Apr
7
Recover Your Forgotten Password In Linux.
April 7, 2008 | By: UbuntuLinuxHelp | 5 Comments
Posted in Editorials, How To
Just got another message, this time from Louis. A in Florida. He asks:
"...I have kubuntu installed in my laptop computer, and everything was fine until yesterday, 4/6/08, when I was installing some additional programs from the settings menu. One of the updates that I installed created another user and also gave it admin control!!! It has now locked me out of signing into MY computer!!! Is there anyway that I can break into signing onto the system..."
There are a couple approaches you can take. Read more
Apr
7
Switching From XP to Linux – Should You?
April 7, 2008 | By: UbuntuLinuxHelp | 9 Comments
Posted in Applications, Editorials, How To
A question from John.P in Texas:
"...About the poll called "Are you considering a switch from Windows to Linux?" I see that almost 47% of visitors say "Yes" (so did I). I am an XP user and was wondering if you can post a short note for advice about switching to Linux?..."
What's surprising, is when I examine the web stats for the blog, the month of March 2008 showed 41% of visitors used Windows XP! (The first week of April shows 48.8% used XP). Also, for mere interest 88.3% of browsers for the first week of April 2008 are Firefox. And, for March 2008 Firefox comprised 78.5% of visitors. This tells us that visitors are indeed Open Source users and that readers are almost a 50/50 split between Windows and other OS's (such as Linux). Additionally, it appears from this week's poll (the one you mentioned above) and earlier polls, that there is genuine interest in your question.
This is a hard question to answer for you in one post. To answer the question, perhaps it's best to ask yourself this question, "Is it a good idea to switch to Linux?" or "Am I willing to take the time to explore new things and have fun?" If you've answered yes, read on... :)
Try the LiveCD first and see if you are able to get used to the newer system. I made my choice very quickly after using it.
Obviously preparation is important. When I switched, the primary concern for me was my data. I needed a way to save all my documents, music and email. The email was an easy fix because I had already Read more
Apr
5
Forced File System Check After 30 Boot Ups – How to Improve it.
April 5, 2008 | By: UbuntuLinuxHelp | 28 Comments
Posted in Editorials, How To
Ever want to boot up your Ubuntu Linux system really quick to look something up? Sure, I think we all do that from time to time. Hate it when you get the forced file system check because you've booted up 30 times? I do. ;)
Imagine how I felt in front of a room full of young students, who were attending a small business seminar when this "lengthy" check kept us waiting, while listening to them snigger and giggle. ("Windows doesn't do this", "...that's a cheap OS...", "Get a real OS", "...hurry up man...", "...slooooowwwww...", "...Linux sucks...", and so on).
Despite the bad manners of some attendees... ;) The topic I was presenting showed many of the ways that opensource software (including Ubuntu Linux) could help cash strapped business startups save money. Everything was ready to go, but the switch on the power bar had switched off. No big deal, it would be nice to show Ubuntu boot up anyway, that it's really not some difficult system to use and they can quickly migrate to Linux. I didn't expect it to do the forced check! I remember thinking the luck that it would have to be at this time, I didn't really think is was 30 times, oh well... After explaining the benefit of such a check and how it helps to safeguard our PC's, I finished the successful seminar presentation. But it left me with the reminder that I might want to turn that feature off or better, find an improved solution.
For users who never check their systems manually, I'd suggest not turning the feature off by configuring longer time periods between a check, rather leave your systems running the way they are. But for those of us who are a bit more Linux savvy or who like playing and tweaking with our systems, sure, let's do the following Read more
Apr
4
How To Use Remote Access to Fix Problems in Ubuntu Linux – Revisited
April 4, 2008 | By: UbuntuLinuxHelp | 2 Comments
Posted in Applications, Hands On, How To
For regular readers of this blog, it comes as no surprise that I enjoy playing with and tweaking Linux systems (in this case Ubuntu Linux is the distribution of choice). I also enjoy practical, hands-on projects that we can all actually use.
One thing I often run into is helping friends fix problems with their Ubuntu Linux based PC's. I like doing that, because it gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I'm able to help them. One drawback, is I often get a call from help after the workday is over. (That's when I want to relax). Inevitably, I sometimes spend a long time on the phone, trying to talk them through a "fix". Often I pay them a visit.
Wouldn't it be nice if I could simply access their desktops and do the fix from my end? Yes, of course. On that train of thought, I figured I'd role out VNC on all of them (who want it). The best part being that it does not take a rocket science approach to accomplish. :) It's fairly simple. This post is revisiting one of our earlier posts.
To enable remote connections, simply Read more
Apr
3
A Quick Way to Improve Ubuntu Linux Operating Speed Performance.
April 3, 2008 | By: UbuntuLinuxHelp | 8 Comments
Posted in How To
One question I often get after new users have become comfortable with their desktop systems, is how to improve the performance speed of Ubuntu Linux. This question is generally asked by those who enjoy tweaking and playing with their systems. While I'm sure there are probably a ton of online tutorials that provide all sorts of speed tweaks and How to's, one thing I almost always do first it disable the services I don't need.
Think of it this way... Every running service uses resources, each one I turn off uses less resources. This gives more free resources (memory, CPU usage, etc.) for the system to use. Therefore performance should improve.
If you're also interested in speeding up your web surfing, making it faster, you may also want to see:
Speed Up Your Internet Connection in Ubuntu Linux - Part 1
Speed Up Your Internet Connection in Ubuntu Linux - Part 2
Speed Up Web Browsing by Caching DNS to Your Hard Drive in Ubuntu.
Speed Up and Improve Web Surfing With an Ubuntu Squid Server.
Suffice it to say, one of the easiest fastest "tweaks" is the turning off of unneeded services. But, which ones are safe to turn off? Which ones should be left on?
Not all Linux boxes are going to have the same services as mine (I'm using Ubuntu Linux), but below is a handy list of what can be turned off for desktop users.
Disabling (or enabling) services can be completed (in Ubuntu Linux) by going to System -> Administration -> Services
I have tried to keep the list below in alphabetical order (so that it's easier for you to look up a service later). Also, please remember Read more
