Topics

1

Non-Windows Software / linux mint newbie

« on: November 01, 2015, 11:12 AM »

Before I try wading through a mountain of help files, although I don't mind doing that once I get a basic feeling of orientation, I was hoping to get some answers to a few basic questions.
I downloaded the latest linux mint 64 bit iso, burned to dvd, and booted from it.
My hard drive with Windows 7 was accessible as a data drive.
The lower task bar font was microscopic and nonreadable, but I enlarged it nicely.
I got online with Firefox, but TOR Linux 32 & 64 bit gave error mssgs on dnld & extract.
I made a few basic changes, like setting up a sound driver.
I could not set up shortcuts from the HD to linux mint desktop.
Finally I rebooted, and lost all my changes.

How do you set changes permanently to linux with a dvd, or can't you?
Do you still need an antivirus with just linux mint on dvd, or only if you run an accessory HD?
Can a root kit still invade the mobo if you only run linux mint on dvd?

edit: I do have a 500 GB SATA HD I could spare for this.
Would that enable me to save changes to the OS?
Would I need antivirus protection?

2

General Software Discussion / macro to edit a .txt file?

« on: September 28, 2015, 01:27 AM »

I could sure use a simple program snack or 'macro' that allows me to delete numbers 0 thru 9, and the quote marks, in a .txt file, with just a few clicks. 

3

General Software Discussion / clock synch problem

« on: September 27, 2015, 06:46 AM »

On Win 7, my pc clock keeps going out of synch by an hour or two a day.
When I go to double-check and correct it, after I right click on it and choose 'adjust date and time', the first thing I get is a pop-up that says, "CryptoPrevent - A restricted .CPL program has been blocked:
C:\Windows\System32\timedate.cpl
Allow program to run?"
Then I click on 'yes', choose Internet Time tab, and Change Settings, Update Now, and OK, and it is corrected... ...until the next day when it happens all over again.

edit: I think I just answered my own question.
I have CryptoPrevent, created by FoolishIT, which is an anti-CryptoLocker ransomware blocker.
I may have chosen unduly strict protection options, blocking my own Desktop clock. :P

4

DC Gamer Club / Play it again: One fan’s quest to save old video games

« on: September 16, 2015, 08:37 AM »

Play it again: One fan’s quest to save old video games

(more at the link)
When the French native moved to Tokyo in 2000 to research and archive retro Japanese PC titles he was shocked to find collections left to languish within an inclusive community. He wormed his way inside through online auctions and forums to contact others who shared his passion. In 2011, he established the Game Preservation Society, an NPO to save gaming from the landfill of pop culture.

We meet at the four-story apartment, in Tokyo’s Todoroki neighborhood, that serves as the group’s workshop, archive and Redon’s residence. I admire his vision. But why would anyone today care about, say — I pull a random package from the shelf — “Morita Shogi,” an unassuming shogi (Japanese chess) simulator? Redon doesn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, Morita-san was an exceptional programmer who wrote beautiful algorithms. Computer magazines used to sponsor reader-submitted game creation contests and this title was a winner. It wasn’t unheard of to pocket ¥10 million in prize money and royalties per game.”

Redon has an anecdote for each title in his archive. The disks are more than data. They’re a record of the forgotten history that today’s gaming industry is built upon. Imagine a generation of self-taught programmers, the Bill Gates of their day, striking it rich in magazine contests before going on to develop software for Nintendo, Sega and Sony.
(end excerpt)

5

General Software Discussion / urgent free AVG expired request!

« on: September 05, 2015, 09:30 PM »

My free AVG antivirus just gave me this Desktop pop-up window.
It looks like I am being cut off even from the so-called 'free' AVG antivirus protection.
Is AVG still protecting me, or what should I do?
I still have some days left on my paid Norton I can reinstall.
Or is there any other free antivirus I should switch to?
If I'm not protected, I need someone to confirm it asap. Tnx!


edit: just found this free AVG for 365 days offer, installed it, and it looks good so far. 

6

Living Room / TouchPad for PC w/Windows 7 vs. carpal tunnel ?

« on: July 29, 2015, 07:40 PM »

Carpal tunnel syndrome is getting to me.
Each morning I start out with no pain.
Within a short time it feels like a thick rubber band around my right wrist.
I suspect my inexpensive, durable Microsoft mouse with difficult to click finger buttons.
I tried a right angle mouse, but the squeeze action with thumb made it worse.
I see they make an add-on TouchPad you just finger-swipe, and watched one vid on how to use it.
Seems a bit complicated, 1-finger for this, 2-fingers for this, 3-fingers, 4-fingers.
Some articles say 'TouchPad for Windows 8' (I've got Windows 7).
Not sure if this is a good remedial approach, or what prices for wired gear, and best brands?

