Posts by kc0arf

Hello,

While some might argue that the movies "Deep Impact" and "Armegeddon" may be science fiction, I do think the threat is real that some rock out there could come and hit us. I also find it disturbing that if you are younger than 30 years of age, you were not *alive* when the last man walked on the moon.

I can only wonder what kind of job creation possibilities we could have here in the US if we got the Space program off the ground, and returned to the moon, or worked to design a system to protect the fragile Earth from devistating encounters.

I suppose we have to stop fighting ourselves in the Middle East, eh?

Christian

Hi,

I like seeing discussion, even if there is conflict. The important thing to remember is that the discussion has to remain on topic, and no personal attacks. I have seen forums where they are talking about this technical issue, and then someone compares it to social security, and then we have a Bush vs. Kerry war on our hands.

Moderators have to keep the discussions on target.

Christian

Hi,

I too would like it removed from here. I think it is a distraction from the mission of the forum.

Christian

Hello,

I am glad that we do not delete users, nor do we hard delete problem posts. I too see the administration nightmare.

Christian

Hi,

Motherboards tie everything all together. If you want performance, your motherboard design determines the clock refresh rate, the memory update rate, front and backside caching, and a bunch of other things.

I notice that you are missing some sort of backup device for your striped hard drives. I would hate to see you post in our Windows forum that you are missing files, and need help recovering them.

I'd love to run Linux on this one, actually.

Christian

Hello,

Wajeeh, your 172 address is being defined upstream on the internet, and your IP packets do not have a route from that router point to your dual-card machine.

Do a tracert on something public, such as "tracert www.foxnews.com" anad you will see all of the routers in the path... find the one above the 172 network, and that is the person that you need to talk to.

Linda's suggestion will not work at this stage, because of the routing challenges explained above.

Christian

Hello,

It is a good idea to go and get the drivers before you do the fresh install... and save them to a floppy disk or a USB drive. It can be a bear if XP doesn't recognize your internet connection equipment (NIC card, modem) and then you cannot get online to find the things.

I would also do a scan of the Hardware Device Manager, and find out the pariculars about the hardware that is installed. Can help you with the driver search. Write them down for later use, too.

Christian

Hello,

If you really want to go about it well, you might consider the following:

* Empty the temp files from within your browser
* Crumble the cookies contained in your profile
* Scan with a tool, such as Adaware
* Scan for viruses with another tool

I do not support the idea of going into the C:\Windows and looking for things to squash. People can get delete happy, and that is a bad thing.

Also, if you do crumble your cookies, you might loose saved passwords to your online banking and things of the like. But from a security standpoint, would you really want to save that stuff on your computer? Think of the other processes that can eat your cookies from the cookie jar.

Christian

Hello,

I am moving this to Computer Science, as it is a theory question, and not specific to Windows.

For my 2 cents, we refer to command syntax, and grammar in the documentation.

Christian

Hello,

I'm sorry I lost track of this topic -- I was married on April 30, and took some time away from the boards.

Glad it is working now.

Christian

Hello,

Yellow's advice sounds very good here. The other thing that I can think of is that the disk permissions are messed up and need to be repaired.

Christian

Hello,

Due to the rise in SPAM email, networks have tightened up their access to outbound mail servers.

Email comes into a system via POP3 (port 110) or IMAP, with POP3 being very common for home users, and IMAP more of a Groupwise / Exchange / Webmail type folk who leave their email on the main server, and merely read it with a client.

Outbound email is done on port 25, the SMTP (Standard Mail Transport Protocol).

Couple tests that I would do:

1) Verify that your outbound SMTP server information is correct. It might not be the same box.

2) Open up a terminal window and try to telnet to that mail server. An example:

telnet my.mail.server 25

You need the 25 in there to tell telnet the different port number

If you connect successfully, then you know your computer can see the smtp server, and the problem is in the Email application configuration somewhere.

If you fail lto connect, then you have a DNS or IP or name problem.

-- Check to see if you can ping the box. Not all boxes come back, but you should get a valid IP number

-- Do you have a firewall in the middle of the arrangement that could be blocking the outbound messages? That is unlikely, but not impossible.

-- Compare the results with the working computer.

Let us know what you find.

Christian

Hello,

I would think that your world would be happy at the 4 GB level, unless you were interested in setting up a RAM disk, and keeping a lot of materials within it. RAM Disks are very very fast (the speed of RAM!), with the danger that if you loose power to the computer... the content within the RAM disk goes away too. I used to use RAM disks with OS 9... my OS X box does not have enough RAM for me to make a useful one and find out.

I do have a RAM disk on my Linux box that is used for small temporary files. I also liked using the RAM disk for internet temp / cache files and cocookies that I love to see crumble at the fate of the power cord.

Christian

Hello,

You did not mention what OS you had working with you, but Virtual Memory is important to have enabled, or you will loose a lot of RAM to the System.

