A thread for boring computer questions.

I am trying to listen to 1xtra through realplayer but it says I don't have the correct mime plug-in and that I should seek it here: http://www.real.com/products/player/bbc.html - but when I go there all I get is an advert for realone radiopass. any ideas where to get the plug-in? sorry fr being such a spiv.

Open Office appears to be largely written in C/C++ but using Java to interface to the native components such that third parties can write plugins; it's likely that plugins with the standard distribution are written in Java. Might explain the slowness. Might just be that it's an inefficient C program.

Cozen, seems odd. Maybe you could try installing the latest realplayer. It works fine for me and I've got a two year old realplayer. Although, by the look of the above, it's a Mac you're running on so that may be the difference.

Martin, AVG is a good free antivirus program. Might help.

Thanks, Paul - it took a while to download it and scan my PC, and although it hasn't managed to detect and eliminate whatever trojan is causing this trouble, it does stop that dl.html page actually loading and doing anything, so I feel a great deal safer.

ok I have dl/ed a copy of office 2004 for mac and I am trying to install it, I haf also dl/ed cd keys. when I go to install it it asks fr the key, I type it in, and it says 'please confirm the Product Key you have entered is correct' then reverts to the CD key window with the last 5-digit input box highlighted, as if it wants me to verify it somehow. does anyone know how? or what I am doing wrong?

I'm sure someone can help you.

You're silly. What possibly could Office 2004 have that you'd need that isn't on Office X (which likely is much easier to get an illegal copy of). Sorry, no sympathy. I guess you'll have to hold out for a friend to have a real copy.

what the fuck is the deal with RDRAM and why is it so fucking expensive and why is it the only kind of RAM my Dell can use? Why do you have to buy it in pairs? Where do you find it cheap? Crucial doesn't carry it.

Best Buy.

is it better than other types of RAM? why does Dell use it?

I have no idea. I guess it's fancy RAM. You know, like fancy ketchup.

How do you stop the addresses of websites you've visited staying on the menu thing where you type in addresses (I don't know what that's called)?

Cathy, what have you been looking at?

I'm just asking!

cathy, it's the 'clear history' option. (assuming internet explorer)

Isn't there a separate cache of ones you've actually typed in the url of, that's harder to delete? I seem to recall something like that anyway.

I worked it out, I think. You have to set the "Days to keep history" to 0, as well as clearing the history.

You don't just clear the history though, to answer a question from almost a month ago now. It depends on your browser but yes, most browsers will keep the "memory" of what you've typed in the url box (and also what you've typed in forms) forever unless you clear those out too. Though I only noticed that since I started using a Mac so it might be more of a Mac issue than a PC issue.

OK my question: is there any way to get an irda adapter for the Mac? This doesn't appear to exist. Apparently like 70% of cellphones, like mine, are still being made with irda only technology (and my phone is a really, really new model!). Meanwhile, all I can put on this piece of crap laptop is bluetooth. Is my only option continuing to use the pay service to get new ringers, and the phone's crappy camera to get wallpapers?

Also, if someone can inform me as to whether it is the cell phone companies or the computer companies that are fucking people over right now, I'd also appreciate that.

It's both, really.

I'm surprised how few infrared connectors there are for Mac, but apparently they exist; according to this page:
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27653
the Freebird product should work under OS X. I spotted it here: http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/3320.htm

Looking online, it seems to have been noted that products using some kind of "KC Technology" uh thing chip code whatever I have no idea, that is what will work on a Mac because OS X comes with a driver for that, apparently.

I'm not entirely sure being able to put funny songs on my phone is worth it :\

Looks like even the ones that might work would be pretty expensive...you could probably buy a lotta ringtones straight from the company for the same price. By the time you spent the same as you would have getting the adapter you may want a new phone anyhow.

shouldn't there be a generic usb converter?

OK another question:

This has been going on for a while and I can't figure out what the hell is wrong. When I try to burn a CD in iTunes, it A) goes to the slowest possible speed and fails to burn at max speed B) doesn't seem to be burning actual usable CDs. I'm testing it again right now. It is doing the A) thing, definitely. I am going to test the result CD to see if it is burning data/MP3 CDs instead of audio CDs. I have the preferences set to audio CD, no gap between songs, maximum speed, with sound check off. I can't find anything on Mac support about it and nothing we've done has helped out (ie reloading iTunes a while back). I'm tempted to do another strip and reload of iTunes to see if it fixes it.

It's importing CDs just fine, albeit a little slow (though it might've always been a little slow). The behavior it is exhibiting was NOT something it was doing when I purchased the computer in February.

Help?

