Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2009 January 23

= January 23 =

3rd Generation iPod Nano
I own a black 8 GB third-generation iPod Nano. It's about a year and a quarter old. It often freezes up. Occasionally, it will not turn on, or freeze at the screen saver, where it shows the time, and battery level(that's what is happening now). This has been happening for a while, and I am now sick of it. Thanks in advance,  Genius  101 Guestbook  00:28, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Okay. Do you have a question? Supposing that it's just "how do I fix this?", I suggest you try a reset. If that doesn't do the trick, I don't think you have many options besides contacting Apple's support -- unfortunately, iPods aren't very user-serviceable devices. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:17, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * This has been happening with every generation since the original, and there's really no way to fix it. You just wait for it to run out of battery (that means don't plug it in to charge it), then you just plug it into your comp, wait for it to charge, and it's fixed. Yay. flaminglawyerc 02:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Okay, thanks, I tried the reset, and..tada! My question was "how the heck do I fix this?" Thanks,  Genius  101 Guestbook  16:54, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Is the battery really the problem??
I've got a several-year-old (meaning, out-of-support) Dell 8300 (WinXP SP2), which apparently has a battery of some type in it. Over the holiday break, I powered my system down at the surge protector, and it stayed off for about 15 days. During startup, I got a "system battery is low" message, but bootup completed successfully -- except that the system no longer knew what time it was :-).

Since then (and after manually resetting the clock), I now get a one-line message at bootup: Press F1 to continue, or F2 to enter Setup. Continuing seems to work fine; entering setup, doing nothing, and exiting also seems to work fine. I assume that the battery eventually recharged, as there are no more messages about it.

What else happened, and how do I make that message go away?

P.S. Googling for "System Battery is low" gives a plethora of horror stories. I am certainly hoping that I don't *really* have a battery problem!

--DaHorsesMouth (talk) 04:44, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Your experience is consistent with a CMOS battery failure. The only way to resolve the problem is to replace the small 'coin' battery on the motherboard. This is generally a relatively simple procedure, but I wouldn't recommend attempting it if you don't feel comfortable doing so. Nearly any computer repair business should be able to replace it for a reasonable charge (less than an hour of work). Alternatively, you can simply press F1 to continue each boot. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 05:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It is a simple procedure and will take 1 minute, tops. (Assuming the CMOS battery is the problem and your computer uses a standard battery.) 121.72.195.132 (talk) 10:38, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
 * As far as I know, CMOS batteries are alkaline and do not "recharge". As long as the AC power is plugged in, it can use a small amount of power from that to preserve the CMOS settings (like the time), even if the battery doesn't work, so that's why you haven't seen the time get reset again since. But if you unplug the AC power again, the settings will be lost again. --131.179.33.138 (talk) 05:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Linking via an image
On my Wiki, I want to place an image called Image:Gofaffiliateimage.png and insert the relevant code so that, when someone clicks on the image, it links them to an external website. Is there a way to do that? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 05:17, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Something close can be accomplished using layers. Essentially, you place a "link" layer on top of an "image" layer, with the result that clicking on the image actually triggers the link instead. Here's an example:

 


 * The code I butchered for this example originally came from Malcolm's userspace. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 11:31, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

—AlanBarrett (talk) 17:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Here's an example using the ImageMap extension:

Thanks AlanBarrett and 74.137.108.115! I've decided to use 74's since Alan's only seems to work with internal links. One last question, how do you make the image either 1) stay on the same line as the text, or 2) move to the center of the line it's on? 70.179.52.204 (talk) 00:12, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


 * You've got several options:

  
 * Option 1: add "float:right" or "float:left" to the outer div (it'll appear on the same lines as the text)

   (it'll appear wherever you put it in the table)
 * Option 2: add "margin:auto" to the outer div (it'll appear centered in its container; IE may not honor this)


