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  • An increase to 3 Gig of RAM slows down Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

    - by williepabon
    I have Ubuntu 10.04 running from an external hard drive (installed on an enclosure) connected via USB port. Like a month or so ago, I increased RAM on my pc from 2 Gigs to 3 Gigs. This resulted on extremely long boot times and slow application loads. While I was understanding the nature of my problem, I posted various threads on this forum ( Questions # 188417, 188801), where I was advised to gather speed tests, and other info on my machine. I was also suggested that I might have problems with the RAM installed. Initially, I did not consider that possibility because: 1) I did a memory test with a diagnostic program from DELL (My pc is from Dell) 2) My pc works fine with Windows XP (the default OS), no problems with memory 3) My pc works fine when booting with Ubuntu 10.10 memory stick, no speed problems 4) My pc works fine when booting with Ubuntu 11.10 memory stick, no speed problems Anyway, I performed the memory tests suggested. But before doing it, and to check out any possibility of hardware issues on the hard drive, I did the following: (1) purchased a new hard drive enclosure and moved my hard drive to it, (2) purchased a new USB cable and used it to connect my hard drive/enclosure setup to a different USB port on my pc. Then, I performed speed tests with 1 Gig, 2 Gigs and 3 Gigs of RAM with my Ubuntu 10.04 OS. Ubuntu 10.04 worked well when booted with 1 Gig or 2 Gigs of RAM. When I increased to 3 Gigs, it slowed down to a crawl. I can't understand the relationship between an increase of 1 Gig and the effect it has in Ubuntu 10.04. This doesn't happen with Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.10. Unfortunately for me, Ubuntu 10.04 is my principal work operating system. So, I need a solution for this. Hardware and system information: DELL Precision 670 2 internal SATA Hard drives Audigy 2 ZS audio system Factory OS: Windows XP Professional SP3 NVidia 8400 GTS video card More info: williepabon@WP-WrkStation:~$ uname -a Linux WP-WrkStation 2.6.32-38-generic #83-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jan 4 11:13:04 UTC 2012 i686 GNU/Linux williepabon@WP-WrkStation:~$ lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS Release: 10.04 Codename: lucid Speed test with the 3 Gigs of RAM installed: williepabon@WP-WrkStation:~$ sudo hdparm -tT /dev/sdc [sudo] password for williepabon: /dev/sdc: Timing cached reads: 84 MB in 2.00 seconds = 41.96 MB/sec Timing buffered disk reads: 4 MB in 3.81 seconds = 1.05 MB/sec This is a very slow transfer rate from a hard drive. I will really appreciate a solution or a work around for this problem. I know that that there are users that have Ubuntu 10.04 with 3 Gigs or more of RAM and they don't have this problem. Same question asked on Launchpad for reference.

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  • repair broken packages-"dpkg: error: conflicting actions -f (--field) and -r (--remove)"

    - by yinon
    Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. if more information will be needed, tell me and'll give. the main problem is: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get install docky [sudo] password for tzach: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done docky is already the newest version. You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these: The following packages have unmet dependencies: ca-certificates-java : Depends: openjdk-6-jre-headless (>= 6b16-1.6.1-2) but it is not going to be installed or java6-runtime-headless openjdk-7-jre-lib : Depends: openjdk-7-jre-headless (>= 7~b130~pre0) but it is not going to be installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution). tzach@tzach-pc:~$ and also: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these. **The following packages have unmet dependencies: ca-certificates-java : Depends: openjdk-6-jre-headless (>= 6b16-1.6.1-2) but it is not installed or java6-runtime-headless openjdk-7-jre-lib : Depends: openjdk-7-jre-headless (>= 7~b130~pre0) but it is not installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try using ******* so we tryied the guide here in messege #9: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=947124 we run all the first 4 commands and the last one-"sudo apt-get autoremove" gave us: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these. The following packages have unmet dependencies: **ca-certificates-java** : Depends: openjdk-6-jre-headless (>= 6b16-1.6.1-2) but it is not installed or java6-runtime-headless **openjdk-7-jre-lib** : Depends: openjdk-7-jre-headless (>= 7~b130~pre0) but it is not installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try using -f. so we run the last command twice: sudo dpkg --remove -force --force-remove-reinstreq ca-certificates-java and sudo dpkg --remove -force --force-remove-reinstreq openjdk-7-jre-lib but both of them gives: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo dpkg --remove -force --force-remove-reinstreq ca-certificates-java [sudo] password for tzach: dpkg: error: conflicting actions -f (--field) and -r (--remove) Type dpkg --help for help about installing and deinstalling packages [*]; Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management; Type dpkg -Dhelp for a list of dpkg debug flag values; Type dpkg --force-help for a list of forcing options; Type dpkg-deb --help for help about manipulating *.deb files; Options marked [*] produce a lot of output - pipe it through `less' or `more' ! EDIT FOR green7-output of "sudo apt-get -f install": tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get -f install [sudo] password for tzach: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done Correcting dependencies... Done The following extra packages will be installed: icedtea-7-jre-cacao icedtea-7-jre-jamvm java-common openjdk-7-jre-headless tzdata-java Suggested packages: default-jre equivs sun-java6-fonts ttf-dejavu-extra fonts-ipafont-gothic fonts-ipafont-mincho ttf-telugu-fonts ttf-oriya-fonts ttf-kannada-fonts ttf-bengali-fonts The following packages will be REMOVED: ttf-mscorefonts-installer The following NEW packages will be installed: icedtea-7-jre-cacao icedtea-7-jre-jamvm java-common openjdk-7-jre-headless tzdata-java 0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 1 to remove and 355 not upgraded. 5 not fully installed or removed. Need to get 0 B/29.6 MB of archives. After this operation, 88.5 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable dpkg: warning: there's no installed package matching ttf-mscorefonts-installer:amd64 Setting up tzdata (2012e-0ubuntu0.12.04) ... debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable dpkg: error processing tzdata (--configure): subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1 No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already Errors were encountered while processing: tzdata E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1) EDIT2 FOR green7: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get remove --purge tzdata [sudo] password for tzach: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these: The following packages have unmet dependencies: ca-certificates-java : Depends: openjdk-6-jre-headless (>= 6b16-1.6.1-2) but it is not going to be installed or java6-runtime-headless libc6 : Depends: tzdata but it is not going to be installed libc6:i386 : Depends: tzdata:i386 libical0 : Depends: tzdata but it is not going to be installed openjdk-7-jre-lib : Depends: openjdk-7-jre-headless (>= 7~b130~pre0) but it is not going to be installed python-dateutil : Depends: tzdata but it is not going to be installed ubuntu-minimal : Depends: tzdata but it is not going to be installed util-linux : Depends: tzdata (>= 2006c-2) but it is not going to be installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution). EDIT3 FOR green7: tzach@tzach-pc:~$ sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jre-headless [sudo] password for tzach: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these: The following packages have unmet dependencies: openjdk-7-jre-headless : Depends: tzdata-java but it is not going to be installed Depends: java-common (>= 0.28) but it is not going to be installed Recommends: icedtea-7-jre-cacao (= 7~u3-2.1.1~pre1-1ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed Recommends: icedtea-7-jre-jamvm (= 7~u3-2.1.1~pre1-1ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution). some things in the text also supposed to be bolded. but not critic (: Thanks for the editing! Thanks a lot for your assistance.

