Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 May 24

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May 24

My new motherboard is making me sad

Hi, my new motherboard+CPU will not boot at all. The cpu and case fans run when I power it on. I have disconnected everything except the power switch header and power supply, and put the motherboard on a piece of cardboard to remove the possibility of a short circuit. There is no signal output from the onboard VGA, and there are no POST beeps at all (with speaker header connected). I did a CMOS reset; no change. The dealer did a RAM and CPU test with this motherboard, and they worked. Specs: Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2C, Intel CORE 2 DUO E6750 2.66G, 4GB Kingston DDR2-667, 300W P/S. Any ideas? Thanks. --Sean 04:24, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Am I missing something here? A new motherboard that you can't take back for a replacement? Just take your whole system to the dealer to check? Depending on your graphics card, 300W PSU sounds a little underpowered... but it could be anything. Swap out components at the dealer until you find the faulty one. Sandman30s (talk) 22:12, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

He/she said onboard VGA. 300W should be fine, may seem a little on the low side but particularly with onboard VGA shouldn't cause any problems if it's a decent PSU (which it probably isn't) and definitely shouldn't prevent a consistent bootup. People often serious overestimate how much power computers really use, take a look at [1] (also [2] + [3] are useful) which while fairly old, remember that power usage hasn't actually gone up much, due to the increase in efficiency. Most figures you see whey they say you need e.g. a 500W PSU are serious overestimate and based on adding the maximum possible power usage from every component together, which never actually happens in real life, no matter how much you stress your computer. And even though there is a slight chance you will have an occanial highish peak usage which may make a little headroom an advantage, this only happens with serious stress and so shouldn't cause boot up problems unless you have 10 hard disks or something. However if it's some POS PSU made by Hyena or Deer or something like that then all bets are off. P.S. I agree with the main point, the dealer should sort this out. Nil Einne (talk) 16:55, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Archive of flash site

I think it is highly unlikely, but I was wondering if in any way it would be possible to get an archive of this page: [4], along with content from it, including zipped files of the training videos. One example is this "GeneralWarmUp_videos.zip", and similar file(s) in PDF. Googling yielded nothing, and archive.org does not seem to archive it properly, at least I didn't get it to work right. They have replaced the training site with their Sparq training, before it was Nike Bauer hockey training, and was really well laid out. I'm sure if I emailed them they'd just say better things are to come. Maybe if they put all the old content. I'm sure the new site might be good, but this one was really good for hockey training. Many videos are on youtube, but not all, and not in proper order. It probably won't help, but it was taken down within a space of a couple weeks or so. Alright, thanks very much! Baseballfan (talk) 05:40, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Anyone? TIA. Baseballfan (talk) 05:26, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

All I get is an error for that site. You might try httrack for web archiving, but most archivers have problems with anything more advanced than HTML and basic JavaScript. Think outside the box 19:07, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Transferring files to MP3 player

I am currently using a Compaq Presario 2500 laptop I bought five years ago. Since the original USB ports no longer work effectively, I use a USB card for stuff. I am trying to transfer files to my MP3 player, a Samsung YP-U1, which is no problem for newer computers but is problematic here. When I plug in the player, it works fine but when I try to do anything - deleting a file, uploading a new one - it stops and disconnects. Then it magically reconnects but then disconects once I attempt to do something. This cycle repeats and I believe it could be a problem with the card itself and not the player. What do I do? --Blue387 (talk) 08:23, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I have continued to try transferring files using an USB extension cable but it does not work. I am very frustrated. Is there an alternative? I could try my college's computer labs if not for the labs being closed for the weekend. I am frustrated by by old computer preventing me from performing a simple one minute operation. --Blue387 (talk) 09:13, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

This is probably obvious but have you made sure the drivers are up to date? --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 17:52, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Compaq Presario 2500 ships with Win XP which has basic support for most USB drives. Have you tried it with other USB devices, to see if the problem is with the card or the player? The new card reader could be in conflict with the computers original ports, so try disabling the USB ports in Device Manager (Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager) and see if that solves your problem. Also, is this a CompactFlash or SD card your talking about? SDHC cards over 2GB don't work on old card readers. See Compatibility issues with 2 GB and larger cards. Think outside the box 19:21, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I have tried using a regular flash drive and it works fine. The MP3 player does not. I will try another computer and get back to you tomorrow. --Blue387 (talk) 03:56, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

