No_47

Does Winders 'unfreeze' on its own once you remove the USB drive or does it stay locked up tight?

My buddy Google told me that it's bound to be a hardware, hardware driver or power issue. Might try a powered USB hub plugged into the PC and the USB drive in it. Double-check that all the mobo/chipset drivers are correct and up-to-date.

No_47: Couldn't figure it out so I told him to start looking for a new machine and not to plug any flash drives in :)

Our home machine doesn't start up if a newer iPod is plugged in. Probably a power issue.

SURVEY:

I just got two new computers for home.
Laptop: 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 G RAM, 2-120 G HDs
Desktop: 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad, 8 G RAM, 2-750 G HDs

Both came with Vista...

Should I go out and buy XP?
Where is best/cheapest place to buy?
Do I need 1 for each?

[I will read the forum for awhile, or you can email. EIP]

Drasher

I would install something like Ubuntu or Fedora. They (and other Linux distros) both have Live CDs so you can try it out without having to blow away Windows Beasta. But that's just me.

If I had a compelling reason to stay with Microsoft, I'd go with XP. This is just my experience, but I have two identical PCs at work; One is my business desktop maintained by "IT" (Idiot Trolls) running Vista, the other is for engineering purposes running Red Hat 5.2 and maintained by me. Guess which one runs faster with no glitches?

If you bought them from Dell with the BONUS option, they ship it with XP installed and a Vista DVD. Otherwise, I guess you go with any well-known retailer if you wanted XP. Get while the gettin is good.

But probably you should just try them with Vista for a while. If you feel that they work nicely for you, forget about it.

Drasher: Both came with Vista...

Should I go out and buy XP?
Where is best/cheapest place to buy?
Do I need 1 for each?

Do you have a problem with Vista? Because is works perfectly for me, and those computers are a lot more powerful than mine.

If you want (legal) XP, buy an OEM version from an online store like Newegg.com. You'll need a copy for each machine.

No_47: Yes. It's slow. It's bloated. It has 40-odd seperate pieces of software built into it that collect information about you and sends it to microsoft. It's practically impossible to repair the OS when it breaks. UAC is retarded. The gaming performance is worse than XP. It costs too much. There's about 900 different versions. The GUI is butt ugly. The GUI has been made unnecessarily complicated. The updates are huge. The system requirements are excessive.

I wasn't talking to you, Xmas.

No_47: hey, I haven't used my alt in ages

I do try to keep track of the alts. Anyway, except for the part about UAC, everything you just wrote would have made perfect sense in 2001 to someone upgrading from Win98 to XP.

Drasher
Do I need 1 for each?

To be legal, yes.

And I'm not sure..it might only apply to some versions of Vista like "Vista UltraSuperPremiumDeluxeBusinessGoldTotallyAwesomeOMGBBQ", but I read that there are some Vistas that come with some sort of downgrade license that allows you to install XP instead.
Though I have no idea how that works in practice (where you get the XP install and whether Vista's CD key will work for XP as well),

I see the quote button adds a link now, but it would be nicer if the links went somewhere. Since Firefox opens links in a new tab, that's what it does, and it doesn't even scroll to the linked comment. Just dumps me at the top of the thread I was just reading.

Thanks for the info and opinions.

FuturePastNow: I see the quote button adds a link now, but it would be nicer if the links went somewhere. Since Firefox opens links in a new tab, that's what it does, and it doesn't even scroll to the linked comment. Just dumps me at the top of the thread I was just reading.

I think farky interferes with it if you have the 'scroll to first new comment' checked.

SleepyMcGee: I think farky interferes with it if you have the 'scroll to first new comment' checked.

Huh. I disabled the 'scroll to first new comment' in Farky, but it didn't change anything. The quote link still doesn't scroll to the quote for me, it only opens a new tab.

I think I'm just going to change the links to Zombo or Youtube..

FuturePastNow: Huh. I disabled the 'scroll to first new comment' in Farky, but it didn't change anything. The quote link still doesn't scroll to the quote for me, it only opens a new tab.

I think I'm just going to change the links to Zombo or Youtube..

It worked for me at first, but not anymore. I don't know what I did that first time. I then ran a clean profile in FF3 (no add-ons and such) and the links opened in a new tab and went straight to that comment on the page. So it's either farky, farkit, farkode or some other extension that I haven't used in forever...

No_47: Ya'll see this?

