PC FAQs by KC

2011-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Q: So now that iPhone 4S is launched... what do you think?

A: I was right back in January 2011 predicting it'll be iPhone 4S, not iPhone 5.

http://pcfaqsbykc.blogspot.com/2011/01/q-what-do-you-think-will-be-in-apples.html#links

2011-09-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

Q: I have Zemanta the blog helper but lately it just disappeared. I have the Chrome plug-in installed but somehow it no longer appears. Do you have any idea what's going on?
A: Did you by any chance have the extension "Ghostery" installed? If you had enabled "bug blocking" (optional feature) it would have blocked off Zemanta, which is one of those on the default list. You can go into the list and uncheck the Zemanta line, thus allowing its "bugs" to come through, and then the blogging extension will show up.

2011-08-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

Quick Review of Machinarium, an indie adventure / puzzle game.

Machinarium is a quirky little click-adventure puzzle where you are this little robot trying to make its way across this weird landscape. Each screen features a puzzle where you need to perform multiple steps in a row to progress. The fun is figuring out what parts are available.

One example: you're trying to go through this door which opens too fast for you to go through. You search around, and found this "handle" which allow you to trigger the "release lever" by remote. You also found a control panel which lets you lower the arm which lets you jump to grab a "derailer". You used the derailer to derail the next cart, and take its wheels, and set it on the track, and you hit the remote, and voila, you got pushed by the next cart through the door.

There are 30 puzzles (30 locations) each with its own objective / puzzle. (The demo has 3 levels)

The look is VERY unique and zany / cute.

Play the online demo at http://machinarium.net/demo/

In the meanwhile, there is still a day or two left to get the Indie Bundle 3... Donate some money to a good cause, and get plenty of indie games for less than $10.

2011-07-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBaseQ: Is there a TV remote that can work with just about ANY device?

A: Logitech's Harmony remote control is the best, bar none. They have a whole slew of them, from $30 to HUNDREDS of dollars.

The simplest one, the Harmony 300, is programmable through your PC. Just get the exact make and model of the devices you want to control (the 300 controls 4 devices, usually TV, DVD, DVR, and Satellite, but you can choose which ones) Just go to MyHarmony.com, download the programmer (Firefox and IE only, sorry Chrome!) choose your devices, hit "sync", and voila, that's it.

It's the best $10 I've ever spent. You can get cheap "universal" remotes but why? This one is painless to program (just go to a PC, link the cable, and click a few buttons) and so far everything seem to work! ( a few buttons are not quite working as expected, but that's minor)

2011-06-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaQ: Any tips on how to restore a Win XP system that crashed?

A: It'll take DAYS to get things back to working, but your system should run much better... if there are no other problems. No real tips, no shortcuts.

If the hard drive still boots, but files are corrupted, save all the data you can with an external hard drive, then just reformat and reinstall Windows. You may as well upgrade to Windows 7 while you're at it.

To save the data, try this: http://www.fbackup.com/ There's an app in UBCD4WIN called Fab's Backup, but that app's pretty much un-updated (but still works). You will need a separate PC to create the UBCD4WIN though. You cannot download a pre-made one (unless you find an illegal one).

If the hard drive no longer boots, you will need to fix that first before you can even THINK about reinstalling Windows (any version).

2011-06-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Q: Why do I sometimes see on the file sharing sites or postings that a certain game (let's say, Diablo 3, as of June 2011) is already out in beta or something? I downloaded the file, but it's got a RAR password that no one seem to know.

A: You got a decoy or "bait". If you read the README file that came with the decoy, you'll see that you're requested to go to a certain website (probably porn or warez) and watch a video or something and if you watch enough of it you will find the password. In reality, there is no password. The file has nothing useful in it. Its sole purpose is to drive traffic to that website and make money for the website owner that way.

Originally this used to be a scavenger hunt, as the jokers would leave one clue after another leading you on a wild goose chase, and finally leave you with a "Ha-ha, got you!" message. It's no different than people uploading gay porn to P2P under tantalizing titles like "Natalie Portman's secret sex video!" (There is no such thing. Get over it!) Basically it's a joke at your expense.

When internet advertising came along people started doing it intentionally to drive up traffic, or worse, install a bunch of crap spyware, toolbars, and other apps that gets the distributor a small amount per install, no questions asked. So they put the stuff in bait packages and you... took the bait.

See below for one such example.

2011-06-19T21:13:00.001-07:00

Q: I messed up my fonts in my Windows Vista install. I had too many fonts installed, and I tried getting rid of them. Now my apps are completely messed up, things not displaying, and stuff like that. Any help?

A: Simplest way is install Font Frenzy, and let it "DeFrenzy" your font install.

http://www.sdsoftware.org/default.asp?id=5936

2011-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Thermal paste, Image via WikipediaQ: Can I use di-electric grease instead of thermal paste when I apply my heatsink?

A: Dear God, no! Dielectric grease is the EXACT OPPOSITE of thermal paste when it comes to heat conduction! Instead of passing heat, it actually insulates heat! Dielectric grease are used in engine compartments to insulate spark plugs and some wiring connectors!

What does thermal paste do any way? Thermal paste is a thermal-conductive compound, sometimes called thermal grease. You put a little between the heatsink, and the CPU, and let the pressure spread it out to an ever coverage, filling in any 'gaps' between the two solid surfaces, so the heat transfer from the hot CPU surface to the heatsink is optimal.

Di-electric grease does NOT conduct heat. Thus, no heat will transfer to the heatsink, and the CPU will overheat.

So don't do that, even though they look similar.

2011-06-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Q: What is spear phishing?

A: Regular "phishing" (pronounced just like "fishing") is basically spam e-mail spent indiscriminately to people hoping that some of them are dumb enough to click on the link and therefore enter their "real" information to be given away to scammers. It's spam technique combined with "fake login" technique. However, this is easily filtered. For example, if my bank account is at Chase, I will surely ignore all phishing attempts that wants me to reset my account at Wells Fargo or Citibank, as I don't have accounts there.

Spear phishing is a little different. Spear phishing is targeted at specific individuals in a specific organization and/or people in his/her social circle. It's still phishing, but this is highly targeted by gathering more information about the individual(s) in question. It is personalized phishing. In the example above, if the spear phishing wants to target the theoretical me, he will sent a fake login page in the name of Chase bank instead of banks I don't use.

If you know that the individual banks at a certain bank, and shops at a certain supermarket, you can sent fake logins to that individual request him/her to reset password at the bank website and/or supermarket website. This way, the fake logins are less likely to be ignored. It is "targeted" phishing, by taking advantage of 'social engineering'.

Spear phishing had been identified several months ago, but became popularized when Google pointed finger at China as origin of many spear phishing attacks aimed at Gmail users. China denies the allegations.

2011-05-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaQ: Should I use aftermarket toner cartridges? Or should I only use original manufacturer toner cartridges for my laser printer?

A: This is a tough question as the quality of aftermarket toner cartridges, i.e. "refills" or "remans" vary greatly from outfit to outfit. Please note, we're talking about laser printers, not ink jets. And I can only tell you what my personal experience is.

I have a Samsung all-in-one that takes a relatively small cartridge. The original Samsung carts are like $75-90 at Office Depot and such stores. The aftermarket ones are about $50 online through various vendors.

The Samsung one prints both text and pictures perfectly. There is a little banding but overall the result is acceptable.

The reman one prints text fine, but the picture printed is significantly darker and shows excessive banding.

So, if you print a lot of pictures, and care about print quality, then please use original toner carts. If you print mainly text, then it doesn't matter if you use original or reman.

Ink jets have the same concern.

2011-04-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaQ: What are BRRIP and BDRIP files?
A: BRRIP and BDRIP are basically Blu-Ray derived 720p XVID files that came from 1080p source.

Technically speaking, BRRIP came from 1080p MKV or H264 files, which came from BluRay, while BDRIP came straight from BluRay. However, they are still 720p XVID files.

If you want 1080p, get the source MKV or H264 files. BRRIP and BDRIP are better than regular encoded stuff from regular DVD, but not that much better.

To learn more: http://filesharefreak.com/2008/11/19/blu-ray-brrip-bdrip-two-new-xvid-hd-formats/

2011-04-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Old Game Review (posted in 2009)

Image via Wikipedia

(Editor's Note: Every once in a while I play a PC game, which I want to review, but could not put in my mobile game review site as it's not a mobile game, so I'll put it over here. )

Review of "Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet" (PC Game)

Women's Murder Club is a mystery series by bestselling author James Patterson about a group of women, some in law enforcement, some not, but all in San Francisco, solving a series of crimes, mostly murder, with a lot of twists and turns. Oberon Media and I-Play now let you assuming the role of Lindsay, the detective, Claire, the Medical Examiner, and Cindy, the reporter, by playing a series of minigames, mostly "find the objects", though there are also word games, puzzles, and more. It is a casual game, as the difficulty is not too high. I finished the game in a couple hours. Other than some questionable Chinese, and some oops in graphics, the game is pretty well done, but somewhat contrived and occasionally frustrating, as are all "hidden object" games.

