Computer/Technical Help

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Originally posted by Krang It sounds like Firefox has been partially uninstalled during the upgrade, especially since the icons are missing. In order to install it again, you'll need to clean up the existing installation by deleting the program directory, which should be: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\ Once that is deleted, download Firefox again and install it to the same location as before. It should recognize your existing profile, so your settings, bookmarks, etc. will still be intact. Also, since this is most likely not a problem with the browser chrome, you can undo the previous change by deleting the new chrome folder and renaming the old one.

I deleted the program directory and tried reinstalling but I get the same error about the "English language pack"...

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Originally posted by Krang Actually, it sounds like a problem with the drivers for your wireless device. Try downloading the latest drivers from the manufacturer's site and installing them. The list of registered DLLs is stored in the registry under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs

DANG that list of registered files is LONG. i have no CLUE what dll i should look for on that list... should i just export it and post it here, or something?

downloading the updated driver, it made a nice new icon for the tray and a new Intel program for the wireless adaptor to use instead of Windows, but, alas, the error message STILL comes up on a restart.

oh, and, before i had asked about sound stuff for the FF7 game on another computer... i was able to resolve that sound issue, but it left me curious about MIDI, my sound card, and soundfonts. I want to be able to get the best possible sound out of my sound card. It's listed as SoundMax, but that's about all i know. the computers at my school also are listed with a SoundMax sound card, but they have built in speakers, and have additional settings for sound there. and the MIDI sounds somewhat different. i assume they have a chip on the motherboard which provides better sound, or something like that.

i found a free trial yamaha driver thing, this one installed, looks more modern than like a Win95 version, and it even got the Yamaha XG driver listed as a MIDI device, but it itself cannot detect the driver. maybe that is something w/my sound card...

i just want the best possible sound. how can i figure out exactly what i have installed, and how to enhance it? preferebly, with free software or updates.

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Originally posted by Almasy I deleted the program directory and tried reinstalling but I get the same error about the "English language pack"...

Are you able to uninstall Firefox now through the Control Panel? If not, delete the program directory again. After uninstalling or removing the directory, go to C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\ and rename "profiles.ini" to something else. This should hide your profile from Firefox and cause it to create a new one next time it starts up. Now, try downloading a new copy of Firefox (from www.mozilla.com) and installing it, and it should hopefully work this time.

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Originally posted by NVWC2006 DANG that list of registered files is LONG. i have no CLUE what dll i should look for on that list... should i just export it and post it here, or something? downloading the updated driver, it made a nice new icon for the tray and a new Intel program for the wireless adaptor to use instead of Windows, but, alas, the error message STILL comes up on a restart.

Actually, could you zip the .inf file for the driver and attach it here? That should help narrow down the possibilities of which file to register.

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oh, and, before i had asked about sound stuff for the FF7 game on another computer... i was able to resolve that sound issue, but it left me curious about MIDI, my sound card, and soundfonts. I want to be able to get the best possible sound out of my sound card. It's listed as SoundMax, but that's about all i know. the computers at my school also are listed with a SoundMax sound card, but they have built in speakers, and have additional settings for sound there. and the MIDI sounds somewhat different. i assume they have a chip on the motherboard which provides better sound, or something like that.

SoundMax is a brand of sound chip that is typically used for onboard audio (i.e., sound that is built into the motherboard). Your school could either have newer SoundMax chips in their computers, or simply newer drivers. To find out for sure, go to the website of the company that manufactured your motherboard (or computer) and download the latest sound drivers for your particular model to see if there are any enhancements.

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i found a free trial yamaha driver thing, this one installed, looks more modern than like a Win95 version, and it even got the Yamaha XG driver listed as a MIDI device, but it itself cannot detect the driver. maybe that is something w/my sound card...

What you installed is a software-based MIDI synthesizer, so it works independently of your sound card. However, I'm pretty sure that it was designed for Windows 9x, so I don't think it is possible to make it work on Windows NT/2000/XP.

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i just want the best possible sound. how can i figure out exactly what i have installed, and how to enhance it? preferebly, with free software or updates.

