Date: 12/06/06     Keywords: no keywords

Hey guys, have you ever gotten UPS or FedEx packages lost or stolen?

I had my dad wait at my house for a delivery, and later he found it stuck under the front door carpet, and stepped on a few times.

I dunno... maybe somebody thought it was something good to steal, found out it was a piece of basically worthless CD (Windoze Ex Pee), got mad, stepped on it a few times and stuck it under the rug (literally)... who knows. I don't care really. Just don't do anything to the other stuff that's on the way and I'd be happy.

Those of you who live by yourselves, do you just sign up for pickup at UPS/FedEx/USPS offices? Those package delivery fools usually just toss stuff onto the front porch and leave.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1007266.html

Date: 12/05/06     Keywords: php, html

Found this link while doing research. Even a casual user not caring about doing fancy things to their machines can find use in this article:

http://www.3dcgi.com/performance/performance.htm

Using the technique described you should be able to find out whether your cpu is limiting your graphics card, or the other way around.

Note: This is an old article so while the technique is still valid, the numbers are outdated. Baseline Windows XP nowadays is pretty much 1GB of RAM (2GB for optimal high-end gaming), with 2GB for Vista, even more for gaming under Vista.

2GB of RAM: Do We Really Need That Much?
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/2gb-ram.html

It's official: Vista Gamers will need 2GB of RAM
http://forevergeek.com/windows/its_official_vista_gamers_will_need_2gb_of_ram.php

I saw a table somewhere (I can't find the link again) where the most memory intensive application (the game "FEAR") takes up 2.5GB for optimal performance under XP Pro. That is the most extreme scenerio. However, Windows 32-bit has a memory limitation which would not utilize 4GB if installed, but only a bit under 3GB. So the maximum practical amount of RAM to install for 32bit versions of Windows is 3GB, not 4 (I have always wondered why my old HP workstation has an odd 3GB hard install limit on the memory banks and not an even number like 4- now I think I understand). This is how to install DDR for 3GB:

2x1GB in the pair of slots that you usually install when you only install 2 sticks (the slots should be color coded for the DDR motherboards, look at your motherboard's manual)
2x512MB in the remaining two slots

As for the infamous game "Oblivion", it is not as memory intensive (i.e. you'd "only" need 2GB instead of 2.5)- it largely depends on the graphics card.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1006687.html

Date: 12/05/06     Keywords: no keywords

Some instructions from this Foxconn review gives a general idea of how overclocking a mainboard works:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2012&page=5

Note that you would need to get a motherboard that allows adjustment of both bus as well as memory speeds.

The memory used would still be PC2-6400, but when overclocking, they are clocked down on the memory setting and then clocked back up on the bus setting to avoid getting the speed stuck on the way up. Clever, huhn?

Beginners Guides: Overclocking the CPU, Motherboard and Memory
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1804

Beginners Guides: Overclocking the Videocard
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1803

Because of the heat throttling on the newer graphics cards making things less dangerous to deal with, you just have to worry about keeping those things cool. Not having it cool just means you won't get any results if it doesn't work, and shortening its life if it does.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1006454.html

Date: 12/02/06     Keywords: html, asp, jsp, google

I got suckered into building a C2D system by my employer's discount program. I did my research- maybe someone else could also put it to good use.

This is for a Core 2 Duo E6300-based gaming system that is designed to be moderately overclocked, with good options for future upgrades.

First, the two reasons that I even needed the system:

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (there was a deal for $20 on amazon a few days back.)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000G6XH1W

Acer AL2016w 20" 1680 x 1050 widescreen LCD monitor $248.37@Burgess
https://www.burgesscomputers.com/display.aspx?PartNumber=ET.L640C.005

Oblivion + large-ish monitor = must get a fast system or else

intel_core

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1005890.html

Date: 12/01/06     Keywords: software

Can anyone recommend me a good, free, dvd playing software besides VLC?

Got a dvd with too much menus for VLC to handle :/ WMP does it just fine, but I refuse to use that piece of crap ;)

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1005797.html

Date: 12/01/06     Keywords: no keywords

I don't use an ethernet connection (the card is in there, but I use it as a dust collector), but the program I'm installing insists that I give it my ethernet address. Is there a quick and easy way to find out what the address assigned to my computer is?

And also a good way to stop feeling retarded because I couldn't just figure it out on my own?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1005369.html

Date: 11/29/06     Keywords: html

Anyone have an idea what the performance delta is between these two chips?


Willamette 1.8GHz, 400MHz FSB, 256k cache

Northwood 2.6GHz, 400MHz FSB, 512k cache

?

Both used with same PC133 SDRAM (many Willamette benchmarks came from RDRAM and not SDRAM)




The only hint I have is this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/12/21/the_mother_of_all_cpu_charts_part_2/page16.html

I tried to find other reviews from 2002-2003 but not much luck. I'm thinking that since most AthlonXPs also use the same PC133 SDRAM, its numbers should be close enough for practical purposes.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1005062.html

Date: 11/28/06     Keywords: no keywords

Is everyone aware of this community?

http://community.livejournal.com/it_admin/

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1004888.html

Date: 11/28/06     Keywords: no keywords

So, my boyfriend and I just got a new computer, and he put his server drive (where he keeps all his stuff, of course) in the new computer. After it was put in the new computer (it's an internal drive), it was working fine. He tried to change the drive letter, and after he restarted the computer, he can no longer open it. He has tried changing the drive letter back, and he put it in my computer. Neither worked. Is there something we can do to get all the stuff back, or is it simply lost?