FWIW the error message from the console log:

Mac OS X Version 10.3.5 (Build 7M34)
2004-09-30 00:54:59 -0400
Can't get device for hd:,\\:tbxi: 3

Can't get device for hd:,\\:tbxi: 3

Can't get device for hd:,\\:tbxi: 3

iTunes: Burn started, Thu Sep 30 01:05:32 2004

iTunes: Burning to CD-RW media with SAO strategy in MATSHITA CD-RW CW-8123 CA0T via ATAPI.

iTunes: Requested CD burn speed was 33x, actual burn speed is 4x.

iTunes: Burn underrun protection is supported, and enabled.

do you have any other cd-writing software? see if you get the same problem. it might be a burner issue rather than an itunes problem -- the motor in my burner started crapping out which caused cds to burn at very slow speeds. i replaced the drive and that immediately solved the problem.

Hmmm. The only other "cd-writing software" that I have doesn't really count, I don't think (the putting data into the blank CD via finder and then clicking "Burn CD") but I will test that. Tom mentioned that he found a website in which most people said their issue here was with the type of CD they were using, but the ones I use worked fine on Tom's computer and Otis's computer (also both Macs, Tom's a PowerBook and Otis's another iBook G4). I'm going to test it with a different brand of CD as well; I'm hoping that it isn't actually a hardware problem as this thing isn't even a year old :\

It's good if it's not even a year old, surely, as it's still under guarantee?

Ah but here is the trick, I believe I'd have to mail them the laptop to replace the part if that is indeed the problem.

I can't do that, otherwise I'm fucked for school. I have to look into the warranty, but I WOULD be able to send it to them very beginning January--which should just make it under warranty? If necessary, that is.

I have been told they do not do these things in the Apple Store proper otherwise I'd just say fuck all this noise and walk the damn thing to the store.

if the phone company tells me DSL is not available where i live, does this mean i am stuck with dial up?

we're talking suicide here

What about cable?

Yeah, your cable company should have it available (and I've always found that cable is better than phone company DSL anyway, and it should cost approx the same)

Yes, cable is faster and more reliable than DSL in my experience.

i wouldn't trust comcast though!

I want to paste the the filenames from a Windows Explorer folder into a Word doc as text. Any tips on how to do this (Microsoft's help isn't particularly helpful)?

Here's an iBlog / iPhoto hell question.
I'm told by the online help to:
"NOTE: If you are not able to view the photo albums from the iPhoto application, make sure you have the iPhoto Library File path set right in the iLife panel in iBlog application preferences. This path is usually /Users/YourAccountName/Pictures/iPhoto Library/AlbumData.xml."

However, there *is*
(Folder)2002
(Folder)Albums
Dir.data
Library.cache

Within the folder Albums, there is:
Last Import
Pending Rotation
Photo Library
all of which appear to be empty.

THEN I have, on the same path in Pictures

iPhotoLibrary_1
and in it is:
(Folder)Albums
Dir.data
Library.data

And surprise, in the Folder called albums there is again:
Last Import
Pending Rotation
Photo Library
which appear to be empty.

When I go to iLife prefs in iBlog, there is no .xml file for me to select therefore I ca't select anything. I also can't figure out where my iPhoto albums are being stored. I don't have an iLife application file, if there is such a thing.

Help? I just want to add pictures to my iBlog

Library.dataxml file anywhere on that path.
Here is what I do have:

I don't have the file they want me to have, and when I create it, it is empty. Therefore I can't find my iPhoto albums, and neither can iBlog.
Help?

A question regarding the playing of mp3s -

I have just installed musicmatch jukebox in an effort to play mp3s on my (admittedly quite crap) computer. Whenever I try to play anything I get the following error message - MMJB Soundcard error. WaveOut format not supported. I have no idea what this means and can't find anything in the Music match help thing about it. Can anyone help?

Sounds like a Musicmatch problem. Try winamp instead.

I did try to but I couldn't get to the download page. Will try again. I have also been unable to access my pc's volume control or play any of the error beeps in the 'sounds' control panel.

Ok, got winamp. I think this computer (which belongs to my flatmate and which I am using for the first time today) doesn't have a sound card. Winamp has generated an error to that effect anyway. Is there any way that there could be a soundcard which the computer doesn't recognise?

go into control panel > sounds and make sure the mute box is not checked and all the volume controls are up. Also make sure the volume control on the pc itself, either buttons or a dial, is all the way up.

All I get when I go to sounds is the menu to pick the error & syste, sounds. No volume thing in sight. I have tried adding new hardware and it seems as if there is a soundcard but no driver. I'm having a bit of trouble locating a driver as the only information that is provided about the card is that it is a 'PCI multimedia audio device' which I have just learned is a generic term. Is there any way I can find out what kind of sound card I have?

pop it out and read it.

Are you running Windows XP? The troubleshooting function there is v. good.

Nope, Windows 98.

Forgive me for being a total technophobe but I actually have no idea how to go about popping out the sound card. If you could supply basic instructions, I'd really appreciate it.

Windows 98 is your problem.

I probably couldn't give you good enough instruction on popping anything out to prevent breakage and general computer rupture.

shit. It's my flatmate's computer and she is not here.

trying to make a php-generated (from mysql) table sortable by header, in over my head.

Does it have to be php? I'd use javascript for this.

http://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/sorttable/

haha I've been fucking with that js already!