Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 April 11

= April 11 =

Inkscape
I need to know how to make good pictures in Inkscape. I'm doing a Stan Marsh picture, but it's coming out horrible. FictionH 00:07, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Go to art class and learn about highlights and shadows and things like that? Use the new blur filter so that your highlights and shadows are sufficiently blurred? But the best of all is to be a little more specific, how is it horrible?? --antilivedT 00:13, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * South Park characters are, as the creators admit, "poorly drawn", so you wouldn't want them to look very good, or they wouldn't look like South Park characters any more. StuRat 03:29, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Have you taken a look at the tutorials (under the Help menu). Other than that, I guess it's just practice. --h2g2bob 18:08, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Ad free services from Google
A number of Google services, such as Google Page Creator and Blogger do not carry adverts but are free to use. What is the commercial motivation behind the provision of services such as these? TomPhil 00:18, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't know in this case, but companies will sometimes offer free products in an attempt to build market share. Then, once they are dominant in the market, they can start charging (or advertising) on future releases. StuRat 03:26, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Possibly for testing purposes, or to gauge interest or as loss leader. Glover 05:00, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * If you're interested in it, take a look at this Slashdot article. The first comment sums it up - "This goes right along with the saying that "Any news is good news". As long has the Google name keeps getting spread around and people keep talking about the new things they are doing, this will drive viewers it its different pages and products.". Note that these are only opinions and not hard fact. Josh Holloway  10:28, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

What links to this
Pretty certainly a completely useless question, but I am puzzled. For no reason, I clicked the link in New England boiled dinner that gave pages that linked to it. Now, for no reasonable reason, I went to some of those pages and tried to find the link to New Wngland boiled dinner. Specifically, Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Food and drink articles by quality, Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Food and drink articles by quality log, and Eggs Benedict. I guess the only one I was interested in, other than 'what is this' was the eggs Benedict. But on all of those pages I could find no link to New England boiled dinner. Is it there, hidden is some way, or what does all this mean? --Dumarest 00:51, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * On the "What links here" page for New England boiled dinner (Special:Whatlinkshere/New England boiled dinner), the pages Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Food and drink articles by quality and so on are redirected from Corned beef and cabbage. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 02:20, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Unknown


 * But that leaves Eggs Benedict a mystery. --Dumarest 11:45, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Under Eggs Benedict, there is a link to corned beef and cabbage. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 19:37, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Windows task scheduler versus Unix Anacron
Hi, I would like to know how I can schedule tasks to run on MS Windows XP/Vista (preferably using the windows task scheduler or windows configuration, but if not possible then a 3rd party application, preferably freeware/opensource), so that if the scheduled time passes and the PC is powered down, it will run at the next available opportunity, in a similar way to Anacron. I need to assume the PC cannot wake itself up using ACPI or APM.

Thank you in advance.

Glover 03:22, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * So why not run Anacron on XP or Vista? Install Cygwin and run Anacron.  Actually it might be slightly more difficult.  You'll have to set both(?) to run when you login.  Maybe even when the system boots.  —EncMstr 00:18, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't have Vista, but are your sure you don't have Schedule Tasks icon in your control panel? Mine has a Virus Scanner running a (my) specified time. Root4(one) 10:16, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
 * However, I will admit I'm not sure how to get it to work after the specified time passes. Root4(one) 10:21, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Hi Root4, "get it to work after the specified time passes" is the whole point Glover 05:36, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Get Firefox to accept Opera so I can import bookmarks
My new download of Firefox 2.0 knows how to import bookmarks from MSIE, but not Opera. Is there any way to make Firefox recognize Opera, so I can import things in? 71.226.60.137 05:59, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Well, you can just export your bookmarks from Opera (File -> Export -> Bookmarks as HTML) and import them in Firefox. &mdash; Kieff | Talk 10:21, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Disconnections
I usually run Azureus overnight on my computer. Unfortunately, my DSL service has a habit of kicking out every so often when it's under a higher load like that. I'm pretty sure that's the cause of this, but... well, I guess I should just state my problem.

