Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 September 13

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September 13

OpenDNS disable?

How do i disable OpenDNS on my PC? When i go to certain websites it pops up and the site is blocked so i need to know how to get around it. Can anyone give me details on how to get rid of this Program? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.16.47.115 (talk) 00:59, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

OpenDNS is not a program, it's a name server. If this is your own internet connection, you can call your ISP and ask them to walk you through resetting your name servers. It's a common question and they'll know how to do it.

Note that OpenDNS probably isn't blocking anything (the web sites where you get the popup probably just don't exist), although according to the article they do offer a "FamilyShield" service that blocks some sites. -- BenRG (talk) 02:56, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Also, note that OpenDNS does claim to block malicious sites. So if you are getting actual pop-up windows with the block message, then OpenDNS may actually be blocking malicious pop-ups for you. --Bavi H (talk) 03:51, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Here are instructions for setting up OpenDNS: use.opendns.com. To remove OpenDNS, you would use the same instructions, but typically change the DNS settings to "obtain DNS server address automatically" or similar. There are DNS settings in your computer and your router, so check both places. Also see How do I Disable OpenDNS Completely?.

More information: As BenRG said, OpenDNS isn't a program, it's an alternative DNS server. A DNS server is like a directory assistance operator: Any time you go to a name address (like en.wikipedia.org), you computer asks the DNS server it has on file what the correct number address is for that name. You computer then connects to the number address to access the site. Usually your computer and router get DNS server settings automatically from your ISP. But you can override the automatic settings with any DNS server you want. --Bavi H (talk) 03:51, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

I've seen OpenDNS used at some places that have public wi-fi, and they used it to block stuff like porn sites and proxy sites. I've seen it block sites that weren't "adult content" that were incorrectly labeled as "adult content" (specifically, Uncyclopedia is labeled as such, yet Encyclopedia Dramatica is not, and they don't change anything when you fill out the unblock request. If you're using a mobile phone, you can evade this by using the Opera Mini browser. 68.56.137.137 (talk) 23:28, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Can I do this in Microsoft Word?

I know it's often said that most people don't use 95% of the features in Microsoft Word. I'm one of those people so I assume what I'm thinking of is actually a feature unknown to me.

Is it possible in Word to fill in the blank or insert a word in 100 different places in an instant? I mean I have a long document I often use and need to change the name of the person in the document in 100 different places. Is it possible to set the document up in a way that allows me to change the name in all places by just doing so in one place?

Thanks in advance

Globalistcontributor (talk) 05:00, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Have you looked at ms word mail merge? [1] This may possibly be what you are after, though you haven't really explained what you are trying to do. AndyTheGrump (talk) 05:06, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

There is the global search and replace ability (Control R). However, it might have problems changing "Smith" to "Jones" if there is also a "Smithers" (which would become "Jonesers"), or if "Smith" is misspelled somewhere. If there is an "entire word" selection box, that should avoid the first problem, but not the second.

Something else you might want to do is set up a template, with some unique character string like *LAST_NAME* wherever a last name belongs. Then you can do a global search and replace on that name whenever you need to put in an actual name, and save the document under a new name to preserve the template for next time. (From experience, it's best to make a backup copy or two of the template, too.) StuRat (talk) 05:10, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

You should always check the document after a global search and replace, though, as it can cause problems (in addition to those listed above):

A) There can be grammar problems, like if you replace "We purchased a computer" with "We purchased a X-ray machine" (here it should be "an X-ray machine").

B) There can also be spacing problems, if a longer word forces an illustration to jump to the next page, etc.

StuRat (talk) 05:23, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Mail Merge and Fields in general seem to be the built-in features you're looking for, rather than StuRat's ad hoc methods. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:23, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Do they avoid the problems I listed above ? StuRat (talk) 04:51, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I'm on Linux, so no MS Word to test it, but my impression is that Fields are limited to certain special functions, and Variables would be the preferred solution. See this, or this: Variables make it possible to: Change text once and automatically update it everywhere.. Ssscienccce (talk) 07:55, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Problem with attachments

