Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 July 6

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[edit] July 6

[edit] Amplifier Volume Control

Don't know if this has much to do with computers but I have a 5.1 channel JVC amplifier that's about 3 years old, and recently I've been having trouble with the volume control. At times, the volume level of the amplifier will increase for no reason, sometimes just a few notches, and sometimes right up to maximum volume. Does anyone know what would cause this and how it could be fixed? Thanks Mix Lord 01:43, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

If it's the circular dial you're referring to, the "ratchet" inside has probably worn out, or the connecter is faulty. I had the same problem with my car volume and the dial had to be replaced by the agents. I wouldn't bother with the dial if I had your problem, use your remote or program a universal remote to control your volume. Sandman30s 22:17, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Nowadays, amplifiers often don't have "volume controls" in the way we used to classically understand them: an audio-taper potentiometer in each of the audio channels. Instead, modern multi-channel amplifiers use electronic volume controls inserted into each of the audio paths. These are commonly voltage-controlled integrated circuits that act exactly like the old potentiometers. The voltage to each volume control IC set by the master volume control and, proportionally, the left-right balance and front-rear fader controls. Even more advanced designs may simply modify the DSP parameters to affect the volume in each channel.
The master volume control can be a single, motor-driven potentiometer (if you still have an actual volume knob that turns when you use your remote control). (In DSP systems, it may become a DSP signal by means of an analog-to-digital converter. Alternatively, it may not be a potentiometer at all; it may just be a rotary encoder.) If the system doesn't have a physical volume control that turns with the remote control, it can be just a voltage derived from a computer register driving a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) or even just that number passed into the DSP.
Once you figure out which style of control you have, you may be able to decide what's the likely cause of the problem -- write back and let us know!
Atlant 21:56, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] BSOD/black screen error

One of my computers was displaying a BSOD with the message IQRL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. A quick Google told me that it was either hardware or software (great...!) I removed the wireless network adaptor and modem from the PCI slots, which stopped the BSOD but now it will only boot to a black screen with the text "We are sorry but Windows could not start..." Anyone had this before/know what to do? Also, if this helps, the computer idles at about 40-45oC, which I'm not sure is healthy or not (It's a 2.66Ghz Celeron, 768 MB ram, on-board graphics) Thanks for any help! Jackacon 08:59, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

As your Google search already revealed, it can be almost anything. I'd start with memtest86+ to see if it's memory. Your Windows installation has probably corrupted itself; perhaps some of the recovery options might help, but I'd ask someone with more Windows experience (but please test the memory with memtest86/memtest86+ first). Your CPU temperature seems normal to me, mine usually is around 41°C. --cesarb 09:47, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
By itself that 0xA error is probably the most unhelpful of all Bug Check Codes. I keep a link handy to Interpreting Bug Check Codes, because the hexadecimal numbers also on the screen really can help. One time I found it was telling me it was a ide controller error, and the problem was fixed by removing the retaining screw in the laptop's optical drive. That's just how random this error can be. Start at that msdn website, or post the hex parameters it gives you here. -wizzard2k (C-T-D) 16:34, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Weird Image

Before an image is loaded or if its broken, there is a strange image an the top right of the square where the image would have been. Whats the image called?

Wikiman232 15:16, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

  • I believe it's called a "placeholder". Atleast, that's what I call it. Bart133 (t) (c) 21:54, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I've seen "Busted GIF"/"Busted JPEG" in at least one place. 68.39.174.238 12:22, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] File transfer

I have a friend who wishes to send me a 15mb .mpeg file from a videophone. How can they sent it to me? They have a very slow internet..wont load on photobucket and of course most email services have attatchment limits. We also tried archiving it and splitting into small pieces but they wont send either..

anyone any ideas? would help a great deal. We also tried file upload sites but that also is very slow and eventually errors.

88.104.15.207 15:20, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

You could try using the File Transfer feature in several Instant Messenger protocols, such as AIM or Jabber. -- JSBillings 15:42, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
That'd be slower than uploading to photobucket or email, really. I suggest putting it on a CD and posting it. Say he has 56kb internet, he'll realistically get about 1kbps upstream. My calculations say that'll take about 4 and a half hours if using all available upstream. Most dialup will disconnect after two hours and allow the user to reconnect - so the file will never be successfully sent. JoshHolloway 17:47, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Or, alternatively, you could split it into a multi-part RAR file ([using Winrar). Then, even if it times out or you only get to send a few of the files, eventually it'll all successfully be sent over. JoshHolloway 17:47, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I have personally found it very nice to use the DCC Send function in a chat program called "mIRC" (http://www.mirc.com)....
The nice thing is it works great on dialup connections, and if for whatever reason the connection is lost, it allows the reciever to "resume download" if the sender sends it again :)
good luck.
71.221.45.1 17:50, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Does the phone support bluetooth? Do you or a friend have a wireless bluetooth adaptor? Root4(one) 01:24, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] N 95 syncronisation with the lap top