Remember that in the OS 8 & 9 Days, that if you enabled VM, the system could swap information in and out as necessary too... and if you disabled VM, you would loose a chunk of RAM to the system. Ways around this were to use Apple's VM control, or to use a program like RamDoubler to get the VM going without some of the side effects.

I would turn off VM, and if you have a disk defragmenter / optimizer, I would run that, and then turn VM back on.

Christian

Hello,

It is possible that you have bogus definitions for the microsoft sites in your hosts file. do a search for hosts... it will be in System32\drivers\etc or something like that, and you will need to open it in a text editor. Do not merely delete the file... check it to see if there are IP numbers and listings. The information of 127.0.0.1 belongs in that file.

You can also do a ping test

ping www.microsoft.com

and see if the numbers resolve properly.

Christian

Hello,

There are various bugs (viruses) out there that can cause an XP system to restart. I would bet that you will need to download a Spyware / Antivirus utility to clean your machine before it will work properly again. There is also a chance that you recently installed something, perhaps a new video card, or a set of software, that the system doesn't like, and it is forcing the reboot.

Do you receive any warning messages when this happens?

Try booting into safe mode and looking at the logs.

Christian

Hello,

I would try a disk repair --> Fix Permissions on the computer first. You may have other things out of whack. This tool is part of the Disk Utility tool found in the Applications --> Utilities folder.

Christian

Hello,

I think your monitor is going to sleep before the screensaver engages. Check the control panels to see when you have the timings set for what mode.

Christian

Hello,

You did not mention any data that had to be recovered.

Might want to develop a backup strategy so that you would not have to worry the next time this happens.

Good luck with it.

Christian

Hello,

Some programs require a reboot or a shutdown before they give up their spot in add/remove programs.

Try that.

Christian

Hello,

I believe you have a software failure on the hard drive. If the drive died, in terms of a physical death, it would not loaod windows at all.

You will probably need to reboot from CD, and format and start over. If the format / partition process fails, then you could have a mechanical ailment on the device.

Christian

Hello,

If I were you, I would boot to the CD and re-partition the drive, and re-install cleanly. If you have data on that disk that you need, you will need heroic measures to get it off safely.

Christian

Hello,

I am assuming you have on your laptop a live XP or 2000 environment.

Log in as Administrator.

Right-click on the files to edit the security. You might need to "take ownership" of the files before it allows you to change the permissions. Then, the files should be yours.

If you need detailed instructions, google on Windows Take Ownership.

Christian

Hello,

Be careful of blaming Apple here. Until you know for sure what blew, be careful throwing the stone. It could have been a power surge, or a brown out; perhaps some dust overheated something, or a static discharge. It is possible that any other computer -- Dell, Compaq, Gateway... could have had the same thing happen.

What kind of Laptop did you get?

You might want to consider a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for your computer, and run your power from there. If there is a lot of static in the room, you might need to get a humidifier and take the zap out of the room.

And it is OK to have a second computer. As you get more involved with them, you may find yourself with a small army of them around. I presently have 6 in this room right here... 3 of them are on at all times, and the other 3 when I need to expirement with something special.

Most importantly, I am glad you are up and working again.

Christian

Hello,

I am hoping that you have backups tooo.

While your at the store, you might consider getting more memory for your computer. 512 MB is not enough for what you are doing.

Christian

Hello,

You might want to do a Google search on snmp.

Also, if you are invoking the command from Unix or Linux, you might be able to read the man pages concerning it.

I think that the -c is the community name of the snmp server.

Christian

Hello,

The answer here is dependant on your novell network setup.

If your server is only protocol bound to IPX (meaning speaks/understands) then you will need to add the Microsoft IPX protocol to your network stack, or you will need to install the Novell client.

If your Novell server has CIFS (I think it is the name), and it is configured to be in the same workgroup as your XP box, then the XP box should see it. Older Novell servers do not have this installed.... it is not a default option.

If your Novell server is strictly IP, you might be able to ping it. But then, you should also see it inside My Network Places as a Netware device. Then again, if you are on a different IP subnet, and the router doesn't pass Multicast packets (netware 6 default) then you won't see it.

In order to help you further, you need to tell us a lot more about your network setup.

Christian

Hello,

You need to ask your Sequential File Access / Random File access in another thread. People who know the answer, but know nothing about C++ or your talking question will not glance at it. I would suggest the Computer Science forum.

Christian

Hello,

I am glad that you got it working. You might consider posting the solution below, and mention what you had to correct, in order to get the code working.

Glad you are all set,

Christian

Hello,

Your best bet for performance is an external firewire device, or if you have older technology, an external SCSI device.

USB was not designed for the raw speed requirements that you need... that is what firewire is for.

Christian

From Catweasle:

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER DELETE SOFTWARE!

