Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2009 November 18

= November 18 =

Virteal microscope
I have download virtal microscope 6.2.2 .But I could not install it ,which programme is used to install it. --True path finder (talk) 00:17, 18 November 2009 (UTC)mks


 * It looks like a standard EXE file to me. Are you on Windows? Are you sure you didn't accidentally download the Macintosh or Unix versions? APL (talk) 21:50, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

I have download version for windows —Preceding unsigned comment added by True path finder (talk • contribs) 18:01, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

2wire gateway/DSL modem "Excessive sessions warning"
My antivirus subscripton just expired two days ago so Norton has ceased to protect my computer. When I was browsing Facebook, I got this message titled "Excessive sessions warning" saying "Your 2701HG-S Gateway has intercepted your web page request to provide you with this important message. The following devices on your network are using a large number of simultaneous Internet sessions:

Admin-PC

The most likely cause of this issue is a ~blaster~ type virus which has infected the device. It is strongly recommended that the devices above be scanned for potential viruses.

Note that a large number of sessions may occasionally be the result of application software or gaming software installed on the device. If you believe this is the case, click the ~Do not show me excessive session warnings in the future~ to disable this feature.

To access the requested Web page that was intercepted, please close all browser windows and then restart your Web browser software.

If you continue to see this page after closing all open Web browser windows, restart your computer." I maintain a zero tolerance policy for botnets/maicious use, so the device will be formatted, but I was wondering if anyone could indentify what exactly it is that's causing this using this HiJackThis log. PCHS-NJROTC  (Messages) 03:58, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

71.54.238.131 (talk) 03:59, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I hid your lengthy and unformatted HijackThis log.
 * Unless Symantec has changed it's policy, Norton should continue to protect your PC with an expired subscription (you can see it running in the HijackThis log). The subscription just ensures you continue to get regular updates of new virus patterns.  Astronaut (talk) 04:48, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't see anything of obvious concern in the log, but of course most malware is good at hiding. However are you sure you have malware? "Excessive sessions warning" sounds like the sort of thing P2P programs are liable to cause as well (and a Google search finds numerous discussions ). Although I don't see any running in the log, perhaps you closed them, which BTW if you did do is a bad idea, if you are having problems and seeking help you should leave your computer as is when it has the problems if you are going to provide logs to help diagnose the problem. Nil Einne (talk) 07:36, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty certain considering I was forced to reboot because right after I clicked continue on the 2wire page I lost control of the mouse and keyboard; I had to improperly shut down the PC. Just wondered what the virus was; Trend Micro Housecall didn't find anything, but I'm certain it's infected. Also, I do not use any P2Ps or Bit Torrents. I'm going to have to format one way or another; I just wondered if anybody knew what virus it is that I keep picking up from Myspace and Facebook; this is a repeat issue. And Norton does stop protecting when the subscription expires; Windows reports that I don't have an antivirus installed, and I am unable to run scans with the program. 71.54.238.131 (talk) 23:05, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Are you sure the malware didn't disable Norton - it is a very common thing for malware to do. Astronaut (talk) 00:24, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * These are some indicators of malware:
 * Task Manager will not open
 * Regedit will not run
 * Your browser opens a different home page
 * Google search links go to unexpected sites
 * You get a popup telling you you have hundreds of viruses and you need to buy some software