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  • Visual Studio 2010 SP1

    - by ScottGu
    Last week we shipped Service Pack 1 of Visual Studio 2010 and the Visual Studio Express Tools.  In addition to bug fixes and performance improvements, SP1 includes a number of feature enhancements.  This includes improved local help support, IntelliTrace support for 64-bit applications and SharePoint, built-in Silverlight 4 Tooling support in the box, unit testing support when targeting .NET 3.5, a new performance wizard for Silverlight, IIS Express and SQL CE Tooling support for web projects, HTML5 Intellisense for ASP.NET, and more.  TFS 2010 SP1 was also released last week, together with a new TFS Project Server Integration Pack and Load Test Feature Pack.  Brian Harry has a good blog post about the TFS updates here. VS 2010 SP1 Download Click here to download and install SP1 for all versions of Visual Studio (including express).  This installer examines what you have installed on your machine, and only downloads the servicing downloads necessary to update them to SP1.  The time it takes to download and update will consequently depend on what all you have installed.  Jon Galloway has a good blog post on tips to speed up the SP1 install by uninstalling unused components. Web Platform Installer Bundles In addition to the core VS 2010 SP1 installer, we have also put together two Web Platform Installer (WebPI) bundles that automate installing SP1 together with additional web-specific components: VS 2010 SP1 WebPI Bundle Visual Web Developer 2010 SP1 WebPI Bundle The above WebPI bundles automate installing: VS 2010/VWD 2010 SP1 ASP.NET MVC 3 (runtime + tools support) IIS 7.5 Express SQL Server Compact Edition 4.0 (runtime + tools support) Web Deployment 2.0 Only the components that are not already installed on your machine will be downloaded when you use the above WebPI bundles.  This means that you can run the WebPI bundle at any time (even if you have already installed SP1 or ASP.NET MVC 3) and not have to worry about wasting time downloading/installing these components again. Earlier this year I did two posts that discussed how to use IIS Express and SQL CE with ASP.NET projects in SP1.  Read the below posts to learn more about how to use them after you run the above bundles: Visual Studio 2010 SP1 and IIS Express Visual Studio 2010 SP1 and SQL CE for ASP.NET The above feature additions work with any web project type – including both ASP.NET Web Forms and ASP.NET MVC. Additional SP1 Notes Two additional notes about VS 2010 SP1: 1) One change we made between RTM and SP1 is that by default Visual Studio now uses software rendering instead of hardware acceleration when running on Windows XP.  We made this change because we’ve seen reports of (often inconsistent) performance issues caused by older video drivers.  Running in software mode eliminates these and delivers consistent speeds.  You can optionally re-enable hardware acceleration with SP1 using Visual Studio’s Tools->Options menu command – we did not remove support for HW acceleration on XP, we simply changed the default setting for it.  Jason Zander has written more details on the change and how to re-enable HW acceleration inside VS here. 2) We have discovered an issue where installing SP1 can cause TSQL intellisense within SQL Server Management Studio 2008 R2 to stop working (typing still works – but intellisense doesn’t show up).  The SQL team is investigating this now and I’ll post an update on how to fix this once more details are known.  Hope this helps, Scott P.S. I am also now using Twitter for quick updates and to share links. Follow me at: twitter.com/scottgu

