Win 7 in Ubuntu 10.10

Now I have it all XP to 7. But the Mac VM is proving to be difficult. I am also considering virtualizing Solaris and BeOS. Any other Operating Systems of note you can think of that I should try?

XP and Vista in VirtualBox on Ubuntu 10.10

Now, to get Win 7 and Mac OS X running in a VM on the same computer...

I'll Post the results.

Whats On My Computer? Part 2

For the first article I covered the software I have installed on my Linux Partition. It wound up being a how to of sorts for installing Windows in a Virtual Machine. Linux pretty much is secure and has all the software you need off the bat so I didn't go into a lot of detail on the software I use on it. However I have installed a few extra programs under Linux and share them with you. Many of these have versions for Windows as well and I'll give you that info too as well as links to the websites to you can do your own investigation. I'll also cover programs for Windows that make your life more secure and easy.

Dropbox (Wilndows, Linux Mac): DropBox is a lifesaver for your data. It creates a folder on your computer that you can drop files in. These files are backed up in the cloud automatically for you. You can also invite your friends to share a folder within your DropBox.

TeamViewer (Windows, Linux, Mac) Don't you wish you could log into your home computer from the office of vice-verse? Team viewer makes it easy.

ClamAV (Linux,Windows) For Linux users this is not a must, but we live in a Windows world full of maleware. It's highly unlikely your Linux system will be affected by it but there is always the possibility that you could pick up a Windows virus in your email and forward it on to your Windows friends. ClamAV will help you to avoid spreading infections to susceptible Windows computers.

CCleaner (Windows) after using windows for a while you will notices your system performance degrading. Windows keeps a lot of junk temporary files and CCleaner can find and eliminate them. Add to this CCleaners handy registry cleaning program and startup manager and you have a lot of useful cleaning utilities in one package. For Linux users this is not as big of an issue but you can use a similar program called BleachBit. It functions a lot like CCleaner in that it allows you to clean up temp files from multiple applications in one convenient interface.

Defraggler (Windows) Forget about using Windows built in defragmentation program. Defraggler zips though the process much quicker. It also allows you to defragment specific files or folders.

Revo Uninstaller (Windows) Ever notice how Windows uninstaller leaves all kinds of files and folders as well as registry entries in on your computer after supposedly uninstalling a program? Revo to the rescue here. Revo hunts down all the junk that gets left behind after an uninstall. Linux users need not apply as the Ubuntu Software Center does a pretty good job of removing programs you install with it. Ubuntu also includes a Program called Computer Janitor that can take care of the rest.

Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows) This was in the Top 10 Free Downloads For 10-10-10 post and it still stands as one of my favorite Microsoft programs. I used to swear by AVG Antivirus and it is still a great pick for free antivirus protection, but this free offering from Microsoft is slick, unobtrusive and outperforms most free antivirus programs as well as the free alternatives as far as detection and removal rates.

Malwarebytes Antimalware (Windows) OK so why would I have another antivirus program on this list? Because you can NEVER be too safe if you are running Windows. Windows XP is actually the most vulnerable OS according to ComputerWorld. Most of the computing community is still using XP. Now I would recommend upgrading to Linux but if you do not, you still need more than MSSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) to be safe. Use this free offering and run it weekly, if not nightly to make sure your system is not compromised.

Pidgen (Windows, Linux, Mac) If your like me you have accounts on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter as well as email accounts on Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other accounts. Pidgnen allows you to get your instant messenger from all these accounts in one place. If you were using Pidgen years ago you were an UberGeek. Now if your not, you are missing the boat. There are other messengers that pull it all together but Pidgen is the most versatile that I've used, and available on all platforms.

SyncToy (Windows) OK you have DropBox to sync your most important files online. But the 2 GB limitation may be a problem if have a ton of pictures movies or music you want to regularly backup to a second or an external HDD. The simple answer is to install SyncToy from Microsoft. Choose a directory on your HDD you want to sync to a directory on your backup drive and sync. Its that easy. All your selected files will be backed up. You can configure it in a few different ways to back up things in the way you like. Plus it is lightweight and simple. Another good offering for free from Microsoft.

