Viewing all posts under Q & A


Restore Missing Panels in Ubuntu 05/21/10

Tess from the USA asks: "...I am having trouble viewing my menu bar that usually appears across the top of my screen. The volume control used to be here and now I don't get volume at all. How do I get the menu bar to reappear?..." 1) Try this command in Terminal: metacity --replace 2) If the above command did not work, try the following: "Menu bars" are called "Panels". Try right clicking on the bottom panel and selecting "add new panel" (that's the wording, if memory serves me correctl...

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Enabling Automatic Login in Ubuntu 05/05/10

Harvey from the U.S. asks: "...Just upgraded to 10.04, so am having to log in each time the computer suspends/screen locks. I am the only one with physical access to this computer, so prefer to configure so that password is *not* required to bring the screen back up after suspend. How do I configure this change? Have been unable to find answer on this site or via GoogleLinux..." I never turn passwords off as this poses a potential security risk. You may be the only one using your PC, but I'll bet that you ...

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How to Uninstall .deb Packages – Reader Questions 03/26/10

Jake from Germany asks: "...I downloaded the new .deb package from Opera... and I want to uninstall it because it will not load any web pages, making me crazy... how to I uninstall it?" I'm assuming it was a .deb package that you downloaded directly from the Opera web site. (As a side note, I had the same issue with Opera, in that it refused to load web pages on a local web server - I also removed Opera). To uninstall any .deb package, use the following syntax: sudo dpkg -r <name of package>...

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Upgrade Ubuntu Firefox to Version 3.6 – Reader Questions 02/27/10

Erica from Canada asks: "... I'm using Ubuntu 9.04... the "Check for Updates" in Firefox is grayed out and apt-get does not upgrade Firefox... I'm stuck at 3.0.18, how can I get upgraded?..." This is an issue, I've encountered before. The newest versions of Firefox are not yet in the repositories, and the "Check for Updates" is disabled on purpose. I tried upgrading Firefox via PPA's on a couple occasions, butthe updates failed and I ended up with broken packages! In my opinion, the following steps might serve as a...

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Ubuntu MD5 Hash – Reader Questions 02/15/10

Nicki from Toronto asks: "...I've made too many coasters, where is the link to check the MD5 of the Ubuntu iso downloads... Someone told me I should check them before burning, but I can't find them anywhere..." I have had the same issue untill I bookmarked the page. But for ease of reference to all new users here's the link: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuHashes I hope it helps some of the readers. Make sure you book mark it! ;)

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Google Earth and Chrome – Reader Questions 02/11/10

Ruud emailed asking, "How do I install Chrome and Google Earth? I've tried using apt-get, but the packages are not found. I am using Ubuntu 8.04" For Ubuntu 8.04 users, please try the instructions below. (I'm not in front of a Hardy, 8.04, box right now, so please comment below if you find I've made a mistake; and I will correct it - Thanks). If I recall correctly, these packages are not in the "regular" Ubuntu repositories. To get them installed, we can create the appropriate entries in our sources...

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How to Wipe a Hard Drive – Reader Questions 12/06/09

Becky asked: "...I am running Ubuntu Linux.  I want to wipe my hard drive.  How do i do that?..." I'm assuming that you don't have another computer you can plug that hard drive in? Additionally, you cannot wipe a hard drive if you have no OS to run the software. And finally, I assume by wiping, that you are referring to writing 0's and 1's via several passes over the hard drive. I have come across an Open Source solution that does this, it's called Darik's Boot And Nuke. In general, ...

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How to Check MD5SUM of Downloads – Reader Questions 12/06/09

Steve emailed asking: "...because all the DVDs I was burning were useless. Thanks for helping with that, only thing, how do I check the md5sum stuff? Should there be a separate file showing what it is? Where do I find what it's supposed to be? Thanks for..." This is a common occurrence, we download a CD or DVD, only to find that it's not working properly. I learned the hard way, ALWAYS check the md5sum BEFORE burning the iso! 1) The MD5SUM of any downloads (from Ubuntu) c...

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Finding Ubuntu Version – Reader Questions 11/30/09

George one of our readers emailed to ask: "... your solution said it was for Ubuntu 8.04, how do I find out what version I'm running?..." There's a simple, quick way to see what version of Ubuntu Linux you are running. Open a terminal and enter the command: lsb_release -a If you're using Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy), your output will look something like below: roger@ubuntubox:~$ lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID:    Ubuntu Description:    Ubuntu 8.04.3 LTS Release:    8...

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Forgotten Password – Reader Questions 08/07/09

Rhonda, one of our readers asks: "...I forgot my username and password on my ubuntu/Linux computer. How do I get back on? I have 2 computers just so you understand. One I use windows and the other I use ubuntu. I don't want to throw the computer away so any help would be greatly appreciated..." I'm assuming this is the username to log into Ubuntu, not the a password for GRUB or the PC itself (that is a password set in the BIOS, which is requested when the PC is turned on). First off, there's no need to throw the c...

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