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  • Wipe, Delete, and Securely Destroy Your Hard Drive’s Data the Easy Way

    - by The Geek
    Giving a computer to somebody else? Maybe you’re putting it out on Craigslist to sell to a stranger—either way, you’ll want to make sure that your drive is completely wiped, scrubbed, and clean of any personal data. Here’s the easy way to do it. If you only have access to an Ubuntu Live CD or thumb drive, you can actually use that instead if you prefer, and we’ve got you covered with a full guide to securely wiping your PC’s hard drive. Otherwise, keep reading. Wipe the Drive with DBAN Darik’s Boot and Nuke CD is the easiest way to permanently and totally destroy every bit of personal information on that drive—nobody is going to recover a thing once this is done. The first thing you’ll need to do is download a copy of the ISO image, and then burn it to a blank CD with something really useful like Imgburn. Just choose Burn image to Disc at the start screen, select the little file icon, grab the downloaded ISO, and then go. If you need a little more help, we’ve got you covered with a beginner’s guide to burning an ISO image. Once you’re done, stick the disc into the drive, start the PC up, and then once you boot to the DBAN prompt you’ll see a menu. You can pretty much ignore everything on here, and just type… autonuke And there you are, your disk is now being securely wiped. Once it’s all done, you can remove the CD, and then either pack the PC up to sell, or re-install Windows on there if you feel like it. More Advanced Method If you’re really paranoid, want to run a different type of wipe, or just like fiddling with the options, you can choose F3 or hit Enter at the prompt to head to the advanced selection screen. Here you can choose exactly which drive to wipe, or hit the M key to change the method. You’ll be able to choose between a bunch of different wipe options. The Quick Erase is all you really need though.   So there you are, easy PC wiping in one package. What about you? Do you make sure to wipe your old PCs before giving them away? Personally I’ve always just yanked out the hard drives before I got rid of an old PC, but that’s just me. Download DBAN from dban.org Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Use an Ubuntu Live CD to Securely Wipe Your PC’s Hard DriveHow to Dispose of Old Computers ResponsiblyHow To Delete a VHD in Windows 7Speed up External USB Hard Drives in Windows VistaSpeed Up SATA Hard Drives in Windows Vista TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips DVDFab 6 Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Follow Finder Finds You Twitter Users To Follow Combine MP3 Files Easily QuicklyCode Provides Cheatsheets & Other Programming Stuff Download Free MP3s from Amazon Awe inspiring, inter-galactic theme (Win 7) Case Study – How to Optimize Popular Wordpress Sites

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  • Remote Desktop closes with Fatal Error (Error Code: 5)

    - by Swinders
    We have one PC (Windows XP SP3) that we can not log onto using a Remote Desktop session. Logging on to the PC directly (sitting in front of it using the connected keyboard and monitor) work fine. From a second PC (tried a number of different ones but all Windows XP SP3) I run 'mstsc' and type in PC name to connect to. This shows the login box which we can enter the correct login details and click OK. Within a few second we get an error: Title: Fatal Error (Error Code:5) Error: Your Remote Desktop session is about to end. This computer might be low on virtual memory. Close your other programs, and then try connecting to the remote computer again. If the problem continues, contact your network administrator or technical support. None of the computers we are using are low on memory (2Gb+) and we let windows manage the virtual memory side of things. We do not see this with any other PC and do use Remote Desktop in meeting rooms to connect to user PCs with no problems.

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  • How to Combine Rescue Disks to Create the Ultimate Windows Repair Disk

    - by The Geek
    We’ve covered loads of different anti-virus, Linux, and other boot disks that help you repair or recover your system, but why limit yourself to just one? Here’s how to combine your favorite repair disks together to create the ultimate repair toolkit for broken Windows systems—all on a single flash drive. The ones we’ve covered already? Here’s a quick list of all the ways you can recover your system with a rescue disk: How to Use the Avira Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC How to Use the BitDefender Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC How to Use the Kaspersky Rescue Disk to Clean Your Infected PC Change or Reset Windows Password from a Ubuntu Live CD The 10 Cleverest Ways to Use Linux to Fix Your Windows PC Change Your Forgotten Windows Password with the Linux System Rescue CD Use Ubuntu Live CD to Backup Files from Your Dead Windows Computer If you need to clean up an infected system, we’d absolutely recommend the BitDefender CD, since it’s auto-updating. Best bet? Create your ultimate boot disk with as many of the different utilities as your flash drive can hold Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How To Boot 10 Different Live CDs From 1 USB Flash Drive The 20 Best How-To Geek Linux Articles of 2010 The 50 Best How-To Geek Windows Articles of 2010 The 20 Best How-To Geek Explainer Topics for 2010 How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista How to Use the Avira Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC Luigi Installs Any OS on Google’s Cr-48 Notebook DIY iPad Stylus Offers Pen-Based Interaction on the Cheap Serene Blue Ubuntu Wallpaper for Your Desktop Enjoy Old School Style Video Game Fun with Chicken Invaders Hide the Twitter “Litter” in Twitter’s Sidebar Area (Chrome and Iron) Public Domain Day: Reflections on Copyright and the Importance of Public Domain

