Your Stupid Questions, Please

[novicegeek]

Hi all. When it comes to learning about computers, like learning about everything else, I like to start with the most basic concepts and work my way up from there. But that's not how things are put out there now. And that leaves a lot of stupid questions unanswered. So if you have any really stupid computer questions, I'm creating a thread just for them. This also will give me a chance to have something I might be able to answer and feel like I'm a useful member of the community. Heck, I'll even kick things off with my own stupid computer question. Here goes...

A lot of times, software directions will tell you to make sure a certain IP port is open. They usually identify these ports by a number, like 427 or 9100 for a printer. My question is this: How the heck do you find these port numbers? I'm doing well just to find something about ports in Windows or Norton's Firewalls. I don't see anything about any numbers.

So that's my stupid question. What's yours?

 

[Troncoso]

What do you mean, how do you find them? The product/software usually tells you which ports to open. Once you have those, simply open your router/modem configuration page in a browser, and add the port to your port forward list.

 

[Aastii]

There isn't a full list. You can get the list of ports that you are currently using by going into command prompt and typing in:

netstat

Or, if you want to see all listening ports and all established ports

netstat -a

Some ports you can't use as they are reserved, for instance TCP 20, 21, 23, 80, 443, which are for FTP data, FTP command, Telnet, HTTP and HTTPS respectively.

For the actual forwarding of ports though, which is to route data through the ports, you need to ensure firstly that the software is going to use the port, which is generally done on the computer handling the software or, in your case of a printer, hardware through configuration settings, but also to ensure that your networking hardware will allow the data to travel through the ports, which requires you to change port forwarding options on your router

 

[novicegeek]

Hey Aastii, thanks for the info. You're a veritable wellspring of information. That certainly sheds some light on it - and believe it or not, I've used the netstat command before. Now is there any way to manipulate those ports or do I just sit there and look at them? Thanks.

 

[MissTina]

Something is definitely Wrong with this new computer package..?

I reads that you wants "silly"..


OK..So I drag the little mouse across the mouse pad, and the mouse falls off the edge of the little pad before the pretty little arrow gets even half way across the screen.. Something isn't matched to the screen.. or maybe I just needs a much larger mouse pad..? Anyone know how big the mouse pad should be so it works the little arrow all the way to the edge of the screen without falling off the pad..?

 

[cabinfever1977]

go to "control panel","hardware and sound",under:device and printers click on "mouse",go to pointer options,then select a pointer speed, and now you can change it to slow or fast:change it to faster so the mosue arrow will move faster before you run out of mouse pad.

either that or just get a really large mouse pad,with a optical mouse you dont need mouse pad just use the whole desk.