Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2009 June 28

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June 28

bat files

Following no from the last question - if a create a bat file A that says

B.bat 
etc

and a file B.bat that says

A.bat
etc

and then click on either - will they just loop round and round until a stack overflow occurs, or is windows prepared for such foolishness; doing something else?

I'm too scared to actually try it :) 83.100.250.79 (talk) 01:28, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Why be scared to crash Windows? Back in the day, this kind of curiosity was the main reason computers existed.

I just tried it, and there was no ill effect, because when a batch file does "a.bat", the current batch file is discarded and forgotten. If you instead use call a.bat, however, it's remembered and the batch file resumes after a.bat has completed So after a lot of repetitions, under Vista, I got this cool error:

****** B A T C H R E C U R S I O N exceeds STACK limits ******

Recursion Count=599, Stack Usage=90 percent

****** B A T C H PROCESSING IS A B O R T E D ******

Tempshill (talk) 01:47, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks - same thing. Didn't realise about call

Curiously (to me) when I try it without call, it still loops, but with no stack overflow message - but eventually just seems to give up - no error message - anyone know why this is? or doesn't do this, must have done something else83.100.250.79 (talk) 02:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

retrieving data from sites

1. Is there any site that gives RSS/ATOM type bare minimum data on stock market values of (induvidual) companies?.
2. Is it possible to retrieve that data/page using python (to feed another program written in C).
3. Is it possible with PHP? 59.93.6.7 (talk) 03:58, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

If 1 is true than 2 and 3 are certainly true. It's not hard to get RSS data with any manner of programs, there are plenty of libraries written to do that. --140.247.10.133 (talk) 01:25, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

electronic devices that were commercial failures

what electronic devices were the hugest commercial failures?--Mr.K. (talk) 10:52, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Try the Sinclair C5 for size (a poor concept made even worse by working to a target price instead of a technological standard - pretty much finished Clive Sinclair). Or how about Betamax and HD DVD? Astronaut (talk) 11:42, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Surely the C5 doesn't count as an 'electronic device'. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 19:15, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Though there was the Black Watch, which was also a bad concept coupled with bad execution. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 19:18, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The original xbox made huge losses (though that is believed to have been expected as part of a bigger plan), Apple Bandai Pippin, 3DO, virtual boy - there are hundreds more, all forgotten. Don't know which was the 'most'.83.100.250.79 (talk) 14:42, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The Dell/Sony/others battery recall in 2006- must have cost a lot of money see Product_recall#2006 also Sony#Batteries and http://www.infoworld.com/t/hardware/update-dell-recall-41-million-laptop-batteries-236 etc 83.100.250.79 (talk) 15:31, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The Apple Newton. Dismas|^(talk) 07:51, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Increase Upload Speed

Without contacting ISPs and all that, is it possible for an end user increase their upload speed on a fiberoptic cable modem? Currently I'm getting 700 KB/s download but only an average of 10 KB/s upload. Are there any software that could increase the speed, any techniques etc. Again I repeat contacting the ISP is not an option —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 14:15, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

You could try compressing your upload, but then you would need to decompress it on the server. Why is contacting the ISP "not an option"? Surely, their tech support team are the first place you should ask (FWIW, 10K upload is damn slow). failing that, maybe it's time to look for a new ISP. Astronaut (talk) 14:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

There isn't a reason why the download speed should be so much less than the upload. I don't think there is much that an end user can do directly. Has the speeds always been like this - it could be a temporary server or website problem?

Have you checked that there the OS is not reporting any problems with the connections - such as 'limited connectivity' - it really sounds like something is fundamentally wrong in the setup you've got.83.100.250.79 (talk) 15:17, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

That doesn't sound like a usual speed, see for instance [1], it is usual for upload speed to be much slower than download but for that download speed I'd have expected at 30kB/s upload at the very least. Have you checked the speed with a local speed checker site? Dmcq (talk) 16:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the help everyone :) I've tested on speedtest.net and get a upload reading of 0.13 Mb /s (I'm unsure what that is in KB/s) and download reading of 9.85 Mb /s. I'm pretty sure the speeds have always been like this, and it hasn't been a problem for normal browsing. It's just that I need to upload some large files to rapidshare and it's taking ages (400MB of files). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.90.6 (talk) 18:27, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I suspect the free service at Rapidshare is deliberately slowed (I've never uploaded but that's certainly true of downloading). It is done to encourage you to pay for a speedier service. Astronaut (talk) 18:50, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

If you divide the Mb/s by 8 you'll get an absolute maximum MB/s. Your upload speed is quite slow compared to your download speed - I'd expect perhaps four times the speed. I'd start checking what your ISP says the upload speed should be. They should say on their website. If what they say disagrees by a very large factor from what speedtest said then there's all sorts of thnigs that could be wrong. Your modem will have a page which shows figures like noise to signal ratio and there's sites on the web to help with saying if the figures are okay.

