Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dual

My Dream Dual Boot Netbook

lemonfridge — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:39:01 -0800

Help me build my perfect netbook! I've had my iBook G4 since I started Uni over 6 years ago, but it's starting to show it's age and things are starting to play up (apart from the battery!)

So I've ordered myself a Samsung NC20 with a 2Gb of RAM upgrade. I'd really like to dual or triple boot between Windows, OSX, and....something.

1. It comes with XP, but I'm tempted to go for a Windows 7 upgrade. Thoughts?

I like OSX and wouldn't mind keeping it an option.

2. I'd like a flavour of Linux or possible the new Google OS. Thoughts?

3. I really like how quickly my current iBook waked up when I open the lid. Can I expect the same thing from my new NC20?

4. Where is the best guide to acheive what I want? I've never dual booted anything before.

If it doesn't hurt, you're not doing it right...

Zé Pequeno — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:15:07 -0800

The old adage 'No Pain, No Gain' appears intuitive when it comes to developing physical prowess. I only started to see gains in the gym after pushing myself to the point where I'd wake up thinking I'd be crippled for the rest of my life. Is the same true for cognitive improvements too? I'm not normally prone to headaches but I've started to notice that after reading very difficult text books, I am left with a headache varying in severity from the mildly inconvenient to the unbearable. Since starting to play Dual N-back, an insanely difficult game scientifically-proven to improve fluid intelligence and working memory, it has got even worse.

I'll be the first to admit that I've not used my brain properly in a long time. Should I take this as evidence that my efforts are paying off or indication of a more serious health concern? I might be wrong but I doubt that it's the latter because I only have headaches when I engage in something that significantly pushes me to my limits.

A game of Dual N-back is normally followed by the need to lie down and rest for 15 minutes or so. I like to think that the headache is merely an outward manifestation of my brain producing new neurons and better connections. Is there any scientific explanation that might confirm this?

Is this a dual headed stethoscope?

skjønn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:03:10 -0800

I need a "dual headed stethoscope" for school. I'm not sure if the model I've chosen is one. Medical students and/or doctors, please help me. Is this stethoscope right here a dual headed stethoscope: http://www.steeles.com/catalog/3mclassII.html ?

It looks like one to me, but I'm not totally sure if it is.

dual for a planar graph

yegga — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:15:46 -0800

Can you please draw me the dual of this planar graph. In case it isn't clear: the little circles are tangential to the vertices of the square and tangential to the big circle. There are only four nodes: the four vertices of the square.

Also: please point me to a generic method of finding a dual for a planar graph if you know of one.

Am I insane?: Dual Boot/XP Pro (both)/ move to a smaller drive/ FREE!?

CodeMonkey — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:59:59 -0800

Am I insane?: Dual Boot/XP Pro (both)/ move to a smaller drive/ FREE!? What I would like to do is this:
I have a drive that has two partitions. First partition is already formatted, runs XP Pro, is full of all kinds of stuff I do, and is all set up correctly. I also have another XP Pro image (driveXML) which I want to use for games. It only has the OS and the games installed so its lean and mean. What I want to do is:
1) on startup have a prompt to pick which system to use (defaulting to the first partition)
2) whichever one I choose, have that become the c: drive

Yes, I know about the boot.ini file but every example I see has it working with two different OSs. I also read something about doing this will cause the system to work very slowly if at all so let me know if this is the case. Will it not work with defragging anymore? Also, I don't care if I see the unused partition in My Computer or not.

To further complicate matters, the driveXML image came from an 80 gb drive but it didn't use anywhere near that ammount of space. How can I transfer that image to a smaller space (like 36 gb) ?

Oh yes, FREE utilities would be GREAT.

My games need viagra - they won't stay up!

fearnothing — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:03:57 -0800

(Vistafilter) Cannot full screen with dual monitors Please MeFi, help me before I do something violent, or have a breakdown. This is frustrating me to an obscene degree.

I use a computer with dual monitors. It's home built, and is currently running Vista Ultimate 64-bit. The issue is that when I try to run a full screen game, the screen goes dark, the secondary display flashes a few times, then it minimises the application. If I try maximising it from the taskbar, it MIGHT manage to get it to come up, usually taking a half dozen or more tries.

