Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing

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February 20

Strong signal but sporadic connection

I just moved to a new place and wifi is included in the rent. At my old place, I had a fairly weak signal but was able to get and remain connected. Currently, however, I have a very strong signal but am having connection problems. About 70% of the time when I go on the net, I get the error "Page can't be displayed. Check connection . . ." or whatever it specifically says. There are two other computer users who have had the same problem but to a much smaller degree. The owner has rebooted the modem or DSL or whatever it is and has called the ISP. Apparently, things are OK from the ISP's perspective. I have scanned my computer several times (including updates, etc.) and there is nothing showing up as a problem. Anyone have any ideas why I am receiving such a strong signal but can't load pages? 50.101.125.154 (talk) 04:29, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

Interference comes to mind. I'm not sure how you would check for that, though, without special equipment. The usual solution to interference (assuming you can't eliminate the source) would be a directional antenna. If you don't know where to aim it, you'd just have to experiment (trial and error). StuRat (talk) 06:06, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

Another possible option, if you can find a location where there is not much interference (perhaps near to the router or away from other equipment), is to re-transmit the wireless signal with a wireless repeater (£20 in the UK). Dbfirs 15:43, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

Extract every frame from a video

How do I take a video and extract every frame from the video into png format? I want to save every single frame from a video and still have it all be in the same quality as the original videos quality. I already have Sony Vegas pro on my computer if that is a program I can do this in? I looked around for a while and couldnt find anything. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.42.31.250 (talk) 15:55, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

I use Linux - and we have "mplayer" (and it's sister program "mencoder") - a video player with a bazillion options - one of which is to split the video into individual frames and write them out in any reasonable format (png, jpg, etc). Mencoder can then reverse the operation. I have no idea whether that tool can be built for Windows (if that's what you're using) - but if it can, then it's a command-line tool. Our article lists some graphical front-ends for mplayer - but it doesn't look like any of them are Windows-capable, although I could be wrong about that. SteveBaker (talk) 16:46, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

I would worry that the frames might be less compressed than the video, resulting in a huge total file space. What kind of ratio do you see between the size of the movie and the individual frames ? StuRat (talk) 17:14, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

There is absolutely no doubt that the individual files will consume vastly more space than the video. VASTLY more. Even if you used a lossy format like JPEG. The deal is that videos use a form of data compression where they only store the differences from one frame to the next. To explains this somewhat simplistically: If you put your camera on a tripod and film your cat walking across the room, there will be one frame of video with the entire room in it, then a bunch of frames containing just the cat. When you convert the video into still frames, each frame has to contain a picture of the entire room...so obviously, the individual files *MUST* consume way, way more space than the original video. The precise ratio depends on how compressed the video was, the content, the resolution and a whole bunch of other unknowns - but I've seen videos get 100 times bigger when converted to still frames. SteveBaker (talk) 02:09, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

I think it would have been faster to type "mplayer windows" into Google than to type "I have no idea whether that tool can be built for Windows" into Wikipedia. The official site lists Windows builds here; there are ridiculously many of them, but the first site on the list is probably fine.

The command line to extract every frame to PNG (on any platform) is mplayer -vo png:z=# videoname.mp4 where # is a compression level from 0 to 9 (0 is fastest, 9 is smallest). They'll be named 00000001.png, 00000002.png, etc. in the current directory. The default seems to be z=0 so you could just write -vo png in that case.

I don't know whether any of the graphical frontends to mplayer support this functionality. -- BenRG (talk) 20:26, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

February 21

Very short email alias on my own domain

I just noticed (unusual surname yay!) that my full name is still available as a .com domain, and I registered it. Now I want to set up an email in the format j@joeschmoe .com - but is there any reason I shouldn't use such a short alias? 104.156.240.135 (talk) 00:21, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Once the domain is registered and mail server records have been set up, you can use whatever aliases you wish on that domain. Dbfirs 07:58, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Abuse filter oddness on another wiki (Wikia wiki, to be specific)

I never do know where the best place to ask this stuff is (it's not strictly Wikipedia-related so help desk is kind of out, there doesn't seem to be a better place I can remember here, and Wikia's help forums tend to go silent when I get all technical (even though there are techies there... maybe because not all Wikia wikis have the filter enabled?) which is why I come here in the first place). Anyway...

There is an abuse filter on a Wikia wiki I admin at that seems to be catching edits... but all of them other than a few confirmed tests I did just after it was made are both not overtly breaking the filter (to my untrained eye) nor is the examining/test tool showing a positive with that filter (it's reading that it's not matching the change even though the filter took actions on the change). So... it's a false positive, but it's also... not? I was wondering if anyone here knew what could be up? The filter is here. Thanks for any help. - Purplewowies (talk) 02:58, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

There is a general MediaWiki help desk at mw:Project:Support desk. Some people ask questions at mw:Extension talk:AbuseFilter but it's not really intended for it and there are often no replies. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:22, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

...I knew there was a place I was forgetting. *bookmarks that in case I need it in the future for any reason* - Purplewowies (talk) 00:23, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

What is the (?:(?: with matching )) doing there? I suspect that if you want to match "(" say for a smiley, you may have to escape it, perhaps with [(]. By the way we cannot see the abuse log without a logon. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 20:48, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Oh, I didn't know about that logon thing (which perhaps means I may need to bother Wikia's support email, which I was also trying to avoid *sigh*). As for the nested question marks, I exported it from Special:AbuseFilter/285, which also contains that sort of thing. All I did was change the strings it needs to catch and some things that were causing false positives and negatives. A part of me wonders if the two-word strings are throwing it off somehow (though that doesn't account for it catching an edits that included NONE of the strings...). I'm not even sure how to replicate the problem, because I've never had it unexpectedly catch an edit of mine except with a test revert of my revert of an edit it caught (which I was still kind of expecting since it was the last test I did before coming here). Anyway, I suppose with the logon issue, I'll have to look elsewhere, where people are sure to have Wikia accounts (heck, people without accounts can't even try to trip the filter by editing, since anonymous editing is disabled there). Thanks to you and PrimeHunter for offering some help, though. - Purplewowies (talk) 00:23, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

My dads computer. Again.