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  • Sync iCloud bookmarks with Firefox in Windows 7

    - by MDMarra
    I have four devices that I want to sync my bookmarks across: a Mac Mini, a Macbook Air, an iPad2, and a Windows 7 PC. I use Safari on the three Apple products and Firefox 8 on the Windows 7 PC. I use iCloud to sync my bookmarks with the three Apple devices, but this obviously leaves my Windows PC out of the loop. I realize that I can sync the bookmarks to IE and then constantly export them and import them into Firefox, but this is both clunky and not really a "sync" since things that I bookmark on my PC in Firefox won't show up on my other devices. What is the best way to sync my bookmarks from iCloud with a PC running Firefox 8?

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  • Upgrading to Gnome Shell 3.4 in Ubuntu 11.10 broke both Unity and Gnome shell

    - by mac
    I have upgraded my gnome shell to 3.4 in Ubuntu 11.10 through sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/testing sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3 sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade sudo apt-get install gnome-shell But it broke my system. Gnome shell is completely broken - When I login it just shows desktop wallpaper and nothing else. And importantly Unity is also broken. Attaching the screenshot Some main issues 1)Two menus are appearing now - Global menu as well as application menu 2)Icons on top-right panel are appearing weirdly 3)My Default Ambiance Theme also got screwed. Instead of black color menus, I am seeing white color menus. How do I fix them? Or Do I have an option to revert back to original settings or will reinstalling Unity/Gnome Shell helps ? Thanks

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  • teamviewer in "client only" mode

    - by Tommy
    I have a remote PC with the teamviewer on it. I want to use my local teamviewer installation only for connecting to that remote PC, and I don't want any services (teamviewerd) running on my local Ubuntu 14.04. I've tried to disable the service by doing sudo teamviewer --daemon disable but after that I'm not able to connect to the remote PC, because teamviewer reports an error "The Teamviewer daemon is not running!" on start, and I'm not able to access the gui. Is there a way to connect to the remote PC with teamviewer with no teamviewerd running?

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  • Review: A Quick Look at Reflector

    - by James Michael Hare
    I, like many, was disappointed when I heard that Reflector 7 was not free, and perhaps that’s why I waited so long to try it and just kept using my version 6 (which continues to be free).  But though I resisted for so long, I longed for the better features that were being developed, and began to wonder if I should upgrade.  Thus, I began to look into the features being offered in Reflector 7.5 to see what was new. Multiple Editions Reflector 7.5 comes in three flavors, each building on the features of the previous version: Standard – Contains just the Standalone application ($70) VS – Same as Standard but adds Reflector Object Browser for Visual Studio ($130) VSPro – Same as VS but adds ability to set breakpoints and step into decompiled code ($190) So let’s examine each of these features. The Standalone Application (Standard, VS, VSPro editions) Popping open Reflector 7.5 and looking at the GUI, we see much of the same familiar features, with a few new ones as well: Most notably, the disassembler window now has a tabbed window with navigation buttons.  This makes it much easier to back out of a deep-dive into many layers of decompiled code back to a previous point. Also, there is now an analyzer which can be used to determine dependencies for a given method, property, type, etc. For example, if we select System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient and hit the Analyze button, we’d see a window with the following nodes we could expand: This gives us the ability to see what a given type uses, what uses it, who exposes it, and who instantiates it. Now obviously, for low-level types (like DateTime) this list would be enormous, but this can give a lot of information on how a given type is connected to the larger code ecosystem. One of the other things I like about using Reflector 7.5 is that it does a much better job of displaying iterator blocks than Reflector 6 did. For example, if you were to take a look at the Enumerable.Cast() extension method in System.Linq, and dive into the CastIterator in Reflector 6, you’d see this: But now, in Reflector 7.5, we see the iterator logic much more clearly: This is a big improvement in the quality of their code disassembler and for me was one of the main reasons I decided to take the plunge and get version 7.5. The Reflector Object Browser (VS, VSPro editions) If you have the .NET Reflector VS or VSPro editions, you’ll find you have in Visual Studio a Reflector Object Browser window available where you can select and decompile any assembly right in Visual Studio. For example, if you want to take a peek at how System.Collections.Generic.List<T> works, you can either select List<T> in the Reflector Object Browser, or even simpler just select a usage of it in your code and CTRL + Click to dive in. – And it takes you right to a source window with the decompiled source: Setting Breakpoints and Stepping Into Decompiled Code (VSPro) If you have the VSPro edition, in addition to all the things said above, you also get the additional ability to set breakpoints in this decompiled code and step through it as if it were your own code: This can be a handy feature when you need to see why your code’s use of a BCL or other third-party library isn’t working as you expect. Summary Yes, Reflector is no longer free, and yes, that’s a bit of a bummer. But it always was and still is a very fine tool. If you still have Reflector 6, you aren’t forced to upgrade any longer, but getting the nicer disassembler (especially for iterator blocks) and the handy VS integration is worth at least considering upgrading for.  So I leave it up to you, these are some of the features of Reflector 7.5, what’s your thoughts? Technorati Tags: .NET,Reflector

