Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 September 18

= September 18 =

Controlled (Fixed) Bandwidth Allocation
Is it possible (via a hardware device or some software) to allocate fixed/unchangeable amounts of uplink and downlink bandwidth from a single cable internet connection to multiple computers? (Example Scenario: From a 50Mbps-Downlink/10Mbps-Uplink cable internet connection, allocate as follows; 5Mbps-Uplink/5Mbps-Downlink bandwidth to a workstation, and 9Mbps-Downlink/1Mbps-uplink bandwidth each to five desktops.) Thanks as always. Rocketshiporion ♫ 01:08, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Traffic shaping can do that. I know Linux can do that in software using the tc utility, other systems probably offer something similar. Unilynx (talk) 07:37, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * I think any decent router or firewall should have support for traffic shaping. I use m0n0wall which does although I don't use this sort of traffic shaping but I'm pretty sure it's possible if you have fixed IPs for each system (whether assigned via DHCP based on MAC address or assigned on the computer). Nil Einne (talk) 13:33, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Removed repetition of next question Rojomoke (talk) 13:14, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Would traffic-shaping still work if the computers are virtual-machines, and they are using Network Address Translation via a router? Rocketshiporion ♫ 22:11, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * If setup properly, I don't see why not Nil Einne (talk) 23:02, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Can I get rid of the 'My Videos' folder?
I am running Windows 7 64bit on my PC. As usual, Windows creates a 'My Documents' folder and the similar folders for music and videos. I have moved the 'My Videos' folder to an external hard drive and renamed it (I never did like the childish-sounding "My xxx"). My question is, is there any way I can permanently delete the new 'My Videos' folder that Windows keeps recreating on my 'C' drive? Gurumaister (talk) 09:57, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Use regedit to remove the data value for each shell folder you don't want any more. This will stop Windows recreating them each time you startup. The shell folder values are in HKEY_Current_User/software/Microsoft/currentversion/explorer/shellfolders --Canley (talk) 12:44, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * It is always wise to backup the registry (or at least the part that you edit) before making any changes. The "File, Export" menu item of Regedit will do this. Mitch Ames (talk) 08:36, 19 September 2010 (UTC)

Thank you - I appreciate your help. Gurumaister (talk) 15:12, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

Aaahhhh. . . I checked the registry but got lost when I found that there is no 'currentversion' folder in the 'microsoft' folder mentioned above. I then did a search of the whole registry for 'shellfolders' and got no response. Has anyone any idea where I do need to go in the registry to find them? Gurumaister (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:58, 20 September 2010 (UTC).
 * I think Canley want to direct you to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" Nil Einne (talk) 10:00, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

Nil Einne, Thank you but unless I am misreading your post, you have not understood me. What I am saying is that there IS NOT a folder called "currentVersion" anywhere in my registry - I did a search for it and got no response. Am I doing something wrong? Gurumaister (talk) 15:30, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

USB Ports on a universal travel adaptor
I have a family member who will be travelling in Europe and was thinking of taking their Ipod to use in WI-FI spots. However we were wondering about charging it. The world travel adaptor we purchased has a USB adaptor that connects to it. My concern is how safe is this. Obviously we do not want to fry the Ipod. The makers of the adaptor claim it fine to use but they are trying to sell the product. What happens when it does not work and the unit that is plugged in burns out —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hughesfam (talk • contribs) 15:30, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * As long as the adapter is rated for the countries your relative is visiting, then you can expect it to work fine. If it doesn't, and particularly if it damages anything connected to it, then it's defective.  Note that some hotels (usually more expensive ones) have iPod docking stations, which charge iPods. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 15:47, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * As long the AC prongs conform to the Europlug specifications and it has the CE mark it will work anywhere in the EU. If you have any doubts about the adapter it may be safest to simply buy an iPod charger on arrival in Europe. Roger (talk) 09:14, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
 * That is not true. They will not work in the UK or in other places where BS 1363 is standard. By the way we use 220 volts in the UK. And reading the Schuko article suggests there are three or four different plug standards in the EU. Switzerland, which is in Europe but not in the EU, apparantly uses another different standard. 92.15.12.54 (talk) 21:02, 19 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Show me a UK house that doesn't have at least one Europlug adaptor and I will prove that Elvis lives there. Europlug is perfectly compatible with Schuko. The whole of Europe uses 220V, not only the UK. Roger (talk) 21:33, 19 September 2010 (UTC)


