random PC tips

Due to the Kernel of my current Ubuntu Linux being incompatible with the new squashfs, I wanted to update my Ubuntu desktop to the newest version, 11.10. The old version I was using was 10.04 LTS (long-term support). The process had to be done in three parts, and took a quite long time (~3 hours). If you have a slow internet it could take much more. But at least the process was straightforward. First, I upgraded from 10.04 to 10.10 with this guide (quoted below). Upgrade from 10.04 LTS to 10.10 - Network Upgrade for Ubuntu Desktops (Recommended) You can easily upgrade over the network with the following procedure. Open the Software Sources application from the System -> Administration menu Select the sub menu Updates from the Software Sources application Change the Release Upgrade drop down to "Normal Releases" and close the application Press Alt-F2 and type update-manager  Click the Check button to check for new updates. If there are any updates to install...

I was bummed to find out that there was no USB boot option on my K8N motherboard BIOS. Hoping that a BIOS update would give me that option, I started to figure out what to do. I downloaded the latest BIOS version from the ASUS K8N pages . (download -> select your OS -> BIOS -> Bios version 1011). The version 1011 was released in 2006, so I figure that will be the last version they will release. Then I got the Asus Update program for Win XP, from softpedia . First, I saved the current BIOS for backup reasons. I selected "Save current BIOS to file" and clicked Next, chose a folder and saved it as "oldBIOS.rom". Then I updated the BIOS with "Update BIOS from file". I chose the new BIOS rom file "1011.rom" I downloaded earlier.   The BIOS Flash window. After a short while the BIOS flashing window appeared, with info on my current BIOS version and the one I was updating into. I figured it would be safer to clear the CMOS checksum t...

I just played through the old PC adventure game Black Dahlia. It's a good game, well worth a look if you like adventure games. It's a full-motion video (FMV) based game spanning 8 CDs, with some OK acting and an entertaining (but confusing and sometimes illogical) plot. The game was made in 1998 for Windows 95/98 and it's not that trivial to get it to work flawlessly. Here's how to do it. If you are running a Windows version above Windows XP If you are using any of these: Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 10 Windows 11 ...you most probably can't make the game work without a virtual machine. But still I recommend you to try it yourself, using the below game installation guide. Installing Win95 / 98 on a virtual PC 1) Install Oracle VM Virtualbox and create a virtual PC 2) Install Windows 95 or 98 on the virtual PC Get hold of a copy of Windows 95 or 98. Maybe the easiest to install is the Windows 95 floppy disk version. Here's a guide to help you with ...

Write this command to the terminal: cat /etc/*-release It will bring out the distro and the version.

I was trying to use the textread function in Octave 3.2, under Ubuntu 10.04. All I got was this error message: error: `textread' undefined near line 5 column 9 I learnt from the internet that I need the io package from Octave-forge. So, I downloaded it and tried to install it from Octave with this command: pkg install  io-1.0.14.tar.gz Unfortunately, that also gave an error message: Error: the following dependencies where unsatisfied: io needs octave 3.4.0 So, I found out the io-1.0.13 package is compatible with Octave 3.2. The older versions can be found from the Octave-forge directory tree. I downloaded that version and tried to install it with this Octave command: pkg install  io-1.0.13.tar.gz Still an error message.  make: mkoctfile: Command not found make: *** [textread.oct] Error 127 'make' returned the following error: make: Entering directory `/tmp/oct-TJBAXw/io/src' mkoctfile textread.cc make: Leaving directory `/tmp/oct-TJBAXw/io/src' ...

One of the most annoying things mankind has ever created is the Autoplay in Windows XP. No matter what you do, it doesn't seem to understand you'd prefer play the files yourself than scan the entire CD or USB hard drive contents and then propose some halfwit automatic action. So, here's a guide on how to TOTALLY disable this P-O-S. Go to Start Menu -> Run... and then write 'gpedit.msc' in the text field like in the picture below. Hit enter or click OK. Run a program called "gpedit.msc". You get to the Group Policy editor. You get to an advanced configuration editor called "Group Policy". Click on Administrative Templates and then on System. Scroll down to find the option Turn off Autoplay . Find the option "Turn off Autoplay" in the Group Policy editor. Double-click on the Turn off Autoplay option to get a property editor screen. Of course, you know what to do there... Select Enabled and All drives , like in...

Download the Lightscribe Simple Labeler software The Lightscribe Simple Labeler for Linux can be downloaded from the Lightscribe homepage for free. You also need to download and install the Lightscribe System Software package. After agreeing to the license terms, download the "deb package" if you use Ubuntu (Ubuntu uses debian-style package management). Download Lightscribe System Software Download Lightscribe Simple Labeler The main download page for Linux Lightscribe software Install the software I'm not sure if it matters, but I installed the Lightscribe System Software package (lightscribe-1.18.21.1-linux-2.6-intel.deb) first. Find the packages where you downloaded them and double-click on them (or single-click, depending on your Ubuntu configuration. Anyway, run them). Install the .deb packages The Ubuntu package manager window comes up. Click on the "Install Package" button and wait a while. Repeat these steps for the "lightscribeA...

OK. A lot of people seem to have this problem. Finally, I managed to fix it for myself! This problem is quite common with Minecraft Survival Multiplayer. Basically, the problem goes like this: you connect to a server, maybe manage to do something for some minutes, and then you eventually hang up with the message: Internal exception: java.netSocketException: Software caused connection abort: recv failed For some, this comes instantly. Some fall straight into the void and cannot communicate through the chat, although they see the others talk. Some even get to mine something for a while. But then it all ends with this message. It seems that this problem is due to two things: certain integrated network adapters and their old / buggy drivers, and the current buggy state of Minecraft multiplayer mode. Also, some people report that the problem may occur due to incorrect port forwarding. With me, this was not the case. Solutions that work for some people (but didn't work...

Hi all, Since posts about computer fixes / hacks didn't fit the earlier two blogs I had set up, I decided to start a new one to keep things tidy. So, this will be my blog about various computer tricks & problems I run across. Thanks for reading! ZF