Here's my beef. He needs a computer for work. Every computer he gets ends up within days crammed full of scareware, malware, fake flash downloads, virus detected pop ups blah blah. The latest PC is Win8.1 with all the latest updates and this still happens. So much for M$ (as usual)

I don't have the time to be constantly killing viruses, investigating browser hijacks, popups, fake virus alerts, fake flash update alerts etc etc. I have a life to lead. What can be done. Is there some sort of automatic system management tool that can just system restore the danm thing after each reboot.

It's not pron he's visiting. Either. Trashy O.S and an older user (65) who is extremely hard to teach (or unwilling to learn) probably a mixture of the two. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.40.118.15 (talk) 12:37, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

If you create an admin account for yourself, and then convert his account from admin to normal user, it will restrict the amount of damage he can do to his PC. Normal users can be given permission to to install Windows updates, and (I would hope) be able to access the Windows 8 store. He can install others programs, but only visible his own account. They won't be able to install themselves as drivers or services, or make themselves available to other users. LongHairedFop (talk) 13:25, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

After (edit conflict)
* ".. system restore the danm thing after each reboot." is possible, but probably not necessary. Some public computers used by many users require you to log in each time will do this, or at least wipe the users personal directory before the next user logs on. This sort of thing was once achieved via a batch file like AUTOEXEC.BAT. Not sure if this still applies to Win 8.1.

• A possible solution may be (as LongHairedFop also suggested) to ensure that they can only log in as a user without Administrator privileges. This might make it less likely for all the crap they're getting to install itself.
• Try installing software such as Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. It has a free version, and it does work. (In my experience). This can be made to run at pre-set times, and likely (I'm not certain) at boot up if wanted, though it may take some time to do a 'complete' scan of the PC. This could noticeably slow down the boot up of the PC 220 of ^Borg 13:40, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

You might want a different PC (or perhaps two different boot drives on the same PC) for work and for web surfing. This will still allow him to have fun web surfing without making the PC unusable for work. StuRat (talk) 13:52, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Does he install every piece of cool free software he runs across? My dad brought two successive computers to their knees doing that, despite my repeated advice to stop. He suffered from installoholism. ―Mandruss ☎ 13:56, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

It's hard for the elderly to understand that all those cool sounding links they see, even at trusted sites, lead to downloading crap on their PC that will, at the very least, slow it down. StuRat (talk) 14:15, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

First: The OP did not say his dad was elderly and over the hill - just suggested he is not computer literate. Next: When the OP states he's dad needs a computer for work>>> Why doesn’t his employer provide IT support? Second: what does he need to do on his computer? Linux fulfills most things and when it doesn't, one can run windows in a virtual machine on a Linux host and just wind-back if something very nasty happens. And what's wrong with M$? It provided a lot of employment for people that can fix Microsoft generated issues. Hence the $ sign after "M". OK, the computer illiterate have to pay though the nose to have a working computer but this is the economy stupid. If the world's OS's were all stable as Linux, there would be less job opportunities. See also: Linux remote desktop clients With these, one can fix any of dad's problems without leaving home. --Aspro (talk) 14:39, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

The PC in question is running Windows 8.1, so lets work with that. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is a great suggestion for anti-malware, but only part of the solution. The free version requires manual scanning, thus does not provide active protection. You also need an anti-virus application: the free versions of Bitdefender and Panda Security get high reviews.[1] --  Gadget850 ^talk 17:52, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Why work with just that and leave him and his dad bashing their heads against a brick wall that keeps moving? We are (or some of us are) in the 21st Century.--Aspro (talk) 20:05, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

The OP noted "older user (65) who is extremely hard to teach". For good tech support, you have to understand your user base. Attempting to move to a different OS for such a person is going to be very difficult. No matter how much better Linux might be, at it's heart it does now not work like Windows. --  Gadget850 ^talk 20:34, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Wash your mouth out with soap Gadget850 and learn a little humility. I happen to be 63 just two years away from 65. I happened to cut my teeth on a PDP-11 and a Leo 111. Just because others did not, doesn't mean that they are over-the-hill. Computers are tools. Can you knap a stone into a tool? Your ancestors could. Could you do calculus without you being being shown how? So why do you expect a sixty-five year old, to suddenly jump into the-deep-end and be an over-night expert? However, I'm glad you pointed out that windows now works a little bit like Linux.--Aspro (talk) 22:24, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

This is getting way off topic. I'm not much younger than you. I try to not make assumptions about users, but my comments are based on the OP's description (notice the quote marks). My first computer was an Altair 8800, first commercial system was a Burroughs D84 then later the HP 1000 and PDP-11/70. And yes, I can knap an arrowhead, fletch an arrow and make a bow (I'm not a good arrowman though). I'm going to pass on calculus though. Linux has mimicked the Mac/Windows interface but deep down it is very different. Check my About page for more. --  Gadget850 ^talk 23:59, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

One way to reduce the damage is to run a virtual machine on top of the underlying PC. When this virtual machine is entirely screwed up, you can just delete it and spin up another copy. Obviously, any files created during the session would be lost - but you can probably extract just those files that are known to be user files (the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders, for example)...and stand a reasonable chance of ditching most of the malware.