 * I'm sure there are other ways to position it as well, but hopefully one of these will work for you. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:02, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Windows Live OneCare back up issues
I ran the regularly scheduled Windows Live OneCare tune-up on my computer (I use Windows XP SP3), and when I tried to back up my files on DVD with a disc I had already used from previous back ups, it got rejected with a message telling me the data was corrupted and to enter a blank disc, which I did. That disc also got rejected for being "corrupted", so I inserted another blank disc. Same deal. The error message told me I should try another brand of DVDs for back ups, but the brand I've been using (Memorex) has been working fine for every back-up I've ever had until now. I've had previous discs rejected for being corrupt, but inserting a brand new disc usually solved the problem, only not this time. What's the deal? --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 06:25, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I'd say it's your DVD drive. It probably always was borderline at being able to write to DVDs, such that sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.  It sounds like it just got a bit worse, and now they don't work at all, at least not that brand.  It is possible that another brand will work.  If not, you may need to replace your DVD drive. StuRat (talk) 16:20, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

laptop and notebook
To concerned

Please provide me details regarding difference of laptop and notebook both technically and commercial viewpoints with application basis.

Im interested in buying one and have limited domestic personal use only.Please guide. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Raje786 (talk • contribs) 10:22, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Really the words "laptop" and "notebook" mean the same thing. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 10:31, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I suggest you compare Laptop and Netbook. manya (talk) 10:42, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Internet Explorer version 8
Hello Dears!I have currently downloaded Internet Explorer version 8.but i cant install it ,all the steps go just untouch.Yes i have Net connection active .It saya could not install and restart your computer and see a troubleshooting shortcut on desktop.Any help please! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.154.30.31 (talk) 10:47, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * What operating system do you have ? Windows XP ? StuRat (talk) 16:14, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't mean to sound snotty, but did you restart your computer and see the troubleshooting shortcut on the desktop? Livewireo (talk) 20:01, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Keyboard mapping.
Hello.

the 'r' and '1' keys on my laptop are broken. Is there and option in Windows, and/or a program I can download, that I can use to assign o1her keys (like '[' and ']')for these keys, so I can press 1hem instead of 1he broken ones?

