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Techy Thread: Post your puter problems in here - Apps 'R' Us!

Started by Neil, January 22, 2010, 01:45:02 AM

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Thursday

My laptop doesn't seem to be connecting to the internet in public places. I've tried a few different Starbucks and Mcdonalds and it just won't connect. My browser used to direct me to a local page where I could give a password and log in, but it won't do that any more.
It says it might be a DNS problem. I've tried messing about with some of the network and sharing options and other setting but I'm not sure what it could be. It used to work no problem so I don't know why it's stopped.

madhair60


Wilbur

Quote from: madhair60 on January 16, 2013, 03:34:00 PM


Anyone know why my PC is doing/saying this? :/

If its 32bit doze then it can only see 3gb typically and 1gb may be in use by the onboard graphics.

MojoJojo

Onboard graphics set to use stupid amounts of RAM?

Windows 7 Starter edition?
Dodgy motherboard/incorrect biod settings?

This article covers the options -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978610

There's some option in msconfig to limit maximum memory, which some people seem to suggest setting/clearing.

madhair60

Well, I took the sticks out and swapped them over - one of them seemed to come away easier than it should - and now it's displaying the proper 4gb.

Thanks all!

Johnny Townmouse

I'm trying to find a way to synchronise my main My Files folders on my PC to my external hard drive so that it just updates the files I have changed, or adds or deletes files in conjunction with my PC. At the moment I am toying around with the synchro function on my PC, which is actually backup and restore. In other words it seems to compress these files, and they have to be unpacked to be accessed on the external. On top of this, it seems to synch the entire hard drive each time, rather than just the files that have been amended. I think this is probably a burden on my PC during the back-up.

At the moment I am backing up about 400GB of documents and after 5 hours it is still on 27%. If I added the same amount of files to external my hard drive using copy and paste (via my USB3) it would probably take about an hour tops. And the files would be immediately accessible.

Am I missing something here, and do people use synchronising software instead?

Blumf

I've not actually used this Windows version, but rsync is designed explicitly for this kind of backup job (simple mirroring of files, including updating)
https://www.itefix.no/i2/cwrsync

Johnny Townmouse

Cheers Blumf. I ended up getting onto this last night whilst I couldn't sleep. I snuffled around and there are some great reviews for GoodSync software, so I am trialling it at the moment.

It will be $50 if I want it, which at the moment I strongly suspect I will.

It synchronised 400GB of my files to my external in no time at all, and I can set it to synch however I like, and in any ways I wish. At the moment it is set to synch every 2-hours and when I log-off so I feel secure.

Now I just need a TB of online storage for full back-up. Yes, I do have an obsessive compulsive disorder.


vrailaine

Within an app, I want to include some pieces of data involving several types of medication(eg. name, dosage levels, bad combinations). Is it more efficient to create a medication class and declare all of the data within the java code, or to reference some form of database stored within the app?

I gather SQLite is pretty regularly integrated into apps but this app wouldn't be recording any new data from the user so that could just be pointless to include.

Very little programming experience.

MojoJojo

I'd recommend against putting it in the source code- it makes it awkward to change any of the data and is generally bad practice.
Do you know about java packages? It's been ages since I've done much with java but I seem to remember there are definitely ways of packaging in xml files that give you data easily accessed from your code.
You could also just put the data in some file yourself and read it out - again xml is good for this since you won't have to faff with parsing too much.

It depends on how much data you're talking about, and how you're getting it. If you have a big file in some structured format with all the data in, just write something that can parse that.

Blumf

Quote from: vrailaine on January 18, 2013, 03:11:08 PM
Within an app, I want to include some pieces of data involving several types of medication(eg. name, dosage levels, bad combinations). Is it more efficient to create a medication class and declare all of the data within the java code, or to reference some form of database stored within the app?

I gather SQLite is pretty regularly integrated into apps but this app wouldn't be recording any new data from the user so that could just be pointless to include.

Very little programming experience.

Best to store the data outside of the app (DB or some file) so you don't have to futz around recompiling/deploying the app if the information changes.

Even something as simple as a CSV file could suffice here (would be easy to edit with a spreadsheet app) but the exact choice depends on a whole load of factors (how much data, how complex, how often you expect to change it). Not a Java user but I'm sure there are loads of libs for handling all the options.

vrailaine

It's a pretty small amount of data, like, 20 entries and only about a maximum of 5 parts to each one. I'm never gonna be updating it or anything, but it'd probably be a good idea to have that option available.
Will probably just do it with the SQLite thing for experience purposes.

Also, relating to another project, can anyone recommend any decent websites for reading up on programming board games? It seems like it'd mostly be pretty intuitive to make a very basic system, asides from determining which moves are legal, all I can think of would be loads of loops checking for obstacles to create an array of possible moves each time

small_world

ME AGAIN!
Hi
Nice to see you all....

Ok, so.
I was given an underwater MP3 player for my 31st Birthday (global-warming and that).
It's pretty good, sound construction, but it doesn't have a display or many buttons.
So few in fact, that it only skips songs, running from start-finish.
With 4GB that's quite a bit of skipping if I want to listen to a song at the end.

SO!!!!
I'd like the thing to 'randomise' instead of playing tracks in order.

How do I do this please?


BYE!!!

Consignia

Quote from: vrailaine on January 18, 2013, 03:11:08 PM
Within an app, I want to include some pieces of data involving several types of medication(eg. name, dosage levels, bad combinations). Is it more efficient to create a medication class and declare all of the data within the java code, or to reference some form of database stored within the app?

I gather SQLite is pretty regularly integrated into apps but this app wouldn't be recording any new data from the user so that could just be pointless to include.

Very little programming experience.

