Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2011 March 18

= March 18 =

Running two devices from a single ethernet cable
IS there some sort of device where I could plug in an ethernet cable and somehow be able to connect two devices to the internet at the same time? I am some three floors above the router, which is only wired anyway, so wireless networking is not an option. Powerline networking could be an option but I am unwilling to buy the extra kit. I think I've seen a device that you can plug an ethernet cable into and it can transmit a shortish-range wireless signal, but I'd rather both devices be connected with wires. Running a second wire through the walls is also problematic. Is there anything I could buy that would help? Postrock1 (talk) 00:01, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * You need an ethernet hub. You connect the original one wire to the upstream port of the hub, then connect two Cat5 cables at one end to your two devices and at the other end to two of the downstream ports on the hub.  Rocketshiporion ♫ 00:38, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Fantastic that's exactly it, thank you! Postrock1 (talk) 00:45, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * You can use an ethernet hub, or an ethernet switch (which is more common in stores nowadays). Hubs and switches are different types of devices; both require a router on the "upstream" or "uplink" connection in order to function correctly. For almost all users, an ethernet switch is the better choice (better performance in general, due to "technical details" described in our article). For your purposes, you should just plug in the ethernet into the "Uplink" port, and then you'll have something like four or eight available jacks to plug in ethernet cables. Switches cost in the neighborhood of $20 or $50, though "huge" 128- or 256-element switches can cost thousands of dollars.
 * If you have special networking needs, it is also be possible to use a network gateway or router. This choice isn't usually a good idea, because it can cause problems for the upstream network and a headache for you (especially if you're not familiar with network address translation details). Nimur (talk) 00:49, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Two more options:
 * Many network cables have eight wires, you only need four for a network connection. So you could connect a splitter to both ends of the cable (note that you also need one at the router side) and run both connections through one cable.
 * If one of the computers have two network adapters you could use that to share the internet connection with the other one. This should in principle also work using a wireless "ad hoc" network, but maybe hard to set up (and unsecure). Jørgen (talk) 08:12, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Note that you need all eight if you want GbE Nil Einne (talk) 22:51, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

Unable to Install Adobe Flash Player
I am unable to install adobe flash player. Here is what happened:

1. I went to the official website and clicked install and followed all the steps. 2. A message installation complete came up. 3. I went to youtube and could not access any videos because youtube claims "you need the latest version of flashplayer to view this video". 4. I rebooted my computer several times, restarted internet explorer several times.

I have tried numerous pages (including games and videos for example) that direct me to the adobe flash player website. I download it and "installation complete comes up". It's even there on my list of installed programs in "control panel". But I cannot see it anywhere on my computer (it's not on my desktop, for example). And all websites tell me I haven't got it installed. I have no idea what the problem is and why it's not installing and why it's not showing up on my computer.

I would be extremely grateful to anyone who could assist me in this regard by telling me how I could download flash player so that I can actually access videos and games.

Thanks. I am using Windows 7 and internet explorer 8 if that's relevant. I have tried to download adobe flash player about 40 times and it always says "installation complete" but no adobe flash player is there on my computer or else I would be able to see youtube for example and all websites tell me I haven't got it installed. Just to emphasise I have rebooted my computer numerous times. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.127.207.39 (talk) 03:45, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * First I would like to recommend a different browser, but if you insist on IE, ok. Are you sure you closed all applications that might use Flash before the start of the installation ? Adrian (talk) 07:25, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Does the "Install Completed" message come up immediately, or after it goes through several minutes of moving progress bars and such ? If it comes up immediately, I suspect that you have a registry entry that says it's already installed.  Have you tried to uninstall it ?  That might remove whatever remnant (like a registry entry) is preventing the install.  Then you might be able to get a clean install. StuRat (talk) 07:42, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Have you considered updating to IE 9? Chaosdruid (talk) 09:29, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

Yes, I closed all applications before installation and it goes through several minutes of moving progress bars. In fact, just in case, I did try a week ago to uninstall it and install it again but the same problem occurs. I noticed there was a forum where a number of people noted the same problem but no-one had a solution. BTW, I have another computer where I have got Adobe flash player installed and it works but that's on the other side of the country and I need to use this computer here. BTW it's an "ACER" computer if that's relevant. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.127.207.39 (talk) 10:03, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I have 64 bit Vista, and was unable to install Flash on 64-bit Internet Explorer. I've not tried recently, but this may be your problem.  I find it a useful way of avoiding Flash.  If I want to see Flash content, I also use 32 bit Firefox, and have installed it on there. --Phil Holmes (talk) 10:08, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Try a different browser. There are many that are more than all-right(by my opinion way better than IE), like Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome. That are the 3 giants, and they are all great. Try one of them.Adrian (talk) 18:44, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