It works now. How odd. --Blue387 (talk) 18:46, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Ipod Touch Downgrading

When I try to downgrade my ipod touch it comes up with "an unknown error has occured (5)"I am trying to downgrade my ipod touch from firmware 1.1.4 to firmware 1.1.1 and it comes up with that error. I have downloaded the 1.1.1 software. What I am doing is when I am in Itunes with the Ipod summary I click restore (while holding shift), select the 1.1.1 firmware and then it comes up with that error!! Is there something I'm doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!!!!!! 220.233.83.26 (talk) 09:24, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Just wondering, why do you want to downgrade your iPod? --grawity 17:40, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Evidently the newer firmware addressed some hardware change or bug. Clearly the older firmware does not work with your unit. Why would you want to downgrade? Nimur (talk) 15:30, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Preserving quality of an image

Hello,

I have some page images that I was going to upload. I scanned them as black-and-white PNGs. Some of them have black areas around the edges, though. I was going to open them up in Photoshop and use the paint-bucket tool to fill it in. But to do that I have to convert it to grayscale. Fireworks seems to convert them to RGB. I think that PNG is a lossless format (right?), but does editing the images still degrade quality or blur them? Some could use cropping, too. I'm worried because the images are also going to be processed using OCR.

Thanks,

Hello. I'm new here, but I'm sure I can help out. (talk) 13:43, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

PNG is lossless. Converting them to grayscale if they are already black and white won't lose any quality. I would just use the crop tool, personally, it is a lot less trouble. I would not worry about degradation in this case as long as you don't save it to a compressed, lossy format. I wouldn't worry about the OCR at all in this case, it won't be affected. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:34, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

ok. Thanks. --Hello. I'm new here, but I'm sure I can help out. (talk) 17:44, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

bittorrent situation in France

so I'm in France and don't get US television, but I really miss the colbert report.

I'm not asking for legal advice, but in general what is the p2p situation in France? Would I get in trouble if I download the show via bittorrent? After all, it's an American show it's not even available in France so I'm certainly not depriving anyone of any profits or anything else.

What do you think? Thank you. (Again, I'm not asking for legal advice, just the technical situation in a different country.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Colbertfan31 (talk • contribs) 15:39, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Is it illegal? Yes. Does it matter if you can't get it on TV? No. Are you really depriving anyone of profits? Technically you are, in the sense that you aren't watching the commercials, which is what really pays for the show. Will you probably get in trouble? Unlikely, but that's not legal advice of any sort.

There are, of course, more legal ways to do it. I'm pretty sure you can buy it on iTunes and there are tons of clips on the Colbert Report's website. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:41, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

ok (not asking for legal advice) do you think people in france get touble for this sort of thing? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.88.122.226 (talk) 18:41, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, the vast majority of the people who engage in this sort of thing never get in trouble for it anywhere. Generally speaking, you're far more likely to get in trouble if you are very actively engaged in distributing a considerable volume of copyrighted material than if you just occasionally download something, but really, it's mostly a question of someone wanting to take the time and wanting to make an example of someone, and happening to find you. Law enforcement agencies themselves are unlikely to bother, because they tend to have more urgent things to do, but the parties that hold the rights have been known to do some investigating on their own and turning the results over to the police, essentially trying to hand them ready-made cases. In the past, the music industry (or, more specifically, the RIAA) has been far more aggressive about that sort of thing than the TV people are, but in any case, if you do this sort of stuff, you're always taking something of a chance. Still, if you're a private individual who happens to download fresh episodes of a foreign TV show from the internet, I'd bet that you're very unlikely to get in trouble for it. If you're offering constant and fairly dependable download access to, say, a music library of 10 000 songs, that's a whole different situation; then there's an incentive to make an example of you. Still, it is illegal, and you could get in trouble for it. I think it's extremely unlikely (so much so that I personally wouldn't give it much thought) -- but it's not impossible. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 00:41, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Some music industry bodies have started "poisoning" torrents, where they share intentionally corrupt files to prevent you downloading them, for example this. Think outside the box 19:04, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

CD player woes (reposted with updated question)