 * You can try Superantispyware free, Spybot - Search & Destroy and Avira free. If these won't install or start, it is another indicator of malware. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 01:01, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Locally run web applications
What applications are you aware of that, like POPFile, run on a user's machine, but have a web interface as their primary UI? 173.75.150.14 (talk) 05:11, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Taken literally, the most common is probably a help file that ships with the application as an .htm or .html file. Double-click it to read it with the browser.  I see this a lot.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 06:20, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Any file run as ".hta" will run as a web application. But you can also install Apache on any unix system or IIS on a windows system with the appropriate free database and language engines and effectively run any website or web-based application from your computer for no cost.--TParis00ap (talk) 13:16, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Firefox runs on the local machine and uses a web interface to change the settings by going to about:config. -- k a i n a w &trade; 18:51, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm specifically interested in apps that include their own web server, or that expect to run under an HTTP server on the user's machine. 173.75.150.14 (talk) 22:48, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * IIS is an HTTP server. Web based apps do not contain their own web servers.  That's like suggesting you'll get Windows 7 with every purchase of Office 2007.  HTML files will run in any web browser without an HTTP server, but any advanced language such as PHP, Perl, ASP, or ColdFusion require a parser.  Apache has a number of addins to parse those languages and IIS does as well but also has ASP pre-installed.  IIS also comes built into Windows XP, Vista, and 7, all you have to do is enable it.  Although this does open up security vulnerabilities considering you'd be giving folks access to your system so you're going to want to control this via your firewall.--TParis00ap (talk) 22:55, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks, but I know all that. POPFile *does* contain its own Web server. I'm asking if there are any other apps that do so. 173.75.150.14 (talk) 03:28, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * One of my dreams is that someday you will be able to use generic local servers for running PHP without installing Apache, PHP, etc., which is a huge pain. It would be nice if there was a program that would emulate an Apache/MySQL/PHP/Perl environment without all the install, ports, etc., and still serve up browser-like pages. (The web UI is much easier to program than other UIs, in my opinion, and way easier to modify on the fly.) Alas, at the moment, there appears to be no such thing. Someday, perhaps. I write all sorts of programs in PHP that I only use on a local server, and there are ways in which that vastly simplifies things. But I can't distribute them to anyone else without going through the endless installations, making sure the settings are exactly correct (same version of PHP, etc.), etc. If you did have a more integrated/standardized environment, you could distribute such programs much easier. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:05, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * It is trivial to write a program in C++ (or any other executable language) that listens on a port for HTTP-style requests and responds with what appears to be a web page. This turns a local web browser into the user interface.  The big problem is that web browsers are not highly compatible with one another when it comes to scripting.  Further, browsers are constantly increasing restrictions on usage for security.  In my opinion, it has been a monstrous mistake to spend the last 10 years trying to turn the web browser into an application browser.  We need a highly standards compliant application browser that can act as a universal UI for local and remote applications.  Right now, the closest thing I've seen to that sort of thing is the work on mobile devices, not on home computers. --  k a i n a w &trade; 02:22, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Mr.98, if you're on windows and want a dead easy, no-config way to run PHP without having to be a genius, check out EasyPHP, which is a dead simple way to install that stuff (it includes Apache, PHP and MySQL all configured and ready to go). If you're on Linux, you're presumably good enough with computers to know how to install a few packages. Belisarius (talk) 03:26, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Google Desktop is configured with a browser. The search interface is also your browser, although the indexing is independent from it. --Kjoonlee 09:26, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

iPhone on a PHS network
I'm thinking of buying an unlocked iPhone to use instead of the shitty one they gave me here with Willcom (a PHS provider, i.e. not GSM/3G) and I'm wondering if a phone has to be specifically designed to work on PHS? I've never heard anything to suggest that, but I just want to make sure as I don't want to buy it only to have it not work! Thanks! 124.154.253.31 (talk) 05:33, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes if you want to use the phone on a PHS network, you will need a phone which is compatible with the PHS network which the iPhone is not. The same as if you want to use a phone with a CDMA2000 network (which is 3G but the iPhone is not compatible with as it is UMTS/W-CDMA only) or whatever. In some cases you also need to consider what frequencies are supported (perhaps not with PHS) Nil Einne (talk) 07:24, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * OK, I guess it's not possible then, thanks! 124.154.253.31 (talk) 00:55, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Net access
How can I prevent a single application from gaining internet access, without actually unplugging the computer from the internet and disrupting everything else? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.44.55.114 (talk) 13:14, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Are you running Windows? You can configure the application to be blocked by the Windows Firewall in Windows XP/Vista/7.--TParis00ap (talk) 13:20, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Hello!, that is a nice and important thing to do, but how can someone do it?.

Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.241.44.109 (talk • contribs) 08:08, 18 November 2009


 * This question was removed by 190.241.44.109 accidentally here . I added it back several days later Nil Einne (talk) 13:48, 23 November 2009 (UTC)

Laws and precedences related to caching and proxying illegal content
I am trying to determine the laws and/or case precedences related to caching and proxying illegal content. Currently I am preparing a presentation on setting up a web proxy and/or a web cache, and I would like it to include some information related to legal protections of the operators if a user transmits or otherwise obtains illegal content through the proxy or cache.

I am most interested in the laws and case precedences related to operating a proxy and/or web cache daemon in the United States (federal and of individual states) and the United Kingdom.

Does anyone know of any information related to this?

« D. Trebbien ( talk ) 18:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia does not give legal advice. However I remember tor has some stuff about this on its website. --194.197.235.240 (talk) 19:20, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The legal liability article is very short, but it may be a good start. Liability is always a gray area and will depend on the specific circumstance, geographic location, and applicable laws; that is one reason why we don't answer legal questions on the reference desk.  This 1994 research paper from MIT (which is an academic research summary, not a legal opinion), called Liability of System Administrators, may also be helpful.  Nimur (talk) 19:39, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * To be clear, I am not asking for legal advice. I am merely asking for lists of laws, sections of laws, and/or cases that are related to the topic. « D. Trebbien ( talk ) 20:52, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * (Note: I think I found what I was looking for related to protection of providers in the United States: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Now I am searching for equivalents in the United Kingdom and European Union. « D. Trebbien ( talk ) 21:14, 18 November 2009 (UTC))


