Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 January 24

= January 24 =

Video game choppiness
I was playing Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and the game got a little choppy for a while (this is after playing Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 without a problem on the same hardware. I have an Athlon FX-60, 3GB DDR, and an XFX GeForce 6800GS 256MB. I turned the game down to 800x600 and medium settings instead of high, but I can't figure out why I can't play the game on high, I meet the recommended requirements. Is there some way I can tweak my PC to improve performance a little, or do you recommend a new graphics card as mine is somewhat outdated? If so, would you recommend the 8800GT as best bang-for-the-buck? Useight (talk) 00:30, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Your graphics card is fine. I ran it on a 6600, so you're okay. It's a little old but you won't have trouble playing new games for another year or so (Maybe less... things are quicker nowadays).
 * - Might help if you're after tweaks?
 * Also, was it choppy throughout the game? Or did you replay certain sections and find it was always choppy then? If so, it could be just a bug or a designer problem. Could be nothing wrong with your machine whatsoever (Certainly doesn't sound like it). Scarian Call me Pat  01:00, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It was only choppy for a short while, so it might have been a bug or some other anomaly. Useight (talk) 01:06, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Just download a better graphics card and your gameplay should be alot smother -- f f r o  t   h  05:47, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Download another graphics card? Why don't I just have one faxed to me? Useight (talk) 07:15, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, I think he means get the latest drivers, Useight! Scarian Call me Pat  08:53, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Moreover I guess he meant "a lot smoother". What a weird sentence he wrote... --Taraborn (talk) 14:35, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it was pretty hilarious to read. Useight (talk) 17:47, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Gr I was obviously being sarcastic -- f f r o  t   h  16:58, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

how to stop a message being sent
Hi - I have Windows XP and Outlook. I wrote an email and attached some pics, but realise now the attachment was too large. Whenever I log into Outlook and Send/Receive Messages, the program laboriously tries and retries to send the message, slowing up everything else. Can I get into my Outbox and delete it?

Thanks in advance.

Adambrowne666 (talk) 01:52, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The once and for all solution: use Mozilla Thunderbird. Outlook Express is horribly unstable (I can crash it with 3 clicks) and insecure.
 * Otherwise, just delete the email in outbox. --antilivedT 01:56, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * If you want Outlook to stop trying to send it, just disconnect your computer's internet connection before opening it. Simple as that. If it doesn't have an internet connection, it won't try to send it. Then you can just delete it out of the Outbox. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 03:45, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Uh, oh yeah - the outbox - I couldn't find it among all my folders - duh. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Adambrowne666 (talk • contribs) 07:07, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Rescuing DVD video contents
I have a Panasonic DVD recorder and have used it to record several shows off TV onto formatted DVD+RW disks. Playback on my other DVD player (a Toshiba) has never been a problem, and I have used the Toshiba as a source to copy some of the video on the my DVD+RW disks onto another writable disks in the Panasonic recorder. Today, the Toshiba player reported one disk as having an error, but the Panasonic recorder would still play it. I tried to fix the problem by creating the "top menu" (similar to finalization on -RW disks) thinking it would re-write the table-of-contents correctly. Unfortunately, this foolish step has now left the disk unreadable in both machines - the Panasonic recorder says it is "incorrectly formatted", and the Toshiba player still says "disk error".

Is there a way to retrieve the shows I recorded, perhaps using my PC to copy the video data onto a freshly formatted DVD? My PC it pretty old (ie. slow and only about 3GB free on the hard disk), but it does have a DVD rewriter which is capable of reading the faulty disk. I don't really want to do any DVD authoring or anything fancy, just copy the video data so it will play on my TV. So, can I format a new disk in the Panasonic DVD recorder and use windows to simply copy each 1GB .vob file onto the new disk, or do I need some software (preferably free or very cheap)? Astronaut (talk) 04:55, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Maybe HandBrake would help? I've not used it, but hear good things about it, and the article states that it can use VOB files.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  18:33, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * No, I don't think that would help - HandBrake is a video format converter which can take a .vob and make a .mp4 or .avi. I don't want to convert the data, just copy it onto another disk so I can play it on my TV using the Toshiba DVD player.  Astronaut (talk) 00:20, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