Super (Windows) If you work with video files this program will interest you. Sometimes you need to convert from one video file format to another. Super does it all. From any format to any format. But be warned, you need a little knowledge of video file formats in order to use this. In other words this is not a simple program, but goodness, it gets the job done where others fail!

For now my brain is exhausted and there is a lot of other software I could cover in this article. Maybe with your feedback and some more thought I can come up with another post or two in this vein and cover software that specifically interest you. So please give me some feedback and I will expand this blog!

I Want You!

Calling all geeks in Northwest Ohio...

• Have you always wanted to use your geeky talents for a good cause but couldn't find a charity that 'fit' you?
• Have you ever thought, 'gosh why is there no one who is providing computer for the less fortunate in our community?'.
• Do you have an environmental conscience when it comes to all the electronics leeching toxins into our landfills?
• Have you ever wished you could play around with hardware and software and networks without fear of breaking the companies stuff?
• Have you ever wanted to hang with a group of like minded individuals and who actually know what terminal window is?
• Do you have a desire to learn something new about technology or do you have the desire to teach a willing audience about something you know?
• Do you have a ton of computer stuff you've held onto just in case someone may have some use for it some day?

We have a place for you! Every Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 PM (usually till 10 PM cause we just can't pull ourselves away from our computer stuff!), Computers for Charity meets in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio at Turning Point Church.

We take donations of computers from businesses and individuals and refurbish them, usually with Linux, sometimes we fix broken Windows and work with Macs too!

We have a dedicated core group of 8 techs of various backgrounds who lend their talents. We have about 20 volunteers total who help with various community projects we concoct. We are a young and vibrant charity who cherishes innovation and self determination. Speaking in Klingon is a bonus but is not required.

So how do you now if your geeky enough to join our L33T crew? Take a look at the 'You May Be A Geek If...' checklist and see if you have any or all of the following characteristics.

• you’re a card-carrying member of the EFF
• when you have to write with a pen, you find yourself using the Palm Graffiti characters.
  