Hello, everyone. Since yesterday, every single time I try to send an e-mail attachment, the program I use crashes. I've tried it on Firefox, Thunderbird and Internet Explorer (yes, I actually tried IE) with the same negative result, which makes me think this is a Windows problem. I've scanned my computer for malware and viruses and found nothing. What could be causing the problem? Thanks! Leptictidium (mt) 09:10, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Okay, it just solved itself "magically". I deleted an MS Word file and it started working again. The weird thing is that the file was perfectly malware clean and functional, the only special thing about it is that it had quite a long name... Leptictidium (mt) 09:14, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Maybe you have a shell extension installed that can't handle the filename. That would explain it happening in all three browsers and magically going away when a specific file is removed. The most obvious shell extensions do things like add extra options to the right-click menu, but you may have a more subtle one that came along with some piece of software on the system. Unfortunately Shell Extension is pretty useless for simply explaining what one is and giving examples of them. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 11:55, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Most versatile laptop backpack?

My SwissGear Airflow (if "Airflow" is the model name) gave out after about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years of service. The straps are still together even though they look like they're about to snap apart, and a hole has already formed in the laptop compartment. I was troubled that it rained last night because I need the backpack's protection for my laptop.

I need a sturdier replacement backpack that will hold a 17" laptop, cushion it from falling shock, protect it from weather, and do an overall better job than SwissGear's pack did.

So do you know of laptop backpacks that will do it one better than the SwissGears? How much better, and how much would they cost? Please post more than one option as you know of them. Thanks. --70.179.167.78 (talk) 10:05, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

I've made excellent experience with using Tom Bihn's BrainCell inside normal, decent quality day packs (and bicycle paniers). Tom Bihn also offer backpacks specifically designed to clip in the laptop case, although I have never used them. Prices range from US$60 to a lot more, depending on what you need. However, I like the BrainCell so much that I even had it shipped to Europe the last time I needed one. I currently have two, one 10 years old and in perfect shape, the other ~5 years old and like new. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 14:34, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Do you two know each other? Your Username 21:14, 13 September 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hayttom (talk • contribs)

Sir, why do you ask? How could we know each other? --70.179.167.78 (talk) 00:49, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Note that you don't necessarily need a backpack designed specifically for a laptop. A general purpose backpack may well be cheaper, and one designed for campers may be sturdier. You may also want to add you own padding, such as bubble wrap. StuRat (talk) 04:47, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Exactly, a neoprene sleeve and a normal backpack is protective enough. OsmanRF34 (talk) 01:17, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

Head First Java

What do people think of this as a book for learning Java? I am not a novice programmer and have done some work with Java before but want to develop my skills properly. Thanks. 188.223.81.244 (talk) 15:57, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Here are some reviews of the book. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 16:16, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks but I guess I should have been a little more 'to the point'. While I realise that I can easily check reviews on the internet, these will quite often be posted by people who aren't in a position to judge whether or not the book is any good. In contrast to this, on the Wikipedia Computing refdesk, there are plenty of people who know what they're talking about and can offer an informed opinion on the subject. That's why I brought the question here. Has anyone ever read it? Thanks. 212.139.212.71 (talk) 19:02, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

I understand. However, we're currently having a little discussion about providing our own personal opinions in response to questions. Whilst your question is typical of many of the questions we've answered in the past, if it can't be answered by providing you with a reference it's not strictly a question we can or should answer. (In fact, as it says at the top of this page, "The reference desk does not answer requests for opinions".) I would argue that a) a review written in a respected magazine by someone who has read the book is more likely to be useful than some random nutcase like me who happens to have rocked up at Wikipedia claiming to know about computers, and b) if we told you the book was great, but when you bought it you found it wasn't suitable for you in some way we hadn't thought of, you'd be cross with us for wasting your money. Hence we offload the potential blame onto Google...

If you want to discuss this policy, please join the conversation on the talk page. We're still ironing out the best way to go about things, so your comments would be valuable. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 20:19, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

No offense, but I strongly disagree with your position. Reviews are often bought and paid for, canned and packaged by PR or people close to the subject or publisher, and authored by people with little to no experience with the topic. It is far more valuable to get an opinion about the book by someone who has experience in the real world with the material, not a reviewer. Viriditas (talk) 23:35, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

For what it's worth, O'Reilly is a well known tech publisher with a good reputation. If you like the style of Head First Java and the level of the material, you can probably buy it with the assurance that it won't contain serious technical errors or omissions (which is more than can be said for books from many other publishers). -- BenRG (talk) 06:15, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Star Control II on Linux via emulator?

