Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2006 December 5

= December 5 =

Any European users here?
Could you please nslookup en.wikipedia.org, and see what the new IP address of the domain? Yao Ziyuan 02:24, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * 66.230.200.100 (rr.pmtpa.wikimedia.org). –m y s i d ☎ 05:10, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * 145.97.39.155 (rr.knams.wikimedia.org) —Bromskloss 13:13, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Same as above - my nameserver is 62.31.64.39:53 (ns1-edi.blueyonder.net) Davidprior 13:20, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * What's the difference between "nslookup" and "host", btw? —Bromskloss 13:21, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I think  is the preferred command on *nix platforms.  As far as I know, for Windows, nslookup is the only way to get the same functionality. - (Nuggetboy) (talk) (contribs) 17:37, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * OK. I seem to remember that nslookup (on *NIX) started recommending me to use host instead. This was a year ago or so, but it's not doing it anymore. Huh? —Bromskloss 11:02, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Render video faster
After I edit a video it takes a really long time for it to render and do stuff. Is there a certain piece of hardware i need to edit video that will speed the render time? I have a moderately fast computer with a fairly good graphics card (ATI's 9800pro). I have used sony vegas and adobe premiere. I am trying to edit video from my hi-8 camcorder which has dv out. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.136.121.150 (talk • contribs).


 * Video render is like encoding, about the only thing that speeds it up is faster processing, don't bother too much about memory or disk, or even video card doesn't make much diff. Unfortunately, processor (read $$$) is king. So much so that Video Render is frequently used as a processor benchmark. As far as I know, there aren't any special 'encoding cards' that you can buy as an add on. Vespine 03:48, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Vespine is pretty much on the money here - rendering video is much the same as encoding an MP3 - not much strain on disk I/O or the 2D rendering system of the video card. Processor speed and optimisations are king, with memory bandwidth pretty high up as well. Adding a second processor (or switching to dual-core) can really help things out these days, as the power of a CPU hasn't really increased that much in the last two or three years. There always have been special 'encoding cards' available, particularly for MPEG-2, but they've always cost an arm and a leg to purchase. AMD offers something called a "Stream Processor" which is basically an ATI X1800-series card rewired for more general computations. I'd assume it costs only slightly more than a high-end X1800 graphics card, and takes up a PCI Express x16 slot. You'd have to write your own software to optimise video rendering for the stream processor, of course. Best of luck! dreddnott 07:04, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Well! [Special encoding cards] indeed. You learn something new every day:) Thanks for that. Vespine 02:58, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

Networking 2 Wireless Routers?
I know it's possible to connect one router to another via a network cable, and then have a computer connect to the internet through that second router (using a cable or wirelessly).

So, is it possible to have one wireless router connect to another wireless router through the wireless network, and then have another computer connect to the internet through 2nd router using a network cable? I'm in a situation where I'm going to have two computers in two rooms, and I happen to have 2 routers (a wireless G and a wireless B, both Linksys), but no wireless cards on these two PCs. So, can I save myself the cost of buying a wireless card for one of these PCs buy using the routers to connect them to eachother, or am I stuck? The Jade Knight 08:10, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * You have to be able to configure one router essentially as a repeater, commonly called wireless bridge mode. If and how depends on your specific router, but I think it's a fairly common feature these days. Vespine 22:55, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Where would I find this information for a Linksys Wireless-B router (BEFW11S4), would you happen to know? 128.187.0.165 03:37, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

install windows 98
11:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)220.247.229.167I have windows 98 in drive c: and xp(service pack 1) in drive d: (windows 98 to use mediaforte PV-951 TV card. XP does not support the tv card. Hence I need windows98). Now I could not run 98. When I boot 98, it says “Error starting program The shell32.DLL file cannot start. Check the file to determine the problem.” Another dialogue box says “Explorer This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Explorer caused an exception 6d007eH in module EXPLORER>EXE at 0167:0040a067”  How can I solve this problem?

I tried to format drive c: to reinstall win 98. but I could not. It says “windows was unable to complete the format.” Why I could not format drive c? is it due some common files shared by 98 and XP? Can I format drive c after manually delete all the files in drive c:? I could not find update drivers for mediaforte PV-951 TV card in the web. Can you help? Can I reinstall 98 while Xp is already installed in drive d? What are precautions I have to take before formatting (FAT32)? Sorry for the troubles. Thank you very much for your help.