I have a N 95 Nokia mobile. The earlier models of Nokia had a unique feature for storing personal information regarding Personal access codes and passwords like the wallet. Where is this feature in the Nokia 95 series? How to synchronize the information with the laptop? How to transfer data from Pre existing Nokia 6600 to N95 mobile phone? For compatibility? Garb wire 16:04, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Function overloading in 'c' (copied from help desk)

in 'c' language scanf and printf acts as a function overloading how? 61.2.231.58 17:00, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Reposted here. RJaguar3 | u | t 17:19, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

It's not really function overloading - it uses a mechanism called a variadic function (indeed, if you say "printf(2);" in C you'll get a program that will crash if you run it, showing that printf is quite resolute in receiving a char* as its first arg). In the case of C the first argument is of a fixed type (it's almost always a char*, but there's no deep reason it couldn't be anything else). The variadic function (printf say) is declared with its second "argument" to be the elipsis ("..."), which means "what follows is any old stuff". It's the responsibility of the variadic function to figure out what the types of the subsequent args are (that's why the first arg is almost always a char* - the calling function tells the called function those types with a funny little bespoke type description language (%3d, %*s etc.). The tutorial linked from Variadic function#Variadic functions in C and C++ shows how to write a variadic function like printf. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 23:18, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quick Networking/IP Address Question!

I am making a network diagram for a small business. If I set up some computers with different IP addresses (in mostly windows XP), can i set them with different numbers in the third "octet" like so:

192.168.0.101 192.168.0.102 192.168.0.103 192.168.10.101 192.168.10.102

and have the same "network name" and still be able to communicate/share files/etc?

OR

would it be better if i just did this to show divisions in the location of the computers:

192.168.0.101 192.168.0.102 192.168.0.103 192.168.0.111 192.168.0.112

? I just want to know. We basically have a setup where some computers are located in an office, and others in a different area, and it would be nice to logically divide the ip addresses and call the computers "Office 101", "Office 102", "Office 103".... and then "Retail 101", "Retail 102", etc.

please lend me a few helpful opinions :)

71.221.45.1 17:38, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Since you are statically assigning IP addresses, the names don't matter as I seriously doubt you're setting up a DNS server. However, I would go into the hosts file and map the names to the IP addresses, such as "office101 192.168.0.101". Then, you won't have to memorize the IP addresses. As for the choice between subnets of 0 and 10, anything under 192.168 is available. Do as you please. You'll just need to adjust the netmask accordingly so the computers know to look on the local network. -- Kainaw(what?) 17:45, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Right, ill be simple here. i dont know alot about subnets/masks/gateways and all of that stuff to be honest. what i want to do is just go into the network setup dialogues that windows xp already has... where it asks for the name of the pc, its ip address, and then the name of the network. can i set up the names and the ip addresses there as i want them? :)

71.221.45.1 17:54, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

You can, but you will not guarantee any connectivity. For example, if I tell you that your name is Bob and your number is 12, that is fine. Now, I tell someone else that his name is Steve and his number is 10. That is fine. Finally, I ask you what Steve's number is - you don't know. You need some sort of DNS service, or you need to explicitly tell everyone what everyone's name/number combination is. If the absolute only thing you want to do is share files, use Windows file sharing for it. Right-click on "My Computer" and set each computer up with a unique name and the same host network name. Then, when you go to Network Neighborhood, you'll see all the computers and you can share with them without much of a headache. -- Kainaw(what?) 18:09, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Thats exactly what i plan to do! i will use the same "network name" and different computer names, but will changing the third octet instead of the fourth hurt? i guess thats as clear as my question can get. :)

71.221.45.1 18:28, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

As I said, it can cause problems if your netmask is not set up correctly. If you want to avoid problems, ensure you have basic knowledge of IP address, netmask, domain name, and DNS. -- Kainaw(what?) 18:37, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I don't think it will work at all since the default netmask is 192.168.x.0/24 in CIDR notation, so the first 3 bytes of the IP address must match exactly for traffic to go through, which is not true in your case since you are changing the thrid byte. How big is your network? If it's less than 255 computers I suggest you to break down your network into chunks of 32 or 64 or any other powers of 2 that's smaller than 255 and make the third byte remain the same so that in the future when you want to break your network down into smaller subnets you can simply use something like 192.168.0.32/27 for 192.168.0.32-.64 while maintaining connectivity right now as a big subnet if you configure it as 192.168.0.0/24 . --antilivedT | C | G 23:16, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