ip hostname lookup customized
I found this ip address 89.149.232.26 where if you do a hostname lookup (ie at http://www.webyield.net/cgi-bin/ipwhois.cgi?addr=89.149.232.26) it will say wouldnt.you.like.to.know.net. How did this guy customize his hostname to that? Could I do it? Right now if i do my own ip address i get a user#whatever.myisp.com is this something that can be changed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Iownatv (talk • contribs) 05:34, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * That's a "humorous" reverse DNS record. Reverse DNS is usually controlled by people who own large or medium-sized groups of IP addresses. Originally, authority over reverse DNS could not be subdivided any smaller than a class C address block, which is 256 addresses. That technical limitation no longer exists, but it's still somewhat difficult for small network operators to get control over their reverse DNS. And if you've just got a single address, forget about it. Notice that attempts to look up wouldnt.you.like.to.know.net fail, probably because the clown who owns 89.149.232.26 doesn't actually have anything to do with know.net, whose owner has every right to complain about the forgery. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 06:22, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Microsoft even uses a non-existing TLD for their (mostly MSN webcrawler) reverse DNS. It's .phx.gbl if I remember correctly. -- grawity talk / PGP 19:49, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

RAM on my Core 2 Duo
I assume my machine can hold up to 4GB too, even though it's XP? I read that Core 2's are 64bit. Am I right? Dr Alcohol (talk) 07:02, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Even if your system is 32-bit, it can still take up to 4GB RAM. You have to have a 64-bit processor AND a 64-bit operating system to go beyond 4GB. Useight (talk) 07:14, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

That's what I mean, yeah. Thanks. Also, is it true 64bit can't operate some software? And would 32bit XP work on a 64bit CPU? Dr Alcohol (talk) 07:22, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm running 32-bit XP on a 64-bit CPU, you're fine there. And, yeah, you may have some problems with software, but not many. Useight (talk) 07:29, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * You'll have a LOT of compatibility problems if you use 64 bit windows -- f f r o  t   h  11:42, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

You're tangling up a lot of different issues here. 32-bit and 64-bit in this context just refers to the size of the processor's general purpose registers. This isn't directly related to (a) how much RAM the processor can address, (b) how much RAM your motherboard can support, (c) how much RAM Windows XP supports. Historically it's been rather uncommon for processors to have an address space the same size as their registers. The 6502 was an 8-bit processor with a 16-bit address space; the 8086 was a 16-bit processor with a 20-bit address space; the 68000 was a 32-bit processor with a 24-bit address space. x86 processors have had a 36-bit physical address space (64 GiB) for over a decade now. Current x86-64 processors have a 40-bit physical address space, and their page table design only supports up to 52 bits. You can't directly address more than 4 GiB at a time with the x86 instruction set, but there's nothing to stop you from running ten 1-GiB processes in RAM on a machine with 12 GiB RAM total, or even accessing more than 4 GiB within a process using a windowing mechanism. Some versions of 32-bit Windows support this. However, according to this page, XP isn't one of them; it's limited to 4 GiB. Your motherboard, if it's recent enough to support Core 2, certainly supports that much RAM. So the answer to your question is yes, it'll work, but it's not nearly as simple as "32-bit operating system, therefore 232 bytes". -- BenRG (talk) 13:11, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * So much for K.I.S.S. Useight (talk) 18:01, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The industry standard is 32bit supports only 4GB of total memory. This mean if you have 4GB of ram, you won't get to use it all. I/O device and ram of other devices (such as video ram) will all take away from the total value. So if you have a 512MB video card, you will only end up with about 3,500MB of ram.--155.144.251.120 (talk) 05:12, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Uh, 155, your understanding of "512MB video card" is different from mine. In my experience, such a beast is a video card that has 512MB of high-speed RAM on the card itself, specifically placed there so that the video system does _not_ need to use any of the system's main RAM.  Thus, the example you give makes little sense to me. -SandyJax (talk) 15:16, 28 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I think he probably was talking about onboard video cards with shared ram. Samuel Sol (talk) 18:31, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

Macbook turns off when I close lid
My macbook turns off when I close the lid. I know theres a way to change this setting, but I cannot find it. I looked everywhere in the system preferences. Where is it?

