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okay so i had a sony windows 98 computer and now i have a new one.. but my mom was planning on putting it outside so someone could take it or something, so if someone were to take it would they be able to see all my documents on my old computer? (the sony windows 98 one) (link)
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Hello there,
It is unwise to set a computer out for anyone to take until you have completely wiped the data from the drive.
You would be astonished at what a person can pull off a computer that you don't think is workable anymore. ;-)
Now, let me ask you this: How old (in years) is the computer? Just because it has Windows 98 on it doesn't mean it was made in 98.
Some companies still sold 98 on their new machines all the way through 2003 because many popular games at the time would not run under later versions of windows.
Rather than just setting it out you could donate it to:
The local library.
Local school.
A computer club.
A local shop that may want it for parts.
... or some nerdy kid you know who would want to fix it up.
If you want, you could also sell it on eBay.
If you are determined to give it away, an ad in a local free classifieds paper under the "Free for Asking" category would definitely get it out of your hands.
Either way, you are going to want to wipe the data off the disk.
"How do I delete the data off my hard drive permanently?" you ask...
There is a program called KillDisk, that has a free version capable of wiping the data off the hard drive. You can find that here:
http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm
... the option: "Download Bootable Disk Creator for Free version of KillDisk" is the one you probably want assuming both computers have a floppy, or you can still use the old one enough to get on-line and download the floppy version.
Wiping takes time... Depending on the size of the drive, it will take from 1 to several hours.
Just boot from the floppy (or CD) you made from the site above, and let it run.
When you are done, your personal info will be safely removed.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Remember, that computer has value to someone, even if you don't want it anymore. No matter what, don't throw it away.
DN.
P.S. Make sure you get everything you want to save off the disk before you run killdisk on it. ;-)
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Hey... My parents just bought me a 2006 Jeep Liberty, 3.7 liter V6. I have been searching Jeep forums and reading a ton! I can't figure why i cant spin out the back tires (Yes its Rear wheel Drive..) I'm wondering if it has a governor chip or something to do with the computer system in the truck... PLEASE HELP ME!! (link)
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Hello there,
Jeep Liberty is a great vehicle for stereo installs, and a very poor one for exhibition of speed.
First things first: Front to back, this is a fairly well balanced vehicle. That means when you hit the gas, the load shifts to the rear tires, pushing them on the ground really hard.
Next you have anti-lock brakes with throttle reduction, so the usual cheater method either will not work or will result in your brand new vehicle being in the shop the first time you try it.
Then you have a traction control system designed to keep the tires from spinning... :-(
You have the wrong vehicle for burn-outs I am afraid.
If you try to make it do something it doesn't want to, you will not be buying new tires, you will be explaining to your parents why the Jeep dealership says you voided your warranty.
You will be completely without a vehicle, and Jeep would be within their rights to refuse to service it. (All repairs would be on your parents, just as if it was a used car.)
Do you really want to have to explain that one to your parents? Heck, I am 35, and I wouldn't want to explain that to my parents. ;-)
There is something really important to remember about running the engine and transmission hard like that: It is a new engine and a new transmission... These things need to be driven gently for the break-in period. Look in your owner's manual to find out how long that is. Some are 6,000 miles, some are 16,000 and some are 30,000.
If you take good care of it for the first little bit, you will be much happier in the long run.
Enjoy the vehicle for what it is, and what you can make it: A thumping sound wagon.
No matter what you do to this, it isn't going to be a good burn-out vehicle.
Have fun with your new vehicle.
DN.
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This may seem like an odd question but i need advice. How shall i put this. well, to me a normal guy would have a straight penis. Well mine when hard seems to take on the banana affect. it veers to the left. not real bad but a definite curve. Will this hinder my sexual performance. I mean im shy to have sex knowing my penis is curved. is this normal. (link)
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Hello there,
Left handed curvature of the penis is absolutely normal, and can even be a value added asset when used in certain positions. :-)
Some people are dumb enough to go in for surgery to "correct" a bent penis. Don't let that be you.
DN.
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i have a flashing glow plug light on dashbord and loss of power can any one help ford mondeo tdci20 reg 52 2005 (link)
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Hello there,
I apologize for the immature answer that was first submitted for your question. It is being dealt with.
