TehNacho: Because every (and I say this without hyperbole) discreet card I've purchased in the last three years has had S video out built right in.

My laptop with integrated graphics has an S-video port. But most laptops don't have anything except VGA (or HDMI nowadays).

FuturePastNow: TehNacho: Because every (and I say this without hyperbole) discreet card I've purchased in the last three years has had S video out built right in.

My laptop with integrated graphics has an S-video port. But most laptops don't have anything except VGA (or HDMI nowadays).

My Toshiba Satelite that I bought in 2005 had one. I remember playing vietcong on a friends 37" TV once. Text was about impossible to read but otherwise worked and looked ok.

But I've got another question-

If I put two optical drives on my machine, would I be able to have the audio from a DVD playing (I don't have DVD ripping software and I have a fairly small drive- 500 gb- for doing tons of DVD converting) while I play a game on CD?

Also, I remember a few years ago seeing a computer tower with a 6 CD changer. I'll would like something similar but with the capability of playing DVD's. If it's cost effective, I would buy one, but if it's prohibitively expensive I'll probably opt for a second drive that burns blu-ray... But anyone knows where I could find one?

TehNacho: Also, I remember a few years ago seeing a computer tower with a 6 CD changer. I'll would like something similar but with the capability of playing DVD's. If it's cost effective, I would buy one, but if it's prohibitively expensive I'll probably opt for a second drive that burns blu-ray... But anyone knows where I could find one?

I have a couple of those CD-ROM changers. Unless some poor bored soul wrote a Linux driver for them, the last operating system they worked with was Win98 (something about the way WinNT assigns drive letters makes XP and Vista incompatible). I don't think they ever made DVD changers in that form.

TehNacho: If I put two optical drives on my machine, would I be able to have the audio from a DVD playing (I don't have DVD ripping software and I have a fairly small drive- 500 gb- for doing tons of DVD converting) while I play a game on CD?

Oh, and for your other question, yeah sure. Just turn off the music in the game, or it will be playing both soundtracks at once. That gets confusing.

Any idea how to get one of the analog sticks on a Logitech Rumblepad 2 to replace mouse movement in XP? If i could get that to happen, I'd die happy. Google isn't helping much so far.

What is going on with TFD? It seems not to be updating. Halp!

nkanofolives: What is going on with TFD? It seems not to be updating. Halp!

It happens. Don't worry about it.

A quick question. Can I use composite cables to make a component cable, or is there something different between the two?

i've been getting unsolicited file downloads from my yahoo friends list. being that they are my "friends" i do open them. OOPS. i'm running xp home , mcafee virus scan and spy sweeper. soooooo where is the backdoor?. i do use ie 7 and firefox as s/eng. any help?

Mike: nkanofolives: What is going on with TFD? It seems not to be updating. Halp!

One of the five webservers is having hardware problems (NMI's and panics every few hours). I've got it out of the rotation (and running memtest86) til I can get downtown to try replacing memory.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're the reason I can post to TFD...
I can post annoy-ing motivat-ors-
Cause you can replace the server memoryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

i guess i'm not enuf of a geek 4 u guys

crunchief: i guess i'm not enuf of a geek 4 u guys

be patient there, slappy. someone might give it a shot. Not everyone knows everything about everything.

Are you talking about yahoo groups, or like YIM stuff, or something else? Yahoo Groups are not very secure. The couple I'm a part of get spammed occasionally, even though no outside senders are allowed. That's the limit of my knowledge. I don't know what to do about your unsolicited downloads. Don't execute them?

no this is my yahoo messenger friends .... i just started getting unwanted file downloads, well lets say i wanted to download them because they were pertinant to my interest but the friend i got one from has no idea what i'm talking about so i think my list is compromised

No_47

nice finds, thanks, already got one to work. awesome.

Anyone have this problem with external hard drives before? It's a Western Digital and whenever I plug it in, the green light blinks once (long) then again (short) and then doesn't power up. Is it the case or the hard drive?

No_47: Is there an option in yahoo messenger to disable file transfers?

It used to be that disabling port 5101 in your router would block yahoo transfers. I'm not sure if it has changed or not but you might try that.

No_47: Here's a question from a compatriot

"what native application can I use in mac os 10 to do text editing with syntax highlighting (which has optionally an intergrated terminal)?
I have a programming competition to go to and,.. well... they putting us on mac os 10"

he's not allowed to install extra software.

Terminal.app-vim and emacs. I don't know what else he could possibly need.

I hope some one can point me in the right direction. I received a PSP as a gift. I am trying to hook it up to my wireless router (linksys wrt54g) but I keep getting "A connection error has occurred. The attempt to obtain the IP address timed out." error. I have googled this, but nothing I try does any good. Thanks.

No_47: We just got some HP laptops in with Vista Business licenses.

However, they also came with pre-activated XP Pro CDs, and a full set of XP drivers. Thanks HP!

And Microsoft will count them as Vista sales.