I know people who spin up a new virtual machine at the start of every work session and delete it again at the end! These days, where so much of what we do is stored off in 'the cloud', that's not as inconvenient as it might sound. SteveBaker (talk) 01:49, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

What's wrong with an "elderly 65 year old" visiting "pron" sites? Edison (talk) 01:53, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Microsoft used to provide Windows SteadyState, but it's discontinued and doesn't work on Windows 7+. This page lists three free third-party tools with similar functionality (I can't vouch for any of them). You might be able to find other options by using SteadyState as a search term. -- BenRG (talk) 04:04, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

I have used Reboot Restore RX (free).[2] This type of application is designed to reboot to a set state every time. Thus any installed application or saved data will be gone on a reboot. I used this where the data was saved to a network drive. I don't see why a cloud drive could not be used: OneDrive, Google Drive or DropBox. The admin is required to do any permanent installs or updates. --  Gadget850 ^talk 08:57, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Pictures displaying previews on Windows 8

For some odd reason, my pictures aren't showing a preview of the actual image on their icons when they're in folders. They just have a generic Photos icon. How do I remedy this? Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 2 Adar 5775 20:27, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

If they used to display, but don't now, you might try a reboot, as this is one of the things that gets skipped when resources are running low. StuRat (talk) 06:44, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

This is that same comp that has the dead soundcard and for which I did the factory reset, I'm afraid. It's interfering with the advance or science, dammit! Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 3 Adar 5775 06:49, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Try this:[3] --  Gadget850 ^talk 18:13, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

February 22

Freeware OCR

I need a program to take a scan of columns of numbers, or pages from a book, and convert it to a file I can place in a text document or spreadsheet. Any suggestions of an effective program free of malware? Edison (talk) 01:50, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

We have Comparison of optical character recognition software. You probably got a commercial OCR program on the software/driver CD when you purchased your scanner.-gadfium 02:01, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

2 formulas in 1 Google Sheets cell

Is it possible to have 2 formulas in 1 cell? For example, I'm creating a spreadsheet of stock transactions. I want it to show the difference between the price i sold at and the price i bought at in numbers and as a percentage increase/decrease. CTF83! 03:13, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

You can try calculating, formatting and concatenating the two values in a single formula - something like =TEXT(B1-A1,"$#,##0.00") & " (" & TEXT((B1-A1)/A1, "0.00%") & ")", where A1 and B1 are the purchase and sale prices. This would give you something like "$1,111.11 (33.33%)". You will not have much control over alignment though. -- Tom N talk/contrib 04:20, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks! Is there a way to make it so if the sold column is empty it won't show negative? Do I just need to unformat if I haven't sold? I did SUMIF <1 before the percent was added. CTF83! 05:05, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

You can wrap the entire expression in an IF function like =IF(B1="", "", ... ), where "..." is the earlier expression (without the leading "="). -- Tom N talk/contrib 18:20, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Computer speakers' subwoofer does not work (Edifier S730)

Sort of at a loss there. No manner what I try, there's never any sound coming from the subwoofer. I verified all connections, and made sure that the SW's volume was set to theoretically audible if working. Help would be appreciated.

Edifier S730 user manual direct link: http://www.edifier-international.com/sites/default/files/product-files/s730_en.pdf Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/N2Rdk Matt714 (talk) 04:50, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Did it ever work ? If so, what changed around the same time it stopped working ?

Also note that not all audio sources contain anything for the subwoofer to play, so be sure you have something with lots of low bass to play. StuRat (talk) 06:25, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. That did it. I was insisting on having the subwoofer tested with Spotify, which needs some fiddling around to make the sub work. YouTube worked like a charm. Matt714 (talk) 19:02, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Instal 16-bit Scrabble Program for Windows 95 on a Windows 7 Computer

When I try to install the disk with autorun, nothing happens. When I try to install the disk by opening the install folder I eventually get a warning that the 16-bit program is not compatible with the 64-bit system. Is there ay way around this? Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 06:02, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

You could install an emulator that allows running 16-bit programs. StuRat (talk) 06:11, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Windows 7 supports Windows XP Mode.[4] --  Gadget850 ^talk 08:45, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Does that run 16-bit programs ? StuRat (talk) 16:08, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Per Windows XP Mode: "Windows XP Mode may be used to run 16-bit applications." --  Gadget850 ^talk 18:04, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Windows XP Mode is only available for Windows 7 Professional and above, not Home or Basic. DOSBox is free and you can install Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 in it, but you need a copy of Windows 95 or 3.1. -- BenRG (talk) 05:26, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Extracting photographs

I've run into this a few times: is there a way to extract the full-resolution photo from websites like this? The image is PD, published in 1906 in Briarcliff Outlook, but I can't find a resolution higher than 1200x764. Clearly the image exists somewhere within that website in a much higher resolution. I've had the same problem with MCNY photographs. Thanks for your input.--ɱ (talk · vbm) 06:10, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

If that website doesn't provide it at full-sized (or maybe does, but only behind a pay wall), you could try using TinEye to try to find one that does provide it full-sized and free. StuRat (talk) 06:13, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Oh, and in case you haven't tried this, be sure to click on the low-res pic to see if it takes you to a hi-res pic. (It might also take you to a mid-res pic and you then have to select that to get to the hi-res pic.) StuRat (talk) 06:22, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

I'm more wondering if someone has the technical expertise of finding where that image is hosted full-size. I'm familiar with Chrome's "Inspect Element" tool to find images, but it's not there; it must be viewable linked on the website's HTML or something.

