Answerbag: DOSJockey382's answers

Answer to FDISK doesn't recognize my slave drive. What could be wrong?

Tue, 04 May 2004 19:35:17 -0700

FDISK doesn't recognize my slave drive. What could be wrong?

Make sure that your slave drive is properly recognized by the BIOS. FDISK in Windows and DOS will not recognize a disk drive that is not BIOS configured. When your computer boots, it should give you a listing of all disk drives that it detects. Check these boot displays to see if the slave...

Answer to What is the Amiga Corporation and what type of computer do they produce?

Tue, 04 May 2004 18:49:20 -0700

What is the Amiga Corporation and what type of computer do they produce?

Actually, Christopher W has only given a partial picture of what is going with the Amiga. Actually the Amiga gained its most prominent success in continental Europe, though even that was moderate. True, the Amiga appears to not even be a blip on todays computer market radar, though many...

Answer to Which degree program -- that doesn't lead to a career in academia, like Physics -- is considered the most difficult?

Tue, 04 May 2004 11:00:21 -0700

Which degree program -- that doesn't lead to a career in academia, like Physics -- is considered the most difficult?

Sorry for not directly answering this question, but this question displays a fundamental misunderstanding of the way higher education works. EVERY degree program can lead to a career in academia. The very nature of college breeds academics. In other words, the institution of higher learning...

Answer to I have a CD-ROM drive and a CD-RW drive. How can I get sound from both drives to my sound card?

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 19:35:47 -0800

I have a CD-ROM drive and a CD-RW drive. How can I get sound from both drives to my sound card?

This all depends on your sound card. Your sound card needs to have two independent audio harness connections. The audio harness is the cable that connects your CD drive directly to your sound card. Each CD drive will require its own audio harness. The CD connection on the harness is pretty...

Answer to In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, why does the ancient mariner kill the albatross?

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 19:20:32 -0800

In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, why does the ancient mariner kill the albatross?

Why the ancyent Marinere (the spelling in the text I have) kills the Albatross is not clear. The Marinere is telling his story to a guest at a wedding. The Marinere tells how the Albatross follows the ship he is on and the sailors on board treat it well. The Albatross is a sign of good luck to...

Answer to What is centrifugal force?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 16:50:32 -0800

What is centrifugal force?

Centrifugal force is a perceived force, not an actual force. It can only be viewed from the vantage point of the spinning object. For example, when turning in a car, the object in the seat next to us flies outward. We call that centrifugal force. Remember the law of intertia: all objects...

Answer to Is it true that everyone gets "A"s in grad school, and if you get an A- you're really doing something wrong?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 16:14:12 -0800

Is it true that everyone gets "A"s in grad school, and if you get an A- you're really doing something wrong?

Though everyone may not get an A in every class at graduate level and post-baccalaureate education, the program may have a GPA requirements to stay in the program or may require you to achieve a certain grade in a specific class for you to continue in a program. Post-baccalaureate programs are...

Answer to What is a TSR?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:27:49 -0800

What is a TSR?

TSR stands for Terminate but Stay Resident

Answer to What platforms will FreeBSD run on?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:17:13 -0800

What platforms will FreeBSD run on?

FreeBSD will run on i386 (32-bit x86 compatible processors), AMD64, DEC Alpha, IA-64, PC-98, and UltraSPARC. Other platforms for which a FreeBSD port is being developed are MIPS and PowerPC

Answer to What does BSD stand for?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:07:24 -0800

What does BSD stand for?

Berkeley Systems Distribution.

Answer to I just installed a new motherboard with an AMD 2000+ processor. At boot up it registers the 2000+ processor, but in the BIOS and systen check it shows 1667MHz. Why is this?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:58:19 -0800

I just installed a new motherboard with an AMD 2000+ processor. At boot up it registers the 2000+ processor, but in the BIOS and systen check it shows 1667MHz. Why is this?

AMD is behind Intel's game in terms of raw speed (clock frequency) with their CPUs. This is due to the fact that Intel has more advanced chip die manufacturing capabilties. Intel can produce smaller micronized circuits which translates into higher clock frequencies. However, AMD's...

Answer to If all life started from single celled organisms, why were the dinosaurs so big in comparison to today's animals?