 * My first hit with google finds an XP driver here: Sandman30s 12:22, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The ole32.dll file in c:\windows\system in Win98SE is either corrupt, the wrong version or is missing. See the Microsoft KB312488 article for what to do. This DLL file sometimes gets changed when installing new software, and the newly installed version is the wrong version for Win98SE. The version # you should have is 4.71.2900 and is the original DLL file from the Win98SE installation disk. If you have another version then it is for another Windows OS, like XP or 2000. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.217.54.73 (talk) 01:30, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

propagation delay
hi, please hepl me out. a token ring has 81 stations.each link between stations is 20m long. each station introduces a delay of 1 bit time. if a station is transmitting at 16mb.what is the longest message that could be transmitted.speed of electricity in the wire is 2*10^10cm/sec


 * Homework or exam question. I don't think you're going to find an answer here. Token ring is painfully obsolete even at 100mbps, let alone 16/4mpbs. dreddnott 06:55, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

why larry page and sergey brin wont leave google?
I heard that both larry page and sergey brin have only 10-12% stake each in their company. If they are really brilliant, why cant they put google aside and start new ventures in which they could hold 100% or 50% each. It is possible. Why is that they dont do that? Please give your opinion.
 * 1) ) Is it because US stock market laws dont allow them or
 * 2) ) Is it because it is immoral and unethical or
 * 3) ) Is it because it would not be possible for them to create another success story or
 * 4) ) Is it because of some other reason?


 * Let me help with your formatting... And to answer your speculation I really don't see a hindrance to them starting a new venture (SEC or otherwise), even using their Google-generated fortune. The misconception about 'shooting star' successes (which they are no doubt) is that it takes not only smarts but a huge amount of luck, since there are many equally smart people out there.  They have a very good thing going with Google, and they are choosing to stick with it and expand it to the farthest possible extents.  For example, see Google Check Out (paypal competitor), Google Mail (yahoo/hotmail/etc competitor), the upcoming Google office products, and the rumored Google operating system.  With all this going on under one roof, why would Sergei and Larry have to look anywhere else for a challenge?  --Jmeden2000 14:32, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree about the luck thing – it's not like they could easily do it again. As for money, I imagine they could already move into the most exclusive home, drive the most sporty sports car (I admit, I'm Swedish), go on a space trip and otherwise travel all over. And perhaps they like it at Google – it seems as a, perhaps stressful, but still very cool place. —Bromskloss 23:17, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * 10-12% of a multibillion dollar company isn't trivial --⁪froth T C  18:22, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Indeed, according to Forbes, Larry and Sergey are worth $12.8B and $12.9B USD respectively. To put this into perspective, either one of them could match the GDP of 26 of the world's poorest countries for one year. --66.195.232.121 16:30, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Why should they? --Optichan 20:56, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * They already have an established brand with Google - any new ventures they have can be put under the Google banner in order to increase brand-loyalty sales, exposure, etc. Some people have created different brands for their new products/services, but that has usually been when their other brands have been inappropriate. 'Google' tells you pretty much nothing about the company, so it is quite good for any sort of product/service. A brand like 'Bob's Toilet Mousse' would be inappropriate for, say, a transport company. RevenDS 21:01, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Would you ever use a free cellphone?
Recently, Google's CEO said that cell phones must be free. Will you use a phone if it is free and watch advertisements? Will you get the phone for free and pay for access?
 * Is this a survey or a factual question? (are you asking "will you" or "would you")? If it's a survey, it all depends. If I had to watch a 30 second advert before I was able to make a call..hahaha, no. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 16:56, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * "Will you get the phone for free and pay for access?" That happens right now, in fact I'd think it's the most common way to get a phone these days. In Australia we call it going on a 'plan'. You get a phone for free and sign into a contract for a year or two. Vespine 22:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Or, in Canada, three.  Neon    Merlin   02:54, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

yeh, i think he means that you wont have to pay for anything. what your talking about is a contract i think. where you get the phone for free then pay a monthly/ yearly bill

Outgoing Email Issue
I am using a program (ACT 2006) that attempts to send email through Outlook. I have the program on two different computers, and have the same issue on both. Somehow, I am able to recieve mail, but when I try to send it, I get the following message (I have verizon DSL):

A TCP/IP error occurred while trying to connect to the server. Account: 'incoming.verizon.net', Server: 'outgoing.verizon.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC15

I am assuming because of the TCP/IP it has something to do with the router? Please help! Thanks, 151.204.29.198 15:50, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The first question, does Outlook actually work properly when you manually use it? If not, you need to find out from your ISP how to properly configure it. Note that any decent program should use your default e-mail client, whatever that is Nil Einne 17:43, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I believe Outlook requires you to enter the "POP3" server address, to configure it. You need to get that info from your ISP (Verizon). StuRat 17:52, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I have entered both incoming POP3 server address, and the outgoing SMTP address, ('incoming.verizon.net','outgoing.verizon.net') but still get this message:

Your SMTP server has not responded in 60 seconds. Would you like to wait another 60 seconds for the server to respond? Account: incoming.verizon.net Server: outgoing.verizon.net

Help?


