Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 September 18

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September 18

Folder Overwrite upon Installation

I had a folder dedicated to saved in-game files copied to my new computer before I installed this game onto the new computer. I think the folder may have been replaced with a new one because they had the same name. Is that possible that all my old custom files were deleted upon installation of the game and replaced with an empty folder? 128.101.184.181 (talk) 00:07, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

Yes, quite possible. Better install programs will prompt you to either "replace all old files from previous installs", or "install a new version, preserving the old version". However, many install programs don't bother. StuRat (talk) 03:30, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

Yeah; it's always a good idea to make backups of important files like this. Though it wouldn't be a problem if all installers took into account the fact that the game/program/etc may have been installed before by the user, or some old files may be present on that computer. Strangely, a really interesting glitch in the AVG antivirus program caused the files of the older version to be retained when the user updated to the latest version. This caused the two sets of files to conflict, and made the AV go haywire and identify every single incoming file as a virus. --.Yellow1996.^(ЬMИED¡) 03:39, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

Turing thesis

Does Turing thesis entail that every algorithm must have a "starting point", i.e. a first step starting that algorithm? 84.229.81.123 (talk) 06:39, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

The definition of algorithm already implies that. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 06:50, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

When & Why does Win 7 Re-arrange Desktop Icons?

Recently I booted up my Toshiba Satellite L750 (PSK2YA-05210) laptop PC from sleep mode and found that my desktop Icons had all been re-arranged. They were previously spread out in groups across the desktop as I wanted. Now they are in a row of 3 down right across the top, and 3 across on the left side of the desktop. Even a few desktop gadgets (weather, clock & calendar were pushed up on top of each other into the top right hand corner. The icons don't seem to be in any particular order i.e. not alphabetically, or by file type. Thus about half the screen on the centre & lower right is now completely clear.

I occasionally have to force a re-boot by powering down without shutting windows first, and might have expected strange results, but the icons always seem to stay where I left them.

Is there a set of conditions where Win 7 will automatically re-arrange the desktop? € 220 of ^Borg 12:35, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

I've experienced something similar when gaming occasionally. If the screen resolution is changed then things do get moved like this. Could that explain what you experienced? Thanks ツ Jenova20 ^(email) 12:39, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

Actually, while I had that problem in previous Windows, that changing the screen resolution, then changing it back, would leave your icons all messed up, they seem to have fixed that in Windows 7. Presumably it now stores the icon layout at each screen res and restores the layout when you return to that res. However, if you change the icon layout at the new resolution, it might no longer return to the original layout when you return to the original screen res. StuRat (talk) 12:58, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I know what you mean Jenova20 & StuRat, but I haven't changed the resolution and haven't been playing any games for a while. I Just un-slept the PC. ю 220 of ^Borg 13:08, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

I've experienced this kind of behavoir, certainly on Windows Vista and maybe on Windows 7 as well. As far as I can tell, it gradually collects various icon layouts (and a few other parameters too) per user, per screen resolution. I think it sometimes has a hidden default, one that might not be owned by the currently active user, when it is unable to find one that it already knows about, eg. when in sleep mode for the first time. The good news is that as it collects more, the problems will eventually go away. Astronaut (talk) 14:09, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

I've had this happen with several versions of Windows and it happened to me yesterday with Windows 8 when I restarted. I don't know why it happens. But it moved only ones that had been recently added to the desktop. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 15:04, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

I had this problem until I installed Fences (software).--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:41, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

I've seen this on XP and 7, but not Vista. More specifically, I have a switch which allows me to go back and forth between an XP computer and a 7 one, with one monitor. Sometimes, whenever I'd switch back to 7 from XP, this would happen. There was pretty much two variations to this; the first being that all the icons would be rearranged (as you saw.) Or, the resolution would be drastically altered so that the icons were about four times their normal size; and - once I had fixed the resolution back to it's normal ratio - the desktop icons would be rearranged due to "shrinking" from the overlarge incorrect size back to their usual "smaller" size. Then I would have to manually rearrange them. --.Yellow1996.^(ЬMИED¡) 01:11, 19 September 2013 (UTC)

Eureka!

Now I remember that the only odd thing I did recently was activate the "Tablet PC Input Panel". (Right click on "Taskbar/Toolbars/Tablet PC Input Panel", in Win'7). Wonder if that may have moved my icons? Yes it seems so, all the icon were moved up ↑ above the On-screen keyboard, when I docked it at the top, they moved down ↓. So another example of Microsoft Genius. A 'feature' that stuffs up my desktop, but isn't smart enough to restore it! >:-( Maybe if I re-boot my PC?-∑-220 of ^Borg 06:52, 20 September 2013 (UTC)

No such luck !

Well I seem to have found out the trigger event for the desktop icon re-arrangement. Unfortunately when I eventually re-booted (after a few days[5?], I use hibernate a lot) the icons did not return to their 'correct' positions. :-(
• So I am still at a loss for the 'exact' set of conditions that trigger a desktop re-arrangement.
• In fact they moved again later, into ≈7 columns of 8 icons on the left hand side of the desktop. 220 of ^Borg 05:01, 26 September 2013 (UTC)