Tech Hints PermaThread™

Subject: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:03 PM

This is a PermaThread managed by Joe Offer, intended as a guide to help people with technical Internet or computer problems. Feel free to post questions or answers in this thread, but be aware that all messages in this thread are subject to deletions or editing.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:07 PM

Watch this space...

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:08 PM

More to come....

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: MMario
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:10 PM

hey joe! why don't you start by putting your description of how to handle midi's here.....I've seen you answer that one a couple times on the help forum.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:12 PM

Kewl idea for a permathread. I've learned almost all I know about tech/computer stuff here, at the Mudcat!

Subject: Deleting Multiple Personal Messages
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:13 PM

Max is testing a very good solution to make deleting personal messages an easy task, but that solution may not be available for quite some time. In the meantime, deleting a personal message is a time-consuming taske You have to "archive" a message from you personal page or from the message itself, and then you have to go to your archive and click on the "delete" link in the message or the archive list.
Here's a shortcut from Jeri, our Tech Goddess:

Well, it's not designed to work this way, but it does. If you just start clicking on "delete" and keep going down the list as fast as possible, you may get quite a few threads, if not all of them, before the page changes.

And one from Joe Offer:

Another way is to right-click on the delete link for each message, and choose open in new window. Keep working on the original list, and keep closing the new windows as they open.
I also use that "open in new window" trick from the Forum Menu. I keep one Forum Menu open for a while, and open the threads as new windows, closing that thread's window as I finish reading.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:19 PM

Jon, Jeri, and others (and me, too) have posted a number of tips in the Help Forum and elsewhere. I thought it might be a good idea to collect the best tips into a PermaThread. If you copy-paste a favorite hint, please try to give credit to the person who originated the hint.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Playing MIDIs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:22 PM

Melody Lane is a great site, but it's heavy on graphics and takes a long time to load some pages. It says it works best with Crescendo, but I have an intense hatred for Crescendo and the technical problems it causes. If you have Crescendo and you're having MIDI problems, I recommend that you go to Control Panel and uninstall Crescendo (ALWAYS use Control Panel's Add/Remove function to remove programs). I have Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, and Windows Media Player 6.4, and Melody Lane plays the tunes for me very nicely.

I wish it were easier for me to troubleshoot MIDI problems from a distance. Many people have trouble playing the MIDI tunes from the Digital Tradition, even though they're able to play the tunes on the Mudcat MIDI Page. There's one MIDI page that everybody seems to be able to work with - Lesley's Contemplator Page. Take a look at the Contemplator and see if the tunes play for you there. Then try a few of the Mudcat MIDI tunes, and then some from the Digital Tradition. If all of those work, then go back to Melody Lane and wait a long time - maybe it's just the slow loading that's giving you fits.

---

Click here for leads to other MIDI sites you can check out. You can also find various MIDI sites listed on the Mudcat Links Page. Another site you may want to check is Public Domain Music, with MIDIs by Benjamin Robert Tubb.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:36 PM

Open in New Window is also great when looking up SuperSearched material from among a pile of old threads. Leaving a word processor window open to copy and paste the pieces you want is a help, especially if you right-click to Copy Shortcut as you go to make it possible to add clickies (links) for the source threads as you bring the info together into your new file.

Subject: Mudcat Search Tips
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 May 01 - 01:55 PM

I hadn't noticed before yesterday, but it does seem that the Filter does not respond to requests for certain words. I think I put "Breton" in yesterday and didn't get what I was looking for.

I've made a project of studying the quirks of the various search engines we use at Mudcat, attempting to out-think them all. So far, the search engines have outsmarted me most of the time. We have four search engines on Mudcat - the Filter, the Forum Search (in QuickLinks), SuperSearch, and the DigiTrad search. Oh, and then there are the search engines built into the DOS and Windows and Mac versions of the Digital Tradition. In addition, these search engines are used in different ways in certain situations (like the DigiTrad titles search), so other ideosyncrasies are added. I've tried to give basic instructions for searching in the beginning of the Mudcat FAQ. You'll find more advanced search tips if you click the Help (click) link next to the SuperSearch box.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Linking To SuperSearch
From: Pene Azul
Date: 23 Jun 01 - 01:28 PM

If you want to link to the current SuperSearch (Digitrad and Forum Search), you can link to the url
http://supersearch.mudcat.org/@ssdtresults.cfm?query=caledonia

For queries of more than one word, you can separate the words with + signs like
http://supersearch.mudcat.org/@ssdtresults.cfm?query=maid+on+the+shore

Jeff

---

Linking to a filter query

http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm?title=seagull&age=1095

The age is in days.

