Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 September 11

= September 11 =

boot screen gone
I run a presario with a partition of xp and one of ubuntu. If I don't select xp then ubuntu automatically loads, but I primarily run windows so that my audigy won't give me problems. Sometimes I come home and my screen is on ubuntu because of usually some kind of automatic update that required a restart. No problem, I restart and select xp. Today I come home, same situation at first, but when I restart ubuntu loads without a boot screen. I restart again a couple times, same thing. I shut down and wait a couple minutes, turn it on and it goes directly to ubuntu with no boot screen. I'm not sure if I have a windows boot disk around anywhere, but I might, but I'm hoping the solution involves something else. I'm a sort of a novice on linux, so I can go to the terminal but if it's complicated I need one of those walk-throughs that holds my hand. Thanks. - Lamba  jan  01:52, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Post the output for 'gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst'. If menu.lst is unaltered you might have to reinstall grub. Link -Abhishek (talk) 02:28, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

That's everything that came up. I hope it's helpful, thanks. - Lamba  jan  13:20, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
 * P.S. feel free to delete anything that's not helpful to shorten this section. -  Lamba  jan  13:21, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I've hidden it, to reduce the visual impact. Please feel free to revert/undo if you object.  -- Coneslayer (talk) 16:24, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
 * No objection. I wish I thought of it, thank you. -  Lamba  jan  16:31, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I've just removed it entirely because I'm not sure if there's anything personal there or not and nobody posted anything relevant about it since I put it up there anyway. I was tinkering around with things in my own ignorant way and the problem is no longer there. It fixed itself, no doubt. ;-) Thanks for the help anyway. -  Lamba  jan  03:28, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

C library for hash tables and automatically resized arrays
What is the most widely used library in C (not C++) for doing hash tables and automatically resized arrays (that supports push, pop, shift, and unshift functions)? I think Gnome library has these, but what are my options? what is the most widely used? --24.188.247.12 (talk) 02:16, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * For hash tables, it's probably the POSIX facility described here. For resizeable arrays, the most common answer is surely "we rolled our own using realloc".  --Sean 13:57, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * The low-level library GLib is where you'll find these types of functions in gnome programs. Another possible answer for hash tables is Berkeley DB, especially if the hash table is very large and/or the contents need to be saved in a permanent disk file between runs of the program. And yes, all those array operations are just realloc+memmove, nothing to get excited about. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 20:29, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Digital Mirror
It is possible to have an image on a computer screen that shows one’s reflection? A digital mirror so to speak. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.202.144.223 (talk) 03:28, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I suppoose one could use a webcam and simply flip the image. - SigmaEpsilon → Σ Ε 04:16, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * But an ordinary mirror works from all angles, like a hologram, and you can't simulate that with an ordinary computer monitor. -- BenRG (talk) 10:49, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I disagree - aside from the stereographic effect - using a camera and flipping the image should work identically to a mirror except that the camera is not positioned in the center of the screen - so everything is a bit "off-axis". If you closed one eye and could somehow position a pin-hole camera in the center of your screen - then it would be just like a mirror.  You could reproduce the stereo/3D effect using two cameras and a pair of LCD shutter glasses...but that's going a bit far! SteveBaker (talk) 03:21, 16 September 2008 (UTC)

