I'd rather not get the full answer but if you could tell me whether I'm right or give me a hint otherwise. --178.208.197.58 (talk) 23:48, 28 December 2011 (UTC) UPDATE: I can see for example that every digit is doubled and then if it is greater than 10 you keep the least significant digit and add the most significant to the next one after it is doubled but then with everything you need to keep track of I feel it looks a lot similar to what would be done simply by using big ints --178.208.197.58 (talk) 23:54, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This looks like a job for ... the Maths Desk! ;) 24.92.85.35 (talk) 00:35, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Lots of programs can do it in a millisecond but it's a big job to do by hand regardless of your algorithm. If you think there is supposed to be a "point" then are you sure the problem isn't about finding the digital root? The term digital sum is sometimes used about digital root. You wrote "sum the digits in 2^1000" and I don't see how that could be interpreted as digital root, but perhaps you paraphrased the original question? Finding the digital root by hand is quite easy with a suitable algorithm. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:19, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"... there may be a more clever way of doing it ..."
There is indeed a more clever way: unless the problem states otherwise, sum the binary digits (and of course be sure to give your answer in binary also). Mitch Ames (talk) 08:15, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe there is a clever way to do this. I'm not sure. However, I've seen this and similar questions be used as a basic test of programming ability. On platforms where there is no native support for big ints, the logic involved in exactly computing the decimal representation of 2^1000 can be seen a test of basic computational literacy. Dragons flight (talk) 08:23, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You could calculate 2^1024 much more easily by repeated squaring, and divide by 2^24. This may not be any quicker. However, 2^1024 is a lot easier to calculate because you start with 2 and square it 9 times.

Or you could convert 1000 into binary, use this to factorise 2^1000 into a product of numbers of the form 2^(2^n), calculate the factors by repeated squaring, and multiply them all together; if you save intermediate values this will take about 14 large multiplications. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:10, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hard Drive Performance Planning

I am likely to build a new high-end workstation this spring. I need significant amounts of data storage, though I would also like to see good performance. Currently I run a system with a 120 GB SSD for OS / software and a 2 TB RAID 1 for data. This is supplemented with a 6 TB NAS (RAID 5) for backups and long-term storage. I'm wondering what I should be thinking about for the next iteration. A particularly interesting possibility seems to be using an SSD cache to accelerate larger drive(s), e.g. [1], or some form of small hybrid array. I know that Intel put SSD caching into their Z68 chipset, but I am unlikely to use that platform, so I am more likely to consider third-party solutions such as those offered by OCZ or some RAID controller manufacturers. I am wondering whether people here have experience with technology like this and what people might suggest using for cost-effective high performance disk storage in the near future. Dragons flight (talk) 23:51, 28 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Whether an SSD, or more RAM, will help performance is mostly down to the locality characteristics of your access to the data; if it's highly local it'll help, if it's random then it won't. RAID is not a backup - what's the actual size of a dataset, how valuable is it, and what have you thought about for real backup? Testovergian (talk) 00:06, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As I mentioned, I have a NAS used to store real backups (in addition to offsite storage of the most valuable subset). This is not a question about backups, but rather about local storage performance. Like most things, some data will be accessed relatively frequently while other data is accessed rarely. The access patterns change week to week and month to month and so it is not so easy to plan for, but might respond well to caching platforms that are responsive to changing access patterns. Dragons flight (talk) 00:47, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

December 29

Is there a way to send a two-way anonymous email?

I'd like to send an anonymous email without the recipient to know who I am, but would still like to be able to get a reply from him. Will anyone suggest any service that allows this? Thanks. --70.179.174.101 (talk) 01:45, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sign up for any of the many free web-based email services. Create an account. Send the email. Check the account to see if you get a reply. -- kainaw ™ 01:53, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See Comparison of webmail providers. If you don't want to check the account periodically for a reply then look for a provider with email forwarding (assuming you have a non-public email account you check anyway). PrimeHunter (talk) 02:04, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Once upon a time, there used to be a service that would forward encrypted e-mails in "hops" between various servers. At each hop, a level of public-key encryption would be removed. Only the final server could figure out the actual destination of the mail (and did not know where the mail originated). I am not sure whether there was any provision for the recipient to send a reply; at the moment I can't see how to do that in a way that doesn't significantly reduce the sender's protection against being identified. I also don't know whether the service still exists. --Trovatore (talk) 02:15, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I guess you could include a multi-encrypted return address that had to "hop" back to the original sender, being decrypted along the way. As long as the servers themselves are not forced to reveal anything, that seems reasonably secure, barring traffic analysis. --Trovatore (talk) 02:22, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Pseudonymous remailers are what you're looking for. As far as I know they still exist. -- BenRG (talk) 05:14, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

locate an iPod

My daughter has an ipod4 that is synced to iTunes on my computer. She can't find it, but she thinks that there is a way to locate it with the iOS app icloud, or something like that, to make it play sounds. She can't find how to do it in iTunes. Is there a way to do this? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 03:06, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This page at Apple describes how to "find my iPod". RudolfRed (talk) 03:33, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It says that it can make a sound, but it doesn't say how to use it (to make a sound). We know it is somewhere in the house. She set up icloud on my computer the other day, but she doesn't know how to access it. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 03:59, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

From the sound of the above link, you may not be able to push 'Find My iPod touch' so you may not be able to use that method if you didn't already install the program in the ipod touch Nil Einne (talk) 15:54, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Project Gutenberg and google books

Hi, if a book is in the public domain, are project gutenberg and google books equally easy for downloading, or...? Since project gutenberg only has 100,000 books according to its website, and google books is huge, what does gutenberg do that googlebooks doesn't? Thank you. Richard Peterson76.218.104.120 (talk) 03:43, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Gutenberg scans and OCRs, and then has humans exhaustively proof-read - see distributed proofreaders. Google scans and OCRs, and not much else. The best one-stop-shop (for me) is the Internet Archive, which grabs all of the PD books from google, gutenberg and other places, and makes them available in a range of formats. --Tagishsimon (talk) 03:48, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

PG also makes it easy to download in text format, while Google books only supports online viewing or PDF. If you want to reformat books, read them on mobile phones etc, perform textual analysis, quote long passages, or do a search through a book's text, Gutenberg's text format may be better.

