Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 October 7

= October 7 =

Connecting to my port 8080
Hi all -- I'm supposed to have another computer connect to my port 8080 (my computer is apparently acting like a server). How do they do this? I know my IP address. Is it [ip-address]:8080? Is the colon right? Something else?

Thanks! Sam —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.137.215.22 (talk) 05:28, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
 * HTTP proxies use this port the most often. If that's the case, they'd set up their browser to use the port to surf the web. In Internet Explorer, you go to Tools --> Internet Options --> Connections --> LAN Settings. Then, you check the box for proxies and enter in the IP address and port number. Don't include the colon. If they're not running Windows or want to do something else, then tell us their OS and your goal we'll be able to help you more.--Tree &#39;uns 5 (talk) 08:10, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't think this has to do with proxies - I just think you want to allow a computer to talk some protocol to your port 8080. You're right, the url will be with the colon as you say, eg http://[ip-address]:8080/path/document in the case that you have an http server running. If they can't connect to you, then you should check the firewall / NAT settings between you and the client (maybe there's a router sitting there messing things up). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.223.156.1 (talk) 14:11, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Common problem: If your IP Address is something like 192.168.1.100 and the other person is not connected to the same router, you will need to get your real IP address and set up port forwarding at the router. -- k a i n a w &trade; 15:04, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Locking
Is there a program or something that displays the classified screen that is used on military computers when people enter the room that cannot see the screen. I would like to use something like that when I lock my computer in Windows. --omnipotence407 (talk) 12:29, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure what the screen looks like but i'm sure you could find (or if you have/can find a copy of the image) create a screen-saver that mimics this. You can then set it to requiring a password to unlock from screensaver and have a short-cut to setting off the screensaver/hot-spot to put your mouse in to activate the screensaver. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 12:46, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Attack of the Undead boot.ini file!
I recently purchased a used hard drive. I low-level formatted it using appropriate software from the manufacturer and installed Windows XP Home Edition on it. For some reason, the boot.ini file contains entries for not only my XP installation, but also for a XP Pro installation and a Mac OS X installation. Even after deleting the file and reformatting the hard drive the entries persist! What do I do? 31306D696E6E69636B6D (talk) 13:08, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I would recommend removing the current disk partitions entirely and recreating new ones in their place (even if it's just one big partition). That should get rid of anything and everything lingering on the disk. You can do this by clicking on Start, right-clicking on My Computer and then selecting "Manage" from the menu that opens. Then select Disk Management. From there, you should be able to remove all partitions on that disk, which should just wipe out absolutely everything on the hard drive. Of course, that means you'll also have to re-install Windows all over again. (One second thought, actually, I guess you could simply skip that step and start by re-install Windows XP; it can perform the same service in the beginning of the installation, if I recall correctly.) Obviously, if you're going to do anything like this, you really need to back up everything you want to save on that computer, 'cause once you do this... baby, it's gone. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 13:35, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

I can't even boot into Windows because of this problem. The OS looks at the boot.ini file and can't find the XP Pro or Mac OS X installation and refuses to boot due to "a hardware configuration problem." And i've tried re-installing already, and the entries keep coming back. PS sorry about my terse reply, this problem has annoyed me for a while now and i am sick of it. 31306D696E6E69636B6D (talk) 16:06, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't even boot into Windows. All right, in that case: just put in the Windows XP install cd. It should, at the very beginning, offer you the chance to repartition the hard drive. Again, just remove all partitions from it and create a brand new one. I believe that should solve the problem. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 16:11, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah, to be more specific, just in case this isn't clear: boot from the Windows XP install cd, of course. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 17:33, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Those entries probably aren't coming from your Windows boot.ini. They are probably because the previous owner installed a bootloader like GRUB (and Hackintosh as well by the looks of it). Try resetting the disklabel of the entire disk using GParted. That will get rid of everything. --wj32 t/c 22:45, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Surely getting rid of all of the partitions will do the same, though? Or is there some reason that wouldn't work? (I'm asking for future reference rather than just to disagree. =)) -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:10, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * It's probably in the comptuter's Master boot record, which is not part of any partition. APL (talk) 12:57, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't the Recovery Console have a fixmbr option? Will that work? 31306D696E6E69636B6D (talk) 13:03, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, that should work if the problem is with the MBR. --wj32 t/c 03:33, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes! No more problems! (I had to manually delete the invalid entries in safe mode though...) Thanks everyone! 31306D696E6E69636B6D (talk) 13:05, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Office 2007 instalation issues
I recently bought Ultimate 2007 to upgrade from the student version, but everytime I try to install it I get an error saying that it won't work. I also cannot unistal or repair the old version using control panel. I bought a new HDD and copied my old C drive onto that (using xxclone), could that have missed anything during the copying process? Jackacon (talk) 13:51, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * It probably missed the registry entries outlining where the installed Office version is and where its uninstaller is. Try manually deleting the old version and re-installing it from the disk.  Hope this helps :) 31306D696E6E69636B6D (talk) 16:10, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