Videos in Firefox 3 without audio
All of a sudden, the audio isn't working when I try to play videos in Firefox 3.0.1. My iTunes works fine. I closed and reopened the browser, but that didn't fix it. I restarted my computer, but that didn't fix it. I checked all sounds setting in my volume control, but everything is OK. Any suggestions about what might be causing this would be appreciated! — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 03:36, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * What plugins addons do you have installed? - SigmaEpsilon → Σ Ε 03:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Plugins: 2007 Microsoft Office system, Adobe Acrobat, DivX Player Netscape Plugin, DivX Web Player, iTunes Application Detector, Java Platform SE 6 U2, Microsoft DRM (apparently two…), Mozilla Default Plug-in, QuickTime Plug-in 7.5 (861), RealJukebox NS Plugin, RealPlayer Version Plugin, RealPlayer G2 LiveConnect-Enabled Plug-In, Shockwave Flash, Shockwave for Director, VLC Media Plugin, Windows Media Player Plug-in Dynamic Link Library. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 04:41, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * What format videos have you tried? Algebraist 08:55, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I think they have all been FLV (based on my "DownloadHelper" app), for example this Quantum of Solace trailer. I also (just) just noticed that the videos play for about 2–5 seconds and then stop; I can click the slider ahead and it will play for another 2–5 seconds. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:45, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I used to have that problem; I think it was because my university connection was dodgy (and it cleared up after a network upgrade of some kind) but I was never sure. I had sound though (except for the one time I lost it and eventually realized that FF remembers you pressing the YouTube mute button). Algebraist 22:49, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * And suddenly it has cleared up! I went to YouTube to see if I had muted anything (although not all videos were from YouTube), but I hadn't. Then I tried the other videos again, and they have sound and play continuously. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 23:06, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I was having a similar problem yesterday... weird. But it is also cleared up today, so apparently it'll take care of itself. --Alinnisawest,Dalek Empress ( extermination requests here ) 13:27, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Default Language of Microsoft-Word under Window-XP-Professional
I am using Microsoft Window XP Professional and Word-2003.

Most of my Microsoft-Word documents contain both English and Chinese fonts. I never type in Chinese fonts with Ping-Ying. They are always copied from other documents and pasted into my files. Whenever I type in, I want them to be English.

Problem#1: Whenever I open a word document, its input is always Chinese Ping-Ying by default.

Question#1: How do I set English as the default language although documents contain some Chinese characters? I tried


 * Menu/Tools/Language/Set Language/(abc)-English (Australia)

but it never works.

Problem#2: This is independent of the above situation. Files with extension .htm are open correctly by Firefox but the icon on every htm-document is NOT identified by Firefox.

Question#2: How do I attach the Firefox-icon to files with externsion-htm?

Problem#3: I view some video online via internet.

Question#3: Are these video files stored in some temporary folders of Window-XP-Professional? Can I take them out and save them for viewing later?

Thank you in advance for your help. twma 09:18, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * tools/language/set language/(select your language)/default
 * Open My Computer. Tools/Folder Options/File Type  scroll to HTM and select it.  Then click Advanced, then Change Icon.  I can't say exactly where you'll find the icon as I don't have FF on this computer.
 * You can get Firefox add-ons which will allow you to save the video files from most sites. For example, Fast Video Download.  Please note that many videos, such as those from YouTube, are in the Flash "FLV" format, which can then be played with VLC Media Player.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  14:15, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for your help.

1) Menu/Tools/Language/Set Language/(abc)-English (Australia)/default

It did not work. Every time when I opened a new or old file I had to change manually from Chinese into English at the selector located at the lower right hand corner of the bottom bar.

2) Following your instructions again, I managed to get a window of lots of icon-pictures but I could not find the icon of Firefox. I do not know how to copy one from other computer or download it from somewhere.

3) I managed to find a web-site of Firefox Add-ons. Will ask my local friends to work together. Thank you again. twma 09:49, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Need advice buying a laptop part 3
Hey guys I've narrowed my options down. Please take a look at this comparison. http://direct.tesco.com/compare/?c=204-4693+204-5811&f=%2Fq%2FN.1999033%24264%2FNr.99.aspx

Not sure which is best, as a Gamer, the laptops perfomance in games is important but not the only thing I will take into consideration. It troubles me that battery life is not included in the specification of the HP dv6907. Does anyone here own one of these laptops or be able to find out how long battery life is? Or perhaps maybe you know of a better deal than either of these two.

Thanks a lot —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.19.46.67 (talk) 10:24, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