Mon, 22 Sep 2003 01:12:01 -0700

If all life started from single celled organisms, why were the dinosaurs so big in comparison to today's animals?

Current theory, as I understand it, holds that life started in the oceans as single celled organisms. A fluidic medium is required for these single celled organisms to have any control over their intereaction with the environment around them. A fluid, specifically water, is dense enough to...

Answer to How exactly does one "take the name of the Lord thy God in vain"? (Exodus 20:7)

Mon, 22 Sep 2003 00:12:31 -0700

How exactly does one "take the name of the Lord thy God in vain"? (Exodus 20:7)

The difficulty in answering this question is that it calls for a direct interpretation of Biblical verse. Different religious denominations or individuals themselves will interpret this verse with varying degrees of stricture and liberality. Varying points of interpretation will overlap, and...

Answer to What are the primary beliefs of Christian Scientists?

Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:40:32 -0700

What are the primary beliefs of Christian Scientists?

The answer to this question is found on page 496 and 497 of the Christian Science textbook, _Science_and_Health_with_Key_to_the_Scriptures_ by Mary Baker Eddy. It reads as follows: "Question. -- Have Christian Scientists any religious creed? Answer. -- They have not, if by that term...

Answer to Why are you IN a movie, but ON TV?

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 20:15:54 -0700

Why are you IN a movie, but ON TV?

The answer to your question is usage. Usage is how words are used in a given context. There are no mandates in English grammar that specify on and in must be used as they are in these instances. Why we say "in a movie" and "on TV" is merely the way the language has...

Answer to What are the basic steps in overclocking?

Thu, 14 Aug 2003 05:43:45 -0700

What are the basic steps in overclocking?

The concept of overclocking a computer is straightforward, but actually doing so is not. CPU speed is determined by the following equation: CPU speed = CPU multiplier x Front Side Bus (FSB) speed. Overclocking is changing the CPU multiplier and/or the FSB speed to increase the CPU speed....

Answer to What is the difference between SCSI and SCSI-2, and are they compatible?

Wed, 13 Aug 2003 16:56:16 -0700

What is the difference between SCSI and SCSI-2, and are they compatible?

The biggest difference between SCSI and SCSI-2 is speed. Basic SCSI-2 can accomplish double the transfer speed of SCSI due some timing differences between the two standards. SCSI's maximum transfer rate is 5MB/s while SCSI-2 can handle up to 10MB/s. Both SCSI and SCSI-2 use the 50-pin...

Answer to Which PC operating systems are free?

Wed, 13 Aug 2003 16:18:42 -0700

Which PC operating systems are free?

To give you an idea of what free operating systems are out there, look at www.freeos.com. These operating systems range from CP/M and FreeDOS to Linux and Solaris 8 (Solaris 9 is not free). But, there are many more operating systems out there than are listed on freeos.com. There are hundreds...

Answer to What is a ISA?

Wed, 13 Aug 2003 15:18:17 -0700

What is a ISA?

ISA stands for Industry Standard Architecture. ISA is a 16-bit expansion card bus that was first implemented with the IBM AT personal computer. Originally referred to as the AT bus, the AT bus became ISA in 1987 when IEEE set down industry-wide timing specications for the bus, which IBM had not...

Answer to What is a SCSI?

Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:40:00 -0700

What is a SCSI?

SCSI is an acronym for Small Computer Systems Interface.

Answer to What are the advantages/disadvantages of using SCSI?

Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:36:04 -0700

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using SCSI?

SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) was designed initially to be a jack-of-all-trades kind of interface. I may repeat some of what has already been said for the sake of making my answer as complete as I can. Advantages: 1. SCSI can handle a wide variety of devices: hard drives,...

Answer to What's the secret for getting perfect results with steamed rice?

Thu, 07 Aug 2003 02:44:14 -0700

What's the secret for getting perfect results with steamed rice?

For those of you who don't have a rice cooker or cannot afford one, I have developed my own method which approximates my sister's very expensive rice steamer. I use a 2 quart metal sauce pan and a 1 quart metal mixing bowl. You may be able to use glasswear pans and bowls, but DO NOT...

Answer to What goes on when I start up "disc defragment", and how often should I perform this maintenance?