 * That is an "Unable to open Windows Socket" error. 1. I had the same error once, and had to remove and re-install TCP/IP to get it working again. 2. Your smtp server name is correct. 3. I see you are attempting an SSL connection. Verizon does not say anything about requiring SSL - you can try changing this to "not required" (or whatever)? - Seejyb 19:25, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

I tried turning the SSL off, and then got this message: "Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. Account: 'incoming.verizon.net', Server: 'outgoing.verizon.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10053, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F" - What should I do with this information? What would you advise to do next, reset the TCP IP? how do I exactly do that?
 * Did you reboot? (I do not know if that would be necessary in XP, but it is an old habit:)) To remove and reinstall TCP/IP: Start > Settings > Control panel > Network Connections > click on the connection you use > "General" tab > Click "Properties" button > Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then "Uninstall". Then re-install. NB you will need a CD or HD directory to reinstall from. -- Seejyb 01:41, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I should also note, however, that the internet works perfectly, and I am able to recieve mail...its just this outgoing mail problem! For the TCP IP, I do not have a CD...so what should I do? From all the errors I have already listed, does anyone have any other advice?
 * Tough one. Microsoft does give advice on troubleshooting the error in Outlook at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813514 -- Seejyb 05:13, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Custom Webpage
I know this is slightly stupid, but I have a website as an extension of my school's website, aka www.university.edu/mypage. My question is, how do I edit/access this page??? Thanks!
 * Often, schools will have a publicHTML folder in the network drive (i.e: not the hard drive) if you access a school computer. You can then upload your html files to it. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 16:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * You are right, I do have my own public file link. As of now, I have only used it to save some personal documents on, in case I need to access them from any other "computer cluster" pc. So you are saying, all I do is save a file with the html for my site to this page? I feel like that would just make it come up as another saved document on the page...


 * Ive been out of web design for a few years, but i don't think things have changed that much, if you don't have an index page, web browsers will always display a file listing. If you create a web page, name it "index.html" and place it in the root, pulling up www.university.edu/mypage/ in a browser should pull up that web page.  If you want to keep the file listing, you would have to name the .html file something else, and specify it in the URL, www.university.edu/mypage/aboutme.html for example, unless of course you're not going to be using using plain ol' HTML, in which case, I have no clue. Cyraan 19:24, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * The question is where is his ht root? My university has a network drive on H:\ and my web root is H:\docs\html. It depends on where apache (or whatever web server) is looking. Ask your network administrator. --⁪froth T C  20:24, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

MP3 and MPEG
My computer has suddenly started playing .mp3 and .mpg files in the internet browser (IE6). How can I set it to open Windows Media to do this?


 * Open Media Player (Start->Run->"wmplayer"), Tools menu, Options..., File Types, then check mpeg and mp3. - (Nuggetboy) (talk) (contribs) 17:34, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * You haven't actually provided any information about your setup but it's obvious that your using some version of Windows, probably Windows XP. There are three ways to do this. The first, right click on a mp3 and mpg file, and select open with. You should get a list of programs to open it with. Choose Windows Media Player (if it's there) if not, browse for it. Make sure you select "always open with this program" and click okay. The second, open Windows Media Player. You should be able to find a file associations somewhere in the options. The third, in the control panel look for file types or file associations panel and you should find MP3 and MPG there and be able to choose which one. Options two and three aren't explained very well but a Google for 'file associations control panel Windows XP' should find what you need for 3 and a appropriate Google for 2... Nil Einne 17:40, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

The origins of the Ruggedized PDA
does anyone here know who developed the Ruggedized PDA? Thanks :)
 * Al Gore. He also invented the Internet.  (that's a joke, here's the oldest patent I could find: ). Droud 15:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Synchronizing two computers
I have two computers in my house, hooked up wirelessly to a Linksys router (to DSL). I have an external HD if I need to use it. How would I make it so both computers share all information?

