Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by enoughcliches

Switching TCP/IP Settings

enoughcliches — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:49:23 +0800

What's the best way to switch between static and dynamic IPs when moving between a wireless home network and mobile hotspots?

Windows XP User Accounts

enoughcliches — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 03:29:01 +0800

I currently have a *lot* of essential applications running in the background while I use my notebook. I would like to create a separate user account for gaming with no third-party applications during startup so that I that I can devote more memory and processing power to my current game. I have tried doing this, but it seems that there are certain applications that are embedded in the registry so that they run for *all* users. Is there a way to resolve this issue? Thanks

Problem Loading Webpage

enoughcliches — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 01:35:28 +0800

Broadband provider
ISP/package: Streamyx, 512kbps
Location: Kota Kemuning
Have you called your ISP's helpline?: No

Personal equipment
Modem: ZTE ZXDSL831
Router: Linksys WRT54GS
Firewall used: Sunbelt Kerio Personal

Problem details
First occurence of problem: A few days ago
Problem frequency: Constant
Problem description:

Lately, I have not been able to access the following website:

Tech Support Alert

What happens is that I get the usual "Connecting to www.techsupportalert.com...." status followed by a message from Firefox saying that "The connection has timed out". At first, I thought it might have been a problem with the site's server or an issue with TMNet's DNS servers. However, I sent the URL to a friend, and she was able to access the page just fine. Also, I obtained the website's IP address (65.109.128.16) and tried to access it directly, without any luck. I'm assuming that this rules out those two possible problems?

I can't think of anything that could cause a particular website to be inaccessible to me but not to other users of the same ISP. But then again, I don't know that much about networking, which is why I would appreciate any help from you guys

[Side Issue]
Also, while we're on the topic of DNS servers, I was wondering if the DNS servers should be set in the router (gateway) or in Windows under the TCP/IP settings. Does it make any difference? Currently, my router is assigned the two default TMNet DNS servers, while in my Windows TCP/IP properties, I have my router subnet address as my DNS server. Is this an advisable configuration, and does setting a different DNS server address in Windows bypass those in the router?

By the way, I ran a tracert command on the website and got the following output. Not sure if it helps. I'm not certain how to interpret it.

Tracing route to www.techsupportalert.com [65.109.128.16]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 10.100.7.1
2 199 ms 373 ms 278 ms 219.93.218.177
3 17 ms 16 ms 16 ms 219.93.216.157
4 17 ms 18 ms 17 ms 219.93.155.41
5 17 ms 18 ms 16 ms 219.94.12.133
6 134 ms 219 ms 215 ms 210.187.142.1
7 18 ms 18 ms 16 ms 219.93.174.147
8 19 ms 18 ms 18 ms 219.93.151.227
9 243 ms 244 ms 243 ms 219.93.168.230
10 239 ms 238 ms 238 ms p9-1.core01.lax05.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.12.
49]
11 239 ms 238 ms 237 ms t9-4.mpd01.lax01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.3.14
1]
12 272 ms 272 ms 271 ms t2-2.mpd01.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.3.37
]
13 272 ms 271 ms 271 ms g2-0-0.core01.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com [154.54.2
.241]
14 313 ms 314 ms 313 ms p4-0.core01.dca01.atlas.cogentco.com [66.28.4.89
]
15 321 ms 320 ms 322 ms p6-0.core01.bwi01.atlas.cogentco.com [66.28.4.15
8]
16 321 ms 320 ms 319 ms Balt.demarc.cogentco.com [38.112.18.18]
17 321 ms 320 ms 321 ms core.38-112-72-1.balticore.net [38.112.72.1]
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
20 * * * Request timed out.

Replacing AVI Audio

enoughcliches — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 17:29:50 +0800

I have an AVI file whose Italian-language audio is in MP3 format. I also have a separate English-language MP3 file. How do I replace the Italian version with the English version?

I notice that such a feature is available in VirtualDub, but only if the audio file is in WAV format.

Miscapped or Not?

enoughcliches — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 11:39:48 +0800

I am currently subscribing to the 512k Streamyx package. Recently, I checked my ZTE router/modem settings and realized that the downstream/upstream rate had been increased to 1024/512k respectively. At first, I was overjoyed assuming that my connection had been miscapped. However, when testing my bandwidth via the TMNet Speedometer, I only got D/U speeds of 469/251k (which seems pretty good for a 512k package but is nowhere near the speed of a 1M package). Can anyone explain this discrepancy? Thanks

Wireless Home Networking

enoughcliches — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 02:45:36 +0800

Current Setup
1. 24x70 double-storey terrace.
2. 2 desktop PCs separated by about 40 feet and 2 brick walls.
3. 512k Streamyx connection (will upgrade to 1M).
4. ZTE ZXDSL 831 from TMNet, configured as a router/modem.

Requirements
1. Wireless broadband internet connection-sharing.
2. Ocassional file transfers and printer-sharing.

My Questions
1. What wireless router would you recommend?
2. Should I get a router with a built-in ADSL modem? (i.e. can my broadband connection be improved with a better modem than the ZTE that came from TMNet?)
3. Do I have to reconfigure my ZTE to function as an ADSL modem *only*? And if so, what are the steps involved?
4. How much is the price difference between 802.11b and 802.11g devices?
5. As for wireless network adapters, should I use PCI or USB? What are the differences in terms of performance and cost?
6. I am a heavy torrent downloader. Are there certain wireless routers that I should avoid because they have problems handling a large number of connections? (I have seen topics on this in certain forums).

Please advise. Thanks in advance

P.S. I had been fiddling with my ZTE modem settings, and forgot to note the original selection under WAN->ADSL. G.dmt is the current selection. Is that correct?