When you say manually deleting the old version, do you mean deleting it off of C:\ and removing the registry entries for office? Jackacon (talk) 16:21, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

It's now sorted! If anyone else does have the same problem, microsoft have made a very good guide here, just make sure you follow it exactly as it says. Jackacon (talk) 19:02, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

From Live CD to real life
I am planning to buy a new laptop, but I want one that will run Ubuntu without too much trouble. If I test my new laptop with the Live CD and it works, is it sure that the installation will work? Mr.K. (talk) 16:25, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, I think so. Unless you're getting one with exotic stuff (e.g shock detector, fingerprint reader) then the wireless lan is probably the most likely thing to not work (and those problems becoming pretty rare).  Make sure to test everything (audio, cd/dvd write, bluetooth, memory-card reader). I can't speak to specific models (things change so), but I've had good linux experiences with Acers. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 16:44, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * (this was after edit conflict) AFAIK, yes. However, have you considered buying a computer that comes preconfigured with Ubuntu? http://dell.com/open leads to this page. If you are into Lenovo ThinkPads, there is a wiki dedicated in helping you at http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki . Just a thought. Kushal (talk) 17:03, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Saving iPhone SMS messages?
Is there a way to download/browse/archive iPhone SMS messages to my computer? --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:31, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Only thing that I know of at this point is a piece of software (Mac OS X only) called Syphone. It is in beta, and the site gives no clue as to whether it is compatible with the iPhone 3G. Provided you do have a Mac, I have no clue if this will work with your phone, and I don't use, nor guarantee it; I only remember stumbling upon this solution as I purchased another piece of software from this vendor. --Renwique (talk) 22:24, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the info. Sadly, the last beta was a year ago. And it does not work with iPhone OS 2.1. --71.158.222.207 (talk) 03:53, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah, didn't think so. Worth a shot, though. --Renwique (talk) 20:59, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Not sure if it's exactly what you need, but I usually just forward the messages to my email account (yay AT&T), but as I don't yet have an iPhone I don't know how that would work out. D a R kA g E 7 [Talk] 05:01, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

High-gloss laptop screen
Is there a name for high-gloss laptop screens? What are the advantages of these screens? Mr.K. (talk) 17:27, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Er...LCD?  bibliomaniac 1  5  02:58, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * 'Glossy'? It varies by manufacturer. Usually their pictures are more saturated (which may be a problem or a benefit, depending on the usage/user), they may show less of a 'screendoor effect', and that's about it. They give have massive amounts of glare, though, and are often just used to cover up an otherwise subpar panel. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 06:57, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * When is a saturated screen a problem? I use the laptop for programming, writing and sometimes watching a film. It looks like all the cheap Acer laptops have a glossy screen nowadays... 80.58.205.37 (talk) 10:44, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Some graphics people don't like it. The glare is the main drawback, the color is usually a positive, which seems to be why the manufacturers do it. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 21:38, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Playing certain CDs on my stereo causes them to have a vinyl-esque crackling and pop
Last Christmas I got a brand new JVC MX-KC58 compact component system. I've noticed that plenty of my CD's (today its my copy of The Stone Roses) don't play properly on it. The first song or two will have an annoying crackling and popping effect almost exactly like that which can be heard on old beat up vinyl albums. As the album plays it progressively gets worse until the album is deemed not readable by the system and it just stops playing. The CDs themselves are in perfect condition, I purchased them myself and they are not CD-Rs. The only way to get around this problem is to play them in my 10+ year old PC with a generic brand CD-ROM drive my friend gave me for free, which instantly plays all of them perfectly. This ancient drive which was given to me by someone who was about to throw it away plays albums better than a brand new $170 compact component system. It annoys me because now the sound has to go through the crappy sound card of my PC. Sometimes if I keep trying over and over my stereo will eventually read the disc right, but this becomes absurdly frustrating. I've had enough so today I decided that my options were either to ask the wiki reference desk or pull an Office Space and drag it in to a field and smash it. I realize that this is probably too vague a question and that it is tl;dr anyway so I don't really expect any responses. NIRVANA2764 (talk) 17:44, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm guessing that there is some kind of alignment problem with the laser diode in your CD player. Any chance it's still under warranty?  -- LarryMac  | Talk  19:32, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

