Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2015 April 2

= April 2 =

IPAc-en Typography and the "Barcode-like" lines beneath each
What is the meaning, use, or purpose of the uniquely formed lines beneath each of Google's IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) pronunciation guides? At first glimpse these appear to be standard underscores (or underlines, if you prefer), but on closer inspection, they look more like a sort of cropped barcode, reduced in height to little more than a line of inconsistent thickness. What's more, each such "underscore" is slightly different.

I had hoped to send along examples via "Cut & Paste" but when I "paste" the result lacks this odd typographic feature. In lieu of that, I respectfully suggest you look at Google's "Template:IPAc-en" page (it's URL is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:IPAc-en ) and search for the following IPA term:

/ˌæləˈbæmə/

Notice how each "/ˌæləˈbæmə/" is accompanied by a subtly (but undeniably) different "barcode-like" underscore? You may have to zoom in quite a ways to see it, but it's there -- and it's puzzling. Why is that? What's it for? And why is each one slightly different?


 * If you inspect one of the elements, you will see that the characters have a dotted bottom border. So, under each letter is a dotted line (1px in size). Where the dotted line under one letter meets the dotted line under another, you often get wide dots because one is ending when another is beginning. 209.149.115.177 (talk) 14:53, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Per the documentation: "The pronunciation is broken into individual phonemes so that they will have mouseovers to indicate pronunciation" Your browser shows the mouseovers as the dotted underline. Hover over one of those to see the mouseover text. See also abbr which uses the same technique. --  Gadget850talk 17:19, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * And as a final clarification, it would be less confusing if when you meant Wikipedia you said Wikipedia and not Google. --65.95.176.148 (talk) 17:10, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * And since I was curious, the CSS is defined in . --  Gadget850talk 17:27, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Instant laptop shutdown
Im running Vista on a Toshiba Equium and from time to time the machine just shuts off like the power has been pulled and appears completely dead. To restart it I sometimes have to remove the battery and replace it. Any ideas as to the problem?--109.146.20.31 (talk) 16:51, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * The first thing to do is to try to determine whether you have a problem with the computer or with Vista. I usually do two kinds of tests; first, I go into the BIOS setup screen and let it sit there for hours, preferably in a very warm room (I use my garage on a sunny day). If it shuts off under those conditions, then you know that it is the hardware, not the operating system. you can also try the same experiment in a cool room with a fan blowing on the laptop (prop it up so it gets underneath as well) if that stops the problem, suspect an overheating problem, possibly caused by dust buildup inside.


 * These experiments should be done while running off of AC power, of course.


 * Another thing to try is to turn off all power saving features (in the BIOS, in Vista, and check to see if there is a Toshiba power saver utility running). Sometimes a power save that is meant to suspend ends up shutting down. If that solves it, start tuning them back on one at a time.


 * Also, look at the event viewer and see if it is giving you any messages relating to the shutdowns


 * You can try http://support.toshiba.com/support/family?fname=Equium and see if they have something about your model shutting down.


 * http://www.laptoprepair101.com/toshiba-laptop-overheating/ may have some advice that will help.


 * If it works on your system, RealTemp ( http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/ ) might give you more information. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:44, 2 April 2015


 * This is a symptom for failure of battery or an emergency cut off by the battery due over current by shortcut like capacitor failures. Some lithium battery packs use such protection to prevent explosive failures and fire. When one of the Buck converter inside the computer fail, this may be a typical cause. If malware would cause the turn off, the computer would power up instantly by pushing the power button. -- Hans Haase (有问题吗) 17:51, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Operating system failures do not cause instant hard power-off. Whenever I've seen this it's been due to the CPU or video chip getting too hot, usually due to fan failure or extreme dust accumulation on the heatsink fins or in the intake and exhaust grills. This requires disassembly to fix; you can't just blow air through the openings you can see. Jeh (talk) 20:15, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Google for "atx power off assembler code" -- Hans Haase (有问题吗) 15:54, 5 April 2015 (UTC)


 * An additional possibility is that the power is indeed being cut, due to a poor electrical connection somewhere. Since you said pulling the battery out and plugging it back in fixes the problem, that implies that it might be a battery issue.  Does this problem ever occur when the laptop is plugged in to the wall outlet ?  If not, that seems to narrow it down to either the battery or the connection between the battery and the laptop.  Examine the contacts on the battery and laptop for any signs of corrosion or dirt.  Clean them up as best you can, maybe using a cotton swab and alcohol, and see if that helps.  If you have access to another battery, you might also try that as a test.  If the test battery solves the problem, then a new battery is the obvious solution. StuRat (talk) 17:28, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Sometimes, it is hard to tell what is causing a specific computer issue. In this case, there can be multiple reasons as to why your computer is shutting off from time to time, and based off the information provided, I cannot determine the cause. This being the case, a good place to start to figure out a solution is to visit http://support.toshiba.com/support/family?fname=Equium and see if you can find any information about your specific model and why it is shutting down from time to time when you are not telling it to. Another place you can visit is http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/53439.aspx. This article outlines multiple potential causes and solutions for your issue. Another source that may help you solve your issue is http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-1669181/toshiba-satellite-turning.html, which is a forum where multiple users can give their shot at answering a similar problem from another person. Baha236 (talk) 23:48, 5 April 2015 (UTC)