In the morning, I'll wake up and nine times out of ten my connection doesn't work. It'll work for the other computers in the house (usually) but not mine. It'll work again if I disable the connection in the "network connections" panel and then re-enable it, but I want it to be able to run at night, without me getting up every time it screws up. Looking around a bit, I THINK it might be because of that bit of windows that cuts out the connection if you have to many incompleted connections or whatever. I know it's supposed to slow down worms that just randomly poll IP addresses and such. So is there a way to test if that's my problem? and if it is, is there a way to shut that off? or even just knowing the limit so I can try screwing around with Azureus' settings would help immensely.

Also one other theory that I've heard from asking some friends of mine is that the modem itself is kicking out just because the NAT service is overloading (it's a netopia modem/router combo) and a fix would be to disable the NAT on the router and just buy a router to put between the modem and the rest of my network. Is there any credibility to that?

Sorry if that ran a bit long... anyways, I'm grateful for any help that anyone can give me in this. Koriar 06:35, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Do you have DHT enabled? If so, that can cause low-end routers to "crap out". --Wirbelwind ヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:50, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * If you use Linux or have a good firewall, try enabling DMZ onto your IP address so the router doesn't have to care about NAT for your IP address. --antilivedT 11:34, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Another possibility is that you are getting static or interference in the network wire going to your computer. I'd check out the wire thoroughly for places it might be broken or have poor connections, and where you might have routed it near other wires or devices which put out an EMF field. StuRat 15:43, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Try limiting the number of simultaneous connections in azureus. Go to the Tools menu, click Options, select Transfer and then lower "Max connections per torrent" to like half of what you have now. Setting your computer to be the DMZ host (like Antilived suggested) might work if it is NAT that's kicking up a fuss, but if I'm not mistaken you can only do that on D-Link and Linksys home routers. --Oskar 22:14, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Well, I can indeed do a DMZ on my router, though it calls it something else. Any recommendations for a firewall? I was just going to go with ZoneAlarm, as I've heard some good things about that one. As for static or interference, I don't think there should be any... the only real device that it runs by is a furnace... though to get it upstairs I did have to run it right by the cable tv line, would that do it? The line looks pretty heavily shielded... but I really really don't want to look for shorts, because most of it runs through the crawlspace... and with the rain we've been getting lately... well it'd be cold, wet, cramped, and spidery. Sooooo, no. As for the number of simultaneous connections I have put it pretty low in the past, though it does this with less than 100 peers connected (I only download one thing at a time) ... and actually now that I look at it my max is only 100... I'll lower it to 50 though, but that seems like it should be able to handle 100. Koriar 01:33, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * You might want to check the SNR margin in your router/modem. Generally you'd want a value over at least 10db downstream for a stable connection. I do believe bad weather can affect this value. However, a low SNR would mean a bad connection at all times, as opposed to just under high load as you seem to be experiencing. Johnnykimble 08:52, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Well, I found lots of info in the "all status" page, I'd like to post the lot of it, in case someone sees something that could be my problem, but I don't know if I should post it here... (it's about 12-13 pages) are there length restrictions for this stuff? I'll just post one or two sections right now (the section with the SNR in it, and the last few lines of the error log)

Downstream Upstream -- --     SNR Margin:                  25.50       20.00 dB     Line Attenuation:            33.00       16.50 dB     Output Power:                18.09       11.32 dB     Errored Seconds:                 0           0 Loss of Signal:                 0           0 Loss of Frame:                  0           0 CRC Errors:                     0           1 Data Rate:                   1472         256 4/12/07 10:14:58 AM L3 SSL: Handshake Success 4/12/07 10:14:58 AM L3 SSL: Connect Success: s1.netopiatr069.net 4/12/07 10:14:58 AM L3 SSL: Certificate Verify Success: s1.netopiatr069.net 4/12/07 10:14:58 AM L3 TR-069: Post Inform - reason 4 VALUE CHANGE 4/12/07 10:14:59 AM L3 TR-069: Closing connection 4/12/07 10:14:59 AM L3 SSL: Closing Connection: s1.netopiatr069.net 4/12/07 10:14:59 AM L3 HTTPC: No context found for closed socket 0 4/12/07 10:15:30 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 10:25:27 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 10:35:34 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 10:45:21 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 10:55:29 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 11:00:18 AM L3 LHD: IP 192.168.1.4, MAC 00-03-93-c1-ed-90 4/12/07 11:00:18 AM L3 LHD: Interface N/A, State online 4/12/07 11:05:36 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 11:15:33 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 11:25:40 AM L4 HTTP: "" host 192.168.1.1 logging out (timing out) 4/12/07 01:50:32 PM L4 HTTP: "admin" completed login from 192.168.1.1