In that I mean if I edit one document on Computer 1, it is wirelessly transmitted to the other computer, and if I open the same document on Computer 2, I see the change. (You get what I mean I'm sure, basically combining two comps)

Can someone guide me/direct me to a site on how to do this synchronization of hard-drives? Thanks! 151.204.29.198 18:35, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The most direct thing to do is establish a distributed file system so that there is only one copy of the file to begin with. The details of how to do this depend on the operating systems for the computers; Windows allows you to "share" drives or directories (see SMB), whereas on Unix one has the standard NFS.  It's possible to combine these two technologies with Samba.  If you want what you said more literally, you probably want to look at file shadowing software; Emacs supports this (via shadowfile.el), but I don't know immediately of other software for it (and the link is obviously red).  Does that help?  --Tardis 19:30, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * rsync, if you want what you literally said and not just file sharing (SMB, NFS). TERdON 19:57, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
 * rsync is great, but it's unidirectional: it creates a mirror of the source machine on the target. But if someone changes the copy on the target machine, that change will be lost next time there's an rsync. An alternative is a bidirectional synchroniser like Unison (file synchronizer), which will (try to) resolve changes done on both ends - but this can fail (wikipedia editors are all too familiar with edit conflicts).  Resolving these is a manual problem (which means you can't invisibly do the sync in the background), is often rather laborious, and is largely impossible for binary files like Word or Excel docs. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 20:29, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Wow thanks for the ideas. You're right, I should have throw some specs out, and explained better. Both Computers have windows, and one is upstairs, right below the other. I guess I don't have a problem with both computers using one hard drive (well, box, or whatever); can I do this? I'm not looking for "file-sharing" in the giving to the public kind of way; I just want to have two computers that operate exactly the same. Pretty much, I want to have the same computer upstairs and downstairs, but in a desktop kind of way. What's the best and simplest way to do this other than every time copying the recently edited files to a usb or emailing them?


 * If you are running Windows XP Professional, and you are serious about sharing ALL information, you should be able to turn on Remote Desktop in the Remote tab, which can be found by clicking on System under Control Panel (classic view). I would enable Remote Desktop logins on one computer only, and designate it as a 'master' and the other as a 'slave', since the PC that logs in to the other one with the Remote Desktop Client becomes merely a dumb terminal at that point, allowing the "soul" of the other computer to possess it temporarily. It's really quite handy. Keep in mind that with Windows XP Professional you cannot have more than one user logged in, and a remote login will use the desktop of the currently-logged-in user if there is one. If you're running Windows 2000 Professional, XP Home, or another older or less capable version of Microsoft Windows and don't have proper access to remote desktop capabilities you can always download VNC (I prefer RealVNC). For a somewhat simpler solution, keep the external hard disk drive plugged into one PC, right-click on its icon in My Computer, click on Sharing & Security in the context menu, and create a new share by clicking the button that says "New Share". I'm pretty sure that this will look different if you have Simple File Sharing enabled, you can change this by clicking Tools in the menu when you open My Computer, going to Folder Options... and then clicking on the View Tab. It's a checkbox in the list, deselect it. Once the root share of the USB HDD is set up, change the target of My Documents to a subfolder on the USB HDD. This can be accomplished by right-clicking on the My Documents icon on your desktop and clicking properties. The properties window should show a special dialog that allows you to change where Windows considers My Documents to be. Click "Move..." and change it to a subfolder on your USB HDD (make a new folder if you have to). Then, at the other PC, that does not have the USB HDD connected to it, map a network drive letter to the USB HDD on your other PC, and change the My Documents target on it as well. This will in effect "synchronise" all of your documents, but installed programs and user profiles will still be entirely separate. dreddnott 06:52, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

multiple screens.
hi

i am running on windows xp. i've tried going onto display properties and then settings to try and get my second monitor to work. i dont think the computer is recognising the monitor. i've checked and the monitor definitely does work. if i click to enable the second monitor it shows up as enabled, then if i apply and ok it; when i come back on settings it has disabled itself. also when i enable it and then i also make it so the 2nd screen is primary. then the first screen goes black and after a while the first screen comes on again as primary. here are a few links of the plug:

thanks --86.141.226.147 23:10, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The HTML didn't work out very nicely so I fixed it for you. —Bromskloss 23:20, 5 December 2006 (UTC)


 * In the first picture, I can see a DVI plug. For dual-monitor, that is plug you should be using.  It is very common for dual-monitor cards to have a DVI splitter to two VGA connectors - one for each monitor.  The plug you are using is the on-board video (judging from the case, probably an Intel chip - not dual-monitor capable).  If you bought it with the card installed, look for a Y cable that plugs into the DVI (the big white plug) and has two monitor plugs on it.  If you bought the card, it should have come with the Y cable if it is capable of dual monitor.  Also, because I cannot see the whole card in the picture, it is possible that it has two DVI plugs (as mine does).  You need DVI-to-VGA converters for them to plug ordinary monitors into them.  As for what you are seeing- the computer knows the card is plugged in, but when you try to use it the computer realizes that you are plugged into the on-board video. --Kainaw (talk) 01:02, 6 December 2006 (UTC)