Tech Help thread

[Fairy Ice Ricky]

I want to get rid of iStartSurf but nothing seems to work :/ I went to the control panel to see if there was a program that I could uninstall, but there was none. I tried resetting Goggle Chrome and everything but it just wouldn't leave my computer. I did a virus scan and deleted anything suspicious, but iStartSurf is still appearing as the homepage. How can I get rid of it :/

If you're still having trouble, I would recommend checking out this page right here. Although I don't have experience with iStartSurf specifically, I've used this page to help me with some other computer problems before and it worked perfectly. Plus from what I can tell these directions don't require you to download additional applications to get it to work, which based on a previous experience I had I consider this a plus in my book.

So I have a new problem (not that the old one was solved):
My 3DS is second hand, and the seller never gave me a regestration code for the system. I can't reach the seller because I deleted his info from my phone after the deal. My question is: Can I register my 3DS with a different unregistered code for a 3DS? or does it have to have been bought with the system?

If you mean registration through Club Nintendo, how's the serial code sticker on the back cover of the system? If it's still in tact, you may still be able to use that code to register your 3DS. (It's possible to use it on the North American version of CN, anyway.) And of course, since it's secondhand, keep in mind that the previous owner may have already registered the 3DS, and once a Nintendo console has been registered once it can't be registered again.

 

[Ｄｉｓ]

Help with image processing

I've got Python 3.4, and I'm trying to use this module (http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~pconrad/cs8/09M/code/MillerRanumCode_v3.0/cImage.py) to turn a normally colored image into one with four colors, like Obama's campaign posters in 2008. I got three colors, but not four. Does anyone know how I would go about doing four different colors? I'm a greenhorn when it comes to Python, just to let you all know.

 

[Steel_Justice]

3DS Battery Questions

Does playing with the 3DS charging affect the battery in any negative way? Other than of course reaching a full charge slower than if it was off. I'm trying to find ways to extend my play time and I usually play at home anyway.

If I leave the 3DS charging for longer than it needs say if I plug it in then go to sleep will that negatively affect the battery?

And lastly if something horribly wrong happens to the battery where can I get a new one?

 

[SobriquetP]

So I got a Bluetooth Keyboard that seems to be made for Ipads, and successfully hooked it up to my Toshiba Satellite Laptop with a Bluetooth dongle.

Spoiler

Unfortunately I somehow hit the mysterious button combination to toggle the fn lock on it. Everywhere I looked online said to hold NumLock and hit fn to disable the fn lock, but this keyboard does not even have a NumLock. :/

If anyone knows how to use this kind of blasted keyboard, any help would be greatly appreciated. In about an hour or so, I will post a photo of the keyboard and the creators after I get back to the house.

 

[Username19]

Re: 3DS Battery Questions

I know that if you keep playing while charging sometimes your charger will go out but, if something does happen you can buy a replacement battery from Nintendo's website or even some cell phone repair shops carry them.

 

[Steel_Justice]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

 

[SobriquetP]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

PDF Creator?
Any Microsoft Office program is a perfectly fine PDF Creator. Just make sure the print preview looks how you want and 'Save As' PDF. In fact, any "office" software should be able to save as PDF. Should being key word here.

Now if you mean PDF Editor, that is a different story. Adobe has one, but it is like 1000$ or something. >.>
But if you are creating the files, you should have a copy of the original anyway so you shouldn't need to edit.

 

[Steel_Justice]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

PDF Creator?
Any Microsoft Office program is a perfectly fine PDF Creator. Just make sure the print preview looks how you want and 'Save As' PDF. In fact, any "office" software should be able to save as PDF. Should being key word here.

Now if you mean PDF Editor, that is a different story. Adobe has one, but it is like 1000$ or something. >.>
But if you are creating the files, you should have a copy of the original anyway so you shouldn't need to edit.

Office doesn't do that, at least the ones we have access to. He needs something that converts files into PDFs since he needs to send files that aren't so easily edited. I also heard cutepdf is good and clean, can anyone confirm this?

 

[SobriquetP]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

PDF Creator?
Any Microsoft Office program is a perfectly fine PDF Creator. Just make sure the print preview looks how you want and 'Save As' PDF. In fact, any "office" software should be able to save as PDF. Should being key word here.

Now if you mean PDF Editor, that is a different story. Adobe has one, but it is like 1000$ or something. >.>
But if you are creating the files, you should have a copy of the original anyway so you shouldn't need to edit.

Office doesn't do that, at least the ones we have access to. He needs something that converts files into PDFs since he needs to send files that aren't so easily edited. I also heard cutepdf is good and clean, can anyone confirm this?

All Microsoft Office for the past five versions have been able to save as pdf. When you go to save as, you just change the file type to pdf while you are naming the file.

Cutepdf writer is indeed a safe software. I work in a corporate office and our IT department has it installed for all of our laptops as a standard.

We generally use Office, but CutePDF works with any program that can print.

 

[Steel_Justice]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

PDF Creator?
Any Microsoft Office program is a perfectly fine PDF Creator. Just make sure the print preview looks how you want and 'Save As' PDF. In fact, any "office" software should be able to save as PDF. Should being key word here.

Now if you mean PDF Editor, that is a different story. Adobe has one, but it is like 1000$ or something. >.>
But if you are creating the files, you should have a copy of the original anyway so you shouldn't need to edit.

Office doesn't do that, at least the ones we have access to. He needs something that converts files into PDFs since he needs to send files that aren't so easily edited. I also heard cutepdf is good and clean, can anyone confirm this?