Go to Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices, and your sound card should be listed on the Audio and Hardware tabs. You can try installing new drivers to see if it helps, but the best way to enhance your sound would be to buy a separate sound card.

Or buy a new motherboard on an upgrade, as if I recall certain motherboards feature excellent onboard sound. nForce comes to mind. The problem is that onboard sound takes up more CPU cycles than a seperate card if I recall.

At least that's if my memory is working.

I've been looking high and low for a program that can convert AVI to VOB format.

I figure this is the best way to go, in that I want to make a few DVD's, and converting to MPG isn't working out as well as I want, so since what winds up on a DVD is in VOB format, I figure, might have a better shot if it's VOB first, then creating an ISO and then burning that to DVD.

At least in theory it sounds good.

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Originally posted by R.Smith I've been looking high and low for a program that can convert AVI to VOB format. I figure this is the best way to go, in that I want to make a few DVD's, and converting to MPG isn't working out as well as I want, so since what winds up on a DVD is in VOB format, I figure, might have a better shot if it's VOB first, then creating an ISO and then burning that to DVD. At least in theory it sounds good.

VOB files are containers that hold MPEG-2 video along with audio, subtitles, etc. To create one, you'll need to use a DVD authoring program (check VideoHelp.com for a list of them with reviews and other info).

Yeah, I know about what videohelp.com has. Do you have any preferences Krang?

Read reviews and all, but if there is a program that you like over the rest, I'd like to know.

Actually, I have only used my DVD-RW drive for data DVDs so far, so I haven't needed to use any DVD authoring tools yet. When I do use one, though, I will most likely use dvdauthor along with one of the GUIs that are available.

Thanks, that program seems to be what I wanted, I've also been using TMPGEnc Plus 2.5 to convert avi into mpg. But here's where I need some more help, while I know you need to de-multiplex the mpg into audio and video, to work with dvdauthorGUI, the avi's audio is encoded in AC3, which I assume is what allows them to have Dobly Surround.


(it was listed as AC-3 ACM Decompressor before I installed the AC3 Codec, thinking that might do something)

What I want to know is how to, or what program can I use to extract that, so that I can use that as the audio when I make the DVD's using dvdauthorGUI.

So far, when I de-multiplex with TMPGEnc, I haven't seen the ac3 stream, so I can't select it for use.

I searched videohelp.com, but so far I think the programs are just for DVD's, not AVI files with it. But maybe I'm wrong?

Here's a few programs I think might be what I'm looking for, but I think you'd know more then I, Krang.

AC3Tool
BeLight
delaycut
DVD Audio_Extractor
Hypercube Transcoder

To extract the audio from the AVI, it would probably be easiest to use VirtualDub. On the Audio menu, select Direct Stream Copy (if it's not already selected), then go to File > Save as Wav. Be sure to save it to a drive that has alot of free space, since uncompressed audio clips are usually very large. The result will actually be an AC3 file, not a WAV file (despite the name). After that, you will need to convert it into another format, so you can use AC3Tool, BeLight, or Hypercube Transcoder to convert it to WAV or MP2 (either format should be fine, although MP2 uses alot less disk space).

Ok thanks Krang.

Hmm, I think I need to update VD, currently using 1.6.9(isn't any video showing).... I tend to use VDMod more, but it doesn't have an audio tab.

Hmm, I downloaded 1.6.14, but when I open the AVI file, there still isn't any video showing... is that ok?

You can accomplish the same task in VirtualDubMod by going to Streams > Stream list, then right-clicking the audio track and making sure Direct Stream Copy is selected. Then, use the Save WAV button to save the file. You could also try the Demux button to extract the audio, since it should give you the proper headers for an AC3 file.

Cool, didn't know that.


Ok....... I'm confused, I tried Demuxing it, but it didn't produce a file, neither did "Save WAV".

Thanks for all the help, as always.

*edit*



I didn't see the box that was checked to not have it run the job at the moment.

All right, I was a little busy with video projects but I'm back now.. I found two INFs, i believe an older and the updated one, so I just put them both on.