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  • 8 Reasons Why Even Microsoft Agrees the Windows Desktop is a Nightmare

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Let’s be honest: The Windows desktop is a mess. Sure, it’s extremely powerful and has a huge software library, but it’s not a good experience for average people. It’s not even a good experience for geeks, although we tolerate it. Even Microsoft agrees about this. Microsoft’s Surface tablets with Windows RT don’t support any third-party desktop apps. They consider this a feature — users can’t install malware and other desktop junk, so the system will always be speedy and secure. Malware is Still Common Malware may not affect geeks, but it certainly continues to affect average people. Securing Windows, keeping it secure, and avoiding unsafe programs is a complex process. There are over 50 different file extensions that can contain harmful code to keep track of. It’s easy to have theoretical discussions about how malware could infect Mac computers, Android devices, and other systems. But Mac malware is extremely rare, and has  generally been caused by problem with the terrible Java plug-in. Macs are configured to only run executables from identified developers by default, whereas Windows will run everything. Android malware is talked about a lot, but Android malware is rare in the real world and is generally confined to users who disable security protections and install pirated apps. Google has also taken action, rolling out built-in antivirus-like app checking to all Android devices, even old ones running Android 2.3, via Play Services. Whatever the reason, Windows malware is still common while malware for other systems isn’t. We all know it — anyone who does tech support for average users has dealt with infected Windows computers. Even users who can avoid malware are stuck dealing with complex and nagging antivirus programs, especially since it’s now so difficult to trust Microsoft’s antivirus products. Manufacturer-Installed Bloatware is Terrible Sit down with a new Mac, Chromebook, iPad, Android tablet, Linux laptop, or even a Surface running Windows RT and you can enjoy using your new device. The system is a clean slate for you to start exploring and installing your new software. Sit down with a new Windows PC and the system is a mess. Rather than be delighted, you’re stuck reinstalling Windows and then installing the necessary drivers or you’re forced to start uninstalling useless bloatware programs one-by-one, trying to figure out which ones are actually useful. After uninstalling the useless programs, you may end up with a system tray full of icons for ten different hardware utilities anyway. The first experience of using a new Windows PC is frustration, not delight. Yes, bloatware is still a problem on Windows 8 PCs. Manufacturers can customize the Refresh image, preventing bloatware rom easily being removed. Finding a Desktop Program is Dangerous Want to install a Windows desktop program? Well, you’ll have to head to your web browser and start searching. It’s up to you, the user, to know which programs are safe and which are dangerous. Even if you find a website for a reputable program, the advertisements on that page will often try to trick you into downloading fake installers full of adware. While it’s great to have the ability to leave the app store and get software that the platform’s owner hasn’t approved — as on Android — this is no excuse for not providing a good, secure software installation experience for typical users installing typical programs. Even Reputable Desktop Programs Try to Install Junk Even if you do find an entirely reputable program, you’ll have to keep your eyes open while installing it. It will likely try to install adware, add browse toolbars, change your default search engine, or change your web browser’s home page. Even Microsoft’s own programs do this — when you install Skype for Windows desktop, it will attempt to modify your browser settings t ouse Bing, even if you’re specially chosen another search engine and home page. With Microsoft setting such an example, it’s no surprise so many other software developers have followed suit. Geeks know how to avoid this stuff, but there’s a reason program installers continue to do this. It works and tricks many users, who end up with junk installed and settings changed. The Update Process is Confusing On iOS, Android, and Windows RT, software updates come from a single place — the app store. On Linux, software updates come from the package manager. On Mac OS X, typical users’ software updates likely come from the Mac App Store. On the Windows desktop, software updates come from… well, every program has to create its own update mechanism. Users have to keep track of all these updaters and make sure their software is up-to-date. Most programs now have their act together and automatically update by default, but users who have old versions of Flash and Adobe Reader installed are vulnerable until they realize their software isn’t automatically updating. Even if every program updates properly, the sheer mess of updaters is clunky, slow, and confusing in comparison to a centralized update process. Browser Plugins Open Security Holes It’s no surprise that other modern platforms like iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows RT, and Windows Phone don’t allow traditional browser plugins, or only allow Flash and build it into the system. Browser plugins provide a wealth of different ways for malicious web pages to exploit the browser and open the system to attack. Browser plugins are one of the most popular attack vectors because of how many users have out-of-date plugins and how many plugins, especially Java, seem to be designed without taking security seriously. Oracle’s Java plugin even tries to install the terrible Ask toolbar when installing security updates. That’s right — the security update process is also used to cram additional adware into users’ machines so unscrupulous companies like Oracle can make a quick buck. It’s no wonder that most Windows PCs have an out-of-date, vulnerable version of Java installed. Battery Life is Terrible Windows PCs have bad battery life compared to Macs, IOS devices, and Android tablets, all of which Windows now competes with. Even Microsoft’s own Surface Pro 2 has bad battery life. Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air, which has very similar hardware to the Surface Pro 2, offers double its battery life when web browsing. Microsoft has been fond of blaming third-party hardware manufacturers for their poorly optimized drivers in the past, but there’s no longer any room to hide. The problem is clearly Windows. Why is this? No one really knows for sure. Perhaps Microsoft has kept on piling Windows component on top of Windows component and many older Windows components were never properly optimized. Windows Users Become Stuck on Old Windows Versions Apple’s new OS X 10.9 Mavericks upgrade is completely free to all Mac users and supports Macs going back to 2007. Apple has also announced their intention that all new releases of Mac OS X will be free. In 2007, Microsoft had just shipped Windows Vista. Macs from the Windows Vista era are being upgraded to the latest version of the Mac operating system for free, while Windows PCs from the same era are probably still using Windows Vista. There’s no easy upgrade path for these people. They’re stuck using Windows Vista and maybe even the outdated Internet Explorer 9 if they haven’t installed a third-party web browser. Microsoft’s upgrade path is for these people to pay $120 for a full copy of Windows 8.1 and go through a complicated process that’s actaully a clean install. Even users of Windows 8 devices will probably have to pay money to upgrade to Windows 9, while updates for other operating systems are completely free. If you’re a PC geek, a PC gamer, or someone who just requires specialized software that only runs on Windows, you probably use the Windows desktop and don’t want to switch. That’s fine, but it doesn’t mean the Windows desktop is actually a good experience. Much of the burden falls on average users, who have to struggle with malware, bloatware, adware bundled in installers, complex software installation processes, and out-of-date software. In return, all they get is the ability to use a web browser and some basic Office apps that they could use on almost any other platform without all the hassle. Microsoft would agree with this, touting Windows RT and their new “Windows 8-style” app platform as the solution. Why else would Microsoft, a “devices and services” company, position the Surface — a device without traditional Windows desktop programs — as their mass-market device recommended for average people? This isn’t necessarily an endorsement of Windows RT. If you’re tech support for your family members and it comes time for them to upgrade, you may want to get them off the Windows desktop and tell them to get a Mac or something else that’s simple. Better yet, if they get a Mac, you can tell them to visit the Apple Store for help instead of calling you. That’s another thing Windows PCs don’t offer — good manufacturer support. Image Credit: Blanca Stella Mejia on Flickr, Collin Andserson on Flickr, Luca Conti on Flickr     