The game starts using comic-style panels to kick things off, and to present information at the beginning of each "investigation". A person is jogging near the Marin Vista point, stopped to stretch, looked down, and saw a woman's body down below. Detective Lindsay Boxer was summoned to the scene, and the game starts.

The game has several "modes". In "travel mode", you have a map of San Francisco with important locations noted. Such locations are police station, crime scene, suspect's work location or residence, lead location, and so on. Click on the location to go there.

At most locations, upon arrival you are expected to play "find the required hidden objects", and that's the second mode. You are basically given a list and must click on the object in the scene given. Unfortunately, there is no zoom, so those with BIG monitors would probably enjoy this more than those with smaller screens. And fortunately, there is no timer, nor any sort of penalty for random clicking. However, the objects in this game can be TINY, and some are VERY well hidden indeed. And later, the description of the object gets really abstract. When the description says "umbrella", did you really expect to click on a symbol of an umbrella off side of an upside-down box? Niether did I.

Within the scene may also exist additional puzzle(s), such as "slide-the-pieces", "fit the pieces", "reassemble the torn document" (with the pieces you gathered earlier from the visible scene), "line up the chemicals based on the clues", and so on. And if there is a body, they need to be examined as well.

Lindsay, the detective, is mainly either at a crime scene finding clues and documenting bodies, at the police station doing some paperwork and ID, or at a suspect's work or residence to conduct "interviews" and getting more clues. While this may sound exciting, what you actually do is play hidden objects game at each location. If you finish, you'll get some information (and what you expect to find is spelled out just below the objects you're expected to find), and at some locations, play additional puzzles for more evidence. Feels somewhat contrived, as in "find those objects or I won't talk to you".

Claire, the medical examiner either goes to the crime scene for more clues, or goes to her lab and process evidence. The actual activity done is finding stuff within her own office, line up the chemicals to be used in order, then "test" the evidence with the chemicals for ID. The actual "test" itself has no puzzle at all. Thus the puzzle of lining up the chemicals feels very contrived.

Cindy, the reporter, either goes to certain lead locations, sits in her office at the San Francisco Chronicle and do research, or goes to the Deadline Cafe, and find more leads. Research involves doing a puzzle with the microfiche "modules". Only if you finish the puzzle can you access the computer for some cross-referencing. If you need leads, you can go to the Deadline Cafe, find more hidden objects, and play a word game. You need to win the word game to get a free cup of coffee, then someone will give you a lead. Again, contrived. Why can't I just PAY for a cup of joe?

As in all "hidden objects" games, the stuff is rather contrived, but I guess that's the problem with trying to make a GAME out of the whole thing. And I have to say, having a real author behind the story makes the story a lot more consistent and enjoyable. The plot makes sense (mostly), as you actually feel like you're with the club members solving crimes.

However, if you look beneath the surface, you'll see that the plot actually moves without you. Finding the objects to move along the plot feels very contrived. At least every puzzle you need to do has a "SOLVE" button, if you totally give up. There are also 5 hints for each "investigation" that you can use on the multiple hidden objects puzzles within each investigation. Each hint will reveal ONE piece that you haven't found.

The game also came with a novella by James Patterson, co-written with Michael Corwin, called "Fallen Flowers", which serves as an intro to the Women's Murder Club universe... A 14-yr old girl's body was found in an alley. She has fallen to her death. Was it murder? Suicide? And what does this have to do with Internet dating, dirty chat rooms, Chinatown Triad, and a very rich man in Silicon Valley? The novella is on real paper, not a PDF, and is in a nice big typeface so very readable. It also has a few chapters from James Patterson's other book in the series, "The 8th Confession" as a preview.

My secondary complaint with the game is their choice of Chinese characters, some of which are critical to the plot. Without giving too much away... The victims have all been branded with some sort of branding iron, with Chinese characters, right on the breastbone. It's as if the writer(s) found the definitions in a dictionary,without doublechecking with someone who actually speaks / reads fluent Chinese.

You see, there were FOUR victims, first has "bu-jeng", which translates to "unfaithful / sleeps around", that's fine as the game used "whore", though I would have used "jien-nu-ren" (worthless/debased woman). The second one gets "bu-liu-yee", which translates to "not careful / careless" like "oops I am sorry". The game translated it to "indiscreet", as in "nosy, gossips too much" which is not the proper use. The game should have used "duo-sih" (nosy, getting involved in things one should not). The third one got "zhuo-bee", which does mean cheated / cheater, so that's fine. The fourth got "han-jien", which the game translated as "traitor". The problem is, "han-jien" actually means "spy" or "informant / rat", not traitor. Traitor should be "pan-too" which literally means a student who had rebelled against his teacher.

A few more oops in the graphics is quite noticeable to a real Chinese. Chinese characters are often asymetrical, so if you flipped one from left to right it'd be completely wrong and some of the "lanterns" used for decoration were flipped.

There were also a couple nagging plot holes that begs explanation, but none are available in the game. I'm not going to mention them as they are major spoilers, and doesn't really add to the review.

Well, enough nitpicking. The game is sorta fun, for people who likes hidden objects (and they seem to be the low-budget "Deer Hunter" type game that's in vogue, since there are LOTS of those nowadays), and having a major author backing it up never hurts, except for those few Chinese goofs and plot holes the plot is great, though I wouldn't really pay more than $15 for this game. More like $10. It won't change your mind of such games though.

Overall rating: 6.5 out of 10

Pros: easy to pick up, hard to mess up completely

Cons: some puzzles are contrived, some minor Cultural oops and plot holes

Verdict: pretty good hidden-objects game, if you're into that sort of thing

2011-02-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Q: How about iPad 2 rumors, now that there's supposedly an Apple press event on iPad 2 on March 2, 2011 in San Francisco?

A: Mashable have a comprehensive list of iPad 2 rumors. I would assign different odds to them though.

3 models of iPad 2: I would give this only 50%. That should be only 2 models: 3G (dual CDMA/UMTS) and WiFi or WiFi only. I think next iPhone will be a "world phone", only one model to go around, and thus one iPad as well.

Why iPhone 4 CDMA and not iPad 2 CDMA? Because one less SKU you have to stock means easier to manage the supply and manufacturing. iPhone 4 CDMA is a rush job that both address the antenna-gate problem AND get Verizon on the map. They can't wait for iPhone "5". It's a temporary product.

Any other iPad 2 rumors? Hmmm...

HOME BUTTON ON THE SIDE: Possible, yes, and perhaps even NO home button altogether. That would certainly make the look ever CLEANER, almost edge to edge display. 50% possibility.

BETTER SPEAKERS: Very possible. There's supposedly an Apple patent that puts small speakers in each corner of the device, thus giving you a proper stereo based on device orientation. 75% possibility.

What other interesting iPad 2 rumors have you heard?

2011-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

Q: Do you know of any iPhone 5 rumors?

A: There are a ton of iPhone 5 rumors. Here are a few interesting ones.

Bigger screen: virtually certain

iPhone 4 has a relatively small screen, at 3.5 inch diagonal. Many Android phones have larger screens, up to 4.3 inch diagonal. The Dell Streak 5, in fact, has a 5 inch screen, though that is technically a small tablet. It is believed that Apple will go up to 4 inch screen, but keep the pixel density of the "Retina Display".

Better camera: virtually certain

iPhone 4's camera is only 5 MP, and 720p video. Android phones already have 8MP cameras. It will not surprise me if the next iPhone go up to 1080p video and at least match 8MP camera, if not leapfrog that to 10 or 12MP camera. They may even upgrade the front-camera to SVGA.

Dual Core CPU: virtually certain

Everybody in Android world is already going dual core. Will Apple leapfrog them and go quad core? Unlikely as battery life is still a concern. Dual core is still quite good.

Physical Keyboard: you must be kidding

There's a rumor out of Taiwan that iPhone may get a physical keyboard. It must be a joke, as it's completely against Apple's UI design. Not that long ago, there's a report that Apple is trying to remove ALL the buttons from iPad and iPhone, and use multi-finger (more than two) gestures. Why would they then give you a physical keyboard on an iPhone? If they do, it'd be an optional accessory, not a part of the phone.

Remember, Apple's trend is smaller, slimmer, lighter. Adding a physical keyboard is completely against that ethos.

