Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 January 5

= January 5 =

Computers that degrade with age
We've all had them: computers that run ok and then within a year or two they start getting slower or overheating. Why? Common answers to this question that I've heard over the years:
 * "too much stuff" clearly not true since most times the hard drive with the operating system is less than 50% full and usually defrags once a week.
 * "too much in the registry" seems more plausible, in my case I have >300 installed programs even with constantly uninstalling things I don't need. But.. most people have a lot fewer than this, and as if just 300 entries would make a difference on modern hardware. Even if the OS did a linear search through the registry it wouldn't add much.. correct me if I'm wrong.
 * "Dust", means the fans have to do more work to keep it cool. Sound logic but too many times I've checked and they've been cleanish.

Formatting and defragging makes a difference, sure, but you never quite get as fast as when the computer was new. Why? Does the processor or the RAM slow down over time? Does the hardware literally just degrade over time?

Discuss — Preceding unsigned comment added by Benjamint444 (talk • contribs)
 * Yes, hardware does degrade over time, but this is not the reason performance of most Windows desktops degrade with age. The reason is that the Windows operating system and the humans controlling it do not clean up after themselves properly. Scandisk, defrag and reinstall; the computer will perform as quickly as when you just bought it. Von Restorff (talk) 06:38, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Is it really just updates? I can kind of see how a few hundred mb of extra code could become really inefficient. Does Windows just have a terrible way of implementing the updates or something? Benjamint 06:44, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, Windows Update is terrible, but this problem does not have much to do with updates. It has to do with the fact that the Windows operating system and the humans controlling it do not clean up after themselves properly. E.g.: uninstalling an application does not remove it 100%, defragmentation occurs, the register gets polluted, logfiles accumulate et cetera. Lets say Mr. X moves out his parents basement when he is 18 and rents his own house. At first he works very efficiently, but because he does not like cleaning his house gradually becomes messier and messier. Stuff is hard to find, hidden under piles of trash. This affects his work efficiency. By cleaning his house (reinstalling Windows) he can improve his performance temporarily; but because of his messy habits it will inevitably become a mess again. Some operating systems are much better in cleaning up after themselves, and their performance degrades much slower. Von Restorff (talk) 06:47, 5 January 2012 (UTC) p.s. Overheating is usually caused by dust accumulating in places that are hard to reach. p.p.s. Almost no one defrags once a week, unfortunately. p.p.p.s. Your register contains a lot more than 300 entries!
 * I do! I run disk clean-up after closing my browser (every time), defrag at least once a week, and run chkdsk at least once a month. I also have most styling and smoothing nonsense disabled. My OS (XP/SP3) GUI looks 20 years out of date (really clunky), but this old and fairly crappy PC runs as fast as it possibly can. I've also enabled file indexing. This speeds up disk searches, but without chkdsking, I think would get messy due to the shoddy implementation of the files system. "Tag it and chuck it in". Or, NTFS as it is properly called.  fredgandt  07:16, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Geeks all over the planet are starting to build fansites dedicated to you now! Von Restorff (talk) 07:45, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Indexing will speed up searches, but it may slow down the PC when you change indexed files (like documents). Depending on how often you search, relative to how often you update files, indexing may not be an efficient way of speeding up your system. Mitch Ames (talk) 09:32, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Interesting observation. In fact I found it did slow things down at first, but has sped things up since being enabled longer. I think it improved after the first chkdsk after enabling. My biggest issue is very small hard drive (and old) of only 40gb and hardly any ram of 512mb. Reworking my bios helped too. The computer is second hand, and had the primary boot device set as its (wait for it) floppy drive! Yes folks, a floppy drive. So everything it did, it checked the floppy first. It wasn't fun. I need to upgrade so badly Face-sad.svg  fredgandt  09:50, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Question from the archive with some discussion about computers slowing down over time 82.45.62.107 (talk) 11:39, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * As far as a list of computer components that physically degrade and affect performance... dust accumulation is big, cause it will make processors/videocards step down their speeds to cool off more frequently, and hard drives will over time have sectors go bad. The hard drive replaces these with spares, so to speak (all drives have more capacity than "used" because they swap out bad blocks with new fresh ones when they detect they're getting bad), and eventually that can cause fragmentation that defrag won't fix. Much less practically relevant unless you're overclocking, is that there's electron drift that can happen deep within processors, especially those that operate over temperature. I don't know the physics behind it, and I've never seen this effect on a CPU, but I have seen deep errors on a GPU, which had been overheating. It manifests in particular ways.