If the title term contains space, you have to replace the space with %20 forit to work in Netscape (IE will do it automatically)

For example:

http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm?title=the%20seagull&Age=1095

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Aug 01 - 07:20 PM

If you're posting links to songs that are in the Digital Tradition, you'll get the best and most permanent links if you search for the song using SuperSearch (Digitrad and Forum Search). Go to the song, and copy the URL (address) that comes up in your browser's address bar. If you goi to the song with the blue search box or with the "titles" list, you'll get less reliable results.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: More on 'Open a New Window'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Aug 01 - 01:31 AM

Generally, it's best to go back to the Forum Menu/Forum Home page by clicking the "Forum Home" link within a thread and not using your "back" button. Using the "back" button tends to mess things up in Mudcat.

To avoid reloading the Forum Menu each time, try this:

• From the Forum Menu, right-click the name of the thread you want to read
• Select "open in new window"
• Close the new window when you're done reading, and you'll be back to the Forum Menu
• Click the grey "refresh" button on the Forum Menu every once in a while, so you'll know of new messages since you came online

-Joe Offer-

Subject: Want to Print a Single Message?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 12:59 PM

Want to print a single Mudcat message?

---

• Go to the Forum Search in the QuickLinks dropdown menu on most Mudcat pages.
• Put part of the title of the message in the search box, and part of the sender's name, then click.
• A list should come up, showing just the messages that fit that criteria. Click on the one you want, and it will show up as a single page - this (click) is what I found by searching for jambalaya and offer (it's quite tasty, too).
  You can view this message by itself if you (click here)

---

The other way is to copy the message and paste it into a word processor, and then print the word processor document. These instructions are for Windows, but the process for Mac computers is quite similar - this process will not work on television-based browsers like WEBTV.

• Put your mouse cursor at the beginning of the part you want to copy. Hold down your LEFT mouse button, and pull the pointer down to the end of the part you want to copy - that section should be highlighted (it should change color).
• While pointing to the highlighted area, click on your RIGHT mouse button and select COPY, and the section will be copied into the memory of your computer.
• Open a word processor (notepad will do nicely), point to an open white space, and right-click and select PASTE. The passage should appear in your word processor, and you can print it or save it as a text file, or whatever you want.
  You can also use keyboard shortcuts - CTRL-C for COPY and CTRL-V for PASTE.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: Online Virus Checking
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Sep 01 - 01:16 PM

The best way to protect your computer is to have an up-to-date virus checker installed on your computer, and to update the program's virus definitions at least once a month. If you need information about a virus, go to the excellent virus information sites provided at www.symantec.com and www.mcafee.com.

If you don't have virus checking software, you can get virus checking for free online at http://housecall.antivirus.com/. I haven't tried this service, but it looks pretty good. I wonder how they make their money.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 09:21 AM

You can also print a single message by highlighting it right in the browser, and then choosing "Print Selection" in your browser's print menu.

Doesn't everyone know that??

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 12:53 PM

I am using webTV, if you want to print a page all you need to do is press print page on the remote control.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 01:55 PM

Joe, Housecall is run by Trend Micro Inc, the makers of PC-Cillin (the AV software I am using). I guess they get a few purchases as a result of people using Housecall.

My AV software (and perhaps all of the newer versions from the major makers) automatically check for new signature files when I am connected to the Internet and installs them for me so I have no need to do any checking. It seems pretty good to me (and not bad for a freebee either mine came bundled with a driver installation CD for a motherboard I fitted).

Jon

Subject: Reset Messages Since Last Visit
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 02:07 PM

Pene Azul has designed a utility that allows members to reset their "messages since last visit" counter - http://www.mudcat.org/newmessages_reset.cfm

Thanks, Pene!

-Joe Offer-

Subject: Blue Clickies Made Easy
From: Pene Azul
Date: 30 Sep 01 - 02:06 AM

Give this a try:

Make a link ("blue clicky")

Jeff

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Oct 01 - 04:17 PM

I've noticed something with the links posted in many threads - they link to ragtime, loki, shorty, or www.mudcat. If you're posting links in the Forum, it's best to leave out the first part of the URL - for a thread, it would be

<a href=/thread.cfm?ThreadID=38686>click</a> - click

For a song in the Digital Tradition, it's best to use the URLs that come up in the Digitrad and Forum Search (SuperSearch), without the title information that's at the end of the URL

<a href=/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=4542>click</a> - click

In the Help Forum, you do need the http://www.mudcat.org before the URL.