Smaller version of iPhone: unlikely

There are a lot of rumors about an "iPhone Nano", a smaller and more affordable iPhone. Different news have different ideas. However, it makes no sense.

Apple products are for the elite and trickle down as a status symbol. It was always held as a PREMIUM product. It's like the Mercedes or BMW of the mobile phone world. Why would they go DOWN in status and start making low-end phones? That would be like BMW starting making subcompacts (that's why BMW's subcompact, the Mini, is a separate brand altogether).

What other interesting "next iPhone" rumors have you heard?

2011-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaQ: What can you tell me about 3G, UMTS, W-CDMA, HSPA, GSM, CDMA, LTE, and all that?

A: Oh, boy, that's a long story.

First, 3G is a generic term used by marketing. ITU, the standards body, calls it IMT-2000. That is the FORMAL definition of "3G".

Within IMT-2000 there are 2 "families", 3GPP, and 3GPP2. 3GPP means "3rd Generation Partnership Project". The two families are working on different but competing standards.

Within the 3GPP camp, the overall term is UMTS, or "Universal Mobile Telecommunication System" but it is sometimes called 3GSM, as it is derived from GSM (a 2G standard). However UMTS is the official term used by 3GPP to describe the RADIO technology. The overall tech scheme is W-CDMA, or wideband code division multiple access. It is a way to push multiple pieces of data simultaneously over multiple frequencies (sometimes called "spread spectrum").

Within UMTS, there are various technologies and "releases" introduced over time to improve the standard. HSPA, or High Speed Packet Access. Within HSPA, there are two versions, Uplink, and Downlink. So you get HSPUA and HSPDA. Later revision updated that to HSPA+, and even within HSPA+ there are 3 versions, 14, 21, and 42 (refering to downlink speeds).

Within the 3GPP2 family, there is CDMA2000 and its variations / releases, which would be 1xRT, EV-DO (and its variations), and later, SV-DO.

Any way, onto 4G. ITU approved the next generation, 4G, standard as IMT-Advanced.

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a 3GPP standard trying to push beyond their UMTS (3G technology) by adopting some newer technology to make it "4G". It is not fully compliant with IMT-Advanced. LTE-Advanced, the next version, will be fully compliant.

WiMAX is a completely different technology. It stands for "Worldwide International standard for Microwave Access", and is based on Microwave transceivers. It can be used as broadband access in a cellphone. It is not fully compliant with IMT-Advanced as well, but next version should be.

Recently ITU gave in to phone carriers and relaxed the definition of "4G", allowing even 3G-derived technology such as HSPA+ to be called "4G" as long as it delivers significant speed increase over normal 3G data transmission rates.

Hope that clears things up somewhat.

2011-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Q: What do you think will be in Apple's iPad 2 and iPhone 5?
A: Here's my predictions:

iPad 2 -- just a SD slot and dual-system CDMA/GSM 3G modem built-in. Maybe a dual-core CPU

iPhone "5" -- I think it's going to be 4S, not 5. It'll be dual system CDMA/GSM, and dual-core CPU. LTE will be for 2012 model. THAT will be iPhone 5.

To be honest, I cribbed half of the info from engadget.

2011-01-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Image via CrunchBaseQ: Now that Verizon has the iPhone 4, what do you think Sprint and T-Mobile's upcoming announcements in February 2011 would be about?

A: The Sprint announcement will likely be the first Windows Phone 7 for Sprint 4G

And the T-Mobile announcement will likely be about their Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant 4G, which is actually capable of reaching HSPA+21 (the G2 and the MyTouch 4G are actually just HSPA+14 devices, twice as fast as regular HSPA 7 Mbps)

Why neither will have the iPhone? Because if they did, they'd be sharing the stage with Verizon.

Why Sprint and Windows Phone 7? Because so far WP7 devices are ONLY available on AT&T and T-Mobile (even the Dell Revue). Verizon don't need WP7 device since it is getting the iPhone 4. So it must be Sprint.

Why T-Mobile and their 4G? Because they need to announce something that'll lead the market, and HSPA+21 device will beat just about everything else on the market.

UPDATE: Turns out Sprint's event is for the Kyocera split-screen Android phone. Hmmm... And it's not even 4G!

Dkf

2011-01-10T23:08:00.001-08:00

Q: Can you recommend a good password manager?

A: I like Keepass which is free, can automatically fill forms, and if you have Android phone you can use same data file on KeePassDroid

2010-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a summary of my Android App Reviews and Tips for 2010 folks. Enjoy.

Android App Reviews

32 different free Home Launcher Replacement Apps compared

Over a dozen different free browser replacements for Android compared

155 different free live wallpapers reviewed and compared

11 different free camera apps reviewed and compared

5 AVI players for Android compared

Juice Defender and similar battery saver apps compared

Android Wallpaper Utilities Compared

Over 20 Android Soft keyboards compared

Android Ringtone utilities compared

Android Games

Android Air Traffic Control Games Compared

Android Tower Defense Type Games Sampled

Android Tilt Sensor Games Sampled: Abduction, Graviturn, Labyrinth, My Paper Airplane, Raging Thunder/Wave Blazer
Tilt left/right, Tilt full 2D, Tilt 2D for full movement in 3D space

Android 3D Games Sampled: Tank Recon 3D, Asphalt 5, Winds of Steel, Steel Forge
Tanks, hovercrafts, cars, or planes

Game Reviews 1: Space Trader, Chinese Chess, Bubble Defense, Astro Commander (missile defense)

Game Reviews 2: Tank Warrior, Radio Ball 3D, Flick Defense, NetHack (for Android)

Game Reviews 3: Droplets 2, Crossfire, Guns n' Glory, Starfighter

Game Reviews 4: Panzer Panic, Pokanoid (Poke and Arkanoid?!), Fruit Pirate, Pacific Wings (i.e. 1942)

Steambirds Strategy Guide

Android Tips and Knowledge

Eight Things to Try on an Android Phone

Cupcake, Donut... What are all those codenames any way?

7 Weirdest Android Phones of 2010

Myth of Exploding Droid 2 has been busted

Android App Starter Kit

How to Make Your Slow Android Phone Fast Again

More interesting apps for Android

Other Cell Phone Info

When 4G is not really 4G: LTE and 4G explained

Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7 microSD card issues FAQ

Why You Can't Use iPhone on Verizon's network

Older reviews (needs update)

Android Task Switchers / Alternative Launchers compared

GPS Speedometers and loggers compared for android

Android OS Task Killers: only useful on older phones

Any way, Happy New Year!

2009-12-20T02:11:00.000-08:00

Image by lol.ikea via Flickr

Q: I know you can watch shows from your PC to the TV with PlayOn TV. But what if I wanted to watch what is on my TV on my PC and stream it live over internet?

A: You need something like Slingbox. It will stream your TV signals to the Internet. Alternatively, you can buy a TV tuner card, and invest in a home streaming solution.

2009-12-20T00:47:00.000-08:00

Q: Do you know why VLC Media Player is not playing the audio in my WMV files?

A: You are using V1.02 or earlier, which are known to have some problems with WMA Pro audio. This is fixed in V1.03 (and later). Download the update from videolan.org

2009-09-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Q: Is it possible to fax something to an e-mail account?
A: No. It is not possible. This myth got started when some e-mail accounts allow you to pay for an additional fax receive number or voicemail receive number where the incoming message or fax are included as an "attachment" and accessible via your e-mail inbox. It is something known as "universal inbox". However, it is NOT a widespread feature. The e-mail provider must explicitly provide this feature, and the number cost extra.

2009-09-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Q: Is it possible for a function in a programming language to return multiple values?
A: No. By definition, a "function" in a programming language returns only ONE value. You can "fudge" it by combining the separate values into a "composite" value, such as an array, or a struct/custom type, or such, but it really is returning a single value. You will have to de-couple the values outside the function.

2009-08-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Q: What are the relations among DPI, pixels, and print-size?
A: A complicated questions, and a LOT of misunderstanding. However, here's something that should clear it up:

DPI = dots per inch

Pixels are just that, pixels (concatenation of "picture elements"). Basically, a pixel is a 2-dimensional dot.

Pixels (or dots) multiplied by DPI (dots per inch) = length (in inches)

1200 pixels x 300 dots / inch = 4 inches

1200 pixels x 72 dots / inch = 16.67 inches

A picture has a particular resolution (i.e. X by Y dots). A specific output device has its own DPI. The best output is achieved when the calculated DPI (based on the picture's resolution, and desired print size), matches the output device's DPI. If the calculated DPI is LESS than the device's DPI, then the device will have to scale up the picture, which would make the image blurry (you zoomed in and saw too much detial). If the calculated DPI is LARGER than the device's DPI, then the picture is SHRUNK to the device's DPI (like zooming out, and not see the details).

