Category: How-to

In California Games I can’t use the keyboard, what to do?

Magnetic_dudGames

If you try to run California Games (1987) in DOSBox o in other emulators like IBMulator or PCem, you will see that the keyboard doesn’t work at all, so you can’t play as you couldn’t pass the “enter your name” screen.

That’s because this particular game supports only standard (at the time) keyboards, not extended keyboards. (Right now all the keyboards we use are extended)

MS-DOS, since version 5.0, has a command to insert in config.sys to simulate a standard keyboard with an extended keyboard:

SWITCHES /K

With this, the game will recognize your keyboard. Video (I totally suck at this game):

Be careful: a “standard” keyboard doesn’t have the function keys (F1, F2, and so on), so if you insert this command in the config.sys you could have problems with other games/programs. If that’s the case, it’s better to create a boot disk only for California Games (that already has a big memory bug, it won’t start if too much standard memory is available)

If you use DOSBox instead of a full PC emulator, you have to boot from that DOS in order to let it see the command. Assuming you have a working install of DOS 5.0 or higher on c: , you have to run it with:

boot -l c

What does “root” means?

Magnetic_dudCoding

In computer terms, with root we can mean:

  • Root as user
  • Root as in file path

If we mean root as an user, we mean the main user, the one with the “master” control of the machine. For example, if you have root on Android, it means you can do whatever you want it it.

If you mean root as a file path, it’s the base, just place the file outside any folder. If you’re using the D: drive, by saying “place the file in root”, it means just place it on D:

How to know the IP address on BlackBerry 10

Magnetic_dudBlackBerry

retebb10If you want to know what is the IP address that is assigned on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone, just go in Settings, then tap on “About”, then select “Network” from the drop-down menu.

You will find the basic info, ip address on the Wi-Fi network and on the mobile network.

If you need more, go back on “Network Connections”, tap “Wi-Fi”, then “Advanced”

In the various tabs you will find also the gateway ip address, the dns servers, diagnostics, ping, traceroute and other advanced settings.

How to delete an Evernote account

Magnetic_dudHow-to

Before finding the perfect app to taking notes on the go (Springpad), I signed up to Evernote. Unfortunately, if you don’t pay the yearly fee, the huge and bloated iPhone/Android app won’t allow you to see notes when offline. Bummer! IMMEDIATE UNINSTALL!

What I can do with an Evernote account? I want to delete it!

The bad news is that you can’t delete it.

You can only disable it and be placed in a “do not contact list”…  at least better than nothing…

Here are the instructions:

  1. Delete every note and personal info, because they won’t delete them
  2. Go at the page https://www.evernote.com/Deactivate.action
  3. Login and confirm
  4. Done

Unfortunately it’s impossible to disable it permanently, if I try to login again, they ask me if I want to restore everything…

evernote

How to open a *.vem file

Magnetic_dudHow-to

Very often, people give me a VEM file that they had on their USB drive

I am a bit stunned, what is a *.vem file??? 😕 The original file owner said it was a word file… 😖

It is very easy: USB drives from Sony, are bundled with a “compressor” software that automatically compresses files during file copy. So, you might believe to have copied a *.DOC file, you will end to have a *.VEM file on your MicroVault…

To decompress it, you have to use the bundled decompressor, but… what if you are using the drive in a guest computer? Or what if you have received a VEM file by email?

So easy, just download the VEM Decompressor! No install, plain and easy, just select the file that you need to decompress, and you are done! 😎👍