• you think (x<<6)+(x<<4) is a perfectly natural way to multiply by 80.
• you’ve gutted and rebuilt your computer 5 times since you last changed the oil in your car.
• you know what a router is, and you know what a bit is, but you’ve never heard of a router bit.
• you know the square root of 65536 is 256 without having to do the math.
• you consider 65536 and 256 “nice round numbers”.
• …and you *always* put the period outside the quotes, since you’re not quoting the end of the sentence…what the hell do english majors know, anyway.
• you see a good-looking girl and you DESPERATELY want her e-mail address so you can get to know her.
• you wake up and realize that your sleep pattern has been following an algorithm.
• your computer chair has the permanent and stiff indentation of your butt in it.
• the only tan you’ve ever acquired comes from your monitor.
• you have assembled your own Linux distribution, and re-wrote some of the more inefficient code, just for fun. ( Hmmm… it’s a thought… )
• every time someone says “I like iMacs” you get mad and shout out “So you only go for the looks, do you? Superficial guy! The inner qualities are what’s important, not the looks! Beauty is only skin-deep!”
• when asked if you have more than one hard drive, you answer “In which computer?”
• you postpone your moving date so your computers can set new uptime records.
• given the choice between a T3 and a date with a good looking guy/girl, you’d take the T3.
• you’ve ever been successful at catching a spammer.
• you call sex with your cute girlfriend “CuteFTP.”
• you spend more time changing settings in Windows 98 than using it.
• you dream of high-end computers instead of beautiful girls.
• you get angry when someone says they own a Pentium IV processor.
• your friends have a club with the word .com in it.
• you almost get in a fight when a small child says there is no internet.
• you think everyone should have an opinion about Bill Gates.
• you refer to having sex as setting up a LAN!
• you refer to going to the toilet as “extracting to the temp folder” and flushing the toilet as “deleting the temp folder”.
• you refer to eating and drinking as uploading!
• you understand and find www.ircnews.com funny.
• you’ve ever passed notes at school in binary.
• you regard the “User Friendly” virus as a good thing.
• you’ve had an article appear at segfault.org.
• you’ve figured out how to crash Windows NT on a 128MB system, using only Internet Explorer and Notepad.
• you snicker whenever someone asks how much memory is needed for Windows NT to run smoothly.
• you go into a computer store and takeover a discussion for a salesman on the specs and merits of a computer while he site there nodding as you make the sale.
• you’ve ever written a useless program just for the “fun” of it.…or you prefer writing useless programs.
• a 23 GB HD, color laser, four 128MB DIMMs, and a 21″ monitor would beat out Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham, and Cindy Crawford.
• you can actually read the error message details when a Windows program has a problem.
• you spend more time chatting on-line in one day then you do in a week’s worth of actual conversation with people face-to-face.
• there are two magazines in front of you, the newest issue of PC Magazine and the other a porno. And you choose the PC mag over the porno.
• you refer to using the bathroom as downloading.
• the number of computers in your house exceeds the number of relationships you’ve had in your lifetime.
• …and you didn’t correct the grammar of that last item.
• if (DEC 25 = OCT 31) means true to you.
• your computer costs more and runs better than your car
• your watch is set to GMT. Always. (After all, it’s the only time that makes logical sense.)
• in real life, you tell people to go to http://www.hell.com/
• when you’re reading a magazine and you see an underlined passage, you feel compelled to click on it.
• you have the Linux Penguin sitting on your monitor… and you know the penguin’s name.
• everytime you go to write a note, you put your hands on your desk, as if looking for a keyboard to type it on.
• you’ve ever debated the merits of the FVWM95 window manager…
• …with yourself.
• you’re grossly offended that anyone would want to make their Linux box work anything like Windows 95.
• you wake up wondering which directory you’re in.
• you set up your old computer next to your new one 2 months ago so that you could transfer files and you’ve been using them “both” since.
• you have more computers now than you’ve had relationships in your lifetime.
• your wallpaper is made up of Linux code.
• your favorite pasttime is IRC on Saturday nights.
• your computer is set for Dvorak… but your keyboard is actually a qwerty.
• …you know what Dvorak and Qwerty refer to.
• you have a PC for every person in the house, and still think you need one more. What if one goes down!?
• you salivate when you hear the word, “upgrade”
• instead of laughing you say “El-Oh-El!”
• you have actually heard someone do this in real life.
• …and you actually understood what it meant.
• you dream in code.
• you not only know what Be OS is, you have an opinion about it.
• you want to be the first one on your block to be wet-wired.
• you dual boot because you want to be able to play some of them there cool new games.
• you bought a super socket-7 motherboard, not because you really needed it, but because you got it for only 40.00 via an online auction. Now you have a reason to build that extra computer you don’t really need.
• to you, the word “scuzzy” is sexy.
• your girlfriend kisses you on the neck and you think “uh oh, priority interupt!”.
• you and the campus Unix Sysadmin have a geek contest.…and you win.
• you believe Unix/Linux is the most superior operating system out there
• you e-mail yourself notes rather than writing them…
• …and you can justify the advantages of doing so.
• …or you actually reply to the note.
• you can program in more languages than you can speak.
• you refer to your computer as a friend.
• you can talk to your computer without being sarcastic or raising your voice.
• you talk to your computer the way most people talk to their significant other.
• you use old CD-ROMs as coasters…
• …and you’ve collected a matching set for every room in your house.
• with the exception of the blood-sucking part, you have the same basic characteristics as a vampire.

Feel free to respond with your own!

Hey even if your not a true geek and you care about helping people and the environment we have a place for you too. Come see us on Tuesday. We need your help!

At Computers for Charity we are part computer club, part charity, part education and training, and all about having a lot of fun.

http://computersforcharity.webs.com