e-paper
Can you get touch screen e-paper? If yes, is it multi-toutch? Thanks.92.2.212.124 (talk) 20:08, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Any specific item from any specific manufacturer in mind? I am pretty sure the technology is there for multi-touch touch screen e-paper. Electronic paper may have more for you. Kushal (talk) 22:40, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * It ought to be possible to add a touch-screen layer onto an epaper display - so if it hasn't already happened - it probably will happen sooner or later. The touch screen itself doesn't depend in any way on the underlying display technology, so whatever is currently in use for LCD's ought to work OK with epaper providing it can be sandwiched with it without one damaging the other in some manner.  However - there may be a deeper problem.  epaper displays update VERY slowly - it's doubtful that they would be responsive enough to do the kinds of things you'd expect from a touch-based interface.  epaper is really best for things that dead-tree-paper is good for - non-interactive reading materials - where a delay for an occasional page-turn is not unacceptable. SteveBaker (talk) 03:37, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Cell phone/mobile phone.
Why do Americans call mobile phones, cell phones? It makes sense to call a phone "mobile" because it is actualy mobile, but "cell phones" aren't cellular, the only thing that is cellular is the phone network. Thanks. 92.2.212.124 (talk) 20:12, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Further back in the past there were mobile phones that did not operate on a cellular network. The invention of the cell was a big improvement making the phones far more available.  In Malaysia the phones are called hand phones. This shows that they skipped the stage of the car phone which was too big and power hungry to carry around in one hand. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:12, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
 * It is also hand phone or hp in singapore. 118.90.128.113 (talk) 08:39, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * The language desk may be better equiped to handle this question. Chances are the answer lies in the history of cell phone markeing in the US vs. wherever you are. Still, "cell phone" doesn't seem inappropriate: it describes how the phone operates. Mobile phone is also acceptable, but makes no distinction between cellular phones and satellite phones. --Shaggorama (talk) 21:13, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Server issues
I was playing around with thhis website using drupal running on wampserver 2.0. I upgraded winXP to server pack 3 and now I can't get to phpmyadmin anymore. anything localhost just turns up a typical browser error. I'm guessing I need to uninstall and reinstall the whole kit, but I don't want to lose my website. Is there any way I can at least export or save my database w/o doing it through phpmyadmin or a web browser at all? --Shaggorama (talk) 21:07, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm not familiar with this particular server package, but most of those include the MySQL binaries as well. Look for mysql.exe file somewhere in the wampserver directories to get to command-line MySQL interface and use SQL commands to back up the tables. Alternately, search for the configuration file (my.cnf) and examine it to find out where the database files are kept (parameter "datadir="), then you can back your data up without interacting with the server. MaxVT (talk) 18:55, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Maybe Windows Firewall or some other security software is blocking it? --wj32 t/c 03:28, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

First cable companies
What cable company was established in 1858 to carry instantaneous communications across the ocean that eventually would be used for Internet Communications? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Beccalynn30 (talk • contribs) 21:10, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Cable & Wireless. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:13, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Read Transatlantic telegraph cable, Atlantic Telegraph Company and Cyrus West Field. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:20, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Also, Mother Earth Mother Board by Neal Stephenson. Kushal (talk) 22:36, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * By the way, it was not called Cable & Wireless back then. If this question is for a million dollars, please use another life line to make sure it isn't a trick question. By the way, since when can you Wikipedia while on the hot seat? :P Kushal (talk) 22:53, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Sounds like a homework question, or a gameshow trivia question.

I'd like to use my life line... To wikipedia!

