Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 January 19

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January 19

youtube downloader

does anyone know of a free one that's not addwere? thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.114.248.114 (talk) 00:22, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

DownloadHelper works well in Firefox. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 01:38, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

does that have adds for a paid version? and is it easy to uninstall? 70.114.248.114 (talk) 05:09, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

I've never seen any adds. I haven't tried to uninstall it yet.You can install it from her just like any other FF add on and can be uninstalled from the regular menu. When you install it and whenever it up dates it will open a new tab telling you that it updated but there is no request for money. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 06:02, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

If you aren't afraid of the command line try Get-Flash-Videos] which is open source I believe ---- _nonsense ferret 01:02, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

Can you people please use the more traditional and logical abbreviation of "ad" for "advertisement", rather than "add"? (There's only one "d" in "advertisement".) I wondered what your YouTube downloader was adding up? HiLo48 (talk) 06:26, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

You missed the fact that update is one word, not two. Also it should have been add-on rather than add on. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 17:38, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

And "addwere". It's not a half-man, half math function. Mingmingla (talk) 03:15, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Anyway, I'm currently using RealDownloader from RealNetworks. Haven't noticed ads, apart from Real's persistent self-promotion. HiLo48 (talk) 11:29, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

I always use www.keepvid.com.... Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 20:34, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

Remote garage door alarm

I have an occasional problem with my garage door opening by itself. Apparently some stray RF code causes this (it uses a rolling code system, and it seems one of the codes is a duplicate of a code generated by something else in the area). It's not much of a problem, since it only happens every few months. If I just knew when it happened, I could close it and everything would be fine. However, it just stays open until the next time I happen to go out to the garage, which could be hours or even days. So, what I really need is some type of an alarm to go off within the house, which will tell me when the door is open. It's a free-standing garage, so a loud alarm right at the garage wouldn't work, as it would wake the neighbors. It's about 15 yards/meters from the house, so, while I could use wires, some type of remote technology would be the best way to communicate that "the garage door is open" to the house. As for an alarm type, I think a strobe light might be best, but I'd also settle for an audio alarm. To actually detect when the door is open, a standard magnetic door alarm system seems like it would work. So, is there any system like this ? I tried Home Depot, and they couldn't help me. I also haven't had much luck with internet searches, as "remote door alarm" seems to return alarms which can be armed or deactivated remotely, not monitored remotely.

I do have a direct line of sight to the garage from my enclosed back porch, so some type of camera aimed at it could also work, but getting that to trigger an alarm seems even more complicated.

The garage is wired with 120 V/60 Hz A/C. StuRat (talk) 01:16, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

amazon carries a bunch. [[1]] Gzuckier (talk) 08:37, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, but those look like typical "made in China" junk. From "mounting" with two-sided tape (which is sure to let go in short order), to using button batteries destined to die quickly (and apparently shipped already dead), to those with antenna/range problems, they just don't seem designed to last, and those reviews reflect this fact. StuRat (talk) 21:40, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

How new is the garage door opener? Can you give a brand name? Because if it's a true rolling code, then it's certainly not a duplicate code that's making it open. The only way it's a duplicate code is if a neighbor (or I suppose master criminal) has their remote opener synced to your [inside] opener. Rolling code collisions are infinitesimally unlikely. Even if everyone in your state was in RF range of your garage door opener I wouldn't expect it to open in a lifetime (hmmmm... math ref desk question...). As for your underlying cause, I would think it's something else going on. If you're concerned about lost door openers, you can probably clear out the memory on your [indoor] opener, and then reconnect all your remote openers to it. But I suspect the opening originate elsewhere. Shadowjams (talk) 20:45, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

It's a Chamberlain belt-drive model, but I'd rather not try to diagnose the problem, which would really require monitoring all signals in the area for a year. I'd prefer to just detect when it occurs. StuRat (talk) 21:45, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Maybe I need to build my own. Do they make 120V 60 Hz limit switches which could pass or stop mains current depending on whether the door is opened or closed ? If so, I could wire that to a lamp and radio inside the house, so it lights up and/or makes noise whenever the door is opened. StuRat (talk) 21:45, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

A microswitch. --Phil Holmes (talk) 11:19, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

Would that be mounted on the door or at the farthest point it reaches when up ? StuRat (talk) 06:49, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

If I were doing it, I would mount it on the floor, so that the switch is actuated when the door is closed. When the door opens, the switch opens and turns on the alarm.--Phil Holmes (talk) 09:31, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

A floor mount is no good for me, as the garage floor occasionally floods during heavy rain. We have a sump-pump to deal with it, but electronics should not be on the ground here. StuRat (talk) 06:00, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

I just had a thought (everybody duck !). The garage door opener includes wiring to exterior lights, and those wires are only powered when the garage door is open, and for 5 minutes after. I could hook up to those wires, run a line to the house, and connect it to a radio and lamp there, to make noise and light. I realize that such wiring isn't made to carry much, but I think a radio and CFL lamp would be OK. The door alarm staying on for 5 minutes after the door closes isn't ideal, but I could live with it. Sound good ? StuRat (talk) 22:58, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

You might be better to have the door mechanism switch a mains-coil relay, the relay has mains-rated contacts, and those switch on the light in your house. CS Miller (talk) 05:37, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

So use the garage door opener's lighting wires to drive the relay ? I might try that. What Google search would I use to find such a relay ? StuRat (talk) 06:34, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

You might find a relay that switches itself off after one minute (or whatever time you choose), otherwise there's not much advantage in using the relay if the garage lights are mains-powered, since the garage lights circuit will probably easily cope with a radio and an extra lamp. Dbfirs 12:56, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Backup of gmail.com on my local PC

How can I make and keep a complete backup of all my gmail.com emails and attachments on my local PC? (So I may search through and read them even when I am offline or gmail.com is down). --89.9.197.246 (talk) 20:31, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Install an Email client on your computer and connect it to your account ---- _nonsense ferret 00:58, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

To expand, Install an email client on your computer, on your Gmail account Enable POP for all mail in the settings, in your email client on your computer add the gmail pop settings and then check your mail. POP should then download all of your mail onto your pc email client. ·Add§hore· ^{Talk To Me!} 06:23, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

Also, if by backup you mean a way to use Gmail offline and have your changes sync with your account when you reconnect, then IMAP would be a better option - see [2]. Cheers, davidprior ^t/_c 07:41, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

Thank you all! :-) --(OP)89.9.208.34 (talk) 11:41, 24 January 2013 (UTC)