Uninstall software, don't delete it. Deleting software does not work!

Hello,

I would get everyone out of the application / database before making a new backup of it. If you do not have an uncompressed backup of the database, then you could really be in trouble.

It is also possible that the volume is compressed, but the actual database file is not. Check the properties to be sure... because the filesystem (Microsoft Server) should automatically decompress the database when it is read... meaning it might be uncompressed! Go into Windows, and enable alternate colors for compressed files... the ones that are compressed will appear blue on your screen.

Check out http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs-compressed.htm

To answer your questions:

1) Depends on what is in your database. Raw numbers? Letters? Pictures? The data type has a direct relationship with how much can be compressed. I think a lot of people assume 50 percent.

2) It shouldn't, as the OS compressed the data, and you are not reporting any problems with it. I would still back it up to tape in a few places before doing something with it.

3) Assuming 50% compression ratio, when the file is expanded, it will be twice the size.

Hello,

You might also try viewing with the hidden files revealed. Do not do this lightly though.

Christian

Hello,

vi is not a compiler, or an environment. It is an editor. My personal favorite editor is pico, but emacs is a nice second. I only do crontab editing in vi.

There are times that I have seen Visual Studio clobber other libraries and blow up the computer. I do not recall what the setup order we determined was best to use.

Christian

Hello,

Have you contacted your vendor (the person you bought the software from) via telephone and see what they say? There might also be a technical support phone number to work with too.

Christian

Hello,

Well, it appears that Micro$oft has figured out your dilemma... and offers great student discounts to Office. But if you are a company upgrading Office, the costs are huge.

I love the idea of Open Source software, such as OpenOffice. I use that whenever I can. But I aso went out and purchased some software at home for my Mac OS X computer.

I like the idea of online demos, or software with expiration dates on it, so that you can get the feel of the product before you buy the complete version.

You will find certain companies like QUARK thata extort tooth and nail for unstable crappy software. Just go read their online forums if you do not believe me. The stuff is just not good. You will also find companies like Apple that will have a moderately priced bulk license for their OS, such as the Family OS X (5 user) license for $150 or something like that. You will also find companies like AutoDesk that have ridiculous registration / authorization technique that doesn't work 1/2 the time, and you loose money waiting on the phone for them to get you a proper license key.

Christian

Hello,

My guess is that you are running a computer with marginal memory for XP to work with, such as maybe only having 128 MB or so of RAM, and that your computer's hard drive was nearly full when you started the SP installation, and that either the download file, or the extraction, filled up your hard drive. This is why people should partition their hard drives, and not put everything on C:

You basically have a couple options:

1) find a floppy disk that you can boot that will allow you to write to NTFS partitions. While there are several utilities that allow you to read NTFS, you need to be able to write to it. This will cost you money. Use the utility to delete some files on the drive to free up space for the virtual swap file. Kill off some major space -- 500 MB or so

2) put that drive into another computer with XP or 2000 on it, and mount it as a D: or E: on another computer. You will need to set the IDE slave relationship properly, and have the proper cables. Again delete something 500 MB or so to make space.

If you are unable to do those things, you might be able to mount the drive and / or use a NTFS read-only utility to save off important files before re-building the computer. If you have a server handy, try making a bootable floppy to …

Hello,

There might be a registry edit somewhere to change the number from 10, but if you think deeply and responsibly about what you are doing, you should come to the quick solution that your design is flawed.

There is a reason XP Pro (and Mac OS 9 too!) have a max user limit of 10 --> These operating systems are designed for desktop use, and the file sharing thing is an add-on. With 39+ people wanting to share, you should also be thinking about backups, and performance issues... stuff that the XP Pro is not designed to handle. You might also want to consider more than one network card if the share is busy.

You are trying to use a Ford Pinto to tow a large motor boat.

You have two options: Linux Server (with Samba), and Microsoft's server products. Not knowing what your network design is, I cannot recommend one over the other (linux is free, backups will work with it, but will take some skill / Microsoft is expensive, but you can setup a domain and push policies and antivirus manage) If you would like to explore these topics and concerns, please post a new topic in the group.

But in all honesty, even if you want to try and take the cheap "let's hack XP to get it to work" I think you will have short term gains for a huge long-term loss.

Christian

Hello,

To answer your question Technically:

Email recipt (your laptop going to get it) is handled on TCP/IP Port 110... if you are using what is called a POP3 email server. Usually, those ports are open all around to go and get email.

Email transmission (your laptop sending it) is handled on TCP/IP Port 25, and with the advent of spam and the technical efforts to control it, there are a lot of locked down ports, and IP number checkings that occur before it is deemed that the email is trusted to be sent.

As many can tell, these efforts are fruitless, as spam keeps on getting more and more, and legitimate uses of email servers have been stomped out.

