Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2009 March 19

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March 19

Two questions in one

1. Is this website safe? Web of Trust says it isn't.
2. I use the add-on Download Video Helper to download videos off of sites, such as YouTube. But when I try to convert the videos, I end up getting a sub-par quality version of the videos. Do I have to register to fix that? And does it cost money to register? --Whip it! ^{Now whip it good!} 00:54, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

1. Site is now down - even at the root: www.vistabase.co.uk (probably a good call on WoT - I trust it .. so to speak).

Number 2 I don't know - have a converter somewhere for that - but haven't used in months. — Ched ~ ^(yes?)/_© 01:12, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

You'll lose quality going from any lossy codec to another lossy codec, though the amount of loss you're ending up with might be because of some encoder settings. Anywho, what are you converting it for/to? You can play FLVs and whatnot directly with VLC media player. You might have luck reencoding with HandBrake, but I've not tried it with FLVs. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:12, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I want to convert it so that it can be played both on Windows Media Player and iTunes, as well as being successfully synced to my iPod. --Whip it! ^{Now whip it good!} 02:23, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

See [1] --wj32 ^t/c 05:51, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Not working. :( --Whip it! ^{Now whip it good!} 06:38, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Can you give more details? It works perfectly for me. --wj32 ^t/c 09:42, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I drag it to the links bar, like it tells me to, I click the bookmarklet, but I don't see the download link. I'm using Firefox 3.7, if that helps. --Whip it! ^{Now whip it good!} 22:04, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Go to a YouTube video page, click the bookmarklet, and a download box should appear. --wj32 ^t/c 22:24, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

I'm not exactly sure what kind of website you were trying to download the video off of, but for future reference, don't use apps that nag you to upgrade or pay. There's Firefox addons out there :). [2] [3] I like the preceding one better than the ladder since it's so clean, neat, and non-obtrusive, where-as the second one comes with too many fancy shortcuts, icons, and useless capability. If you're going to use the first one though, after you install the add-on, right-click on a default icon up on your FF toolbar (say, the refresh button) and click Customize in the context menu. Then drag the addon onto your toolbar and click on the grey box in the UI to download. Doesn't work on YouTube though.-- penubag  (talk) 00:54, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Sites such as YouTube work by supplying a file to your browser, which you can retrieve from the browser's cache without extra software. Find the cache (In Firefox, go to about:config, heed the scary warning about not changing anything and search for browser.cache.disk.parent_directory; your browser may vary) and look for a large file created at the right time. Copy it to a permanent directory and give it a name and suitable suffix for the type, e.g. myvideo.wmv. This technique does not work for streams such as BBC iplayer, and legal issues such as copyright may apply. Certes (talk) 14:25, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Every Single Hardrive Fried?

I usually consider myself to be pretty savy with computers..however i have run into a puzzling problem.

Due to recent bushfires, heat (overloading the grid) and power issues all my internal drives have suffered damaged from power surges. (or me plugging something in the wrong way..50/50)

I was quoted 1000-3000 (Australian Dollars) for recovery untill i found a firm that would do it for 500 ( http://www.payam.com.au/ ). I am happy to wait the 4 weeks it will take them and pay this cost.

In the mean time i need an up and running system.

Full specs off drive casings are below:

Drive 1: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 Gigabytes S/N: 5QF0SVH4 ST3320620AS P/N: 9BJ14G - 305 3.AAD Date Code: 07092 Site Code: WU

Drive 2: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB WD5000AAKS MDL: WD5000AAKS - 65YGA0 DATE: 27 DEC 2007 DCM: HBRNNT2MAB GPN: XXXXXX - PX2 P/N: 5188-2517 CT: 2815001VZVI87S WD P/N: WD5000AAKS - 65YGA0

[Both drives do not spin up/ show in bios/ make noise/]] [Drive 2 has most of the important files off drive 1 backed up (i didnt really expect both to fail) + additional files, so id prefer drive 2 be fixed)

I came into the possession of a new hard drive today.

Plugged it in..it didnt not turn on.

Im 100% confident i plugged it into the correct power connector (its not brain surgery). So, it can not be that..

So maybe its brought me back to wondering before i pay for recovery..maybe the drives arent damaged at all..maybe its something else inside my computer that is broken.

