Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2009 April 7

= April 7 =

Can't access files on an iBook via Gentoo
I've been trying to access my girlfriend's iBook G4 since it broke down, using Linux. There aren't that many Linux distros that have a live CD version that can be used with a PPC. I tried Ubuntu 8.10 but it wasn't a live CD rather it was only an installer, but after a long time I found that Gentoo could access the HDD. All I had to do was mount -t hfsplus /dev/hda /media/elin as root and the HDD was accessible in the folder /media/elin. The problem is however that I can't access some of the files that have the permission drwx-- 1 501 501   13 Oct 24  2007 Documents. Who is the user/group 501 and why can't I access it, even when I try it through the command line as root?

When I click it in the GUI I get the error message "The folder contents could not be displayed. You do not have the permissions necessary to view the contents of "Documents"." Why doesn't this work? --BiT (talk) 05:13, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Sigh.. turns out I just had to do "chown root *", "chusr root *" and "chmod 777 *". Maybe there's an easier way, but I got access to the files.. finally. But who is this 501? --BiT (talk) 05:14, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Ok I'll just turn this into three new questions:
 * If you're using a live CD, do you have access to all the files on the computer? It seems odd that I something like permission should affect me when using a live CD as root is like being in God-mode imo.
 * Depends. When you mount a volume, the mount options can specify what to do with the permissions of the volume. It seems that by default it is set to voluntarily enforce the mounted volume's permissions on the users. In any case, if you are root you should be able to access anything. Chances are though that the GUI is not running as root. --76.167.241.45 (talk) 07:08, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * So unless the computer's user has encrypted his or her home directory, anyone can take a look at it? I had already tried it on Windows, but when I saw that I couldn't access the files on the iBook I thought "damn, Macs must have better security than Windows". I don't know much about Macs though, OS X is based on Unix but what about the OS in iBook G4? Is it possible that this wouldn't work with OS X? --BiT (talk) 17:15, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Why do live CDs ask me for a password, like when I want to login as root?
 * This is common practice. I won't go into a discussion about why you should need passwords to log into accounts here. But also often these LiveCDs allow you to run services like SSH server from it, so it is important to be able to restrict remote access. --76.167.241.45 (talk) 07:08, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah but when you have a live CD you can easily become root, only every live CD distro has a different password. Some have user root and passwd root; user ubuntu passwd root... e.g. if you want to perform a command with sudo. But, if you do something like su - or sudo su - (can't remember atm) you become root without'' typing in a password! How are you supposed to guess the live CD's username and password? --BiT (talk) 17:15, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * What would be the best way of transferring the data from the iBook to an external HDD? The GUI is way too slow imo so I'd like a good way to basically copy all of /dev/hda to an external HDD using the command line. Is cp my best bet? --BiT (talk) 05:33, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * cp will probably work, though it is probably equivalent to copying in the GUI. You can also try using rsync. If the copying is very slow, and it is a USB connection, it might be because the connection is USB 1.0. I don't know about the specifics of the hardware on your computer, but if you don't have any USB 2.0 ports, you might consider hooking the external hard drive to another computer that does have USB 2.0 and transferring over the network instead (Ethernet is much faster than USB 1.0). --76.167.241.45 (talk) 07:08, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * The iBook does have several USB ports as well as firewire and Ethernet. I guess I'll just use cp though I might try out rsync. I'm curious though because I don't know much about this, but how do you transfer your data between computers using the ethernet? Are you talking about conntecting both computers with an Ethernet cable and then transferring the data between them? --BiT (talk) 17:15, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Clonezilla is claimed to work with Macs as well as Wintels. -- Hoary (talk) 16:13, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

"Advantage"
When I opened my computer this morning, there was a new icon in the system tray. When I moused over it, it said: "you may be the victim of counterfeit software" or something to that effect. That is utter bullocks. All my software is original. Either it is free software straight from the source or it is bought software from sources I totally trust. (Besides, if the software is fake, it's the company that is the victim, not me)