Those lines seem to be at the beginning of every time I'm disconnected. (192.168.1.1 is me) EDIT: So uhh... I guess it's not liking my line breaks for some reason... sorry about the formatting there, I don't know how to make stuff look good in wikipedia.Koriar 13:57, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Well, unfortunately, in my opinion those stats look good. Your SNR is good and your attenuation is good. Those stats are the most important, so there's no need to post any more router info. It does seem that the problems you are having are not related to your link to your ISP\local exchange. Johnnykimble 14:47, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... well, I seem to have entirely missed the suggestion about DHT. I'd really like that to stay on because I'm getting some things now where the tracker is down, but I'll try turning that off tonight to see if that's the problem. Also thanks to whoever formatted that for me! Koriar 15:29, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Well, I left it off last night and wasn't disconnected in the morning, so it looks like that might have done it! Thank you everyone for your help! Koriar 19:19, 13 April 2007 (UTC)


 * And things were looking up too... It disconnected again, so I guess I'm on to trying the DMZ stuff with ZoneAlarm. Koriar 07:19, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

winpe
What is this technology i keep hearing about


 * Try typing winpe into the search box and clicking on "go". --Kainaw (talk) 12:08, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Or see Windows PE --antilivedT 12:11, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Truth is i don't really know if this is a correct answer but if you look up Windows UE online you can find information i do think it is something of this sort where a windows comes with built in patches,hotfixes,programs,etc  i hope this is right xD    200.35.168.129 22:18, 11 April 2007 (UTC)    Ag for MemTech


 * This is a good one for starters Ultimate Boot CD for Windows Glover 08:03, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

video game composer?
Who composed the soundtrack to the NES game Megaman 2?--Sonjaaa 09:20, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * According to http://www.ocremix.org/game/megaman2/ they are
 * Yuukichan's Papa
 * Ogeretsu Kun
 * Manami Ietel
 * But, that website is not authorative. --Kainaw (talk) 12:10, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Programming in excel
Could someone give me the step by step procedure for using VB in excel to add up two columns and put the sum in another column? Zain Ebrahim 12:57, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I will assume that we are going to add the numbers in column A and column B to make column C.
 * First set your start point (C1).
 * Range("C1").Select 'you could also use a variable here in place of the literal "C1"
 * Next set the value of the curent cell.
 * ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Offset(0, -1).Value + ActiveCell.Offset(0, -2).Value
 * Next go to the next row.
 * ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
 * The offset values are the number of rows and columns relative to the current cell, so if we take cell C1 a offset by (0,-1) we would see the value of cell B1 If we took the offset of (1,0) we move to the next row (C2).  You could also use a variable here for the row and column offset.  Also notice the difference between the .Value and .Select methods.  .Value allows you to read or write to the value of a cell changing its contents.  .Select moves the focus to the cell you are selecting.  I will assume that you know about looping and conditional statements which would control how many rows you calculate, and what you do if there is missing data. -Czmtzc 15:24, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * To simply get the sum of a column use Application.WorksheetFunction.Sum(Range(A:A)) To get the sum of column A and B and put it into cell C1 use this.


