Recent Posts

3876

Living Room / Re: NAS Recommendations?

« Last post by 4wd on March 22, 2012, 07:59 PM »

The HP-N36L is a very nicely configured box for the price. The AMD CPU lets you avoid getting into the ARM weirdness you'll sometimes encounter if you're going with Linux. And you can fit the HP P410 RAID card into it if you're the type that still believes in RAID for home use.

-40hz (March 22, 2012, 05:54 AM)

There's no way you could put together a unit with the same specs as these things - they are magic.  I've been itching to play with one since johnk mentioned them back here.

I'm hoping I actually live long enough to do that 

P.S. Luck with your wife.

Just got to work out how to get her out of the house when it arrives.

"What, that?   I've had that for years, just hadn't got around to using it."

3877

Living Room / Re: Windows 8 is just a Service/crapware pack for Windows 7

« Last post by 4wd on March 22, 2012, 07:00 PM »

I'll go to wherever can allow me to use a good old fashioned keyboard and mouse.

-Stephen66515 (March 22, 2012, 01:27 PM)

I think I better dust off my old Amiga

3878

General Software Discussion / Re: No more WinPE?

« Last post by 4wd on March 22, 2012, 06:53 PM »

Nothing on the Reatogo, BartPE or UBCD websites about needing to pull it. But they're using the old versions.

-40hz (March 22, 2012, 12:02 PM)

But they don't use WinPE per se What I meant, (but my brain deserted me), was unlike Paragon they're not distributing a ready-made PE, they build a replica from scratch using your Windows installation or CD.

BTW, Winbuilder will give you the WinPE 3.x environment because it can use Windows 7 and 8 as the source.  Also, someone has managed to do WinPE 4 to a USB Flash drive using Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows® 8 Consumer Preview.

On a side note, I wonder how that impacts Paragons WinPE Builder?
For $20/year, IIRC, you could log in and create your own customised WinPE, (providing you had the Professional of higher version of their products).

3879

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA to automate few tasks for new installed windows xp sp3

« Last post by 4wd on March 22, 2012, 07:51 AM »

i will look at nLite and see which lines it adds to a winnnt.sif file and i will copy it to my mine.

-3dpinballchamp (March 22, 2012, 05:36 AM)

It doesn't add any extra lines to winnt.sif apart from that which are part of the normal winnt.sif commands/options, (eg. timezone, language, etc).

For any tweaks and things which require something more involved, (such as setting the Explorer options you want), it adds a file to the $OEM$ directory of the install media called cmdlines.txt which contains:

Code: Text [Select]

1. [Commands]
2. "rundll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection nLite.inf,U"

This calls the nlite.inf, (compressed as nlite.in_), file in the i386 directory during installation which contains changes to the registry and other options you choose, (none of which can be 'just' copied to the winnt.sif file.

For everything you ever wanted to know about unattended and customised installations, you really can't go past MSFN's Unattended Windows tutorials.

3880

Living Room / Re: NAS Recommendations?

« Last post by 4wd on March 22, 2012, 04:05 AM »

Also for anyone in Australia, (I'm looking at you Renegade), the HP ProLiant Microserver N40L for $221.09, (+ $16.00 to Melbourne), from DessyTek.

Much better than a dedicated NAS because you can run what you like on it.

1000 units on order for April 4th, back orders until then - when they're gone, the price goes up.

Yes, I ordered one.......now the wife will kill me. 

3881

Living Room / Re: Looking for image stitching software without processing image content

« Last post by 4wd on March 21, 2012, 08:09 PM »

Trouble is I am trying to find something that is easy for a technophobe to use - I think the hugin approach would be too much for her to cope with (and planting fake exif data would just make it one stage worse!).

-Carol Haynes (March 21, 2012, 08:02 PM)

I might have a play with reduced focal lengths using AutoStitch and see what happens.

After all, one batch command and one program, (AutoStitch is very easy to use), to run should be easy enough.

3882

Living Room / Re: Looking for image stitching software without processing image content

« Last post by 4wd on March 21, 2012, 07:59 PM »

Have you looked through the hugin tutorials?  Not sure if this is what you need or not, but this is one I used for stitching flat images.

http://hugin.sourceforge.net/tutorials/scans/en.shtml

-kfitting (March 21, 2012, 01:21 PM)

I saw that also, that's why I mentioned the far too fiddly bit in my last post......but it has given me an idea.

