Author Topic: Tech question thread  (Read 64759 times)

Heradel

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Reply #100 on: April 24, 2009, 05:44:43 PM
Lowky, this is an external hard drive? Is it making unusual sounds? I assume there isn't a backup? You've restarted both? Can you see the drive in my computer or not? Does another computer recognize the drive?

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


lowky

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Reply #101 on: April 24, 2009, 11:10:47 PM
Lowky, this is an external hard drive? Is it making unusual sounds? I assume there isn't a backup? You've restarted both? Can you see the drive in my computer or not? Does another computer recognize the drive?

yes external hard drive, no unusual sounds no back up (i know bad me) have restarted both.  it is visible in my computer but it is unaccessable.  don't have another computer available right now to check the drive.  I went into computer management and looked at the drive it said it was RAW!  It had been NTFS.  I ran chkdsk on it and it was repairing/finding errors including a corrupt file table.  From the Seagate forums I knew this would take a while.  Poster there said 3+ hours.  about 14 hours it was only 9 percent finished and on waking this morning it made it to 10 percent and then some error caused it to stop.  The data is a lost cause i am guessing which really sucks but I don't know if reformatting would work or if I should consider this drive part of the great e-waste problem.


Heradel

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Reply #102 on: April 25, 2009, 02:47:18 AM
Try using Spinrite.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


Russell Nash

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Reply #103 on: May 13, 2009, 09:32:56 AM
My wife installed Skype 4.0 on her work computer (windows xp 2002).  It automatically changes every phone number in he emails into a Skpye hyperlink.  The problem is she has a computer based phone system at work.  She can't use it if Skype is hyperlinking every phone number.  Does anyone know how to turn this off?


Edit:
I found an answer for this one:

To disable Skype number recognition in IE7:
1. Open browser, go to tools, internet options
2. Select Programs tab at top
3. Click Manage add-ons button at bottom
4. Wait for window to open and populate add-ons
5. KILL!!!! "Skype add-on" (mastermind) [select both and disable]

You can pretty much do that in every program Skype has infested.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2009, 12:43:02 PM by Russell Nash »



Zathras

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Reply #104 on: May 13, 2009, 01:17:03 PM
Thanks, Nash.  I have the same issues.



Russell Nash

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Reply #105 on: May 13, 2009, 01:20:07 PM
Glad I could help.

Consider that an answered prayer.  Now send me the hundred bucks.



Russell Nash

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Reply #106 on: May 18, 2009, 02:36:31 PM
OK, question here aimed right at Heradel.  I got Gimpshop for OSX.  Everytime I start it up, it shows a progress bar that says Caching fonts and then after 30-45 seconds it crashes.  I've never gotten any further than that.  Right now I'm running OSX 10.5.7.  Yesterday was the fourth automatic system upgrade since I downloaded Gimpshop.  It hasn't worked on any of these versions.



stePH

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Reply #107 on: May 30, 2009, 03:57:40 AM
I hope somebody can help me ...

I made the mistake of getting an iPod a couple of years ago, and I've been suffering iTunes ever since.

Now just about the only thing I like about iTunes is Smart Playlists, but the program in general can't suck enough.

I know there are a few alternative programs that will load files onto an iPod, but none seem to support smart playlists -- except Songbird which appears to be in a condition somewhere between "alpha" and "beta" software, and I can't get it to work at all.

Anybody know of something that isn't iTunes but will support smart playlists and get the sounds onto my iPod?

(fucking Apple ... why must they suck so?)

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


stePH

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Reply #108 on: May 30, 2009, 05:02:00 AM
You know what goddamn sucks?  I had to reinstall my OS, and when I reinstalled Apple's shitware (AKA iTunes) the play counts on my podcasts got reset to zero, so my smart playlists are all fucked. >:(

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
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Bdoomed

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Reply #109 on: May 30, 2009, 06:38:19 AM
lolz.  i like iTunes (ducks under flying chairs).
especially after dealing with zune software.  talk about suck.

but sorry duno any programs that load onto ipods.
for podcasts? i just use the podcast thing and listen to the ones marked "new".... i duno what else you need... unless the podcasts are not being registered as podcasts and are registered as normal audio... then that sucks...

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Russell Nash

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Reply #110 on: May 30, 2009, 07:18:32 AM
stePh, calm down, count to ten, and then realize the problem is you're running a windows machine ::ducks and runs:: 



Bdoomed

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Reply #111 on: May 30, 2009, 08:08:34 AM
*tries to smack nash with a chair but misses*
damn. he's quick.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Russell Nash

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Reply #112 on: May 30, 2009, 08:16:47 AM
::Pokes bdoomed with a coup stick::



CGFxColONeill

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Reply #113 on: May 30, 2009, 06:38:18 PM
Steph I have not used this but I remember seeing something being posted about it on another forum that I frequent

it is something called IpodLinux wiki

may not be what you need but you can always come back to itunes if it is not what you need

Overconfidence - Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.

I am not sure if Life is passing me by or running me over


stePH

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Reply #114 on: May 31, 2009, 03:06:50 PM
for podcasts? i just use the podcast thing and listen to the ones marked "new".... i duno what else you need... unless the podcasts are not being registered as podcasts and are registered as normal audio... then that sucks...