66.216.163.92 (talk) 22:43, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Language Bar changing languages
I own a Vista laptop that has three languages in the Language Bar--"US", "Canadian French", and "Canadian Multilingual Standard". For some reason, once in awhile I guess I'll hit a key that will make the Language Bar automatically switch from the "US" setting to one of the other two, though I have no idea what key is doing this. I don't have a key that changes the language, so I must be accidently pressing a combination of keys which makes the language change? I'm not sure.--Pointy77 (talk) 23:54, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * That'd be Alt-Shift, at least in XP. I've commonly had the same problem with XP (usually I use the Finnish keyboard layout, but on occasion I've found myself needing the US layout), and as long as I had the selection in the status bar, it kept switching layouts even on situations where I absolutely swear that I didn't hit the keyboard shortcut, and it happened often enough that I become really conscious of the keys I was hitting. I've had this happen on a number of computers, and obviously, that caused problems. I ended up having to have just the Finnish there, therefore eliminating the whole switch thing and just manually adding the US thing when I need it, because having the layout suddenly change in mid-sentence really drives me up a wall. I've heard others report this same thing as well. I don't really have a solution to it, other than removing all the languages you don't actually use from the selection. You can always add them back again later if you want. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:15, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Don't know about Vista, but in XP you can set shortcut keys for the specific languages rather than just to switch to the next language. So if you use all the languages, you could have Alt-Shift-1 for US, Alt-Shift-2 for Canadian French and Alt-Shift-3 for Canadian Multilingual. You can also turn off the shortcut for switching languages. I only use one language, so I've done this and set Alt-Shift-0 to switch to my usual language just in case it somehow gets switched to something different! All this setting is done through the regional settings - see this link for instructions on how to get to them. Goodness knows why Microsoft make the shortcut so easy to press accidentally - you're the fifth person I've told about this since January! AJHW (talk) 15:43, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * As it happens, I just got a new computer today, with Vista on it, and it has the US and FI layouts there by defaults. I typed a sentence, hit enter, and started to write another, and all of a sudden my lovely umlauts were gone, replaced by the devilish colons and semicolons. There is no way I hit alt-shift between those two sentences. Unless this is some kind of a case of confirmation bias -- which I admit is a possibility, even though I don't believe that to be the case -- the bastard thing really does switch between the keyboard layouts by itself. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 22:14, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

I figured it out; Control-Shift changes the language. Thanks for the tips and help!--Pointy77 (talk) 21:28, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Add startup programs on Ubuntu
I was wondering if it was possible to add programs at startup, on Ubuntu, via the command line (terminal), I know I can do it in a graphical way, but I need to do this in the command line... any ideas? SF007 (talk) 23:38, 7 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I use bash. To make programs start when bash starts (regardless of flavor: Ubuntu, Debian, BSD, Fedora...), you just add the program to .bashrc in your home directory.  The .bashrc file is a series of command-line instructions that run as bash starts. --  k a i n a w &trade; 01:12, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Did not worked very well for me... what I was looking for was the location of the files that store the settings when we do it in graphical mode... But thanks anyway SF007 (talk) 13:37, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

I think you can do this by linking to the script in /etc/rc.local. But that's not what you're looking for 59.95.97.3 (talk) 14:15, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, that does not work either... SF007 (talk) 16:44, 8 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I believe the .profile file in your home directory gets executed when you login, perhaps you can use that. - Akamad (talk) 02:00, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

2. What is the nature of the program(s) you want to run? Should they open a GUI when you log in for instance? 3. If you want to do exactly the same as is done through System -> Preferences -> Sessions, then have a look inside ~/.config/autostart/. When you add a program to the session using the GUI, it will create a .desktop-file in that directory. The .desktop-files are plain text files with an easy format. You can create your own using the shell, by looking at the pre-existing .desktop-files to see what fields you'll need to set. Reep (talk) 16:02, 9 October 2008 (UTC)
 * 1. By startup, do you mean when logging in as your user? or do you mean during the boot process?


 * Nothing posted here worked...
 * @reep: What i wanted was exactly what you mention in "3.", but I don't have a "autostart" folder on the location you told me. (maybe it's because I'm using Ubuntu 8.10 beta...) SF007 (talk) 23:40, 11 October 2008 (UTC)