 * I've lived in the UK all my life, and I have lived in or been involved with a large number of different houses and I've never ever seen any Europlug adapters ever. We use BS 1363. 92.15.12.54 (talk) 21:37, 19 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Well that's my house, my parents house and although not a home, the entire building I work at. The very article you linked to says in the opening line It was designed such that it can safely be used in the domestic power sockets of all European countries, except for the BS 1363 system found in Britain, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Ireland and Malta. Sorry Roger, but do you live in the UK? We really don't have those plugs at all. There's a similar shaving plug in the bathroom of some homes (similar in appearance only), but that's all.  ZX81    talk  21:41, 19 September 2010 (UTC)


 * The voltage in the UK used to be 240v years ago, but then it got changed to comply with Europe. I thought it had been changed to 220v, but Wikipedia articles suggest its actually 230v. 92.15.12.54 (talk) 21:55, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
 * The voltage in the UK is still 240v. The UK agreed to the European standard but didn't make any change in their actual supply of 240v which is still within the EU tolerance levels.  They did change the nominal voltage to 230v but this just allows for the voltage drop at a large distance from the nearest step-down transformer (local sub-station). If you stay in a UK building that does not have a convenient Europlug adaptor, then you could purchase a cheap USB charger with a BS 1363 plug (they cost about £5).  Our article on AC power plugs and sockets is very comprehensive for world-wide travel, but doesn't make easy reading.  Our Mains power around the world article gives standard voltages, and you must ensure that your charger is running from the voltage that it was designed for.    D b f i r s   08:50, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Good advice, although the chances of finding a europlug socket or existing adaptor in any building or home in the UK are practically zero. 92.24.182.151 (talk) 10:45, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Really? My impression, supported by Europlug and BS 1363 is that it isn't that uncommon for manufacturers to use some sort of adaptor like File:EuroPlug with UK adapter.jpg and File:Euro converter plug2.jpg rather then bother to manufacture special variants for the UK and those other countries that use BS 1363 like plugs (in Malaysia it wasn't/isn't? that uncommon to get a device with a Europlug and no adaptor), particularly if the plug is molded. In fact our article claims, albeit unsourced that all Sony devices with moulded plugs use an adaptor. Note that I'm not necessarily agreeing with Roger Nil Einne (talk) 10:56, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, really. The BS 1363 article says "Trading standards legislation in both the UK[1] and Ireland requires that all domestic electrical goods sold in either country should be fitted with a BS 1363 or IS 401 (as applicable) plug." I've noticed that when I've bought  something like a laptop here in the UK, they often come with some weird plug, as well as the BS 1363 plug. I assumed that the weird plug was an American plug, as many computer power units are switchable between 230v and 110v. The weird plug is unusable as any socket for it would be illegal. I expect a europlug socket would be illegal as well. Only BS 1363 plugs and sockets are legal. I've never seen any of the adaptors illustrated in the links above. Even though it says that Sony has started supplying them with its products, its very unlikely that you would find one, as Sony are just a small proportion of the market. 92.24.182.151 (talk) 11:16, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry you seem to be missing the point. Nothing you've said addresses the fact there's nothing stopping a manufacurer using an adaptor rather then moulding a plug in the factory (or fitting on later), which what I was trying to say. Have you actually looked and made sure that there isn't actually an adaptor used in every device in your home? includes a bunch of Chinese manufacturers claiming their adaptors are used by a variety of companies including Sony, Philips, Aiwa, Whirlpool, Black and Decker and others... I'm not saying all their products use adaptors, this is unlikely, but I find it hard to believe that with all the evidence presented so far that manufacturers do sometimes use adaptors, as well as the simple common sense that it's likely to be cheaper in some cases to use an adaptor, it's rarely as completely unheard of as you claim. (As I've said, I'm not agreeing with Roger that all UK houses probably have an adaptor, but even if only 5% of houses have at least on device which uses an adaptor, that wouldn't agree with your claim "chances of finding a europlug socket or existing adaptor in any building or home in the UK are practically zero" IMHO.) Given the legal requirements, it's likely the adaptor will be fitted before the device is packaged, and a number of them are designed in such a way that it may not be obvious the device is using an adaptor if you don't look carefully, so it wouldn't be surprising if most people didn't notice the adaptors were in use Nil Einne (talk) 11:28, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Apart from the fact that its illegal. Most electrical things come with "kettle leads" (which seem to be IEC connectors) and apparantly they do not / must not have an adapter. Things like TVs or toasters do not have kettle leads, but I've never seen an adapter on them. Why would a manufactuer go to the expense of fitting an adapter when it would be cheaper just to fit the correct plug in the first place? Maybe it is in theory possible to get an electrical appliance with an adapter plug in the UK, but in practice you'd be extremely unlikely to find any, and the locals here would not know what you were talking about. I assume you do not live in the UK. What you are saying is like someone trying to prove that we drive on the right in the UK, despite everyday experience here making it obvious that we drive on the left. 92.24.182.151 (talk) 11:36, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Nil Einne is correct that occasionally one can purchase a low-power device manufactured abroad with a 13A plug adaptor fitted to the foreign 2-pin plug. I suspect that these are illegal for higher-power appliances and for any unit that is not double-insulated, but I have one manufactured in China for a "Netgear" router. It requires a screwdriver to remove the 13A plug adaptor. Many travel adaptors have the required conversion, but these are more likely to be carried by the traveller than available in a building (though some helpful hotels and B & B establishments might be able to lend one).  D b f i r s   12:00, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I've never seen any. I'm sure it would be cheaper for the manufacturer to just put the right plug on rather than paying for an adapter as well as a plug. 92.28.255.243 (talk) 22:50, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I would guess that they cost about 20p each to produce in China, so they are cheaper than manufacturing a separate unit when the EU plug is part of the power supply. They will probably become more common for cheap power supplies, but only for small low-power devices.  By the way, the adaptor is the plug.    D b f i r s   06:53, 21 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Normally for computer stuff you get a "kettle lead" with the correct BS 1363 plug on it, and sometimes another kettle lead with a weird unusable plug on it. The UK is a large market, so it is cheaper to provide the right kettle lead. 92.28.253.68 (talk) 08:24, 21 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, the "kettle lead" with a 13A moulded plug is standard for larger equipment. The adaptor is fitted only to low-power switch-mode power supplies which are manufactured with an integrated euro-plug.    D b f i r s   19:44, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