(all drives run off a singular power line comming from PSU which branches off into several different connectors and such)

Any help solving this would be appreciated.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.217.69.59 (talk) 08:33, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I think the odds of both drives failing at the same time are pretty small to begin with, and if a third drive also refuses to respond, it's pretty safe to say that the problem probably isn't with the drives. I think the culprit is most likely a failing PSU that can't provide enough power to the drives. A new PSU is pretty cheap, so it's probably worth testing. Alternatively, you could take the hard drives to a friend's computer and plug them in just to see if they'll spin properly. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 09:54, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I plugged my *new* drive (forgot to try the old "broken" ones..doh!) the new drive functioned perfectly in his PC.

I am actually using the computer right now..on a linux live cd.. hardware systems seem to be functioning perfectly. Im staring at a hungry graphics card and cpu.. do hard drives draw that much power?

In the mean time ill look into new PSUs if you think that is the problem.

138.217.69.59 (talk) 10:53, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Well, hard drives need to spin pretty fast in order to work, and that means a motor has to do the work to spin them up, and that does take a fair amount of power. But really, if the problem is with your PSU (and since the drive works fine in your friend's computer but doesn't even spin up in yours, that seems likely), it's not so much that the hard drive takes a lot of power, it's just that your PSU isn't giving out enough. As your PSU starts to fail gradually (as opposed to just giving up the ghost in one bang, which is another popular choice!), it gives out less and less power, and at some point, it's not enough to run all of the components in the computer. I've had that happen to me, as well as a couple of friends. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 11:53, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

It may be that just part of your PSU is fried, I agree it is much more likely than that the heat has caused the drives to fail. The PSU provides a number of different voltages and sometimes on high power systems even has different bits for different supplies even at the same voltage. Dmcq (talk) 13:16, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

iPod touch jailbreaking

Is there a way to jailbreak an iPod touch without completely restoring the iPod, or without deleting music and videos? Or do the tools do that already? I've read that PwnageTool erases everything while QuickPWN doesn't - is this true? Thanks in advance. --wj32 ^t/c 10:31, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Hi, this is completely not true. All "JailBreaking" is done by uploading a re-written firmware, and part of the involved process is formatting your iPod (much the same way the doing a "Restore to Factory Condition" restore does). Easiest way to ensure that you do not lose all your music / videos / photos / AppStore applications is to sync them back to iTunes prior to doing the JailBreak, and then once you have the iPod running, and have rebooted it at least once, re-sync all your music / videos / photos / apps back.

How to identify SDRAM memory exactly for compatability reasons

My old Windows computer only had 128MB memory. I obtained another 128MB memory card. This second card works perfectly when installed on it own. But when both cards are slotted in the computer becomes unusable, so they are obviously incompatible. I have tried swapping the cards between various slots in several different ways - still no joy. I also got a 64MB card which is now giving me a total of 192MB without problems.

I want to buy some more memory off eBay or somewhere. For compatibility reasons, how can I excatly identify the spec of the particular cards so that I'm sure to buy something compatible? The 128MB card currently inside this computer has a proper label on it - I'd have to open this computer and remove the card to look at it. The 64MB card does not have a label. The label on the other card only says "1100 12341 Warranty Voild If Removed 06 133".

Is there any software that can exactly identify memory please? Everest does not go into enough detail. Thanks. 78.144.206.211 (talk) 13:15, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I've always found aida32 to be a good program in providing information about a computer and it's various components. You can d/l a copy from Major Geeks here. Hope that helps. — Ched ~ ^(yes?)/_© 15:47, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Aida32 seems to be earlier version of Everest, wtitten by the same programmer. Neither of them provide enough information about the memory - I've just tried them both. 78.146.49.11 (talk) 18:12, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Have a try of Belarc Advisor can be found here. BigDunc^Talk 18:16, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

No, no, no. You need to look at the shape of the memory. Memory types can be identified by the placement of the notches and the number of pins. The memory you put in your computer must be completely identical (same manufacturer, same frequency, and same connectors) as the old memory. And since it's old, good luck finding some it unused. It might also say on the boot screen or in your BIOS. SDRAM is 168 pins, DDR SDRAM is 184 pins, and so on. More info about your computer would help me tell you what kind you need, but if it's very old (10 years or more), then you should rebuild your computer with a new motherboard.--K;;m5m k;;m5m (talk) 18:28, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Ideally, the manufacturer is unimportant. While there are some cases where memory from multiple manufactures won't "play nice", in my experience that is the exception, not the rule. As long as the specs (type, connector, frequency) match you should be able to use memory modules from different manufacturers. – 74  03:28, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

