Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 June 25

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June 25

javascript

how do u simply turn on javascript. we updated flashplayer buti neeed it on to play videos on utube (u know the spelling).Jwking (talk) 00:22, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Depends on your browser. What browser are you using? --98.217.8.46 (talk) 02:12, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

In Internet Explorer, you can control Javascript with Tools -> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level -> Scripting, followed by choosing Enable or Disable as necessary. In Firefox (without a script-blocking plugin like NoScript), you can use Tools -> Options -> Content -> Enable JavaScript. PS: How much time does it save you to type "you" as "u", then correct yourself so that we know what you are saying? ;) « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 18:16, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

my cpu

what are the key differentiators of DDR,DDR2,and DDR3RAM? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.22.156.247 (talk) 01:21, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Read the articled DDR SDRAM, DDR2 and DDR3! Basically the 2 & 3 have a higher data rate but also higher latency. Exxolon (talk) 01:51, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

A visual differentiation is how they look—how small and how many leads there are, and where the notch is. Mac Davis (talk) 17:11, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Also, what you're talking about is not a CPU, you probably mean the box. The proper term for that is actually "box" or "machine." The CPU is a very small part of the entire machine, and so is the RAM. Mac Davis (talk) 17:15, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Video Encryption

I downloaded a Movie using a torrent, after the download was over the video cannot be played as it is encrypted.what should i do to play the movie. It ask me to register for some stupid stuff which i dont want to do. I also downloaded Indeo video codec and Installed it. but dont no how to make it function. help would b gr8! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.252.224.25 (talk) 04:37, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

It's probably a scam. Was it a WMV movie? What version of Windows Media Player do you have? I hope that you have a newer version because some people have been infected by downloading ActiveX controls in older versions of the player. They were directed to a malicious web page to register to see a movie. Beating WMV encryption is very difficult. It involves setting up a virtual machine in VMWare and installing an old version of Windows Media Player.--Hello. I'm new here, but I'm sure I can help out. (talk) 05:38, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

No its not a .WMV file, its a .avi, basically its been blocked by the torrent site and would oni let out the software for viewing it only after i register as i said, i think it needs some encryption for buffering showing me the movie, what can i possibly do?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.252.224.25 (talk) 08:49, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

It should be obvious to you that I can't help you without more information, like a link to the movie. I can't tell the encryption scheme without seeing it. It may not even be encrypted. Is the file title green? Encrypted files are often colored green inside Windows. Encryped movies also often give you a green screen when you try to play them. I also need to know what player you're using to open the file. In case you're using Windows Media Player, VLC is really good at playing AVIs. If it's a codec issue, you'd download a codec pack. You also mentioned buffering, even though you said that you downloaded the whole movie. That doesn't make any sense. File:Icon rolleyes.gif--Hello. I'm new here, but I'm sure I can help out. (talk) 09:18, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

"Send us your credit card number and you'll get a super secret codec to view this video" is as probable to be a scam as "send us $1000 and we'll send you $1000000 in Nigerian gold" is. 88.112.43.206 (talk) 09:34, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Exactly. The codec installer (or movie decrypter) probably has a virus, too. It may not even be a movie.--Hello. I'm new here, but I'm sure I can help out. (talk) 10:07, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Forget about it, good torrents and good torrent sites don't have encrypted files. My suggestion is to use better sources. Mac Davis (talk) 17:17, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

The other possibility is that 123.252.224.25 said "encryption" without knowing what it actually means, because it sounded cool, and the real problem is simply the improper installation of the Indeo codec (not exactly a popular codec these days). --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 20:17, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Actually it probably was encrypted. Many torrent sites put up their torrents rar'ed or zip'ed encrypted, requiring a password. It then tells you "Go to our site, register for the forums, and you'll be given the passphrase". It's an insidious form of advertising. I recommend limiting yourself to scene-torrents that don't require you to sign up for a private tracker. 217.213.160.231 (talk) 00:53, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

cache

How much is a good size to set from the cache in Firefox? Will a large size like 500mb mean I'll download less in the long run and save on bandwidth, or does it get to a point where you can save no more speed on the connection even if I had a 100GB cache? What is good? Curbey (talk) 09:09, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Personally I keep my cache under 30mb because after a while it causes my system to slow down. I guess that means i'm using my broandband connection more but it seems to make my internet-explorer work more smoothly. People often 'clear the cache' when they have computer slow-down so I suspect past a certain size that there becomes too-much cache and it causes performance issues, rather than improves performance. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:13, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Some more information is available here ( http://pastebin.com/f47dd8dc9 ). I will try to come back to give you a summary, if time permits. Kushal (talk) 01:10, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Emigrate from Windows to Linux

