Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 06:03:59 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Search:     Advanced search
we're back, baby
*
Home Help Search Login Register
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  Gaming  |  Topic: Quick [tech] Questions Thread 0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10 11 ... 123 Go Down Print
Author Topic: Quick [tech] Questions Thread  (Read 1186238 times)
Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474


Reply #280 on: December 02, 2008, 01:22:52 PM

My experience with cheap NAS recently has led me to the conclusion that you are wasting your time.

Get a mini case, MB, cheap processor, linux distro and use that instead.  It will cost (MUCH) less and work (MUCH) better.

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
hal
Terracotta Army
Posts: 835

Damn kids, get off my lawn!


Reply #281 on: December 02, 2008, 03:49:25 PM

I got an Ipodtouch. This thing is taking over my life. I now need wifi in my ghetto. Please to advise a wifi setup. Money is not a huge object but lets not get stupid. I have DSL a 4 port router ( 2 puters an xbox connected) . I can not think of anything else you would need to recommend so please to be asking if I left out anything. Probally upgrading main box soonish so that could be an option though I would like a slap it on and go if that is a do able thing. Thank you in advance for your responce.

I started with nothing, and I still have most of it

I'm not a complete idiot... Some parts are still on backorder.
apocrypha
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6711

Planes? Shit, I'm terrified to get in my car now!


Reply #282 on: December 02, 2008, 11:33:16 PM

My experience with cheap NAS recently has led me to the conclusion that you are wasting your time.

Get a mini case, MB, cheap processor, linux distro and use that instead.  It will cost (MUCH) less and work (MUCH) better.

Damn. I can really do without that kind of hassle atm. Especially since I'm an utter linux noob.

The DNS-323 works most of the time, but occasionally just has a freak out and needs rebooting or the UPnP media server refreshing, which annoyingly only seems to happen 5 minutes before the end of a film  Mob

I'll stick with it until (workingness - annoyances) < 0

Edit: can't even get fake maths right!
« Last Edit: December 03, 2008, 04:02:54 AM by apocrypha »

"Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1915.
Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23611


Reply #283 on: December 03, 2008, 03:34:59 AM

I got an Ipodtouch. This thing is taking over my life. I now need wifi in my ghetto. Please to advise a wifi setup. Money is not a huge object but lets not get stupid. I have DSL a 4 port router ( 2 puters an xbox connected) . I can not think of anything else you would need to recommend so please to be asking if I left out anything. Probally upgrading main box soonish so that could be an option though I would like a slap it on and go if that is a do able thing. Thank you in advance for your responce.

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=14149.msg556241#msg556241
Engels
Terracotta Army
Posts: 9029

inflicts shingles.


Reply #284 on: December 03, 2008, 12:06:18 PM

So, I'm looking to upgrade my LCD monitor. What I have is a 20 inch widescreen NEC 20wgx2. I love it, since it does both gaming and video well. I get fairly good color reproduction, good response time, and more crucially, very good video quality for DVDs etc. But I want a bigger monitor. 24" or more. However, its very hard to actually find any monitors on display, and you have to go by reviews, both user and professional, that often leave me with several questions unanswered.

I'm considering this NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi. Its expensive, and an H-IPS type rather than a TN varietal, so although I'm unconcerned about video quality, gaming quality may suffer. Anyone have experience with that type of monitor, the IPS kind?

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Viin
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6159


Reply #285 on: December 03, 2008, 08:42:52 PM

If you like your current TN I would stick with that - the H-IPS will give you ghosting and other issues with fast moving games. EVE would probably be fine, but COD4 would get annoying. Not worth the extra money, IMHO.

- Viin
Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23611


Reply #286 on: December 03, 2008, 09:06:50 PM

The 20WGX2 is an S-IPS panel.
Engels
Terracotta Army
Posts: 9029

inflicts shingles.


Reply #287 on: December 03, 2008, 10:38:31 PM

Ya, that's why I'm wondering about H-IPS. My current S-IPS has no ghosting or motion blur at all. If it has to compromise on anything, its color fidelity. I have an older NEC that my GF uses that has just staggeringly beautiful colors. Games like EQ2 look like entirely different games on hers than on my 20wgx2. Then again, video looks like caca on hers, so we've been content with the 20wgx2 as a multi-function screen, since it excells at video, does well at games, and has 'decent' color rendition.