The car you have is equipped with an engine that is absolutely famous for fuel delivery problems.
The flashing glow-plug light on the Ford is primarily used to signal fuel contamination... but with this engine that is a hit or miss diagnosis.
It can be any of the following, at LEAST:
Defective injector on any or all cylinders.
Bad programming of the fuel delivery computer.
Defective fuel delivery computer.
Cam failure on the low pressure lift pump that brings the fuel from the tank to the high pressure injector pump.
Leaking injector seal(s.)
Injector in need of adjustment.
Injector in need of cleaning.
Electrical system going over-voltage and confusing the the fuel delivery computer.
Contaminated fuel, fouled tank.
Fuel filter getting almost completely clogged from bad fuel.
Failed turbocharger. (Though usually you would know if this happened.)
... among a host of others.
Those listed are some common problems to give you an idea that this is something that needs to be looked at by a factory mechanic withe access to the full array of Ford Diagnostic tools designed specifically for your car.
I am not somebody that usually says you MUST go to a factory service center... but in this case, you must if you have any chance of getting this taken care of.
The usual reported problem goes like this:
First there is a "flat spot" (poor performance) between 1800-2000 RPM.
Then the flashing glow-plug light. Then it becomes nearly impossible to start, and only wants to do about 20 mph like it was running on two cylinders.
This is a known problem experienced be MANY people who own this engine.
The most frequent complaint I have seen is that it drives like someone turned the turbo charger completely off.
Please look here to see if the problems you are having match up with the problems others are having:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/?t=8442&v=f
... if so, I would get in touch with Ford right away.
I hope that you are the lucky one, and it is a simple fix. If not, and you have to go through all that the people on that site have you may have a "lemon."
If it is an official lemon you may get a new car out of it, or at least a new engine.
Keep all receipts, record all times you have taken it in, how long it was there each time, etc. That way you will have that info to give to Ford, or an attorney, whichever comes first. ;-)
Good luck,
DN.
P.S. Please leave me a feedback comment regarding what happens. Or an e-mail to DangerNerd@gmail.com. I would like to keep up with this.
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I'm thinking of getting the game FEAR for my computer, but my current graphics card is a 6800. Which is better, the ATI x1800, or the Nvidia 7800 GT? I RATE ALL 5's!!! (link)
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Hello there,
Just noticed this while doing something else on the site:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/page16.html
... 7800 all the way, though your 6800 should play it at a reasonable frame rate.
If you have upgraded, feel free to let me know how you made out.
DN.
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DN, I'm not going to lie to you. I did ask this to the pool but you are so good at computers that I wanted to ask you directly.
My iPod and iTunes aren't working together. I left my iPod in my USB port when I shut my compter off and now when I go into iTunes it won't come up so I can transfer songs. Both are working fine on their own. What should I do? (link)
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How about I answer the one in the pool?
Send me a link.
In the future, just e-mail me the link to the pool question, and ask me to take a look when I have time.
(Side note: Take the iPod off the dock, or cable. Completely shut down your computer and your iPod, start the computer all the way up. then once everything is loaded, connect your iPod.)
If that works, let me know and I will add a few more words to it and post it in response to your pool question.
DN.
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hey ive seen you answer some questions about cars, so i was wondering if you could give me some help.
i drive my moms car now(sadly), but im about to get my license. i was wondering if you knew of a car that was easily upgradeable(other than a honda), and had good room for a turbo/supercharger. i was also wondering what other upgrades i should get for this(I.E. short throw shifter, new shocks, etc). im looking in the 10-18k ($) price range for used. any help is appreciated. (link)
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Hello there,
If you are looking for "fast and furious" type advice, I am afraid I will not be much help. When it comes to horsepower I am the sort that likes a little steel to go with it. 69 Dodge Charger R/T 426 hemi supercharged, that sort of thing.
If you were going to go Nipponese, I would ask you to look into a mid 80's mid-engine Porsche (Your budget if you shop around) before you make up your mind.