If I can't get The Ur-Quan Masters working on my Fedora 17 Linux system, would it be a good idea to actually buy the original Star Control II from eBay and try to get it working via an MS-DOS emulator? I do have both a CD-ROM drive and an HD floppy drive in my computer. Is there a working MS-DOS emulator for Linux? Do I need some copyrighted ROM images, like I needed the Amiga KickStart ROM images for E-UAE, which I was able to provide because I have legally bought the Amiga Forever CD-ROM? JIP | Talk 17:26, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

DOSBox would seem to be the working MS-DOS emulator you're looking for. There's even a Fedora specific download. I'm not familiar with either of the games you mention, so I'll have to leave someone else to help you with the specific files you need, but I'll note that Star Control I and II are available together for $5.99 on GOG.com (a site which normally ensures that the games they sell are compatible with DOSBox). - Cucumber Mike (talk) 17:37, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

(EC) DOSBox which in various forms is likely the first several results for simple search for 'dos emulator' is the DOS emulator everyone uses for DOS games. I haven't personally tried Star Control II, but it's a popular enough game that there should be compatibility reports. As our article mentions, DOSbox is in the software respository for a number of Linux distros and has been ported to many different OSes. As our article mentions, it emulates most essential hardware (including the x86 CPU) for running games so works on a wide variety of hardware. Of course since it emulates, it's possible the game may be a little slow if it was one of the last few games released for DOS and was fairly demanding, on some of the more obscure hardware; but this is unlikely to be a problem on any modern desktop or laptop computer, and is unlikely to be a problem for Star Control II in any case. As our article mentions, the only copyrighted ROMs that are likely relevant would be those of some of the sound hardware it can emulate, in particular the MT32. P.S. [2] is a decent site for help with running generic old games. Nil Einne (talk) 17:55, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

The reason DosBox doesn't need a binary dump from a real BIOS ROM is that DosBox emulates the binary interface a PC BIOS presents to subsequent programs. That is, it implements the same interrupt handlers (the IBM PC's primitive API/ABI, essentially) which are hooked by a real BIOS. So it emulates a BIOS (and VBE, I think) but doesn't run one. This is different from virtualisation solutions like VmWare and VirtualBox, which actually run real BIOS images (and I assume adapter ROM images for their fake video devices too). I don't know whence VirtualBox' one comes, buy VmWare's seems to be an actual licenced Phoenix BIOS. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 20:10, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

I have now installed DosBox. (yum install dosbox was all that was needed.) I have also bought an original copy of Star Control and Star Control II on CD-ROM from eBay. Once the CD-ROM arrives, can I just copy its contents to some directory on my hard disk, start up DosBox and run the game from there? JIP | Talk 09:39, 16 September 2012 (UTC)

34-Pin FDD to 40-Pin IDE

I recently bought a 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive and installed it in my PC's chassis, but when I proceeded to connect the cable, I found that the FDD side has a 34-Pin port and my motherboard has only 40-Pin IDE ports, is this possible to connect the FDD to the motherboard, do i need some kind of adapter and where to get one, thank you for any help you can provide. 27.104.166.178 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:30, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

The two standards are completely incompatible (despite their connectors looking similar) - compare the pinout described in the Parallel ATA with the floppy pinout. As you've discovered, few recent motherboards have FDD connections any more, and while some people (supposedly) sell PCI adapter cards with floppy drive controller interfaces and the appropriate header, I don't know if I'd be confident that you'd get those working. I recently found myself in a similar situation like you, with a couple of old but probably functional internal 3.5" floppy drives sitting around, and no machine that would take them. When I had to read and convert a bunch of ancient floppies a family member found in a box somewhere, I bought a new USB floppy drive and used that. It worked as flawlessly and as painlessly as you can imagine reading 200 glacially slow disks could ever reasonably get. Even though you've just bought that drive, the USB way is still probably the path of least suffering for you. In the worst case, you might be able to find an older PC that someone is discarding, and using it (assuming it does still have a FDD riser) to read that box of floppies I imagine you've just been handed. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 19:54, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

27.104: The similar-looking ports are utterly incompatible, even the voltage levels are way off. Trying to convert between them using pure copper (as opposed to an interface with a chip on it) will only fry the drive and probably your mobo.