I had similar concerns with my old PC. I found the technical specs for it on the manufacturer's website (Compaq in my case), which provided all kinds of details like the type of motherboard, jumper settings, and the various memory options (type, number of slots, maximum memory supported, etc.) I have now successfully upgraded the memory from 128MB to 640MB. I found the (new) memory I needed in a small independant computer supplies shop close to where I live (ask me on my talk page and I'll give you their URL and UK phone number) - K;;m5m k;;m5m is obviously not looking hard enough :-)

If you can't find the machine specs, examine the memory chips and motherboard carefully. They usually have various ID numbers written on them. Try googling some of the numbers you find. You might also find the following articles helpful: DIMM, SO-DIMM and maybe SIMM. Astronaut (talk) 01:09, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Odd connector

I brought old LP-player and it has this connector. What is it called as I need cable to connect it to computer?

89.166.36.103 (talk) 13:24, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

That looks like a DIN connector. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 13:47, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

I've not seen anything that could be used to directly connect a DIN connector to a PC. You could in theory cut off the DIN connector and solder a replacement 3.5mm jack plug in its place, but a specialist Hi-Fi shop might have (or be able to make) an adapter or you. You could then connect it to the audio-in port on your sound card.

Note however, the analog output from a turntable is pretty weak - Hi-Fi amplifiers often had special connections just for turntables which included an additional pre-amp stage to boost the signal. Therefore, an alternative solution might be to get a separate Hi-Fi amplifier to sit between the turntable and your PC. In that case, you will probably need a different set of connectors called phono plugs to replace the DIN connector, and to take the output from the amplifier to a 3.5mm jack plug for your PC - again a specialist Hi-Fi shop might help here. Astronaut (talk) 15:25, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it's a five-pin 180-degree DIN plug. The other aspect of the 'phono' input of hi-fi amplifiers was that the pre-amp had a built-in RIAA equalisation filter. The audio, as recorded onto vinyl was not suitable for direct listening as high frequencies had been artificially boosted - and need to be reduced again (along with hiss, crackles and surface noise) for correct reproduction. What you need is an RIAA phono preamp between the plug you have and the computer, or maybe someone now does a software equivalent. The RIAA filter was designed to be very simple to implement, just a few capacitors and resistors around an op-amp, so this needn't be expensive item. Of course, I think it was rare, but there may be an RIAA de-emphasis filter built into the deck you have - it's not possible to tell from a picture of the plug! --Nigelj (talk) 16:06, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Are you sure? It's ages since I've used it but I've got an adaptor lead that is a 5-pin din leading to a left and right phono plug. Which suggests that as long as you have the right plug at the end of the din cable, you can take the signal straight to a speaker, or straight into a computer. Meowy 16:21, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Apostrophe

How can I make it so that my keyboard writes curly apostrophes instead of straight ones? JCI (talk) 23:44, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

You need special software for that. It is probably quite easy to make such software. However, I cannot think of any right now. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 00:21, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Many word processors provide a feature called "smart quotes" which automatically replaces straight marks with the appropriate curly marks. If you have Microsoft Word then you could use that; if not, OpenOffice provides a free word processor with "smart quote" functionality. Just type up your text in your word processor of choice, then copy and paste it wherever you need it. – 74  03:19, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Of course. This is especially important if you write texts in different languages. For instance quotation marks look quite different in different languages: ”Svenska”, “English”, „Deutsch“. However, I got the impression that JCI wanted a solution that works independent of the application accepting the text input. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 13:40, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Whatever you do, please don't use the grave accent as an apostrophe. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 04:03, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

DOS

Are there any DOS emulators besides DosBox? I know of one - Dosemu - but sadly it's unique to Linux. Is there a version of Dosemu for Windows? Or are there any other DOS emulators? JCI (talk) 23:44, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Dosemu isn't an emulator; it's a compatibility layer. Doesn't Windows already have a DOS compatibility layer? --76.167.241.45 (talk) 03:59, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Is there any particular problem that you're having with DosBox on Windows? Only problem I remember having with it was sound synthesis issues, which have probably improved since I last gave it a shot. ←Spidern→ 15:51, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

This is probably the 'Captain Obvious' answer, but you could just install DOS in your favourite virtualization environment - VMWare, QEMU, etc. --Monorail Cat (talk) 21:06, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

FreeDos. Not exactly an emulator, but similar. Shadowjams (talk) 04:24, 25 March 2009 (UTC)