 * Range("C1").Select
 * ActiveCell.Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.Sum(Range(A:B))


 * -Czmtzc 16:39, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

printing a copy of the information
Hi, My question is, why is it when I attempt to copy the information at " censorship " is it that on the screen shows printing processing. All the times I have accessed wikipedia.org and copyed information without any problem. Now, and only now problem, that, I cannot print the information under censorship. Would you please, identify the difference in the information at censorhip, veses other information on or at wikipedia.org.

Thank You,

for you time and attention

Allen Walker [Email redacted]


 * Maybe the printer has a problem? I'm not sure what Wikipedia has to do with this unless you clarify. Splintercellguy 21:56, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

I don't have any trouble printing the censorship page. StuRat 02:48, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Homebuilt computer
Are there kits to build gaming computers at home (as I understand, this would be cheaper), or do I have to look for parts separatly? Would it be possible to purchase an unbuilt model of a normally build computer and put it together? If so, do all brands do this, or just some? I looked in amazon, but they don't appear to have them... Thanks in advance, whether you know the answers to my questions or not. · AO Talk 17:08, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Kits? Not really. The closest thing to a kit would probably be a motherboard + case + PSU combo, which are more common with small form-factor PCs (i.e. Shuttle). Buying an unassembled version of a normal model would get rid of the most important part of building your own PC: the choice. Yes, you generally buy the individual components (from an online store, like Newegg in the U.S., or from a nice local store; not Best Buy or any of those electronics chains) and assemble it yourself. The assembly is actually pretty simple; the most difficult part will be installing the CPU, what with the thermal paste and all that. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:27, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Okay, thanks. However, you say building an unassembled version gets rid of the most important part, but is it possible? Also, are you sure Shuttle was the right link, I couldn't find any build-at-home computers. · AO Talk 17:40, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Oh, I see. You meant the Barebones. Thanks Consumed Crustacean, I'll look into them. · AO Talk 17:44, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah. I don't think that other thing is possible, and I doubt you'd save money if it was, considering that much of it is done on an assembly line. And on those barebones: like I said, they're most common in small form-factor PCs. If you're just looking to build a normal gaming PC it's not typical; it's just that small PCs need specially sized motherboards and such. If you don't know what components to buy, there are several review sites around, you could inquire at a gaming forum, or you could ask at a local computer shop (again, not Best Buy or any electronics chains: those guys will just feed you nonsense). -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:49, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Okay, thanks for the info. I don't mind if barebones aren't typical; as long as it gets the job done and is cheap, I'm happy. :-) I'll look around for the componets, as you say. Thanks again! · AO Talk 17:56, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Just incase I was confusing, as I usually am: what I meant exactly is that the other gaming PCs that people build typically don't come with case/motherboard/PSU. Usually you'd buy all three separately, although some cases come with (usually poor) PSUs. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 18:01, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Wouldn't it be good that it includes the case/motherboard/PSU? All I have to add is the CPU, hardrive, and RAM (according to the article), and I have a "normal" computer right? · AO Talk 18:34, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Wait, Shuttle says it already has RAM, so are the CPU and hardrive all I need? · AO</b> <sup style="color:DarkSlateGray;">Talk 20:52, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * It depends on exactly what you're looking at. The descriptions I'm seeing for the barebone ones just describe the RAM slots, not actual RAM. Unless you're not looking at the barebones... -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 20:58, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I was just saying that you don't need such a 'kit' if you're building a normal sized tower. You just buy the motherboard and such separately. The only reason I mentioned Shuttle's barebones initially is because they're about as close to a non-assembled kit (as you inquired about) as really exists. Not to discourage you from Shuttle if you want a small form-factor PC, they are quite nice :P -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 20:58, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * No, those Shuttles seem nice, but I'm not quite sure I know how they work. :-P I'll ask at a small computer store for help, as you advised. However, I have one question: if Shuttles are just like a larger and bulkier PC in performance and use, but are actually cheaper, what does the company gain? (Are normal PCs that in-expensive to start with?) · <b style="font-family:Papyrus; color:black; font-size:x-small;">AO</b> <sup style="color:DarkSlateGray;">Talk 23:29, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I have a Shuttle, and think it's the best upgrade I've ever made. What you get with a barebones Shuttle is a nice small case with a motherboard installed. You'll find that the cost of this is usually a fair bit higher than if you bought a full tower case (which in the UK can be got for around £15) and a decent quality motherboard (say, about £60). So, my Shuttle, which was £190, was actually a good deal more expensive. As far as I'm concerned, the premium is worth paying if you want a compact, quiet and good looking PC. The high-end Shuttles will be even more expensive because they will be geared towards gaming, and thus require more complex cooling solutions (small case means less air flow inside the case). So, if you decide you want a Shuttle (barebones), all that remains is to get a CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card. One thing you must keep in mind however, is that a lot of high-end graphics cards these days take up more than one slot because they'll have a large heatsink and fan attached. So make sure the Shuttle can physically accommodate any graphics card you might decide to purchase. Johnnykimble 08:39, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Alright. Thanks for all your help guys! I'll make sure to bookmark this when it's archived. · <b style="font-family:Papyrus; color:black; font-size:x-small;">AO</b> <sup style="color:DarkSlateGray;">Talk 09:14, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Interchangability of Antennae
Can an indoor television antenna using a coaxial cable be plugged into and used with a wireless networking card? --Seans Potato Business 17:44, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * See Antenna (radio) to understand why an antenna length (size) determines how useful it will be for specific wavelengths. Television wavelengths are not the same as wireless network wavelengths. --Kainaw (talk) 17:48, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * That doesn't quite answer the question. If your wireless card has a coax connector and it's compatible with (the right size as) the TV antenna, then you can certainly use the antenna with the card, but it's doubtful that the antenna will actually work well or improve reception. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 149.135.102.72 (talk) 10:06, 12 April 2007 (UTC).