But heck if I know how a S-IPS is different from an H-IPS. I can read the technical explanations till I'm blue in the face, but till I hear someone who's had one, and describes it a bit to me, I don't think I'll really 'get' H-IPS.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Salamok
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2803


Reply #288 on: December 04, 2008, 09:26:25 AM

TN is crap, other than cheap there is no longer a reason to specifically want a TN panel.  Ghosting on IPS panels was more or less resolved with the introduction of S-IPS and H-IPS is supposed to improve on that.  There are a few nitpickers out there that scan at superhuman speeds and swear they still see ghosting on on S-IPS panels, you said you used an S-IPS and thought it was great then you probably aren't one of the few who prefer TN.

Either way buy it from some place that has a no questions asked if returned within xx days full refund policy and you will be good to go.

I have heard excellent things about the Dell 27" (2709W) and my personal experience with the Dell 24" (2407W) has left me with 0 complaints.

For reference here is some easy to understand information on panel types:

Excellent pre H-IPS post on Hardforums

Some great Wikipedia info (covers H-IPS)


edit: my Dell 24 is a S-PVA panel (not sure what they use now), I also have a dell 20" (S-IPS) that sits right next to it, I prefer the color/contrast/brightness of the 24" S-PVA but part of that may be from a better backlight.

Out of curiosity I looked up what the 2709W uses and it is also a S-PVA panel (6 ms g2g response time).  Also this is a pretty cool site for looking up what type of panel is used in your monitor: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/
« Last Edit: December 04, 2008, 09:37:44 AM by Salamok »
Viin
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6159


Reply #289 on: December 04, 2008, 10:09:25 AM

For some reason I thought my Dell wide screen LCD was TN, but it's not!

Dell 2007WFP   16ms or 8ms G2G   20"WS LG.Philips S-IPS (LM201W01) or Samsung S-PVA (LTM201M1)

So nvrmnd about the TN. From that site, the article on monitor types:
Quote
[IPS] response times were traditionally behind those of TN Film and VA panel variants, but modern IPS panels including the new generation of Horizontal IPS (H-IPS), Enhanced S-IPS and Advanced Super IPS (AS-IPS) panels can offer responsiveness to rival both, thanks primarily to overdrive technologies.

More info:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/panel_technologies.htm


- Viin
Engels
Terracotta Army
Posts: 9029

inflicts shingles.


Reply #290 on: December 04, 2008, 02:53:52 PM

I was looking at that Dell ultrasharp 2709wfp, but I'm hearing reports that the dot pitch is just too big if you're sitting at a table with it. The 2408 gets some pretty mixed reviews, especially in regards to color saturation, so I'm a bit skittish about it. I am just a princess with a pea when it comes to this stuff. What's the point of blowing hundreds on a video card if your monitor looks like crud. Its like buying a villa with a splendid set of bay windows looking out on a dump if you don't.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Bunk
Contributor
Posts: 5828

Operating Thetan One


Reply #291 on: December 16, 2008, 08:14:40 AM

Question for Excel Gurus:

Here's my situation: I have a worksheet to calculate a percentage of a credit applied to part of an order. The sheet works great. Once it calculates the appropriate refund though, I want to give the users a nice simple summary of the calculation that they can copy and paste in to their notes. The issue is in the formatting.

Here is the formula I am using to create the "calculation":

="$"&A3&" - ($"&A3&" "&B3&" / $"&A10&" total order = "&C3&" X Total Credits of $"&E3&") = $"&G3&" prorated pricing"

Here is what is displayed in cell C3: 48.02% and for cell G3: $1.32 on the worksheet. Those cells have had thier formating adjusted to "percentage, 2 decimals" and "accounting, 2 decimals"

However, here is the result of my formula above:

$60 - ($60 MS / $124.95 total order = 0.480192076830732 X Total Credits of $-122.21) = $1.31572629051621 prorated pricing

I have attempted to adjust the Formating for the cell that my formula is in; I've set it to Numbers, with two decimal places, but it doesn't change anything. Anyone have any idea how I can get my formula to not display 15 decimal places...

"Welcome to the internet, pussy." - VDL
"I have retard strength." - Schild
Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474


Reply #292 on: December 16, 2008, 08:34:44 AM

I'm not an excel guru at all though we do use it for some things.  I think I would make another cell that displays the value after it's been rounded/truncated to 2 decimal places.

