Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 July 1

= July 1 =

OEM vs Retail de-activations
I'm considering buying a copy of an operating system that rhymes with "Bimbo's Heaven". The OEM version is nearly half the cost of the full retail price. The differences, as I understand it, are that OEM versions are locked to a specific machine. OEM installs are a one-way ticket. Also, there's no phone support (no big deal). And you have to buy a specific 32 or 64-bit version.

On the other hand, the full retail has both 32 and 64-bit on the same disc. You get some tech support. AND... this is the big deal for me: Even though you can only install it one machine at a time, you can de-activate it on one machine and activate it on another any number of times. I'm a Mac user, so I'd be using this in Boot Camp mode. There's a strong possibility I might decide to change the partition size, add hardware, switch to 32-bit, or want to use another computer entirely -- all things that would cause the OEM version think it's on another computer and invalidate my single activation.

Before I spend the cash and break that very expensive seal, I just wanted to verify with you geniuses that this is indeed the situation. Does the full retail version allow on-demand activation and de-activation?? I've just never seen or heard of a Windows "De-Activator" before. --70.130.58.45 (talk) 01:17, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I believe activation of OEM versions of Windows is tied to the motherboard of the computer. Still, OEM versions are not supported by Microsoft, and as you mention, you cannot buy a 32-bit version and choose to install the 64-bit version, and vice-versa. PleaseStand (talk) 04:37, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, you've just re-answered the questions I already knew in my original question. The question is about de-activation. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 15:37, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I've never done this, and a quick google of deactivate windows 7 site:microsoft.com only yields a couple of support threads in which querents were told a couple of times (by random people on the Internet) that there is no deactivation process and that you just do it, and if there's a problem when you activate Windows on the new system, you have to call Microsoft. Sorry to give you some more information that you probably already googled.  Unfortunately I would also check with Microsoft beforehand.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:30, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * There's no facility to "deactivate" the retail version of Windows (for use on another computer), however it's based on the number of days since it was activated. Within the first 120 days if it's reinstalled on the same PC it'll reactivate over and over again (resetting the number of days since activation back to 0 each time), but if it's installed on another computer within a 120 day window then it won't automatically activate and you need to contact Microsoft by phone, explain why and they may/may not issue you with an activation code. If it's past 120 days then it should just activate on another computer without a problem and without needing to contact Microsoft (but again resetting the days since activation back to 0). This is only for the retail versions, as mention above by PleaseStand, the OEM version is locked down to a combination of the motherboard and other key components and will only work on that one system (you can change a few things, but not the motherboard). ZX81  talk  16:50, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Having faced this same question, I uncovered a number of anecdotal data points suggesting that the OEM 'reactivation' process was able to be worked through by calling Microsoft and explaining your situation, that the previous computer failed and in order to achieve a repair brand new components were needed. If your situation came to that, it might be an option for you. --144.191.148.3 (talk) 14:14, 2 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't want to cause any offence, but that really shouldn't be the case and I certainly wouldn't rely on that being an option that would always work. OEM licences (as part of the of the licence agreement and as already mentioned above) are sold for a specific machine and in the event of a hardware failure it's the responsiblity of the person that built the machine to replace the faulty components with equivalent matching parts so that it will still appear as the same machine so that it can be reactivated. It is literally down to the OEM reseller (which in this case is also the end user) to fix the problem with identical parts and if that can't be done then another licence has to be purchased. I'm surprised Microsoft would even assist on an OEM machine as another part of that agreement and another reason why it's so much cheaper is that all support/problems have to come back to the OEM reseller (or another 3rd party). ZX81  talk  14:49, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