Autoclicking with mid button
I had a small program from the Internet that made continuous clicks (left or right clicks) by holding the middle button, but I lost it. Does anyone know where to find it or how to program it (in Visual C++ if possible)? Thanks. --Taraborn 17:47, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * AutoHotkey. Website here. It uses the AutoIt language. --Russoc4 18:49, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Can't thank you enough, mate :P --Taraborn 21:14, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

RS232
I want to the know what the number(232)indicates in RS232 and what it means anandkumar 18:56, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

It's just the document number of the technical standard that defines that particular interface. "RS" stands for "Recommended Standard", so it's "Recommended Standard No. 232". In short, it means nothing. --TotoBaggins 19:18, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Did you look at RS-232? —EncMstr 00:20, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Simultaneous Connection To Multiple Wifi Networks
Is it possible to connect to more than one wireless network at the same time using a) one wireless networking card or b) two wireless networking cards? Ethics and legality aside, should it theoretically be possible to connect to one's own wireless network and that or those of neighbours to gain an increase in internet connection speed? --Seans Potato Business 19:55, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Okay, it's possible with multiple network cards and would be possible with one with software that some researchers are working on. I'm going to plug in my second Wifi card tonight and report back on how Windows reacts... --Seans Potato Business 20:06, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm completely guessing here, but I doubt that windows would do this automatically. It is technically possible, of course. You could write a custom network driver that would assign every other packet (or, in the case of TCP, every other connection) to different network cards, but as I said, I doubt that windows does this automatically. What you could do is to configure the two cards to work on different subnets, so that one handles all IPs that matches 0.0.0.0 with subnet mask 128.0.0.0 and the other handles 128.0.0.0 with subnet mask 128.0.0.0. That is, one card handles all IPs starting with 0 (in binary) while the other handles all IPs starting with 1. That would split the internet evenly in two. This would be effective only if the connections are of the same speed (if one is faster, you would have to configure that one to a bigger subnet if you wanted maximum efficiency). I haven't used windows in a while, so I'm not exactly sure how to do this, but I know it's possible. I don't think you can connect to two different networks with one card at the same time, but I might be wrong about that. --Oskar 21:40, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Does this exist?
Or could it exist? Is it possible/feasible to port QEMU to a Java applet?

