Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2006 August 17

GPU v. intergrated
If I have a modern video card with, say, 256 mb. of memory on one computer and identical computer but using modern intergrated graphics + huge amount of memory (assuming both computers and GPU use same memory) (pardon my poor explaination) will there be a huge differece in fps on games? also assuming both GPU and intergrated graphics computer have equal pixel shader, etc.
 * It depends on the game, but generally GPU memory is much faster than system memory in terms of how useful it is to move critical information. I would say it would take a very very fast new system running a totally integrated video card to outpace even a modest AGP video card from several years ago.  In re-reading your question you may be asking about quantity vs quality in terms of lots of system ram (say 2GB) to a relatively little GPU ram (say 256MB).  Speed makes all the difference and even in most modern games, 256MB is the most used for 3d gameplay, so you would still be bound to GPU/memory bandwidth which will be much higher on an independent card.


 * I am not aware of a case in which integrated ever matched a GPU. For games you want GPU. — [  Mac Davis ] (talk)


 * If I interpret the question correctly, the better graphics card will almost always outperform integrated graphics. Probably the best integrated graphics chip avaliable is the Geforce 6150, which can take a maximum of 128MB of system memory - so if the system memory is 512MB, the card gets 128MB and the system gets 384MB. Obviously, this is not good for the system, and I'd imagine it's not great for the card seeing as, electronically speaking, the system memory is a long time away from the card.
 * Actually, all this guesswork isn't really necessary. Using Futuremark's ORB service, which collects data from users for an online database of graphics card ratings, a user with an Athlon 64 2500MHz PC, 2GB memory, with a Geforce 6150 gets a score of 770. Another user with an Athlon 64 2500MHz, 1 GB memory with a Geforce 6200 gets 2927 (higher is better). So there you have it. Sum0 15:49, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

thank you

X won't start after Suse update
I updated Suse the day before yesterday and when I tried to boot the next day, X wouldn't start and I got a prompt. The last messages were starting service kdm ... done run level 5 has been reached skipped services in runlevel 5: smbfs welcome to linux and then a prompt. I logged in as root and tried 'xdm', which resulted in a black screen, 3 flickers and then I got the prompt again, no messages. Then I tried 'startx' and that also resulted in a black screen and then a prompt, but there was a whole list of messages, the last of which were Fatal server error: Some required symbols were unresolved XIO: Fatal IO error 104 (connection reset by peer) on Xserver ":0.0" after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining In /var/log/XFree86.0.log I see a bunch of errors concerning MGA (the Matrox G400 graphics card, I presume), including a long list of messages of the following three kinds: (II) MGA(0): Not using default mode "320x175" (bad mode clock/interlace/doublescan) (II) MGA(0): Not using default mode "1280x960" (width too large for virtual size) (II) MGA(0): Not using mode "1600x1200" (no mode of this name) with different values. I've got a wide screen (16x10) (Sony GDM FW900), but haven't yet managed to use the full width. Not sure if that has anything to do with it (see the third one), but if anyone has a solution to that too, that'd be nice. :) Anyway, then there is a whole list of messages of this kind: Required symbol MGA [...something something...] from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/mga_drv.o is unresolved! I also tried starting in failsafe mode, but that had the same results. One difference is the following messages: failed service in runlevel 3: powersaved skipped service in runlevel 3: smbfs splash I hope I have picked the right messages to give you an idea of what is going on. Any ideas? DirkvdM 10:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * I use an NVidia card on one box and an ATI on the other with drivers from the manufacturer. Every time I upgrade the kernel, I have to recompile the drivers.  Did you compile your card's driver when you initially installed Suse?  If so, you may have upgraded the kernel and, therefore, need to recompile the driver again. --Kainaw (talk) 12:52, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Oh dear, I may use Linux, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. :) Does one compile with a command like 'build' (vague recollection)? The reason I want to keep this installation is that I managed to get it sort of the way I like it, about a year ago (so I don't remember how I did all that) and I don't want to have to do all that again. Is there a simple way to explain this or a good source (can't find anything here on Wikipedia). DirkvdM 15:08, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Most video drivers from the manufacturer come with a build script. For example, I go to NVidia and download their driver.  I get one big file and instructions to execute it as "sh install_nvidia.sh".  It then automates the build and linking process, adds it to the modules, and tells me to restart X. --Kainaw (talk) 15:15, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * The MGA driver usually does not come from the manufacturer; it comes with XFree86. The "Not using default mode" messages are normal; the "Not using mode" message is not, and the "Required symbol is unresolved" also are not. I'd guess the "Not using mode" message is because the X server autodetected your monitor is widescreen (1600x1200 is not a widescreen resolution); perhaps you need to change the X server configuration to use a widescreen resolution. --cesarb 15:56, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Well, like I said, I never managed to use widescreen in the first place, but the way you put it that might still be the problem. There are three 'not using mode' messages, for 1600x1200, 1400x1050 and 1280x1024, indeed none of them widescreen. There is a whole bunch of 'required symbol unresolved' messages, but I suppose that is more a consequence than a cause. Oh, and there is also a 'Symbol XAAScreenIndex from module /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/mga_drv.o is unresolved!', three times in a row. there's also a /var/log/XFree86.0.log.old, but that's the same (I assume because I tried several times). Then there is a /var/log/XFree86.99.log (an older log of when things did go right?). There, there is only one 'not using mode', for 1600x1200. Ah, and I see a difference that looks like it suggests what you said, the three lines just before the 'not using default mode' messages:

