Where'd my screen go?!??

Say you open an application and while running it, you have a pop-up that you can't see...

Or pretend that you are working on your computer, and try to open something...it looks like it opened, but I can't find it in the toolbar, or on any screen...

My computer is broken.  I try to open this file and it doesn't come up!!!

Well...what may be happening, is that the default location settings are set to have it come up on another screen...and that screen isn't plugged in, so the computer is sending it to that same location on your current screen.

(You may skip the following Paragraph unless you want the poetic and entertaining description of what is happening)

This is done by making a bitmap on the cyber world, and certain objects and interactions exist beyond your ability to interact with them in real life...even though it may appear you are double clicking an "icon".  

Along came a spyder...no.  A mouse.  Someone decided the user of a computer could be aided by inventing a tracking icon which could be used to select a visual interface (called a "gooey"--later to be known as an ICON--not to be confused with ICONV...)

THE FIX:

First try reopening the object, and right afterwards hit ALT+M

this is the command for moving an object, and will center the object on the cursor.  

If you are unlucky and it doesn't recenter on the cursor where you can see it...you can try to move it with the arrow keys...but this may cause more damage...because you don't know where it is, so you may end up moving it further out of the display...)

THE HARDER FIX:

In this case, here is the "tech-y" fix:

Your defaults can be reset in your new favorite tool the "Registry Editor"!!!!!

If you don't have any idea what that is, then go tell your wife you have an affair, and that you must confess your love for another and that her name is REGISTRY EDITOR.

Hit WINDOWS KEY

Type: REGEDIT

Navigation:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\...your_program_that_has_messed_up_display_defaults\Settings\_name_of_object_in_program_that_wont_display\X-VALUE, Y-VALUE, Z-VALUE

These values can either be negative or extremely positive (which forces the object to appear off of the display bitmap.

Change settings accordingly

 

ls command doesn't work in terminal

When downloading and installing new software onto your computer, and trying to RUN in Command Line.  If a command to run a file isn't setup  for instance "spyder" for running an anaconda download, you can create a command by going to the advanced systems settings and opening the Environment Variables, and creating a new User Variable named PATH: and for the field value entering the command directory path for the ".exe" file.  for instance "c:\directory\program\file.exe"

Say that you accidentally had added a new System Variable instead of a User Variable...you might notice that certain built in commands in the terminal are now non-existent...meaning that you have overridden the built in path.

Now you are no longer able to use the built in command to navigate the command line of the terminal.  You can no longer use your computer as a developer and have utterly lost your manipulation of your directories...

until you get a whack with the magic wand of "Problem Solving" and you hit the windows key and type "regedit" and gain access to the windows Registry Editor!!!!

find the directory: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Session_Manager\Environment\Path.

Double click on the "Path"

Select and copy the Path Value Data.


Hit windows key and type "advanced system settings"

Select "Advanced" tab,  "Environment Variables..." button,
Under "System variables" find the variable named "Path" and double click.
select all in the field "Variable value:" and paste.
click OK
click OK
click OK

Return to the terminal or command line and resume life as normal...

if you really did want to use the command to run that you tried to set up...go back to the "advanced system settings" and enter a USER VARIABLE this time...and then go prank a co-worker by playing a nasty little trick on him next time he leaves his work computer open...that way I get traffic on how to solve this problem...no just kidding...that would be very bad.  Shame on you for thinking of such a thing!