I updated the drivers for my soundcard, I still didn't get any special program or anything for the sound, and I at random just decided to open the computer up. Inside, what I saw wasn't a sound card like other computers, it was more like there was just a metal block right on the motherboard against the back of the computer, where the mic, line in and output plugs are. If that means anything.

• Attachment: Driver.zip

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Originally posted by NVWC2006 All right, I was a little busy with video projects but I'm back now.. I found two INFs, i believe an older and the updated one, so I just put them both on.

For the first INF, make sure w29NCPA.dll and w29mlres.dll are registered, along with w29n50.sys if you're running Windows 2000 or w29n51.sys if you're running XP. For the second INF, make sure w39NCPA.dll and w39MLRes.dll are registered, along with w39n50.sys if you're running 2000 or w39n51.sys if you're running XP. If you're not sure which INF is the one you're currently using, try searching your hard drive for the files listed above to determine which one was installed.

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I updated the drivers for my soundcard, I still didn't get any special program or anything for the sound, and I at random just decided to open the computer up. Inside, what I saw wasn't a sound card like other computers, it was more like there was just a metal block right on the motherboard against the back of the computer, where the mic, line in and output plugs are. If that means anything.

That confirms that your motherboard has onboard audio, and it sounds like the audio chips installed in your school's computers are more advanced rather than just having newer drivers. If you want better sound quality, you will need to buy a separate sound card and install it into your computer. Your motherboard should detect that a sound card has been installed and automatically shut off the onboard sound (or, if not, it will have a setting in the BIOS for that), so it won't cause any conflicts.

I found w29n51.sys in the Windows\system32\drivers folder, so I registered w29NCPA.dll, w29mlres.dll and w29n51.sys since i'm running winXP. The popup error still came up.

Hmm... how new does the sound card have to be to have a better sound? I might have access to a Sound Blaster 16 type thing from a computer built in 97.

Alright here's a doozy....

I'm making a video project in VideoEditMagic4 and I save the project in three increments. Each increment is saved as a 25fps .AVI file. In the editor, because 98% of the other clips are 25fps (and even the ones at 30fps look OK) the video synch.'s well. Now then, when I play either the increment .AVI files individually in Windows Media Player or save the whole project (the three spliced into one file saved as a .wmv at 30fps) and then view that in WMP, the video and audio go out of synch. terribly (4 seconds of delay at worst). I've tried to re-save the original source video material into wmv files instead of AVI but in doing so I accidently deleted half of the timed video project thus leaving me with only the opening sequence and closing sequence to re-save as wmv files, and the middle is the most important part.

Does anyone have any quick and immediate suggestions as to how I might be able to solve this audio-video synch. problem?

While I'm not really sure, it couldn't hurt to try using different video codecs.

and btw, Delorean and Gadget Mobile, sweet mix!

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Originally posted by NVWC2006 and btw, Delorean and Gadget Mobile, sweet mix!

You know it to be awesome!

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While I'm not really sure, it couldn't hurt to try using different video codecs.

I've tried several combinations...none of them did the trick VEM4's "make movie" system is more difficult to decipher than previous versions'.

Well, hate to answer my own question, but I just ended up re-mixing the video...since it's due tomorrow. I used the out-of-synch. version then edited that to create an in-synch. copy which I'm now saving as a .wmv file. It takes forever to encode so hopefully within the hour I'll be able to test it in media player.

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Originally posted by NVWC2006 I found w29n51.sys in the Windows\system32\drivers folder, so I registered w29NCPA.dll, w29mlres.dll and w29n51.sys since i'm running winXP. The popup error still came up.

Are there any older versions of the driver that you could try? Also, does anything show up about it in the Event Viewer (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer)?

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Hmm... how new does the sound card have to be to have a better sound? I might have access to a Sound Blaster 16 type thing from a computer built in 97.

It may or may not be an improvement depending on how advanced the card was at the time. If the card is still installed in an old computer, I would recommend trying it out before removing it and installing it into your computer to see if it sounds any better. If not, see if you can find out which model the sound card is so that we can figure out the specs and see if the MIDI will be any better than on the one you have.