What worries me, is that I never installed Windows Genuine Advantage because when it was released the only thing I saw it doing was look for pirated software (and I didn't want to not give myself the chance to use any if I needed to for whatever reason). So how did it manage to suddenly start up and try running a test? Can I safely get rid of this program without hurting the integrity of my Windows XP system -- if you can call it that? -- Mgm|(talk) 07:32, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Evidently Microsoft decided to re-list "update" WGA on Windows Automatic Updates . Removal instructions are widely available online (though I can't vouch for any of them). –  7 4   11:28, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Somehow my system ended up downloading the software automatically, while I thought I set it ask me for verification with each update. Great how Windows finds money more important than general computer security. How can I find out which version of WGA I have? (not all versions can be removed with the same method) It's not in the list of installed software or Windows components. - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 16:00, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There do exist alternatives to Windows that are written with much more attention to security than to money; if you don't think much of Windows, you can install an alternative. -- Hoary (talk) 16:10, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Stuff like that is exactly why I moved to Linux. Also the update manager, it happened to me time and time again that I would leave my computer on for the night downloading something and the updater would find a new update, download and install it without asking me and then give me 30 minutes to stop it from restarting my machine. Since I was asleep the computer restarted and the download was ruined. Linux tells you every update it wants to install, and you can pick and choose which one you want and restart on your own time. --BiT (talk) 18:07, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * There are these things called "settings." If you, bear with me now, "set" them to not do what you described, it won't happen. 161.222.160.8 (talk) 21:41, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You sure were quick looking down your nose at me. Everyone I know find this annoying, how is it a smart move to include a wide array of annoying settings in your OS and then telling people "why didn't you just change the settings?". Also, I'd always forgotten about this problem when the computer had already restarted. Most Linux distros tell you "we are going to install these things on you computer, because of this and this, and they are patches for this and that". You can uncheck the ones you don't want and then install it. Also, I had found the place where I could disable the updates in Ubuntu in a week as opposed to never in Windows (after around 16 years of use). Not that I would want to disable the Ubuntu update. --BiT (talk) 13:48, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately, I'm still depending on software that has no non-Windows alternative. I need to be absolutely sure I can run all the programs I require before I make such a drastic move. :( - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 18:45, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Don't you just love the term "Windows Genuine Advantage" ? It's obviously not an advantage to people who are stuck with it, as all it can do is stop you from doing things.  So they stuck "Genuine" in there just in case you didn't believe it was an advantage.  Will the next version be "Windows Genuine Advantage, Really, We Swear" ? StuRat (talk) 22:48, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Let's hope so. Look, Windows is by far the most popular OS in the known universe (with, what, 98% of the market?) and therefore anyone not using it is a weirdo, and your less than utterly respectful comments about it mark you as a Communist. (Emoticon!) -- Hoary (talk) 23:43, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * More like 90%, according to Microsoft Windows. Algebraist 09:57, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Just because many people do something doesn't make it smart Hoary. You might want to read up on argumentum ad populum. --BiT (talk) 14:36, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * A million housewives every day, pick up a can of beans and say, computerz meanz windowz. -- Hoary (talk) 15:24, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Wtf? --BiT (talk) 16:42, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Don't fcuk with a million housewives, BiT. -- Hoary (talk) 00:48, 9 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You make no sense and you scare me. Good day to you. --BiT (talk) 03:04, 9 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I'd choose being a communist over being a corporate zombie every time. - Mgm|(talk) 05:07, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I see. A red. I'm getting under my bed. -- Hoary (talk) 08:53, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Wait, so a communist is bad? --BiT (talk) 13:48, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * So a pope shits in the woods? Look, these commies are getting stuff free even though right-thinking folk pay money for stuff that's no better. The commies then have money left over for stuff like trees (for hugging), DVDs of films in foreign languages (possibly even French), books, and dope. The sky is falling. -- Hoary (talk) 15:24, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Lol I thought you were kidding at first. You can't be serious? --BiT (talk) 16:42, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I think they're kidding (some of those replies are so bizarre I certainly hope that's what it is). StuRat (talk) 13:12, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank God, trees, French DVDs and books... I was starting to get scared --BiT (talk) 02:14, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Middleware
Would you please provide a definition for middleware in plain english... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.196.221.226 (talk) 11:59, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Have you tried our article middleware? –  7 4   12:03, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't really like the definition in our article. But it is a tough term to define clearly.  I would say that they are third party libraries that are neither application-specific, nor a part of the operating system.  In computer game software (for example), the physics, AI and music replay systems might be middleware that the game developers would have purchased rather than written themselves.  The actual game mechanics would be a part of the application and DirectX would be a part of the operating system/drivers. SteveBaker (talk) 03:30, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Broken PC help
I was on the "families" User account on my PC and i accesed the internet and AVG detected a Trojan and prompted me to move it. So i deleted it as it was in C\:Windows\service.exe. I then did a full scan just incase and it found a realplayer exe infected file as the downloading agent. I deleted that and then my system hung. On reboot safe mode doesnt work and it always gets a blue screen asking me to stop antivirus software blah blah and then re-try but the HD is obviously broke. How can i recover the details/system restore? P.s Using laptop now. Thanks for any help.CorrectlyContentious 15:59, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Your HD (harddisk) should be fine, it's the operating system that has broken. Presumably because you removed a critical component of your operating system. What antivirus software are you using? - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 16:02, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * How you restore would depend on the kind of backup you made. If on the other hand you're talking about "recovering" the state when new, then you may be able to boot off CDs provided for this purpose by the "manufacturer" (marketer) of the computer; this will of course delete all the work, email, etc, that you've accumulated since the computer was new. Hoary (talk) 16:06, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Personally if I were in this kind of frustrating situation, I would do the following unwieldy, time consuming, and expensive sequence:


 * Get an external USB hard disk larger than the infected hard disk
 * Use Norton Ghost to create an image file of the infected hard disk. (Choose to create it on the USB hard disk, of course.)
 * Format the infected hard disk, deleting everything on it, and reinstall Windows from scratch. Do all the Windows Update stuff.
 * Create a "user" account (with no admin rights). Use that account from now on, switching to the admin account only when necessary to install software that you know is safe.  This will make it harder for malware to attack your system.
 * Reinstall clean applications one by one from the source disks or the Internet.
 * Use Ghost to mount the infected image file from the USB hard disk, and copy your data files from the USB hard disk over to your newly-formatted hard disk.
 * Virus scan using a couple of virus scanners.


 * Tempshill (talk) 20:08, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Tempshill: Use Norton Ghost to create an image file of the infected hard disk. I can't think of any way in which Norton Ghost is superior to Clonezilla, other than having a slicker interface with prompts in English that's more polished and has fewer exclamation points. And while Norton Ghost costs money, Clonezilla costs no money. Am I overlooking something? -- Hoary (talk) 23:46, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Never used Clonezilla; I'm glad to hear there's an alternative. Does Clonezilla support incremental backups, where only changed sectors are added to the backup set?  Tempshill (talk) 22:32, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Not as far as I recall, no. It's not designed for everyday backup. (For one thing, it involves booting off a Debian live CD: nothing wrong with that, of course, but it's hardly something you can do while checking your email and so forth.) -- Hoary (talk) 00:33, 9 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Then that's one way that Norton Ghost is superior to Clonezilla. It's pretty nice.  Tempshill (talk) 03:19, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

SMF Forums - How to require mod approval for reg's?
Hi Wikians!

