Third Error is a weblog dedicated to providing easy to understand tutorials about computers and technology.
Just a heads up to Third Error subscribers – I’ll be contributing to MakeUseOf.com as well as this site. You can catch my posts at my own author RSS feed there, but I recommend subscribing to the entire MakeUseOf feed.
On another note, I apologize for the lack of recent posts, as I have less time to contribute to the site and focus on other priorities.
In this post we’ll be describing the process to install a personal forum on your computer using the XAMPP server for Windows, and phpBB3, a free forum script with a decent number of features. We’ll be describing how to setup the MySQL database and the installation of the forum. You’ll need your local server set up at this point.
After installing phpBB3 you’ll be able to deploy a forum across your network (or Internet, if publicly accessible) which can be used for a variety of purposes, including discussion, file uploading, etc. [read more...]
For those of you wondering how to record the sounds outputted by your computer, this simple post should configure Windows to allow you to record the sounds with programs such as Fraps.
Load up Fraps and hit the Movies tab. Make sure Record Sound is checked and Detect best sound input is selected. Next, head into Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices (in classic view). [read more...]
System Requirements Lab is a simple tool designed to help you check your computer’s hardware and detect whether it meets the official minimum and recommended requirements of a PC game. It requires the installation of a quick Java applet (SRLApplet from Husdawg, LLC).
On the front page you’ll see a box asking you to select a product. It lists many of the newer generation games. Pick one and hit Can You Run It?
A loading bar will appear, and depending on whether you’ve used it before, it’ll ask you to install the applet. Let the applet install, and your results should appear shortly.
The first thing you’ll see is a quick glance at where your PC stands relative to the minimum and recommended requirements.
The second thing you’ll see below is a list of the required PC specifications, and then your PC specifications with a rating bar relative to the requires specifications. It’ll also list any “helpful” information, including links to free driver updates, and if your hardware does not meet the requirements, a link to their recommendations (which uses a page from the store TigerDirect).
Pidgin stores the buddy list, pounces, preferences, and other data as XML files in a “hidden” directory in Windows. This data can be useful for transferring data between Pidgin clients without reentering your data each time.
To copy/backup your data, head over to C:\Documents and Settings\[your username]\Application Data\.purple\ and copy the XML files.
To transfer them to a Pidgin Portable installation, paste the files in \PidginPortable\Data\settings\.purple\ overwriting any existing files.
Pidgin also stores cached buddy icons in the icons folder of the same directory and HTML logs (if enabled) in the logs folder (which can also be viewed through the main window with Buddies → View User Log.
I'm Jason, the main author of Third Error, and many of the topics I'll focus on concern Windows (and applicable software), web applications, web design, and a bit of *nix (Ubuntu mainly). My computer runs Windows XP, with virtualized Ubuntu and OS X handy.
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