thanks a lot in advance!220.237.140.75 (talk) 11:00, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I've had success remapping keys with KeyTweak. Still, if you do much typing you might want to consider replacing your keyboard--they generally aren't *that* expensive. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 11:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree with replacing the keyboard, they only cost around $20 for a basic one. However, you might want to try cleaning yours first.  Turn it upside down over a trash can and shake it vigorously to dislodge any crumbs.  If that doesn't work, pry the bad keys off, clean off anything stuck underneath, then replace them.  If the keys still don't work, replace it. StuRat (talk) 16:12, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * A replacement laptop keyboard will probably cost more than $20 and require some disassembly of the laptop for install. If you generally don't move your laptop then an external keyboard (for $20) would be an option. I would not recommend prying keys off a laptop keyboard--they tend to be attached differently than stand-alone keyboards, and there is the potential for damage to the screen if the keys are seriously messed up. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 16:40, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Damage to the screen from prying on keys ? StuRat (talk) 17:29, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * There's generally not a lot of space between the keyboard and screen when the screen is closed; a botched attempt to remove the broken keys could leave something sticking up which would impact the screen. It doesn't take too much force concentrated in a small area to crack an LCD panel. (I admit it isn't all that likely, but I've seen the results of closing a laptop screen on a pen before.) -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 17:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I did miss that it was a laptop, but would agree with the idea of an external keyboard, in that case. StuRat (talk) 17:26, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I have actually found that laptop keyboards are actually cheaper than many desktop keyboards. Dell, for example, charges around $11-$16 for laptop keyboard replacements.  Changing the keyboard is a little more complicated, of course... gnfnrf (talk) 05:38, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Your "T" key shouldn't buy any green bananas, either! --Sean 12:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Incidentally, by "broken keys", I had assumed the keys were intact, but just didn't work. If you meant the keys are cracked or missing, you might want to remove some less-often-used keys and replace the one that are broken.  If you have any duplicate keys of the same size, like an  on either side of the keyboard, that might be a good choice. StuRat (talk) 15:09, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I've had a lot of luck fixing jammed up keys using electronic 'switch cleaner' (which you can get from any decent electronics store). However, keyboards are amazingly cheap and the switch cleaner may very well not work and probably costs more than half what a new keyboard would cost.  I have switch cleaner around for other purposes - and the keyboards I love aren't made anymore...so I have to fix them. SteveBaker (talk) 03:25, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Buckling spring? Seriously though, I would be hesitant to recommend applying chemicals to a laptop keyboard without removing it from the laptop first. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 04:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Switch cleaner is OK though - it's specifically designed for unsticking switches close to fancy electronics. It evaporates without messing up your electronics.  I've used it (with mixed success) on several laptops - while it doesn't always fix the keyboard - I've never known it to mess up the electronics.  Also, you have a really fine 'straw' that you poke right into the switch to spray through (you have to remove the keycap first) - so the stuff only goes exactly where you squirt it. SteveBaker (talk) 07:13, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * There's something snake-oil-ish about a product that claims to "chemically dissolve and quickly clean away oil, grease, dust and atmospheric contaminants, then evaporate to leave a thin protective lubricant." Unless science has been recently rewritten, all of that gunk has to go somewhere, and anything strong enough to vaporize contaminants probably wouldn't be very safe on anything else. In actuality, I suspect that the gunk ends up redeposited wherever the cleaner evaporates, but as long as it's ouside the switch the "cleaning" would be a technical success. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 19:46, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Dial Tone but no Internet
If I have a phone dial tone, but my router shows 0 up and downstream speed, what does this signify about my connection? I'm in the UK. 82.111.24.28 (talk) 12:00, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * The dial tone is unrelated to ADSL (which I'll randomly assume you have). The ADSL modem's signal is a high pitched screech at a low volume; the dial tone can drown it out. Keep the receiver off the hook for a couple of minutes; the phone center might stop giving the dial tone after a while and you'll hear the modem. Or dial one digit on the phone and (at least where I live) the dial tone shuts up.
 * I doubt we can diagnose the problem over the Internet. Unplug and re-plug all the wires (sounds trivial advice, but a loose connector is so often the problem.) Then call your Internet service provider's tech support. 88.114.222.252 (talk) 13:22, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I wouldn't say they're totally unrelated. If you have no dial tone, you probably have no Internet either.  That's a relationship. StuRat (talk) 16:07, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Some things you can try: Reboot your modem/router; move the modem's connection to another phone socket; try a different ADSL filter; check the rest of the wiring (eg. make sure the ethernet cable is still pluggesd in, check for damaged cables, etc.); phone your ISP to find out their current service status; phone BT and ask if there's a problem with your line; have you paid your bill?  Astronaut (talk) 13:51, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Also reboot your computer, both before and after you try the steps above. If something like moving to another socket doesn't work, then move back to the original, as you could otherwise end up with two simultaneous probs, which is far more difficult to diagnose. StuRat (talk) 17:20, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