Reasons? I have never seen an axle-shaft sheer on a Porsche. (wheel come flying off) (Something quite common in Japanese passenger cars that have a great deal of horespower added to them.)
Mid-engine layout improves stability.
All the parts are already high performance parts. The Porsche people in Germany know their stuff. The tests new models go through are the best I know of.
Example: Porsche tests their engines and drivetrain like so... There are two cities in Germany approximately 18 hours apart by way of a truly torturouse up-hill and down winding mountain infested nightmare of a road.
In the past, they would start by taking the cars out in person and, setting up replacement drivers at each fuel stop along the route, they would run the full 18 hour course full out at whatever speed the car would do stopping only for fuel/driver changes.
Today they save the false starts by testing the engine and transmission under load in a special test machine. The machine simulates the road conditions on the aforementioned run. They do 18 hours per test at an average of 120 mph. Non-stop.
Ask yourself this: would an Accura(honda)/Mitsubishi/etc be able to run 120 mph under uphill stresses for 18 continous hours? I doubt we have ever built a single production car in America that could do it.
This is the best part... When the test is complete, they dissassemble the engine, and if there is any serious bearing/ring/valve wear they re-engineer and run the test again with an improved motor.
Now wouldn't you like to know that the car you are driving could run 120 mph for 18 hours without showing visible signs of engine wear?
Ok, having said all that, here's the simple version:
1. Cheap.
2. Quality/reliable.
3. Fast.
You may only pick two. Do you get it?
Oh, you can go fast for cheap, but you will be fixing it all the time. If you are lucky enough to survive the parts falling off.
Dual turbo Porsche boxster will tear the doors off anything your friends have. And will still be able to in 20 years. Buuuttt... It isn't cheap.
Cheap and reliable. Yep, but not fast.
You see, most of the cars you are thinking of were never meant to go fast.
I have seen people doing customs on Neons! This is supposed to be a car that will get a schoolgirl to the mall after shool. I watched a video of some MORON running 140mph when the right front wheel sheered off and he became one with a retaining wall. Instant death. 17 years old, life over. Whammo.
If you run a p2p client, search for crash videos. There are quite a few where vital parts just fall off cars at speed.
I know this isn't the answer you wanted but it is what I have to offer.
You are about to get your license and you want to add a turbo-charger to something... You have basically nothing in the way of driving credentials at this time, correct?
Consider this: If you can keep your record pure for 5-10 years, then go for it. You MIGHT have the driving experience to handle what you want to drive. In that time you will be working up to more exotic vehicles. When you are ready to handle something that goes, you will be able to afford it.
Before you get into ANY street sports, NO MATTER WHAT, you MUST take an advanced driving course. Same thing the police take, or a stunt driving class.
Same thing for guns, until you know how to shoot you should try to avoid the .44 AutoMag. ;-)
You know, I just thought of something... There is now something that is fast safe reliable and cheap(ish): The volvo 744 Turbo Wagon.
Same 1/4 mile time as a Porsche 944 turbo. And by now the used ones should be inexpensive. If you think I am making a joke, I am not. I would be very pleased to own one of these. You would also be the only person you know that owned one. To the movies... Warp factor nine Mr. Sulu. :-)
If you want to get into something really interesting, look at euro style rally racing. See what cars they run. You are looking at a 1/4 mile, they are looking at 500-3000 miles for a single race. No Accura, no Neon... ;-)
Oh, I am quite fond of the Suburu WRX. It is designed as a rally car, and a damn fine one from all reports.
For 18k I would go for the used Porsche. It will do everything you want except haul more than two people. If you want to be able to haul a few friends and/or some stuff try the Volvo.
(Update) Just now had a call from a friend... He was where you are a few years ago. Wanted me to mention that unless you know how to do your own work, you can go through $10-12K just getting the engine re-built (mandatory for a quality turbo/supercharger install) and the transmission replaced. You'll gut the stock tranny if you put performance parts on the engine.
What he meant to say: It takes more money to make a grocery getter into a sports car than it does to buy a sports car.
Food for thought.
DangerNerd.
