Date: 07/27/07     Keywords: no keywords

My laptop's DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive is not working. When i go to My Computer my DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive is not shown there. So when i play a DVD or insert a CD it won't work.

A long time ago it used to work when i went to device manager and did the scan for hardware changes. The DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive icon showed up in My Computer. But now when i do that it won't show up at all. Usually when you turn on the computer the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive is automatically there with the C-Drive, Floppy Disk etc...

Summing it up my DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive disppeared/is missing on 'My Computer' folder. Its not shown there.

Does anyone know how to fix this? How to get my dvd-rom/cd-rom drive to work? How to get it back? Please help. thanks

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1092577.html

Date: 07/26/07     Keywords: php

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=398973&postcount=12
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=398891&postcount=1

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1092266.html

Date: 07/26/07     Keywords: web, google

But I googled this for a bit and couldn't find more than a tangential answer from more than one, maybe two sites.

I have a Dell Inspiron 8600 from 2005. Due to various wear and tear and possibly the damn animals in the house (long story) my power adapter is starting to go. And due to sheer absentmindedness, I wouldn't mind having a spare around anyway.

The adapter I have says it's 65W, and it runs the computer fine. The Dell website and a couple other sites I visited will only sell a 90W adapter for an Inspiron 8600, which I'm afraid will blow out the laptop. And I'd really like not to blow out the laptop. It's a good laptop. It's served me well.

Is it going to blow out my laptop? Has anyone replaced their power adapter for this model with a 90W and had it work fine? Should I just get a 65W power adapter for a different model and don't worry, it'll work fine?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1091896.html

Date: 07/25/07     Keywords: software

Does anyone have any recommendations for software to create Internet radio shows?

I suppose I'm looking for something that can take a huge library of MP3 files, let me queue them up as if they were in multiple CD players, trigger them at the right time, fade them in/out, mix them, mix in microphone input, external inputs, sound bytes, drops, and the like.

I spent 9 years working on-air in radio, but that was in the 80's and early 90's when we had 2-track cart machines and a big mixing board.

Anything that simulates this on a PC and can either stream the output to a sound card or, better, an OGG or MP3 stream and/or record to hard drive in real time, for a 3-hour show?

I suspect anyone who knows of software to do this knows exactly what I'm asking for...

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1091406.html

Date: 07/25/07     Keywords: no keywords

Before rushing out to get a water cooling setup, check out heatpipe coolers (sometimes under-labelled as just another variety of "air cooling") first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heatpipe

As one can see, heatpipe vapor cooling is kind of like liquid cooling. The wick "pumps" cool condensed liquid with capilary action along the lining of the tube to the heat source, and the hot evaporated vapor travels back towards the direction of cooling.

I saw the founder of Overclockers.com saying in the Ars Technica forums that he gave up water cooling for heatpipes when they came out.

Many heatpipes/heatspreaders are so cheap nowadays that they might be mistaken for plain metal tubing/plating when they aren't.

I think I read about the operation of heatpipes a long time ago but forgot all about it until I read about it again.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1091240.html

Date: 07/25/07     Keywords: no keywords

Who tripped over the extension cord today! [evil grin]

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1090930.html

Date: 07/23/07     Keywords: web, microsoft

Crossposted: My apologies to those who have to see me twice.

So I'm sitting here with a new computer (Vista from Dell) and a new phone (RAZR) and I wanted to create my own ring tone from some mp3s I have to put on my phone.

Seems simple enough.

But I continue to get an error with this multimedia studio from Motorola when it comes to saving the file.

This is what I receive if I just try to transfer the file to the phone.
---------------------------
Melody Studio
---------------------------
Unsupported format
(mp3 codec may be inappropriate or missing)
---------------------------
OK  
---------------------------

This is what I receive if I try to save the file to my HD.

---------------------------
Melody Studio
---------------------------
Failed to create file
---------------------------
OK  
---------------------------

So, it seems that there's not an mp3 encoder installed, which is also what Motorola's website states for this particular error.

But how the heck do I get it loaded?

I'm normally very handy on computers but for the life of me I can't figure out where to get one nor how to make it work.  I attempted to download Audacity and LAME a few months ago when I went through all this but I couldn't seem to get that to do what I wanted.  I've searched Microsoft and can't seem to find a way to do this through them.  So, here I am.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1090619.html

Date: 07/23/07     Keywords: security, virus, web, spam

I have my own domain, djmattb241.com. I use it mainly to host my out of date website and for my email address. Lately, I've been getting a bunch of emails like the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the server7.web4a.de program at host server7.web4a.de.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned
below could not be delivered to one or more destinations.

For further assistance, please send mail to

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the message returned below.