Thu, 07 Aug 2003 01:18:54 -0700

What goes on when I start up "disc defragment", and how often should I perform this maintenance?

When your computer goes to write a file to the hard drive, it looks for the first available blank spot on the disk to write it in. Ideally, the computer writes out the file in one big block of information. However, if that open section of the drive is not large enough to write the whole file,...

Answer to Which version of Linux is most friendly for first-time users?

Tue, 22 Jul 2003 19:29:13 -0700

Which version of Linux is most friendly for first-time users?

For users who are relatively inexperienced with computers in general and just want a working system that does not make you work too hard, I suggest either Gentoo Linux (www.gentoo.org) or Lindows (www.lindows.com). Most Linux distributions nowadays have fairly easy, straight forward installation...

Answer to How long do you cook a turkey?

Thu, 17 Jul 2003 13:27:01 -0700

How long do you cook a turkey?

According to _The_Joy_of_Cooking,_ about 20-25 minutes per pound at 300 degrees.

Answer to Are LCD monitors good for games? I heard that they were blurry and didn't update as quickly.

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 20:36:42 -0700

Are LCD monitors good for games? I heard that they were blurry and didn't update as quickly.

The answer to your question is totally subjective. It is a fact that LCDs in their current state of technology cannot refresh the screen as fast as a regular CRT, but LCD refresh limitations are steadily being overcome. I have seen games that I thought looked good on an LCD and someone else did...

Answer to My child wants to live in the dorms, but I'm afraid he'll get into trouble. Are the dorms a good place for college freshmen?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 20:14:32 -0700

My child wants to live in the dorms, but I'm afraid he'll get into trouble. Are the dorms a good place for college freshmen?

I would encourage you to let your son do it. Dorms can be an enlightening experience for the new college student. It's sheltered enough that your son is not out on his own thrown to the wolves, as it were, but a free enough environment to begin teaching him some adult responsibility with...

Answer to How many websites are on the internet (order of magnitude)?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 17:18:03 -0700

How many websites are on the internet (order of magnitude)?

You can't seriously expect an answer to this question. The number changes by the hour (minute?).

Answer to How do I get rid of these popups that are randomly appearing on my PC? They even appear when I'm not web browsing. I'm using Windows 2000 and IE 6.

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 17:14:03 -0700

How do I get rid of these popups that are randomly appearing on my PC? They even appear when I'm not web browsing. I'm using Windows 2000 and IE 6.

I would add one more suggestion for on-line pop-ups. Try Opera 7 (http://www.opera.com). Opera has had pop-up prevention since version 6 maybe even before. If you don't mind some pop-ups, you can even send the pop-ups to open in the background so your current browsing session is not...

Answer to How can I reduce the amount of unwanted email (spam) in my inbox?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 17:05:26 -0700

How can I reduce the amount of unwanted email (spam) in my inbox?

One thing about SPAM is that you never know what source they picked up your e-mail address from. A little prevention will go a long way to help reduce your current problem as well. You will never totally avoid SPAM, but you may be able to reduce the torrent to a trickle. Here are my tips. 1....

Answer to When a manufacturer says a screen is 19", for example, what are they measuring?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 16:26:40 -0700

When a manufacturer says a screen is 19", for example, what are they measuring?

A agree with Santaanacanyon that the manufacturers are pulling a trick on you, but I have a slightly different take on how the trick works though. The reported diagonal measurement historically has meant viewable area. Way back in the '80s, a common monitor size was 14" viewable area....

Answer to Is it true that LCD screens aren't good for games?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 14:50:47 -0700

Is it true that LCD screens aren't good for games?

The answer to your question is totally subjective. It is a fact that LCDs in their current state of technology cannot refresh the screen as fast as a regular CRT, but LCD refresh limitations are steadily being overcome. I have seen games that I thought looked good on an LCD and someone else did...

Answer to What is a CMOS?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 14:17:53 -0700

What is a CMOS?

The memory where the BIOS setup information is stored.

Answer to What is a BIOS?

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 14:04:47 -0700

What is a BIOS?

The setup program on the computer where the basic hardware is configured to allow the computer to run. If this information is not setup correctly your computer will give you an error and may not boot. You access this program at bootup time, usually with the DEL, F1, or F2 keys.