Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2017 January 8

= January 8 =

Cleaning HDD Fully
How do I completely clean a disk, if formatting the disk (apparently, well many say) still leaves recoverable datas? 103.230.104.24 (talk) 07:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Use an appropriate one of List of data-erasing software. I know from experience that sdelete (a command line tool) and CCleaner (GUI) are easy to use, although I have not personally verified that they do what they claim to do. Note that – as with – securely erasing a large disk may take a significant amount of time. Mitch Ames (talk) 07:29, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Just for clarification, isn't right-clicking the mouse button, selecting the "Format" option, doing a "Quick Format" clean sufficient? 103.230.106.9 (talk) 19:03, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * "Quick format" actually removes very little data. As a simple analogy, imagine the hard disk is a big book, a quick format essentially just blanks out the index pages, you can basically still flick through the book and see all the contents. That's why it takes so little time, the disks isn't really doing much "wiping" at all. For securely wiping a disk see software like Darik's Boot and Nuke. This makes any previous data extremely hard if not (for all intents and purposes) unrecoverable. This software basically writes "bogus" data to the entire disk, start to finish. And in case there might still be little left over "slivers" of data, which it might theoretically be possible to read, the software might write the bogus data dozens of times, so that any trace of any old data is lost in all the junk data. Quite in contrast to the quick format, this process can take a very long time, depending how many "passes" you do it can be hours if not days. You might notice people who are actually in the security "business" refrain from saying "impossible to recover". No security expert will tell you that there is any "software" that will make a disk IMPOSSIBLE to recover. To make data IMPOSSIBLE to recover, you pretty much have to grind the disk up into filings and mix them into concrete or scatter them into the sea. Drilling a few holes in the disk will get you 90% of the way there but it is at least theoretically possible to recover data from the "non drilled" parts of the disk.   Vespine (talk) 21:39, 8 January 2017 (UTC)

Apple's Safari
Can anyone tell me how to 'pin' the "Toolbar" to the top of the screen whilst visiting sites please? Thanks in anticipation!Artjo (talk) 12:17, 8 January 2017 (UTC) I found it, push 'esc'Artjo (talk) 08:17, 10 January 2017 (UTC)

Uninstalling Files
I’m unable to delete certain program names from “Programs and Features” option. One reason is obvious, missing files and or as well as folders… I thought of using CC cleaner but don’t think it will eliminate as I expect it to. What could I use to immaculate the irritating unwanted program names along with its hierarchy existing in the Drive(s).

103.230.105.6 (talk) 19:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I have used Revo Uninstaller. Vespine (talk) 21:18, 8 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Possibly a permissions issue. Log in as administrator and try again. Jahoe (talk) 01:13, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

“Hibernate” and “Sleep” Mode
1) What are the entitled enquoted options functionality? I know ‘locking’ and ‘logging off’ are two different things, and I know what each does after initiation…

2) Just for clarification, which one of the entitled enquoted words doesn’t use battery power and keeps the PC in pause mode?

103.230.105.6 (talk) 19:08, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * In the hibernate mode the computer is switched off and does not use any power but can be quickly switched on returning to exactly the same state as it was before the hibernation. In the sleep mode the computer is suspended but not switched off completely still consuming a very low but finite power. Ruslik_ Zero 19:30, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * What's would be the purpose of the functionality's creation? 103.230.105.3 (talk) 19:58, 8 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Sleep mode and Hibernation (computing) may help. CambridgeBayWeather, Uqaqtuq (talk), Sunasuttuq 00:28, 9 January 2017 (UTC)

External Battery Pack for PC
I wish to buy an external Li-on Battery pack that could be monitored via the Laptop, plugged-in and -out. I never bought one so I won't know anything about it. Any help please? 103.230.104.13 (talk) 19:21, 8 January 2017 (UTC)


 * You can search Google. For instance, I quickly found this. Ruslik_ Zero 19:26, 8 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Problem is, monitoring it from the PC with a software plugged-in and -out. 103.230.107.12 (talk) 19:44, 8 January 2017 (UTC)