For example, you CAN make a 1024x768 (0.8 megapixels) print on 16" by 12", but the picture at that physical size is a mere 72 dpi (calculated, 1024 dots / 16 inches = 72 DPI), but the output device is VASTLY superior to that (300, 600, even 1200 dpi), so the output will look VERY blurry.

Whereas if you print the same picture on a 3" x 2", the DPI you calculate backwards, is 1024 / 3 = 340 DPI, which is superior to 300 DPI, so the picture will be clear, but isn't as large as it COULD be without sacrificing details.

Best output is when you get EXACTLY 300 DPI, so 1024 / 300 = 3.413 inches. You can do the match for the Y dimension. Now the picture is as large as it can, without any zooming or scaling of pixels.

2009-08-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBase

Q: Is there a way to use Outlook with webmail, such as Mail.com?
A: Two ways

1) Pay for their "premium" service. Once you do, they'll give you the SMTP and POP3 addresses to their server, and your special login.

2) Use a POP3 emulator such as Freepops. You'll need to consult their homepage on configuration. I've used it and it DOES work, and often updated. Freepops is free, as the name suggests.

2009-07-30T23:09:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Q: What is the difference between CD+R and CD-R?
A: There is no such thing as CD+R. CD-R is CD-Recordable, which means you can write ONCE to it.

DVD recordable have two standards: DVD-R and DVD+R, but there are really no practical difference between them to the consumer, and most if not all drives will read/write both with no practical difference.

So again, there is no such thing as CD+R. Someone was very confused and assumed that since DVD recordable have two versions: +R and -R, CD recordable must have two versions as well. That is simply not true.

There is something called CD+G, but that's basically some graphics recorded on audio CDs (G = Graphics), and playable on some special screen-equipped audio-CD players.

2009-06-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Q: I plan to buy a solid state drive (SSD), which is basically flash memory packed into a hard drive case and accessed like a hard drive (through SATA, IDE, whatever). I have heard that it is bad to defrag a SSD. Is that true, and why is that so?

A: The "random access time" of an SSD is so fast that "defrag" it is pointless.

On a regular HD, the head have to move from track to track. On an SSD it's instantaneous (well, just about). Thus, defrag is pointless. If there is no appreciable "gap" between blocks of data, then defrag is not necessary. After all the idea of defrag is to move the data so it can be read as a contiguous segment as possible, so the read head doesn't have to jump around to get the data.

Also, on flash memory, each cell can only be read and written X number of times. (that X is actually in the millions) In order to improve reliability, flash drives (and SSDs) have what's called "load levellers" that purposefully SPREAD OUT the data so each cell is used equally as much as possible. This actually fragments the data. However, such is NOT a concern on SSD, as stated before.

Thus, if you defrag an SSD, not only you will NOT see any gains, you will actually defeat the load levelling feature, increasing those frequently used cell's chance of failure, and thus, decrease reliability of the entire drive. Of course, you may be shaving off only fraction of a percent in reliability, but why borrow trouble?

2009-06-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Q: Is it possible to run 64-bit OS, such as Vista 64-bit, on a 32-bit CPU? I don't care how slowly it runs, if it runs at all.

A: No, it would not be possible. 64-bit OS would issue 64-bit commands to the CPU, and 32-bit CPU would not understand those commands at all, and will crash (for the geeks, it would be "invalid opcode" error).

I suppose you *could* write a virtual machine that emulates a 64-bit CPU, and run the OS within that, but then you have to intercept very single call an OS can make... pass-thru if necessary... Why? When 64-bit CPUs are readily available?

2009-06-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there such thing as an external video card? So I can get better video for my laptop / notebook? Something that I can play a DECENT game with? The built-in Intel GMA is pure ****, if you know what I mean.

A: Brother, I share your pain. I have a Sony VAIO laptop that has the Intel 965 and no decent action game will run on it. However, there are no such thing on the market.

A prototype was demonstrated in Taiwan last year, and two companies have announced products. However, neither have reached market a year later. Looks like it's pretty dead.

I can see why too. The device itself will cost like $200, NOT COUNTING cost of the video card that you plan to use. And even then, the ExpressPort's bandwidth does not come CLOSE to PCI-E x 16 port that the video card really needs. So the video card will really be running at half-speed or worse. They'd be better off designing ExpressPort video card instead, if there aren't so many variants on the market...

2009-06-20T22:45:00.001-07:00

Q: I used _________ to convert some AVI files to a Video DVD format folder. However, I was browsing it when I noticed that while the VIDEO_TS folder has a whole bunch of files, AUDIO_TS folder is empty! Does that mean the conversion failed?

A: No. Video DVD does NOT require the existence of the AUDIO_TS folder. The VOB files in VIDEO_TS folder contains video, audio, AND subtitle data (if any), even multiple sound tracks. Some conversion programs like to put that folder there, just for completeness' sake. Don't worry about it.

2009-06-20T22:42:00.001-07:00

Q: What is a .LIT file? It seems to be an e-book but I don't know how to open it.

A: It's Microsoft Reader. You can download it free at http://www.microsoft.com/Reader/

2009-04-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Q: What do I do if I want to launch a group of screensavers randomly, like the way I randomize wallpaper?
A: For XP, I used to recommend ScreenSaver Druid, but that one has a relatively odd interface. I tried Random ScreenSaver Starter, but it crashes on Vista. So I recommend the free ScreenSaver Commander. It works perfectly in Vista, and you can activate / deactivate individual screensavers, order them in a list or go at random, with no problems, at all. Its only problem is that it doesn't read the Screensaver names properly. For example, the Screentime "Sunset 23" is read as "ScreenTime Screensaver Engine". However, it also shows the filename, which will tell you which screensaver that was.

Q: How about a wallpaper randomizer as well?
A: I use John's Background Switcher. It can download RSS feeds (example: flicker top 100), filter those feeds (Flickr Top 250 that had to do with cars), as well as play pictures from a directory, and more. It can even add a calendar and other features. And it is absolutely free. Obviously, to download you need to be online.
A second option is Wallpaper from MSN, which not only gives you some of the best licensed wallpaper from major movies (some examples are Slumdog Millionaire, Yes Man, Notorious, Hancock), but also major games (Prince of Persia, PGR4, LEGO Batman) and your regular landscapes, closeups, nature, and so on. What's more, you can edit those by adding additional characters and dialog bubbles/boxes. It will also do "slideshow" if you want it to.

2009-02-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Q: Now that Microsoft has opened up POP3 access to Hotmail, how can I integrate that with POPfile? Without Popfile the mail gets through, but I can't make Popfile work with the mail client at all.
A: What you need to realize here is POPfile itself is a POP3 proxy. What you want is

(Your Mail Client) --regular POP3--> (PopFile) --SSL POP3--> (HotMail POP3)

However, POPfile itself must be configured to be able to do SSL. So go to add/remove programs, pick POPfile, "change" the install, then pick the SSL option. It'll go download the SSL component. You'll need to restart Popfile.

Say if your mail client is Outlook Express, then under the Properties of that connection, in the servers tab, incoming is "localhost" (or 127.0.0.1, same thing), outgoing is "smtp.live.com" as they specified. The trick is in the account name. Now that you need to use SSL, the stuff here would be "pop3.live.com:yourname@hotmail.com:ssl" (without quotes, of course). Note the ":ssl" at the end. The program knows to use port 995 for SSL automatically.

With these settings, your POPfile should now work with the new Hotmail POP3 access.

2009-01-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaQ: My Adobe Reader seems to be getting slower and slower. Can I make it run faster somehow?
A: As Adobe Acrobat Reader gotten older, it lost the word "Acrobat", and it's gotten much bigger and slower as Adobe kept adding stuff into it. If you want a snappy program, you have two choices: slim down the Adobe Reader, or adopt the alternative Foxit Reader.

You can download and run PDF Speedup (scroll down to it), which removes a lot of the plugins in Adobe Reader 9 that nobody uses and slows things down. However, it will also remove the auto-update, among other features.

Or you can download the alternative Foxit reader which is lighter and doesn't have that much "bloat". However, it's not the official reader. It's up to you.

2008-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Q: What's the simplest way to make my computer at home accessible to a computer elsewhere (with password protection and all that) like my work PC or my laptop?

A: Simplest way is with LogMeIn free. You just need to register and install the appropriate extensions/plug-ins on the home PC. Then on any remote PC, go to logmein.com, login to your account, and you'll see the computer ready to be controlled. You can initiate full remote control, ~~or just file transfer session (i.e. grab a file you left at home)~~.

