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January 5

psychology/malignant hypertension

how can we prevent malignant hypertension — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.221.163.222 (talk) 13:12, 5 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure why you'd post this on a computing desk, but see hypertensive emergency for our article on the subject. Matt Deres (talk) 14:58, 5 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Medical advice deleted. We are not allowed to give medical advice on the RDs. --69.159.60.210 (talk) 00:09, 6 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

January 7

Symbols or Signs

1) I wish to enter the ‘tick’ and ‘cross’ sign on MS Excel. I can use the “Symbol” option for the ‘cross’ sign but I can’t find the ‘tick’. What do I do?

2) I wish to press “I” or “1” five times (11111) in order to receive a tally sign on an MS Excel field. What do I do?

103.230.104.29 (talk) 10:26, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

For the tick mark, the easiest thing to do is just copy it from here : ✓ . It's possible to enter it using the ALT key, but that requires making changes to the registry and rebooting - see Alt code for details if you want to go that way. The tally marks will be a bit more tricky - you'll need a function or a macro, and possibly to install a suitable font. This forum thread may be useful. Tevildo (talk) 22:24, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

An easier option for the ✓ is to add a rule for it into Excels' autocorrect. That way you can type something like "chekk" (or something else you are unlikely to type) and have it 'corrected' to the symbol. ^Avic_ennasis @ 18:06, 10 Tevet 5777 / 18:06, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Passpordword Protecting Software

1) What is the estimate time for the 'Bitlocker' software to accomplish its task in a 4TB (3.63TB)? My PC/Laptop seems to slow down when making it work too much, e.g., I was migrating files and folders from one RHDD to another and the transfering speed slowed down, the fan started making louder noise, and so on...

Also, during the initialising period it states, “Do not remove your drive during BitLocker setup”. I wonder if it’s a good idea to ‘pause’ when the actual progression start, thereafter password creation phase. Reason for asking is, electric outage is quite common in the country I’m in, I would have to switch off PC if faced with the situation, will it create any problem, say if I restart the PC than retry from where I left…?

2) What other software could be use to protect an RHDD?

103.230.104.29 (talk) 10:26, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

(2) What other software ...?
Comparison of disk encryption software lists a few possibilities. Mitch Ames (talk) 12:26, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The difficulty rests on selection (as usual), a specific, reliable one that is trusted by many would be of help, which takes less time to accomplish its task... Its been 7 to 8 hours and its still initialising my drive...103.230.104.12 (talk) 18:43, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Clarification, do you mean "password" or "passport" ? StuRat (talk) 18:55, 7 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Note that there is no magic. A 4TB HD could easily take 6 hours or more to write the entire disk sequentially even with USB 3 or eSATA because of the limitations of the disk itself. If you are encrypting a hard disk which is mostly full, the only way you can do so is by reading and re-writing all the data, no matter what tool you use (well presuming it properly encrypts the whole disk) which will likely mean 12 hours or longer.

If you're encrypting a whole empty or new partition, theoretically a tool only has to re-write small portions since it doesn't actually matter in most circumstances whether the extraneous empty space is nonsense or zeroes. However most tools are likely to avoid this, for numerous reasons including the fact that users may not realise that any data which they've previously stored is still recoverable (without needing to break the encryption) until it's overwritten.

So even with a new empty partition, you can expect the majority of tools are going to take at least 6 hours. It may be longer depending on the disk, your AES encryption speed etc. In particular, I do hope you're using USB3 as USB2 is going to be very, very slow. You may be able to find a tool which can recover from power outages while creating a partition but I expect that'll be rare since it's a feature which adds complication but won't be used much.

Since the hard disk is 4TB, I'm assuming it's a 3.5" with external power supply rather than a 2.5" which only uses USB power? (4TB 2.5" portables exist but they are much rare.) In that case, probably your best bet is to invest in a UPS of some sort. Since you're able to afford a laptop and 4TB hard disk, a low end UPS should be within what you can afford. Especially since if you have one 4TB removable, I guess this means you have at least one other hard disk or other form of backup as keeping a single copy of the data is a sure way to lose it all especially with unreliable power. (Or even two copies is one is on the laptop and one is on the removable and they're often connected.)

When you have your UPS, plug the hard disk into the UPS and nothing else. (Well if the UPS has USB for monitoring then you could plug USB into the laptop to more easily monitor the UPS.) Then use the laptop to create a new empty encrypted partition. If the power goes off, keep going until either the laptop or UPS has ~10% power left then hibernate the laptop. Probably the creation will survive hibernation provided you don't remove the hard disk. If it doesn't, try again next time and hope for the best your power will last long enough you don't need to hibernate. The alternative to a UPS would be to get a portable hard disk which doesn't need an external power supply, then you only need the laptop. Of course it would be better to invest in something able to power the laptop and hard disk for 15+ hours.