The 8400M is an abysmal card for games. If you want to play ames at all you're going to want an 8600M minimum 88.211.96.3 (talk) 12:11, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * To the poster above, this poor person has been asking advice for days about his laptop and now you go and contradict everything we've said. Besides he only wants to play Counter Strike Source. Does Nvidia even make an 8600 for laptops? To the OP, I think you're over-analyzing; you should really think about using your laptop near a power source as batteries will only last for a few hours at full usage. I have a dell laptop and it lasts for four hours. Sandman30s (talk) 14:21, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry I wasn't aware he just wanted to play counterstrike source. The card will be fine for that but you'll be running at medium to low settings. And yes, there is an 8600M. It is one of the standard cards on the Dell XPS series of laptops. And to the poster of the question, gaming shouldn't be done unless you're plugged into the power as running 3d graphics presents a massive strain on the computer so it uses more power. Anything other than that and possibly video and you're going to get at least 4 hours probably more on a fully charged battery if you're careful. 88.211.96.3 (talk) 14:31, 11 September 2008 (UTC) Edit: Oh by the way since you're asking for a comparison get the first one. The A200 has a graphics card that isn't even going to be particularly good at running Vista on its own let alone Source. It's also a really old model and it has awful speakers according to a CNet review I found. So to reiterate if those are your 2 choices go for the HP. 88.211.96.3 (talk) 14:44, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks and agreed. My last post was in a great hurry so I neglected to mention that many (if not all) laptops decrease the CPU speed when you switch to battery, to conserve power - not a good idea for gaming. Without checking the specs of your last laptop choice (the Dell), I agree with the 8600M. Oh, and please make a choice now, and happy CSSing! Sandman30s (talk) 20:40, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

virtual machines and operating systems
I just want to try plan 9, inferno and other things, but I don't want to partition my hard drive any further. I don't know which virtual machine to choose, there are simply too many options. I am ready to clean up everything and install everything fresh, if required. I have AMD Athlon x2, x86-64 system. Any help regarding this would really be appreciated. --V4vijayakumar (talk) 18:28, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm going to assume Windows: I'm partial to VMware. It's always seemed a bit faster to me, though I've not used VirtualPC in a version or so. Both products should have something free to use. Washii (talk) 21:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I use VirtualBox which is free and easy to use. x42bn6 Talk Mess  00:26, 12 September 2008 (UTC)
 * QEMU is also worth a try. Also check out Qemu Manager. Jessica   Thunderbolt   15:05, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Text in Windows Vista
Uh, this is kinda weird, but suddenly today the text in webpages in firefox turned italicized and in some other program windows as well (Trend Micro for example). I restarted twice and now the text in firefox is bold while the text in the Trend Micro control box is still italic. Can anyone help and tell me what's going on? Much thanks for any help. --RedStateV (talk) 19:15, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Now the text in IE is italicized too. What the heck?! RedStateV (talk) 19:20, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Ok new update. It's not all web pages that do it. The Google home page, gmail, the ref desk page, any Wikipedia page is along with most other web pages. Facebook and TG Daily seem fine. It's still bold in FF and italics in IE. Plus, when I go into MS Word 2008 and select Arial, it comes out italicized and the selection box for italics isn't checked. Also, when I copy say, some bold text in FF off of the ref desk and into word or notepad, it shows up fine (i.e. clear formatted Times New Roman). RedStateV (talk) 21:24, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * A friend of mine had this problem on a forum. It should go away on its own, hopefully. Avnas Ishtaroth drop me a line  01:33, 12 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I remember I had such problem in Windows 98 when I installed VirNET "Regional Settings Changer". Try to copy the font files from Vista install CD. --grawity 14:43, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Windows Live HotMail
Why the bloody fsck does Windows Live HotMail claim that "This version works better under your browser. For the full version, you need to upgrade to Internet Explorer 6. The full version also works with FireFox 2.0" when I am using it under FireFox 3.0? Is Windows Live HotMail simply too stupid to realise FireFox 3.0 is more advanced than FireFox 2.0, or is this a clever ploy to finally get me to install Windows? J I P | Talk 21:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, to "simply too stupid." I've run across websites that barely support Firefox 1.5, let alone 3.0. Washii (talk) 21:37, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, IDK, I find 2.0 much prettier and more useful than 3.0, but that's just my two cents… Admiral Norton (talk) 21:38, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
 * For me (using Windows, mind you, and using FF3) it tells me it runs good under Firefox 3. ...I AM using Firefox 3! --Alinnisawest,Dalek Empress ( extermination requests here ) 22:25, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

You can always get your browser to identify as something else. My guess is that it could work perfectly well under Ff3/Ie<6, they are just to stupid not only to have not released it yet, but perhaps not even confirmed if they need to.78.149.67.250 (talk) 23:49, 11 September 2008 (UTC)


 * It's been programmed to recognize the Useragent string from Firefox 2, but not Firefox 3. That's it. 24.76.161.28 (talk) 23:50, 15 September 2008 (UTC)