Correction: apparently the FREE version only lets you remote control, NOT file transfer. The "Pro" version, which you do get a 15-day trial, lets you do both, but costs money.

A truly free alternative is Team Viewer, which is free for personal use. Install it at home, and it'll generate a self-ID and a password. The other computer also installs Team Viewer. I'm using it to control my home PC now, and transfer files. It works great.

Using TagScanner to fix up CD rips with no title /album /artist information

2008-11-18T00:48:00.001-08:00

TagScanner is an incredible useful program for fixing up MP3 information, including title, album, and artist, among other items. What's even better, it can even build up information from a bad CD rip, like when you ripped a CD with no Internet connection, so you got "unknown album" "no title" "unknown artist", and so on. Let me show you how to do that.

Prerequisite: you will need to download and install TagScanner first, of course. As of this writing, the latest version is 5.0.525

This is TagScanner's main screen.

We need to fix up the tags first, so go into Tag Processor by clicking on the TAG Processor tab.

Select the directory that contains the badly ripped album with the bottom dialog. Click on the folder icon to browse, then select the right-arrow to read the directory. If that is your main music directory, hit the + button so the path will be saved in the drop-down.

Now select the ENTIRE album with the bad rip in the left half. In this sample screen,that'd be the bottom one. Though yours will likely have more songs init, like 8-12 songs. Make sure the upper right corner, "disc" is set to2, which means the track number is 2 digits (09 instead of just 9).

Select the choice on the right side to look up the entire album via FreeDB or TrackType.org

Once you got the disc ID, the album, artist, and song titles should be populated automatically.

Now go to "Music Renamer" tab. Then on the right select a filename "mask" (or format). I usually use %track% %artist% - %title% for the actual files, and use %artist% - %album% for the subdirectory.

Now hit "Preview..." in lower right to test the action. if you are satisfied, hit "rename" to commit the changes. Else, play with the tags on individual files to correct any typos.

If you don't like the format of the filename, edit your own in the mask patterns. Remember to "save it" if you want to recall them later (usually to reuse, or re-edit).

2008-11-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

When in doubt, "reset the BIOS"!

This is from personal experience.

I have a Sony VAIO laptop I've been using for about a month. It was quite reliable... Until one night. I closed the cover and put it in my bag. About an hour later I took it back out... It resumed... To a blue screen of death. Then it rebooted, and after that the trackpad no longer works. Device manager says it's not working. Deleted the device, and it's as if that device no longer exists... can't be detected any more. However, reboot, and it's there again. :P

I tried all sorts of things... Reloaded drivers (from the Sony "Download Taxi" support site, and the onboard recovery partition), deleted and uninstalled the device, then added it back... to system restore a couple different restore points. Nothing worked. The only thing I did NOT do is reset the BIOS.

What do I mean by reset the BIOS? On this model of Sony VAIO, you hit F2 a couple times as you boot up, and you'll get into the BIOS setup screen. Even though there's nothing here to set except boot order and date/time, do a "load default values" and "save and exit" may just cure your ills.

It did with mine, but I had to call two different Sony techs to get that solution. Doh! After that BIOS reset the trackpad is working again.

So... before you call in the big guns, try resetting the BIOS. It may save you a tech support call.

2008-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Q: I am using Windows Vista, and somehow my battery meter (in the tray/notification area) that indicates battery/AC, and let me switch power schemes, is GONE! How do you turn it back on?

A: Usually, you just turn it back on by right-click the taskbar, go into Properties, and in the "notification" tab, you make sure the "power" choice is checked.

However, in some cases, that is grayed out. Usually, that means something had disabled it. Try the following steps (warning: this involves messing with the registry!)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945011

On the other hand, I've found an excellent alternative app that shows much more info about your battery, power, and system info. It's called BattStat

2008-11-10T01:58:00.001-08:00

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeQ: I use Norton Utilities. I found that there are a lot of weird files in my C:\RECYCLER\NPROTECT\, filenames that ends with a period, which are "illegal" in Windows, but they are there, and they are taking up several GIGABYTES of space. I tried emptying Norton Recycler Bin but that doesn't work. What do I do now?

A: A proven fix is a program called "DelInvFile". This program deletes file by going through UNC, so no files can hide from it. You can wipe out the entire NPROTECT subdirectory. Norton will simply recreate it. It'll take several minutes to wipe out all those small files, but in the end you'll get all those gigabytes back. Don't worry about "evaluation period" and all that.

2008-10-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Q: I have an older PC with XP SP3, and a newer laptop with Vista Home Premium. They are both hooked up to the same router, but they won't see each other. According to instructions, the Vista PC should be able to see the XP PC on the "network map" once the WiFi connection is linked. But I see nothing. What do I do?
A: This can get pretty complicated. Usually, it's because the LLDP (Linked Layer Discovery Protocol) is not loaded on the XP machine. You'll need to consult Microsoft Knowledgebase KB922120. However, when you try to install it, it won't install, claiming your SP3 is newer than its files (which is wrong, actually). You'll need to extract the files by using another KB, namely KB828030 to get the files out. You should find a subdir called SP2QFE, and you should see 4 files:

rspndr.adm
rspndr.exe
rspndr.sys
rspndr.inf

You don't need the first one.

The .exe goes into C:\Windows\System32
The .sys goes into C:\Windows\System32\Drivers
The .inf goes into C:\Windows\Inf (note: it is usually hidden)

Once you got all that, open a command prompt to C:\Windows\system32
then type (without the quotes) "rspndr.exe -i"

And after a few seconds, you should see it installed. If you got an error, you probably forgot to copy the .inf file into the right location.

After this, reboot, and the Vista machine should be able to see the XP machine on the network map.

2008-09-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Q: I have a music video. However, I just want the audio / song. What do I do?
A: Run it through a music extractor, such as this one.

2008-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Q: How do I get DirectX10? My video card supports it and I want to use it.
A: It is ONLY available in Windows Vista. You'll need to upgrade to Vista if you want to use DX10.

2008-08-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

Q: I have a lot of games installed, but I've lost the original manual/envelope so I lost the install key. Is there a way to get the install key back from the installed copy on the hard drive?

A: Maybe, you can try Game Key Revealer, which supposedly works on over 500 games for the PC (sorry, not available for the Mac yet).

2008-06-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

Q: I don't have one of those multimedia keyboards with volume control, or those media control mice. I still want to control my volume in a hurry, preferably with my mouse. Any suggestions?
A: Try VolumeTouch, a freebie app. It installs as a tray app. Once installed, hold Ctrl-Shift, then use your mouse scroll wheels (or vertical / horizontal position if you don't have a scroll wheel) to adjust volume.

2008-06-03T15:54:00.001-07:00

Q:Do you know where I can get apps that will run straight off a USB flash drive without installation?
A: Best index of such apps is at http://portableapps.com , including OpenOffice Writer, CoolPlayer+, and many more.

2008-05-31T18:55:00.001-07:00

Q: Can you recommend a program to record my screen or my webcam?
A: Thanks to AppScout, I now recommend Debut

2008-05-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Q: The built-in defrag is taking forever. Are there something better / more sophisticated?
A: I used to like Diskeeper Lite and UltraDefrag. Diskeeper Lite is too limiting as it will only do one volume at a time, and at times you need to repeat the defrag a few times, and you can't do it in the lite version except manually. UltraDefrag doesn't have many options.

I was just introduced to UltimateDefrag, and I prefer this one to the others.

2008-01-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Q: How do I split a large file so I can burn each piece to a media (CD or DVD), and reassemble them later?
A: PKZIP/WinZIP/WinRAR/7-Zip and any of those archiving programs should be able to generate "spanning" files of appropriate sizes.

If you don't want to use compression, use HJSplit at (http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit/)

2008-01-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Q: Can static electricity cause damage to CD-Rs or DVD-Rs and variants? What about CD-ROMs and DVDs?
A: CDs and DVDs rely on chemical process (laser burning for recordable media, and phase change for rewritable media) to record the information. Thus, static electricity cannot affect them.

2007-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there a new mainboard that supports both PCI-E and AGP8X, but still the new features like DDR2 and such?
A: I originally thought no, but then I was pointed to this board. I have no idea about availability though, or its ratings, if any. At least they do exist!

2007-09-03T00:23:00.000-07:00

Q: I have a Linksys router and I saved the config.bin backup file. Now that I forgot the password to the router, is there a way to see what the password is from the file?
A: Yes, you'll need to browse the file (i.e. read it directly) in text mode and go down to about 45% mark. It's about a line or two after the word "admin".