Presently I work on Windows XP, but it is time to buy a new laptop. I thought it would be the perfect occasion to jump into Linux, since I have heard terrible things about Windows Vista. The only problem is that I have an essential tool that only runs on Windows (namely Solidworks). How good would this and other similar tools work over a Windows virtual machine in Linux line Wine? GoingOnTracks (talk) 10:37, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I'd recommend running some Google searches for terms like Solidworks +Wine and/or Solidworks +Linux to see what others have figured out. It will be a bit of a pain but if you really want to switch to Linux then you need to do your research first. Also, you may want to look into dual-booting, especially if you cannot find a way to run Solidworks in Linux nor a good replacement.--droptone (talk) 13:15, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

According to the Wine App Database, only the 2007 version of SolidWorks runs under Wine, and even then it doesn't work very well. As Droptone says, you might want to look in a dual-boot configuration. Wubi might be a good option if you don't want to do a traditional Linux install: it installs Ubuntu Linux within Windows. Xenon54 13:33, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

If you're getting a fast machine, running VMware in Linux can be an excellent option. --Sean 14:17, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

yeah, I also recommend VMware Workstation, since it is a new laptop, it should work well. I think it should be better than wine because this way the program runs on a "real" windows installation... the "only" problem with Virtual Machines this days is that 3D software may not run very well... SF007 (talk) 17:58, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I would add in another vote against running solidworks on wine. I was able to get 2007 to run for a little while, but experienced very slow responce, and a few features that would not work.

Qualified type allocation

In the Eclipse formatter, it shows, in one of the examples, syntax that I've never seen before:

class Example {
  SomeClass foo() {
    return SomeOtherClass.new SomeClass( 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 );
  }
}

What does this mean? All my inner class allocations usually follow the syntax "new OuterClass.InnerClass()", I've only ever seen anything like this before in C++. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Silvaran (talk • contribs) 16:33, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I believe it's simply an error. --Sean 17:14, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

It is called a "qualified class instance creation expression". See The Java Language Specification, section 15.9: Class Instance Creation Expressions and http://javaspec.org/wiki/Qualifying_the_new_and_this_Keywords . If there is an error it is that the part before ".new" should evaluate to an object instance, not a type name. --Prestidigitator (talk) 18:06, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Indeed. This is only valid code if "SomeOtherClass" is actually a variable or field, which obviously violates naming conventions and common sense. « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 18:32, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Very cool... thanks everyone!--Silvaran (talk) 12:46, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

NetworkPXE Booting - Norton Ghost 8.0

Hello,

I am looking for a network boot solution that would allow me to image multiple machines without the use of a floppy disk, USB key, or CD. Could you explain how to set up a PXE boot server in Windows XP, and configure it to send out a Norton Ghost 8.0 boot image?

216.180.161.58 (talk) 17:05, 25 June 2008 (UTC) Michael Sheeran Technology Assistant Village of Libertyville Libertyville, IL

Search and Replace Hyperlinks in Microsoft Publisher

In a Micosoft Office Publisher 2007 document, I have a bunch of hyperlinks that link to URL's. The domain has changed and I would like to do a search/replace to switch to the new domain. Problem: Publisher appears not to search hyperlinks. Is anyone aware of a workaround? Wikiant (talk) 17:24, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