If you want a cheap solution, try to get your hands on an old PC (late 90s/early 2000s should be decent), install an OS (Windows 98 or XP - chances are you'll have a genuine license for one of these which is not in use), and hook it up to your LAN. (Many mobos have a LAN connector on-board - otherwise chances are you can get used LAN interface cards for free, too)

Install the floppy drive there, and share it to the LAN - read access should be fine for retrieval.

If you don't feel like screwing around with hardware and OSes, get the USB solution, but you won't get the chance to boot from there (FWIW). And (grapevine - could anyone else add on this?) most USB FFDs suck at error correction too. If you have a lot of faulty floppies, having to wait for 30 seconds until the drive gives up is a pain.

Finlay: Don't underestimate the value of old floppies.

3.5" floppies are quite easily fucked up (usually they develop waves and bumps near the sheet-metal part), but I have some good 5.25s from the late 80s. When I did a scan of these last year, ALL of these (~80) were fully readable. So, cause I don't trust USB flash media in their fullest, I save small files which don't need multi-megabyte volumes anyway (batches, boot.ini, WP articles, etc) to floppies. Works like a charm, and inserting a floppy is not that much slower than inserting a flash drive anyway. - ¡Ouch! (^{hurt me} / _{more pain}) 08:55, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I have a USB 3.5 drive and can boot my computer from 2008 using floppy disks just fine, except MS-DOS doesn't natively recognize the NTFS file system and therefore can't read the hard disk. To get it to work, I just had to change the boot settings in the BIOS. By the way, are there any USB 5.25 drives? Not that I have any of those old disks around anymore except one or two, but as someone that used 5.25 disks when I was really young, I've always thought they were cool. PCHS-NJROTC ^(Messages) 14:14, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Back in the mid 2000s, before flash media really took off and 3.5 disks were still being used, a teacher gave us a homework assignment on the computer and instructed us to bring the assignment in on a floppy disk. So smart alack that I am, I brought in a blank 5.25 inch disk along with the 3.5 inch disk that actually had the assignment on it. The initial reaction was priceless, the other students (middle school aged at the time) were like "what the F is that thing" and the teacher was like "uh, I don't think I can accept that, I didn't know they even made those anymore" (this was a brand new school at the time, they didn't have anything old that could read the disk). PCHS-NJROTC ^(Messages) 14:35, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

(EC) I've had 5.25" floppies go moldy within 1 - 3 years (possibly less) in Malaysia so it doesn't seem that great to me.... Also from memory it's easier for the drive to scratch the disk if something goes wrong. On the flip side, it is easier to clean a 5.25" floppy then a 3.5" one although using a modified floppy drive does help either way (but you have to be careful not to press too hard else you will be to the one scratching the disk). While CDs can go moldy, from memory it's a lot less common with CDRs. But anyway a simple search shows people have evidentally developed USB to FDD interface adapters (primarily hobbyist) [3] [4] [5].

As for 3.5" floppies, evidentally some of those superfloppy attempts like the SuperDisk, Caleb UHD144 and Sony HiFD evidentally could read normal floppies and also used an IDE interface (for the internal version) so this may be another option (IDE is dying, but adapting to SATA is usually fairly simple and very cheap). Of course drive issues may be another matter, but I presume it's dosable with Linux. The Zip drive, which I'm pretty sure was the most successful attempt, didn't support 3.5" floppies (our article suggests this wasn't entirely coincidental). It also suggests perhaps using the 3.5" floppy compatible super floppies etc won't work as well as I suggested, I'm not sure if they're ATAPI (but the ATAPI article suggests SuperDisk at least was).