2007-07-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Q: I have a mainboard with ALI PCI IDE controller. I was told that driver was out of date, but I can't find the replacement update. ALI's website in Taiwan lists nothing. Help?
A: ALi actually turned into ULi Electronics. The Original ALi (which was Acer Lab Inc) is a purely research and development unit now. And NVIDIA just acquired ULi so that NVIDIA now actually have chip building facilities. For now, all ALI and ULI stuff can be downloaded at http://www.uli.com.tw/eng/support/drivers.php

The catch is they are listed by southbridge model number, NOT the individual drivers. You'll need to do a search on Google or such to locate your southbridge model of your specific mainboard, then you can find the proper driver.

What's better, NVIDIA also hosts the same files ftp://download.nvidia.com/ULi/ULI_filename

where filename is the filename on the ULI server.

Bugmenot.com - login with these free web passwords to bypass compulsory registration

2007-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Q: In order to read some websites I have to register. Is there any way to bypass that? I really don't want to give away my e-mail address due to spam issues, and it's too much hassle to get additional e-mail addresses and remember to check and purge them.
A:Try Bugmenot.com. They maintain a list of web account and passwords to bypass compulsory registration, so you don't have to give out your information. If you use Firefox browser they even have an extension that will download the account and password for you.

Q: What if the website I want is not listed by BugMeNot?
A: Go ahead and register, but use the e-mail proxy from http://email.bugmenot.com. Basically, you make up an address, like JohnDoe, or just a random bunch of letters like dyfujehfq. Add @bugmenot.com to that, and that's your proxy e-mail address. For example, if you picked dyfujehgq, then your proxy address is dyfujehgq@bugmenot.com. Register using that address. The verification e-mail will be sent there. Then go to http://e-mail.bugmenot.com, enter your address dyfujehgq, and you'll see your verification e-mail there. Do it quickly, it'll be wiped in 24 hours. After that, any spam the site sends goes into a blackhole and is lost forever!

2007-06-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

Q: I have several screensavers that I like. Is there something that'll rotate through them or pick one at random, and so on, like Wallpaper manager does for wallpapers?
A: Absolutely, and it's FREE! Xemico's ScreenSaver Druid is your answer.

2007-04-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Q: I got this error while starting a game... The dialog box has the title "Protection Error". The dialog box says, "A debugger has been detected: unload the debugger and try again" or something similar to this. I don't know what a debugger is! What is going on?
A: This is USUALLY caused by an version of Nero 6, which conflicts with the copy protection authentication system your game uses. If you don't have Nero 6 installed in your system, then I can't help you. Try here instead..

Basically, your game wants to protect itself from hackers and crackers, who uses tools to look into the program's inner functions. Those tools are called debuggers. However, debugger presence can be detected, and program can simply refuse to run if debugger is detected. However, detection is not 100% accurate.

In this case, Nero has a module (specifically, a DirectX video "filter") that somehow triggers this message. And since one of the first things a game does is usually display some sort of logo / animation / movie, this is triggered right away.

There are various other causes for it, such as old version of Divx 5, but those are rather rare nowadays.

You do not need to uninstall Nero, just a tiny portion of it. Follow the steps please...

1) Hit Start button, then select RUN... at the bottom. You'll get the run dialog box.
2) Type in the following EXACTLY as shown below

regsvr32 /u "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\DSFilter\NeVideo.ax

If you get back a dialog box that says essentially that it is successful, this worked, and try your game now. If you got an error message, you likely didn't type in the above exactly as is, or you don't have Nero installed as originally thought.

Try the game you have problem with, and see if it works now.

2007-03-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Q: I have one of those new mice that has the "tilt mousewheel" function (the mouse wheel can be pushed left or right). How can I map that into a game? The game doesn't see the tilt functions.
A: You need to have the respective mouse driver loaded, but have no function (or a "generic function") mapped to those two controls. Then the game should be able to see it, but it'll have to be a relatively modern game.

2007-03-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Q: I want to add wallpaper and ringtones to my new phone, but I don't want to pay $2.95 or whatever per tone. What are my options?
A: With a PC, there are three possibilities, at least with modern phones.
1) USB data cable. Most phones should have an accessory data cable available for about $10-20, which will allow you to access the phone via the PC with accompanied software. Most will also let you access the calendar, the contact list, and other stuff. It will of course, let you download wallpapers and ringtones, but you'll need to resize/convert them. The accompanied software may do that, or you can buy dedicated software that'll do so.
2) Bluetooth. Most modern phones are Bluetooth compatible, but it does more than transmit voice. with a Bluetooth adapter on the PC (plugs into USB port) your PC can access the phone as if you had an USB data cable, albeit a bit slower. (It'll also let you use the Bluetooth headset as a PC headset, but that's another story)
3) Internet/SMS message. Most modern phones can receive what's known as "multimedia message". It's called MMS by Nokia, and a PIX message by Verizon. Basically it's a SMS message that also carries an attachment, and that could be a picture or some sound. Save that into your phone, and you got a wallpaper or ringtone. There's a free service that does this called ToneThis. Download the free client and give it a spin. Beware, only specific carriers and phone models are supported.

2006-12-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

Q: How do I get the best download speed on a bittorrent client?
A: There are a variety of factors that affects a Bittorrent client's speed.

First of all, your router must support incoming connections, and be configured properly for port forwarding for the BT port ranges.

Second, make sure your firewall don't block incoming traffic. Sometimes your antivirus may also do some blocking as part of anti-worm activity. Most BT clients will tell you if it detects a problem.

Third, most upload does NOT equal more download. THere's a trade-off point on every PC, and a good client would let you configure it easily.

I recommend uTorrent (http://www.utorrent.org) as one of the more efficient BT clients around. It also has a very easily configured upload/download limiter that helps you configure the speed. Click on the status bar to bring up the "speed guide". Try xx/512 first. Try it for about 5 minutes, see what kind of speed you achieve on a popular torrent (download some movies or TV shows or whatever, ones with lots of peers and seeds). Then try a higher, then a lower setting. Eventually you'll find one that gives you the best download speed.

On my PC, I found that my best download speed is at xx/384, as I was able to get 95K download. If I set it to next step up, xx/512, I only get about 45K download. If I go lower, xx/256, I get average of about 70K.

2006-11-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

Q: Does scanning a CD or DVD on a flatbed scanner damage it in any way?

A: Absolutely not. The only side worth scanning is the label side, thus there will be no light reaching the media side. Even if you scan the media side, most scanners use "cold cathode" light which has low temperature and won't even affect paper, much less CD/DVD media.

2006-09-12T22:16:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there a boot CD I can use to diagnose/recover from common PC problems?
A: Try UBCD for Windows, a completely free tool that will let you boot and diagnose most PC problems, even recover delete files and such.

2006-07-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

Q: I have created some VIDEO_TS folders. What's the quickest way to burn them to DVD?
A: Use ImgTools via videohelp.com. If you enable the shell integration, just right-click the directory and pick "burn to DVD" and it'll take things from there. Easy as easy can be.

However, there are multiple versions. The regular version requires any version of Nero, even the demo, to be installed. However, there's like 3-4 different versions and using the wrong one can be problem.

The classic version threw in an old DLL that's probably haven't been updated in a while and may not be fully legally responsible.

2006-06-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there a free program I can use to calibrate the colors of my monitor?
A: Try Monitor Calibration Wizard, which is free. There's also Nokia Monitor Test.

2006-02-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

Q: What is S.M.A.R.T. and how does it affect my PC?
A: S.M.A.R.T. stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. It's basically a self-diagnostic for your hard drive. As it runs, a tiny CPU inside monitors certain parameters, and if they fall below a certain threshold, triggers a SMART error. With compatible BIOS and/or IDE controller, you will then see the error, which will allow you to do something about it rather than experience sudden hardware failure.

Almost all hard drives nowadays are equipped with SMART. If you want to see what kind of values your HD is putting out, download Passmark's DiskCheckup and take a look. It's free for personal use, and it's read-only.

P.S. if you do see a S.M.A.R.T. error, your hard drive is DYING. There is nothing to FIX. Save the data, and replace the hard drive.

2005-12-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

Q: What is an .MD5 file? What do you do with it?
A: MD5 is a checksum algorithm, similar to SFV that was mentioned a little while back. This one generates a much larger value and thus is more likely to be unique, but the idea is the same: go through the file, calculate a checksum, then compare it against a pre-determined value to see if the file was corrupted during transmission.

A MD5 file would contain a filename and its MD5 checksum, presumably so a program can generate its own MD5 checksum and compare against the existing result.

By itself, the .MD5 file doesn't do anything, and usually plays no role in any installation.

The program mentioned previously, hkSFV from big-o-software.com, can also generate and verify MD5 files.