What if exiftool is used, (in a batch command), to add some bogus camera data to the screengrabs such as the reduced Focal Length, (start with the 10mm they mention in the hugin tutorial), and then pass those pictures to AutoStitch, (or even hugin) ?

That would make the first mind-numbing step of the hugin tutorial void if all the pictures already contain the necessary data.

3883

Living Room / Re: Google Working with the CIA?!?

« Last post by 4wd on March 21, 2012, 05:41 AM »

Don't forget the Australian Greens, (it's a political party not a veg....oh wait), are supposedly in league with the CIA.

3884

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA to automate few tasks for new installed windows xp sp3

« Last post by 4wd on March 21, 2012, 05:27 AM »

change clock to 12 hour format
set location (country)
show hidden files and folders.
unhide exensions for known file types.
unhide protected operating system files.

-3dpinballchamp (March 20, 2012, 03:54 AM)

By default Windows installs with the clock in 12 hour format, (h.mm.ss tt), I always have to change it to 24 hour format, (HH.mm).

You can use nlite to set all the rest, on the Unattended page you can set Location, Language and Localization:



On the Tweaks page you can set the Explorer settings:



As Shades and Ath suggest, I recommend you use nlite to set up your installation disc how you want it, it is so much easier than doing it any other way.


If you want to use a registry file:

This location sets the country, (in this case "12" = Australia, "14"=Austria), see what yours is and change accordingly:

Code: Text [Select]

1. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
2.  
3. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\International\Geo]
4. "Nation"="12"

The Explorer options you mention can be set with:

Code: Text [Select]

1. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
2.  
3. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
4. "HideFileExt"=dword:00000000
5. "Hidden"=dword:00000001
6. "SuperHidden"=dword:00000000
7. "ShowSuperHidden"=dword:00000001

One doubleclick on the file after installation will let you merge it and that takes care of 4/5 of your list.

I have also thought that a tool like this for post-installation configuration would be nice.

-ewemoa (March 21, 2012, 03:38 AM)

But they're already there, in the Control Panel applications.  The problem with doing a 'one Control Panel thing' is that, who decides what should be included?

One person might want Time/Date settings, another might not - to cater to everyone you'd have to combine all the Control Panel applications into just one humongous unmanageable one.

It is so much easier to create your installation media how you want it, (using WAIK, nlite, vlite, rt7lite, etc), and not have to do any tweaking after installation.

Your suggestion of the extensible program might sound good but for the person who has to write it, he's just going to be duplicating all the functions found in the separate Control Panel applications as plugins for a single program.

3885

Living Room / Re: Looking for image stitching software without processing image content

« Last post by 4wd on March 20, 2012, 04:00 PM »

The only small and light program that comes to mind is AutoStitch, the forerunner of AutoPano and a couple of others.

But I just tried it and it distorts stitched screengrabs, I think this because the amount of overlap and the size of the individual grabs varied and the software also assumes that the individual images were made by a camera and therefore tries to compensate for lens distortion.

Otherwise, try hugin, it's not small and light, (can be run portable, IIRC, just download the 7zip version and extract), but you can edit the 'camera lens' attributes so as to remove most, (if not all), distortion plus it has a lot of other settings to change perspective.  (I'll have a play when I'm fully awake.)

Also, is this a specific map site ?

There are programs/scripts written for some map sites that automatically download the individual map 'tiles' and then create the bigger picture.

EDIT: I don't think hugin is going to fit your needs, far too fiddly to combine just a few grabs.

3886

Living Room / Re: Mobile hotspots: your experiences. (mine included)

« Last post by 4wd on March 19, 2012, 10:25 AM »

You can ONLY use the two or three devices your carrier offers, because they're the only people who can buy the hardware.

-superboyac (March 19, 2012, 10:06 AM)

This is something I don't really understand, don't/can't any of the carriers in the USA just sell you a SIM ?

Fair enough if you have to be locked into some kind of monthly contract but why do you have to use their hardware, (phone/3G router/etc) ?

Are you saying you can't buy a phone/3G router from somewhere, (store internet/China), grab a pre-paid SIM and just use it ?

Does the USA even have pre-paid SIMs ?