Please tell me how I can install adobe flash player successfully in internet explorer 9 which I have downloaded. I am afraid that no-one will answer this question anymore and I have not got a solution to my problem yet. Thanks for your time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.127.207.39 (talk) 08:12, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Big bold writing won't make people any more willing to help you. In fact it is likely to make them less willing, so therefore I have removed your unnecessary formatting.
 * As for an answer to your question, apart from first uninstalling old versions of flash, maybe you can try uninstalling your browser too and reinstall it from scratch (ignore Adrian's dislike of Internet Explorer - there is no reason why IE in particular would not work). Ignore any beta versions and obviously you should download the new browser before uninstalling the old one.  You might also have some rogue plugin/toolbar which is interfering with Flash.  Lastly, when I had problems with flash and it said I needed to install flash, I found that by viewing the page source it showed me what version it was expecting as a minimum.  I then visited http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and made sure the required version was less then the currently offered version (today it is: Adobe Flash Player 10.2.152.32).  Astronaut (talk) 10:06, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
 * This might not be any consolation, but I had a similar problem with Vista, IE8 and Adobe. Eventually, after several attempts at reinstallation, they decided to talk to each other and now work smoothly.    D b f i r s   14:24, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
 * While I agree some of the answers were not that helpful, if you want help rather then just expecting someone to be able to guess your problem or tell you the whole list of things you should have tried, it's better if you check the obvious and tell us what the results are rather then expecting us to have to ask every possibility. For example does Flash show up in IE's list of plugins? If it does are you sure it's enabled? Someone already mentioned the 64 bit version and you still haven't mentioned if you are using IE64 or IE32. Are you sure you aren't using something like FlashBlock or even IE's built in settings which are blocking Flash? Are you sure you aren't running IE in safemode which disables all plugins? Have you done a simple search for things 'flash ie9 not installed' and look at results like  and  and made sure nothing there helps? Have you checked in taskmanager to make sure IE doesn't stay in the background even when nominally quit? Have you made sure only one user is running when you install IE? Have you made sure you have enough diskspace in the drive you are installing IE? Have you made sure you are running as admin with full privileges when installing Flash (it should ask but if it didn't I wouldn't presume it's going to work)? Have you made sure you downloaded the right version of Flash i.e. the IE version?  Without the answers for obvious stuff like this particularly the first 5 things (list of plugins, enabled, 64/32bit version, FlashBlock/whatever, safemode and perhaps most important of all searched!) I don't think it's surprising if you question does go without a solution. Nil Einne (talk) 21:02, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

How to make small frame by frame animation with transparent background (Apple)?
Hello,

I am now using POV-RAY on my Macbook to make animations. Using the option "Add Alpha Channel", I can make PNG images with a transparent background, which looks much nicer on a slide. However, I also need to merge these images into one animation.

Using "Frame-By-Frame", and choosing Animation as file extensions when Exporting, this looks okay, but he slightly changes the colours...

I hear that this should be possible using GIMP, but then apparently I need to save this as a GIF-file, which causes problemns in Apple Keynote.

Do you have any suggestions? Many thanks!

Evilbu (talk)


 * If you want to make an animated GIF, use ImageMagick: convert -verbose -delay 40 -loop 0 -density 200 src*.png output.gif. If you want to make a video format like AVI, use FFMPEG: ffmpeg -r 40 -i src%03d.png -y -an output.avi -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 14:37, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * When you say "slightly changes the colours", this is a problem when using GIF. GIF is an antique format, which only allows for a palette of 256 colours - that's okay for animating diagrams and smiley faces, but if you're using real continuous tones (as you probably are, given that you're ray-tracing) then the images have to be forced into a limited palette, leading to poor colour fidelity and visible dithering. Depressingly, support for a modern animated image format is poor - PNGs moving relative Multiple-image Network Graphics would be ideal, but isn't well supported by other programs (I don't know about Keynote at all). -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 15:07, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

battery prices
My laptop needs a new battery, the current one is completely dead now. But I am wondering, any idea how much more it would cost to get a whole new computer than just the battery? Also where might sell just a battery, is it something only specialist shops would have? Or something I would have to order in specially even?