 * There are few ways to answer this question without giving legal advice. For you to read the safe harbor provisions of the CDA are a good start, but remember that state law may also be applicable, but it may not. If you're going to do this you should get a lawyer to help you. Shadowjams (talk) 07:06, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

How can I emulate a screen resolution?.
Hello!, I need a screen resolution of at least 1024 X 768 to run some programs, but my mini-laptop computer only has one resolution available: 1024 X 576. I can go to "Advanced options" and uncheck "Hide modes that this monitor can not show", then set it to 1024 X 768, but the windows go beyond the screen. Is there any other way to do it, like a screen emulator, or a way to shrink the windows to fit in the screen?.

Thank you very much for all your help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.241.44.109 (talk) 20:05, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I don't know what operating system you use, but a standard feature of the X Window System (which comes with most Unix/Linux computers) is the ability to have a screen resolution much larger than the physical resolution of the monitor. This feature -- called the "virtual resolution" -- works by having your monitor show only a viewport on the full display.  The viewport pans around when your mouse touches the edge of the screen.  Perhaps you could use that, or something similar for your system.  --Sean 12:21, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Try using an external monitor. The combo of the monitor and graphics card determine what resolution you get.  It sounds like your graphic card supports 1024×768 already.  Just about any external monitor will support that resolution, too. StuRat (talk) 13:14, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for the answers. I have Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3, so I have nothing to do with Linux. I need a way to run the programs in my HP Mini 1000 computer, which has a 10" screen, and I can not buy a monitor, I need to run the programs on the computer I presently have with the hardware it presently has. I can run one program but the window goes out of the screen, so I have to touch the edge of the screen with the mouse to see the other parts of the window (do not need an advise about that, since I stated that at the beginning).  I definitely can not run the other program because it needs at least a 1024 X 768 resolution.  Can someone help me about this please?.  I do not know if there are resolution emulators and if any would be useful.  I also would like to know if I can "shrink to fit" or something like that, so the window fits completely on the screen.

Thank you very much again. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.241.44.109 (talk) 18:33, 19 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I think you're out of luck on this one. The problem is that LCD displays, unlike the older CRT displays, really only have a fixed number of pixels and can't possibly display any more (and a 10" display has a very low number of pixels to work with).  If they attempted to downscale an image to display on your screen, it would look absolutely horrid, so that's why they offer that scrolling feature instead.  I'll bet you can find an old, used CRT display dirt cheap, as people are replacing them with wide-screen LCD monitors. StuRat (talk) 23:11, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Where Are the Images Used for Icons on OS X?
Hello,

I'm not quite sure how to ask this question, so please be patient. Here is what I want to end up with:


 * An image file (SVG preferably) of the icons used in Mac OS X to display different file types.

So, for example, an Open Office spreadsheet files uses a particular image for the icon. Where does this image exist on my computer, so that I can make a copy of it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.253.80.241 (talk) 20:30, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The images are PNG images of various sizes (up to 512 x 512px) located in .ico files, which are usually located in various places within .app bundles. Common Document formats may be located in Text Edit, Preview, and a few other included applications, likely under the Resources folder. 206.131.39.6 (talk) 21:23, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * The easiest way to get at the OS X icons is to use an icon editor, like Iconographer X (which I now see is defunct, and don't know if it works with recent version of OS X, but certainly did with 10.4). --Mr.98 (talk) 22:43, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Email question regarding symbols, colors, fonts, etc.
I'm trying to copy information that I'm saving for later into an email.

Over the years, when I included different fonts, symbols,colors and so on, sometimes I would try to add information and I would get a set of four arrows pointing in the four compass directions. If I attempted to add in the space, I would see a box with a square in each corner and a square halfway between the corners, with the border consisting of what looks like a bunch of slashes.

What is this and how do you deal with it? Vchimpanzee ·  talk  ·  contributions  · 21:49, 18 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Are you using Outlook? Because that sounds like Object Linking and Embedding. Indeterminate (talk) 03:40, 20 November 2009 (UTC)


 * No. I never use that. I have had this happen at many different libraries with different operating systems and browsers and different email addresses. But let me look at the article and I'll get back to you. Vchimpanzee ·  talk  ·  contributions  · 19:35, 20 November 2009 (UTC)


 * Okay, the OLEs are symbols that I am copying intentionally into emails. It's harder to to take the time to copy the letters and symbols that would produce the object. Sometimes, though, I don't want symbols but I can't come up with a plain-text alternative to put these into the emails. Vchimpanzee ·  talk  ·  contributions  · 19:40, 20 November 2009 (UTC)