You go to a certain website from any Internet connection, and log in. You then have access to a virtual machine using AJAX or just a Java applet. You can then run any program inside the virtual computer, accessing files which are stored on the server. Duomillia 20:40, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I know VMware makes server virtualization software which lets you do something like what you describe. Splintercellguy 21:54, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Will a Pentium M 478 pin processor work with a standard socket 478 motherboard?
I.E not a motherboard that explicitly states it'll work with a Pentium M processor.

If not, why not?

Thanks in advance... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fred.frederick (talk • contribs).


 * I think not. But, I do believe that specialist 'desktop' motherboards for these CPUs exist. The M processors are designed for notebooks, which don't have as good cooling as tower PCs. As a result they have much lower power consumption, thus giving off less heat, thus requiring a smaller fan. All this was great for those wanting a cool and quiet desktop machine. As for the reasons why, I'm not entirely sure, but I'd take a guess and say FSB speed differences or voltage differences. It's more likely to be physical architecture differences than logical, but hopefully there's someone here who can give a more qualified answer than that. Johnnykimble 21:43, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Johnny. After a bit of research, it seems it'll be much easier to make a cool, quiet and energy efficient desktop machine using either a mobile Sempron or Turion processor, as these are well supported by a good number of motherboards.

I know it's a ghz world, but I do despair for the state of processing today(speed at any cost). Once you've sat at a desk with a noisy PC for any length of time it becomes a mental drain.

Surely there's a market for quiet, unintrusive PC's that don't cost the earth, isn't this what a lot, even most users really want addressed?. I'm suprised Intel etc can't see it. Fred.frederick 11:42, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * I went down the Shuttle barebones route a few years ago and have to admit it's the best PC I've bought. When I originally bought it, I added a GeForce 6600GT graphics card, picked mainly because of it's reasonably quiet cooling. But just recently, I decided to use an 6 year old GeForce 2 that I had lying around. It doesn't even have a fan, and, but for the fairly noisy hard drive (Hitatchi Deskstar - planning to upgrade to a very quiet Samsung Spinpoint soon), the PC is practically silent. It sure makes using the computer a much more pleasurable experience. Johnnykimble 12:39, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

PowerPoint
In PowerPoint, how do I make six different pictures fly in at the same timebut from different directions? 68.193.147.179 21:02, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
 * In 2003 and 2007, give each a different effect, then right click each effect in the pane on the right. Click "start with previous". --TeckWiz Parlate Contribs@(Lets go Yankees!) 21:40, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

Audio
Is there a way I could just take the audio from a streaming video? 68.193.147.179 21:39, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * You could use VideoLAN player to transcode the audio to file. Splintercellguy 21:53, 11 April 2007 (UTC)


 * (edit conflict) If you can open the stream in VLC media player (which you often can if it uses windows media or something similar), then yes you can. For instance, if you click a link that leads to an ASF file it usually pops Windows Media Player and streams it from there. Save the file to your hard-drive, then open VLC and click File -> Wizard. That will help you to re-encode just the audio into a sound-file. If you select the MP3 codec and encapsulate it in MPEG 1 format and name the file something.mp3, I pretty sure you will be able to play it in most audio-programs.
 * If it's a youtube video (or any other flash video) it's a little trickier. There are several extensions to firefox which allows you to download such videos as FLV files. Since VLC can read FLV files, you can convert them in a similar way.
 * The easiest way though is to use something like Audacity and set it to record whatever comes out of your speakers. This would slightly decrease quality, but it is very simple to do. I prefer the VLC way because taking advantage of the analog hole is way un-cooler :) --Oskar 21:54, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I think that most soundblaster drivers allow you to set "What you hear" as the recording input. This way, you can use any recording program to record what you're playing, without the sound ever leaving your soundcard. There's still the digital noise to worry about (from recompresison), but it should work pretty well. risk 01:08, 12 April 2007 (UTC)


 * mplayer -dumpaudio