Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 January 13

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[edit] January 13

[edit] Magazine-style printing?

I don't know what this kind of printing is really called, but I have a PDF of sheet music that is about 60 pages long. Usually sheet music comes printed in such a way that it resembles the binding of a magazine; that is, if you were to take out the staples in the middle, each 8x10 would seem sort of random in the placement of the four pages on them (two on front and two on back) unless they were in the right order and folded in the middle.

I made a graphic incase it's confusing what I'm saying. [1] only the pages on the right are in backwards order if you're looking at them as if they were completely flipped from the ones on the left.

Is there a way to do this with a PDF? That way it would only be 15 pages and easy to flip through. (The sheets look fine on half of a horizontal page though are technically full page ones). Thanks.EgyptianSushi 01:00, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Layout software can usually do this — PageMaker had a "Build a Booklet" plug-in which would do this. Adobe Reader doesn't seem to have that option; I don't see any obvious candidates in Acrobat but I find it hard to believe it wouldn't be an option in there somewhere. Hmm... not sure. Googling "PDF booklet printing" comes up with some options, though — this one is an Automator script for Mac OS X 4; there are a few others floating around. Hopefully just knowing the name of it will help out... --24.147.86.187 02:03, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Modern apps like the MS office suite and the most recent release of acrobat reader can print to booklets, is this what you are trying to do or do you want to reformat the file so it appears this way electronically? The key to this is having a printer capable of two-sided printing, otherwise the software most likely won't let you attempt it since it won't really work. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.195.232.121 (talk) 15:59, 15 January 2007 (UTC).
If you're using a UNIX(-like) system, you could use "pstops" - its manpage gives details. You'd need to convert PDF to postscript beforehand, and back to PDF afterwards, but ghostscript can do this both ways round. Hope this helps, Davidprior 19:58, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
The process of reordering pages is called "imposition". You can use BookletCreator to print a PDF document in "magazine-style". It's a free online tool. Virgoss 10:34, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cannot Empty Recycle Bin

I'm running Windows XP and I have items in my Recycle Bin, but everytime i click to permanently delete them, they refuse to delete and a pop-up message pops up and says "Cannot delete Dc20: It is being used by another person or program". But I am sure that there is no program or person using the items in the recycle bin. I've terminated as many processes as I can and there are no applications running, but the message still pops up. How can I fix this? Thanks. Jamesino 03:08, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Try rebooting and then immediately emptying the Recycle Bin --Kiltman67 03:29, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Alternatively boot into safe mode and then empty the recycle bin --frothT 03:56, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Right click the recycle bin and go to properties, drag the "maximum size of recycle bin" to 0% and reboot, the recycle bin should be empty. restore it back to 10% and reboot. Taken from this site.--PiTHON 08:14, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
You can easily delete such files with Sysinternal's MoveTo. Oskar 20:18, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Haven't we answered a really similar problem already? --wj32 talk | contribs 06:51, 14 January 2007 (UTC)
Last time that happened to me ("System Restore"), I just got process explorer off of Microsoft, searched for the handle that was holding the file open, killed it, and emptied. 68.39.174.238 14:51, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Router

I have two computers. one of which is running a 100mbps Broadband connection. The other computer is at the opposite end of the house about 20m away, and I've been told that it would be impossible to set up a network between the two due to distance and because there are 3 walls that separate them. Does anyone know if this would really cause problems and if so, what sort of router would be required to overcome them? Thanks,Mix Lord 03:49, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

You could always run a cat-5 cable through the walls --frothT 03:58, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
I strongly suggest running a network cable to the other computer and plugging both computers into the router (usually, you have a router plugged into the modem, but now some modems come with a router built in). 20m is nowhere near the max limit for basic cat5 network cable. If you opt for wireless, you will notice the wireless computer has a much slower network connection than the wired one. --Kainaw (talk) 03:59, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
So the router will still work? It just sounds easier than running cable and would allow me to use wi-fi on my PSP. Thanks anyway Mix Lord 04:58, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Wireless routers still have wire ports so you could opt for the wireless router for your psp and run cables for your computers --frothT 05:58, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Max cable distance on Cat5 is 100m, so you are well within range for a cable run. Wireless will work as well, although you will want to secure your network [2], and the lower your signal strength, the lower your speed. If the signal will not reach through the walls, you have a number of options. 1) Put a repeater [3] at a central location that both router & PC can reach. 2) connect a wireless access point [4] to the router, and position it so that PC signal can reach it. 3) get directional or other extended range antennas on both PC and router (or PC and access point). Another mutant 07:20, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Okay, thanks. Think I'll try the router