What DPI for character recognition?
Google Books is great. They scan old library books, so there is an image of each page, that you can read, and they do some sort of character recognition, so you can search the text for words or phrases. I have an old book through interlibrary loan that I must return in 2 days, that I want to scan for future reference. It has not been scanned by Google, but I would like to scan it and save it on a DVD, and possibly run a character recognition program for full text search. My question is, at what level of dots per inch should I scan a book for future character recognition? I have an advanced Epson scanner which could go to ridiculous resolution, but that wastes storage space. What standard does Google Books use? What would be a good program to use for character recognition? Is there any free program which would be useful for scanning an entire book, two pages at a time? Thanks!Edison (talk) 02:08, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * That's a copyright problem unless the book is in the public domain in your country. If it is in the public domain, 300 dpi grayscale (TIFF or PNG format) is supposed to be optimum for OCR (if done correctly, black-and-white would work just as well, but you are limited in the image processing you can perform after scanning). One problem with book scanning is the curvature of the books; be aware of that as well as the fact that book scanning takes a lot of time. The technology of Google's book scanning operation probably far surpasses what you have access to. As for OCR software, Project Gutenberg's Distributed Proofreaders typically uses ABBYY FineReader Pro. See our article Book scanning, and also and, for more information. PleaseStand (talk) 04:33, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * When I scan documents for personal use, 300 dpi works fine—it's enough resolution to print the thing out at a 1-to-1 ratio. Adobe Acrobat recommends 300 dpi for text OCR.
 * However it's of real note that this is a slow process unless you have a REALLY fast scanner or it is a REALLY small book. When I scan whole chapters from books, I have access to a high-speed scanner which is basically a digital photocopier. Even with that thing it can take an hour, an hour and a half to scan an entire book. With a home scanner I imagine it would take about five times that amount of time. In fact, I would wager that it would probably be faster to just photocopy the book and later run it through a scanner with an automatic page feeder—and the quality would probably be better, too, than a home scanner. (Photocopiers are much better at getting that perfectly posterized image in black-and-white, without picking up the grain of the paper it is printed on, than most scanners.)
 * Curvature of the page is important for OCR and there are some books that just can't be scanned well on a flatbed scanner without breaking their spine (which is not really very palatable for a library book). --Mr.98 (talk) 11:43, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Why not try out a few pages and see if the OCR'ed text comes out OK? Scanning at 300dpi should be good enough, but only if the text is very clear on the page.  If it's faded, small, typeset very close, or otherwise obscured in any way then the OCR process could well benefit from 600dpi.  Also, if it ends up not being palatable to the OCR tool at all you may find a benefit from manual contrast enhancement (with photoshop or a similar program), which is best done with the most resolution possible. --144.191.148.3 (talk) 14:17, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Echo all the above, though I'd like to add a couple of tips. If the pages are reasonably bright and the text is nice and legible, you can get away with significantly smaller DPIs. I've been able to use 180 DPI, for example, and it cuts down on the scanning time significantly, but check the results before you scan all 1,700 pages, okay? :-) As others have noted, scanning can take a lot of time. If you find yourself crunched for time, it may be faster to photocopy the pages so that you can scan and OCR at your leisure later. Obviously, the quality of scanning/printing on photocopiers varies a lot, but it's worked for me (though I've only tried it once). I have used both ABBYY FineReader and OmniPage, though not the latest versions. I preferred the ABBYY product. Matt Deres (talk) 15:58, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Much thanks all for the timely advice. Edison (talk) 19:03, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Computer engineering institute in India
which are the best computer engineering institute in India ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Parth ladani (talk • contribs) 05:05, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * The IITs. --59.95.110.31 (talk) 12:31, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Windows 7 oem on a Dell pc
On my old Dell Optiplex, the Windows XP disc that came with it lets me do a clean install without ever asking for a product key or activation. I suppose it just checks for a Dell bios and that's enough. So I'd like to know if Vista and Windows 7 discs from Dell will install as easily (on a Dell box), or if you now get all the same hassle as with a retail copy? 217.42.254.231 (talk) 12:14, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * It's the same. The OEM disks don't ask for a serial number.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 16:22, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Enlarging browser
I could enlarge my browser display by ctrl-mouse wheel. Now I can't. Does anyone know about this feature being taken away, perhaps by an automatic update? My browser is IE v.8 and the OS is Vista Home Premium. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:24, 1 July 2010 (UTC) I am aware that ctrl- and ctrl+ control the zoom level. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:47, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Ctrl-mouse wheel still makes my IE (version 8.0.6001.18702) font increase and decrease in size under XP, for what it's worth. Comet Tuttle (talk) 16:24, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * It is probable that the browser setting has not changed, but the way your operating system is interpreting mouse-wheel scrolling might have changed. Can you check if you are using the default Windows mouse drivers, or are using some specific manufacturer's driver and/or application-layer mouse software?  For example, Logitech will by default install its own mouse interpreter, called Logitech SetPoint, in Windows when you install its wireless mouse drivers.  These will change the behaviors of scrolling; I have had weird results with it.  Sometimes a "smart scroll" mode performs some other application-operation; sometimes it conflicts with specific hardware drivers and totally fails.  Nimur (talk) 17:23, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * OP here. FWIW I have IE v. 8.0.6001.18928. Depressing the mouse wheel gives autoscroll ok, but rolling the mouse wheel does nothing. The PC is an Acer Aspire, I have used the same USB mouse all along and not (consciously) changed any driver. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:20, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Stupid question : Does the mouse wheel work in OTHER programs? If not, it could be something physically wrong with the mouse.  I've had scroll wheels wear out on mice before. APL (talk) 22:55, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Good question! My only other program where I expect the mouse wheel to scroll up/down is MS WORD...and it doesn't. (Depress wheel gives autoscroll ok). The wheel doesn't work when I plug the mouse into a 2nd PC either so this looks like a a sick mouse. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 23:14, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Just FYI, you can also enlarge your browser by making it fullscreen...ussually by pressing F11 to go to full screen and F11 to go back.Smallman12q (talk) 15:51, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