Your values will stay accurate but the one for the customer will be an 'estimate' (in your example something has to happen to that half cent).

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Bunk
Contributor
Posts: 5828

Operating Thetan One


Reply #293 on: December 16, 2008, 08:44:18 AM

I tried using another cell set to =c3 for example, but I still end up with a result as shown above. It would work if I took c3, copied it, and then used "paste special" in to another cell, but I don't know of any way to automate that.

"Welcome to the internet, pussy." - VDL
"I have retard strength." - Schild
Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474


Reply #294 on: December 16, 2008, 09:15:37 AM

No, I was specifically saying to use the ROUND or TRUNC functions.

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Lantyssa
Terracotta Army
Posts: 20848


Reply #295 on: December 16, 2008, 11:49:28 AM

I'm going to guess because the cell contents is "$x.xxxxxx prorated pricing" that it is treating it as text.  Can you put the "prorated pricing" in an adjacent cell and see if that helps?

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
Bunk
Contributor
Posts: 5828

Operating Thetan One


Reply #296 on: December 16, 2008, 11:57:44 AM

No, I was specifically saying to use the ROUND or TRUNC functions.

Missed that earlier... ROUND worked perfectly, thanks.

"Welcome to the internet, pussy." - VDL
"I have retard strength." - Schild
Baldrake
Terracotta Army
Posts: 636


Reply #297 on: December 23, 2008, 07:12:41 PM

My experience with cheap NAS recently has led me to the conclusion that you are wasting your time.

Get a mini case, MB, cheap processor, linux distro and use that instead.  It will cost (MUCH) less and work (MUCH) better.
I recently picked up an IOMega StorCenter NAS. I'm very very happy. It was cheap, has 1 TB storage with RAID, and basically just works when you plug it in. I priced out rolling my own, and concluded that it was pretty hard to beat this building my own.

EDIT: Just checked, $299 for 1 TB storage including NAS enclosure.
« Last Edit: December 23, 2008, 07:23:51 PM by Baldrake »
apocrypha
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6711

Planes? Shit, I'm terrified to get in my car now!


Reply #298 on: December 23, 2008, 11:28:45 PM

That looks great, my only problem with it is that it's fixed drives, i.e. it's not just an enclosure. I want to be able to swap out the drives in a couple of years time when Gb per £ has dropped to half it's current rate, as seems to be the rule  why so serious?

However, since I upgraded my D-Link NAS firmware and told it to auto-refresh the uPnP media server twice a day 99% of my problems with it have gone away! Many thanks for the link though, it's appreciated.

"Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1915.
Baldrake
Terracotta Army
Posts: 636


Reply #299 on: December 24, 2008, 06:50:18 AM

No worries, glad you fixed your problem!
Venkman
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11536


Reply #300 on: January 01, 2009, 05:37:54 PM

I'm re-settng up a Win XP box to serve up music and movies, and like that my X360 can pull content from Windows Media Center. Unfortunately I do not have Media Center on XP. And now that I found an iPhone app that can control Media Center, I'd rather go that route than use iTunes and the Remote app.

So, how can I get Media Center for XP?
Lucas
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3298

Further proof that Italians have suspect taste in games.


Reply #301 on: January 02, 2009, 05:46:33 AM

Something very strange is happening with my Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-111DBK . Beside SecuROM raping, I think the "burner" part of it is totally fried, and the system think everything is messed up.

Now, I'm no hardware expert and also I still have to try to replace it with another one (will do it next week) in order to see if the problems listed below still happen, but meanwhile I would like to know your opinion.

BIOS  (AmiBIOS) recognizes it fine; the Windows Vista (32-bit, SP1) Device Manager recognizes it fine and it says it works correctly, no code error or yellow exclamation mark. Now, the latest firmware should be 1.29, September 2006. But here's what is happening:
----

Device Manager:
- When I look up at the properties of the DVD and click on drivers, there is just the generic Microsoft listing, with the date of june 2006 and the driver version of 6.0.6001.18000. So I tried to check automatically for drivers, to no avail, it said it was already updated. So I went to the Pioneer website, downloaded the above mentioned 1.29 firmware, unzipped it correctly, ran the program, but it doesn't work, it says "available target is not found". (yes, I'm sure it's the correct firmware). And yes, I also tried to download an earlier version of the firmware.