If it's system parameters that aren't going to change, and there's very few of them, I'd recommend a properties file which is a simple key value pair format for a file. Load them into memory at start up, and refer to them using a singleton or something. If it's something that needs a structure, then I guess you can use XML, but it's probably loads of extra work if it's a simple app.

MojoJojo

Properties files were what you'd use when I learnt, but they were replaced with xml (and the api really isn't much more complicated, from what I remember) - which is why I suggested xml.

With regards to board game thing - there's not going to be a guide on anything that specific. But there is an open source system that does what it sounds like you want - VASSAL. Reading up on their forums is probably the closest you can get.

Although that's fairly complex german style board games - if you're talking connect 4 or draughts that's a lot simpler.


Blumf

Quote from: small_world on January 18, 2013, 07:07:19 PM
I'd like the thing to 'randomise' instead of playing tracks in order.

Something to add random text to the start of the file names?

alcoholic messiah

Quote from: small_world on January 18, 2013, 07:07:19 PM
I'd like the thing to 'randomise' instead of playing tracks in order.

How do I do this please?

Shake it really, really hard[nb]Like, super-vigorously.[/nb].

small_world

Will the shaking thing really work?
It's new, so I don't want to run the batteries down[nb]Shaking batteries runs them out. Doesn't it?[/nb].


What I think I'm asking is...
Is it possible to add a script to the player itself, that will make it choose random files, instead of going 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.... You get the picture.

Is that possible?

MojoJojo

No. Unless you have a MP3 player with a name.

And shaking batteries can sometimes get you a bit more charge.

small_world

eh?

it is an mp3 player

and i named it 'underwater mp3 player'

MojoJojo

That's a description, not a name. Short of rewriting the firmware, which is probably impossible, no, I don't think there is anyway you could do that.

The closest you can probably get is to write a script to copy your music across with a random number appended to the front of the filenames, as Blumf suggested.

small_world

Ok thanks.
I'll not do that.
Shame though. I thought my made up idea would have been a real thing.


And another day another issue.

My work laptop, the one I'm currently using, seems a bit odd.
The taskbar, at the bottom of the screen, seems to be causing a nuisance. It's only really noticeable on Facebook, where the chat bar will open a new chat window and the text box is hidden by the taskbar. I'm sure I noticed a few other issues, possible excel spreadsheets and things, that it does the same thing too.

Bit of a bummer, so how do I sort it?
Thanks.

Blumf

incidentally, you can get firmware replacement for some MP3 players, just not low end no-name ones:
http://www.rockbox.org/

Big Jack McBastard

Quote from: small_world on January 19, 2013, 06:30:48 PMMy work laptop, the one I'm currently using, seems a bit odd.
The taskbar, at the bottom of the screen, seems to be causing a nuisance. It's only really noticeable on Facebook, where the chat bar will open a new chat window and the text box is hidden by the taskbar. I'm sure I noticed a few other issues, possible excel spreadsheets and things, that it does the same thing too.

Bit of a bummer, so how do I sort it?
Thanks.

Does locking it have any effect? I've taken to dragging mine to the left hand side of the screen so it takes up a fraction less room.

If not try right-clicking the Start Menu button, go to Properties and seeing what boxes are ticked in the Taskbar tab.


small_world

No, nothing like that seemed to work.
Similar proposed fixes, like locking and booting then unlocking didn't work either....

I ran a system restore and it seemed to sort it.
Other funny things were happening, like, it wouldn't open avg or malware bytes.

Another little oddity, the battery info thing used to show the percentage of power as well as the estimated run time remaining.
Now it just shows the power.

Everything else seems fixed though.

vrailaine

Okay, my laptop, inspiron 1525, done this weird thing a few times where it went to sleep and somehow that fucked up the wireless driver. The thing says it has a strong signal and "internet access", but isn't connected to any router and doesn't seem to acknowledge whether the wifi is on or off.
Occasionally other things have been knocked off too such as the in built microphone, webcam, scrolling feature of the touchpad. Usually just replace whichever files are needed and that's that.

Anyways, it's done that again except the things the aren't working include all external storage that I've tried(CD, DVD, external hard drive, memory card via smartphone and it's saying that I am missing memory card reader drivers too.
...so, how the fuck do I reinstall any of the drivers?


Fake edit: The USB is somewhat working though, the mouse works and everything is getting power. Like, the hardware all seems fine.

Wilbur

Quote from: vrailaine on January 24, 2013, 08:14:16 AM
Okay, my laptop, inspiron 1525, done this weird thing a few times where it went to sleep and somehow that fucked up the wireless driver. The thing says it has a strong signal and "internet access", but isn't connected to any router and doesn't seem to acknowledge whether the wifi is on or off.
Occasionally other things have been knocked off too such as the in built microphone, webcam, scrolling feature of the touchpad. Usually just replace whichever files are needed and that's that.

Anyways, it's done that again except the things the aren't working include all external storage that I've tried(CD, DVD, external hard drive, memory card via smartphone and it's saying that I am missing memory card reader drivers too.
...so, how the fuck do I reinstall any of the drivers?


Fake edit: The USB is somewhat working though, the mouse works and everything is getting power. Like, the hardware all seems fine.

You could try a system restore. Also why not change the power settings so it doesnt go into sleep mode ?

sirhenry

Does anyone know how to get a paypal button to auto redirect to a Thank You page after a successful purchase? It used to be relatively simple, but all the options in the setup seemed to have vanished. And all the online info I can find is from July 2012 or earlier, when the system was slightly different, it appears.

vrailaine

System restore fucked up, but I got a USB drive running with a linux thingy off a cd, so I just put all the drivers onto the laptop from there.

Think I'll finally set up a second OS on the hard drive now, got it all partitioned and everything.