I can view a very high resolution image, I just can't seem to download the whole thing.--ɱ (talk · vbm) 06:24, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

In that case, I think it's possible to take multiple snapshots and stitch them together. There's a program that somewhat automates the process, I believe. StuRat (talk) 06:29, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

There has got to be a much easier way; could I respectfully request other users' input as well?--ɱ (talk · vbm) 06:58, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Click the icon for 'full image'. Right click and 'view image' (Firefox, may differ for other browsers). This will bring up the image at 1194x679 (which appears to be th full resolution) and you can save it. --  Gadget850 ^talk 08:44, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Neither Google image search nor TinEye can find any higher rez version than that; I suspect 1200x800 is the best you'll get without specifically contacting the owners of the website and asking them. SteveBaker (talk) 15:34, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Is it possible that when you think you are viewing a high-res image, it's really just a low-res image, scaled up ? StuRat (talk) 16:06, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

What makes you think that "Clearly the image exists somewhere within that website in a much higher resolution". Some webmasters put only compressed versions on websites. Dbfirs 17:03, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Yea, what I'm thinking is that he saw a scaled up low-res pic, assumed it to be a hi-res pic, downloaded it, and was disappointed to find it was low-res. StuRat (talk) 17:11, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

I've done that myself! It's not always obvious on a low-res screen. Dbfirs 17:30, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Well that 1200x682 photo has sufficiently less detail when zoomed in than if I use the viewing software to zoom in. I don't think 'scaling up' can add detail, so I would assume a higher-res photo was used for that zooming capability on the original link. With this MCNY image, it's clear that the image you see is hardly the full-res copy, because if you click on the magnifying glass you can zoom in for much greater detail. I just can't access/download that more-detailed image; the only way I'm familiar with right now is the awfully slow way of taking many screenshots and stitching them together...--ɱ (talk · vbm) 17:48, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

OK, I see what you mean. The original image is very low-res (the easiest way to tell the resolution is probably to look at the "Briarcliff Lodge" caption). They have a "larger image" link which seems to show the same low res image. But, if you click on the magnifying glass, they allow you to zoom from 8% to 200%, but only see a small portion of the image at a time. If you set it at 100%, that would be 13×13 frames to stitch together, or 169. I think they are intentionally making it difficult to copy the full-res image, since they would rather sell you a copy. I estimate the original image at around 4000×4000 resolution. StuRat (talk) 19:35, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, the building in that photograph is hardly visible in the original image, but in the magnifier copy, it can become very clear. It seems they are making it very difficult to access; I was hoping someone would have some technical ability to access the original photograph.--ɱ (talk · vbm) 19:45, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

They are using Adobe Flash Player to show the magnified portions. I see no technical reason why a program couldn't be written to pan the image, take snapshots, and stitch it all together automatically, but that doesn't mean anyone has done so yet. StuRat (talk) 19:50, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

It might be simpler to contact the webmaster and buy a copy since they are deliberately making it so difficult to access. You would need some good stitching software to recombine all the zoomed views. Apologies for commenting earlier without trying out the zoom. Dbfirs 22:05, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

The zoomed subimages are obtained from URLs of the form

http://imgzoom.cdlib.org/Converter?id=/13030/3n/kt2g50143n/files/kt2g50143n-z1.jp2&s=1&r=0&x=0&y=0&w=1200&h=1200

where s is the scale, r is the rotation (0/90/180/270), and x, y, w, h define the rectangle within the scaled image to return. The subimage is returned in JPEG format. The maximum value for w and h is 1200. The "id", /13030/3n/kt2g50143n/files/kt2g50143n-z1.jp2, is clearly a filesystem path to the original JPEG 2000 image, but there's no apparent way to download it directly. It would probably be easy to modify dezoomify or a similar tool to fetch these images. -- BenRG (talk) 14:52, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Wow, that looks like exactly the tool I described above. What would need to be modified for it to work, in this case ? StuRat (talk) 21:06, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

MS Outlook 'appointment date' issue

Peeps, I have an issue: My PC ‘time and date’ setting is fixed to ‘Universal time zone’. I’m in a different country, if I change the time zone than it messes up my MS Outlook 2010 calendar appointments. I clicked on ‘File’ menu after opening the MS outlook, clicked on ‘Option’ feature, Clicked on the ‘Calendar’ from the left pane of the window that appeared after clicking on the ‘Option’ feature, scrolled down to the ‘time zone’ section, fiddled around with it, did not work…it messes up my appointments whichever way I try to change it from i.e., from the right hand bottom side where the clock is as well as from MS Outlook. Is there a solution to it? -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 19:18, 22 February 2015 (UTC))

Can you describe how it messes them up ? Also, be sure you not only consider time zones, but also Daylight Savings Time in your settings. StuRat (talk) 19:23, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

I've not found any 'Daylight Savings Time' option anywhere, can you direct it's location for me to turn it on please?