All links
I need a website or program that can list all the links contained within a website, including all the images urls, download files etc. I don't want to download the links i simply want them listed in a very simple way to i can copy them into a notepad file for later. thank you for your help. jemaru —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 12:45, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * By the look of it, http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/link-extractor.shtml can do that (separately for links to other webpages, and src links suchs as images) Rawling 4851 13:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 15:58, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I use the GNU 'wget' program - it has all sorts of options to let you tweak how much recursion you want - retries for flakey servers - the ability to 'pretend' to be InternetExplorer, etc...use the '--spider' option to stop it from actually doing the downloads. SteveBaker (talk) 03:15, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Browser addon visual update checker
Does anybody know of a browser tool (or any tool actually) that can check for updates visually? For example, it would alert you when a video changed, or when something changed in a flash applet. Obviously the window has to be open, but I'm talking about firefox tabs here, so it would probably be in the background (hence the need for an alert). It's not so much that it has to respond to visual changes, just that the contents of this flash applet are updated off site, and the flash applet itself doesn't change, so I can't think of any other way to verify when it changes. Thanks in advance! 210.254.117.186 (talk) 13:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Update Scanner will check the page contents. It won't check the actual videos, and doing that would be rather a lot of effort as it would have to download each video you wished to check, them run some sort of comparison of them. Doing that many times would not be worth just checking manually. But when the videos are updated wouldn't there be a little text message update on whatever website, saying there is a new video or whatever? It could check for that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 21:23, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * If you only want to ensure that you have the most recent version, Opera supports automatic page reloading based on a configurable delay, which likely means there is a Firefox plugin for the same functionality somewhere. (Automatic reloading can be quite handy when a webmail provider decides to implement a 5 minute inactivity timeout.) -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:38, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Yeah the point here is that the images are streamed through flash, so there is probably no actual change in the page contents, at least not that I can find. Tabplus in Firefox has a simple page reload function (like opera), but that doesn't help. The tabs are left open so it shouldn't have to download the applet or anything, I just can't think of any other way this would be possible if not visually. 210.254.117.186 (talk) 02:49, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * The kind of notification your asking about *could* be added to the source code of the flash applet. But there isn't anything you can do on the browser side to detect updates without performing a request. How does the flash applet know which images to show? Either a) they are coded into the applet, b) they are coded into the page and passed to the applet, or c) information is available at a specific location where the applet knows to look. In the first two instances the applet and the page must be reloaded respectively (which in practice means a page reload). In the third case, you could theoretically find the address where the image information is posted and open *that* in a seperate browser tab to monitor for changes. But, there is no way to know if a file on the internet has been changed without sending a request in one form or another--the visual update feature you're describing would have to send requests for content and filter those against the prior page, making it essentially an auto-reload with change tracking. Which is actually an interesting idea... it seems like there are certainly situations where such a feature would be helpful (tracking price updates, comments on Wikipedia, or modifications to a candidate's platform). Anyway, reloading the page should be a low-cost operation if the contents have not changed (thanks to caching); why is that unacceptable? -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 03:48, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Well the flash applet shows an image when there is no activity, and it shows a (streamed video) once in a while. In the flash code it (presumably) checks for a video feed, and if it doesn't find one, shows an image. Reloading the page won't show any difference in code, I don't think. 210.254.117.186 (talk) 10:38, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

better crash course
I'm planning to create a niche startup company in bioinformatics. However, I have little knowledge in programming and web design. I found inexpensive crash courses that might help me but I have no idea which would be better. The criteria for choosing which is the better course are:
 * 1) Money spent on applications (legally downloadable programs are preferred, I don't like to pay royalties :))
 * 2) Target flagship program (I'm still researching the demands of the bioinfo world) for my startup would probably be online with the user typing variables (genetic code, amino acid sequence) while the program produces a text based output.
 * 3) Skills earned should be on the demand on various computer jobs just in case my future start-up folds.

The courses are:
 * $200 (50 hours) Database programming: visual basic, C++, C#


 * $170 (40 hours) Webpage development: HTML w/ CSS, JAva Script plus ASP.NET or PHP

-- Lenticel ( talk ) 15:49, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I would expect you'd want to set up a web site before setting up a database, so I'd think you'd take that class first. StuRat (talk) 16:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * HTML/CSS and JavaScript won't need anything more than a simple webbrowser. However, the second portion either requires you to get a copy of IIS for ASP.NET (which costs money past the evaluation period), or Apache for the PHP.  For Database programming, it looks like you'll need a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio, but the IDE limits interaction to SQL Server Express and Microsoft Access.   Overall, you won't have to pay for additional software for Database programming, but you'll need to get the IIS Evaluation just as soon as you start the ASP.NET section.  --Sigma 7 (talk) 17:27, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your advice.-- Lenticel ( talk ) 04:51, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