Nil Einne (talk) 05:18, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I understand what you are saying, I'm still not satisfied. Just to clarify, I'm planning to use "BitLocker" since its the only thing available at hand as you all couldn't recomend any. If I pause during the middle of the encryption process, could I turn off my PC, go to sleep, wake up the next morning and start the encryption process from their onward...? 103.230.106.13 (talk) 19:18, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Hibernation may work, but I can't guarantee it won't cause problems. One big issue is even if it normally works, there's no guarantee something won't break e.g. if the hard disk takes too long to startup for some reason. Your latest post is confusing. Earlier you are suggesting the problem was an unreliable power supply. Now you are suggesting you want to stop it when you sleep which is a different thing. I don't see any reason why you need to stop it while sleeping. If you are worried that the power will go off while you are sleeping, you can either set up an alarm to wake you up or set the laptop to auto hibernate when the battery or UPS is too low. Incidentally I was mistaken about the lack of ability to only write used space. Bitlocker at least does support this. Of course as I said above it's a moot point if your hard is nearly full. Although I'd note that if your hard disk is full, you really need backups of this somewhere especially if you are trying to encrypt it with an unreliable power supply (whatever your tool does or does not support) so you could always copy it back. Maybe an alternative if you have such weird requirements is to simply zero the drive. If you use a tool which notes how far it has reached, you can start from there later if needed (and definitely zeroing tools should survive hibernation again provided the disk doesn't disappear before or after). Once you've zeroed it you can use bitlocker and if you ensure you don't write any data which matters, you can simply encrypt used space which shouldn't take very long. And since you zeroed it and didn't write any important data where it was unencrypted, you don't have to worry about what people can recover from the unecrypted disk. Then you can copy back the data at leisure to the encrypted disk. Nil Einne (talk) 04:26, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

January 8

Cleaning HDD Fully

How do I completely clean a disk, if formatting the disk (apparently, well many say) still leaves recoverable datas? 103.230.104.24 (talk) 07:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Use an appropriate one of List of data-erasing software. I know from experience that sdelete (a command line tool) and CCleaner (GUI) are easy to use, although I have not personally verified that they do what they claim to do. Note that – as with #Passpord Protecting Software – securely erasing a large disk may take a significant amount of time. Mitch Ames (talk) 07:29, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Just for clarification, isn't right-clicking the mouse button, selecting the "Format" option, doing a "Quick Format" clean sufficient? 103.230.106.9 (talk) 19:03, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

"Quick format" actually removes very little data. As a simple analogy, imagine the hard disk is a big book, a quick format essentially just blanks out the index pages, you can basically still flick through the book and see all the contents. That's why it takes so little time, the disks isn't really doing much "wiping" at all. For securely wiping a disk see software like Darik's Boot and Nuke. This makes any previous data extremely hard if not (for all intents and purposes) unrecoverable. This software basically writes "bogus" data to the entire disk, start to finish. And in case there might still be little left over "slivers" of data, which it might theoretically be possible to read, the software might write the bogus data dozens of times, so that any trace of any old data is lost in all the junk data. Quite in contrast to the quick format, this process can take a very long time, depending how many "passes" you do it can be hours if not days. You might notice people who are actually in the security "business" refrain from saying "impossible to recover". No security expert will tell you that there is any "software" that will make a disk IMPOSSIBLE to recover. To make data IMPOSSIBLE to recover, you pretty much have to grind the disk up into filings and mix them into concrete or scatter them into the sea. Drilling a few holes in the disk will get you 90% of the way there but it is at least theoretically possible to recover data from the "non drilled" parts of the disk. Vespine (talk) 21:39, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Apple's Safari

Can anyone tell me how to 'pin' the "Toolbar" to the top of the screen whilst visiting sites please? Thanks in anticipation!Artjo (talk) 12:17, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Uninstalling Files

I’m unable to delete certain program names from “Programs and Features” option. One reason is obvious, missing files and or as well as folders… I thought of using CC cleaner but don’t think it will eliminate as I expect it to. What could I use to immaculate the irritating unwanted program names along with its hierarchy existing in the Drive(s).

103.230.105.6 (talk) 19:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I have used Revo Uninstaller. Vespine (talk) 21:18, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly a permissions issue. Log in as administrator and try again. Jahoe (talk) 01:13, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

“Hibernate” and “Sleep” Mode

1) What are the entitled enquoted options functionality? I know ‘locking’ and ‘logging off’ are two different things, and I know what each does after initiation…

2) Just for clarification, which one of the entitled enquoted words doesn’t use battery power and keeps the PC in pause mode?