An Extreme D'oh Moment

Wow, to think that this particular problem wasn't caused by Vista. At least, hopefully not. I was just innocently watching some miscellaneous thing on YouTube when the little tray icon for Norton AntiVirus flashed an ominous red "x." Opening up the program, it seemed that antivirus protection had somehow been turned off. Upon clicking the "Fix Now" button, the program claimed that the only way to resolve the problem would be to uninstall Norton, then reinstall it. The stuff on the other side of the "More Info" link mostly reassured me, reminding me that I needed the product key that was sent through the confirmation e-mail. With a shrug, I agreed to uninstall the program. Now, here I am, completely clueless as to how I should get Norton AntiVirus back on my computer, short of buying the program again. I can't help but feel that I really wasn't supposed to uninstall the program...anyone have a clue as to what just happened?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 22:04, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I suggest downloading AVG you can get it here. Else you would be paying an outrageous price for a new copy of Norton and this is just as good. Better suggestion is go to Linux. Rgoodermote  22:06, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I'll keep that in mind, but right now I'm just seeking to costlessly reinstall Norton; I still have over 200 days left on my license.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 01:50, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

I no longer run AVG, nor recommend it to friends. Besides the price, my major reason for choosing it was the fact that it ran quietly in the background, as opposed to Norton, which was a system hog. The last major release of AVG was a huge disappointment in that vein; it regularly took up 30-50% of system resources. Uninstalling it was like getting a new computer. I use and recommend Avast!. Matt Deres (talk) 13:49, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Call their customer service centre for your country (you can find their number from the Norton website). When I called them about problems I has having downloading an already paid-for upgrade, they were quite reasonable. Astronaut (talk) 05:35, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Open Source Audio Recorder

I'm not talking about Audacity or anyything like that... I need something that records the sounds coming from your computer. As in the exact same audio that comes out is recorded. Does anyone know of a software like this?

PS. I would prefer that it has the ability to use a lossless codec, such as AIFF. PwnerELITE (talk) 23:01, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Listen to your inner self. You are talking about audacity if you have a compatible audio card so that you can select stereo mix or mono mix from the input source in the input dropdown menu. I mean, seriously, what's wrong with Audacity? Is there a specific reason you do not want to use it? You might find a fork, if you let us know exactly why you do not want to use Audacity (for example, if you are on a first generation macbook, stereo mix and mono mix are not available in the drop down menu in the default installation). Please don't take my remarks personally. I just want to help. However, I think (for most people), Audacity fits the bill well enough. Kushal (talk) 23:49, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I think he didn't know you could do that. I certainly didn't. Thanks! (I was about to suggest running a cable from the output to the input when I was edit conflicted). « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 00:01, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Yorokonde! Kushal (talk) 03:44, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

JOGL tutorials

I am trying to learn how to use JOGL by Googling for tutorials and sample code, but most of the code I have found (other than the sample in the JOGL article) fails to compile! So, 1) when and why did they break so much of the API, and 2) where can I find a tutorial with sample code that works? « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 23:02, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

music and programs

Are there any programs where you can change the shape of a wave, and then it will execute a sound? Since sounds are waves, and the difference between different sounds are amplitude, timbre, frequency and duration, then shouldn't it be possible where one could take a wave, (in this program), and even create a square wave? Couldn't you magnify into the wave and then adjust ever so slight the shape of the wave creating different timbres? Could you list these programs and list their pros and cons? Thank you!68.148.164.166 (talk) 23:41, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I had a program just like that on my Commodore 64. I don't see there isn't one available for modern computers. However, I don't know of any since I don't do music stuff. -- kainaw™ 23:43, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

There was also a good one for the Macintosh called SoundEdit. According to that article Macromedia may have sold it up until a few years ago, so maybe you can even find an old copy for a modern OS. Ah, the simple old programs that made life interesting. :-) --Prestidigitator (talk) 03:53, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

You might enjoy our article about arbitrary waveform generators. Commercial AWG/AFGs usually come with exactly the sort of software you're describing (although, because you're buying hardware too, the entry price will be steep). I'm sure programs exist that drive PC/Mac sound hardware as well.

Atlant (talk) 14:26, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

Logic Pro (or express) has all the things you're looking for: Dynamic range compression, limiters, gates, equalization. These are some of the things people use to modify waveforms. Here's a helpful video[1] describing what these things are. Mac Davis (talk) 02:02, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

You can do this in a number of programs. Most of the expensive audio editing programs can do it (Logic, ProTools, Digital Performer, etc). On the cheaper and free end, it looks like FlexiMusic Wave Editor can do it, and even the usual answer, Audacity, although I haven't tried with either of these. Pfly (talk) 02:46, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Audacity also handles VST, and AU, plug-ins[2], for more capability. Mac Davis (talk) 18:15, 27 June 2008 (UTC)