The Guidebook Gallery
What has happened to guidebookgallery.org? --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 16:06, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * It's working here. Could you be more specific as to what you're referring to? Perhaps it was a temporary down time 82.44.55.25 (talk) 16:15, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Now it is back again! It was down for a few days. (It looked like the domain name had expired or something. If I recall correctly, a web hosting service template was shown.) --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 21:08, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I took a screenshot. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 21:12, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Greasemonkey script
I want to make a simple greasemonkey script that detects if you're http://example.com and directs you to https://example.com. I know the following script is wrong and doesn't work, but it's the best I could do as I know nothing about javascript. Any help would be greatly appreciated 82.44.55.25 (talk) 16:14, 18 September 2010 (UTC) var url=https://example.com if (location.href != url) location.href = url;


 * Well, I don't know Greasemonkey, but if you wanted this to be valid Javascript, you'd have to properly incase the strings in quotation marks, and properly indicate the terminal line endings. Like so:

var url="https://example.com"; if (location.href != url) { location.href = url; };
 * However, that will only redirect you, again and again. It's probably not ideal. If all you're trying to do is make sure you at https://, maybe this is what you want:


 * This seems like it works: if you go to http://example.com, it'll try to always make it https. It won't dump the rest of the URL (unlike the first one, where if went to http://example.com/test/, you'd lose the /test/ part). It also won't try to make every site redirect you to http://example.com. But again, this is just JS, not specially done for Greasemonkey or anything. Hope it helps. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:35, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much! :) 82.44.55.25 (talk) 18:59, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Incidentally the Electronic Freedom Foundation produces a Firefox add-on called HTTPS everywhere, which rewrites URLs for a range of sites (including wikipedia) from http to that site's equivalent https (sometimes it's just the same url with an S added in there, but for others it's a different URL). If the site you care about isn't covered in its standard set, the extension allows you to add custom rulesets. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 20:24, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Looking for a lost browser
I am looking for a browser which I used 3 to 4 years ago. That browser somehow related to Mozilla Firefox. Its icon looks like a round shaped bomb and the color was blue. Can anyone help me to find that browser? thanks--180.234.0.174 (talk) 16:55, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * A place to start looking would be List of web browsers Mo ainm  ~Talk  17:06, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Minefield? 1230049-0012394-C (talk) 17:10, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Perhaps Netscape Navigator? That was used as a basis for Firefox. If I recall correctly. - 220.101 talk\Contribs 18:24, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I believe Minefield is what you're looking for. It's like a beta (or alpha, or pre-alpha) version or Firefox, "for testing purposes only". The version you were using may or may not have been explicitly called "Minefield," since after they become official betas they get codenames like "Shiretoko" or "Namaroka" or "Gran Paradiso" but they keep the bomb logo. [&#65279;flaminglawyer] 19:35, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Keyboard: "Dead keys" quit working for no apparent reason
I'm using the English keyboard "US International," which uses dead keys. I'm running into problems with a new PC (Windows 7, 64-bit), on which the dead keys quit working for no apparent reason. [So the keyboard seems to be working like a regular American keyboard.] As far as I can see, the keys work again after rebooting... and once, when I simply continued working without them, I suddenly discovered that they were working again (i.e. again for no apparent reason).