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  • Best way to keep a MS DOS application alive? (Virtual MS DOS)

    - by user11010
    Hi, I have a good old DOS application which is still required to run. Unfortunately the PC is dying and needs to be replaced. The PC was running Windows 98 and the software was executed in a MS Dos Command line. When we would order a new PC you would at least get a Windows XP which has the Win 2000 (NT) Kernel and is not DOS based. Now I need a strategy to be able to run a that DOS application on a new age PC. What I was thinking is to buy a standard office box and have a virtual PC or VMware setup which is running MS DOS and my DOS application? Would this be a way to go? Any concerns? What about 16Bit/32Bit… So any opinion, experiances or tip would be great …. Thanks

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  • Algorithm for spreading labels in a visually appealing and intuitive way

    - by mac
    Short version Is there a design pattern for distributing vehicle labels in a non-overlapping fashion, placing them as close as possible to the vehicle they refer to? If not, is any of the method I suggest viable? How would you implement this yourself? Extended version In the game I'm writing I have a bird-eye vision of my airborne vehicles. I also have next to each of the vehicles a small label with key-data about the vehicle. This is an actual screenshot: Now, since the vehicles could be flying at different altitudes, their icons could overlap. However I would like to never have their labels overlapping (or a label from vehicle 'A' overlap the icon of vehicle 'B'). Currently, I can detect collisions between sprites and I simply push away the offending label in a direction opposite to the otherwise-overlapped sprite. This works in most situations, but when the airspace get crowded, the label can get pushed very far away from its vehicle, even if there was an alternate "smarter" alternative. For example I get: B - label A -----------label C - label where it would be better (= label closer to the vehicle) to get: B - label label - A C - label EDIT: It also has to be considered that beside the overlapping vehicles case, there might be other configurations in which vehicles'labels could overlap (the ASCII-art examples show for example three very close vehicles in which the label of A would overlap the icon of B and C). I have two ideas on how to improve the present situation, but before spending time implementing them, I thought to turn to the community for advice (after all it seems like a "common enough problem" that a design pattern for it could exist). For what it's worth, here's the two ideas I was thinking to: Slot-isation of label space In this scenario I would divide all the screen into "slots" for the labels. Then, each vehicle would always have its label placed in the closest empty one (empty = no other sprites at that location. Spiralling search From the location of the vehicle on the screen, I would try to place the label at increasing angles and then at increasing radiuses, until a non-overlapping location is found. Something down the line of: try 0°, 10px try 10°, 10px try 20°, 10px ... try 350°, 10px try 0°, 20px try 10°, 20px ...