I'm running a forum on SMF, and have a problem with spammers. I have it set so that you have to register to post, but the spammers just go ahead and register. Is there a way to require mod approval for new accounts before they are allowed to post? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.118.48.5 (talk) 17:21, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * You may be interested in the mod here. Read the docs on it.  It is specifically designed to stop forum spam. --  k a i n a w &trade; 19:56, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * A CAPTCHA at registration may also reduce spam. Neon  Merlin  23:24, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

Rip DVD with VLC
I'm trying to do this. However, I can't find a combination of file-type, encapsulation method, video codec and audio codec that either work, or don't crash my computer. Any suggestions? Do I need to download any codecs? Thanks. ╟─ Treasury Tag ► contribs ─╢ 21:07, 7 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Why VLC? There are far better ways to rip dvds —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 22:38, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Easy answer is don't use VLC. VLC is buggy and a pain in the neck. Tell us what OS you have and we can direct you to something better suited to the task. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 01:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Windows XP Media Centre. ╟─ Treasury Tag ► contribs ─╢ 06:53, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Ripping DVD is old hat - use DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink. Only for backup of course ;) Sandman30s (talk) 18:07, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I did try DVD-D, but that produces some basically un-usable .vob files (I want to watch this in WMP, not burn a copy). ╟─ Treasury Tag ► contribs ─╢ 08:51, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You should be able to play the vob files in VLC, but WMP will not play them unless you have a MPEG-2 compatible filter. Another option is to encode the vob files to a format which WMP will be able to play. To do this, first copy the vobs to your hard drive with DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink, this removed the copyright encryption. Then you'll need a video encoder, I'd recommend HandBrake, MeGUI or GVC. For WMP, you should probably encode to XviD in avi container. You should end up with a .avi file that will play in WMP no problem, though you may also need to install the XviD codec first. JSK715  13:54, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
 * You can set DVD Decrypter to rip to .iso files. Mount the .iso files using Daemon Tools then you can watch using WMP. F (talk) 10:06, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

How do I know if a Wifi network is legit or is a spoof?
My local commuter rail occasionally has free wifi, depending on whether they have the hardware set up on that specific train. The network name is something like "Free MBTA Wireless" or whatever. If I see a network called "Free MBTA Wireless" on a train, how do I know if it's the MBTA's legitimate network, or if it's someone else on the train spoofing a fake network? That is, besides asking the conductors, who know less about the system than I do and never know whether it has been turned on. This is a more general question than just my train -- for example, airports abound with fake networks, and there isn't always someone to ask.

Is there any way to find out who it is that is actually broadcasting a network, without attaching to that network? Or find out other information about it without compromising yourself?

And is the danger of wifi spoofing just limited to the data that travels across the network? If I avoid using any passwords or sensitive data, am I safe? Or can they do malicious stuff even without me transmitting sensitive data, like get into my computer?

(I'm using a Mac, 10.5, with no additional wifi-related software, if that is relevant).

Thanks! &mdash; Sam 146.115.120.108 (talk) 22:48, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Have you tried using a newer Wi-Fi detector/analyzer? Neon  Merlin  23:21, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I am using Mac's native wifi connection program. It distinguishes between access points and ad hoc networks, but afaik, it is possible for a wifi spoofer to mimic an access point. If there are other programs that can provide more detail, I'd be intersted in what they are and what they do. Thanks, &mdash; Sam 146.115.120.108 (talk) 01:59, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * They could definitely break into your system if you have a connection with them. All they have to do is send an exploit of a service you are running over their connection to you and run shellcode via this exploit that does what they want to do.  For example, they could buffer overflow your web browser (perhaps) and use that to execute some shellcode that binds a shell to a port.  They could then connect to that port and have root access to your computer.  Hope this helps, Ζρς ιβ' ¡hábleme! 02:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * If a spoofer is careless, they might forget to spoof the BSSID, and then you would see that the BSSID is different than it usually is. But it is trivial to spoof that. I mean, from a philosophical point of view, there is no difference between a "legit" and a non-legit network, if they both act the same way. The only thing that would prevent a spoofer from acting the same way as a legit network is if there is some information they do not know, like an encryption key.


 * If the network is unsecured, then there is no difference between a legit and not legit network. (Even if the legit network were running, anyone could still intercept and/or pretend to send you responses from the access point, and hope that you accept them rather than the access point.) Besides getting stuff you transmit, anything you download could also be suspect, as they could have injected a virus or something into it. If you go onto any sites where you are logged in (even if you didn't log in while on the network, if you logged in before and it remembers), the sessions cookies might allow them to gain the same access as you.