Hello, I have a Toshiba satellite with Windows XP. recently, I am having problems with my matshita dvd-ram uj-840s. It does not show up under my computer anymore. There is a generic windows file icon instead. I then used Device Manager to uninstall the driver for the device. I rebooted my computer and hoped for the best. Windows detected the cd drive; however, it was unable to correctly install drivers for it. What should I do? Please help me. --67.165.212.35 (talk) 13:18, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Search for a driver? --LarryMac | Talk 13:26, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for your answer. I already installed the program (.exe) given by the top hit. There was no effect. How can I find the official website from which to download the driver? --67.165.212.35 (talk) 13:48, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Normally I'd say go to Toshiba, but trying to search for that drive on their site didn't get me anywhere. What is the specific model number of your computer? --LarryMac | Talk 17:47, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Its a Satellite M55-S135. --Kushal (talk) 18:29, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I am downloading a file from Toshiba's website. --Kushal (talk) 18:35, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

I was about to post a link with a similar URL that looks more like an explosion in a typesetting room than a web address.... --LarryMac | Talk 18:38, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

You have been a great help, LarryMac. I don't have any good news yet, however. The software unpacked and installed. However, nothing changed. :( What could have happened? --Kushal (talk) 18:55, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

developing story: It seems that Windows does not have the drivers for any CD device. I plugged in my SanDisk Cruzr with U3 disk, and Windows showed problems with that too! Is there a way that I can force Windows to download drivers from the Microsoft website? Kushal (talk) 12:00, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

It seems your windows installation is screwed up. I'd suggest formatting and reinstalling. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.202.21.253 (talk) 14:29, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

That's sad. How am I supposed to reinstall when Windows does not recognize my CD drive? :( Any more takers, please? Kushal (talk) 01:24, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

That isn't a problem. When you are _installing_ Windows from a CD, you are not _running_ Windows. Instead, you are running a program from a bootable CD. So, all you really need is the Windows CD, a functioning CD drive and the base hardware that sees it.

Have you verified yet that the actual hardware is good? When you first start your laptop, can you get into the BIOS setup? Does it see the CD drive? Can you boot from it? If you can, then the drive is good. This is, indeed, a windows driver issue, and reinstalling Windows should fix it. Reinstalling is overkill, yeah, but it will fix it.

If, however, your BIOS does not see the CD drive, then this is a hardware issue -something is broken, either the drive or the controller- and reinstalling Windows won't fix that. -SandyJax (talk) 14:27, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, SandyJax. I will check to see it asap. Kushal (talk) 19:38, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Update: The BIOS sees the "CD/DVD" drive. When Windows is running, I can open the CD tray and close it, and the LED flashes for a bit while a little sound comes which means the CD drive is trying to read if there is a CD in it. I would love it if it were possible for me to just download the required drivers from Microsoft but the download center (both new and old interfaces) could not find what I was looking for. I could not use Mozilla Firefox to do automatic downloads (which I don't understand why) and the ActiveX warning never popped up when I tried using Internet Explorer. I am using Windows XP service pack 2 on that computer. Kushal (talk) 01:50, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

What should I do? Kushal (talk) 13:46, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

New image of "my computer" screen

Some kinds of hardware use drivers supplied by the hardware manufacturer (e.g. graphics cards), but CD drives normally use a driver written by Microsoft and included in every version of Windows. You probably can't download it for the same reason you can't download Windows Explorer—you've either got it already or you don't need it. If you're really missing this driver then something is seriously wrong with your Windows installation and you need to reinstall. It's more likely that the problem has some other cause, but your best bet is still probably to reinstall Windows. It's hard to troubleshoot this kind of problem even with physical access to the computer, much less via an Internet forum. It would probably take longer and involve more manual effort than a reinstall, and it's less likely to work. You don't necessarily need to format and reinstall, though; you can first try installing on top of what you already have, which will save a lot of time if it works. -- BenRG (talk) 20:08, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, BenRG. I installed the (Wubi) Ubuntu 8.04 and the CD player works out of the box. It seems like I have no alternative to reinstalling Windows. Thanks everyone. (However, I still wish there was a way to download the required software from Microsoft. It just does not sound logical that I need to reinstall my OS just so that my CD drivers are in place.) :( Kushal (talk) 03:30, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Flash Drive

I know a computer can be booted from a CD. My question is, can a computer be booted from a flash drive with a .iso image of say linux on it? Thanks, Zrs 12 (talk) 16:25, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

A quick Google search for "flash drive start up" brings up several results, this being the first. Dismas|^(talk) 16:40, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

(ec) Flash drive also mentions the possibility. Also, the One Laptop per Child computers will boot from flash memory (they won't even have hard drives). Algebraist 16:48, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

And another question: Is a .iso even a bootable file type? Zrs 12 (talk) 16:53, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