Description of the Issue: The 'appointment' is set for 12 o'clock (12:44), when the time zone is changed to '(+6:00)', whichever way I change it from, it moves the appointment to '19:something'. When I click on the appointment to fix the time, it displays '12:44'. I don't know what to do... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:08, 23 February 2015 (UTC))

On my Windows 7 PC, I click the current Windows time, then click on the "Change time zone..." button, then check or uncheck the "Automatically adjust clock for Daylight Savings Time" box. In previous Windows versions, there was also an option to manually adjust the time zone.

As for the problem, it does look like a bug, in that the displayed time is adjusted for you current time zone, while the time you see when you click on it is not. However, presumably you can still adjust the appointment time, accounting for the offset (7 hours ?) to get it to display the correct time. So, if you want it to display 12:44, and you are getting 19:44, set it to 5:44 instead. StuRat (talk) 16:49, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

I have to resolve this issue tomorrow as I've ran out of time now. Speak to you tomorrow! -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 18:42, 23 February 2015 (UTC))

I have Window 7 (Ultimate) too, I can't seem to find the box you mentioned.

I'm sure there is a bug in the MS Outlook software, because when I change the title of an appointment and delete it thereafter, it relocates into the 'delete' folder but doesn't change the title... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:36, 24 February 2015 (UTC))

Weird, so no way to control Daylight Savings Time on that PC ? StuRat (talk) 07:47, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

I don't know how to, the way you defined, I'm assuming it is by clicking the clock situated on the right hand bottom side of the taskbar, next to the notification tray, inside the monitor screen, after clicking the clock, a small window appears with a calender on the left and an analog clock on the right, I clicked the 'change time and date setting' link available at the bottom of the window, another window appears with three 'tabs' closing the previous one, the first 'tab' 'date and time' displays two buttons 1) 'change date and time', 2) 'change time zone', the latter two 'tabs' not subjugated, I clicked both the buttons, I didn't seem to find a box... The only other way the 'Daylight Saving' thing, works in my PC, could be the internet connection, e.g., every time I change the time it automatically fixes itself to the original settings, still, it does not mitigate the MS Outlook issue... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 19:05, 24 February 2015 (UTC))

The 'change time zone' button is what leads me to the box where I can choose to automatically update the time zone. It won't fix your bug, but might help explain why you are off by 7 hours instead of the expected 6.

Did you try adjusting the appointment time by -7 hours as a workaround ? Did that work ? StuRat (talk) 19:52, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Ram and motherboard or psu combo

I have a pc since 2010 , and its having some issues.

-Wont turn on -Change the rams places , wont turn on -add a different ram with lower memory and one of my own rams, wont turn on -remove the graphic card , it turns on.... - check the psu with a multimeter and its within the allowed values -add the graphic card , wont turn on -removed the battery and cmos while the graphic card was still on , it gets working... -after some time ...it wont work.

-I have a 400W PSU , is it possible that the frequencies required for the ram and graphicc card , are asking for more voltage than the one that the psu gives?

-Or is it just some missmatching of frequencies from the motherboard and the ram and the graphic card.

The motherboard is a foxconn am2/am3.....

Thank you........Ddeevviiss (talk) 19:47, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

Do you know the wattage of each component ? Perhaps the total is over 400W, and pulling the graphics card drops it down below that. (And even if the rated wattage is OK, perhaps the power supply is supplying less wattage than rated, or one of the components is using more than rated.) StuRat (talk) 19:54, 22 February 2015 (UTC)

So would be a good idea to change my psu or just find the faulty element that consumes more watts? Thanks...Ddeevviiss (talk) 19:58, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

What CPU and GPU do you have? How many hard disks and other things do you have plugged into the PSU? Vespine (talk) 01:25, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Capacitors in PC power supplies are the most and earliest failing parts, sometime operating out of specificatins. Typical failures can not be tested with a volt meter. If you get the idea to repair ist yourself, note even when removing the plug from the power grid, the psu will store hazardous voltage inside. If you are not an engineer and familiar with this technology, do not try this at home. It also requires knowledge of electronics and electrical safety and spare parts with required to be made for such application. Fire, hazards, eletrical damage is caused by unadequte repair or modification. Onboard (Mainboard), there are also stepdown converters. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 03:01, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the caring Hans, and yes I am an IT. Still I dont wanna buy a new PSU without being secure that it has the problem. I have a amd 2.9 ghz plus a ndvida 9500 gt. Sitll cant find the problem. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ddeevviiss (talk • contribs) 19:03, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Do you have a bigger power supply you can borrow, just as a test to see if that's the issue ? If not, I suppose you could buy one from a store with a generous return policy, then return it if that isn't the issue. StuRat (talk) 23:31, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

February 23

Programming - is/uses/is easier if you know - math

What of the three possibilities is closer to reality? --Senteni (talk) 00:04, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Programming is easier if you know math, in the sense that if you've had a lot of trouble with things like equations and algorithms and proofs in math, you'll have a lot of trouble programming. Some programming uses math, but by no means all, and some programming uses no math whatsoever. Programming is not, however, math. --jpgordon^{::==( o )} 00:26, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

I did various types of programming for about 25 years. The only need for "math" I ever had was an understanding of bases (decimal=base 10, binary=base 2, hexadecimal=base 16), and that was only after I had moved into the more technical side of software dev. Most programming needs no particular math skills at all, although it often helps to have a calculator handy. ―Mandruss ☎ 03:17, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Think it's worth quoting the first paragraph of our Mathematics article:

"Mathematics ... is the study of topics such as quantity (numbers), structure, space, and change. There is a range of views among mathematicians and philosophers as to the exact scope and definition of mathematics."