My google-fu has utterly failed me on this one. Currently my only solution (sort of) has been to maximise the game, set the resolution to the native res of my main screen, then close the game, edit the properties of the shortcut so that the "Run" option is "Maximised" instead of "Normal". Only then will it go fullscreen first try. I have to do this for every new game, and there are certain games which do not seem to work with a shortcut and must be run directly from the disk - these games I just have to patiently repeatedly click on the taskbar button. Games that do not have the option to run at native res are fubar, it's pot luck whether I can get them to maximise.

Changing the screens has not made a difference. If it's important, my graphics card is a GeForce 8800GT, latest drivers.

Will this dual-xeon motherboard boot with a single CPU?

Skorgu — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:31:26 -0800

Will a dual-1366 (Nehalem, Xeon 5xxx) motherboard work with a single CPU? Specifically, a SUPERMICRO MBD-X8DAL-i-O Dual LGA 1366 Intel 5500 motherboard and a single Intel Xeon E5504 CPU.

The second CPU/ram will be loaded in a few months but I need to replace a box pretty soon so I'm bootlegging it.

I know I'll have to populate only the loaded CPU's ram slots, but it ought to work anyway, right?

Increased productivity or neck injury?

special-k — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:11:11 -0800

Dual monitor annoyance: How do I make sure that dialog boxes/windows open in the same monitor? I have a dual monitor set up at work. When I click on a folder in the left monitor, it opens on the right (or the other way around). This also happens with application dialog boxes. For example, If Firefox is running in the second monitor, addons appear in the first monitor. Same with Thunderbird, iTunes and all other apps.
Is there a freeware program/trick to keeping each program (and associated dialogs/events) restricted to the same monitor?

Dual boot, single drive, encryption

yoyoceramic — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:33:43 -0800

Dual booting Win XP and Win 7 off the same disk... I have already used TrueCrypt to encrypt the primary Win XP Partition. Anything I should know before attempting to do the Win 7 partition? I don't want to mess up any boot loaders. I want to proceed carefully here. I have already encrypted my Windows XP partition (the same partition that has Windows Boot Manager on it), and now I need to encrypt my other partition which contains Windows 7.

Is there anything I need to know before I proceed with this? I am assuming when I am booted into Win7 I just choose the "encrypt partition" option from TC.... I just dont want to mess up the TC boot loader that is already on my system due to the encryption job I made on Win XP.

Real-world microprocessor performance based on specs.

brenton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:14:20 -0800

Help me understand Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Wikipedia has a confusing chart that seems to indicate matching processor to the RAM is more important than the actual specs of the RAM or processor. I'm buying a laptop on the Dell Outlet. But trying to do research for which one to pick has led me to the wikipedia page on Core 2 Duo processors. Several things confuse me.

1. What is the meaning of this "GB/s" unit of measure under the "Matched memory and maximum bandwidth" column? Is this a reliable indicator of generic processing power?

2. For DDR2 RAM, is the chart saying that the processors with only 533 FSB are always faster than the 800mhz processors? It seems so since they have more "GB/s". But that makes no sense! The processors with faster FSB should always be better... right?

3. Is a "Core 2 Duo" most likely better than a "Core Duo" or even a "Pentium Dual Core"? It would be helpful if I could narrow it down to just one processor type.

What should I be looking at when choosing a processor? I had it in my head that Core 2 Duo was the best dual core processor out today. If I choose the Core 2 Duo with the fastest FSB I can find, (assuming a reasonable clock speeed,) is that the way to go?

Can a US/Canadian dual citizen travel in Cuba without a licence?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:18:36 -0800

Can a US/Canadian dual citizen travel in Cuba without a licence? If someone is a dual Canadian/US citizen, with valid passports from both countries, can they visit Cuba (leaving from Canada)?

The sense I get is that it’s very possible - fly from Canada, on a Canadian passport - all no probem. But the sense I also get is that technically, it might still be a violation of US law, since US citizens (I think) are barred from taking vacations in Cuba, even if they’re also citizens of other countries.

So… let me ask:

- Is my understanding of the law right? Is it illegal under US law for a dual-citizen to travel to Cuba?

- Regardless of the letter of the law, is there any reason to actually worry about the practical consequences of this, if the person in question travels on their Canadian passport?