.iso is a complete image of a CD. So if it was made from a bootable CD, then it will have the bootloader and stuff. By the way, I just finished installing Fedora 9 Live into my USB flash drive. --grawity 17:38, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, I downloaded xubuntu and copied that image to my flash drive. How can I get my computer to boot from this flash drive? Also, how could I boot from CD and what effects would that have on my Windows OS and internal hard drive? Would it delete any of my files or anything? Thanks, Zrs 12 (talk) 18:12, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

You can boot from a flash drive, but I doubt there's any computer that'll let you boot from an ISO file on a flash drive. I don't think that overwriting the flash drive with the ISO image will work either. There are Linux distributions that boot from flash, but it's not as easy as downloading a file and copying it to the drive. Generally I think they require you to install Linux on the flash drive in much the same way you'd install it on a hard drive (which will probably require booting from a CD or floppies first). -- BenRG (talk) 19:55, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Or see this HOWTO. --antilived^{T | C | G} 22:42, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Either the BIOS would have to read the iso format, or you'd need some bootable software on the flash drive that could emulate a CD drive. I don't think either exists yet. Think outside the box 18:57, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Underclock macbook pro

I have a first generation 2Ghz macbook pro. This model is notorious for over heating, sometimes it hits 80C. I have Fan Control installed (which controls the fans in greater detail), and iStat pro monitors the temperature, and I am NOT happy at it heating the whole house like that. Other than cooling pads, can you underclock the processors, at maybe 1.9 or 1.95, to keep in the 70's celsius?81.150.247.152 (talk) 17:18, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

in the 80s? and I thought my macbook was overheating when it hit the 60s (and turned the lid off on it, just as right now, I am on a Toshiba Satellite M55-S135 with Windows XP Home). Can you recall when (and how long after the purchase) you noticed that the temperature could get to the high 70s and the 80s? Have you spoken to Apple about it? (sorry for not signing). Kushal (talk) 20:14, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

80s, under load, is not unknown or uncommon for Macbook Pros (see [5]). My newer model Macbook Pro, with the fan running at stock speeds, idles in the 40s and 50s, and goes into the high 70s under load. They're hot suckers. I'm unaware of any way to underclock it; the only thing that might help that I know of is reapplying the thermal interface paste, which is a sure fire way to ruin it if you do it incorrectly. 24.76.169.85 (talk) 00:31, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

It was their first ever attempt at an Intel laptop, and a well known issue. But just because something is normal doesn't mean it's safe, I've done everything practical I can to deal with it. Fans are going at full capacity, and it is still hotter than Halle Berry. Reason I ask, is I really don't need absolutely all of the capacity. 81.150.247.152 (talk) 05:01, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Why would it not be safe? I mean, unless you've got it on a highly combustible material; the laptop itself is unlikely to be damaged from temperatures like that. Anyways, considering that the motherboard doesn't support underclocking, you're really going to find it difficult to find a way to accomplish it, if it's possible at all. You can change the clockspeed on the graphics chip since they're made that way, but that's it. 24.76.169.85 (talk) 05:31, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

• without sounding flippant, if you dont need the full spec of the macbook pro, sell it and get a newer macbook. No heat issues, and they're cheaper. The money from the pro could go virtually all the way to the macbook. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.157.97.154 (talk) 18:37, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Chip fan failed

My computer's chip fan has failed (or at least the BIOS setup says so).

1. Is it the little fan on the motherboard?
2. Is it replaceable?
3. Will it do much damage if I don't fix|replace it?

--grawity 17:47, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I am puzzled. Does your computer even start up normally or are you perpetually stuck in the BIOS? If you can boot up normally, it may mean that the fan may fail soon unless action is taken. IF the fan had already failed, and you did not have additional measures in place (most computers don't), then your processor should have fried itself by now. On my macbook, the temperature of parts of the processor can reach in the 60s (centigrade) with the fans thrashing madly at over 1500 rpm (sometimes over 2000 rpm). If the processor did not have any cooling, I would not have any chance to say good bye to the computer. Therefore, your processor fan probably has not stopped working altogether. My guess is that it has failed a test run by BIOS. I am not an expert but there are many others on the RD who are so it would help if you could give us details on your hardware, specifically the computer model (if laptop or a branded model), processor information, motherboard information, and BIOS information. Thank you very much. Kushal (talk) 18:25, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