ethernet cable
I want to remote control a computer connected via ethernet cable. TeamViewer works perfectly, but it requires a connection to the internet to function, which isn't always possible. Any there any other remote desktop software that works on ethernet cable, and how do I set it up? Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.93 (talk) 17:23, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * If you have Windows, you may have access to Terminal Services (depending on your version - business, professional, and Server versions of Windows have this feature, while "Home" editions do not). If you are using a Linux, Unix, or recent Mac system, you can remotely log in with SSH.  VNC is a free software package that works on most major platforms and might do what you want; though I find it a bit limiting because it usually runs as a user-space program, rather than starting a new login session.  Many articles about other programs can be found in our remote desktop category.  What exactly do you want to "remotely control" - the desktop, interface, hardware, or some other thing?  Nimur (talk) 17:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * Echoing Nimur, I use Windows Remote Desktop and VNC for this. Neither requires an Internet connection.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 17:39, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * You can fake an Internet connection with a standard home router. Even if you don't plug it into the Internet, the DHCP will give every computer you locally have a unique IP address like 192.168.1.100.  Then, you can connect through the router to the other computer. --  k a i n a w &trade; 17:52, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * (I believe the TeamViewer software requires actual connection, because you are proxying your remote connection through their server, "thin-client"/"cloud computing" style. Note that like all other "cloud-computing" services, this represents an implicit trust relationship with the TeamViewer server, even if the can of worms of relaying potentially sensitive over the internet is properly managed with secure / encrypted communication. Nimur (talk) 18:36, 1 July 2010 (UTC) )

IN FACEBOOK HOW DO I CHANGE MY STATUS???
HOW I CAHNGE MY STATUS ON FACEBOOK FORM BREEN TO GREY? VERY IMPORTANT K THX I DONT WANT MY BF TO KNOW IM ON —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.229.15.144 (talk) 21:13, 1 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Please don't type in all capitals. It is seen as shouting. Please also sign your posts with four tildes. - Kittybrewster  &#9742;  21:33, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * I believe you click the "Chat" thing in the lower right of the browser window (mine says "Chat (37)" right now, for example), and then click "Options" at the top of the pane that pops up, and then click "Go Offline". Someone should test this to be sure.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:13, 1 July 2010 (UTC)


 * That's incorrect - when at your home or profile page there will be a text bar near the top of the screen which says "What's on your mind?". Just type what you like in there and click share to make it your status.  AJ  Cham  01:25, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
 * The IP is referring to chat status -- she says "[g]reen to grey", where green is the green dot indicating a user is online to chat, and grey either refers to the grey moon indicating a user is idle (which wouldn't do much good in this situation) or the grey dot that appears next to a person's name when they go offline while you are chatting with them. Xenon54 (talk) 01:59, 2 July 2010 (UTC)