My best 'cures' include;
1-hot & cold water dip alternated; tingly hot dip for 10-20 seconds, then cold water 10-20 seconds, hot...cold...(repeat as needed). I do this in a pair of 2-quart plastic food containers in the kitchen sink; works like magic.
2-herbal spray liniment;
recipe - 1 qt. 70% rubbing alcohol, 2 tsp. myrrh gum powder, 1 tsp. goldenseal powder, 1.5 tbl. cayenne powder (red pepper), 1 tsp. scullcap powder, 1 tsp. hops powder: mix ingredients, shake once a day for 10 days, settle out for one day, then fill a sore throat pump top spray bottle with clear amber liquid and spray on skin; works pretty good in combination with hot & cold water dip (i.e. do 'hot & cold' first; dry off, then spray liniment on and let it dry on).
3-Zostrix cayenne pepper skin cream; this stuff is potent, but don't get it anywhere you don't want it.
i.e. don't rub it on your carpal tunnel and then (even after washing your fingertip) rub your eye or taste your fingertip, or you'll feel a burning in your eye or mouth.
Whenever I put it on my wrist (i.e. at bedtime), I take a tube sock, cut off the lower part, and slip the top part over the affected area, to keep the Zostrix from accidentally transferring anywhere I don't want it to go.
In the morning, I remove the tube sock, and scrub the Zostrix off with a wash cloth and warm water.
Then the wash cloth goes into the laundry bin.
I mark a black 'X' on the white tube sock, to show which side went to the inner part of my wrist.
IOW, I practice strict application monitoring & control; prevents Zostrix ending up on the keyboard, door knobs, chair backs, pillows, etc. and transferring back to fingertips, then to mouth, eyes, and so on.
You have to be this strict, because Zostrix works, but it will get you in ways you won't believe if you get sloppy. (:

Unfortunately, the carpal tunnel is slowly getting worse in spite of all remedial efforts, short of quitting my PC.
I'm open to any and all suggestions, not just the ones mentioned here.

All posts in this thread are for educational or entertainment purposes only and not intended as actual health advice.

7

General Software Discussion / Google Earth through proxie?

« on: July 27, 2015, 01:10 PM »

Is there any way to set up Google Earth to connect through TOR Vidalia or any other proxie?

Also, is there an app to change sea levels globally?

8

Living Room / reverse smilie (:

« on: July 03, 2015, 12:47 AM »

I saw somewhere where someone was using reverse smilies, like this:  (:
-instead of this:  :)
Later on, someone told me yes it's a real smilie emoticon but only Unix users use it.

9

General Software Discussion / 'create Restore Point' question

« on: April 04, 2015, 07:27 PM »

In Windows 7 Pro, b/c my machine is older, and I occasionally get a BSOD.
So long as I have at least one Restore Point created, my pc reboots and recovers just fine.
But each time it does this, it uses up and cancels out the RP.
So my SOP is to let it reboot to Desktop, then run a registry scan, then create a new RP for the next BSOD.
Better yet, to have several RPs.
It looks to me as if, every 1st of the month, the OS dumps all old RPs.
So it keeps me on my toes making sure I have at least one valid RP.
Is there a way to set up the OS to automatically create a new RP every so often, once a day or whatever?
Or what other advice does anyone have (besides getting a newer machine)?

10

Living Room / Robert A. Heinlein - atmospheric processor question

« on: March 19, 2015, 06:04 PM »

In 'Aliens 2', they use atmospheric processors to convert the alien moon's noxious atmosphere to make it breathable, "Takes decades," Van Leuwen tells Ripley. "We call it a 'shake and bake' colony."

S-F writer Robert A. Heinlein was -among other things- a mathematician.
I vaguely recall that he once calculated that with X number of giant Aliens-type 'atmospheric processors' (written a couple or three decades before 'Aliens'), seems to me he 'crunched the numbers' and figured it would take -X number of years- (he gave a specific number which I forget) to make the atmosphere of Mars breathable.
Does anyone have the direct Heinlein quote and actual info on this please?
If he put it in a story, what book?