So, holding that definition (and the fact that mathematicians don't agree on it!) in our heads, let's try to answer your question:

• Programming is math - in the purest sense of that definition of mathematics, yes. Numbers, structure, space (in terms of data space, configuration space, etc) and change are a lot to do with what programming is. We programmers deal with flow-control, algorithms and data structures - all of which are broadly mathematical in nature. So, I suppose programming is a branch of mathematics - but one that's quite disjoint from the rest of mathematics, and one that not many mathematicians would identify with.

• Programming uses math - well, if programming is math, then it obviously uses it - but you'd be hard pressed to find anything beyond the very basics of arithmetic, boolean logic and set theory that applies to all branches of programming. But obviously if (like me) you're a graphics programmer, then you'll be using a ton of geometry, topology, trigonometry and matrices. But if you're into image processing, then you'll be interested in statistics and all sorts of other mathematical concepts. There are many results from mathematics that are used in programming...but not all programming uses much more than the very most basic arithmetic and boolean logic. There are programming languages like Prolog that would be perfectly useful without numbers of any kind.

• Programming is easier if you know math - not exactly. I think it's true that the kinds of people who excel at algorithms and data structures tend to be the kinds of people who do well in mathematics. On the other hand, I've known plenty of decent mathematicians who took up programming and did a horrible job of it. So there are no guarantees! I've spent a lifetime as a well paid programmer without ever needing my patchy recollection of high school calculus...but in the field of graphics, I've needed to trawl through many other areas of mathematics.

SteveBaker (talk) 04:15, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Display problem in Wikipedia editing window

I frequently use an HP laptop computer (running Windows Vista) to edit Wikipedia pages. For some reason, the type in editing windows on Wikipedia began appearing in really poor quality. It looks much like the output of a typewriter whose ribbon has been used so much that most of the ink has been used up.

I have tried Chrome, Firefox and Opera. The same low-quality display appears in all three. The only way I can get a decent editing window display is to use Internet Explorer 9 (the latest version supported by Vista).

The problem occurs only in Wikipedia's editing windows. Articles are displayed as clearly as ever, and I have had no problems with pages from other Web sites.

If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate them. Eddie Blick (talk) 03:42, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Sometimes non-integer magnifications of small text can look like crap. Try changing the zoom level, usually with CTRL + and CTRL -. StuRat (talk) 04:36, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Another thought is that some older computers could only display 256 colors at top resolution. If the (multi-shaded) text puts it over that limit, many of the shades might just come out white. So, try increasing the color depth (which likely requires lowering the screen resolution). StuRat (talk) 04:43, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

I think any laptop that can run Vista is way too recent to have that problem. Anyway, web browsers on 256-color displays used a fixed palette, not dynamic color allocation, so they couldn't run out of colors. -- BenRG (talk) 05:36, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. The last time I observed this problem was on my Windows 98 laptop, but I wasn't sure when they finally cured it. StuRat (talk) 06:43, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

This was probably caused by the Windows update http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3013455. That page has a link to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3037639 which fixes it. I had the same Windows Vista problem (which also affected articles and other websites to a lesser extent in my case), and the fix worked. Download and install the update from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3037639. It isn't offered in a normal search for Windows updates. Before Microsoft made the fix, I chose "Sans-serif font" at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing, "Edit area font style". Many others unistalled kb3013455. PrimeHunter (talk) 04:48, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for providing that link. I wondered if a Windows update might have caused the problem, but I didn't know a solution if that should be the case. I'll try the link that you suggested. Eddie Blick (talk) 15:17, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

That took care of the problem. I downloaded the patch from the link you provided, then installed the update. After a restart, the editing windows are back to normal legibility. I appreciate your help! Eddie Blick (talk) 17:21, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

Help with PHP confused with calculation

Hello, I am a novice at PHP and I needed to find a way to complete this form I wanted to make. The form has multiple questions it asks like the characters name and the race of your character and what kind of stuff you would like to buy. There are 4 form questions that end in a drop down box method and 1 of them asks you your race and the other 3 ask you how much of each item you would like to buy. I wanted to process in php a way to add gold to the specific races. If you picked human you would get no extra gold and if you chose elf you would get 10 extra gold added to your character so then when you submit the form if you had an elf that start with 10 gold and added 10 gold to the amount the starting gold was which was 10 you would get 20 gold for an elf character. Then you could of selected 10 gold worth of one item and 5 worth of another item and 0 worth of another item and then after check out you would have 5 gold left on your character. How can I do this? I also wanted to make it so that if you go over the amount of gold that your character has you will get an error screen telling you that you dont have enough gold. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.42.31.250 (talk) 12:28, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

It would be hard to answer this question without actually writing all of the code for you - which would prevent you from learning anything from the exercise. But the fact that you need to ask it suggests that you need to work a little longer with PHP tutorials and examples before launching into this kind of project. When you do start into it, you'll need to ask yourself some questions:

• How do you collect the information from the HTML form when they hit "SUBMIT"? (HINT: Read up on $_GET and $_POST)
• How do you know how much gold the person had before they entered into the web page? Perhaps you need to record that in a database somehow? Can you ask them how much they have?
• How will you store the list of character races and the amount of bonus gold they get? Are there few enough (and a fixed number that's unlikely ever to change) that you can just code that information directly into the PHP program - or will someone who is not a PHP programmer need to expand or change that list in the future?
• How will you store the list of available items in the store and their prices? Are you sure that there will never be more than three kinds of item on sale? And again, can you be sure that the list would only ever be changed by a PHP programmer in the future?
• Will you be able to prevent someone cheating by buying a negative number of one of the items in order to buy a lot more of the others? (HINT: Check, if the number of items purchased is less than zero, then either just set it equal to zero - or send them to an error page.)