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Is this because the AC adaptor was too high a voltage, and did I just ruin my camera?? (link)
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I am sorry to tell you, but it is highly likely that you have ruined the camera. :-(
lvDC (Low Voltage Direct Current) devices are typically very sensitive to the input voltage they are given to work with.
If, and it isn't terribly likely, but IF there is an internal fuse on the charging circuit inside the camera, you might be able to have it repaired.
One other thing you might try: Most digital cameras have a reset switch that reset the internal settings to the defaults. You might try using that switch in whatever fashion the manual indicates, just on the off chance that the settings were simply scrambled.
DangerNerd.
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Ok. Well I have been harrassed on this site twice. The first time I reported that person, s/he got banned. The 2nd time, wich included harrassment, and a death wish, that person didnt get banned. I dont remember seeing that telling people to die was legal in the faq. I dont know why he didnt get banned. One of my friends told that that a death wish leads to a perminant ban.
Whats going on? (link)
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You report them to me.
dangernerd@gmail.com
You don't respond to e-mails, so I will drop this here.
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Okay i have a dell computer,and for some reason i moved the toolbar at the bottom,and it got bigger and moved up.Does anyone know how to make the toolbar its regular size? thank you! (link)
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Hi there,
I have done this while clicking about, and fortunately it is an easy fix:
Left-click and hold on the very top edge of the taskbar, then you can make it whatever size you like, including the original single row.
Wish all our problems were this easy to fix, don't you? :-)
DangerNerd.
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ok so all of a sudden the sound on my computer shut off. i was just listening to a song and then it just shut off. does anyone know what happend or how to get it back? i already tryed unplugging it and plugging it back in again but nothing happend. ill rate 5's! (link)
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Try the speakers on another device, like a Walkman, or mp3 player. This will tell you if the speakers are bad.
Also, try plugging your headphones, or another set of speakers, into the speaker port and see if you have sound.
It is entirely possible that all you need is a reset because whatever program you were using to play music crashed.
Make sure to add more info to the question if you find out what happened, so people don't keep answering this after you have it fixed.
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I noticed people added suggestions on the to do list. How did they do that? Can I? (link)
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I watch for good ideas in the moderator forum, and give credit to the person proposing the idea if it is something that I can use here.
You have my e-mail address, both of these should have been sent to my e-mail.
One more, and you will no longer be a moderator.
Lead by example please.
DN.
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This is not the kinda question i should be asking, but im curious. (dont get grossed out)
Im a guy who is very sexually active with one partner, my question is the following..my girlfriend hardly ever gives me head not because she doesnt want to, but because for the last 8 months or so, ive had this very bad odour comming from my penis. The thing is im the cleanest person ever, i shower everyday and pay extra attention to washing my penis properly, however 10 or 15 minutes later, the smell is back. Ive gotten checked for all stds many of times, and i know for a fact that im my girlfriends first and only lover. Any body have any ideas as to why this odour keeps on destroying my feallatio fantasies? (link)
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Hello there,
Your girlfriend gave you a present:
... the good news it that much can be done for a male yeast infection, it that is indeed what it is.
A number of products can be purchased on-line.
DN.
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I was just wondering if there were people on here older then 20? (link)
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35 here.
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ok for health i have to do an essay on 5 reasons why americans on average are not phisically fit.
i am just drawing a blank about what to write about
please help asap!!
i rate. (link)
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If you really want to write a brilliant paper:
You could compare the American lifestyle to that of the Roman empire, right before it collapsed.
As they became indulgent, and consumed only with their own pleasure, they had many of the same problems we have.
As a whole Americans are less active than their counterparts around the world.
Life is very easy here by comparison. We do not have to struggle for much.
Practically everyone here has a car, where in most other countries practically nobody has one.
We spend our time in idle diversions, like video games, rather than sports or having to work the land to feed our families.
We are fat, because we are physically lazy, eat horrible plastic foods that make our body sick and/or eat a great deal more than we should.
Just a few suggestions.
DN.
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Ok, I'm downloading Spybot right now. But I just figured out that my computer is saving alot of stuff from the Internet. Like clips of photos and icons. So where do I go from here. Is there any way to disable it from saving all that junk?
-GD (link)
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Hello again GD,
You don't want to disable it completely, you just want to set the max number to a reasonable amount like 64MB.