huawei c5330 virgin mobile
how to connect net to pc from huawei c5330 virgin mobile —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.200.0.51 (talk) 15:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

adblockplus
how can i disable adblock plus on only one website? i want it to work everywhere else except for on never at all on one website. thanks you, sorry if i asked more questions than is allowed. jemaru —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 15:59, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I haven't tried this yet but it might work. Go to the website that you want to disable Adblockplus. Click on the drop-down list next to the ABP icon. You should find options that tells "disable on (site name)" and "Disable on this page only". Click "disable on (site name)". See if it works.-- Lenticel ( talk ) 16:16, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Yep, that's definitely the right thing to be doing - the icon should go green. Just remember to refresh to see the effects (i.e. the "ads"). - Jarry1250 (t, c) 18:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * However, this method will only work for addresses below the main domain you select as an exemption. For example, disabling Adblockplus on wikipedia.org will not disable it on en.wikipedia.org or fr.wikipedia.org etc etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 20:05, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It merely requires a little tweaking to ensure complete (e.g. Wikipedia) exemption. If you exempt en.wikipedia.org and want fr, de and so on also to be exempted, click on the arrow again and select "Preferences". On the dialogue that comes up, you should see a line beginning @@| then a web address (eg. @@|http://en.wikipedia.org/ ). To make the exemption more flexible, change any areas where difference might occur to an asterisk. Mine ends up as @@|http*://*.wikipedia.org/ - thus working on all versions and security levels of Wikipedia. Hope that helps! - Jarry1250 (t, c) 20:39, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Hey awesome! Thanks Jarry1250 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 21:52, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

Java Pics
In java, is there a way to import a bitmap as an array of numbers, and save an array as a bitmap? Black Carrot (talk) 16:41, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * It's possible. java.awt.image.BufferedImage has two methods, getRGB and setRGB that allow using an array for input or output. They also work for individual pixels if you prefer (but importing and exporting is faster using the array version.) --Sigma 7 (talk) 17:18, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I looked up some tutorials on BufferedImages and ImageIO yesterday, but I can't get it to work. Could you post or point me to some functioning code? Black Carrot (talk) 18:15, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Why not post some simple code (perhaps only the contents of a lone  without imports or declarations for the class and method) and explain what you expected it to do and what it did instead?  --Tardis (talk) 16:32, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

BufferedImage pic = ImageIO.read(new File("inputfile.bmp")); int width = pic.getWidth; int height = pic.getHeight; image = new int[height][width]; for(int r=0; r<height; r++) for(int c=0; c<width; c++) image[r][c] = pic.getRGB(c,r)+16777216; //area for editing image for(int r=0; r<height; r++) for(int c=0; c<width; c++) pic.setRGB(c,r,image[r][c]-16777216); ImageIO.write(pic, "bmp", new File("outputfile.bmp"));


 * It gives a null pointer exception early on, and careful checking shows that it reads in an entirely empty file (0 bytes). It seems to be working fine with jpg and png, so I'm using those right now, but it would be nice to be able to use bitmap. Black Carrot (talk) 17:21, 26 January 2009 (UTC)
 * [I reformatted your code.] Code much like that works for me; what do you mean by "reads in an entirely empty file"?  If you're getting a , that implies that the   call can't find a filter that recognizes your input.  That happens to me if I give it an empty bitmap file, as you might be doing.  Also, you really don't want to add/subtract 16777216; what you're really doing is masking off the alpha field and then supplying an alpha value of "opaque", so you want   and  .  --Tardis (talk) 19:33, 26 January 2009 (UTC)


 * The error occurs at the "pic.getWidth" line. When I remove everything except the ImageIO.read and ImageIO.write lines, it complains during the ImageIO.write line that "im = null", and similar experiments have caused it to save the destination file as an empty file with zero bites. How can I get a filter that will recognize it? For instance, I just tried it on the image here, and got the same result. What do the ampersand and vertical bar represent in your last sentence? Black Carrot (talk) 01:50, 27 January 2009 (UTC)
 * What is ?  We're not (yet) interested in the destination file, because your code doesn't even read anything in correctly.  The only way I can get a   is by giving it an input file of 0 bytes; perhaps you accidentally truncated your input file by specifying it as the output file at some point?  The JavaDoc for javax.imageio specifically promises that BMP is supported out of the box, so surely that's not the issue.  My code (which follows) has no trouble with the image you linked.