I gather the embargo is actually about *spending money* in Cuba, not actually about traveling there.

So- would it help matters if the Dual-citizen was traveling with a Canadian, and the Canadian paid for everything?
(a similar question was asked here but this is a little different),

Expat/citizenship Filter

Grrlscout — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:02:06 -0800

Expat/citizenship Filter: Before I became eligible to apply for citizenship in the country I live in, I was all for it. Now that it's six months past my first date of eligibility, I'm not so sure. Anyone else been through this process? Any advice? Any advice or stories from you wonderful Mefites to help a girl make up her mind? I have permanent residency, so it isn't a question of needing to apply to be able to stay. In short, I can't see many practical reasons to apply. The only thing I can't do here is vote, but I can contact my MP if an issue fires me up. If I need to work outside the UK, the company sending me files any necessary visa paperwork for me.

If I were to apply, it would be for personal reasons only, at this point... or because the idea of not having a vote really started to bother me. It was my principal reason for considering an application in the first place, but now I'm not even sure who'd get my vote if I had one. Barring this past presidential election, I already have citizenship in a country where I often hold my nose and vote.

I'm not used to this kind of doldrums, so I fully admit that there might be something going on in the back of my head about commitment to the country I'm in now or conflicted feelings about my home country. The recent changes to immigration law in the UK won't affect my application (aside from the possible new volunteer hours provision). They have left a bad taste in my mouth, though, and brought up all sorts of thoughts about my own foreignness and the shaky sort of acceptance I've been able to win. Just what does that all mean? In other words, a lot of money and hassle and a new passport later, just what will citizenship change?

I'm getting a little tired of questions from friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic asking me about this application. The Americans seem to be divided convinced that I'd be nuts to not grab the chance to get an EU passport and dual citizenship. The Brits seem to be equally divided between people who see it as my final commitment to living here and people who don't understand why I'd want to cement ties to this country.

So, what says the hive mind?

Is there a program that runs in the background and places other prgrams in a defined area of my monitor?

Apo11o — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:54:37 -0800

Is there a program that will run in the background and place other program windows in a designated spot on one of my two monitors when they are launched so that I don't always have to drag them there when the program starts? I would prefer something free and something that definitely works with a dual monitor setup. Something that doesn't use too much resurces and something that's invisible but simple and effective.

two connections, one home

baggers — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:03:38 -0800

Because of all the crap that’s going on with ISPs blocking BitTorrent users and putting in bandwidth caps, I’m getting a second home Internet connection. What’s the easiest way to manage this, and is there a router (either hardware or software) that can be configured to send different types of traffic over different connections? We have a SnapGear SG565 at the office, and this does a great job of switching over from one Internet connection to the other if one has a problem, but it doesn’t seem to be able to route based on protocol. I’d like to be able to send web traffic over one connection, and BitTorrent over the other. Any recommendations for a router that can handle this easily?

How to get Vista to remember offset of 2nd monitor?

Sneutrino — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:57:25 -0800

I use Vista with a 2nd monitor to extend the desktop. But, every time I disconnect and reconnect the 2nd monitor (which is at least once per day) Vista forgets the relative positional offsets and I have to reset them. (The offset setting makes it so the mouse cursor and windows move smoothly between the two monitors). Is there a program or way to get Vista to remember the offsets?

Using laptop a sa second monitor, free software?

spacefire — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:26:44 -0800

Are there free alternatives to Maxivista software for using laptop as a second monitor? The laptop in question is an older model running Windows 98. So whatever software is suggested has to be able to support that OS.

Also, I plan to use the laptop/monitor for games too, mainly Microsoft Flight Simulator.

I can hook one more monitor up to my desktop computer, so if it were between paying $30 on maxivista or spending 30-50 on a monitor I would choose the latter.

