Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2017 January 3

= January 3 =

Chrome bookmark retrieval
My employer's IT deleted all my Chrome bookmarks when they installed Office 2016 just a bit ago. I found a file that appears to have them all but it's in what appears to be XML format. Chrome's import utility wants an HTML file. Any ideas on how I can import the sites in the XML file? The XML seems to have the folder structure that I had all the bookmarks in. Thanks, † dismas †|(talk) 18:03, 3 January 2017 (UTC)
 * You might try copying that file to the Chrome settings folder, per this comment. The file should be called Bookmarks (no file extension). The settings folder can be found by typing  into the Chrome address bar and looking for Profile Path. Be sure to back up the existing bookmarks file (if it exists). clpo13(talk) 19:29, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

Google Chrome
When I sign in and out of the browser, my saved data stays no matter how many times I delete them. How do I delete all completely from the server web browser, where it is primarily saved, so that it never re-appears whenever I sign in and out of Chrome? 103.230.105.8 (talk) 19:12, 3 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I think this help page has what you're looking for. Hope it helps. clpo13(talk) 19:20, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

Cut, copy and paste or migrating software
1) Say I ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ a ‘folder’ with a bunch of ‘files’ and ‘folders’ in it, from one RHDD to another, suddenly I ‘click’ the ‘Cancel’ button while moving, what will happen? E.g., lose any bytes/files/folders/information…?

2) Looking for a software that will make this process fast without loosing any valuable information, with a pause button if possible (in order to continue the migration thereafter whenever wished)

103.230.104.12 (talk) 20:07, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * In most operating systems, you can re-paste either to a new location or back to the original without losing data. I prefer to use the "move" command because then I know the files will remain in the original location until written to the new, though there is probably not much difference as far as the operating system is concerned.  If I have only one copy of the files, I tend to copy, check, then delete the old files.  Perhaps someone else can suggest more secure software with a failproof pause and resume.   D b f i r s   20:50, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * When canceling a cut and paste job, the operating system will stop the process gracefully, meaning that, barring power loss or hardware failure, no data will be lost. Any files not yet transferred will be untouched and files already moved will still be at the destination (see here).
 * As to the second part of your question, TeraCopy on Windows has served me well before. It offers the ability to pause and resume the process as well as error-checking (comparing the moved file to the original before removing the original). There's also a list of various tools for this purpose at List of file copying software. clpo13(talk) 20:52, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

Battery charging
I realize that this question has probably been asked any number of times before, but how do I charge the battery on my Asus laptop? Currently, the battery light is flashing, and my laptop is telling me that I have 95% battery power and the battery is not charging. How big a problem is this, and can I expect my computer to stop working any time soon? You will forgive me for asking all this, as I am not particularly technically proficient. FreeKnowledgeCreator (talk) 21:03, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Do you have the power cable for the laptop? That would be how the battery is charged. † dismas †|(talk) 22:10, 3 January 2017 (UTC)


 * I have the power cable. The power cable is plugged in, and the element is switched on. The battery is still not charging. FreeKnowledgeCreator (talk) 23:29, 3 January 2017 (UTC)
 * My computer (IBM thinkpad) is currently plugged in and sitting at 97% and "not charging", I think this is normal. It's probably to prevent very shallow cycling of the battery, it might wait until it's at 90% or 80% or whatever, I wouldn't worry. If it was at 50% and still not charging I would worry. Vespine (talk) 01:35, 4 January 2017 (UTC)
 * You could be right, but I've had my current laptop for years and it's never done this before. I wonder whether a return to default settings would help? FreeKnowledgeCreator (talk) 02:09, 4 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Recent operating systems like Windows 10 have this as a feature to prolong battery life, not a bug. In your case it might be due to an update.John Z (talk) 04:09, 4 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm running Windows 10, so that looks likely to be the explanation. Thanks all. FreeKnowledgeCreator (talk) 04:26, 4 January 2017 (UTC)