Snug Tight: I hope some one can point me in the right direction. I received a PSP as a gift. I am trying to hook it up to my wireless router (linksys wrt54g) but I keep getting "A connection error has occurred. The attempt to obtain the IP address timed out." error. I have googled this, but nothing I try does any good. Thanks.

what kind of encryption (if any) do you have on the router? when i tried hooking my psp up to my netgear router with WEP encryption, i had to change it from shared key to open (or maybe it was the other way around, i'm not at home) before my psp could connect.

A couple more questions:

-- Is the Time Capsule worth the money if I'll only use it with one mac, and only use it for Time Machine?

-- Which firewalls and/or antivirus wares would you recommend for Windows XP (situated in a Boot Camp iMac)? Say -- none of them would be... free, by any chance, would they?

N. S. Radieaux: -- Is the Time Capsule worth the money if I'll only use it with one mac, and only use it for Time Machine?

The Time Capsule isn't worth the money under any circumstances.

-- Which firewalls and/or antivirus wares would you recommend for Windows XP (situated in a Boot Camp iMac)? Say -- none of them would be... free, by any chance, would they?

AVG Free antivirus. Don't bother with a firewall, the one built into Windows is good enough. ZoneAlarm is a pain in the ass.

No_47

I think I have the settings correct. It should be simple to set up. I have tried a few different ways, but still get the same error. I will check out the router log. Thanks.

AesopRock_00

I am using WEP. I will play around with different encryptions it in the next few days.

I guess I really don't need to get on line with it at home. I just thought it would be fun to play around with. They gave me the PSP to do someting during chemo treatments. I go back to Barnes-Jewish next Wed. and they have a unsecured network so I will try it there to see what happens.

No_47: for the record, I agree with this completely

Especially if you've got a router that cost more than $40.

thinking of upgrading some of the electronics at the house, any suggestions?

already had to replace the tv, but any suggestions on a dvd player? one that has hdmi out? or do ya think i should just go for the media center pc instead?

what about for the home theater system? I need to replace the receiver from an all in one, with something else. The existing speakers are just bare wire end plug ins, no connectors

Snug Tight: I go back to Barnes-Jewish next Wed. and they have a unsecured network so I will try it there to see what happens.

you shouldn't have any problems connecting to an unsecure network with the PSP

/hope the chemo goes quickly

Open_Mouth_Inert_Foot: or do ya think i should just go for the media center pc instead?

Yes. With a fanless video card that has DVI- or HDMI-out, you'll be able to make DVDs look and play as good it gets, plus you'll be ready to go to Blue Ray by putting in a BR optical drive whenever you get around to it (if you want to).

I set up an home theatre PC last year, and suddenly our dvd player never got used again. Eventually we got rid of it, and have never looked back. And using VLC with a mouse (or rumble pad!!!) is a trillion googol times better than stumbling around with a DVD remote and laggy firmware.

Found a good sound card which we coupled with a receiver to give us high definition sound. Love it.

Hmm..

I hate that there's only one television carrier for the Olympics in the US.

I don't have a TV, so there's the internet.

Microsoft is in bed with NBC. You can't even watch the videos without using XP, Vista or a Mac. I have none of the above. User Agent Switcher was built for just such an emergency.

IE as XP or Vista try to stream WMP. When I set my user agent to Safari 3 or Firefox on Windows I'm told that I have to download MS' ass-tastic Silverlight program.

All I wanted was to watch the Judo competitions :/

Screw it, it'll be on YouTube before morning...

Still though, this monopoly bullshiat is obnoxious.

gayb: Open_Mouth_Inert_Foot: or do ya think i should just go for the media center pc instead?

Yes. With a fanless video card that has DVI- or HDMI-out, you'll be able to make DVDs look and play as good it gets, plus you'll be ready to go to Blue Ray by putting in a BR optical drive whenever you get around to it (if you want to).

I set up an home theatre PC last year, and suddenly our dvd player never got used again. Eventually we got rid of it, and have never looked back. And using VLC with a mouse (or rumble pad!!!) is a trillion googol times better than stumbling around with a DVD remote and laggy firmware.

Found a good sound card which we coupled with a receiver to give us high definition sound. Love it.

any vendors to recomend, or should i just build it myself?

Open_Mouth_Inert_Foot: any vendors to recomend, or should i just build it myself?

I'd just build it myself. A 780G mobo would work well for this, HDMI out and no need for a separate video card (unless you want to play games on your HDTV).

FuturePastNow: I'd just build it myself. A 780G mobo would work well for this, HDMI out and no need for a separate video card (unless you want to play games on your HDTV).

Seconded. I bought a midrange 8-series card for about $40 that can handle a whole pile of (mostly older) games, even though it's not that important to me.

It's pretty quiet now, with no fans except for the power supply, but if I could do anything over it would be to get a case made to be extra-quiet. But a HTPC can be made cheaply.

By the way, can anyone actually recommend a good, especially quiet pc box? Regular ATX form factor, nothing small or shaped funny.