 * But as others have said, overwhelmingly it is the accumulation of process that run in the background that you never need, corruption of files (not sure how much this happens anymore), and possibly viruses or other things (you'd be amazed how little defrag matters unless it's just gotten out of control) that lead to the "slow down" people experience on old computers. I find that a full reinstall from the factor disc will make 5 year old computers seem almost new for most people's tasks. Or even better, reinstall from scratch, apply all the updates, install the few programs that you know you will always use, and then use Norton Ghost or some similar program to backup the image. Then, if it starts running slow, you can start fresh with less time invested. Shadowjams (talk) 02:23, 6 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Of course, if you reinstall the O/S, you will lose everything you've done on the PC, including all data and programs you've loaded since, and all updates. So, this isn't a very practical option for most.  (You could copy all those things first, then reinstall them, but then it would slow down again.)


 * Another factor slowing down computers is bloatware. The same computer which could run a word processor just fine when it only spelled-checked at the end might not be able to handle spell-checking each word as it's typed in, as any current version would do. StuRat (talk) 20:34, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Does Video card affect video playback performance?
Will a better graphic card improve video playback performance when watching movies on VLC media player? Or is movie playback sort of like an HDMI cable where it either works or it doesn't. In other words, if the video playback is choppy/laggy, could a poor graphic card be responsible? Acceptable (talk) 07:33, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, that is possible (especially with HD), although it is rare. I am running a program called Extreme GPU Bruteforcer at this moment, which means my videocard has a lot of work to do. If I watch a HD video in VLC while running the bruteforcer I can see it lagging. If you have an old computer make it lag and try to find the bottleneck: is the CPU usage 100%? Is there free RAM left? Et cetera. Von Restorff (talk) 07:37, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Essentially, I have a NVIDIA GT 540M with Optimus technology. Optimus automatically switches between the dsicrete NVIDIA card and the onboard integrated Intel GPU. Most of the time, video playback is pretty good, but there are occasional blips here and there when I play 1080p video. If this is the level of performance I can expect from my discrete card, then I'm fine with it. But if it's a problem with Optimus not switching to my discrete card, then I would like to find a way to switch to the discrete card when watching video. Acceptable (talk) 07:48, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Open the "NVIDIA Control Panel" from your start menu. On the lefthand side, under "Select a task...", open the "3D Settings" tree, and select "Manage 3D Settings". Now on the righthand panel, click the "Program Settings" tab. Under "1. Select a program...", click "Add", navigate to your VLC directory and select "vlc.exe". Under "2. Select the preferred graphics...", choose "High-performance NVIDIA processor", then (VERY IMPORTANT) click "Apply" in the bottom right. Von Restorff (talk) 07:58, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks, but I've tried that already. It's almost like as if the card just ignores those options. I did some research online and found this to be a common problem. Apparently the NVIDIA card runs through the Intel IPG and so both card have to be on at the same time in order to work. I went into BIOS and it won't even let me turn off the discrete card; apparently I have to download an unlocked BIOS or something. Acceptable (talk) 17:36, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * OK; read this and that and watch this. There are many possible solutions and I am not sure which one to recommend. Make a backup and download and test the latest version of the drivers (even if they are in beta). Von Restorff (talk) 00:37, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

What's the best way to restore a computer to its factory state?


I would like to pass off a used laptop of mine with Windows 7 to a younger sibling. Before doing so, I would like to erase all of my personal files and restore it to the original factory state that it came in when I first got the computer. I know erased data can be recovered with software, but since it's a sibling, I'm not worried about loss of personal information or something. What is the best way for me to do this? The computer is a Dell Studio 15, I think I may have the restore CD that came with the laptop. But if I do not, what are the steps that I should take to formatting my computer, but still ensuring that Windows 7 works afterwards? Thanks. Acceptable (talk) 07:51, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * http://pastebin.com/FEnN9EXt For files that are not acceptable to see for younger siblings you may want to use a file shredder. Does your computer has a recovery partition? Try to find the CD first, if that does not work reboot the computer and bash F8, maybe it gives you the option to press a button to go back to factory settings. If not check your startmenu, maybe there is an option to restore factory settings there. If all else fails read this. Von Restorff (talk) 08:01, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure that unless your younger sibling is a computer wizz of epic skill (and is thus able to read the hard drive without the files being filed), simply reinstalling the OS will clean as it installs. The result will be a computer with nothing but an OS. Then fresh install all the drivers etc and ancillary programs (photoshop or whatever).  fredgandt  09:40, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I think you did not read the pastebin link. Acceptable is asking for the best way, not the worst way! Von Restorff (talk) 10:11, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! When using pastebin, do I need any of the Windows 7 OS CD's? Or will the computer still maintain the installed OS when it goes through the steps mentioned in the pastebin link? Acceptable (talk) 17:40, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * You are very welcome. The pastebin link describes 2 different procedures; line 1-29 is the best option, and you do not need any CDs for that. Von Restorff (talk) 00:16, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Free MS-DOS games?
Is there any games for an MS-DOS machine with CGA-graphics that are free as in PD/GPL etc..? needed for WP illustration. Electron9 (talk) 15:17, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Check through this list perhaps: List_of_open-source_video_games IRWolfie- (talk) 15:21, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