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  • Eye-Infinity across 3 displays with a Radeon 6800

    - by Peter G Mac.
    So I purchased a computer recently and have been trying to customise the display. Radeon HD 6800 series Ubuntu 10.10. I have three 22inch 1080P lcd monitors that are mounted together. Everything is working smooth. How do I get the 'big-desktop' display where I have one enormous display across all monitors? Linux - ATI Catalyst Control Center 11.2 does not give me an option to 'group' my profiles like the pictures on their site show with Windows. I have been searching all over for help. Much Obliged, -Peter

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  • NTP service, offset increasing after sync

    - by Ajay
    I have installed Ubuntu 12.10 version on my PC. I am running NTP service having NTP server as GPS. I found that when we start NTP service by ntp start command, PC is able to sync with GPS as i get '*' symbol before GPS IP when i run ntpq -p command. This remains good for some time and then the * symbol is removed which means that PC is not synchronized to that server. Now, by running command ntpq -p it shows that all parameter are OK but as '*' is removed, slowly offset goes on increasing. remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== *192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 7 16 1 2.333 23.799 0.808 remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== *192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 14 16 3 2.333 23.799 0.879 remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== *192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 11 16 7 2.333 23.799 1.500 remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== *192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 8 16 17 2.333 23.799 2.177 below are the last 4 ntp status when sync is lost with GPS ============================================================================== 192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 1 16 377 2.404 1169.94 1.735 remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== 192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u - 16 377 2.513 1171.80 0.898 remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter ============================================================================== 192.168.100.33 .GPS. 1 u 15 16 377 2.513 1171.80 0.898 Since, GPS is already available, PC never re-synchronize itself to GPS later ON. I have to restart the ntp service and then PC synchronizes to GPS and '*' symbol arrives.

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  • Switch new hard drive with old hard drive (containing files)

    - by jeffmangum
    So my old pc is dead. I took off the HDD cause my files are in there. I have this new pc but the hdd is only 80gb. There are no important files in there so i can just throw it away. I want to switch it with my old HDD. But: I cant just plug in the old hdd to my new pc right? If not, how can i switch to that old hdd without losing my files? Will there be risk for my new pc when I plug in that old HDD (i mean i dont want to have 2 dead PCs) (My first plan was actually just adding the old HDD but my pc doesnt have room left for that.)

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  • Can I set up OpenVPN on two or more machines so that they can each act as client and server?

    - by ianfuture
    The question summarises what I want to achieve. In more detail: I have a Windows XP Pro PC at a work location that I want to be able to access my home Windows XP Pro PC and other home computers from. But I also want to be able to connect to the work PC from home. I think the term generally used is a "mesh" network. Can I do this with OpenVPN ? If so how would I do it? What are the most important things to remember to do? EDIT: The work Windows XP Pro PC is largely managed by IT Dept, I do have local admin rights to install things. Some settings are disabled. My main concern was firewalls and port forwarding on the work PC. Any suggestions?

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  • Is Ubuntu workable as a laptop for an IT consultant?

    - by Eric Wilson
    I work as a consultant programmer, typically in large businesses. I use a Windows Laptop, and many of my colleagues use a Mac. My personal preference would be to run Ubuntu if I could have complete control over my development environment. But I will have occasional need for Microsoft specific products, especially IE. My colleagues that use a Mac often run Windows on a virtual machine for these situations. My question is: Is Ubuntu a workable solution for the laptop of an enterprise programmer? For example, is it as easy to run Windows on a VM on Ubuntu as it is on a Mac? Has anyone out there tried this? Is there any particular reason why Ubuntu would not serve as well as a Mac for development in this environment? Note that I am not doing .NET development, so I am typically dealing with Java that is going to be run on an Apache server and used by clients running Windows.

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  • Can't boot Ubuntu after install Ubuntu

    - by Ramprasad
    I have downloaded Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS 32 bit, burnt it on DVD and tried to install on my PC. My PC running in Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit mounted on C: drive. Now I want install Ubuntu along with my Windows 7. When I boot Ubuntu through CD, It boots and Ubuntu install window opens. Ask "Try Ubuntu" and "Install Ubuntu". I go on "Install Ubuntu". Then I go on install Ubuntu with Windows (First Option) - install. It shows some blank screen with some lines, and shows "Please Remove installation media and close tray and press enter". Then PC restarts and Run Windows 7 same as before normally. But Ubuntu is not installed. How to solve this problem and install Ubuntu on my PC properly? Note: I am a Android Developer. So I need to install Ubuntu for my Android Development purpose.

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  • Disconnect have no effect using rdesktop

    - by Hongxu Chen
    So I'm using rdesktop with my labtop when I remote my PC in the lab,which is installed with Windows 7.Everything went well until I recently upgraded my lubuntu of the laptop(or maybe there's nothing with the upgrade at all,however I don't know).The rdesktop fails to disconnect when I disconnect from the start menu of Windows.This does not mean that I cannot return to my linux, actually I get back to lubuntu successfully and the terminal reports that I have disconnected.However when I re-login to Windows of the PC in the lab(via rdesktop) after I reboot my laptop, it fails.Then I come to the PC in the lab and the screen message tells me that it is still connected with my lubuntu. So what's the problem? Do any guys have similar experience? PC:Windows 7,in the lab;laptop:linux(lubuntu 12.04)

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  • Reinstallation version Windows 7?