All Microsoft Office for the past five versions have been able to save as pdf. When you go to save as, you just change the file type to pdf while you are naming the file.

Cutepdf writer is indeed a safe software. I work in a corporate office and our IT department has it installed for all of our laptops as a standard.

We generally use Office, but CutePDF works with any program that can print.

Have you tried CutePDF on your own computer, if so was it clean (didn't set off antivirus programs)? I'm considering using it since I've heard good things about it.

 

[SobriquetP]

My dad wants a good free PDF maker software. What is a good and safe one? I heard PDF Creator/Architect is good, can anyone confirm this?

PDF Creator?
Any Microsoft Office program is a perfectly fine PDF Creator. Just make sure the print preview looks how you want and 'Save As' PDF. In fact, any "office" software should be able to save as PDF. Should being key word here.

Now if you mean PDF Editor, that is a different story. Adobe has one, but it is like 1000$ or something. >.>
But if you are creating the files, you should have a copy of the original anyway so you shouldn't need to edit.

Office doesn't do that, at least the ones we have access to. He needs something that converts files into PDFs since he needs to send files that aren't so easily edited. I also heard cutepdf is good and clean, can anyone confirm this?

All Microsoft Office for the past five versions have been able to save as pdf. When you go to save as, you just change the file type to pdf while you are naming the file.

Cutepdf writer is indeed a safe software. I work in a corporate office and our IT department has it installed for all of our laptops as a standard.

We generally use Office, but CutePDF works with any program that can print.

Have you tried CutePDF on your own computer, if so was it clean (didn't set off antivirus programs)? I'm considering using it since I've heard good things about it.

My personal computer? No, I generally do not need to save PDFs while at the house.

It is on my work computer though. IT has all administrative rights to all of the computers in the office so we cannot install any software. Since they put it on all of our computers it passes their approval, and since malicious software could cost our company super dollars I believe it is fine.

I will go install it on my personal computer real fast and scan it with Avast and Malwarebytes for ya. There should be no problems though. Will add onto this in about 5-10 min.

 

[Steel_Justice]

My personal computer? No, I generally do not need to save PDFs while at the house.

It is on my work computer though. IT has all administrative rights to all of the computers in the office so we cannot install any software. Since they put it on all of our computers it passes their approval, and since malicious software could cost our company super dollars I believe it is fine.

I will go install it on my personal computer real fast and scan it with Avast and Malwarebytes for ya. There should be no problems though. Will add onto this in about 5-10 min.

Okay thanks for that. Let me know how it turns out.

 

[SobriquetP]

My personal computer? No, I generally do not need to save PDFs while at the house.

It is on my work computer though. IT has all administrative rights to all of the computers in the office so we cannot install any software. Since they put it on all of our computers it passes their approval, and since malicious software could cost our company super dollars I believe it is fine.

I will go install it on my personal computer real fast and scan it with Avast and Malwarebytes for ya. There should be no problems though. Will add onto this in about 5-10 min.

Okay thanks for that. Let me know how it turns out.

Took a tad longer than expected since my Malwarebytes seems to have expired and I had to renew it.

Comes out clean with both Malwarebytes and avast! Premier 2015.

I would still recommend saving as a pdf, but Cutepdf writer works also. It just takes a few seconds longer.

 

[Steel_Justice]

My personal computer? No, I generally do not need to save PDFs while at the house.

It is on my work computer though. IT has all administrative rights to all of the computers in the office so we cannot install any software. Since they put it on all of our computers it passes their approval, and since malicious software could cost our company super dollars I believe it is fine.

I will go install it on my personal computer real fast and scan it with Avast and Malwarebytes for ya. There should be no problems though. Will add onto this in about 5-10 min.

Okay thanks for that. Let me know how it turns out.

Took a tad longer than expected since my Malwarebytes seems to have expired and I had to renew it.

Comes out clean with both Malwarebytes and avast! Premier 2015.

I would still recommend saving as a pdf, but Cutepdf writer works also. It just takes a few seconds longer.

Alright thank you for your time.

 

[gemuppity]

Dropbox

I still can't figure out dropbox security. We are using this for file sharing - my boss likes it - but I am worried about security. Why is this better than sending our reports via email? or is it really better? :disgust:

 

[Leggo]

Re: Dropbox

@gemuppity; Maybe the reason why your boss really likes Dropbox is because of the convenience of having all of the files uploaded to one place and the easy access to them. Dropbox automatically syncs files, so maybe your boss doesn't like having to go through emails and tediously download them.

Plus, a perk of Dropbox is that you can easily make changes to a file and it's great for group collaboration when more than one person has to work on the same file.

 

[Tyler-B312]

Club Nintendo

Does anyone know if Club Nintendo is dead or something? I've been trying to reset my forgotten password and it never sends an email so I can't link my new 3DS.

 

[----]

Re: Club Nintendo

New 3DS consoles are not able to connect to Club Nintendo as the website/system is being scrapped for a new system.

 

[CrackFox]

Re: Club Nintendo

Merging this with the technical help thread.

 

[italicizewafer]

Re: Dropbox

I still can't figure out dropbox security. We are using this for file sharing - my boss likes it - but I am worried about security. Why is this better than sending our reports via email? or is it really better? :disgust:

The best security is a custom protocol file server hosted and encrypted through LAN only.
Of course SFTP is probably still more secure than Dropbox unless someone has access to the physical storage.