From RFC 1918:

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the following three blocks of the IP address space for private internets:

    10.0.0.0        -   10.255.255.255  (10/8 prefix)
    172.16.0.0      -   172.31.255.255  (172.16/12 prefix)
    192.168.0.0     -   192.168.255.255 (192.168/16 prefix)

Simply use 255.255.0.0 as your netmask on every computer, if you plan to use the 192.168 prefix. Epylar 02:13, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removing images from hacked Windows installation

Hi. At my place of work, a co-worker recently reformatted our computers and put a fresh installation of Windows XP on them. It was probably a good idea, but this co-worker used some stranged hacked version of XP that is lighter and quicker, and has a Vista look-and-feel to it. It's generally fine, but there are some images that appear during startup that we would really like to get rid of. I've searched the computers high and low to find the image files in question and delete them, but they seem to be well-hidden. (The co-worker who did the installation has conveniently moved across the country, and didn't know how to remove the images when I asked him.)

So, where in the computer's settings can I control the images that appear on the screen while Windows is booting up? Where are those files stored, and how can I change them for more appropriate images? Thanks in advance for any advice. -GTBacchus(talk) 18:31, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

...Are you sure it's XP? Sounds more ilke a fresh install of some linux distro to me. If it is XP, we probably won't help you with hacked/pirated software, sorry. That would be illegal, and we just can't do that --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 18:38, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Whoa. I'm not trying to hack Windows, I'm trying to fix the problem caused by a hacked version. I work in a school, and certain boot-up images are inappropriate, y'know? Can you give me a hint? Do we have to buy new installations of Windows to get rid of two lousy images? -GTBacchus(talk) 18:56, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Yes - you need to install Windows. A "hacked" version of Windows should have never ever made it onto one of your machines in the first place. -- Kainaw(what?) 18:59, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I agree it never should have been installed, but it's done now. I'm trying to do damage control. I guess we'll just need to buy it from Microsoft. -GTBacchus(talk) 20:33, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Basically, yes. We cannot help you with hacked OS. If these had been installed *afterwards*, we could probably help you to remove them, but given that it seems to have come with the install disk, we can't help you, since it's an illegal copy of Windows. You could consider something like Edubuntu, a free OS, instead of Windows, although Linux will not run any proprietary applications (although it can still do things like internet, web browsing, HTML and programming things like python just fine, if your students need them) --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 19:51, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I respect the suggestion of switching to a free OS, but this is an environment where a lot of serious non-computer people have to use the machine regularly, and we aren't trying to add to their stress by making them learn a new OS. Thanks anyway. -GTBacchus(talk) 20:33, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Uh... it takes almost no effort to learn to use *buntu for basic things like you probably are in a school. Little more than it does sitting down at a friend's slightly differently configured windows box, and definitely no more than switching between different versions of linux --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 20:36, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Tell that to the Spanish teacher when she's freaking out because grades are due tomorrow, she's just trying to print something off the internet for a student, and suddenly everything looks different. See how effective "it takes almost no effort to learn to use *buntu for basic things..." is at helping her. -GTBacchus(talk) 20:40, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Uh, I don't really see how having to go buy a new copy of Windows is faster, but at the same time I don't know what "everything" is looking different. It's not like other computer systems randomly move things around just because they can --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 21:16, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Sigh, the OS police are on it again. GT, are the images shown on the boot screen (usually says Windows XP with the little green loading bar) or afterward? -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 21:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
It is NOT a hacked version. Anyone heard of nLite? It may be just a slimmed down version with something like XPize (no article?) or a Vista theme by default. What are the images and as User:Wooty said, when does it appear? That will help us figure out what is it. --antilivedT | C | G 22:49, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for your replies. It might be nLite. We really aren't sure what he did. I can't describe the situation in detail until I'm at work again on Monday, but I can describe the images: they're comic strip-style drawings of ghoulish characters in hats and trenchcoats aiming handguns out of the screen into the viewer's face. There are two of them, and we tend to see one at startup and the other at shutdown.
I can provide more helpful details after the weekend. -GTBacchus(talk) 08:07, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

Ok, one image says "WindowsXP" in some sort of dripping blood lettering, and has a scroll bar showing that Windows is busy starting. This appears after the very first waking up screen that looks like DOS, and seems to replace the "Starting Windows" screen. The second image accompanies the words "Loading your personal settings" near the end of boot-up.