Nil Einne (talk) 15:46, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

BTW, funnily enough you can also get memory stick to floppy disk adapters [6] for old computers which don't support USB card readers (or whatever, I didn't quite try to understand why you'd want one) although their support is evidentally a bit hit and miss. (I may have seen some other sort of floppy disk adapter before but can't remember.) For CNC and other devices which connect to a floppy drive, you can alsog et devices which expose a USB memory stick to a floppy interface [7] [8] (including as a 5.25" drive although only '1.2 MB' not 360k). Nil Einne (talk) 15:51, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

I don't know if you really need to go that far back. A fair number of motherboards from 2008 still had floppy connectors, I'm using one now, something like [9]. So does one I used in a computer I put together in 2009 (something like [10]). A quick check confirms even some socket 1156 motherboards had them as well [11] [12] and AM3 ones [13] [14]. I'm pretty sure these will work fine, they don't look any different from a 2005 motherboard which I have used a flopp in. (Actually I may have used a floppy in either the 2008 or 2009 motherboard but I'm not sure.) Evidentally the chipset [15] is also one commonly used for fan speed monitoring and PWM control so if they used that specific chipset, they just have to do the wiring and enable support in the BIOS. IIRC Asus also uses ITE chipsets. It does seem like this practice has finally died with AM3+ and LGA 1155 motherboards from my quick looks (at least with Gigabyte), but still no reason to go so far back. Of course if you're using a microATX motherboard (although even then .... [16] [17]) or an OEM one, you're far more likely to be SOL, but that that primarily suggests you just need to be a bit more careful. And I do distinctly remember in 2004 or I think even 2005, new Dell computers at the University of Auckland either had floppies or recordable CD.

And I'm pretty sure Windows 7 supports 5.25" floppies (it definitely supports 3.5" ones), I strongly suspect Windows 8 does as well. (I think I've used an internal floppy in either Vista or Windows 7, I've definitely never used a USB one.) There is some discussion here indicating some problems with Windows 7 and GB AM3 mobos and floppies [18] [19] (yes the later is usenet but I'm lazy to try and find it in better form) but the second discussion also mentions problems with USB floppies. (The discussions also indicate you might have more luck on Linux.) Although some of the people asking questions don't seem that competent, I wonder whether Windows cares about the floppy being enabled in the BIOS and the person doing it didn't know about this because nowadays for normal configs you rarely need to visit the BIOS. (I note no one mentioned the BIOS except for disabling HPET, I presume the person doing that did make sure everything else was right. Well ignoring irrelevent stuff like floppies for BIOS flash.) I wouldn't be as confident as FMW that a USB floppy would just work. It's perhaps worth remembering Windows Vista took so long to come out after XP, in particular late 2006 and with Windows XP, if it didn't support your hard IDE/SCSI/whatever HD interface chipset, you either had to slipstream drivers into the media or use a floppy, Windows XP was not capable of loading drivers from anywhere else.

In other words, since you obviously don't plan to run the stuff of the floppies, I don't know whether you really need to go so old. You can be fairly guaranteed of floppy support in such an old computer whereas it's less guaranteed in a newer one, but you could always do a small amount of research/checking. Unless things are very odd in the US or whatever location you're referring to, finding a 2005 or so computer isn't going to be much harder or cheaper then a circa 2000 one.

Nil Einne (talk) 15:46, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

To clarify things, I suggested 98 or XP not because the new OSes couldn't handle floppies (they can) but becuase you want a snappy little OS on a PC that old, not a slow-moving Jabba of an OS. And because the WGA thing is a royal ain in the pass.

"I've had 5.25" floppies go moldy within 1 - 3 years (possibly less) in Malaysia so it doesn't seem that great to me..." High humidity can be an issue. (Won't it make 3.5 disks rust at the edge of the metal hub?) I remember vaguely that floppies are for <80% RelHum only. Unfortunately, I don't have the package here, only the individual disks and their paper slips.

As to "The Zip drive, which I'm pretty sure was the most successful attempt, didn't support 3.5" floppies", I think they are mecanically too different. Floppies are flexible disks about 1/64" thick, while Zip disks are massive 3.5" slabs about 1/8" in thickness (guesstimating by Mark 0 instrumentation). The a: drive (aka LS120) was another popular super-floppy. - ¡Ouch! (^{hurt me} / _{more pain}) 07:43, 17 September 2012 (UTC)