148.197.121.205 (talk) 16:42, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Batteries for reasonably current models are widely available, in big-box electronic stores and by mail order. Since laptop prices run from $100 to over $10,000 and you haven't given any indication of what kind you would want, the other question is not answerable. Looie496 (talk) 16:58, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Amazon has batteries for sale. Make sure to get one that is compatible with your laptop. - Akamad (talk) 17:14, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * I'd typically expect a new laptop battery to cost $100 or less. It might be possible to get refurbished or used batteries for a bit cheaper (of course, since batteries wear out and may degrade over time, you probably want one that's nearly new).  You might also be able to get off-brand batteries from a non-reputable manufacturer for a lot cheaper, but those might be less good, or even less safe.  Paul (Stansifer) 21:23, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

What the world needs now is another blogger.
On Youtube, seemingly every video blogger has great editing (sound and image effects), video quality and quick cut scenes. Is there a package I can buy at a local brick and mortar store (like a Best Buy or Target) that I can get all that stuff right in one package? Can someone suggest some better products? I tried Googling this but I guess I wasn't entering the right keywords cause I got nothin'. Thanks in advance. --Endlessdan (talk) 17:47, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * A quick glimpse at Amazon.com shows there are tons a good webcams for cheap, so if there is a good video editing program what would it be? --Endlessdan (talk) 17:54, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * What's your budget? See List of video editing software.  Adobe Premiere is the standard, but it's pricey.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:15, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and Avid are the three major software programs/suites I see most professionals using, but you can get very good results with something like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. The quality of the video requires a decent camera, but is often dependent on the lighting and placement of the camera more than the actual quality. The same goes for video editing software. Knowing how to use your tools effectively is more important than having the right tools. Of course a high end camera, amazing microphones, and a multi-thousand dollar video editing package is great, but if you don't know how to use the equipment to its full potential using consumer grade budget equipment will be your best investment. 206.131.39.6 (talk) 18:31, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * If you're into free software, I've heard some praise about a program called Avidemux for video editing. Zakhalesh (talk) 19:12, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Avidemux is great but very basic in terms of editing features. It's more of an encoding program 82.43.92.41 (talk) 19:37, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I don't know myself, haven't used it, except for a very brief period when my media player was broken and I needed some substitute... and there was Avidemux. One of my friends said it's good but I'm not sure on what did he exactly use it for. Zakhalesh (talk) 20:38, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

Weird network problems
Hello. I had to replace my older Linux for Windows 7 recently. Now, I'm having network problems that no one in the same network experiences. The network connection never seems to disappear but gets REALLY slow frequently (I had to wait 5 minutes to get this form to load) while being lightning fast otherwise. I installed Wireshark (guess how long that took because of these problems) and checked what could be bugging it - it shows "Bad TCPs" at high concentrations whenever the network stops cooperating. Anyone know why's that and how to fix it? Zakhalesh (talk) 18:05, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * Is your computer powerful enough to run Windows 7 effectively? Looie496 (talk) 18:14, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I don't remember having problems a year ago when I had Win7 the last time, and since then, I've managed to get my hands on some good hardware like a new PSU. However, I might have not noticed the network problems the last time because everyone's connection used to suck back then. I'm now on my laptop, by the way, and everything's going smooth... Zakhalesh (talk) 18:20, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * If I were diagnosing this, I'm afraid I would do the dumb-o brute force diagnosis of buying a new wired Ethernet card, installing it, disabling the built-in Ethernet networking with Device Manager, and seeing if that resolves the problem. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:30, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Have you tried a different cable (and if part of the cable connecting you to the router or switch or whatever is fixed a different location where the cable is known not to have such problems) Nil Einne (talk) 22:47, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Sorry, forgot to mention that the network is wireless. Zakhalesh (talk) 12:45, 19 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Then the first thing you should try is using a cable. How far is your computer from the router?  Are there walls between?  Is there other equipment nearby that is causing interference?  Windows 7 will tell you the wireless signal strength.  Possibly you might need to try a new wireless card?  Am I correct in assuming that your laptop has no difficulty in connecting to the router by wireless?    D b f i r s   14:18, 19 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Cable is difficult because there's some distance between the two and also some other obstacles. However, they can't be the cause because the same computer from the same location used to work flawlessly before. Yes, no other machines on the network share the problems - my laptop works fine. I won't rely on Windows' signal strength because it won't even realize when the connection is down, still trying to tell me that the signal is "excellent" as when working. Zakhalesh (talk) 16:02, 19 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a problem with the Wireless network interface controller then. I assume that you've tried resetting it.  If you are sure that the settings are unchanged from when it worked previously, then try a replacement.  Before you spend money, do check that there is no electrical equipment interfering with the transmission, and that the "excellent signal strength" is not from some other transmission (such as a wireless TV transmitter).  Could you borrow a USB wireless connector just to check?    D b f i r s   17:27, 19 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Does the laptop work fine in the same location as the computer with the problem? Nil Einne (talk) 20:51, 19 March 2011 (UTC)