I strongly suggest that you get the HTML form working first and verify that it passes the right data to your PHP program. If you use the "GET" method for sending the data (definitely the easiest to debug at this stage!) You'll want the HTML to try to call up a URL something like this:

http://myPage.com/myPHPscript.php?race=human&numSwords=0&numArrows=5&numFoodRations=2

Then, write your PHP code to just "echo" back the race and item quantities so you can be sure that you're getting the right data in the right places.

Once you know that the right data is getting into your PHP code, then you can start saying things like "if ( $_GET['race']=='elf' ) $gold += 10 ;" ...and... "$gold -= $costOfSword * $_GET['numSwords"] ;" ...and..."if ( $gold < 0 ) echo 'You don't have enough gold to buy all that stuff!' ; else echo 'Thank you for shopping at the Adventurer Emporium, you have '.$gold.'gp left.' ; "

Good luck! And by all means come back and ask us more detailed questions as you get closer to having something working. SteveBaker (talk) 15:57, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

To me it logically makes more sense to have two forms, the first where you ask details about the character, and the second where they choose what initial items to buy, based on their selections on the first form. StuRat (talk) 16:44, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

hank you very much SteveBaker, this response does help a lot and I am getting better at understanding the exercise. I definitely don't want you to write the code for me then I wont learn anything so thank you for that! So far I have managed to make a if statement that adds the money to the race it is meant to but I have yet to get down the calculation part. I am a bit lost on that. The HTML form is perfectly fine I have a few years experience with that. I now need to make the php page tell you if you have spent to much money and that you have an error because of it and I need to calculate how much money was spent and how much is left. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.42.31.250 (talk) 16:48, 23 February 2015 (UTC)

February 24

Large amount of pictures half need deleted

I have 5453 photos on my computer that I have taken from a video and when they were taken from the video each photo has a duplicate photo! so the photos name on my windows 7 pc are as follows: Untitled_000000 Untitled_000001 Untitled_000002 Untitled_000003 Untitled_000004 Untitled_000005 ... and so on until the photos get to Untitled_005453

Since the process I used to extract each frame from this video produced a double of each frame so I have 5453 photos when I should have half that amount. Every odd numbered image is a double and I need to find a way to delete every odd number photo without doing it by hand since I dont have enough time to do that. example: Untitled_000000 Untitled_000001 ^are the same photo

Untitled_000002 Untitled_000003 ^are the same photo and I need to get ride of each odd numbered photo in the folder to make sure I have no duplicates. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.42.31.250 (talk) 14:22, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

In principle, you can use rm Untitled_?????[02468]. This may overflow your command line, so you might want to use find and xargs like this (all untested ;-): find . -name "Untitled_?????[02468]"|xargs rm. This should work in any POSIX shell (and with Cygwin even under Windows). --Stephan Schulz (talk) 14:53, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

This seems pretty simple: Video on YouTube. --  Gadget850 ^talk 14:55, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

You could search for *1.jpg and delete all of those, then search for *3.jpg and delete all of those, and so on (assuming they are JPEG files). The search box is in the upper right corner of the Explorer window. -- BenRG (talk) 15:25, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Not a question, but Chrome is useless

I keep being told to switch to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Usually Google Chrome. Well, because of the weather I had to go to a library that didn't have Firefox because I was lucky to find this library open. I wasn't sure about the other libraries. I did most of what I had to do on Internet Explorer but when it came to looking at newspaper web sites that limit the number of articles I can look at, I had to use Chrome and an incognito window. That's what someone told me to do. No explanation is ever given, but every few minutes Google Chrome shuts down. So much for any advice. If I had stayed home, Internet Explorer would have meant I would run into the limit on free articles. But I wouldn't recommend Chrome to anyone.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 15:52, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

I don't know about your experience, of course. Chrome has never crashed on me. So I doubt this is a problem of Chrome per se, but rather think it's a problem of the particular installation. People will recommend an incognito window, because many sites track things like article views via HTTP cookies, to enforce the limitations. Incognito windows will not have persistent cookies, but will at most keep them for one session,so that the next user can also access restricted content. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 15:57, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

I went to another site and it doesn't seem to have the problem. But I reported the problem when Explorer had it on this site and of course, they could never figure it out. Firefox at the other library doesn't have the problem but I don't know whether it's open.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 16:02, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Never mind, Chrome did it again.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 16:12, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

For IE8+ try InPrivate Browsing.[5] --  Gadget850 ^talk 16:16, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Really? I haven't seen the option when I tried. Anyway, on a third web site, just Shockwave Flash crashed. The rest of it is still working.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 16:25, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Or was. Shockwave Flash crashed again and then Google Chrome shut down. I do know one site keeps having problems with Explorer. It shut down at least once, but fortunately left my other tabs in place, though these were Hotmail emails where the draft had been saved.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 16:48, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