final BufferedImage pic = ImageIO.read(new File(args[0])); final int width = pic.getWidth,height = pic.getHeight; for(int r=0;r<height;++r) for(int c=0;c<width;++c) pic.setRGB(c,r,pic.getRGB(c,r)^0xFFFFFF); ImageIO.write(pic, "bmp", new File(args[1]));
 * (It toggles every RGB bit in the image, just to do something interesting.) Finally, the   and   represent bitwise AND and OR respectively; they're used to operate on the alpha channel.  (The channel is trivial, since bitmaps do not support transparency.)  --Tardis (talk) 18:27, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

When I paste in your code and run it, it gives me an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException on the first line. When I replace args[0] and args[1] with an input and output file, it gives me a NullPointerException on the second line. Black Carrot (talk) 15:23, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * (The  is because you ran it with no arguments; my code expects to be run as java ClassName input.bmp output.bmp.)  It sounds like you have a broken (or perhaps old) Java installation, or maybe an incomplete one (I don't know if GNU Classpath happens to support BMP, for instance).  What do you have, and can you upgrade it?  --Tardis (talk) 18:48, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

I got this version of Java from my CS teacher in high school about four or five years ago. I'm using JCreator 2.5 LE (version 2.5 build 8) according to its info screen. I don't know if there's anything missing, it's whatever she handed us. Is there a way to fix it for free? Black Carrot (talk) 21:40, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
 * JCreator is an IDE, not a version of Java. I say that not to be pedantic, but because you need to know what to upgrade: according to its FAQ, it makes use of an installation of the standard Sun JDK.  There are other implementations of Java (some mentioned in that article), but that one is the most standard and almost surely what you want.  It may be the case that you have to upgrade JCreator as well; the "LE" versions appear to be freeware.  There are in fact many free source code editors, some of which are not merely freeware but free software.  --Tardis (talk) 16:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

why is fanboi spelled with an i
why is fanboi spelled with an i if it is fanboy —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.120.227.136 (talk) 19:03, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * See Meme. Also, this is more suitable for the Reference desk/Language.  --Sigma 7 (talk) 19:06, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * The spelling with the "i" is typically used when implying the fanboy is annoying or immature. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.88.87 (talk) 20:02, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * There are non-annoying, mature fanboys? Where? SteveBaker (talk) 03:04, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * See also Sk8er Boi. Where's the Avril troll when you need him? -- Coneslayer (talk) 17:48, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Gradients on Inkscape (or GIMP)
How is it possible to make a gradient on a photograph on Inkscape or GIMP? I can do it with 'drawn' objects, but I have not been able to do it with photographs. I found some websites with tutorials, but the best information I got told me to 'select' the object, which I am unable to do. I am using Inkscape Ver.0.46 and GIMP Ver.2.6.3. Can anyone help? If possible, a step-by-step walk-through would be very much appreciated.--KageTora (talk) 21:01, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * In inkscape: first add the photo, then draw another rectangle. Set a gradient in the rectangle, then set the alpha of the rectangle to (e.g.) 50%.Resize the rectangle to be the same as the photo, and drag it over the rectangle. Mimetic Polyalloy (talk) 22:07, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks, so far so good, until 'setting the alpha'. Now, how do I do that? Sorry to be a pain.--KageTora (talk) 22:18, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * In its "fill and stroke" sheet, use the "opacity" slider. 87.113.74.22 (talk) 23:05, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Ah! Now it becomes clear! Thanks, both of you!--KageTora (talk) 23:13, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * There are a million ways to do it in GIMP - but I'd do this:
 * Make sure the image is not an 'indexed' image (go to Image/Mode and make sure that 'RGB' is checked) Unless you are dealing with '.GIF' images - it'll probably be in RGB anyway - so you can skip this step.
 * Right-click on the image and in the popup menu, select the "Select/All" option (this selects the entire image).
 * Click on the gradient tool - double-click to get the options dialog if you need it.
 * Now, in the image: Click where you want the gradient to start - hold the mouse button down and drag to indicate the direction and end of the gradient. Release the mouse button.
 * Voila!
 * SteveBaker (talk) 03:03, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks, Steve, but that doesn't work. It just covers the picture with a half-colour-half-white piece of paper.--KageTora (talk) 06:25, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Could you be MUCH more specific about what you want? From your question, it seemed that you got exactly what you asked for.  If you pick (for example) the "FG to transparent" gradient and set the Foreground color too (say) Red - then you'll end up with an image that fades from solid red to the colors in your photograph.  Is that not what you want? SteveBaker (talk) 07:07, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * You need to edit the gradient. One stop should be white and alpha should be 100% the other stop should be white and alpha at 0% . Alternatively you could do it in GIMP by adding a a layer mask to the image and then putting a black to to white gradient on the layer mask. The image will be opaque when the mask is white and transparent when the mask is black.(If you need detailed step by step instructions on how to do this let me know) Theresa Knott | token threats 06:38, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