What's going on? How can I stop them from not functioning in the first place? And how can I make them work again if they quit? Rebooting all the time is obviously not a viable solution.

For the Windows 7-PC, I've chosen "US International" as primary keyboard during installation (for the Windows XP-PC, it was a regular US keyboard, and I've only later added "US International" and deleted the regular keyboard)... not sure though why that should cause any problems!?

BTW, I've also installed two non-Western keyboards, on both PCs. I assume they're irrelevant for the question because they're not causing problems for the XP system, they're not accidentally switched on on the problematic PC either before or after the problems start [as they're non-Western keyboards, I would notice at once], nor does it help to switch to these keyboards and back to get the dead keys going again.

Thanks a lot for any and all suggestions!! --Ibn Battuta (talk) 17:58, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Enable the language bar (right click on task bar/toolbars/language bar) and see what's the current selected keyboard. You can change the keyboard layout by Ctrl+Space and change the language by Left Alt+Shift so perhaps you were accidentally pressing those keys and changing the settings. --antilivedT 04:46, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

Contacting people on Panoramio
Hi! I'm trying to contact the author of the following pictures: I want to ask if he is willing to relicense them for the commons.
 * http://www.panoramio.com/photo/21922908
 * http://www.panoramio.com/photo/21922992

How do I contact him on Panoramio? Thanks WhisperToMe (talk) 18:10, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Perhaps try simply commenting on the photos? That seems to be the only method of contacting the photographer, since there is no email address given, and there's no "message this user" action. [&#65279;flaminglawyer] 19:51, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright, I'll comment on the photos. WhisperToMe (talk) 21:01, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Left a message at http://www.panoramio.com/photo/21922908 WhisperToMe (talk) 21:20, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

e-mail addresses in Excel
Hello. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use as a database for business contacts. One column includes e-mail addresess. I don't want the e-mail addresses to be hyperlinks, but when I enter them in, they automatically become hyperlinks. I know I can manually remove the hyperlink from each one, but is there a way to prevent the hyperlinking in the first place, even when I enter something in the format xxxxx@xxx.com? Something such as a default format to "don't hyperlink anything in this column." Thank you. — Michael J  19:37, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Under Preferences, under AutoCorrect, disable "replace internet and network paths with hyperlinks," or whatever it is labeled on your version. --Mr.98 (talk) 20:12, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Thank you. That did it. — Michael J  23:12, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Question about my Pc system/Graphics capability
Given that i have this:

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668232.php

Is there any way to hook a Nintendo 64/PlayStation 2 into my pc and have software to view it on my screen? (i don't know that windows media center would read it through the tuner card, but maybe that's possible too?)

Any thoughts on this are welcome. Thanks. :)

137.81.118.126 (talk) 20:49, 18 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Are you looking for an emulator or do you actually want to direct the output through your computer?Smallman12q (talk) 22:40, 18 September 2010 (UTC)


 * A video capture device is what you want. Most tuner cards will do it for you if you have an RF adapter for your playstation, so if you already have one of those, I'd check out that route first.
 * Something like this would probably do nicely. APL (talk) 00:27, 19 September 2010 (UTC)

I have an RF adaptor, but i dont think windows media center will pick it up through my tuner card because it looks for tv channels only.137.81.118.126 (talk) 01:04, 19 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Have you tried it? That should "Just Work".  It should show up as channel 2 or 3, just the same as if you'd attached it to a television set. APL (talk) 05:29, 19 September 2010 (UTC)

Ill give it a go. For now ill consider this issue "resolved". Thanks guys!

137.81.118.126 (talk) 21:25, 19 September 2010 (UTC)