All Issues
24,993 verified issues
How to convert WMV to MP4?
How can a set of WMV files be converted to MP4 so I can import them to my Apple TV?
How do anti-viruses work?
So I was thinking about viruses recently, and wondering how exactly antiviruses keep up? Considering anybody who'd been coding for a few weeks could hack together something do do nasty, nasty things to somebody's PC, the quantity alone would make a simple list of hashes prohibitive, so how do antiviruses do it? Do they monitor process activity and have a 3 strikes rule for doing virus-like things? And if so, what's stopping it from triggering on perfectly harmless things (like me moving files around in \system32)? I did a bit of googling, but the regular places didn't particularly help, and I couldn't find a dupe here, so I thought it'd be good to ask :)
How do I remove a MyBook's "WD SmartWare" virtual CD from my desktop?
I recently got a Western Digital MyBook external hard drive to enable Time Machine. It has its software installed on a "virtual CD" called "WD SmartWare" which shows up on the desktop any time the drive is plugged in. Since I will use this virtual drive only very rarely, how can I hide it from the desktop, while allowing other CDs to show up?
Switching keyboard layout in Windows globally
I'm searching for a solution to switch my keyboard layout in Windows globally for all windows quickly. When I switch the current layout by pressing the magic combination Alt+Shift or when I choose another layout in the language bar, this only changes the layout in the current window.
Saving "Bush hid the facts" in notepad
When saving the text "Bush hid the facts" in notepad under Windows XP, how come when you reopen it shows squares instead of the text? I saw it in this video if you need an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bK9-sc_uus&feature=related
How can I suppress those annoying Thumbs.db files in Windows Vista and Windows 7?
In Windows XP, there used to be a folder setting like "Do not cache thumbnails." I can't seem to find something similar for Windows Vista and Windows 7, and every folder on my network containing a photo or video continues to get littered with "Thumbs.db". I appreciate that caching thumbnails makes some sense, but I still would like to turn this off because I also value not having litter in my network folders. What's the easiest/quickest way to solve this problem? Update 1: Here's a link to Wikipedia's info about the Windows thumbnail cache. Update 2: My solution is below and now includes a registry equivalent that you can save in a .REG file for simpler application to any of your Windows Vista or Windows 7 boxes.
How do I set an executable's working directory via the command line, prior to executing it?
If I run a program on the command line whose location is resolved through the Path environment variable, the program's working directory is generally set to its installation directory. I would like to run such a program from a console window and set its working directory to the current or other explicit directory. I was able to do this by temporarily copying the program to my working directory -- is there another way to accomplish this within the cmd.exe or powershell.exe environments? The windows shell analogy to this task is to create a shortcut and set the "Start In" property accordingly.
Getting macro keys from a Razer BlackWidow to work on Linux
I picked up a Razer BlackWidow Ultimate that has additional keys meant for macros that are set using a tool that's installed on Windows. I'm assuming that these aren't some fancypants joojoo keys and should emit scancodes like any other keys. Firstly, is there a standard way to check these scancodes in Linux? Secondly, how do I set these keys to do things in command line and X-based Linux setups? My current Linux install is Xubuntu 10.10, but I'll be switching to Kubuntu once I have a few things fixed up. Ideally the answer should be generic and system-wide. Things I have tried so far: from the built in kbd package (in a seperate vt) - macro keys not detected - macro keys not detected contents of /dev/input/by-path as well as lsusb and evdev output This ahk script's output suggests the M keys are not outputting standard scancodes detectable by windows Things I need to try snoopy pro + reverse engineering (oh dear) Wireshark - preliminary futzing around seems to indicate no scancodes e…
How to use sed to remove null bytes?
What is the incantation to remove null bytes from a file? I'm trying: but that is stripping out strings of zeroes. seems to have no effect. I'm trying to do this in a script, so I'm not sure the trick will work.
How do you configure a Windows machine for a Linux user?
How do you configure a Windows (preferably latest version) machine for a Linux power user, so that s/he can get most out of it?
Is it possible to use ffmpeg to trim off X seconds from the beginning of a video with an unspecified length?