If you you don't get along with Chrome, then don't use it – it is that simple. I don't happen to like Chrome either but that isn't because I think Chrome is no good. Just think you were unlucky. Try again and persevere – it might just be an nouveau operator problem. Does this Library allow you to inset a pen-drive and boot into Linux. It effectively allows you to carry around your favorite browser, email-client (with bookmarks, extensions, pass-words, etc.) FTP client etc., etc., etc. Some institutions (maybe your library too) may have a block on pen-drive- booting as they think it is a security risk and gives their IT people more work to do, in order for you to boot from a pen-drive. If so challenge them upon this. If you don't ask you don't get. There is no perfect browser (otherwise we would all be using it). To find out what suit you, means (unfortunately) a bit of experimentation. No Pain, no Gain. So, from just one exposure to Chrome, I think you are not being fair.--Aspro (talk) 19:40, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

I've used Chrome, but for what I tried to do today, it's not working. Hopefully the weather will be back to normal next week and I can use Firefox again.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:07, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia-related applications

Where do I find help if I want to code something involving Wikipedia's infrastructure? Discuss-Dubious (t/c) 18:19, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Don't know exactly what you mean. Does our article How to become a MediaWiki hacker link up with what's in your mind?--Aspro (talk) 21:12, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Something more like Wikiscanner or Wiki-Watch. Think "plugin". Discuss-Dubious (t/c) 23:54, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Start by reading the MediaWiki API documentation. Next, read about Wikipedia:Database download procedures and policies. Also consider whether client-side JavaScript, e.g. Wikipedia:User scripts, meet your needs. Nimur (talk) 01:51, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

regarding IEEE paper

I am doing a mini project based on the IEEE paper PSMPA.So as part of my literary survey i had to go through similar articles but most of them had very little in common.so,is there any medical centres or hospital that has implemented it(across the globe) or has likewise mechanism.also,it would be very helpful if i could get few links for my survey and understanding.106.66.174.167 (talk) 19:32, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Please provide a link or description of "PSMPA". StuRat (talk) 19:41, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Is this what you meant: [6] ("Patient Self-controllable Multi-level Privacy-preserving Authentication") ? StuRat (talk) 19:43, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Have you tried google scholar's "related articles" feature? See here [7] for that, and check out these [8] papers that have cited the PSMPA paper. I bet some of those are similar enough to be included in a student project. If not, try searching for other works by those authors, or using their keywords to search for other articles, like so [9]. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:46, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Why Boolean does not work in Google anymore?

It seems to me that Boolean is absolutely useless on Google. Try typing "NOT" and then you actually find what you DON'T want in the search results or the search engine may interpret that "NOT" is actually part of your query!?!? Is it me, or has Google changed? 140.254.136.177 (talk) 21:48, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

If you use a minus sign, like Jaguar -cat, it should find non-feline Jaguars, i.e. the car manufacture. However, minus-sign is a strong hint, not an absolute requirement. LongHairedFop (talk) 21:52, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Trustable DVD/Blu-Ray alternative to Format Factory?

I've been using Format Factory to burn my old DVD's to my hard drive, and have been about 75% successful. Some of the DVD's just won't burn, and others will not provide me with the proper subtitles. I have been through the advice on subtitles at google for Format Factory, and have been able in many cases to fix the subtitle problem with the advanced setting, although not always--often I get the commentary rather than the literal subtitles.

But I still have recent DVD's and Blu-Rays I can't burn. I know I am entitled to make a single backup copy of a video per US Supreme Court ruling. So I am curious what trustable free Blu-Ray (especially) and DVD burning programs are available besides Format Factory for free download. (I am pretty handy, and know how to do custom installs to avoid unwanted sideware.)

PS, my assumption has been that AVI is the best format, am I wrong in this assumption?

Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 22:59, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

If you want to preserve all the menu functions, you may need to keep it in it's native format. I've been able to do that with regular DVDs (except Disney's, which uses some different type of copy protection). I haven't tried this for BluRay. If you just want the movie to play through, with the captions and language burnt in, then a variety of formats can handle that. StuRat (talk) 23:27, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, I am not very much worried about the format, since I can play just about anything. I have noticed that burning a DVD to AVI seems to best retain the original quality. My concern is mainly what sort of burner can I use other than Format Factory to back up my blu-rays to my hard drive that is free and reliable. μηδείς (talk) 00:02, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

I think you mean ripping, not burning.

AVI is not a video format, just a container, so it's meaningless to ask whether AVI preserves video quality better. A particular tool might, if you pick what it calls "AVI" output, use a video format, compressor, and compression settings that happen to give you good quality. In that case, if you can figure out what the parameters are, you could put the same video in another container that supports more DVD-like features than AVI (probably MKV).

If you can afford the space, you'd probably get the best compatibility, and definitely the best video quality, by just copying the original files (.vob and .ifo) rather than transcoding. If you want to transcode, these tools might be good (I've never used them, though). Wikipedia also has Comparison of DVD ripper software. -- BenRG (talk) 04:04, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

February 25

Website going in circles

Can anyone explain what's going on at http://www.apastyle.org? When I view it in Internet Explorer 11 (going straight to the URL, not via Google or something else), it goes on infinite loop: http://apastyle.org changes to http://apastyle.org/?apaSessionKey=oAXlDxKHRQknjecwRT773OOF, which changes to http://apastyle.org, which changes to http://apastyle.org/?apaSessionKey=4vHUEb9uQqxDulUv7yTdFdjn, etc. — it changes multiple times per second. Is there a normal explanation for this weird behavior? Note that it works fine in Firefox 35.0.1; perhaps it's just a browser weirdness. I don't have Chrome, so I can't check that. Nyttend (talk) 03:39, 25 February 2015 (UTC)