Also, Project Gutenberg has been going for about 30 years longer than Google books. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:15, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mouse audio sound missing

I have Toshiba Satellite laptop with window 7. My computer doesn't give a click sound at all when i click files and folders to open and close them. I tried everything. Laptop is in good condition and speakes work very nicely accept that volume is very low even if its 100 percent volume. But mouse click never seemed to happen on my computer. click sound works only when i go to control panel window. Doesn't matter how many changes i make but mouse doesn't give a sound :( — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.89.20.204 (talk) 04:54, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's just too quiet to hear ? Try plugging in headphones, as that might make it louder. You can also plug in external speakers, but obviously those aren't very portable, so best to use those at home. StuRat (talk) 05:01, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't recall that file/folder open/close are events that can be assigned a sound, but I'm not near a Win 7 system right now. You can look at and modify your current sound scheme by following the instructions here. --LarryMac | Talk 15:29, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Reusing an old wired router to get more Ethernet ports in the home network

My main wireless router (#1) for the home is running out of Ethernet ports. Since I have an unused wired router (#2) lying around, I want to know how I can use it to make a few more Ethernet ports available for wired networking. I thought about a cascade NAT configuration, but the devices on the main LAN would not be able to talk to devices behind the newly added router #2.

What is the right way to do it?

Should I connect the WAN port of router #2 to a LAN port of router #1, turn off NAT on router #2, and add a route to router #1?

Should I turn off NAT & DHCP on router #2, and connect a LAN port of router #2 to a LAN port of router #1?

Should I do something else?

Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.114.98.178 (talk) 07:40, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Should I turn off NAT & DHCP on router #2, and connect a LAN port of router #2 to a LAN port of router #1?" Depending on the type of router, this option should work. I suggest that you try this first. 85.200.249.178 (talk) 11:20, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

spider

i,m trying to write a spider with python, but i ran the following script:

import urllib a=urllib.urlopen("http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unexplained_sounds") for v in a:

  print v

print 'done'

and one line said "access denied" if anyone can tell me how to fix it, that would be great. thanks, Jake1993811 (talk) 10:16, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have an internet proxy server between you and the web (you should be able to tell from the settings for your web browser)? You will probably have to tell perl to use the proxy; I can't remember how urllib works but there should be an option. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:17, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

getting started with paypal

So, how do I actually paypal for something I bought on the internet. Paypal itself has sent me an email with the details of how much I need to pay and what for, and a big button saying Pay Now, going to that, I had to create a paypal account, but that done, going to the email button again, it comes up with my new account, which is empty, there is no mention anywhere of the money I owe, just a series of lists with nothing on and a few blank forms. What do I do now, then, to actually send this money? Surely this was supposed to be the easier way of paying for things, it really doesn't look it from here.

The only thing I can find anywhere near resembling an opportunity to send money is a form to pay someone, for which I would need to know various details including their email address, which I don't have, and I suspect this would be sent separate to the original payment demand, leaving that not marked as paid off.

85.210.127.3 (talk) 11:09, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You may have to send a payment to the email address. (Can you contact the person who you need to pay?) Is this for an eBay/auction sale, or to an online store, or a gift to a private person? Some online stores will have a connection with a form to the PayPal site, but often with eBay sellers and private individuals you have to send the payment to their email. --Colapeninsula (talk) 16:20, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

my pc swaps always on the hd

even if the sum of the sizes of the processes is less than the RAM amount.. any idea? thanx --192.35.17.21 (talk) 14:35, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a bit confused by your question. Are you asking why your OS swaps data out of RAM to the HDD even when there is more available then in total use by programs or why your OS has a swap (or page in the case of any Windows NT) file even when there is more available RAM then in total use by programs? For the second case, most OSes prefer to keep the swap file both to ensure there is alway enough space for it and to reduce fragmentation. As for the first case, with any OS, there's always some conflict between deciding whether to cache data which may be needed in the near future in RAM or keep program data in RAM which hasn't been used for a long time and may not be needed for a long time. I presume some OSes also preemptively copy of program data to the swap or page space while preserving it in RAM ensuring it can easily be reallocated if necessary, whether for RAM or cache data. (Remember unlike with cache data, you can't simply delete program data if you don't have a copy.) Recent versions of Windows are generally considered fairly aggressive in swapping out program data and you only have limited control. With various *nix OSes I believe you have far greater control over how aggressive the OS is. However before you get too concerned are you actually noticing problems, e.g. it's taking a long time to go back to old programs? If the only effect is in some system monitor, I suggest it's best to stop worrying about it. Nil Einne (talk) 16:16, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The operating system can page out unused stuff even if it doesn't need memory right now, in anticipation of needing it later. Also, memory use is not simply a sum of process sizes, as memory contains other things, such as the operating system kernel and its data structures, network buffers, and (as a rather large item) cached disk data. If some part of a process hasn't been touched in a long time, it may make sense to page it out so that more file data can be cached in memory. 88.112.59.31 (talk) 16:25, 29 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]