Location of files on computer

Hi, I've just got a new computer (as the old one suffers from periodic hard drive failures) and I want to transfer over my old e-mail correspondence from outlook express onto the new machine which has windows live mail. Can someone tell me where the relevant files are stored, what they'd be called & where I'd move them to on the new machine? I'm presuming that simply copying them over is the easiest way. Same question for mozilla bookmarks. Thanks. AllanHainey (talk) 19:42, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

This seems rather comprehensive. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 21:26, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, that tells me how to get the message files from outlook express, any idea where I'd add them to on Windows live mail?

And how I'd do the same thing with Mozilla bookmarks? AllanHainey (talk) 12:24, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

From the link above I recommend typing "file transfer" into MS's search box - if you got a new PC there should be a file transfer wizard - usually involves a network cable, or USB memory, and a downloadable program from MS which automates the transfer - such things do exist.

Also if you can transfer the outlook express data to the new computer then windows live has an import method that will get the data.

No idea about mozilla bookmarks.83.100.250.79 (talk) 12:46, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Also search for "file and settings" on your computer - there should be a "file and settings import wizard" on MS computers.83.100.250.79 (talk) 13:16, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

About the Mozilla bookmarks, they are stored in your profile folder. See this page from MozillaZine knowledge base and you can click on the term "profile folder" to tell you where the profile folder can usually be found. --Mathew5000 (talk) 12:13, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Excel function/macro

I have an excel worksheet with four columns A, B, C and D. A and C are text columns and B and D contain numbers. A has more entries than C but there are no entries in C that are not present somewhere in A (I hope you are following this lol). Is there a function or macro I can use to make the entries in C move within the column to the same row number as the identical text while taking the D value with it (to the same row)?

I will be checking this question regularly so if there is anything you need to clarify, please say. Thank you. 90.200.240.61 (talk) 20:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Just to clarify: you have a pair of text/data columns and want one set of them to be merged into the other, yes? This should be doable with a macro though I'm a little rusty on my Excel VBA. You need to just cycle over the text column-to-be-merged, check where its corresponding entry is in the merging-to column, and then just copy of the value over. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 20:56, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

No, Let me try to show it here:

A B C D

Apple 2 Carrot 3

Banana 5 Egg 7

Carrot 3 Fig 1

Doughnut 1 Grape 2

Egg 6

Fig 5

Grape 3

I want this to change to: (for example)

A B C D

Apple 2

Banana 5

Carrot 3 Carrot 3

Doughnut 1

Egg 6 Egg 7

Fig 5 Fig 1

Grape 3 Grape 2

I hope you understand this. Column A is text, B number, C text and D is a number. 90.200.240.61 (talk) 21:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I see. So all you want changed is where dataset two aligns respective to column 1. Hmm. That should be doable (I would have it again iterate over dataset 2, and then put a copy in a third dataset, to avoid worrying about reordering correctly within the columns. Then you could just delete the old dataset). Again, it's definitely a macro/VBA sort of solution, not a function. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 22:52, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I was afraid of that. Does anyone know how I could search for such a macro? 90.200.240.61 (talk) 23:30, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I think the VLOOKUP function might provide what you are looking for. Using the sample data above populated in columns A through D, add the formula =VLOOKUP(A:A,C:D,1,FALSE) in column E and the formula =VLOOKUP(A:A,C:D,2,FALSE) in column F, then copy the formula down the length of the table. This will populate columns E and F with data from columns C and D where columns C matches column A. For those cells that do not match, you will get an "N/A" value.

A	B	C	D	E	F
Apple	2	Carrot	3	#N/A	#N/A
Banana	5	Egg	7	#N/A	#N/A
Carrot	3	Fig	1	Carrot	3
Doughnut	1	Grape	2	#N/A	#N/A
Egg	6			Egg	7
Fig	5			Fig	1
Grape	3			Grape	2

Note that the lookup table (columns C and D) could be anywhere in the workbook, even in another sheet, see the VLOOKUP documentation for more information. -- Tcncv (talk) 01:19, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If you only need to do this once, you can do it in under 5 minutes manually. Highlight columns C and D and sort them alphabetically on col C. Do the same for A and B. Then work down column C, and anywhere A has a label that C does not, just insert a cell into C and D, to push them down far enough to match the label in A. For example, the top word in C is Carrot, you move C and D down by 2 cells, so they line up with Carrot in A.

