Upgrade Ubuntu with a CD Image
Sure, you can upgrade Ubuntu over the net, downloading the updates from Canonical's servers. You can even do it over the net with apt-p2p, downloading the updates from other users. However, if you have more than one computer to upgrade, it may be nice to download the updates only once. For the following procedure you will need to download the image for the Ubuntu alternate install CD for your particular architecture. Read more
Get a Jump on Jaunty Jackalope
The official release of Ubuntu 9.04 - Jaunty Jackalope is fast approaching. When it's released on April 23 you can be sure that Canonical's servers will be getting slammed. That means the downloads are going to be slow. The good news is that they just let loose the Release Candidate for Ubuntu 9.04. There should be relatively few changes between this version and the one that will be released on the 23rd. If you update your system to this version now, you'll only have a few updates to apply on the 23rd. Read more
Secure File Transfer in Nautilus with SFTP
Previously I've showed you how to set up a home network with Ubuntu. Once your network is set up, it's easy to transfer files from one computer to another using Gnome's standard file manager, Nautilus.
Nautilus has a built-in feature to support SFTP. SFTP is a secure file transfer protocol. It's basically a combination of SSH (secure shell) and FTP (file transfer protocol). SFTP is a convenient way securely transfer files from one computer to another over the network. Read more
Add the NT Backup Tool to Windows XP
If you've been using Windows for several versions, you probably remember the backup tool that was available in older versions like Windows 2000. This tool is missing from a standard XP installation, but you can install it easily if you have a Windows XP installation CD.
To get started, insert your XP CD into the CD drive. If you have autostart enabled, the installation menu should start automatically. If not, open My Computer and double click on your CD drive. Read more
Why I hate Dell
Being the computer geek in the family means I am frequently called upon for computer emergencies. The most recent one involves a Dell computer that bit the dust. The machine wouldn't POST and gave only a memory error beep code. After several rounds of moving the memory chips to different slots and then trying new memory, I finally gave up and decided it's time to start fresh. I figured it was most likely an issue with the motherboard.
Now the folks at Dell are kind enough to use a bunch of non-standard hardware. This means that whenever you want to replace something, you pretty much have to go to Dell or to Ebay. Their power supply connector is a standard ATX connector, but they wire it differently. Therefore, you need a Dell specific power supply as a replacement. Read more
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