The iPod does something funny with podcasts ... it orders them newest-to-oldest, so if I want to listen to a bunch in sequence I have to go to the end of the list and play the last one, then repeat for the next.

There are a few programs that purport to transfer files to iPods, such as Rockbox, Sharepod, Poddox, and Songbird ... but apart from Songbird (which still doesn't work for me) none that I've found support Smart Playlists.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


stePH

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Reply #115 on: May 31, 2009, 03:12:13 PM
Steph I have not used this but I remember seeing something being posted about it on another forum that I frequent

it is something called IpodLinux wiki

Doesn't help.  No Linux -- Windows solutions only.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Russell Nash

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Reply #116 on: May 31, 2009, 03:17:48 PM
If you use a smartplaylist to organize your podcasts, the podcasts will be put in the list as they are released.  You can also have any playlist order itself by release date.  

Or when you're playing the podcasts on the iPod, you can use the On-The-Go function to make a playlist in whatever order you want.



stePH

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Reply #117 on: May 31, 2009, 04:25:41 PM
If you use a smartplaylist to organize your podcasts, the podcasts will be put in the list as they are released.  You can also have any playlist order itself by release date.  

I know ... but as I said, only iTunes seems to have this feature in any useable form.  And I despise iTunes to such a degree that I lack the words to fully express myself.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


CGFxColONeill

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Reply #118 on: June 01, 2009, 03:41:38 AM
Steph I have not used this but I remember seeing something being posted about it on another forum that I frequent

it is something called IpodLinux wiki

Doesn't help.  No Linux -- Windows solutions only.
as I understand it you do not have to be running linux to use it... I could be wrong though
I understood it as a modified form of linux to run on an Ipod

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I am not sure if Life is passing me by or running me over


stePH

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Reply #119 on: June 01, 2009, 05:39:51 PM
as I understand it you do not have to be running linux to use it... I could be wrong though
I understood it as a modified form of linux to run on an Ipod

Okay, looked closer at the wiki.  Still no use to me; my iPod's a 4GB Nano, 2nd-gen, and according to this chart iPodLinux doesn't work at all on it -- and very well may never work on it:
Quote
f. ^ For 2G iPod's and newer it is currently impossible to execute custom code due to encrypted firmware. [6]

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lowky

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Reply #120 on: June 02, 2009, 03:06:22 AM
If you use a smartplaylist to organize your podcasts, the podcasts will be put in the list as they are released.  You can also have any playlist order itself by release date.  

I know ... but as I said, only iTunes seems to have this feature in any useable form.  And I despise iTunes to such a degree that I lack the words to fully express myself.
Have you looked at MediaMonkey?  it has another name but will also do smart playlists.  you may need to upgrade to gold version for full functionality of them though.  I am just looking at it myself so don't know much but Itunes is pissing me off more and more lately as well so....


*EDIT*
I haven't tried Floola, but it's supposed to support smart playlists YMMV
« Last Edit: June 12, 2009, 12:48:36 AM by lowky »



lowky

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Reply #121 on: June 26, 2009, 03:27:24 AM
Well the 24 hours with out google i spent here in China, sucked bad.

I am looking into duplicating/migrating some of my life from Google to alternatives. 
I figure Google docs is pretty easy to migrate from so not as concerned.

I looked at some alternatives, some I used before Google Reader sucked me in, but I just can't seem to find another RSS reader that seems as good as Greader.  I like that most of the text of an article is there, especially for the tech threads and DIY threads I read, most of the others I saw don't give you the option to read inline, but send you to the website.  I can skim quickly with Greader and determine if I want to get more info, instead of having to go to a website, frequently wait for all their other crap to load as well as what I *MIGHT*  be interested in.  So I ask you what are some good alternatives to GReader.



stePH

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Reply #122 on: June 28, 2009, 11:47:45 PM
It looks like there's an issue with the permissions for the upload directory, I'll let Steve know.

This issue is still unresolved last I checked.

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stePH

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Reply #123 on: June 28, 2009, 11:52:43 PM
Have you looked at MediaMonkey?  it has another name but will also do smart playlists.  you may need to upgrade to gold version for full functionality of them though.  I am just looking at it myself so don't know much but Itunes is pissing me off more and more lately as well so....

Been using MediaMonkey for the past few weeks.  It seems to work pretty good, except that smart playlists are a feature of the paid version and not available for free.  But I've at least got about the same functionality I had with iTunes before I discovered smart playlists.

I also like that it puts all podcasts in the podcast library, whether they were received via a feed or downloaded manually.  I hated iTunes' putting the manually downloaded files in the regular library separate from the podcast lists.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
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Russell Nash

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Reply #124 on: June 29, 2009, 07:48:44 AM
I also like that it puts all podcasts in the podcast library, whether they were received via a feed or downloaded manually.  I hated iTunes' putting the manually downloaded files in the regular library separate from the podcast lists.

I don't get that with iTunes.  I can change a file from music to audiobook, but I can't change to or from podcasts.