Mix Lord 02:34, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Converting ppc to intel

Using a lipo command on a mac, you can extract the Intel binary from a Universal program. Is there a way to convert ppc only programs to a universal binary, or to an Intel program? Thanks! ryan 04:25, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

No, you'd need the original code and recompile it for the different architecture. You could try stuff like dynamic recompilation but it's not as efficient as a straight compile --frothT 05:56, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but how would I do that? I have a macbook pro Running Intel Core Duo, 2ghz. ryan 15:29, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

You might want to look at Rosetta (software). Apparent;y it came with your computer --frothT 02:00, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Rosetta runs it at about 80 percent speed. I want to be able to convert the entire program into an intel binary before it runs. The technology is in place(Rosetta), but how can i manipulate it to do what I want. ryan 15:26, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Email the developer, and ask them to compile a Universal binary version. There's no way to take a pre-compiled PPC app and turn it into a Universal app yourself. If you have access to the source code, then you can load that up in Apple's developer software (included with the OS), and compile it Universal yourself. -- Kesh 20:29, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Display Problem

I recently bought a new computer and 24 inch monitor from Dell. However, I still wanted to use my old computer, so I've set up a KVM switch to allow me to jump back and forth between the two computers by merely hitting scroll lock. The only problem is that when I'm switched over to the older PC the image on the monitor appears very jittery and unstable. I have all the drivers installed on both computers and have them operating at the same resolutions 1600x1200. I am, however, unable to change the refresh rate to anything other than 60 hz on the older PC. I'm not sure that this is the problem though, because the new computer displays just fine on the monitor at that refresh rate. I'm wondering if my old video card on the older PC is the culprit. Would upgrading to a slightly better AGP card make a diffrence? Just curious if anyone has any ideas on how to fix this. Thanks in advance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.250.218.251 (talk • contribs)

I assume you're talking about an LCD monitor, and I assume you are using a VGA cable to connect to it? I think the problem might be with timing. When you run an analog VGA signal to an LCD monitor, it has to sync up to the clock to get the picture right. If you switch out to a different timebase, the monitor loses clocking. Even if they have the same resolution, they are at different times. Does hitting the 'auto' button (or whatever passes for it) make the display clean again until you switch monitors? I think getting a better card -- one that offers DVI might help, but you'd need an DVI-capable KVM switch, too. --Mdwyer 06:15, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
If you boot with the monitor switched to the old pc does it look bad? Or does the old one look fine until you switch to the new one, then back to the old one? Have you tried plugging the monitor directly into the old computer and rebooting? First thing i would try is bypassing the KVM switch and reboot, if it still looks bad borrow the cable running to the new machine and use it to plug in the old one. I've seen cheaper VGA cables cause shadowing and other issues with the display, makes a good monitor look like crap. Also maybe the switch has a problem with the specific output you are using, bypassing the switch would fix that problem, or switching the KVM switch ports around. I think the reason you cannot change the refresh rate is windows usually detects the monitor and its display modes when you turn on the computer, nvidia drivers have a "force redetection of displays" in the driver, but rebooting works. And try auto-adjusting the monitor as mdwyer said, if you've ever manually adjusted an LCD to have the picture run off the edge of the screen even a few pixels it can cause the whole display to get weird, auto-adjusting will center everything. Actually I think your problem is the monitor is a 1920x1200 monitor, running in 1600x1200 is not optimal and is probably running into scaling issues on your old video card. Link. --PiTHON 08:33, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lexar USB Drive/PowerToGo Software

This is really frustrating me. I just bought a Lexar 360 Jumpdrive that came preloaded with that PowerToGo software. I plug it in, the little window pops up asking me if i want to "start PowerToGo" or 'Explore my drive", ect.. Now, when ever I try and "Add a Program" or open up a program on that menu that pops up out of the Compact Bar, A. Nothing ever happens when I click "Add a Program" and B. the program that I open freezes, (EverNote is one example). Anyone have some good ideas? (P.S. Running Windows XP) Deltacom1515 07:00, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

