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April 29

Composer on iTunes Store

I've used the iTunes store for years, but almost never for classical music.

However today I'm searching for a song that's been arranged by at least eight classical composers, so the usual "artist" and "album" columns aren't enough to differentiate. Does anyone know if the iTunes Store has a composer field and if so how I can make it visible while I browse?

I wasn't sure if this should be on a different ref desk, but this one seemed the best bet! AndyJones (talk) 07:48, 29 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

BIOS password

I've recently bought a second hand HP EliteBook 745 G3. Unfortunately a previous owner has set the BIOS administrator password and I'm locked out of the BIOS settings. Does anyone know how to clear the password on a laptop? Desktops usually have a jumper or a pair of contacts, but I can't find reference to any such provision. Thanks, Martin of Sheffield (talk) 15:43, 29 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Some googling on HP's forums etc. suggest that

HP Support could supply you a custom (per-machine) SMC.bin file, which you put on a USB flask disk, and you boot the machine with that inserted - https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/HP-Elitebook-745-G4-Asks-for-BIOS-Password-after-Factory/td-p/6866328
But HP's policy appears now to be to refuse to do so, making you buy a new system board - https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06368824
A DIY alternative is to buy a BIOS flash chip from a third party (search "745 G4 BIOS" on ebay) and people will send you a new flash memory chip, of the model appropriate for your machine, with the factory bios programmed onto it. Installing that would entail desoldering the old one and soldering in the new (it appears to be an 8-pin package, apparently either a DFN or MSOP pagage). A straightforward job for someone with experience in SMT soldering jobs, but this isn't the place to start if you don't know how already.

There is, apparently, a jumper contact on the main board near the CR2032 battery connector which will "reset" the BIOS, but it seems this will just reset the clock and bios parameters, not the BIOS password. -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 16:32, 29 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Martin of Sheffield On all motherboards I have seen, the jumper mentioned here will remove the password -- the pw is one of the "bios parameters", I believe. (I hope!) It should reset the BIOS (technically, the CMOS that stores the BIOS settings) to the factory-shipped defaults, which includes "no password". David10244 (talk) 03:41, 30 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@David10244 I'm afraid your hopes are in vain. I've since managed to source the maintenance manual and resetting the BIOS parameters explicitly does not clear the password. @Finlay McWalter - thanks for the info. I'm afraid you're right. Having to buy a new motherboard would probably exceed the cost of the machine (£199) and it's about 45 years since I've done any soldering/desoldering of SMT components so I'll chicken out of that one. Eventually I'll wipe the internal disk and install the OS there, but for the moment I'm keeping the legacy system during testing. Thanks both, Martin of Sheffield (talk) 09:01, 1 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Martin of Sheffield: it's sometimes possible to flash the chip without de/soldering using a CH341A with clips that you can place onto the flash chip see e.g. [1]. These programmers are fairly cheap from AliExpress etc but can be a bit fiddly to use. While it's theoretically possible you could break something completely, the risk is generally considered fairly low. More likely you'll just fail to flash the chip. Either because you are unable to place the clips properly even after several attempts or the board design means it draws too much power away from the chip preventing the programmer from working.

@David10244: this may be the case for standard boards, but as with a lot of things shouldn't be assumed for OEM systems which are known to do unfortunate things. HP in particular is known for preventing resetting the password for "security" requiring you to send the system in for a board replacement see e.g. [2].

Nil Einne (talk) 02:42, 16 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks all for your help and suggestions. I've run it for a fortnight using an external HDD as a test bed, and last night upgraded the old Win10 system to AlmaLinux9. It would be nice to correct the boot sequence, but I'm happy to live with it now as it is. The machine is to allow me to work from a recliner chair or from bed when I'm not able to sit at the main system; tempus fugit unfortunately! Martin of Sheffield (talk) 07:43, 16 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Two-Part MS Access Question

I have a two-part question about editing the structure of tables using Microsoft Access under Windows 11. (That is whatever is the most current version of Access.)

Design View of table is nearly invisible

When I try to open an existing table in Design View, so that I can add a Remarks column to the table, the table displays white on white, so that I can hardly see what I typed and saved last year, and cannot see what I am typing now. How I do control the color, font, etc., in which the metadata is displayed in Design View?

Information Web Site for Access Users

I think that last year someone here advised me as to a "superuser" web site for knowledgeable Access users to share tips and tricks. I think that I saved a bookmark to that site, and lost it two months ago because I bought a new desktop computer that would support Windows 11. So is there a web site I can visit to ask questions such as how to how to change the display in Design View so that I can view and change the metadata? Robert McClenon (talk) 16:37, 29 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Robert McClenon Have you tried Stack Overflow? It's sometimes a mixed bag, but I have found some good stuff there. https://stackoverflow.com/ David10244 (talk) 03:49, 30 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe these could be useful:

https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/

https://www.accessforums.net/index.php

Both look reasonably active. -- Random person no 362478479 (talk) 07:30, 1 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I have bookmarked Stack Overflow and Access Forums. Robert McClenon (talk) 23:44, 3 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]