The server7.web4a.de program

: host mx0.gmx.net[213.165.64.100] said: 551 5.2.3 Your mail shows
indications of viruses or spam. We cannot accept your mail. {mx092} (in
reply to end of DATA command)



Reporting-MTA: dns; server7.web4a.de
Arrival-Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:37:40 +0200 (CEST)
Content-Type: text/plain

Final-Recipient: rfc822; tt48@gmx.de
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0
Diagnostic-Code: X-server7-web4a-de; host mx0.gmx.net[213.165.64.100] said: 551
5.2.3 Your mail shows indications of viruses or spam. We cannot accept your
mail. {mx092} (in reply to end of DATA command)



Subject:
Emailing: detail report.zip
From:
"Janine manalang"
Date:
Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:36:56 +0800
To:
mail@bultmann-net.de


The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
detail report.zip

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments. Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This one came from manalangiduz@djmattb241.com. I've seen ones from billing@djmattb241.com and others. Is this ad-ware on my machine? (I use Thunderbird) Or is it something to do with my server? I know I can shut off the feature where all email going to djmattb241.com goes to me, but that's not really solving the problem.

Help? :(

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1090475.html

Date: 07/22/07     Keywords: no keywords

My sister passed away, and I need a way to get her information from her Myspace and Hotmail accounts.  I need the quickest and most efficient method possible; I just want this over with.  I would be extremely grateful for your help.

Please, only reply if serious.
To reply, just message me through Livejournal.

Thanks.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1090250.html

Date: 07/20/07     Keywords: no keywords

I was curious about the latest stuff I can get for a computer. Normally, I start at the low end and upgrade as I go along. However, I have been aware that the latest stats are different from what I remember. Here is what I wish to know:

I saw hard drives with up to 500 gigabytes of space. I also recall seeing some that were faster than 7200 RPM. What's the latest?

I want to look into sound and video cards. What's out there now? What do I look for when buying either?

I want a CD Rom and a DVD Rom. What are the speed and other stats to look for?

I'm aware that that there are at least two different types of RAM cards/chips. How do I know which are right for my computer and what is the recommended minimum size for today's computer?

I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, but I felt it wouldn't hurt.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1089723.html

Date: 07/19/07     Keywords: web, google

I accidentally discovered this random fact by myself today:

There are 86 Google search results pages' worth of webpages mentioning variants...
http://www.google.com/search?q=variants&hl=en&start=880&sa=N

...and 81 Google search results pages' worth of webpages discussing "varients", which apparently is not a word in the English language.
http://www.google.com/search?q=varients&hl=en&start=880&sa=N

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1089409.html

Date: 07/17/07     Keywords: no keywords

Here's the Template:



Here's what I did



Have fun guys!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1088693.html

Date: 07/16/07     Keywords: web

i appreciate your answers to my last gmail question, i ended up just setting up forwarding from my domain registrar and it seems to be working fine.

my last question is going to be this: i have mail since 1999 in my old email account there are probably like 100,000 emails totalling 957MB

is there any way to get that into my gmail account? this is something i'd even pay to have done if needs be

the account it's coming from can be accessed via web/pop/imap

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1088395.html

Date: 07/12/07     Keywords: browser, web, microsoft

No Microsoft flames, if you please - this project has a requirement that it be .Net in C#.

I'm looking for a starting point: a web browser written in C# that I can then customize for a proof of concept. I've checked CodeProject, but nobody's written a decent one that I can see.

Encapsulating the System.Windows.Forms.WebBrowser object in .Net 2.0 would be more than good, if the project then hooked all the events and provided customizable controls.

The goal here is to then add logic that does pre-processing on web pages as they come in.

Other than CodeProject, does anyone have a suggestion on where I might look for available code?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1087873.html

Date: 07/11/07     Keywords: asp

Probably old news to many, but...who'll be buying an Intel processor come July 22nd?

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/80759.aspx

I am :) $266 quad core is a good price for me. Going to upgrade most of my computer parts as well.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1087463.html

Date: 07/09/07     Keywords: technology, asp

Sword of the New World: Granado Espada
(English localized open beta version)

Genre: MMORPG
Tested time: Approximately 10 hours over 4 days

I haven't seen many game discussions in this forum so I'd thought I cook up one from the one I played over the last week.

There is a new MMORPG that's seldom discussed yet in my opinion is worthy of checking out. The game is Sword of the New World, a Korean title that has been translated into an English localized version. The reason that this game can stand out from the host of other MMORPGs out there today is its style and unique gameplay. So before groaning with "Not another MMO", read on.

Background

The story of the game is set in the backdrop of a world that is somewhat modeled after the age of European exploration of the new world. After a period of warfare, colonists from one of the embattered countries were sent in exploration. You belong to one of the colonial families sent by your Queen, the mission: Explore and subdue the new continent. However, instead of human natives the "locals" in the wilderness compose of various monsters that you would have to survive from in your various quests.