2005-12-31T23:17:00.000-08:00

Q: Is there a program / file manager that allows me to search for files by time as well as date? The Windows // Find function just allow date, but not time.
A: Try FreeCommander available at http://www.freecommander.com/index_en.htm

2005-12-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Q: My 700MB CD-R's after formatting turns out to be about 650MB of capacity. Is there a way to write like 690MB to it?
A: Yes... But there's a catch.

The normal CD-R's you buy nowadays are 80 min, 700 MB standard version. You can buy extra length versions, but those are VERY hard to find, with advent of DVD burners.

The CD-R, with a bit of overhead, turns out to fit about 648 megs of data, just about. So what happens if you have a file that's like 695MB and you don't have a DVD burner, compression doesn't help, and you don't want to split the file?

The answer: Mode 2 / Form 2 burning!

There's a catch of course... CD-ROM standard includes a LOT of data checking, CRC checksums, and so on internally for error detection and correction. That's the reason for reduced capacity. If you go to Mode 2, you lose 1 of the triple redundant checks, so your data's more vulnerable to damage, scratches, and so on.

Also, the file itself will require a bit of a trick to read. You need a DirectShow filter like this one to help you read these Mode 2 CD's. But that's about the only trick.

So how DO you do it? Here's your requirements.

A CD burner and a blank CD
Mode 2 image writer
A lot of disk space (1 gig preferred, at least 750 MB for sure)
whatever media you're trying to write
Nero or any other program that burns BIN/CUE type image files to CD

The Mode 2 Image Writer is a Command-line program with a GUI component, so run the GUI to select your options and files. Make sure that the largest files (the media files) are "bolded", which means they're written in "mode 2" form (i.e. less CRC checks). When ready, assign a name and write the image (actually it writes a BIN/CUE image, not ISO image).

Now just engage the burner program, load the BIN/CUE image, and write it to the blank CD-R.

Remember, you'll need that DirectShow filter to read the Mode 2 CD's.

2005-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Q: Say there's some music video on a certain DVD that my kid really like, and I don't trust my kid to load the DVD each and every time. Can I rip just the music video onto my PC and give them a shortcut to play it each and every time?
A: Absolutely! However, this is technically illegal and a copyright violation, but we COULD argue that you're simply... exercising your right to a backup as you're not using both copies simultaneously. So, here goes.

First, insert your DVD into your PC's DVD drive.
Second, you'll need to download "DVD Decrypter". I can't give you a link, but it's easy to find if you use Google. Download it and install it.
Third, run DVD Decryptor, pick IFO mode, and read the DVD. It should give you a list of all the different "VOB" files on the DVD, which are the actual video contents. The long one is probably the movie, and the short ones are the music videos. You'll need to try a few to get the right one, or pick rip them all.
Fourth, pick the right VOBs, and extract/rip appropriate ones to your HD.

The VOBs can be played by most media players, including BSPlayer, but if you want to go one step further... Use a converter to "transcode" it such as DVDx (which will transcode from VOB to MPG) or any other tool you want, to create the ultimate result. Enjoy!

2005-11-29T23:01:00.000-08:00

Q: What are .SFV files? What is a CRC32 checksum?
A: SFV = Simple File Verification. Basically it appears like this:

Initial D - Live Action Movie.sfv, which contains

; Using hkSFV on 11.29.2005 at 22:27:48
; http://www.big-o-software.com
;
;/----
; 730357760 03:40.56 2005-11-21 Initial D - Live Action Movie.avi
;\----
;
Initial D - Live Action Movie.avi 0ac923f4

It says it's generated by hkSFV, file size, date, name, etc. And generated a CRC32 of 0ac923f4.

Some programs will automatically check SFV files when it unpacks an archive. SFV uses CRC32, which is an older and less accurate algorithm, but it is quite fast. A 700 meg file can generate a full CRC32 checksum in less than 2 minutes, even on an ANCIENT 400 MHz machine. On a modern machine, it should only take seconds.

Sometimes on Bittorrent, you may see the checksum embedded in the filename, like:

[L-E&IDE]_Initial_D_Fourth_Stage_Ep_16_[E87966A3].avi

Where [E87966A3] is the CRC32 checksum.

Sometimes you may see alternate checksums, such as MD5, SHA1, and other algorithms. Those basically generate a longer checksum, and is helpful when you need to generate a short but unique ID based on the content of the file. Any change in the file, and the ID will change. Thus, they can be used as unique file ID, as well as a file integrity check.

2005-11-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

Q: Is there a free utility I can use to send e-mail from command-line, not using an existing e-mail client?
A: Try Blat

2005-11-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Q: I want to install Apple's QuickTime 7, but I don't want iTunes. Is there a way to get QuickTimes Player by itself without iTunes bundled with it?
A: As it turns out, there is, but it's pretty well hidden. However, I'll just link it for you... Enjoy. Apple - QuickTime - Download - Standalone QuickTime Player

2005-11-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

Q: Is it possible to "share" a single PC among multiple users?
A: Yes. Ikonnet's HiShare (see link below) allows up to 3 additional "workstations" to be created from a single PC provided you add additional video cards (and mice and keyboard via USB) with appropriate software.

Link to One PC Multi User System - Hishare

2005-07-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Q: I somehow destroyed my WINSOCK configuration. Internet connects, but browser doesn't work. What should I do? I am on Win98, by the way.
A: This can get complicated. You will need your Windows 98 CD. First thing you need to do is try to open up Start / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs, click on Windows Setup, then locate the "communications" subgroup. UNcheck it, apply, OK, then shutdown and restart. Then get back in, same place, open the details in the Communications group, then check "dial-up networking". Then apply, OK, etc. The computer should load a few files (put in Windows CD as applicable), and restart. Hopefully that'll reset your Winsocks. If not... Summon professional help.

2005-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Q: What is KB891711.EXE and why is it in my Startup tasklist?
A: KB891711.EXE is an official Microsoft "patch" that only applies to Win98 / Win98SE / WinMe. It is run as a service that protects against an exploit that can place malicious code in cursor and icon files. if you load one of those files, those files can actually execute programs placed on remote computers. This program will cut that off, and should NOT be removed.

For further details, see MS05-002: Microsoft Knowledgebase Article 891711: Vulnerability in cursor and icon format handling could allow remote code execution

2005-07-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

News update: looks like Safer Networking (the guys that brought you Spybot: Search and Destroy) like LeechGet as the download manager. No spyware, lots and lots of options for fast downloads, does not violate your privacy at all. Its only problem: too cute looking.

2005-07-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

Q: How do I update my PC's BIOS?
A: You should read the instructions that is on the manufacturer's website, as they have special instructions. But in general, you download the BIOS file (probably something.BIN) and the flashing program, then exit to DOS prompt and run the flash program with the BIOS file. Please beware that doing it with the WRONG BIOS file can stop your computer from working and require a new BIOS chip for repairs. So unless you are trying to fix a problem, don't touch the BIOS!

2005-04-11T00:35:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there a tool that will help me get better page ranking via the search engines?
A: Try SE-Inspector, a website that tests your website for keywords, meta tags, and so on. It will also check keywords and such and find your competitors.

2005-04-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Q: What is BitTorrent? How does it work? I heard it's like P2P, but better? Is it "safe"?
A: A BitTorrent is a sorta P2P standard that allows any one on the Internet to locate a file, that could be spread across bazillion different computers on the Internet, and in turn be another provider of the file as more stuff is downloaded.

So what does this have to do with you? When you get to a torrent file, and download it, it doesn't do anything, because torrent itself doesn't contain anything. It's just a... pointer, like an URL, to the actual content, and even that isn't quite correct. It actually points you to the "tracker", which track all the different bits and pieces of that file. So all you see is the torrent, and that file will get to you... eventually, provided other people stay online long enough for you to get the other pieces.

Let's say 10 people have bits and pieces of the files you want. Five of the 10 have full copies. Those are called "hosts", as they're nice enough to stay on to continue hosting the file. The other 5 are leeches. When they got the complete file, they'll become hosts as well. As you join, you'll be the 6th leech, and eventually, be another host. Other people will join, some will leave, and hopefully the ring stays intact...

When you open the torrent file (with the appropriate BitTorrent client), the client will talk to the Tracker, and determine where the hosts and leeches are, and coordinate the bandwidth available (which pieces to download from who, etc.). As you can guess, the most hosts (and sometimes, leeches, as they have some useful pieces), the faster the download will go.

If there are no hosts, you likely can't download since usually leeches don't have complete copies. And if there are no trackers, the whole thing goes kaput.

When you "register" on these Torrent sites, you're just getting access to the torrent files they got from the various trackers. Who knows what happened to the trackers in the meanwhile?