How to Disable the Hard Drive Temperature Sensor
Does anyone know how to disable the hard drive temperature sensor on the compaq presario v2000 notebook? Or if that is not possible how to override the overheating fail-safe? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 21:47, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The temperature sensor was probably included for a reason; overriding it wouldn't seem to be in your (or your hardware's) best interest. Anyway, this is most likely a BIOS feature, so you might be able to modify/disable it in your BIOS setup. Alternatively, if the sensor is implemented as seperate hardware, you may be able to disconnect it, move it away from the hard drive, or replace it with a circuit that behaves predictably. If it's implemented internally to the hard drive then replacing the hard drive with a model that doesn't support temperature sensing would probably disable it. Again, I don't think any attempt to circumvent the computer's built-in hardware protection is advisable. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:20, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * So can you please be more specific on what I have to do? My laptop does not allow me to finish installing windows xp because it keeps shutting down at a random times during the installation.  I think this might is most likely a temperature sensor error.  When I took out the hard drive after trying 10 installations it was much cooler than my normal hard drive and the laptop case was not that hot as well.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 11:42, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Are you sure it has anything to do with the hard drive? A good start to diagnose/resolve overheating is to make sure the laptop is on a hard surface with proper ventilation, and away from any other heat sources. Next, check that all the ventilation fans are functional and free of dust and debris. A spray of compressed air can help remove accumulated particles. You might also try removing the battery (charging it produces heat) or the power cord (running on battery power usually reduces power consumption). If the computer is still overheating at this point, more invasive procedures may be necessary. This page mentions the lack of thermal paste can lead to CPU overtemp conditions. Finally, there is the possibility that the system shutdowns could be caused by some factor other than overheating (bad power supply, loose screw inside the case, etc.). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 13:45, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * My laptop can start and does not shut down with my current windows xp / hard drive. But when I try to install windows xp on a different hard drive the laptop shuts down at various stages of the installation.  So the problem is with the most likely with the hard drive temperature being interpreted incorrectly by the bios.  The new hard drive is much cooler than my current hard drive when its taken out of the laptop.  Also I am able to install applications and do computationally intensive tasks on my laptop with the old hard drive for long periods without it shutting down.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.171.16.131 (talk) 15:29, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * That certainly makes it sound like the new hard drive is at fault. SMART is a drive feature that supplies information on expected failures--including in some cases temperature data. If your BIOS supports disabling SMART you might try that. Otherwise, I would recommend you contact the drive's manufacturer for support. -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 18:55, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