Dual external hard drive recovery

s1gn1fy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:54:59 -0800

I have a Fantom Drive 500GB 7200RPM USB 2.0 External Hard Drive - MDU500. The connection for the power cable came loose from the board and nothing I tried could get it to power up. I removed the drives and connected them to a Linux box running Ubuntu 8.04. It saw the two drives as one and even knew the drive name I'd given it. However I cannot get it to mount. The error message in Linux suggests trying SoftRAID or dmraid. Dmraid didn't work. (At least I couldn't get it to.) The message also suggested trying to access the drives in Windows. Windows XP will also see the drive as one unit but wants to format the drive. Can someone provide me some advice or direction in how I might get this drive to a state where I can move my data onto another drive? If you suggest LiveCD or dmraid or something similar please provide step-by-step instructions. I have solid background in Unix so I'll understand what you tell me to do but my knowledge of Linux/Ubuntu is limited. Thanks!

dual monitors - yay!

rare_g — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:27:40 -0800

Dual monitor video cards for small frame desktops... I have a Dell XPS210 and would like to have dual monitors but I will need to upgrade the video card. Currently I have a ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro which I thought supported dual monitors but only has one output (plus s-video). Since I have the slim desktop, my video card upgrades are limited. Does anyone have any experience with this and can offer some advice?

Here are some cards I am looking at but I don't know what will work (size fit, compatibility, overheating, etc):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150257
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=PCI+Express+x16+HDCP+Ready+Low+Profile&x=0&y=0

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

How to hookup 2 external monitors to a laptop with one VGA port?

greenknightwatch — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:31:38 -0800

What's the best way to setup 2 external monitors on a laptop with just one VGA port ? I have two Acer AL2216W 22" LCD monitors (1680x1050) that I want to use to provide a dual screen display running off a Inspiron 6400 laptop.

The Inspiron 6400 has one VGA port and no DVI port. I have seen several USB to DVI or USB to VGA adapters which allow you to add an extra video output. Some of these units have external video cards in the cable. Some cables do not have an external video card.

Has anyone else tried this kind of setup with similar laptops, monitors? What equipment did you use to provide a second monitor output on your laptop?

Vista/Ubuntu Dual Boot desperate help needed :(

thesonofmorgoth — Sat, 24 May 2008 20:51:51 -0800

How to dual boot vista/ubuntu hardy heron and get everything set up. More details Inside. Starting to pull hair out :( Just a warning guys im just going to spill every piece of info i think might help solve this problem below. Sorry in advance but im at wits end.

I was planning on dual booting Vista/Hardy Heron on my compalIFL90 notebook. To do this i completely formatted the harddrive and installed vista first, giving it 40 gigs and leaving the other 120 gigs as free space. After i had installed vista i went back and installed ubuntu using the desktop 32 bit cd and just told it to use the largest contigous file. After i started playing around with my new ubuntu desktop i heard that it would be nice if i got my own home, root, and swap partitions so i went back and deleted my ubuntu partition,this time starting the manual partition mode. I made a 20 gig root, 4 gig swap and the rest of the gigs as home. I thought i was home free.

I tried following THIS GUIDE to set up my Compal, as it seems some hardware was not supported out of the box. I also installed compiz fusion and emerald theme manager, as well as the restricted drivers for my nvidia card.

and now all of a sudden im getting all these problems:

1. When i start up the computer sometimes all it says is GRUB loading stage 1.5 and just hangs there. I have to manually shut down the computer to get it back up, and then it allows me to boot into ubuntu or vista.
2. When i boot into ubuntu i just come to a white screen with a cursor sometimes, and i again have to manually shut down.
3. Once when just surfing the web this pink or purple fuzz started to border my windows and just mysteriously diapeared when i restarted.
4. I cant hibernate or sleep in my ubuntu.... while this is discussed in the above link i really dont get it.

So basically my whole installation is just crapping itself up and i have no idea why. Im not sure what i did wrong :(

So any help would be appreciated guys, and I wouldnt mind reformmating everything and starting over if i know it would work Thanks :D for reading this long post and i really hope i can get this to work i wanna learn linux :(

Who would have thought I'd miss windows?

hector horace — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:06:34 -0800

Why can't I connect to the internet when using the XP partition of my Macbook? Ok, so I managed to successfully run windows XP on my Macbook, (running leopard) using BootCamp. Unfortunetly I can't seem to access the internet on the windows side of the partition, (which is vital since I have to varify my copy of XP). Any ideas what I might have done wrong or might I'll have to do to correct this?

The internet connecton is running through a router, but connectivity does not occur even when I plug the modem in directly. To be clear I have no problem connecting when using OS X.

thanks

Ubuntu/Vista Dual Boot With a Twist! - Virtual PC in ubuntu booting existing Windows Partition! (exp ins.)