1. It probably is (unless it is the fan on the graphics card.
2. Yes, it is replaceable. It could be hard if you have a new processor like the on macbook air has. It is easiest on generic desktops. Please consult a wikibook and a page from [Ars Technica article as other Wikipedians give you more appropriate answers.
3. If the chip gets no cooling, it could heat up badly, give out smoke, and permanently damage within a minute. Kushal (talk) 18:32, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

It will certainly help a lot if you specify which motherboard (and other components) you have. Sounds to me as if there is a problem in a northbridge fan (a rather rare component) rather than a CPU fan. Have you opened your case already? Can you recognize the CPU fan? Is it working? Are there any other fans? Are they working? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 18:35, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Wow, I did not even know that Northbridge (computing) have their own fans. I have never opened a laptop (and I promise I will not unless I have to) and the old desktop I had just had a heat sink over the chip. Kushal (talk) 18:58, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

You will typically only find them in the (desktop) boards of overclocking enthusiasts. grawity's mention of a "little fan" reminded me of those, but I guess the CPU fan is relatively small, compared to 120mm case fans he might have. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 19:54, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Some CPUs have a built-in heat regulation mechanism that will step down the processor speed to prevent permanent damage if the fan fails or even if the entire heatsink is missing. At least that was true of Intel CPUs in late 2001 when Tom's Hardware tested them. I don't know whether Intel still does this or whether AMD started doing it too, but it's at least in the realm of possibility that your fan has already failed and the only symptom is a slight system slowdown. -- BenRG (talk) 19:45, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

okay...

• My computer works fine. Sorta.
• It's not the CPU fan, and it's not the video card fan - they're working. It's a little ~3 cm fan that's on the motherboard.
• No smoke yet. Windows ExPee boots unusually fast.
• BIOS setup and Everest report its speed as 0 rpm - so it must be broken, as 1) previously it was some 3000 rpm and 2) it was a little louder a few days before dying.
• The motherboard is Asus Msomething - I'll post the exact model later when I'll have access to the PC. But it has a nVidia chipset and an AMD Athlon 64.

--grawity 21:06, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

If this fan is located between the CPU and the expansion slots (PCI etc.), then it's indeed the northbridge fan. We shouldn't give thermal advice at the ref desk, but unless the motherboard is seriously overclocked, it should do just fine without this fan. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 21:47, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

You probably want to give it a better heatsink though, with the fan occupying most space there aren't much left for the actual heatsink. I actually voluntarily removed my chipset fan (integrated northbridge and southbridge [Nforce 3]) because it's too loud, and replaced it with a heatsink. It still works fine to this day, although it does get a little hot when I touch it. --antilived^{T | C | G} 22:40, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Web page update alerts software for Mac

I need a program for my Mac that alerts me when a web page has been updated. It doesn't have to be, but it would be really cool if it were, a Firefox add-on. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.164.116.200 (talk) 20:01, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Does it have a RSS/Atom feed? That'd make it significantly easier. --antilived^{T | C | G} 22:37, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

as a matter of fact it does have an rss feed. i'm looking for something similar to google notifier

it tells me when i have a new email, and i want to know when this webpage has new posts. there is a RSS feed. 71.164.116.200 (talk) 14:17, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

What is a .VoMiT file?

Can someone explain?--Goon Noot (talk) 23:12, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

VoMiT appears to be a DVD-piracy release group. Could your file end in .VoMiT.torrent or .VoMiT.avi or something (bearing in mind that Windows, OS X, and some Linux distros automatically hide known extensions by default)? 24.76.169.85 (talk) 00:27, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Or it might be like an .nfo file. Try opening it in a text editor if it is small. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 00:59, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Fastest Internet

What is the fastest theoretical maximum internet possible in development or already made? Either for home / business / government use. -WikiUser613 (talk) 23:43, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I know there's this one. Useight (talk) 00:01, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Uh, 40 gbps? Is that possible? I mean, that's OC-768 speeds, and what type of residential customer would have a direct OC-768 link? 24.76.169.85 (talk) 00:38, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Abilene Network can do 10 gbps domestic, which is pretty dang fast. It is not a one-time demonstration sort of thing, but it is not easy to jack into if you aren't a member of the Internet2 consortium, I believe. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 01:04, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

See our List of device bandwidths. You may want to enforce strict definition of Internet to only include data transfer using the internet protocol. Nimur (talk) 15:32, 29 May 2008 (UTC)