Thanks for any and all help (unless you say he should have backed the stuff up. Then I shall have to stick my tongue out at you. :) )

cross-posted to ubergeeks

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1004734.html

Date: 11/27/06     Keywords: no keywords

i formatted about a month ago and now windows doesn't seem to recognize my second hard drive.

it's connected properly and i've tried disconnecting and reconnecting it to no avail.

is there anything i can do? anything i've forgotten?

thank you in advance!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1003949.html

Date: 11/22/06     Keywords: ebay

Some people who bid on eBay are deranged.

I just saw someone jacked the price of an old and used processor so high that you can buy a NEW OEM CPU of the same exact spec from a regular shop plus a better CPU cooler, for less.

What are these people on?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1002757.html

Date: 11/22/06     Keywords: no keywords

A ZDNet article I just found in GMail says that DARPA is no longer funding Sun in their bid to build a 10-petaflops supercomputer.  Big Blue and Cray are still getting funds, but Sun has been given the axe.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1002526.html

Date: 11/20/06     Keywords: software

Hi folks,

Anyone know of some software that will catalogue video files on a PC? It can catalogue other files as well, but I'm only interested in video files, primarily AVIs (yes, this is for Windows).

Ideally the software will be able to search for files and update, as well as have a catalogue that is very quick to search. Cathy is one example, but it's behaving strangely (not finding certain files), I can't seem to force it to just AVI files, and the UI is less than brilliant.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1002212.html

Date: 11/18/06     Keywords: no keywords

Hi everybody. I have a dell inspiron 8200 and the monitor just started acting weird last night. It had about an inch and a half thick horizontal white lines on the top and on the left a very FAINT inch thick white lines vertically on my screen. (if that makes sense) Last night it went completely WHITE for a while but after letting it sit overnight, it came up only with these 2 sets of white lines. Any ideas? Help much appreciated PUHLEASE. What do I do?


X-posted

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1001226.html

Date: 11/18/06     Keywords: google

Hello, I have a question I hope some of you can help me with:

Recently I took a video of my friends jamming using a SONY DSC-W50 digital camera. The video is about 6mins long, 640x320 in dimension and 138mb in size. I'd like to know if there's any program(hopefully free) that'd reduce its size so that I can upload it to Google video or Youtube?

Thank you muchly in advance! :)

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1000776.html

Date: 11/17/06     Keywords: web

Though I've bodged together a number of PCs in my time, I've never selected and built one from scratch. I've been going over components for a few days now and wanted a bit of critiquing on my choices. My goal is to build something I can upgrade over the next few years. I don't want bleeding edge because, quite franky, I don't want to spend over $2k on this little project. The ultimate goal is to build a nice little gaming/media center with upgrade potential.


First, the case. I wanted something fairly expandable and quiet, without tons of neon and windows. I think the Antec P180 fits the bill from both a style and sizing perspective - I really appreciate the clean look. To go with the case, I chose the Neo HE 500 (also from Antec) to power everything.

My biggest splurge is the video card. El Reg pointed me towards the ATI Radeon x1950 which fits nicely with what I want: quiet, 512MB, and within my price range. Bonus: It's pretty.

Onto the processor. Definitely an Athlon, and definitely dual core. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+; it's powerful, and not outrageously expensive.

Hard disk was easy. A pair of mirrored 320GB Seagate Barracuda drives will be more than enough to get me started.

For memory, Corsair Value Select Dual Channel 2048MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB), upgrading to 4GB as soon as finances permit. No link for this one as the Corsair website is useless.

Choosing a motherboard is where I really fell down. It really took me awhile to navigate my way through all the compatibilities; I also wanted something that I wouldn't have to upgrade anytime soon. Support for PCIE, Gigabit LAN, and RAID were essential. The A8R32-MVP Deluxe is my current head of the class choice; it supports the above hardware as far as I can tell, and as a bonus, if I suddenly find myself with a ton of extra cash I can buy a second videocard.

Peripherals and minor components (DVDRW, monitor, mouse, etc) aren't really worth getting into.


My biggest fear is that I'll get everything home and find out that something doesn't fit, or I've missed some vital component that I just can't live without. Additionally, I have some concerns about whether the cooling will be sufficient. Regardless, this should be a very fun project!

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1000315.html

Date: 11/13/06     Keywords: css

weird question - on a css image map, if you want the cursor to change when hovering over hotspots, what kind of code would you use [the rest of the page is crosshair - I want hotspots to turn the cursor into e-resize... from what I've found there's no way to do this without extensively changing the image - hoping for a simple solution].

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/999457.html

Date: 11/12/06     Keywords: no keywords

I am erasing DVD-RW disc that I made. It is going about 2 minutes past the "supposed" completion time. Is this normal?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/999361.html

Date: 11/11/06     Keywords: no keywords

Okay, for the past I want to say week, I've been having this problem with Trillian running on my computer. I run Trillian Pro 3.1. Since Tuesday/Wednesday, if I clicked to sign on Trillian, and Trillian loads, I would have no internet in my house. I'd check my router and the status would be 'Connecting'. I couldn't ping any sites in the command prompt. The thing is, it wouldn't do it to just my computer, all the computers in the house would lose connection to the internet.

The only way I'd get it back is if I restarted my computer and not start up Trillian.exe at all.

I've been using Trillian on this computer for two years, and this is the first time I've gotten this problem. I didn't know what the cause was, as I reinstalled it three times the other day, and still no success.

I reformatted my computer, thinking that it would take care of whatever was wrong. I installed Trillian back up yesterday and it worked perfectly. I was able to sign on, sign off, restart my computer, start Trillian back up and still have the internet throughout the house.

Today comes and I sign on Trillian and the internet is gone.

I pretty much reformatted my computer for nothing. :/ Any ideas as to what could be the problem?

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/998669.html

Date: 11/08/06     Keywords: no keywords

How can I password protect folders, but not each individual file inside said folder? (preferably a free solution)

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/998393.html