If for any reason you don't want them alphabetical, but want to maintain the original order of column A, insert a new column to the left of A and auto fill it with numbers, starting with 1. Include this column in your sort of the original A and B, but still use the original A as the field to sort on. Once you've done the lining up, highlight all 5 columns and sort them on the number column, to put them back into the original column A order.- KoolerStill (talk) 09:07, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

jpegs

I want to combine two jpeg images together in one jpeg image while still retaining the first two. I want to do this for lots of images. Is there a batch file I can use to do this more easily? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.200.240.61 (talk) 20:07, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

What do you mean, specifically, by "combine"? Do you want to blend one into the other, or join the two so that they are side-by side, or one on top of the other, or what? And you need to tell us what operating system you are using. 87.115.99.208 (talk) 20:45, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I mean sit them side by side and/or one beside the other. I am using microsoft windows. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.200.240.61 (talk) 21:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Use ImageMagick's "convert" function with the "+append" operator. Should be something like "convert image1.jpg image2.jpg +append image3.jpg". --98.217.14.211 (talk) 21:22, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

psplimewire

on my psp phat is there anyway i can put limewire on the home menu or can i put anything on the psp home menu without getting on a pc thank u —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bubbafrogs (talk • contribs) 21:13, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Disappearing free space

On my mac, I get frequent messages saying there is little space left (generally less than 400MB, when I check it out). I'm not running any strange or high performance programs that I can imagine would cause it; it is as if I have a tapeworm that keeps on eating digested dinner before I absorb it into my system. I have to keep moving stuff around, deleting, rebacking up, etc. Suggestions invited.78.144.110.113 (talk) 23:30, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Use a visualization program like Disk Inventory X and it will tell you where the space is going. If you have a small amount of RAM, it could be getting sucked up as virtual memory (something that could be fixed by upgrading your physical RAM, which isn't usually very expensive or difficult, depending on the make and model). --98.217.14.211 (talk) 01:17, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

If you are running short of memory, and you are using nightly builds of WebKit to run Safari, be aware that they fluctuate between being too loose and too tight on memory management. Some will fail to release substantial amounts of memory. Firefox also tends to be a memory hog, especially if you run multiple tabs with long tab histories. Restarting them will force them to let go.

Listen to the machine...can you hear a large amount of hard drive activity most of the time? when you are not saving a file? this would indicate a lot of paging is taking place.

Clear out your internet caches,cookies and temporary files-- these can take up huge amounts of space. Clear out other files you don't need. Make sure you are not running any logging services you don't need. There is little point backing up to the same hard drive -- the purpose of backups is to have a copy if the drive fails. Write them out to a DVD-RW. Then defragment the hard drive. - KoolerStill (talk) 13:49, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, wikipedia is good value for money! I'll check that out. I've only got 1.5GB RAM, and only a few apps running generally - the like of web browsers and Mail.app. I can almost see it counting down at times, when I Get Info on the boot disc. EyeTV could be the culprit, it turns out; it auto-records whatever is playing, for a live rewind. You can put that stuff in the RAM or HD at choice. Whatever it is, it's eating memory like Hummers do petrol.78.150.233.242 (talk) 18:10, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, 98. Disk Inventory X was handy, it turns out there is a secret folder in the root directory called "private" - invisible in Finder until Disc Inventory X revealed it. Private>Var>Log>Asl folder grows like a Chinese economy. File names imply a daily log. Today is only 8MB, yesterdays is 170MB. The whole "asl" folder is 24GB, the "private" folder is 27GB. I've tried quitting random apps and it could be anything, from what I gather. Any suggestions for what could possibly be feeding that folder?78.148.74.124 (talk) 20:59, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

And I ran the whole mac through ClamXav (virus checker). No problems, except a few unopened email attachments.78.148.94.163 (talk) 21:06, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Tracking cookies?

While running my antivirus scanner, I noticed that it picked up some tracking cookies; after reading the article on computer cookies, I'm still confused — why would the antivirus (AVG) catch those? Is it simply set to catch these things because of the potential of an invasion of privacy, or is there some better reason? I don't know too much about this program — it was installed on my computer by friends whom I trust, and it's worked well since I began using it, so I've not had a significant reason to learn its details. Nyttend (talk) 23:33, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Imagine that ad company X runs banner ads on a a hundred totally different sites. If each ad puts a unique ID for you in the same tracking cookie, then ad company X knows something of your browsing habits and can construct a profile of what kind of person you are (and maybe even who exactly you are). But that's all. It's a privacy thing, that's all. Not a big deal, as far as things go. --98.217.14.211 (talk) 01:05, 29 June 2009 (UTC)