I need to trim the just the first 1 or 2 seconds off of a series of FLV recordings of varying, unspecified lengths. I've found plenty of resources for extracting a specified duration from a video (e.g. 30 second clips), but none for continuing to the end of a video. Both of these attempts just yield a copied version of the video, sans desired trimming: The thought on the second one was: perhaps if I specified a length beyond what was possible, it'd just go to the end. No dice. I know it's not an issue with codecs or using seconds instead of timecode since the following worked a charm: Any other ideas? I'm open to using other (Windows-based) command line tools, however am strongly favoring ffmpeg since I'm already using it for thumbnail creation and am familiar with it. If it helps, my videos will all be under 2 minutes. UPDATE: I've switched over to using Mencoder (http://www.mplayerhq.hu/) since it looks like ffmpeg won't accomplish this without some additional hackery. The Mencoder …
Excel function that evaluates a string as if it were a formula?
Suppose I have a text string like or even stored in a cell. Is there a function in Excel that will allow me to actually evaluate that string as if it were a formula? This would be helpful for another project where I would like to be able to write 'dynamic' formulas in Excel.
how can I use the shutdown command to hibernate the computer in X hours?
I'd like to hibernate my windows 7 pc in 10 hours after a download is finished. When I execute this: All I get is the shutdown help text. Doesn't matter if I'm in admin or normal for the cmd prompt. Is there something I'm missing? I've tried only with the same results. Same with instead of . So either a) it isn't working or b) it has a funny way of telling me about it. Do the power management settings interfere with this command? Update: The switch shuts the computer down (not hibernate). is a valid switch. Here's a screenshot of my command:
Can I completely hide toolbar in VMware Workstation?
I have been experimenting with VMware workstation. When I autohide the toolbar at the top, it leaves a 1 pixel sliver. While this is functional, my OCD is bugging me. Is there a way to totally hide the toolbar?
Two-page view in full screen for Adobe Acrobat
Since i'm using a wide screen, i want to view two page in full screen while reading PDF. I can view two page in Reading Mode or normal view. however, whenever i switch to full screen mode, acrobat show only one page. I guess there must be some way to view two page when you're in full screen mode in Adobe Acrobat?
Can I force full speed to the indexing service of Windows?
On windows 7 there's 'pause' and there's 'indexing speed is reduced due to user activity' but what if one wants full speed during desktop activity?
Some taskbar pinned icons are duplicated when an instance of the application is running
For some applications that I pin to the taskbar, the icon gets duplicated when an instance of the application is running. For example, in the screen shot below you see there are two icons for VMWare Player (icons all the way to the right). The first (left) icon for VMWare Player is the one I pinned to the task bar. The second one (right) is linked to the running instance of VMWare Player. If I start another instance, then gets grouped with the second icon. For most other programs (like Google Chrome in the screen shot below) the running instances just get grouped with the original pinned icon. Can I make VMWare Player behave the same way? Why does it behave differently anyway?
Remove DRM from ePub Files?
I have a bunch of ePub files that I have bought from Barnes & Noble that I'd like to be able to read in my Kindle App. Is there anyway to do this? UPDATE for those who are lecturing me on the law and morality: Simply breaking DRM is not illegal in the US according to 5th Circut Court of Appeals (see this article for a quicker analysis). Basically it's legal to remove DRM on your own files as long as you don't then use them to violate the copyright. Even if you disagree with the decision, at the very least it's debatable, not illegal. I do not download pirated music or movies. I don't pirate software. I don't even use a copy of software that a friend "lends" to me. I purchased these books (originally as pdb files) to be used with eReader for Android (when it still worked). Later, when B&N released the Nook App, they deleted my .pdb files and replaced them with ePub files that only worked with their App, which is terrible compared to the Kindle App. I wouldn't have purchased them if I k…
How to get the full path of a file in bash?
I would like an easy way to get the full path to a file. I currently type this: Trying to shorten it, I made a bash alias: But now if I type , there is a space that appears between the and the . Does such a command already exist, and I am missing it? If not, how would I go about creating such an alias or function in bash?
Is it possible to use FUSE with Windows?
(FUSE). Preferably without admin rights. An example would be sshfs, maybe via MSYS?