3887

Living Room / Re: Cell phone for trip to China

« Last post by 4wd on March 18, 2012, 06:27 PM »

I have an old Nokia 1100^w Dual band GSM, (850/1900), that worked fine in Hong Kong.  An old Nokia 6230i^w Tri-band, (900/1800/1900), worked fine in Beijing/HK/Russia/EU/Sth Africa, (and should work in the USA).

You can have the Nokia 6230i if you want, I no longer use it - I'd have to send it sans battery, (Auspost rules), but they're the readily available Nokia BL-5C.  Let me know and I'll test it, (hasn't been used for a few months), and wipe the incriminating evidence.  I'll even throw in the 32MB MMC card it came with.

Otherwise, the Kings of Gadgets have you covered

Dual SIM Dual Network Standby Quadband GSM
LCD Screen Quadband GSM Cell Phone with Torch/FM/SOS

3888

Living Room / Re: Auslogics promoting false speed tester?

« Last post by 4wd on March 17, 2012, 07:29 PM »

Yes well, complete BS AFAICT - I'm getting half my download rate and almost three times my upload rate.

3889

Living Room / Re: Moronic would-be scammers

« Last post by 4wd on March 17, 2012, 06:58 PM »

In today's world of uncertain life, what is the point of health insurance that is sold with card which ultimately expires in just one year?

-mahesh2k (March 17, 2012, 06:54 PM)

Still, it might last longer than the life insured....

3890

Living Room / Re: When are modern Terms of Service going to change?

« Last post by 4wd on March 17, 2012, 06:56 PM »

[Off Topic Warning]

To cover every possibility so the courts have to rule in their favor.

-steeladept (March 17, 2012, 03:10 PM)

Reminds me of the X-Files episode, Je Souhaite, where Mulder finds the Jinn in the rug and asks for World peace and everyone else disappears.  So he ends up sitting down writing a multi-page wish in which all clauses/eventualities will be covered.

3891

General Software Discussion / Re: How to become Admin' for real?

« Last post by 4wd on March 16, 2012, 07:47 PM »

Motherboard from here.

3892

General Software Discussion / Re: How to become Admin' for real?

« Last post by 4wd on March 15, 2012, 06:12 PM »

"No room for more" means either that there are no more (SATA) connectors on your mainboard, your PC case has no room to fit another disk or your power supply cannot handle the load of an extra hard disk anymore.

My money would be on the first option.

-Shades (March 15, 2012, 04:00 PM)

I don't think you'll collect

MS-7379VP = MSI G31 based motherboard which all have 4 SATA-II ports.

Being a mini-tower case it's more likely to be lack of space or the PSU doesn't have a spare SATA power plug, (which can be remedied).

The FUJITSU SIEMENS Scaleo Pi2680 shows as having two 5.25" bays, if only one is occupied then another HDD can be installed in the other using a pair of mounting adapters, then just plug it in and use it for the data drive.

3893

Post New Requests Here / Re: [REQ] Disable sleep/hibernation one time to drain battery

« Last post by 4wd on March 15, 2012, 07:42 AM »

Thanks, it shows that PMT is, (or trying to), switch from Power Saver to High Performance.

You didn't include the High Performance Advanced settings screengrab, could you please?

I'm running Win7 64x with "Balanced" power scheme.

-vevola (March 14, 2012, 03:41 PM)

The powercfg output shows you're running in the Power Saver scheme which is a bit more frugal than the Balanced scheme.

It also seems to indicate that there might be some form of power software installed by Dell, (only because I see a Dell power scheme there - AMD do the same thing if you run their Fusion software IIRC).

Thanks for your help!

No problem, it's just got me beat how it can be messing up your hibernation when all it does is swap power schemes, it doesn't change anything in those schemes.  It shouldn't even be going into Sleep/Hibernation when in High Performance, as you can see from my grab above, they're both set to Never by default.

You can also reset the power schemes to their default values by pressing the Restore Plan Defaults button under each schemes Advanced settings.

I've attached a small video of what happens when it runs - you can watch it change the power scheme each time it's run, (.7z because you can't attach .mp4 for some reason).

It's the equivalent of you typing in the following commands in a CLI, just as a matter of interest can you effect the same change from the CLI and does it do the same thing Hibernate-wise ?

powercfg /setactive 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c   (should set to High Performance)
powercfg /setactive a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a    (should set back to Power Saver)

Anyone else care to try it with a Win7 laptop and see what happens?