'When Mars had water' (courtesy of Rense.com & Dees); my only comment on the picture is that if it had water it must have had water vapor clouds, which -at least on Earth- are white.

11

Living Room / mp3 sharing?

« on: March 18, 2015, 09:18 AM »

I would just like to ask if anyone knows what web site they would recommend for uploading personal songs for sale or sharing?
Please can you recommend a free mp3 hosting site?
I'm aware that a few have been mentioned in the past, but was wondering about pros and cons.
We used to post them at Amazon.con, but one day they suddenly stopped carrying them, and the alternates they suggested all seem to be pro sites.
Thanks....

12

Living Room / Once-in-a-century Pi Day 03/14/15

« on: March 13, 2015, 09:56 AM »

Saturday 03-14-15 (why does that sound so familiar?) is a very rare and special Pi Day, b/c the date spells out the first 5 digits of Pi.
This won't happen again until 2115.
Celebrate with your fav flavor of pi.
In observance of this special occasion, here is a pi joke;
Father (to his son home from school): What'd ye larn t'day, sonny?
Son: Pi r square!
Father: Fool kid. Pi are not square, pi are round.

13

General Software Discussion / Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home

« on: March 01, 2015, 12:51 AM »

I just downloaded it here, and was checking out its boot recovery disk creator instructions.
The option to burn a BSOD crash recovery CD says this;
'Please select the Windows version of the target computer'
(followed by a multi-choice window that says this):
'DO NOT specify the Windows version of the target computer'.

Okay, my OS is Win 7 32-bit.
I assume that is the 'target computer'.
So it is telling me to 'choose' Win 7 32-bit, and then 'not to choose' Win 7 32-bit as the OS to burn to CD?

14

General Software Discussion / Win7 update loop

« on: February 14, 2015, 02:36 AM »

How do I shut off Windows 7 update?
It's wasting time installing the same update again on every shutdown.

edit: Found it. Tnx anyway.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/opinion/windows/3419759/how-turn-off-automatic-updates-in-windows/
quote:
"Thankfully, there's an easy fix for this, here's what you need to do:

1. In Vista and Windows 7, click Start, type Windows Update, and then hit Enter. In XP, head to the Control Panel and seek out Windows Update.

2. Click the Change Settings option at left.

3. Change the setting to Download updates but let me choose whether to install them.

4. Click OK.

That's all there is to it. Windows may still nag you about installing updates, but at least it won't reboot without your permission."

15

Living Room / RAM contact spray?

« on: February 13, 2015, 11:07 PM »

I have four 1GB RAM sticks; Win 7 32bit uses three of them.
I recently ran a RAM stick memory check and it found errors.
I loosened each end of each stick's lock-down tab to unseat it, then reseated it.
The test found errors again.
I loosened and reseated the sticks again, and all errors were eliminated.
I believe this is supposedly due to tarnish on some of the 168 or more gold contacts?

I've never heard that it is at all advisable to use any sort of electrical contact spray on the RAM contacts, and won't without specific advice to do so.
But if so, what kind (i.e. totally clean or leaves protective film residue?), and should it be sprayed directly on the RAM contacts, or wiped on via a cloth or tissue paper?

Whenever I reseat one end of a loosened RAM stick, it takes tremendous pressure with my thumb pad to get it to drop back into the slot, and flexes the mobo.
In fact, after doing each end of four RAM sticks, twice in a row, my thumb pad was sore for 24 hours afterward.
There is no way to reach behind and support the mobo while doing this; I just have to press until it drops back into the slot and the tab pops back up into the indented spot in the end of the stick.
Is that 'normal', or are there any suggestions how to do it better?

16

Living Room / wierd mouse click problem

« on: February 05, 2015, 12:18 AM »

Lately when I click to close a window, sometimes it opens anything directly under it on Desktop, or sometimes opens something nearby.
My Logitech 500 laser wheel mouse mouse seems to work just fine otherwise.
My OS came up 'clean' after reg, antivirus, and PUP scans, so I don't know if it could be some weird virus.
I was running several mouse programs;
-Amoumain A4Tech,
-Logitech (forget the name; something about communicating with Logitech)
-Logitech Smooth Scrolling
-Volumouse
-Unknown auto-download of mouse driver when I originally plugged in the mouse
I uninstalled both Logitech programs, but problem persists.

17

General Software Discussion / how do I disable FF Synch or whatever it is?