Regarding your feedback:
I use three anti-virus scanners, and 5 spyware tools. Don't depend on McAfee. Run the on-line one I send you and see. It found things both Norton and McAfee missed.
You also didn't mention AdAware. It finds things Spybot doesn't, and vice versa.
A really good tool for managing your cache, if you use IE, is called cache sentry:
http://www.enigmaticsoftware.com/cachesentry/
... It will automatically trim thing, even when IE isn't smart enough and leaves them behind. (Known bug in IE)
Once you get it all squared away, then defragment the drive and see how you do.
DN.
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Hey DN,
I've had my Dell for about 3-4 months now and its running slower than ever. I deleted some programs such as Msn Messenger because that was taking up alot of space. I also save almost ever thing to a Floppy Disk or a CD. So I wanted to free some things up on my Hard Disk to make it a little faster. So I clicked Disk Cleanup. I'm sorta lost from here. Any Ideas?
-GD (link)
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Hello GD,
The very first thing I would do would do would be to run a full virus scan and spyware scan.
If you don't have AdAware, you need it. Also Spybot Search and Destroy.
After you have run those I would check your internet cache settings to make sure that things are being deleted and you aren't keeping really old stuff from the web on your machine.
Here are some links you should have:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com
...free virus scanner.
AdAware:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
Spybot:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
----
Once you have downloaded and run all of those, checked your browser cache (64MB is a good number), cleared your cache... then defragment your hard drive.
If you still have problems after that, let me know.
DN.
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DN,
I used to have Ares and my Mwra stopped working. So i thought if i deleted Ares and reinstalled it it would be fixed. Well, now i downloaded Ares a few times on different sites and it says ACTION CANCELLED. The chat rooms dont come up either. My internet connection if working perfectly fine. Can you please help me??
Thank you so much.
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Hello there,
First, decide which account you want to keep, and let me know.
I have no idea what Mwra is, and google didn't either, so I can't help you with that.
I assume you restarted your computer between removing and re-installing Ares?
You said that you downloaded it, and it says action cancelled... When does it say that, when you are downloading it, when you try to install it or when you try to run Ares?
What chat rooms don't come up? The ares chat, or ours?
Please provide more information.
DN.
P.S. SweetxLove Kristen was banned for this, which includes putting the blame on someone else:
http://www.advicenators.com/qview.php?q=406322
... I noticed you were asking when I reviewed your columns.
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Hello There,
This is the same person who asked about the iPOD. I went to Device Manager and USB wasn't listed under ports. I know I have a USB port on my computer (it's worked before) but it's not listed. I'm not sure what to do as of this point. Any extra advice now that you know the port is not installed?
Thanks! (link)
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Hello again,
In device manager, USB isn't listed under ports. Look further down: "Universal Serial Bus" or, in other words, USB. :-)
If THAT isn't there, then go right to the BIOS idea.
If it is enabled in BIOS, but doesn't show at all in device manager, then a static shock probably wiped it out. Be glad it wasn't your whole motherboard, if that is the case.
Let me know how you do,
DangerNerd.
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why won't you let people decorate there advice columns i mean it was funner to be on this site when we were able to decorate this site so why did you take it off now this site is boring i am not trying to be rude but why?????? : ( (link)
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Hello there,
The HTML in columns had been turned off for some time when I took over this site. It was not me that did it originally.
Before I answer further, please consider this:
You say this site is boring because you can't "decorate" you column...
This site isn't called "decoratingyourcolumnators.com" ;-)
This is for giving advice, and having your questions answered.
The HTML was originally turned off because people were using it to try and attack the site.
I have tried to get some interest in turning it back on, but nobody cares enough to write.
Check the site news:
http://www.advicenators.com/news.php
... Loon at the entries for:
Monday August 22 2005, 7:14 pm, titled "Week #4"
Wednesday September 14 2005, 8:14 pm, Titled "Week #7, and then some..."
Only two people wrote, and neither one had a column full of HTML codes for me to look at.
AFTER you have read those news updates, feel free to write me again if you have any other ideas or concerns.
DangerNerd.
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