Also, I connected an external montior using the DVI out cable. When I have both monitors running at the same time, if I use the extended desktop setting, I can run my external montior at 1900x1200 as the extended desktop, but when I mirror the two monitors, they are at the same resolution. Is there any way to make it so I only use the external monitor and have it at 1900x1200? Thats the reason I'm trying to make the computer stay on when I close the lid. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.67.123 (talk) 08:40, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure on Mac OSX but on Windows it was in the power settings. Dr Alcohol (talk) 08:51, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I looked in both displays and energy saver, didnt see it in either. No power settings on a mac. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.67.123 (talk) 08:57, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Power settings is where your battery icon is ... top right of screen beside the clock. I don't know if you can keep the computer "on" when you close the lid. I have never tried it and I don't remember if Energy Saver has that option. Kushalt 17:28, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * This has varied from Mac to Mac. Some, like the Wallstreet, simply couldn't be kept awake when shut; their cooling wasn't designed for it. Others will stay awake if an external monitor (and keyboard and rodent?) is attached. I think that's the current behavior of all of the various "aluminum" books.


 * Atlant (talk) 17:52, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

No matter what I do, it turns off. Even with the external monitor plugged in and running. Any ideas? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.67.123 (talk) 21:57, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Try InsomniaX. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 00:04, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * This is what I got when I typed in 'External' in the Help menu of a Macbook running Leopard

To use the computer with the display closed, you must connect it to an external display, keyboard, and mouse. The power adapter must be plugged into the computer and to a power outlet.

To operate your portable computer with an external monitor attached and the display closed:

1 Connect a Universal Serial Bus (USB) keyboard and mouse to your computer.

2 Connect the power adapter to the computer and a power outlet.

3 Close the portable display to put the computer to sleep.

4 Connect your computer to an external display.

5 Wait a few seconds and then press any key on the external keyboard to wake the computer. --Trieste (talk) 00:32, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * OK cool thanks, I didnt have a keyboard connected, I think thats why, thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.106.9.137 (talk) 09:00, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Wacom Tablet
I recently bought a Wacom Intuos3 tablet and I am wondering if there is a program that will take the data from the tablet and show the position and tilt of the pen as a 3d model in real-time. The program would be more cool than useful, but I am still wondering if such a program exists. Thanks in advance for any help or links to such a program. --Shanedidona (talk) 13:01, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The Linux driver can output the raw data and you can parse it and do what you want, otherwise I don't think so... --antilivedT 01:35, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The windows driver does that too. --Shanedidona (talk) 16:02, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Stupid Excel
hi,

basically; when i click on an Excel box.....then use the directional keys...instead of moving to different boxes it 'pans' the screen, like on google earth when you use the directional arrows....how do i get it back to normal???

thanks, --81.77.222.42 (talk) 14:53, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Scroll lock, I think. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:06, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

yup thats it thank,--81.77.222.42 (talk) 15:12, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Inserting .jpg images *in the body* of an email (not as attachment...)
A friend (artist) often receives emails from other artists in which the whole message is wonderfully designed like a webpage with clickable links and images and pretty fonts underlined, italicized and bolded. She uses Eudora and I use Yahoo and neither of us can do such things. Instead we can just add things as "attachments" which require the person on the other end to open them manually. I do however receive lots of porn and drug spam from places like Nigeria which are really visually sophisticated (like the artist's emails).