If I look at the "details" of my DVD, in "ID Hardware", it says this:

IDE\CdRomPIONEER_DVD-RW__DVR-111D________________1.23____
IDE\PIONEER_DVD-RW__DVR-111D________________1.23____
IDE\CdRomPIONEER_DVD-RW__DVR-111D________________
PIONEER_DVD-RW__DVR-111D________________1.23____
GenCdRom


Is that the latest firmware version installed? And why it doesn't show up in the "Driver" section?
---

Nero:
Also, If I load Nero SmartStart and I try to check the speed of my DVD drive or test it altogether, there is a pop-up window saying "impossible to find the CD Rom unit". Also, if I try to create a Data DVD with Nero, in the "current burner" section it just says "Image Recorder" and the DVD Rom is not listed.


Gaming:
By the way, the problems I'm going to mention were *already* present without Daemon Tools (installed yesterday, trial edition)  and Nero (which I reinstalled yesterday).

- Autoplay runs fine, installation of games runs fine. I only had a problem with the installation of Fallout 3, something a lot of people experienced, looking at the official website.

Currently, I can play Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 9 with a No CD crack. Why? Because if if try to run the normal exe (through the game launcher or forcing the exe from the game directory), it keeps me asking for the CD even if it is already in . Like I said, this problem was already there even without any cd burning or whatever program installed (regarding nero, with the previous installation I also made sure of cleaning the registry).

Well, that's about it :(



" He's so impatient, it's like watching a teenager fuck a glorious older woman." - Ironwood on J.J. Abrams
Venkman
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11536


Reply #302 on: January 04, 2009, 07:11:11 AM

So, how can I get Media Center for XP?

Nevermind. Looks like Windows Media Player 11 effectively does the same thing, at least insofar as the X360 showing stuff is concerned. And there's a few iPhone options for controlling that (will be experimenting with IntelliRemote first). Now I get to see just how much I can push from this ancient PC wink
Reg
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5270


Reply #303 on: January 04, 2009, 10:37:03 PM

My new PC is coming on Tuesday with Vista 64 installed. Is there anything important I should tell them about how to install it or can I change any badly chosen options once I get the computer without having to reinstall?
Murgos
Terracotta Army
Posts: 7474


Reply #304 on: January 05, 2009, 11:44:49 AM

So, how can I get Media Center for XP?

Nevermind. Looks like Windows Media Player 11 effectively does the same thing, at least insofar as the X360 showing stuff is concerned. And there's a few iPhone options for controlling that (will be experimenting with IntelliRemote first). Now I get to see just how much I can push from this ancient PC wink

If you don't want to shell out cash for an XP license or Media Center you can easily set up a linux box that can serve videos and music to an XBOX 360 (or PS 3) using a UPnP Media Server.  I use UShare, It won't transcode from one format to another, like Trippy was looking for earlier, but if you have fairly standard formats (.avi, .mov, .wmv, etc...) the XBOX 360 will play them natively.

It's easy peasy setup, don't cost nothing, other than hardware, and works great.

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Yegolev
Moderator
Posts: 24440

2/10 WOULD NOT INGEST


WWW
Reply #305 on: January 07, 2009, 01:33:10 PM

I think there is something wrong with your DVD drive. awesome, for real

Firmware and drivers are not the same thing.  Firmware lives on the drive unit, and if you cannot flash it then there is a hardware problem.  Drivers live in the operating system and let softwares talk to hardwares.

Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
They called it The Prayer, its answer was law
Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
Bunk
Contributor
Posts: 5828

Operating Thetan One


Reply #306 on: January 07, 2009, 01:51:28 PM

So, how can I get Media Center for XP?

Nevermind. Looks like Windows Media Player 11 effectively does the same thing, at least insofar as the X360 showing stuff is concerned. And there's a few iPhone options for controlling that (will be experimenting with IntelliRemote first). Now I get to see just how much I can push from this ancient PC wink

WMP 11 works just fine, it sets up the required service when you install it. Just don't try connecting through the media center area on the 360 dashboard. Go to "my videos" and connect through there.

I currently feed media from an old P4 that I slapped a half TB drive in to via wireless, and it works great. Other than when my router decides to spontaneously reset itself...

"Welcome to the internet, pussy." - VDL
"I have retard strength." - Schild
Soln
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4737

the opportunity for evil is just delicious


Reply #307 on: January 07, 2009, 05:25:37 PM

Folks -- what's the criteria for choosing a good case? 

