How to fix minor annoyances

[bluesdog]

I thought it might be helpful to have a thread where users could post solutions to non-critical, but nonetheless irritating minor problems.

For example, recently I noticed my screensaver wasn't coming on. Instead, the monitor would show a blank screen.

Normally, I don't leave my computer unattended long enough for the screensaver to initialize anyway, and I usually turn off the monitor if the machine is processing, for example when compiling a kernel.

However, there are times when a screensaver can be handy, to remind one the computer is on, or when demonstrating the coolness of Linux to a potential new user! :cool:

Long story short, I tracked the problem down to a mis-configured KDE profile file: ~/.kde/share/config/kcmdisplayrc

cat ~/.kde/share/config/kcmdisplayrc
[$Version]
update_info=kcmdisplayrc.upd:kde3

[DisplayEnergy]
displayEnergySaving=false
displayPowerOff=24
displayStandby=0
displaySuspend=12

[X11]
exportKDEColors=trueI think I must have been playing with the display management controls in Kcontrol, but although they were now disabled, the monitor would still just go blank instead of initializing the screensaver.

Editing kcmdisplayrc cat ~/.kde/share/config/kcmdisplayrc
[$Version]
update_info=kcmdisplayrc.upd:kde3
solved the problem


So, have you encountered/solved any little quirks or irritants?
:biggrin:

[Leon]

I had a CD with Win XP sp2 that would not install owing to numerous read errors. I was able to determine the extent of the damage by trying to make an ISO and reading the log; I could see numerous blemishes and one 1/8" long scratch in chord orientation.

What worked for me is a gizmo called "skipDr." This is a hand-cranked device with a polishing wheel oriented to work radially. Following the instructions, I used the supplied wetting solution and cranked the CD one full revolution, rewetted and repeated.

This reduced the number of reported read errors, so I repeated the 2-step process. This yielded a fully readable CD, i.e. no read errors reported.

There are a number of devices on the market for "repairing" scratched CD/DVD's, but this is the only one I saw that polishes the disc in a radial pattern. It costs about $20.

[Leon]

I bought a MS optical mouse to replace a MS ball mouse. The mouse rollers needed cleaning every week, and the MS optical mouse was on sale. (I usually buy Logitech rodents; their ball mice only needed cleaning every 3-4 months.)

The MS optical mouse would lose its pointer periodically, particularly when using the internet; the pointer would race out of control all over the screen. Also, scrolling down a webpage would bring up an error: malformed URL (or such.)
More bothersome, the Amazon site would lock up my system after mousing through it for a few pages.

So I went out and bought a Logitech optical mouse. That solved all of my problems.

I have not experienced a runaway mouse pointer since throwing away serial port rodents and replacing them with PS/2 mice. The problem with serial port mice is the polling rate of the serial port is too slow for CPU's that run faster than 166-233 mHz.

Another correspondent suggested that an overly reflective mouse pad surface could "confuse" an optical mouse, but my mouse pads have a fabric, i.e. non reflective, surface. My Logitech optical mice work just fine with them.

[RedAlpha3]

There are a number of devices on the market for "repairing" scratched CD/DVD's, but this is the only one I saw that polishes the disc in a radial pattern. It costs about $20.

I've just cleaned and restored a failing audio cd for a few pence. The cd was seriously scratched but using car wax,a soft cloth and a bit of elbow grease it is back to almost pristine condition. Not sure if I would like to risk the approach on valuable data though!

[Leon]

I've "restored" CD's with "Blue Magic" polishing paste using the same technique too. The gizmo I wrote about, however, could deal with a scratch about 1/4 "/6 mm that was oriented in the same direction as rotation. This is the worst type of damage since it covers numerous bytes in read sequence and can exceed error-correction capabilities of the CD or DVD drive.