 * Even if the network were secured, it would still depend on the type of security. If it's something like a simple WEP key, then if they know the key too (chances are they do if you do), then they can spoof it just the same. --76.167.241.45 (talk) 04:49, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

There's no great way to tell. When using a public WiFi network, make sure to have your firewall turned on; to use an SSL (encrypted) connection if you use POP e-mail like Outlook or Thunderbird; that your password-protected websites use an encrypted page when the password is exchanged; and that if you use something sensitive like web e-mail that you don't want snooped that the website operator uses an encrypted connection (as GMail can be configured to do). The first of these measures makes sure that the guy spoofing the network can't try connecting to your computer in any way, and the other measures are to prevent him from reading the data that you send and receive. If you utilize these measures, you don't really have to care whether the network is a spoof network or not, actually; all the spoofer will end up with is a lot of encrypted data to look at and scratch his head at. Tempshill (talk) 22:38, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Like Tempshill says, there's no real way to tell. Any non authenticated network can be spoofed. The good news is that it's not as dire as some of the other posters suggest. First, if you're on a mac, and if your firewall's on there's not a lot of concern over someone "breaking into your system"--that would need an unpatched root vulnerability. To be sure they exist, but they're not especially common on an up to date machine, and there's nothing stopping anyone from doing this on a legit, but open network anyway. The bigger risk is a man in the middle attack. To avoid those just make sure you're checking the ssl certificates and checking fingerprints if you're really paranoid. Shadowjams (talk) 06:10, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
 * If your really paranoid you could set up your home computer to accept incoming vnc (or other remote protocols) connections. Then when you connect useing your macbook you can use vnc to securly connect to your home computer and surf the web that way.. there are some limitations tho. But in the end if someone did try to see your traffic all they will see is a lot of encrypted packets going to one website (or IP address.. depending on how your set up your remote computer)

TV standards with no overscan
Do any newer TV standards exist that specifically disallow overscan and make the entire frame title-safe? Neon Merlin  23:19, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * TVs are moving to digital format now rather than analogue. Are you thinking of a digital equivalent? Dmcq (talk) 09:38, 8 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Even HDTV formats like 720p and 1080i and 1080p aren't immune from this; some older sets like mine lose a lot of pixels at the edges. Never seen an issue with LCD sets, of course, though the video game console manufacturers still claim you need a little bit of safety at the edges because of overscan.  Tempshill (talk) 22:41, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Connecting a 2.5" SATA Laptop HDD to a Desktop PC
I am having real trouble connecting a Samsung 2.5" SATA Laptop Hard Drive to my computer for diagnostics. The model number is - (HM120IJ). It is a SATA rather than a PATA HDD and does not have a normal 7 Pin SATA connector at the edge. I have tried taking the strange looking connector off by unscrewing all mounting enclosures etc, but when the circuit board with the connector is removed there is no standard SATA connector hidden below.

The connecting end has what looks like a 7-Pin and a 15-Pin connector side by side, but neither of them are shaped in a way that a SATA cable can be attatched. For reference there is also a small row of four pins next to the stange connector (possibly jumper pins but i don't think so).

The drive has come out of a Hewlett Packard Pavillion dv2104eu (dv2000 series) laptop of just over a year old, and the hard drive connector does not have anything plugged onto it, but is merely pressed against the motherboard connector which has two sets of small raised pins (7-pin & 15-pin side-by-side).

Please does anyone have any idea what this connector is and how this thing can be connected to a normal motherboard as i cant find any suitable connectors anywhere??? Thanks.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dammers (talk • contribs) 23:34, 7 April 2009 (UTC)


 * It sounds like you might have a slimline connector and your answer may be a slimline sata cable (google). Depending on your intended use, a 2.5" sata drive enclosure (google) may also be an option.  -- Tcncv (talk) 01:41, 8 April 2009 (UTC)