« on: February 02, 2015, 06:32 PM »

I keep backup copies of my Firefox Portable folder, and give the backups alpha-numerics like [Mozilla Firefox bkup 1] and [Mozilla Firefox bkup 2].
I rely on these backup copies to get me out of a jamb in case the active copy gets goofed up somehow.
Now I discover that anytime I delete or add something to [Mozilla Firefox], it gets automatically deleted or added to the backups.
I don't need my backups to be automatically screwed up like the main copy, but to stay pristine and unchanged in case of major goof-ups so I'll have something to fall back on.
What is doing this and how do I turn it off?

(edit) Okay yes it seems to be something called 'Sync' and I don't even have an account with Sync but it's 'synching' all my backup FF copies.
Do I have to start an account with Sync to turn it off?
Is there any file in FF folder I can just find and delete or rename with the suffix 'DISABLED' to shut it off?
I still want my passwords to work, I just want to shut off Sync somehow.

(edit) I found some advice but no answers yet:
"You need to go into the Sync Options in the Options/Preferences window and click "Deactivate this device"."
I checked, and my up-to-date FF version show no option to 'deactivate' Sync.
So far I see no file in the Mozilla FF folder named 'Sync' for me to delete or rename to disable it.

(edit) found this:
"How to Disable or Opt-Out of Firefox Sync
If at any time, you decide you no longer want to have the Firefox Sync Service, you may un-install the Firefox Sync add-on. Click on the “Tools” menu, then “Add-ons”, select Firefox Sync and click “Uninstall”."
There is no such option in my FF.

18

General Software Discussion / scrolling problem

« on: January 31, 2015, 09:43 PM »

I have a Logitech mouse, and after Seamonkey Portable's last update, I can no longer just press down on my mouse wheel and get smooth scrolling.
You know, where the little four-point compass icon appears and you move your cursor this way and that to scroll.
The arrow keys still scroll, and so does rolling the mouse wheel, which I set to one screen at a time.
And in Firefox, the little four-point smooth scrolling compass still appears and works when I press down on the mouse wheel.
But I can't seem to find any kind of fix for this in Seamonkey.

19

General Software Discussion / Seamonkey, Firefox, and IE

« on: January 26, 2015, 07:00 PM »

I can use Seamonkey, Firefox, and IE, but am open to other browser sugs.

20

General Software Discussion / flashplayer fix - is this safe?

« on: January 18, 2015, 07:24 PM »

I found this Flash Player Repair website and download, at http://www.fixflashplayer.com/.
Does anyone think this is safe to download and use?

21

General Software Discussion / Seamonkey password problem

« on: January 18, 2015, 02:16 PM »

My Seamonkey Portable stores and remembers passwords for various websites -including DC- with no problem.
It used to also do so for a fav website, but has stopped doing so, and never even asks me anymore if I want to store the password for the particular website.
I have to type in my email address and password every time now.
How can I fix this?

22

General Software Discussion / youtube ad blocker for seamonkey?

« on: January 16, 2015, 01:58 PM »

Does anyone know a good ad blocker of flash video ads on youtube, for seamonkey?
And a good safe source to download it from?
It's these video ads in a square box to the right of the actual videos.
How can I block them in seamonkey?

23

General Software Discussion / how undo Norton 'safe search' in FF?

« on: January 14, 2015, 12:05 AM »

1) This is for when you highlight a word, right-click on it for the drop-down menu, and choose a search engine to open results in a new page in Firefox.
2) I used to have it set to duckduckgo.
3) Then I decided to try adding Norton toolbar at the top of the FF browser.
4) Changed my mind, unchecked Norton toolbar.
5) Discovered Norton hijacked ^1) above in this post. >.<
6) I even went into FF Add-ons and disabled Norton Toolbar, but still can't get duckduckgo back as my preferred search engine.

24

General Software Discussion / patchpae

« on: January 03, 2015, 09:10 PM »

PatchPae is a Windows patch to enable Windows 7 32-bit to run up to 128GB of ram.
You can only run it with an N-Vidia card, which I have.
I tried installing the patch in cmd prompt with admin rights, and failed.
I wonder if there is any chance of someone creating an auto-loader/installer/patcher, or if one exists?

25

General Software Discussion / moon phase app?

« on: December 18, 2014, 03:02 PM »

I would like to find a moon phase app for Win 7 Desktop (or time-date area of systray), or Firefox (or Seamonkey), that is as minimal as possible and just shows the phase without a ton of auxiliary stuff?
Can't seem to find anything.