Graphics and Sound

The designs in SOTNW are done in a Baroque style, featuring fancy costumes and buildings, most of which could be seen in the town that the explorers start out with. The music composes of mostly melodies done mostly in a classical orchestral style, with occassional techno-dance mixed in for certain locations. Even though in terms of graphics technology SOTNW in no way outdoes the newest generation titles out there the style more than makes up the difference in my opinion. The ambience given by the visuals and sound is a big selling point.


Zoomed-out view outside one of the dungeons. A spectacular 360-degree waterfall surrounds a bridge (click thumbnail for full size)

The Multiple Character Play System

Unlike most other MMORPGs, each player in the game is offered the freedom of creating and simultaneously fielding up to three characters in a sort of "mini party" right from the start of the game (excluding the training map in the very beginning). The result is a sort of combination between console RPG games and traditional MMORPG. This gives a lot of freedom in choosing the style of play that one can be involved in. There is the choice of either still going at it alone, which does get kind of boring and lonely after a while and somewhat defeats the purpose of the system, fielding multiple characters and going through the game like a console RPG while treating all other players like NPCs, or banding together with other players' "families" (all of your characters carry the same family surname which you specify at the beginning) to form "squads" that share exp points as well as other squad-specific abilities. The different classes offered are scout, fighter, musketeer, wizard, and elementalist. The player has the option to switch between controlling each character individually or as a group. The AI takes care of most of the combat, and you would only need to step in to provide movement and special ability activations. Make no mistake, this doesn't make the game any less challenging when it comes to fighting high level opponents. One would be advised to keep the members of their party together in the dungeons. Should your characters die, they lay in place with a countdown timer shown above them and revive only after the time is up.


Zoomed-in view at the same location, showing elementalist in the foreground, with scout on the left and fighter on the right (click thumbnail for full size)

Stances and Finishing Moves

Another unique aspect of the game is in it's stance system. Each class comes with its own array of fighting techniques depending on character armament as well as knowledge, and the techniques open up to subcategories of special finishing moves that progressively get more spectacular and damaging as the skills progress. It would almost look like a fighting game if you zoom in close while doing one of the special moves. The variety of those moves are large for every class, and I was only able to test out a few. It was quite satisfying to watch the elementalist throw a fireball and the fighter do one of the earth shaker moves.

Translation

The localized English version does a good job overall with the translation. The English was correct, though on some explanation screens for menus the screenshots shown remained Korean while the explanation was English. This is understandable since the game was still under test. Even in those cases, the menus (i.e. buy and sell) were easy enough to figure out even without those screens because they are in English. The English version is supposedly a different program rather than a straight port of the Korean original, featuring more content and options (Dressing up your characters at the beginning of character creation is much more limited in the Korean version) touted as improvements.

Conclusion

I had a great time playing the game. The eye candy was good to look at and the music is pleasant and at times appropriately fast-paced. My significant other clamored to get on the computer and play after she saw me playing. She wasn't that great at the game but still had a lot of fun. Besides the mouse much of the controls are hot-key based (one row of QWERTY keys for each of your three characters) and might frustrate newbies. However, once gotten a hang of I think it is an effective system of control considering the variety and complexity. Sword of the New World is a stylish game with a new twist that distinguish it from the rest of the hack n' slash crowd, and deserves a look.

Graphics 8/10
Sound 8/10
Gameplay 8/10
Overall Experience: 9/10

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1087006.html

Date: 07/07/07     Keywords: no keywords

Hey. I'm reformatting my computer, I sold it yesterday so I have to have it all ready for pick up tomorrow. Does reformatting a computer 100% get all your crap off of there? It's not viewable anymore? I have a lot of bank info and old pictures and stuff that I don't need a complete stranger snooping around. Mind you they'd have to be pretty good to find it but I was just wondering if there is a way they can find stuff that was on the computer before it was reformatted.

Thanks in Advance. 

Mark

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1086546.html

Date: 07/06/07     Keywords: web

before i re-installed xp i had this program that created Photobucket as one of the web folders, so i could batch-upload with one click of a mouse to a basic account.

it worked through XP Web Publishing wizard... as in "Publish selected items to web"

i can't find it now, anyone knows whatimtalkingabout? thanks

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1086355.html

Date: 07/03/07     Keywords: no keywords

Avoid CA BrightStor Arcserve at all costs.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1086157.html

Date: 07/01/07     Keywords: no keywords

i'm looking to buy a new video card but i don't want to spend a ton of money. i would like to be able to play games like half life 2 and kotor on let's say medium settings. what would be a video card that would allow me to do this (let's say both ati and nvidia equivalents)? i'm probably also going to purchase 2gb of ram (that will bring my system up to 2.5gb). if it wasn't going to be obsolete in like a year that's also a plus too.

thanks for your help! i'm sure this is a question that you guys are sick of but i'm totally clueless.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1085706.html