location of Mac OSX *.keylayout file
New keyboards can be added to Mac OSX by dragging an XML based file to the "Keyboard Layouts" folder. They end in the extension ".keylayout". Is it possible to find where it keeps the equivalent files for the default installed ones? My name is anetta (talk) 22:25, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Well, if you have dragged it to the 'Keyboard Layouts' folder, I would assume it was there. This would be found in one of the two libraries that you will have. One will be in your Home folder, and the other in your Macintosh HD folder. It should be in one of those.--KageTora (talk) 22:52, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Failing that, use Finder to search for them, by typing in '*.keylayout' (without quotes) as the search term.--KageTora (talk) 22:54, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Neither of those seem to work out. Both of my "Keyboard Layouts" folders are empty; the search turns up nothing. I don't see them anywhere, which is odd... --98.217.14.211 (talk) 00:48, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


 * They appear to be in a different format, in /System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/AppleKeyboardLayouts.bundle. It's a "bundle" (aka "package"), which means it's actually a directory but the Finder displays it as a single file.  If you want to look inside, right-click on it (or control-click) and select "Show Package Contents".  The layouts themselves seem to be in a pair of files named AppleKeyboardLayouts-B.dat and AppleKeyboardLayouts-L.dat.
 * Just in case you're interested, there are actually 4 different Library folders on Mac OS X:
 * The System Library (/System/Library), containing resources that're supplied by the core OS
 * The Network Library (/Network/Library), containing resources that're shared by all computers on a network (actually, a Netinfo or LDAP domain) (this is intended to be mounted from a network server) (it's almost never used anymore)
 * The Local Library (/Library), containing resources and settings that are installed/configured on a per-computer basis
 * The User Library (~/Library), containing resources and settings specific to one particular user
 * -- Speaker to Lampposts (talk) 06:54, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou, it's the Local library. Spotlight doesn't seem to search this folder, and as Speaker to Lampposts rightly says, the pre-installed layouts aren't kept in the folder I asked about. It seems to be exclusively for user added ones. How do I open the *.dat file, even in Windows or Linux? I have seen this. Hopefully, it will be stored in a similar fashion. I tried TextEdit, which makes gibberish.My name is anetta (talk) 12:04, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Download speed limiter
Hi!

Where can i find an utility to allow me to download (microtorrent) at full speed when i'm the only one to use my network, but to decrease this speed when somebody else on my network is trying to connect to the internet, to allow him to have a decent speed?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.5.187.241 (talk) 23:21, 23 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Adjusting your maximum upload and download speeds should really be a built-in feature of your BitTorrent client, it's such a basic thing. μTorrent, for example, has that functionality, and it's a cinch that it's not the old one . Old one? Only one, I meant to say. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:26, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Or -- and this just occurred to me -- do you mean that it should do that automatically? -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:27, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I would also like to be able to make μTorrent do this automatically. At the moment I have to make sure μTorrent is either turned off or manually restricted to slow downloading whenever any of my housemates is using the internet. Algebraist 00:30, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I think that would be pretty difficult to do. μTorrent really has no easy way of knowing whether someone else is using the same internet connection at the same time. In order to be effective, it wouldn't be enough to be aware of another computer's presence in the network, it would actually have to know whether that computer is actually transferring data at the time and vary its own transfer rate accordingly. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:06, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It should be possible to do that (since I have admin access to the wireless router), but it's well beyond my puny programming skills. Thanks. Algebraist 01:13, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


 * You're right; you'll want to look for "QoS" (Quality of service) settings which allow you to prioritize non-torrent traffic. If your router doesn't support such settings (and many basic ones do not) you might try DD-WRT; it supports many advanced routing features (including QoS). -- 74.137.108.115 (talk) 01:28, 24 January 2009 (UTC)


 * It's certainly not impossible, but it'd be very difficult to do it with a program you install on the computer that runs the BitTorrent software. If it's something a router does, that's another story -- or, alternatively, it could be a piece of software that runs on every computer in the network and makes sure that they're all in sync, for example. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:51, 24 January 2009 (UTC)