103.230.105.6 (talk) 19:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

In the hibernate mode the computer is switched off and does not use any power but can be quickly switched on returning to exactly the same state as it was before the hibernation. In the sleep mode the computer is suspended but not switched off completely still consuming a very low but finite power. Ruslik_Zero 19:30, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

What's would be the purpose of the functionality's creation? 103.230.105.3 (talk) 19:58, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Sleep mode and Hibernation (computing) may help. CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 00:28, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External Battery Pack for PC

I wish to buy an external Li-on Battery pack that could be monitored via the Laptop, plugged-in and -out. I never bought one so I won't know anything about it. Any help please? 103.230.104.13 (talk) 19:21, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

You can search Google. For instance, I quickly found this. Ruslik_Zero 19:26, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Problem is, monitoring it from the PC with a software plugged-in and -out. 103.230.107.12 (talk) 19:44, 8 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

You want to monitor the battery pack's charge from the laptop, when it's not plugged into the laptop ? You would obviously need another power source for the laptop, but the tricky bit is at the battery pack end. It would need to stay active, have it's own monitoring software, and broadcast a signal, say via Bluetooth, that the laptop could pick up. This would, itself, drain the battery pack over time. It could also wait for a signal requesting an update before sending it out, to save some power that way. Somehow I doubt if any currently have these capabilities, as it would add lots of complexity and cost, just to save the step of plugging it in to check the charge. StuRat (talk) 05:26, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Many battery packs can be monitored, not from the laptop, but by pressing a button that lights up a series of LEDs to indicate the state of charge. I find that this suffices, rather than continuous monitoring which, as StuRat says above, is not really practicable. Dbfirs 09:02, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I possess a software capable of monitoring the Laptop battery while the plug is in and out of the socket. I’ve seen some external battery packs (time ago) consisting two input points and they are:

1) The one that connects to the Laptop and

2) the one that connects to the Laptop battery place.

Now,

a1) I wish to charge it while using PC in order to monitor. So I need the 'number 1' stated above.

a2) I also wish to monitor how it drains, so I'm guessing 'number 1' won't suffice, therefore 'number 2' i.e. I might need an adapter type (cords and or connection type) that plugs in the Laptop battery place in order to monitor while I'm using it in discharge mode. Note: Both 'number 1' and 'number 2' connection types could be hard to find in a product.

b) I also wish to charge it while not using PC, a display in the battery pack is therefore desirable.

I do require 'external Li-on Battery Pack' which I did not come across till to date. What I have come across however, cheap powerful Battery packs for phones…

Now, after reading the guided link earlier, I became confused with the voltage and other rubbish that I don’t have a clue of. What example from the guided link (or from anywhere else) could you give me in order for me to understand, which could meet my desire. Btw, my Laptop is “Li-on 10.8v 5200mAh”.

103.230.104.14 (talk) 18:45, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

January 9

Transferring WhatsApp to a new device

I'm trying to move all my WhatsApp data, mainly messages logs, to a new phone. I did the followings, according to the instructions on the website:

Entered Settings - Chats - Chat Backup and created a local backup.
Copied the backup file to the new phone to the location WhatsApp\Databases as msgstore.db.crypt12.
Started WhatsApp and verified my phone number.
The app found the backup and asked to restore it.

When restoring, the process ended at 24% for some reason, and the bigger problem I'm having is that nicknames on groups (gray text near the phone number) don't appear.

How do I solve these issues? Galzigler (talk) 06:07, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Radio

Question was duplicated on the Humanities Desk. Moving the answers there. --69.159.60.210 (talk) 07:55, 10 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Client for Cisco VPN that saves password regardless of server policy

Just wondering if there is third-party VPN software that will save login details for a Cisco VPN, and not keep prompting every time? Apparently my new university has banned password saving via server policy settings, and the official client doesn't let me override this. I have a Windows desktop, a Macbook, and an Android phone, so suggestions for any of those platforms would be appreciated.

I guess I could use a batch file to autofill the password via the command line, but firstly I don't know how yet, and secondly I realise that a client which encrypts saved passwords would be more secure. Batch files are plain text, right? Anyway thanks for reading. 95.245.37.196 (talk) 15:24, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I use vpnc and save all credentials in the VPN config file. The password is technically pulled from an environment variable set in my bashrc file. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 17:45, 9 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

You could use a password manager although it may not be entirely automatic [1] [2].

However note that encrypting the save passwords is not really more secure if don't need to do anything to decrypt the password. Password managers generally allow you to enter a master password to decrypt the passwords. This means as long as the master password hasn't been entered or stored somewhere, then your passwords (hopefully) can't easily be recovered. So for example if someone steals your computer. (Although there is always some risk the master password has been stored somewhere, hence encryption of all disks is also ideal.) If you don't need to enter a master password or similar (e.g. connect a device) then there isn't really any significant security. This applies to most saved passwords by software itself. (An exception would be where the software doesn't need to save the password, but this may still allow login since the software obviously can.) Note there isn't any need to install software on your computer. A person (e.g. evil maid) just needs to know where the software stores the encrypted password and perhaps the key (if it uses a randomly generated key rather than a standard one). If the key and encrypted password is fairly long, writing it down will take a fair amount longer and the person needs to know a bit more but that's the only real advantage.

In fact, there is a slight risk malware (although malware may also install keyloggers or monitor the software itself if left too long) may be more likely to know about these stored passwords and steal them than your personal batch file. Note also that some software intentionally makes no attempt to encrypt the password for this reason. Some just does some easily reversible modification e.g. a simple cypher.

Nil Einne (talk) 06:30, 10 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

January 10