    - by DWBrayton
    I ordered a Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit os online and just received a DVD & Key Code sticker. The DVD label shows it to be a reinstallation DVD, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit Dell branded and states that the DVD is only to be used to reinstall the OS on a Dell PC. I built this PC & it previously has had XP Pro installed for the last several years. A couple of weeks ago I had a problem with some Malware & made the mistake of attempting to reinstall the XP Pro only to find out that MS has locked out my key, the same one I have been using on this built PC for the last 3 years. The previous PC was built by a local PC builder & I just reinstalled the OS on the new system. Should I send this Win7 DVD back to where I bought it, or can I use it? What a mess, Thanks DWB

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  • Windows 7 - traceroute hop with high latency! [closed]

    - by Mac
    I've been experiencing this problem for quite a while, and it's quite frustrating. I'll do a traceroute, to www.l.google.com, for example. This is the result (please note: I will replace some parts of personal information with text - i.e. ISP.IP is in reality an actual IP address, and ISPNAME replaces the actual ISP name): Tracing route to www.l.google.com [173.194.34.212] over a maximum of 30 hops: 1 1 ms 1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1 2 9 ms 8 ms 10 ms ISP.EXCHANGE.NAME [ISP.IP.172.205] 3 161 ms 171 ms 177 ms host-ISP.IP.215.246.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.215.246] 4 12 ms 9 ms 10 ms host-ISP.IP.215.246.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.215.246] 5 10 ms 9 ms 17 ms host-ISP.IP.224.165.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.224.165] 6 10 ms 9 ms 10 ms 10.42.0.3 7 9 ms 9 ms 10 ms host-ISP.IP.202.129.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.202.129] 8 10 ms 9 ms 9 ms host-ISP.IP.209.33.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.209.33] 9 77 ms 129 ms 164 ms host-ISP.IP.198.162.ISPNAME.net [ISP.IP.198.162] 10 43 ms 42 ms 43 ms 72.14.212.13 11 42 ms 42 ms 42 ms 209.85.252.36 12 59 ms 59 ms 59 ms 209.85.241.210 13 60 ms 76 ms 68 ms 72.14.237.124 14 59 ms 59 ms 58 ms mad01s08-in-f20.1e100.net [173.194.34.212] Trace complete. Notice that there is a spike on the 3rd hop, but also notice that the 3rd and 4th hop are to the exact same destination. Furthermore, when I ping the offended hop separately, I get the low latency I would expect to that server: Pinging ISP.IP.215.246 with 32 bytes of data: Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=253 Reply from ISP.IP.215.246: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=253 Ping statistics for ISP.IP.215.246: Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 9ms, Maximum = 12ms, Average = 9ms I'm baffled as to why or how this is happening, and it seems to "fix itself" at random times. Here is an example of where it was working as expected: http://i.imgur.com/bysno.png Notice how many fewer hops were taken. Please note that all the posted results occurred within 10 minutes of testing. I've tried contacting my ISP, and they seem clueless; in their eyes, as long as "the download speed is not slow", then they're doing everything right. Any insight would be very much appreciated, and thanks in advanced!

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  • Upgrading to Gnome 3.4 breaks Unity and gnome-shell

    - by mac
    I have upgraded my gnome shell to 3.4 in Ubuntu 11.10 through sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/testing sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3 sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade sudo apt-get install gnome-shell But it broke my system. Gnome shell is completely broken - When I login it just shows desktop wallpaper and nothing else. And importantly Unity is also broken. Attaching the screenshot Some main issues 1)Two menus are appearing now - Global menu as well as application menu 2)Icons on top-right panel are appearing weirdly 3)My Default Ambiance Theme also got screwed. Instead of black color menus, I am seeing white color menus. How do I fix them? Or Do I have an option to revert back to original settings or will reinstalling Unity/Gnome Shell helps ?

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  • Fastest way to group units that can see each other?

    - by mac
    In the 2D game I'm working with, the game engine is able to give me, for each unit, the list of other units that are in its view range. I would like to know if there is an established algorithm to sort the units in groups, where each group would be defined by all those units which are "connected" to each other (even through others). An example might help understand the question better (E=enemy, O=own unit). First the data that I would get from the game engine: E1 can see E2, E3, O5 E2 can see E1 E3 can see E1 E4 can see O5 E5 can see O2 E6 can see E7, O9, O1 E7 can see E6 O1 can see E6 O2 can see O5, E5 O5 can see E1, E4, O2 O9 can see E6 Then I should compute the groups as follow: G1 = E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, O2, O5 G2 = O1, O9, E6, E7 It can be safely assumed that there is a transitive property for the field of view: [if A sees B, then B sees A]. Just to clarify: I already wrote a naïve implementation that loops on each row of the game engine info, but from the look of it, it seems a problem general enough for it to have been studied in depth and have various established algorithms (maybe passing through some tree-like structure?). My problem is that I couldn't find a way to describe my problem that returned useful google hits. Thank you in advance for your help!

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