When I go to "My computer" and select "About Windows", it says "Windows Vista XP Ultimate, version 5.1". Does that help? -GTBacchus(talk) 17:11, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

FWIW my PC has a prog called bootskin that replaces the default windows loading screen. Perhaps you have something similar? Bootskin is diplayed in the Add/Remove programs control panel and iirc it is also a startup prog. Not sure that will help you though :( 161.222.160.8 20:52, 9 July 2007 (UTC)
Ok a Google search says that it is very likely from a torrent which means it comes pre-modified and no-one (except for the creator) knows what had been changed. It means that your co-worker is not competent enough to use nLite to make his own custom copy and that your current copy is not genuine. It is also possible that it contains some trojan built into the system and could pose as a security risk. I recommend you to either find the original Windows CD if you have it, or get Linux like Ubuntu or something. --antilivedT | C | G 00:25, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another quicker yet networking question.

Okay, so I also have two routers... one is the main one which recieves the DSL modem into the "WAN/INTERNET" port, and the other is a 4 port router which also has the "WAN/INTERNET" port. my question is, can i take a line from the main router and plug it into the WAN port of the second router? This would leave me with 4 open ports for 4 PCs to plug into....

OR.... do i have to use a regular port, which would allow me 3 open ports for PC's?

71.221.45.1 18:34, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

  • You can daisy chain routers like that, just keep in mind some things might not work properly when trying to traverse two firewalls. Basic stuff like internet, email, chat and connecting to games should work, but anything that tries to use a computer for a server or P2P might have difficulty. -wizzard2k (C-T-D) 21:01, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
Just get a 10/100 or 10/100/1000 switch (depending on whether you're using gigabit ethernet). Switches are much cheaper than routers. Grab one with eight ports. Epylar 04:04, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] .MOV

hello,

ok i have a digital camera that takes videos in .mov format. my question is how do i convert them into a format that is "accepted" by an iPod video (5th gen.) and aswell a format that is accepted by Windows (XP) Movie Maker? please could it be in "for dummies" language

thanks, --62.136.64.253 19:25, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

If I remember correctly, you can open .mov files in Windows Movie Maker. iTunes should accept .mov files. .mov is an Apple file format. Bart133 (t) (c) 21:52, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
.MOV means it's a Quicktime container file, but it doesn't tell you what video and/or audio codecs were used; you can find .MOV files that Apple Quicktime can't make heads or tails of. I think Quicktime will tell you what codecs are contained in a given .MOV file; that information may help you figure out what to do.
Atlant 22:59, 7 July 2007 (UTC)
If you have Quicktime Pro, it has a special export preset for iPods. Any vidoe that QT Player can open can be exported. --72.202.150.92 05:59, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Query on MS Excel

I presently have a 512 MB RAM in my Laptop I want to upgrade it to 1GB Ram. How to go about it?

In MS Excel How do we convert the text file with non-adjacent rows into coloumnar format? 20:00, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

This will depend on your laptop. In general, if you don't know, it's better to take it to a shop and let them handle it instead of messing up your computer. --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 20:24, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Does Blackle really save significant amounts of energy?

The site Blackle.com claims to save energy because it uses a rather dark interface, with a mostly black background instead of white. It says that it takes much less energy to display the screen, so that if large numbers of people use Blackle as a search engine (behind the interface, it's using Google, hence the play on Google's name), the world would save a lot of energy.

I'm kind of skeptical but I don't really know. Pixels displaying black are not off, so energy is still being used to create the black color--but perhaps less? Also, there's a number of posts here and there that say this is only true for CRT monitors, not the LCD kind that are becoming the norm.

Can you give a definitive answer? Thanks for looking into it.Rmcfarlin001 20:26, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

They're either joking, or morons. Ignoring the fact that black on white is probably better on the eyes, you are correct- as long as the monitor is on, it is using power. I highly doubt it's saving any power at all, for the same reason that using less powerful programs doesn't make your CPU use less power. They'd be much better off trying to make a more EFFICIENT interface, so people can spend less time online, or by selling discount LCDs or so on --ʇuǝɯɯoɔɐqǝɟ 20:32, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
A CRT uses slightly less power if it's displaying a black screen than if it's displaying a white screen. An LCD uses exactly the same amount of power either way. In either case, it's too small to worry about. --Carnildo 23:13, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
I thought a LCD would use more power since it need power to block the light, while the back light stays on regardless of what you're displaying. --antilivedT | C | G 10:33, 7 July 2007 (UTC)
Technically, yes, but the amount is really small: in the nanowatt range. It doesn't take much power to make a liquid crystal switch from the default "pass" state to the "block" state. --Carnildo 23:48, 7 July 2007 (UTC)