Technically, you will need to find the legitimate email server for the network he is on.

Now, let's work with the Political and Social answer:

You are stealing. Either he or his ISP could come after you for theft of information. You are coming in on his network, and unfirewalled, and who knows what else he is exposing to you. I would also argue that since you know that you are doing this that it is a poor reflection of your character to willingly use his connection and not seek permission.

Go have a talk with him. He might ask you to help defray the costs, or you might end up cutting his grass or something along those lines. Do …

Hello,

Depends on what you are writing. For simple C or C++ programs, I like emacs and a Linux command prompt with the gcc or g++ compilers. If I am on my Mac, then XCode is really a cool piece of work. I also have Kdevelop and some other tools installed on my Linux box to do more advanced things there.

I am sure others have their favorites.

Christian

Hello,

I guess the only question I have is WHY you want to have the OS X disk be the startup disk for users too work with?

It might be a permissions problem. After you boot from the hard drive, and have your patches and that installed, be sure to run Disk Utility, and check over the disk permissions. Youo may have an issue with /Volumes or something preventing a proper mount.

Christian

Hello,

I am thinking that the OS is not geared to load from an external USB device, probably because the drivers are not there to engage the USB file subsytem and make the drivers happy.

Older Macs could install from external SCSI devices because they had internal SCSI, and the code / support was in the firmware (ROM) of the computer.

Glad it is working for you.

CHristian

Hello,

Do an ifconfig on the linux laptop, and make sure the device is properly installed, and IP numbers properly configured.

Check the XP box to make sure that interface is up and properly configured.

You should be able to ping across the two of them.

Also ensure that there are no firewalls setup. XP SP2 is enabling a firewall that could be killing the traffic.

Christian

Hello,

The local administrator can reset the password at the flick of her wrist.

I also agree that if you are under my roof, and a minor, I can and will inspect at a moment's notice. While I do think that minors need some privacy, it is my role as parent to be responsible for the actions. And if the law is involved, guess who is liable too?

This situation is beautiful for parents to discuss the concepts of liability, responsibility, and accountability.

Christian

Hello,

OS? Does the BIOS detect the drive? Is it a new drive, or pulled from another box?

Thanks,

Christian

Hi,

I am wondering if the USB devices are not moving the data fast enough, causing a timeout. USB was not designed for this type of application... FireWire is the choice for high speed work that you are doing.

Christian

Hello,

You might want to go through your fonts ONCE, and eliminate the ones that you know you will not use... for example, I do not speak / write / know Chinese, so I have removed all of the Asian fonts from my system. You might need them though. Also look around for font similarities... how many stencils do you need?

But be careful.

Times New Roman BOLD does not have the same effect as using Times New Roman, and then using the BOLD style on it. The font designers released Times New Roman BOLD for a reason. They want it to look good! So do not remove the cousins of the fonts... keep them around for the best typography you can get. We refer to this as a font family.... Times New Roman Italic... Times New Roman Bold... Times New Roman Compressed... Keep the family together.

Christian

HEllo,

Good to see you again.

There is a TINY hole along the CD-ROM drive that you can put a paper-clip into and use that as a mechanical ejection device. Your pin will be pushing a lever to mechanically pop the disk out.

IF that doesn't work, you could have something really mechanically wrong in the drive, and your only avenue then is to remove the CD-ROM DRIVE, and that is not an easy procedure. UNless you are trained, the iMac is a closed case computer. Meaning don't open it, as you risk breaking something.

Christian

Hi,

Just to point out, those numbers in the syntax error report are line numbers inside the files. Look a few lines up or down of the cited line number for a hint.

For example,

1.... #include <iostream>
2.... #include <iomanip>
3.....using namespace std;
4.....
5.....const double APR = .1999;
6.....const double financeCharge = .0167;
7.....const int lateFee = 20
8.....
9.....
10....int main ()
11....{
12....     
    
assign1.cpp:10: parse error before `int'

We see that there is a problem somewhere around line 10. Looking up a few lines, we see the statement lateFee = 20 but no semicolon (;)

The numbers are there to help you. It has been my experience that the numbers hint to problems above the line number. Also remember that one little bug can throw the whole soup down the drain... fix from top to bottom, and you can see from time to time that a whole mess of things get corrected by fixing one little part.

This is the art of debugging.

Christian

Hello,

I removed your email address as it is against policy to have questions here, and answers sent off to you. Please keep answers on-site, so that the next person with the same question can see the answers.

It also helps reduce spam.

To answer, you have a G4 computer with OS X installed on it. If you have the System CD stuck in the drive, and it is working, I think there is a way to change the password with that CD.

To be honest though, unless you need to access your late aunt (sorry to hear that by the way, deaths in the family are hard to deal with), you should format that drive, and start it cleanly over with your information. That is the best way to eliminate ghosts and other crumbs from previous users.

Christian