If you have links with ragtime, shorty, loki, or dharma in them, those links won't work if that particular server is down or done away with. We'll always have www, but it may be down at times. We will most likely do away with the blue DigiTrad search box, so any URLs posted from it will no longer work.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Oct 01 - 05:12 PM


Pending a decision on whether to do something with it, I'm adding a link here to a post of interest to MAC drivers - and musicians and MIDI nuts. I haven't checked the links given in the thread, but it looks like Amos has done some good research. Hope it is agreeable to have a link here so I don't have to add another trace.

Quoting Amos:

Subject: Macs, Music and MIDI From: Amos Date: 07-Oct-01 - 11:15 PM
I submit this as a possible permathread.

John

---

Thanks, John. I've added it to the PermaThread index page, but haven't given it full PermaThread status yet. We'll se where it goes.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Oct 01 - 01:55 PM

Joe, should the BS filter be shown here, and does it belong in the FAQ?

Is there a way to filter out two things at once, such as BS and Non-music?

~Susan

---

Here's the "BS" Filter:

http://www.mudcat.org/threadsnot.cfm?Title=BS:

This allows people to view Mudcat without the "BS" threads. No, it won't filter out both "BS" and nonmusic. It would be difficult to make a nonmusic filter because we don't have a standard "nonmusic" tag.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread(TM)
From:
Date: 01 Jan 02 - 08:25 PM

Could the BS filter be combined with the "Age=" thing. Sometimes I can't get on for a few days, and I'd like to have more than 1 day for the search. Thanks

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread(TM)
From:
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:29 AM

Found it!

http://ragtime.mudcat.org/threadsnot.cfm?Title=BS&Age=xx

Where XX = number of days back to search.

Subject: Posting Links within Mudcat
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Feb 02 - 11:08 AM

If you post lots of links, and I'd like to ask if you could try to do internal Mudcat links, leaving out the

http://www.mudcat.org

One link I saw was:

<a href="http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=00000">(click here)</a>

If you change it to

<a href="/thread.cfm?threadid=00000">(click here)</a>

then people won't switch servers when they follow your links. It's not a big deal if your link leads to www.mudcat.org, but it can me messy if your links lead to ragtime, shorty, or loki.

If you are posting links on the Help Forum, you have to use the entire URL

Thanks.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 May 02 - 08:41 AM

People sometimes seem to want to know how to give links to searches or threads using filters, etc. Here's how I do it or find out how to do it. It's a little bit messy but it seems to work with every form I have tried at Mudcat...

View the source of the page that contains the input form you would normally use to perform the search/filter and search for the form there. This will be in a section of the HTML that starts with <FORM> Some pages do contain more than one form but it is easy enough to work out which form is which.

When you have found the right form, read along to where is says "action=". This will give you the URL. Next, look through the form for lines sarting with <INPUT> or <SELECT> The "Name=" bit for these will give you the names of the paramaters to supply. The rule here is simple. The first paramater follows the URL and is preceded by a question mark (?), subsequent paramaters follow and are preceded by an Ampersand (&).

As an example, to use the filter, looking through threads.cfm you will find the form with the action threads.cfm. It has an input with the name "Title" and a select with the name age. So, to find all BS threads from the past 5 days, the URL would be

threads.cfm?Title=BS:&age=5.

The only other thing to know is that if you are providing a link from outside the main forum, you need to supply a full URL, e.g. http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm....

Jon

Subject: Sandy Andina's Tips & Tricks
From:
Date: 18 Sep 03 - 09:39 AM

Sandy Andina's Tips, Tricks and Techniques Pages
In The Beginning
10 Commandments of Open Mikes
To Plug or Not To Plug ... In, That Is.
Primer on Microphones
Jams, Song Circles, & Music Parties
Go Out and PLAY!

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Abby Sale
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 08:55 PM

Hmmm. Cain't see how there aren't any but I don't see any here about tossed cookies. On this computer, for a couple of weeks now my cookie just won't stick. I'm using Netscape 7.1 and have set all the security thingies I can to be kind to cookies but no use.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Half the time I forget to login, I'm so use to it being automatic.

My usual computer has no problem, I use Nets 8. with Mutcat set to Firefox emulation. Can't do that here, though. Now don't say, Go there. It's in the shop.

Where do cookies actually reside? The cookie manager contains 4 Mudcat cookies (without careing) but I can't tell if they also sit somewhere physically.

I thank youse.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: Abby Sale
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 08:39 AM

One (I hope) other. Does ABC2Win work under Windows XP. I thought it worked on the laptop but on this computer it just sits there and refuses to open. I've reloaded & all but no use. The Play function (under DOS) worked but not the main program.

Thanks.

Subject: RE: Tech Hints PermaThread™
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Jan 07 - 05:32 PM

This one is easier to just go SEE
it instead of me describing it.

~Susan