This a U3 thing? 68.39.174.238 14:52, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] WORD 5.1

Where can I obtain a copy of WORD 5.1 for the Mac on CD, please86.219.163.91 11:08, 13 January 2007 (UTC)drew

eBay. That's about it. -- Kesh 20:40, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] the 'New hw found ' dialog appears..

at every boot: but nothing uninstalled is connected to any bus (not even usb).. tia --Ulisse0 12:11, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

what hardware is it trying to install? did you just do a fresh install of windows, or did this just start coming up randomly? if you dont want it to show up again, you have to hit next a few times, not cancel. on the last screen of hitting next- next -next it'll say "could not install" at the bottom it has a check box that says "do not prompt me to install this again", hit finish. now when you reboot it will not pop up.. but depending on the device you'll want to get the drivers installed, which you can do by going to control panel -> system -> hardware -> device manager. anything in here with a yellow exclamation mark or question mark needs to be loaded.--PiTHON 16:38, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

this unknown hw is identified by a VID #### PID ###### string. I don't remember how it started.. maybe I had connected some usb device (pen or dvdr or tuner).. Thank U --Ulisse0 17:30, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mimic FireFox "about:config" dialog using wxPython (preferrably)

If you have firefox, try typing "about:config" in the address bar. You will notice a huge sortable and filterable list of various options that you can select individually. I would like to create a standalone control that behaves exactly like this one, using wxPython (preferrably). The sticking point is I cannot find out how to implement the "filter" functionality and the "filter-as-you-type" functionality offered by the firefox interface. Any help or tips on where to look are most appreciated. NoClutter 18:33, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Would it be so hard just to not display items in the list that doesn't contain the text? Couldn't you do that yourself? Oskar 20:16, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removing Feature of Firefox 2.0

A small feature has appeared in 2.0 which hasn't been in any previous release. It is that if I begin to type in an address of a site I've visited before then click on it in the list which drops down it doesn't go there immediately as it used to Pre-2.0 and as it still does in IE, instead I have to hit Enter.

I have no idea why it was included as it seems to add nothing and instead just gives you another thing to do since your hand has to move backwards and forwards between the keyboard and mouse in order to browse. At first I suspected it was something to do with the Go Button which seemed new (or at least was easier to remove in the earlier releases), but after switching off the button in About:Config the problem still remains. I suspect the solution is somewhere within About:Config, but could anybody tell me what I should be looking for? --Kiltman67 18:53, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Well for me it goes immediately when I click the address --frothT 20:40, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Not for me (Iceweasel 2.0.0.1 on Debian). If I click, I need to click go (or press enter). But if I use up/down+enter to select it, it goes directly there. It may be a bug. --h2g2bob 22:32, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
For me, it does. Firefox 2.0.0.1 on Ubuntu Edgy. --wj32 talk | contribs 06:55, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] windows xp

my friend wiped my computer and now i cant get on to windows xp because he has put in a forged one i had a genuine one on my computer but i dont have the product key for it can i phone microsoft and will they give me it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.11.61.217 (talk) 20:06, 13 January 2007 (UTC).

Your best bet is to find the original packaging, since the license sticker is on that. You could try calling MS but if you never gave them any personally identifiable information you might be out of luck. Many people (and this is a very well tested thing) simply disable Windows Genuine Advantage validation. You'll have to do your own research on this --frothT 20:46, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
Have you checked the usual places for the product key - check for sticker on machine, see if it's printed on CD, look for the documentation, etc. --h2g2bob 22:35, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Another thought, if you bought the comp with Windows XP on it, perhaps the retailer has the records you would need, either in the form of the product keys or a serial number you could then use to get MicroSoft to fork over the info. Also, if you have a receipt from the purchase this might include the serial number. StuRat 23:39, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

Or just use the recovery CD that came along the computer. Although this way sometimes they will install junk too... --antilivedT | C | G 10:24, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how can digital radios auotmatically jump over noisy channels?

Do they compute the spectrum width on the fly with some kinda DFT? tia --Ulisse0 22:54, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

  • This patent mentions a few methods for detecting radio signal strength. Droud 04:36, 17 January 2007 (UTC)