VPN in other countries
If I live in country A, and I use a VPN hosted in country B, am I subject to Internet laws in country B or country A? Aacehm  (talk) 15:53, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Both. To add to complications, if you use the VPN in country B to perform illegal activity in Country C, you are also subject to the laws of country C. -- k a i n a w &trade; 16:23, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry that this won't help you, but Wikipedia does not give legal advice. TheGrimme (talk) 16:27, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * (e/c):This is a complex issue, and of course we cannot give you legal advice. I suggest you read Legal aspects of computing.--Shantavira|feed me 16:25, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * It may be a good workaround to ask a person living in a country with different laws to perform an action which is illegal for you to do. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, I am probably wrong, this is not legal advice, it is probably illegal advice, do not listen to me or you will be eaten by a shark. Von Restorff (talk) 12:39, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Website prices
Say I want to create a website that will allow for video and picture uploading and sharing as well as discussion forums. Suppose I expect to have around 2000 members, and that the largest use of memory would be the video uploading with, lets say, 500 people uploading 500Mb each over the course of the first 2 years. Roughly how much would such a site as this cost to set up and run over those two years?

79.66.96.194 (talk) 16:00, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Storage requirement is in the ballpark of 500 people * 500 Mbit = 30 GB.. add 10 GB for system. Traffic demand 1,4 Gbit/month. Prices depend on country and ISP. It can be everything from a shell account, virtual server, or co-location. Electron9 (talk) 16:37, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Technically you could host the site with an existing computer you have on your existing internet connection for free. I would suggest discussing this in web hosting community, such as http://www.WebHostingTalk.com. TheGrimme (talk) 16:31, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * This is a rather difficult thing to estimate. Bandwidth is quite important when estimating cost, along with storage redundancy.

how could i get — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.207.112.86 (talk) 16:46, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * If you want to convert all the uploaded video (for instance to .flv) it will become a bit more expensive. Von Restorff (talk) 02:16, 6 January 2012 (UTC)

Norwegian letter
what is html code for o mixed with /............Kittybrewster  &#9742;  22:10, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * The Ø article has it. For stuff like this go to Norwegian alphabet and that links to the articles for all the relevant letters, and they in turn have that letter's representation in many formats. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 22:37, 5 January 2012 (UTC)


 * To answer your question directly, the answer is "&amp;Oslash;" for capital "&Oslash;", and "&amp;oslash;" for lower case "&oslash;". I often write web pages by hand, and type these characters as if they were part of the official spellings of the words involved. --NorwegianBluetalk 23:10, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * You can also simply use the characters Ø and ø. This will "just work" on any modern browser.  If you want to be very sure, you can specify that your HTML page should be interpreted in Unicode by adding the character-set id to the page header: the official specification for HTML Document Representation Specifying the character encoding is very verbose.  There a several standard ways to do so:
 * Instruct your server to prepend the HTTP meta header Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8. If you don't know how to do so, use one of the options below.
 * Include this in your HTML document head</tt>: <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
 * Use (and comply with the specifications for) XHTML, and include an encoding="UTF-8" tag in your document header
 * The old-fashioned "&amp;Oslash;" character entity reference codes are still valid (in HTML 4.01), but you should use a more modern technique. More detail at Character encodings in HTML.  To put it succinctly, if a web-browser or rendering engine can interpret the entity-code, it can also (almost certainly) interpret the unicode; but the reciprocal is not always true.  Nimur (talk) 23:46, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Using æøåÆØÅ directly in (sloppily written) web pages has caused problems in the not-too-distant past. Advice much appreciated. --NorwegianBluetalk 09:49, 7 January 2012 (UTC)