I plan to start a new PC build over the next few months and  I'd be willing to pay <$325. 
rattran
Moderator
Posts: 4257

Unreasonable


Reply #308 on: January 07, 2009, 05:40:17 PM

Depends on your needs. Quiet? Cool looking? Small? High end (hot) components going in? HTPC?

Some guidelines are nice.
Venkman
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11536


Reply #309 on: January 07, 2009, 05:49:01 PM

I'm building a new forum style for my guild board which just went to phpBB3. However, just like when I did one for phpBB2, I had to hack my way through it. So I'm learning all over again.

I have the style loaded up and it works (incomplete though it is). I can upload new images just fine and they will appear on the page when I hit refresh. However, no matter how many times I change and upload a css file, none of the changes appear to be made. So while I figure out what else I might have screwed up, is it possible that I need to uninstall the style from my admin panel and reinstall it so that it reads the new css file info?

And yes, someone who actually knew what the hell they were talking about would probably be able to ask that question the right way.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

Edit 1: Wierd. Ok, so phpBB3 Admin Control Panel lets you edit html and css files within it's own UI. And that works ok. But I cannot work offline and then upload/replace the data on the server. Maybe I DO need to uninstall the style and then reinstall. But that's a pita, so I'll probably just do all code adjustments in the phpBB3 UI. Unless someone tells me otherwise
« Last Edit: January 07, 2009, 05:53:51 PM by Darniaq »
Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23611


Reply #310 on: January 07, 2009, 06:05:10 PM

What's the board URL (assuming it's public)?

When you edit things like stylesheets the changes don't always get reflected when you refresh because of page/element caching. To force a reload without mucking around with HTTP headers and forcing people to constantly clear their caches you can append a changing query string on the end of the URL which tricks the browser into thinking it needs to reload it. It's possible the UI admin tool does something of that sort for you.
Venkman
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11536


Reply #311 on: January 07, 2009, 06:17:53 PM

Ah, yea, so, like, complicated then smiley It's working well with the Admin CP so I'll just keep doing that. Much faster too.
Salamok
Terracotta Army
Posts: 2803


Reply #312 on: January 07, 2009, 07:20:36 PM

just name your new css file with a version number and every time you upload a new css go into the admin tool and load it.  Most forums let you point to a custom css file.  Once you think you are finished just remove all the old versions.
Soln
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4737

the opportunity for evil is just delicious


Reply #313 on: January 08, 2009, 11:25:03 AM

Depends on your needs. Quiet? Cool looking? Small? High end (hot) components going in? HTPC?

Some guidelines are nice.

Sorry.  Quiet and cooling, which I realize may be exclusionary.  Full tower, I guess.  I am hoping for moderately high-end components. This is for gaming, not HTPC.

Basically, I don't care what it looks like or how heavy it is, I just was hoping people were opting for 1 or 2 models.  I have no clue what's best at the moment.  Thanks.
rattran
Moderator
Posts: 4257

Unreasonable


Reply #314 on: January 08, 2009, 08:28:10 PM

I was using the Cosmos case until recently. Huge Full tower, quiet (with Scythe s-flex fans) and cool, except not the best harddrive cooling. Not terrible, especially with the alternative fan-shroud placement. But it is very big, and very space age looking. I stopped using it as when I rebuilt my desk, I ended up about 1.5" too shot for the case to fit where I wanted it. The Antec p180/p182 is also another big, heavy case. I retired one of those due to heat issues, but it was with 2 very hot video cards. Not as quiet as the Cosmos, even with quiet fans, and the hard drive air flow went to hell if you closed the front door. I'm currently using a HAF for the gaming machine, and an Elite 330 for the server. The 330 is small and quiet, the HAF is huge, very cool, and moderately quiet (again, with Scythe s-flex fans) The loudest bit is the 4870.

The other cases I've used recently are the Antec Lanboys (meh) the Antec 900 (loud, annoying to replace big fan) Antec Sonata (meh) and a Lian-li midtower I wasn't impressed with. Too flimsy.
Pages: 1 ... 7 8 [9] 10 11 ... 123 Go Up Print 
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  Gaming  |  Topic: Quick [tech] Questions Thread  
Jump to:  

Powered by SMF 1.1.10 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines LLC