Javed_Ahamed — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:08:54 -0800

Ubuntu/Vista Dual Boot With a Twist! - Virtual PC in ubuntu booting existing Windows Partition? last week i posted this askMe and have now decided to achieve the following setup:

1. Two partitions 1 with vista and 1 with Ubuntu
2. In the ubuntu parition have a program like (Virtualbox, VMware) which will boot up from the EXISTING vista partition on the computer.

My reasoning for this is to use Ubuntu as my main OS, use the virtual vista for non cpu intensive tasks and then load up in vista natively for cpu intensive tasks.

However I will only have vista installed once on my computer saving space, and allowing programs and files to be shared between the "two" vistas.

My Question:

Do you guys know any guides/resources/anything i could consult on how to do this? I have posted on the ubuntu forums but no one has really given me any good help. I tried following a random guide on the internet on my desktop computer and all I ended up doing was corrupting the MBR in my virtual machine. I guess part of the problem is also the fact that a lot of these linux howtos just tell you to copy paste things into your terminal and I have no idea what they are doing. Maybe a site that actually explains these things and what each individual line does would also be helpful. Every guide I have seen so far seems to do something different.

P.S i would prefer to use VirtualBox to do this since it seems to be the thing everyone seems to be using now :/. If VMWare is better i guess I would do that too however. Also I know you can access files from your vista partition in Ubuntu since it can read and write to nfts but is there a way to get vista to read/write ubuntu ext3 (i think) files?

I... I have to tell you something... I think I'm a dual citizen.

SemiSophos — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:12:40 -0800

I think I may be a British citizen by descent. What now? My father was born to US citizens in London's East End, gaining dual US/UK citizenship by birth. As I am my father's son, and he is a citizen "otherwise than by descent," I am under the impression that I too may be a dual US/UK citizen.

One problem: At the age of 21, he went to the US Immigration office in Atlanta and took an oath of US Citizenship which included a renunciation of any other citizenship. "However, [he] did not make any report, presentation, or declaration of renunciation to the British Consul or any other British official."

He has also served in the US military.

It is my understanding that, in the eyes of the Queen, he's still a British citizen, and is still able to confer citizenship by descent. If my account above is accurate, is that the case?

If all the above checks out, and I'm a British citizen by descent, then what now? Do I simply apply for a passport and go on my merry way? Do I have to jump through other hoops?

Restoring the MBR after uninstalling Ubuntu

edbyford — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:49:47 -0800

I need to uninstall Ubuntu, but I'm confused by the uninstallation of GRUB on the Super GRUB Disk. Help! Hello all, I just tried an upgrade to Ubuntu Gutsy which went wrong and now Ubuntu is messed up. So I'm going to remove it and install again, allowing me to rearrange the Ubuntu partitions on my hard drive (something I've been meaning to do anyway).

I'm dual booting XP and Ubuntu. Originally it was an Ubuntu only system but then I installed XP.

When I'm using the Super GRUB Disk and choose the "Fix Windows Boot option" it asks me which OS I had installed before Ubuntu. Do I choose XP here? I think so but I'm not entirely sure as there isn't an Ubuntu option, and I thought I should ask before messing up my MBR!

Thanks for your help!

DIY portfolio printing - Best paper?

rog — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:39:54 -0800

Printer paper - I'm printing my portfolio for application to art college. Hoping to DIY so I'm looking for high quality, A3, dual-sided, matte paper for use with a Canon Pixma IX 4000 printer. I think. I need to submit my portfolio to a number of art colleges and, because it consists mostly of photos of 3D work, I thought I'd try and print it myself. A typical page would consist of some text and several photos. Some of the pages will be all photo, full bleed, some will be just text. It's kinda hard to describe exactly the look and feel I'm going for but if you have any Phaidon published books at home that should give you an idea.

I've never done this kind of dual-sided printing before and I'm worried about show-through (especially with large colour photos). I'm also concerned about keeping the page weight down below that of the typical photo paper so that the book's not too clunky. I guess there's a compromise point there somewhere. Cost is an issue but given the importance of the project I'm happy to pay extra for the good stuff.

The choice of papers out there is making my head spin a bit so if you've attempted something like this before and have any advice regarding brands, weights and finishes I'd really appreciate it.