Alors, does one need a special type of email account to do this? Or is it possible with Eudora 6.2? (or even Yahoo "classic"?) If so, how is this done? Thanks in advance,  S a u d a d e 7  16:45, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I imagine your friend is receiving HTML e-mail. I don't know if such messages can be sent using Eudora. Algebraist 17:15, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * This has nothing to do with the email account. It is the email program you are using to send email (through your account's mail server).  You need an e-mail client that has all those annoying functions, such as links, colors, underlining, etc...  Keep in mind that making your email HTML will cause problems for people who cannot view or refuse to accept HTML-based emails.  When I get HTML emails, my account deletes the email and auto-responds to the sender that if the message cannot be conveyed with text then it isn't worth my time to read. --  k a i n a w &trade; 17:46, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Your e-mail account would only be a limiting factor if it is a free account. Free e-mail accounts are often only accessible using the provider's website, which may not have all the options to create e-mails with those detailed layouts you've seen. --Bavi H (talk) 07:37, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Isn't that a E-mail spam disaster? Kushalt 18:07, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Actually, it has far more to do with the email program the receiver is using. You can send these emails with HTML even if you do not have an HTML enabled client.  Simply write the HTML out in text.  Note that there is a security risk of having your email program set to render HTML.  If your client can receive mail rendering HTML it can probably send mail as HTML as well.  Be aware that some consider this an annoyance, might not be able to read it properly, or as above something to automatically delete.  Auto-replying is a bad thing since it confirms the email address.  Taemyr (talk) 18:15, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * It is not that simple. Writing the HTML is not enough. You need to set up correct headers, too (at least MIME type). And if you want to include pictures, you need to encode them for example with Base64 encoding. But in general, using HTML messages anywhere except in company's internal mail is not a good idea. HTML is mostly used for spam and spreading viruses. -- PauliKL (talk) 17:15, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Look in your e-mail program or website for a setting to switch from "plain text" to "rich text" or "HTML" or something similar.


 * You should avoid using "rich text" in Outlook. It only works if the receiver is using Outlook and Microsoft mail server. Use plain text or HTML. Preferably plain text. -- PauliKL (talk) 17:15, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

I just logged into my Yahoo account, which still uses Yahoo Mail Classic. The relevant option there seems to be under Options, General Preferences, Compose messages as color and graphics. Once you've selected that option, you can change fonts, colors, styles, and create links. But Yahoo Mail Classic doesn't let you embed images.

As another example, if you create a message in Outlook Express, you can go to the Format menu, and make sure that both "Rich Text (HTML)" and "Send Pictures with Message" are selected. Then you can create messages with fonts, colors, styles, links, and embedded images.

You or someone here may be able to find a similar option in Eudora 6.2 --Bavi H (talk) 07:43, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * THANKS EVERYONE!! I feel just awful that I didn't get back here sooner to say thank you but it is the first week of classes where I am! Thanks ever so much!  S a u d a d e 7  02:59, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Making an address list in Eudora 6.2
I am trying to make a specific mailing list in Eudora 6.2. I am a Mac person and the program is on a Mac. I can create the "mailing list" folder, but when I try to drag names to *copy* them from a {Universal set/main} list (namely "nicknames") into the {Subset/mailing} list, Eudora instead just *moves* the entry from the U to the S list and thus, this is bad. There is no "right click" or "left click" on a Mac touch pad so if you know how to do what I am asking without needing to Lc and Rc please let me know. It is a Looooonnnngggg mailing list and I am loathe to enter each entry one at a time. I have tried to "apple C" copy and "apple v" paste but this resulted in nothing happening. Thanks in advance,  S a u d a d e 7  16:53, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

I just hope Froth does not see this message. :) Kushalt 18:09, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Map creating software
I asked this a couple days ago on the miscellaneous Reference Desk, but I thought I'd ask again here since the Computing section is probably more relevant:

I kind of have a weird hobby where I like to draw maps of fantasy cities on paper. By fantasy, I don't mean the fantasy genre, just layouts of realistic looking, imaginary modern cities, kind of like urban planning. Anyway, I was wondering if there is any software out there where I can do this on a computer instead of paper. I basically want something like Sim City, but without any of the actual gameplay, if that makes sense. I'd like to be able to create terrain, lay out roads, place buildings, etc, and just keep doing this until I complete a layout. I don't really need a feature to design my own buildings or structures, I could use pre-made ones. If possible, I'd like to see a top-down map view, and maybe a 3D isometric view. I know many professional urban planners use software like AutoCad to basically draw urban layouts, but I'd like something simpler that maybe has a Sim City-like interface. Does any software like this exist? I know Sim City 2000: Urban Renewal Kit had something like this, but I'm not sure about the newer versions. --Rc251 (talk) 17:57, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * A good place to start looking might be this google directory. I have not used map creation software myself so I can not recommend any particular program. Taemyr (talk) 18:36, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Speaking of SimCity, that game, if my memory serves me right, has a sandbox mode, where you could just do the city planning without any gameplay.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 18:39, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

PauliKL (talk) 16:48, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I have been using OCAD. It is a dedicated map drawing program. An older version (v6) is available as freeware.

streaming audio on non-windows machine
I have a Macbook running Mac OS X v10.4 and I would like to know how I can stream on a non windows machine. Could anyone please help? Kushalt 18:03, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Well on my XP machine it comes up as WinMedia player... Would you need to download that for your Mac to be able to get it to stream? Scarian Call me Pat  18:27, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * After digging through all the junk, [mms://64.62.166.162/nepalfm/] is the actual location of the thing. You need a player that understands MMS ASF and WMA. MPlayer and VLC media player should work. I'm listening to it with MPlayer right now. I was worried for a while because it was full of noise but that cleared up so I guess the noise was actually in the original material, not caused by any decoding errors. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 22:18, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you, I will give it a try. The wireless network at my place was down or I would have replied earlier. I will report any results I get. Kushalt 15:08, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Works perfectly! Thank you very much. Kushalt 15:12, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Best mix of graphic cards
Suppose if one has the top-of-the-line monster Dell XPS 720 H2C which has 3 SLI ports and an unlimited amount of money. Assuming an adequate power supply and cooling, what is the best mix of graphic cards one can put into it to optimize it for gaming, video editing and complex 3D modeling? For example, 3 GeForce 8800 Ultra's can be mounted onto the 3 SLI's, but can you add a Quadro FX somewhere as well? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 22:32, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
 * As far as I know, cards in SLI have to all be the same, therefore, I'd recommend three GeForce 8800 Ultras, which could run you $700+ each. The Quadro FX's are much more expensive and I don't think they'd give you as good performance in gaming. Useight (talk) 23:52, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

But would I be able to add a Quadro FX 5600 onto a PCI-Express port or something? Acceptable (talk) 00:17, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't know if you can have the Quadro FX 5600 in one PCI-E slot and an 8800 Ultra in another. I doubt it, though. I've never heard of someone doing that. Unfortunately nobody else is answering this question. Useight (talk) 00:59, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

New cards are coming out all the time. Just goto a site like hardocp.com and look at the reviews. Tomshardware.com has a chart that lists all the graphics cards and compares them in different games and overall. Heres the link for quad and dual vga cards: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_sli2007.html and heres another link for single vga setup: http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.106.9.137 (talk) 08:56, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It is perfectly possible to run 2 different graphics cards in different ports. I used to have an AGP card and a PCI card in an old machine, so I could run 3 monitors. However, I am unsure how this would work with regards to gaming, if a game tried to run using the quadro it would run very poorly. I am sure it is possible though TheGreatZorko (talk) 09:08, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

With the newest patchs, is possible to a modder create customs playables race or classes to others players play in neverwinter nights 2 ??
I want to know if, with the newest patchs, is possible to a modder create customs playables race or classes to others players play with, neverwinter nights 2 ?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.79.2.144 (talk) 23:52, 24 January 2008 (UTC)