Where's the "Any" key? New Tech Support Thread

[alistarr*]

i have a quick question of my own actually: when you get a new PC or do a new "restore factory settings" or whatever it's called in windows, is there any nice easy way to get rid of all the free trials and assorted pointless software that usually comes pre-installed? i mean, other than buying another copy of the operating system.

if not (and i'm guess that "not" is the case), am i potentially missing any key bits if all i'm doing is going through add/remove programs and then checking the list of stuff set to run on startup? or does that pretty much cover it?

[YojimboMonkey]

yeah, pretty much add/remove programs and msconfig to clear the startup

or you can do a clean install from a windows disk rather than using the factory image provided by the manufacturer and then track down and install all the drivers required for the hardware and manually install any required software, which is actually what I prefer to do since so many manufacturers ship their PCs basically useless with all the preinstalled shit.

wrt the Netgear device, alistarr*'s advice to try a wired connection is good, also according to Netgear's website there are 9 different version of that product and each probably has its own unique wrinkles, so make sure you get the right manual. (Netgear Support Site)

Are there multiple wireless devices unable to connect to the router or only one?  If it's only one, have you made sure the radio is on?  Most laptops have a function button or a manual switch that turns the wireless radio on and off, there's probably an indicator LED on the laptop itself that will show whether the radio is on or not. 

[Thermofusion]

Going back to Daniel's thing: can the good people recommend some good routers? Mine is a piece of shit and I've put up with it way too long (it's a D-Link something or other)

[alistarr*]

thanks jim for the installation tips.

[Daniel]

Thanks alistarr* and Jim!  Situation is that all comps in the houses aren't recognising the router, from iPhone to desktop to laptop.  Ethernet connection does acknowledge the modem but I've mislaid the ISP login deets  - not needing them for a couple of years - and finding that will be part of my mission
 today.  I'll have a read of the manuals and see if that throws up anything.

[slow west vultures]

i'm using lptj on ie8 and up on the top there's a little icon of a page torn in half that's for compatibility view that says websites designed for older browsers will look better and problems such as out of place menus or images will be fixed.  i've been having to click it every time i've come on to lptj, because otherwise it will show me that i'm the last person to have posted a day ago.  i just clicked on it now when i read the forum page because it had been showing me the same post from andrew was the last post for a couple of days in a row, and then it updated it.  is this a board problem, or my web browser problem.  is there any way to change a setting to make the compatibility view automatic?

[alistarr*]

no answer for you, but what you described would certainly be a possible explanation for my own continuing problems with the board not refreshing when it loads a page (until i tell it to refresh). i have my own problem with both IE6 and IE8, but have never been offered "compatibility view".

[slow west vultures]

its just an icon up on the url bar.  this is a new computer running windows 7 so maybe that's part of the problem.  i didn't seem to have this problem on our old computer

[RoyBiggins]

So, a while back, we got a Mac.  It's cool.  I laugh, though, at how easy-to-use people insist macs are, or how intuitive.  They're easy to learn, sure, but I don't find the shit you do on 'em super intuitive. 

Also, garageband is kind of this weird insane thing...I had no idea...the number of guys living in dorm rooms making rap albums must have gone through the roof in the last 5 years.

[RoyBiggins]

Also, do any of you guys use Spaces on a mac?  I can see them being helpful for, for example, doing shit like opening an array of programs you use together with some specific window sizes, right?  Like a workspace in Illustrator or InDesign.  But I got this Apple-Obsessed friend who insists that Mac power users don't minimize windows, they have a dedicated space for each program they use, (i.e., he's got his lower-left corner set to activate spaces, and he assigned the 9 programs he uses most each 1 button on the numeric keypad.)  I think that's retarded. I didn't tell him, though. He seems super pleased.  But the idea that lots of people think that only Windows users minimize programs makes me a little sick to my stomach.

[jess]

Spaces is relatively new, so I'm sure there are many old school Mac users like me (been using Apple machines since the Apple IIe) who don't really use it simply because we haven't bothered to get in the habit of it.

[donblood]

Also, do any of you guys use Spaces on a mac?

I use Spaces and Expose, with "active screen corners" (meaning you move the mouse cursor all the way into a corner of the screen and something happens).  Top-left corner is Expose, so I can see my four spaces/desktops at once and drag windows around between them.  Top-right is All Windows, meaning show me all the windows open in the current space so I can start using one that's not on top.

(note: coldforge showed me how to do all of the above)

I also have application assignments, meaning certain apps are assigned to certain spaces.  Of my four, one is always Firefox, one is always iTunes, and the others are a combination of other stuff I use.  (You can set this up in the Spaces part of Expose & Spaces in System Prefs)

I switched to a mac after 14 years of turbo-nerdy PCdom and this Expose/Spaces setup is now like my one true end-user romance.  You should try it, at least for a while.

[RoyBiggins]

That seems like a more reasoned approach, at least.  I'd have to think about how I'd really use that in a meaningful way, though. 

[donblood]

If you have 2+ apps that you always have open (i.e. web browser & itunes) it will make your life a lot easier.  Also don't think about it, just do it

[RoyBiggins]

Huh. Okay, your explanation and my attempting to set stuff up is yielding some promising pseudo-ideas, but not a lot of results.  Do you feel comfortable posting or emailing me a screenshot of your expose and spaces preference screens?

[RoyBiggins]

O Hey, Also: anybody know a good DVD ripping program for mac? I wanna convert some o' my dvds to ipod.

[Ignatius]

Handbrake

[donblood]

Huh. Okay, your explanation and my attempting to set stuff up is yielding some promising pseudo-ideas, but not a lot of results.  Do you feel comfortable posting or emailing me a screenshot of your expose and spaces preference screens?

I feel totally comfortable!  PM me your email address.

[RoyBiggins]

Handbrake

I thought they kinda crippled handbrake so it couldn't do that? That was what I gathered from reading online. I'll give it a whirl.

[diesel_powered]

It has great presets for the iPod.

[Ignatius]

Handbrake

I thought they kinda crippled handbrake so it couldn't do that? That was what I gathered from reading online. I'll give it a whirl.

Oh... Maybe. I guess I'd been running an older version? Sorry.

[elpollodiablo]

O Hey, Also: anybody know a good DVD ripping program for mac? I wanna convert some o' my dvds to ipod.

iSquint. It's one-click ripping basically, and works great. I use it sometimes before flights. It does take a while to do the conversion, tho. http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19769

[alistarr*]

what's the upside in buying an expensive HDMI cable (as opposed to a cheap one)? is there any difference in picture/sound quality or lag/speed or whatever or is it just build quality i need to think about?

once again i am buying things for other people who apparently don't know how to buy things.

[Good Intentions]

Mostly high-price cables are just a rip-off. There are contexts in which using only the best components is really necessary (studios, high-def recording) because every bit of noise makes a difference. But the amount of noise that a meter or two of cable introduces is miniscule. For the most part they're just gouging you.

You wouldn't believe the mark-up on cables.

[andronicus]

There's no 'mostly' to it.  Retailers charge insane markups for cables in order to recover margin from the low-margin sales like TVs, etc.  Never buy an HDMI cable in a retail store, always buy online, and unless your av system retails for like, $20,000 or more, always buy the absolute cheapest cable you can possibly find.