Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 April 18

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April 18

P4SD Motherboard

Hello.

I have got a P4SD rev 1.09 motherboard which will not fire up. It has a hood lock and hood sensor on the board and also a lot of pins with security next to them. I am assuming that as I don't have this in its original case there is something that can be done with jumpers to override the chassis intrusion if that is what is preventing it starting. The power light is on but the processor fan will not start. I am also assuming that this board has a standard atx pin out.

Any ideas would be appreciated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sunny khan (talk • contribs) 07:13, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The manual is available at http://usa.asus.com/index.aspx. Select Services → Support → Download → Motherboard → Socket 478. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 15:47, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

JVM memory allocation

Resolved

Hello! I'm running a Java program that needs to load about 100MB of files into memory. When I tried to do this, I got an OutOfMemoryError, even though my system has 4GB (3.75 usable) of RAM, and there weren't any other processes that could have been using up the other 3+gigs. Anyway, I cut down the files substantially, so that they would load without an Error, but the rest of the program seems to be running pretty slow probably, I suspect, because of more processing devoted to garbage collection to free up its limited supply of memory. Is there any way to force Windows 7, 64-bit to give the JVM as much idle memory it needs? Task Manager says java.exe is using about 765,000 K (!), holding steady despite the Java program is supposed to be creating additional objects to serialize all together before exit, but only 2.20 GB out of the 3.75 usable total are in use by all processes. Thanks for any advice.--el Aprel (^facta-_facienda) 07:21, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

If it's the Sun JVM, say java -Xmx220M foo

-Xmx is a Sun-specific option that sets the maximum heap size that the JVM can allocate. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 08:47, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The same setting for gcj is simply -mx -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 09:05, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

One reason why things slow down when low on memory is that programs may go to page swapping. StuRat (talk) 12:53, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

It's not just page swapping, the gc itself runs a lot more often when there's little enough free space in the heap. gcj does rather poorly with allocation-intensive programs, though 100MB is not very much memory these days. 66.127.54.238 (talk) 19:55, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, everyone. The -Xmx flag helped me increase memory to the JVM drastically.--el Aprel (^facta-_facienda) 20:18, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

DOS (running on windows XP)

I know it's possible to start an .exe from the command line with a .bat script, but is it possible to also terminate a program with a .bat script? How would this be done? Thank you 82.43.89.71 (talk) 11:35, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't think so. Programs terminate when they finish. DOS isn't multi-tasking, so you can't run a new batch script while the program is running and an already loaded batch script won't move onto the next line until the program terminates. --Tango (talk) 13:13, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Depending on your version of Windows, you could use taskkill or tskill. --Phil Holmes (talk) 13:18, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The header says "DOS", not "Windows", although I suppose it is possible the OP is actually referring to the Windows command line. --Tango (talk) 13:26, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, the command-line interpreter (cmd.exe) in Windows NT has actually nothing to do with the very old DOS operating system (other than the fact that many commands coincide). --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 14:01, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I was taking a view that there are actually very very few people continuing to run DOS for real, and very many who refer to the Command Interpreter as a "DOS Window" and therefore providing what I thought was helpful information to the OP. --Phil Holmes (talk) 14:13, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I am sorry for the confusion. I am indeed running the DOS command window from within windows xp. I've corrected the title of the thread. So it is possible to terminate a program with a .bat script? What would be the command I would enter to do it? 82.43.89.71 (talk) 15:05, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, as Phil Holmes says, the command on XP is taskkill. The instructions for using it are here. --Tango (talk) 17:17, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

(The thread title is still wrong—as Andreas Rejbrand said, this has nothing to do with DOS.) -- BenRG (talk) 03:27, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Well, the command line under Windows is often called "DOS" for lack of a better term. CMD isn't independent the way the sh/bash/csh/zsh ecosystem is under Unix. It's thought of a bit as a backwards-compatibility tool, and Microsoft hasn't provided a better name than "DOS prompt", so I say that calling this a DOS question is correct. Paul (Stansifer) 05:00, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

It's called "command prompt" in the start menu. That's the name I'd recommend. Cmd.exe is an ordinary console-mode application that happens to come from Microsoft. There are third-party alternatives like 4NT (which attempts to be compatible with cmd.exe) and Cygwin bash (which doesn't). There are also console-mode programs that are unrelated to any shell, like Lynx and robotfindskitten. None of these are DOS any more than Firefox is Internet Explorer. -- BenRG (talk) 05:51, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Our article of course is Command Prompt. As others have said calling it DOS while common is inaccurate and confusing. On x64 versions of Windows including XP x64, you can't even run DOS programs. Incidentally as a replacement you can also use the Microsoft provided Windows PowerShell which is included by default in Windows 7 and available for Vista and XP although isn't really intended to replace cmd.exe per se (by which I mean you can use it as a replacement, but I don't think Microsoft is intended everyone to start using PowerShell and they'll kill off cmd.exe). I believe Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX also has one or more command line shell of some sort. Nil Einne (talk) 06:33, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you're thinking of command.com? A limited version of command.com (the old DOS prompt) is included with newer versions of Windows for compatibility reasons. The last version of Windows to run on top of DOS was Windows ME. Newer versions of Windows run independently of any command prompt, so I'm confused by your comment about UNIX, since X runs on top of a command shell, but much of the Windows GUI is built into the NT kernel.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 06:13, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Using a SOCKS proxy in Windows Live Messenger ("Version 2009 (Build 14.0.8089.726)")

I'm trying to set a socks proxy in WLM (Using this interface: http://i.imgur.com/jLmes.png). It's wording is "change or test your connection settings", implying changing it WILL apply the proxy settings. Pressing "Test" shows the proxy DOES work, and I can see it making a test connection in the proxy log.