3894

Post New Requests Here / Re: [REQ] Disable sleep/hibernation one time to drain battery

« Last post by 4wd on March 14, 2012, 07:41 PM »

OK, I'm going to need some more information:

Is your operating system on an SSD or HDD?

The output of the powercfg list command, (see below):

C:\>powercfg list

Existing Power Schemes (* Active)
-----------------------------------
Power Scheme GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e  (Balanced) *
Power Scheme GUID: 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c  (High performance)
Power Scheme GUID: a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a  (Power saver)
Power Scheme GUID: e12bd28e-68a8-4f90-b0a5-f76b2b523ca3  (AMD Fusion Utility Recovery Profile)

Can you do a screengrab of PMTs output window when you run it both the first and second time, (like I did here), and either PM them to me or attach to a post.

Can you do a screengrab of both the Balanced and High Performance Advanced settings of your Power Options, the default for both of them should look like this:



Also, after running it once what is the value of the PMT key stored under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce (use regedit.exe) ?

What is it after running PMT a second time, (it shouldn't be there) ?

3895

General Review Discussion / Re: Quick Review: Collusion - Firefox "tracking" add-on

« Last post by 4wd on March 12, 2012, 01:45 AM »

Click the icon in the Addon tray:

3896

General Review Discussion / Re: Quick Review: Collusion - Firefox "tracking" add-on

« Last post by 4wd on March 11, 2012, 08:05 PM »

After a week of just general browsing and forgetting all about it:

3897

General Software Discussion / Re: Auto-Ping?

« Last post by 4wd on March 10, 2012, 08:39 PM »

OK, as Bullwinkle always said, 'This time for sure!'

The new improved version that seems to work.  Comes with a cast iron executable guarantee^*.

It checks for the existence of a website by trying to retrieve the website page at set intervals and changes the SysTray icon accordingly.

If all is well then it will look like this:



If the website is down then, (in theory), you'll get a 5 second popup tooltip:



The icon will change to a red circle with cross and the tooltip will change to:



Explanation of the lines:
1) No connection to the website - this could be because the host machine has died or the webserver program on the host machine is not running.
2) A ping to Google was either OK or not - a failed ping to Google could indicate you have a network problem at your end, (since Google is up most of the time).  If this fails you won't get line 3 - not much point.
3) It passes the website address to http://www.checksite.us and displays the result, this will either be it's down for Everyone or Just You.

Configuration:



It'll open the first time the program is run or if you select it from the tray icon menu.

The first connection is attempted at the end of the first elapsed interval after program execution, so until then the SysTray icon will look like the executable icon.

You can put the executable anywhere you like, you can name it anything you like - the config file will be located in the same directory and have the same name, (except extension), as the executable.

Have one for each site and name them accordingly, eg. google.exe, donationcoder.exe, etc.exe

Source, executable, icons, etc in the archive.

^* It'll work until the moment you execute it.

Updated: 20120312 - Fixed some typos and added an option for the popup to the config.

3898

General Software Discussion / Re: Auto-Ping?

« Last post by 4wd on March 08, 2012, 10:28 PM »

Try this, it's just a quick butcher of my iFallover script elsewhere.

OK, I've deleted it because it was a complete screwup, my brain certainly was dormant at the time  

However, I will have another up shortly...just one question:

Do you want to check for the existence of the website or the machine it's hosted on?

A ping will show the latter but won't tell you if the website is actually up.

Also, what do you consider necessary criteria for a website to be 'up', eg. Error 404 means a webserver is up but the page you were looking for isn't on it.

3899

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: PDFZilla free for 20 days - Ends 14 March 2012

« Last post by 4wd on March 06, 2012, 07:38 PM »

Godzilla - the biggest, most monstrous of them all.

-4wd (March 06, 2012, 07:12 PM)

Sorry to get off topic but my favorite too.  Have four Godzira movies in my collection.

-Midnight Rambler (March 06, 2012, 07:19 PM)

I'm worse, I've got 29 Godzilla + 3 Mothra. 

3900

Living Room / Re: Lets Spice Things Up!

« Last post by 4wd on March 06, 2012, 07:23 PM »