Yeah, I read that. And of course, none of the power management in Linux works on either my (homebuilt) desktop or (Compaq) laptop.

Windows goes to sleep and wakes right back up on both of them.

I tried creating a game on a LAN in Diablo and this is what I get. What am I missing? I have TCP/IP installed...

No_47: Diablo one?

ummmmmm...

Lol I had to install IPX... but I've got it working.

Yes, Diablo One

I sense a soul in search of answers.

/:P

MusicMakeMyHeadPound: I sense a soul in search of answers.

/:P

Is there any way to take the files from the CD and put them on my hard drive so that I don't have to listen to the damn CD player all the time? I legally own the CD, and don't plan on distributing the files, I just don't want to listen to the WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR all the time.

How do I reinstall windows XP on a computer I bought that came with no disk? It has an OEM installer or some type thing and I'm clueless. Supposedly I don't need an XP disk to reinstall, so I have been told. I don't know what to do next. And that scares me a little.

I'm just going to wipe this thing, it's acting like a jerk.

Brodan: How do I reinstall windows XP on a computer I bought that came with no disk? It has an OEM installer or some type thing and I'm clueless. Supposedly I don't need an XP disk to reinstall, so I have been told. I don't know what to do next. And that scares me a little.

I'm just going to wipe this thing, it's acting like a jerk.

You might be able to do system restore. Or, even though they didn't provide an XP disk, they probably included an "oem pack" and it will instruct you to start with disk 1.

TehNacho
Is there any way to take the files from the CD and put them on my hard drive so that I don't have to listen to the damn CD player all the time?

While I'm not a gamer and I don't have Windows, I know there are some tools like that.
I remember the names "Daemon Tools" and "Alcohol 120%"; the wikipedia entry for Disk image emulator lists some more.

AFAIK more recent copy-protection stuff might try to look for and fark with such tools.
Diablo I is probably old enough that that won't be a problem, but if you have more recent games, you should be aware of it in case there's some trouble.

Brodan: How do I reinstall windows XP on a computer I bought that came with no disk? It has an OEM installer or some type thing and I'm clueless. Supposedly I don't need an XP disk to reinstall, so I have been told. I don't know what to do next. And that scares me a little.

I'm just going to wipe this thing, it's acting like a jerk.

Look at it when it boots up, it might say something like "Press F8 to load recovery partition"

How would one go about looking at javascript code without running it?

Basically, I found a hole in mssql server that lets anyone edit a table. Problem is, someone else already figured something similar out, and is using it to place javascript in the fields, which gets ran whenever that field is displayed. The script takes you to

[deleted for saftey].cn/w.js

I want to view that script.

Oh and I can show that the above thing happened ALL OVER the place... not sure if these people even know they got hacked.

I.

I plan on swapping my long-in-the-tooth PowerBook G4 for an Asus EEE soon. Some questions about that:

-- Hocking the P-P-Powerbook. I plan on scrubbing out the hard drive and restoring the whole think to how it was when I first got it. I understand this can be done by popping in the Tiger install disc, holding down the option key while rebooting it, opt to boot from the install disc, whereupon there will be an option to wipe the hard disk, etc. I know it's a Mac, but is it really that simple?

-- Before I wipe the old drive, I plan on yanking all the files and transferring them onto my new[er] iMac, hopefully by doing that nifty connecting-two-Macs-via-FireWire thing. One caveat: When I first got the iMac, I chose to make it absorb all the files, settings, etc., from the Powerbook. So if I just plop everything onto the iMac with nary a care, I'll get a bunch of dupe files. Are there any easy ways to weed out duplicate files on a Mac, perhaps by utilizing a "hash" or any other cool-sounding words you people use?

-- Does the EEE 4G have a sound recorder application? For how long can it record? (See part II, tomorrow.)

Mike

Yup that was the one, thx :-)

N. S. Radieaux: I know it's a Mac, but is it really that simple?

Yes. Open Disk Utility after booting it from the install disk and there will be options for securely erasing the drive.

Mike
Use a command-line tool (curl, wget, lynx) to fetch a copy of the Javascript code. That way you can grab it without executing it.

This is probably the safest way, but it actually shouldn't be dangerous to open a .js file in the browser (for additional security you could also disable Javascipt first).

nosajghoul
[deleted for saftey].cn/w.js
mike
The "deleted" part wouldn't happen to be "verynx"



I believe someone else already "deleted for safety" as well ;-)

No_47: Do you even need to open disk utility?
Doesn't the install process give you the option of a wipe?