Keep in mind that at least one of these torrent sites were raided by MPAA/RIAA. After vowing to fight them, the owner instead copped a plea agreement, and provided ALL REGISTERED USER'S INFO to them. Think about that.

2005-03-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

An update: the error on my uncle's machine is indeed caused by the dead RAM. After replacing the 256MB module with a new 512MB module, the system is up and running, faster than before!

So if the system is doing random failures, check the memory!

2005-03-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

A bit of advice for people diagnosing a seemingly random problem: turn OFF the "quick power-on test". This makes the PC do the FULL memory test and POST (power-on system test) instead of the abbreviated version. Nowadays systems are fast enough that the time difference is negligible.

Why? Let me tell you this story.

I just spent a hour trying to fix my uncle's computer. He has a 1.1 GHz Duron with 256MB of RAM, loaded with Windows 2000. He said it started giving him a bluescreen. When I got there, it says something about INVALID DEVICE. I rebooted the system, picked "last known config", and got "cannot load SOFTWARE" registry. I rebooted and try "safe mode", same thing. Tried "safe mode with command prompt", same thing. Tried "Diagnostic mode", same thing.

At this point, I'm willing to concede the system is completely hosed, and he probably got a virus, but I know my uncle. He's a very safe computer user, never downloads anything except official sites, etc. etc. Chances of him catching a virus or trojan is nil. Yet the evidence is the setup is probably hosed. So what now?

I put in the Win2K CD and the 4 boot floppies. After the 4th disk, just as it tries to load the setup menu... The computer restarted itself. Yikes!

I put in my XP setup CD and set the BIOS to boot off the CD. The setup screen loaded all the drivers... Just as it got to "install or repair" screen... It blue-screened out with some error in a certain driver. That makes no sense, as we haven't even seen the GUI yet! So I rebooted... This time I got the "install or repair" screen. I hit REPAIR, just to see what would happen... the computer rebooted.

At this point, I'm completely stumped, so I'm changing things in the BIOS and started turning off all the options, so I turned OFF "Fast Power-On Test", and rebooted. Ahem! Memory Test Fail. The 256MB DIMM lost at least 1 bank. It stopped at roughly 236MB during the memory check.

The Fast test would have never picked it up, and I would have been still in the dark.

You may have wondered... didn't I turn on the BIOS halt errors? Yes I did. Originally it was on "halt except disk errors". I set it to "halt on all", but still the same. It's only AFTER I turned off "fast POST" that I saw the memory error.

So next time you trying to diagnose something random, think memory problem first.

2005-02-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

Not a question or answer, but rather, a collection of computer humor... Except these REALLY did happen. These are collected photos of some people's computers sent in for service. Stupid Computer Tricks

2005-01-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

Q: My DSL connection quality is way worse, and sometimes, when other phones get calls my DSL connection got disconnected. What's going on?
A: Did you add a phone recently? All phone connections needs that mouse-tail filter, or put up a filter at the "root" connection out the wall. Check every phone tap, put more filters if you need to.

2005-01-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Q: I have some AVI files that I can't play in Windows Media Player. What should I use?

A: AVI files can use a lot of different codecs. You need to use GSpot to identify the Codecs used in that AVI, then download/install the appropriate codecs for your O/S and player.

2005-01-26T21:26:00.000-08:00

Q: You said before to use AVG Antivirus because it's free. Now they no longer update their free version. What should I use?

A: Try Avast Antivirus

2004-05-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Q: Is there an alternative to Windows Media Player that you recommend and can play all sorts of media?
A: I would suggest BSPlayer (at bsplayer.org). It supports the same plug-ins as WMP and has better performance.

2004-04-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Q: How do I play a song / sound backwards (on a PC)?
A: Download the free and legal "Audacity" audio editor. Install it. Load the MP3 or WAV (or OGG) soundtrack. Select the section you wish to "reverse". Select Effects, then Reverse. Hit play and enjoy!

2004-03-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

Q: My PC uses PC2700 DDR SDRAM. I see PC2700 SDRAM with various timings available, and I see PC3200 SDRAM as well. Which one should I get?
A: Always get the one that your PC uses. If you use PC2700, get PC2700. You can get faster RAM (actually, RAM capable of running faster) if you overclock, but then your PC would be using faster RAM, wouldn't it?

2004-03-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

Q: I need a place to host some images so I can link to them on the web or message boards. Is there a free place?
A: Try PHOTODUMP.COM. You will need to register, but it's free, almost instant activation, and the only "catch" is your photo is watermarked with their logo. Otherwise, there's no ads or pop-ups or nasty stuff like that at all, and there's no limit in bandwidth or total storage size.

2004-03-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

Q: Why when I format a 40 GB hard drive I get only 32 GB volume?"
A: As implemented by Windows XP, FAT32 volume has a hard limit of 32 GB, even though it COULD support up to 4 terabytes. You will need to use a third-party partition program or the format utility in NTFS to create partitions that are larger than 32 GB in size.

2004-02-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

Q: Is there a pop-up blocker that's free and works well?
A: I use Analogx's POW! It closes Windows by looking at the title, with wildcards possible.

2004-02-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Q: How do I actually LIMIT the amount of bandwidth I use?
A: Try NetLimiter, which costs $29.95 to register, but seems to do what it claims, and more.

2004-02-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Q: What does it mean when a game tells me that my video card is not supported?
A: Exactly what it says: it cannot run with your video card. Your video card does NOT fit the requirements. Better return the game or upgrade your video card.

2004-01-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

Q: I am behind a router and I can't play Microsoft Games that uses DirectPlay. Is there a solution?
A: Try DXPort, which is a "PortMapper" for DirectPlay. DirectPlay does not allow port mapping unless you use DXPort. Your router also must handle port forwarding properly. See their example for details:

Puffinsoft's DXport

2003-12-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Q:What is Bluetooth? I heard it's some sort of wireless protocol. Can it access WiFi?
A: Bluetooth is a standard to connect peripherals without wires. For example, a phone can talk to a headset without wires. A PDA can talk to a printer without wires, and so on. The bandwidth is relatively low and range is limited to maybe 50 feet or so.

WiFi, which is essentially wireless Ethernet, is designed as a full-fledged network standard. Thus, it really has NOTHING to do with Bluetooth other than they are both wireless, and they both can be used by PC.

So to answer the original question, Bluetooth CANNOT access WiFi access points.

2003-12-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

Q: Should I print my own photos with photo printer or let someone else do it? How much would it cost?
A: There are some online sites that offer VERY competitive prices. Here's a sample:

Ofoto: 29 cents each
Shutterfly: 25 cents each (prepaid, lot of 400)
Walmart : 24 cents each
xpphoto.com : 17 cents each

These sites are pretty much upload the pictures, and voila, you get the prints back in a few days in a mailed envelope. For this price, it's cheaper to let THEM print it, esp. if you have large quantities.

For one or two shots at home, use photo printer. For large archives, use the vendors above.

See our discussion on Gone Gold Forum: Photo Imaging/Printer Question

2003-12-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

Q: I have multiple optical drives (CD/CD-RW/DVD) in my system. I was updating the firmware on one of them when I realized the updater wrote to the wrong device. Now the device seems to be dead and Windows doesn't see it. Now what do I do?
A: Try
MTKFLASH, as it seems to have rescued many drives from oblivion. However, it can be rather complicated to use. Advanced users only!

2003-11-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

Q: I have a laptop with ATI Radeon Mobility video chipset. Can I use those Catalyst drivers I've been hearing about?
A: Unfortunately, no. Those are for desktop ONLY.

2003-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Q: I have an older ATI video card. Where would I find drivers for it instead of all these Catalyst drivers?
A: You would find the "legacy" drivers here
http://www.ati.com/support/drivers/legacy.html

2003-11-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Q: I have a portable MP3 player. How can I sent the music in it to my car stereo?
A: You have two solutions: go through wired cassette adapter, or go through FM transmitter. Both are available at Best Buy or similar store.

2003-09-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Q: I see some video cards have the suffix "SE". Like ATI Radeon 9600 SE. What does that mean?
A: Well, SE means "special edition". However, the word "special" in this case has two meanings... 1) special as in extraordinary, and 2) special as Special Olympics. You'll need to read reviews and such on websites to see which kind of "special" you got.

2003-09-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Q: My printer is not "feeding" properly. Is there a way to fix it or should I replace it?
A: If it's simply feeding funny, try looking at FixYourOwnPrinter.Com for one of their repair kits, usually under $30, much cheaper than buying a new printer. They also have cheap repair kits that you can install yourself on a variety of other small problems relating to printers.

PC FAQs by KC

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