Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2011 November 12

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November 12

Is there a chatroulette that is NOT 1-on-1?

Imagine being put on an IRC network where you only get to chat with one user at a time. That can get old; you'd rather chat with many at once.

Why isn't there such a thing with video chat - a window shows many chatters, instead of just one other chatter. What's so hard about making a website like that feasible? Thank you kindly, --70.179.178.145 (talk) 06:03, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Well there is a such a thing and it's done regularly - read Videoconferencing, in particular multipoint videoconferencing. However in terms of a free service which is probably what you're implying, video is far higher bandwidth than chat and the technicalities are greater. Even one-to-one video services like Skype run at pretty low bandwidth. --jjron (talk) 14:58, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

White Pine used to have a program call CUSeeMe that was specifically made to have multiple people video chatting through public reflectors. The novelty wore off very quickly and the software died out. According to the article, a few people still play with it. -- kainaw™ 15:17, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Skype usually has major issues, however. Earlier this week it glitched while I was attempting to talk to a broadcast meteorologist from Florida while on an IRC-type chat window and wearing headphones simultaneously while having a broken laptop screen. ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 18:06, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

If you have a broken laptop screen and somehow also killed a picture card I'm guessing in the same laptop, would be wary of blaming Skype when there could easily be something wrong with the computer when it has so many issues. Nil Einne (talk) 18:17, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

That doesn't explain why it only glitches on Skype, and why only the sound is not working, when it works fine on other chatconference programs. Is the picture card located within the laptop screen or the flat heavy thing? ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 22:52, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

There could be a variety of reasons e.g. different level of GPU or CPU usage by the program. Suffice it to say if the laptop has sustained sufficient damage to break the screen it shouldn't be treated as a device working perfectly, particularly not without extensive testing. Nil Einne (talk) 13:51, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Camera picture card must format?

Hi. I have a 512 MB picture card, and recently left it in the side of my laptop where there is a slot to insert the camera card. This was to download images, but unfortunately the picture card was left inside the computer for several days. It now no longer works: in the camera, the only options are to Format or Turn off power source, and in the computer it asks for permission to format the disk. What, if anything, can I do to restore the images that may be still inside? My hypothesis is that the electromagnetic radiation from the computer itself either overheated or distorted the microscopic magnetic or silicon-chip levels of the card. Since I saved many of my image files inside in this camera that I previously used to take pictures for Wikimedia Commons, it would be a shame to have to dispose of the card or to format it, as the pictures might still exist and stand a chance at recovery. Please, are there any options to recover the files? I can specify the make/model of the camera, the text on the card and the type of laptop I use if necessary. Thanks. ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 18:04, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

You might want to try it out in any other card readers you have, as they might be more tolerant of whatever went wrong than the two devices you tried so far. However, if there's a virus on it, you would risk spreading it. StuRat (talk) 18:23, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Is it possible to use Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to scan the card? ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 22:50, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

I keep an SD card in my laptop and it has been there for years without damage. I think a physical cause or a fault in the controller circuitry of the card is more likely than "electromagnetic radiation". Recovery software such as Convar's PC Inspector Smart Recovery probably won't work if your laptop is not recognising the device, but this type of software can often recover files even after a (quick) format. Do try other card readers first, and check for viruses (as suggested above) if possible before taking the irreversible step of formatting (which usually overwrites the file table pointing to the data, but not always the actual data itself). Dbfirs 08:48, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

(later, after checking) Warning Convar's software will make a good attempt to recover pictures from your card after deletion and after quick format, but will not be able to recover anything after a full format, and your computer will probably be trying to do a full format. Your camera might just do a quick format, but don't rely on this. Have you tried "check disk" on your card? Dbfirs 09:16, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

The usual recommendation would be don't write to the card at all until and unless you've recovered all the data you want. In fact, particularly if the device may be dying, it's best to just read all sectors and try to recover from there removing the card and storing it in a safe location. However I'm not sure how well this works on flash media. I do agree the EM radiation thing doesn't sound very plausible and under normal circumstances leaving the card in shouldn't cause significant damage over such a short time frame. Nil Einne (talk) 13:55, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Odd behavior in electronic device

I have a digital-to-analog TV converter box which behaves oddly when it's on, and is then unplugged and plugged back in. It acts as if it's not getting any power (the indicator light is out). Unplugging it and plugging it back in again fixes this issue. It's not really a problem, now that I know the workaround, but I'm curious as to what causes this. Would this be some type of circuit protection mechanism ? Perhaps they think a power loss when on might mean an electrical storm and could be followed by a power spike, so cut power to the unit to protect it ? If so, this feature is a bit surprising, since it's a rather cheap unit (Zenith DTT901). Note that the device really doesn't have an "OFF" setting, only "ON" (blue indicator light) and "STANDBY" (red indicator light), much like quick start CRT TVs. StuRat (talk) 18:21, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Modern digital devices often use a power management unit - in other words, a software controller for the power supply. I've got a few gadgets with what I can only surmise is "buggy software." The result can be arbitrarily complex behaviors related to the simple tasks of powering on and off the device. Nimur (talk) 19:02, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

Relax! This is a just special feature built into many devices to justify the existence of IT support.[1],(think microsoft holds the patient on this).--Aspro (talk) 20:05, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

If you plug it in and out in rapid succession, would this electromagnetize the device? ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 22:46, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

It's probably powered with a switch-mode power supply so there will be very little magnetic field. Dbfirs 12:49, 13 November 2011 (UTC)