(II) MGA(0): Monitor[0]: Using hsync range of 30.00-121.00 kHz (II) MGA(0): Monitor[0]: Using vrefresh range of 48.00-160.00 Hz (II) MGA(0): Clock range: 12.00 to 300.00 MHz
 * In /var/log/XFree86.0.log that reads

(II) MGA(0): GDM FW900: Using hsync range of 30.00-121.00 kHz (II) MGA(0): GDM FW900: Using vrefresh range of 48.00-160.00 Hz (II) MGA(0): Clock range: 12.00 to 300.00 MHz
 * So maybe this time he's trying to use right monitor and failing. So in my layman's view there are two options - get him not to try to use the right settings for the monitor (the way it was) or (preferably) get him to use it with different settings, so I can use widescreen. Is that right and how would I do that then? Of course there is also the issue of refresh rate, which I would like to be at least 75 Hz, and I understand that doesn't work with the greater sizes. DirkvdM 18:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Try editing the configuration file, which is probably  or   (make a backup copy first!) and changing the   line on the   subsections on the   section currently being used (the   section should tell you which   section is being used). Change it to a widescreen resolution which is on the X server's builtin list of modelines (if there isn't one, you will need to find a valid modeline for the desired resolution somewhere).
 * Another option is to try to regenerate the config file from scratch. Again, make a backup first, and then use ; that should create a configuration file with some valid modes. Check the differences between the old and the new file, since this could lose some customizations.
 * --cesarb 21:53, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * I tried changing the screen size to 1600x1024 (that's the most used standard one, I believe), but that didn't change anything. Then I tried 'X -configure', but that ended in the message "Duplicate symbol NVDACi2cInit in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/nv_drv.0 also defined in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.0". So I tried something I read elsewhere (at http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?s=d5526e874d7071ec939872c11b1bb6dd&showtopic=2333), booting in runlevel 3 (I chose safe mode) and then running sax2. That gave the message that the card was detected but the server fails to start. Looking at /var/log/SaX.log it seems that it tried using monitor[0], like XFree86.99.log above, except that it used hsync range of 30.00-33.00 kHz and vrefresh range of 43.00-72.00 Hz.
 * Btw, I'll be away for the weekend (an hour or two from now), so I will only be able to test any following tips on Monday. Thanks for the help so far. DirkvdM 08:54, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Change colour of specific link
"when i visit some websites from search engine then the colour of visited websites link in search engine is changed, i want to change the colour of some specific website link back to blue not all How it is possible?"--86.62.237.252 14:46, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Easy - read the response from the last time you asked further up on this page. --Kainaw (talk) 14:53, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * "last time you give work for clearing cache to change colour but i want to change the colour of specific link?how it is possible give other method"--86.62.237.252 15:00, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * You said "when i visit some websites". You cannot change the colors on other people's websites - only your own.  If that is what you are asking, you should ask something like, "I have a web page and I want to change the colors of the links.  How do you do that?" --Kainaw (talk) 15:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Last time he also said "In your web browser's settings, set the color for visited links to blue". The specific means for doing so will differ from IE to Firefox to Konqueror to Opera, so that is as much information as we can supply at this time.  --LarryMac 17:58, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete that entry from the history. Jon513 17:33, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Monospace typespace after particular characters
Greetings to all,

I am using Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2. I would like to know why all characters following and including either the letter ā (a with macron) or Japanese characters (i.e., kanji, hiragana and katakana) are in monospace typeface (i.e., like Courier) in nicknames and messages on MSN Messenger (e.g., "Laud ", or, "If I type some Japanese characters, such as the following, ".) and how this issued may be resolved.

Thank you very much for any help you may be able to provide,

Grumpy Troll (talk) 16:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC).


 * Try switching to gaim, in my experience open source programs are much better at dealing with foreign languages. Jon513 17:31, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

What folder are Temp. internet files found on...
What folder are Temp. internet files found on the Windows XP? How do you get there. Hello32020 17:49, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Try going to Disk Cleanup (under the Start Menu, All Programs, Accessories, then System Tools), and choose to clean up drive C. It will give you a menu with Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, etc. Highlight Temporary Internet Files and click the "View Files" button to see the folder. --Gray Porpoise 19:54, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Another option is go to Control Panel>Internet Options. Under the Temporary Internet Files box, click Settings. This tells you the location of the folder and a button to "View Files." On my machine, its under C:\Documents and Settings\loginid\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\. Or, you could just search for "Temporary Internet Files."--NMajdan &bull;talk 20:03, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

registry remover help........................
Hello.... what is the best registry remover software?????

THank you

Sj


 * I've always found rm to be useful for removing a registry. If you're desperate, you can try mkfs, but that usually wipes out useful files as well. --Serie 22:21, 17 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Lol Serie. On a more serious note, you really don't want to remove your Windows Registry. It contains many settings vital for integral system services to function. If you are asking about registry "cleaning" software, you have many options, but I've had good experience with CCleaner. -- Daverocks (talk) 06:58, 25 August 2006 (UTC)