However, clicking Ok/Ok (to get through all of the options windows), and then restarting WLM does NOT use the proxy. WLM's connection log says it DOES use it, but it doesn't, and the proxy log proves no connection was even attempted.

Anyone got any ideas? –  MissAlyx  talk  13:29, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

The only way I've gotten programs to interface with SOCKS proxies is by running them through Freecap or Sockscap. You don't configure the program at all. Instead, you start it through Freecap.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 18:02, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Surely when there's a socks proxy interface, it should work..? –  MissAlyx  talk  20:08, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

It looks like from the screen shot that you're using TOR. In that case, you should use JanusVM to tunnel your traffic through a TOR VPN.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 20:16, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Router/Internet Problems

I sometimes get knocked off the net or my router disconnects from my laptop, what can be causing this as generally it is ok most of the time but get knocked off the net occasionally. Is there anything wrong with the router or is it related to my ISP (DSL Internet Connection). Any help would be grateful. Paul2387 18:00, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it a wireless connection? If so, how strong is the signal? If you're too far away from the router then that will cause you to get kicked off.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 18:04, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I always have 100% signal strength and yes it is a wireless router with built in modem. Paul2387 18:06, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Check the lights on the modem when you get kicked off. If the Internet light changes, that indicates that the problem is with your ISP. Also try logging into the modem and checking its event log. If you type ipconfig at the command prompt, it should tell you the IP address for your "default gateway" which is your router/modem. Type that IP address into your web browser to log into the modem. If the router/modem is just rebooting on its own, then that could indicate a hardware issue with the router/modem. Such shutdowns are also usually noted in the event log. I've also seen some wireless clients attempt to automatically connect to other routers, but you said that you have 100% strength, so that's probably not the issue. But, just in case, you could try changing the name of the wireless network inside the router. If it's using the default name for that device, then it could conceivably have the same name as your neighbor's network.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 18:15, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

A moment ago my Wireless Router kept rebooting itself it know by watching the lights but now it's working fine, what can cause itt to reboot itself over and over again. Paul2387 20:25, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I would call your ISP and ask them. It's either a problem with their equipment (or lines) or a problem with your modem. You can check to see if your device is having problems by logging into it (see above) and checking its power levels. But, if I had to guess, I would say it's your ISP's fault.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 20:40, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

I have occasional problems with both my router and my internet connection, but it is easy to tell the difference in Vista's "Network and Sharing Center" (from control panel). Other operating systems will have a similar display so that you can see where the problem lies. Dbfirs 21:53, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Netbeans tutorial

Does anyone know where I would find a netbeans tutorial using bluetooth and the phone emulators in j2me. Mo ainm~Talk 19:07, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

sockscap

Are there any programs similar to sockscap that have the option to use http proxy as well as socks? I've tried Freecap but every program I launch just crashes immediately. Thanks for your help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 8.6.95.168 (talk) 19:15, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Symbols to identify

⎝⏠⏝⏠⎠ What are these signs? 83.31.121.160 (talk) 19:53, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

• ⎝ - U+239D Left parenthesis lower hook
• ⏠ - U+23E0 Bottom tortoise shell bracket
• ⏝ - U+23DD Bottom parenthesis
• ⎠ U+23A0 Right parenthesis lower hook

You can find these in a character map application. 66.127.54.238 (talk) 20:05, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, see this post. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 20:43, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

samba share

In my house we have a a router, which everyone's on with ip's 192.168.1.x which is whats connected to the outside world, however i have a router plugged in which runs off 192.168.2.x address, plugged into the first router. Now i set samba up across two computers on my network (192.168.2.x) and that all works fine, however when i put one of my computers on the 192.168.1.x, it can no longer find the samba files. Is there a way round this? I opened up the ports 139,445 TCP and 137,138 UDP on my router Thanks--82.26.227.101 (talk) 21:34, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

It appears that you haven't set up port forwarding. To the .1. network, the entire .2. network is seen as a single .1. address. You need to, on the .2. router, forward traffic coming in from the .1. network to a specific computer. This is limiting. For example, if you want a computer on the .1. network to see two different computers on the .2. network using port 300, you can't. You forward .2.'s port 300 to one and only one computer. However, you can forward port 301 to a different computer. -- kainaw™ 02:49, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

hmm i thought i had when i set the ports on my router, which classify it as a "virtual server" where i set a inbound port, port type, private ip and a private port, plus i only need about to worry about 1 computer on the .2. being visible. The ports i mentioned in my first post are what googling suggests are the samba ports, and i set them up as TCP & UDP just in case--82.26.227.101 (talk) 20:13, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Okay fixed first problem by simply turning my router into an access point and now all computers are on same .1. However still some problems,

linux can connect to other computers but only via the ip address, going places->network->workgroup simply says "cannot retrieve file list from server" running "smbclient -L localhost" shows that it detects the other computers on the network vista can connect in and access files of my linux machine Maybe some problem as i think my linux box runs as the "master" on the network?--82.26.227.101 (talk) 21:53, 21 April 2010 (UTC)