It does a quick format of the drive, but to get the secure delete options (the 5-pass and 35-pass or whatever they are), I think you have to go into disk util. That's probably overkill but hey.

Thanks, FPN and #47.

II.

As I will be attending school in the fall after a two-year hiatus, I am looking for a note-taking system that takes advantage of all these new technologies. Assuming the profs will allow it, I would like an audio recorder, one that:

-- Can record three hours of audio, or, failing that, uses hot-swappable memory drives;

-- Can last for three hours on a single charge, or, failing that, can have its batteries replaced without losing its data;

-- Can record high-quality sound that's coming from a distance -- in a lecture hall, for example -- or, failing that, has an 1/8" jack for an external microphone;

-- Converts the audio into a .wav/.mp3/.aiff/etc. so I don't have to "dub" it onto the computer like it's the 20th century.

I'm currently considering using the Asus EEE PC (see Part I, yesterday) or a new cell phone (see Part III, tomorrow), but I doubt they could withstand the incoming data or outgoing power. I also came across this, but it doesn't seem like it will be restocked by the time classes start and I can't seem to find it being sold anywhere else. Can anyone tell me if my current choices are up to scratch and/or give me recommendations for other recorders?

N. S. Radieaux
-- Can record three hours of audio, or, failing that, uses hot-swappable memory drives;

-- Can last for three hours on a single charge, or, failing that, can have its batteries replaced without losing its data;

-- Can record high-quality sound that's coming from a distance -- in a lecture hall, for example -- or, failing that, has an 1/8" jack for an external microphone;

-- Converts the audio into a .wav/.mp3/.aiff/etc. so I don't have to "dub" it onto the computer like it's the 20th century.

Thinking in another dircetion:
They aren't produced anymore and even the used ones on ebay aren't cheap, but my iRiver H300 series player would more than fulfill all of those requirements:
- 20-40GB hard drive (H320=20GB, H340=40GB)
- battery lasts much longer than 3-4 hours (IIRC ~16h with a fresh one), plus you can get external battery packs
- has a good internal microphone and a jack for an external one
- can record directly to mp3 at a bitrate of your liking

I'm sure an Eee PC can record more than three hours of audio.

OK. I would like to watch instant netflix/hulu/DVD's I play on my laptop on my television.

my question is: can I send data through USB to S-video or component? I also have firewire, but don't wish to purchase a decoder box.

Data out of computer = USB or Firewire
Data into TV = S-video, Component, RCA
Any suggestions?

Being Famous Sucks: Data out of computer = USB or Firewire

The laptop doesn't have a VGA port?

FuturePastNow: The laptop doesn't have a VGA port?

Upon googling 'VGA port" I have found that yes, it does. I had never used said port before in my life. Nor did I know its actual name. I was hoping to purchase a single cable, and not a 70-100 dollar box. However, if this is my only option, I shall acquiesce.

Is it my only option at this point, or is there something cheaper/more simple?

(possibly of note: my graphics processor is an intel GMA x3100, which has TV encoder)

Being Famous Sucks: Upon googling 'VGA port" I have found that yes, it does. I had never used said port before in my life. Nor did I know its actual name.

These are the first things Google came up with for "VGA to s-video":

One

Two

VGA is analog video out. A simple adapter should work.

FuturePastNow:

Muchas Gracias. And yes, I was too lazy to google it myself.

I'm about to buy WOW today to tide me over until I get my red ringed Xbox back. Any Farkers still play this and can recommend a realm and help for a nubbin?

Thanks, V o' D and FPN.

III.

Along with a new laptop, I'm considering a new cell phone and a new service. Assuming I decide to get them, the only question left is which service and which phone...

-- Is CREDO the only mobile phone service that isn't EEEEEEEEVIL, or is it just the only one that brags about it?

-- If I do get a CREDO phone, I might splurge on one of the high-end models (the individual product detail pages are all Javascripty and unlinkable). The QWERTY keyboard on the Rumor might come in handy if I get into instant messaging (see Part IV, tomorrow), but has technology advanced since my last candy-bar phone to prevent "pocket dialing"? And do any of the phones offered by CREDO fit my criteria for a voice recorder (see Part II, yesterday)?