 * You want to monitor the battery pack's charge from the laptop, when it's not plugged into the laptop ? You would obviously need another power source for the laptop, but the tricky bit is at the battery pack end. It would need to stay active, have it's own monitoring software, and broadcast a signal, say via Bluetooth, that the laptop could pick up.  This would, itself, drain the battery pack over time.  It could also wait for a signal requesting an update before sending it out, to save some power that way.  Somehow I doubt if any currently have these capabilities, as it would add lots of complexity and cost, just to save the step of plugging it in to check the charge. StuRat (talk) 05:26, 9 January 2017 (UTC)


 * Many battery packs can be monitored, not from the laptop, but by pressing a button that lights up a series of LEDs to indicate the state of charge. I find that this suffices, rather than continuous monitoring which, as StuRat says above, is not really practicable.    D b f i r s   09:02, 9 January 2017 (UTC)


 * I possess a software capable of monitoring the Laptop battery while the plug is in and out of the socket. I’ve seen some external battery packs (time ago) consisting two input points and they are:
 * 1) The one that connects to the Laptop and
 * 2) the one that connects to the Laptop battery place.
 * Now,
 * a1) I wish to charge it while using PC in order to monitor. So I need the 'number 1' stated above.
 * a2) I also wish to monitor how it drains, so I'm guessing 'number 1' won't suffice, therefore 'number 2' i.e. I might need an adapter type (cords and or connection type) that plugs in the Laptop battery place in order to monitor while I'm using it in discharge mode. Note: Both 'number 1' and 'number 2' connection types could be hard to find in a product.
 * b) I also wish to charge it while not using PC, a display in the battery pack is therefore desirable.
 * I do require 'external Li-on Battery Pack' which I did not come across till to date. What I have come across however, cheap powerful Battery packs for phones…
 * Now, after reading the guided link earlier, I became confused with the voltage and other rubbish that I don’t have a clue of. What example from the guided link (or from anywhere else) could you give me in order for me to understand, which could meet my desire. Btw, my Laptop is “Li-on 10.8v 5200mAh”.
 * 103.230.104.14 (talk) 18:45, 9 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I don't see why you need somethihg which connects to the laptop battery connection to enable monitoring of the battery pack. The battery pack could just connect via USB and allow monitoring like a UPS both while charging and discharging. You will obviously need to keep the USB connection both times, but as mentioned above, wireless monitoring is a complication many are not going to bother with. Nil Einne (talk) 16:40, 10 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Its because that's what I found on my research... Anyway:
 * Are you serious? Clarification required: Are you saying that you can charge a Laptop's external Li-on Battery pack via USB connection, and monitor it while charging and discharging, with any opensource battery monitoring software? 103.230.104.26 (talk) 18:54, 10 January 2017 (UTC)
 * No, USB is only 5 volts so is unable to charge the battery pack unless it contains a converter to 11 volts or higher. To monitor via USB, the battery would need some circuitry to monitor its own voltage and transmit this via the USB connection.    D b f i r s   21:35, 10 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Actually some modern laptops they are able to charge over USB type C although they may or may not need the charger to be able to provide a voltage higher than 5V for this to work. (Sadly from what I've read, for many devices even if they support this feature their actual requirements are suprisingly poorly documents. You just have to try and see if it works. A number don't even document that it is supported.) But you're right I wasn't referring to charging, only to monitoring. Note that any lithium ion battery pack needs to have some basic level of monitoring to avoid the infamous "venting with flames" that can come from allowing the batteries to be overdischarged and then attempting to re-charge them although the ability to provide monitoring info over USB obviously requires more sophisticated circuitry. (I guess you could also debate whether the CC-CV charging circuitry counts as monitoring.) As mentioned above, there are standards for this widely used by UPS devices for example, and these are supported by various open source software. OpenUPS2 for example is a device with lithium ion batteries which supports such a feature although it's intended for the DIY market (needs you to provide the cells for example) and probably not powerful enough for the OPs needs. OpenUPS (non 2) can use up to 6S so may or may not be enough although again it's a real DIY solution. Nil Einne (talk) 01:21, 11 January 2017 (UTC)