Install Linux & Boot Tools on a Multiboot USB Drive

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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Okay, so you want to try the latest Linux distributions and you don't want them installed for some reason. Or you want to just do some test driving before you commit to a full install. Or maybe you're the sort of guy that helps  family and friends with their computers and you're fond of using Linux tools to get the job done. Well, it would be handy if you had all your software tools in one small handy package. Think of the swissarmy knife a s good analogy. It may now have the best tools, but since it's pocket-able and has several different small tools, it comes in very handy in many situations.

Well, there's an easy way to create a multiple boot USB thumbdrive to enable you to boot of different tools without having to burn each one on to a CD. It's called Xboot [https://sites.google.com/site/shamurxboot/home]. It's just like UNetBootin which I wrote about on another post [http://techthroes.blogspot.com/2011/08/install-linux-onto-usb-stick.html]. What makes Xboot a little better is that it can configure you're USB drive with a bootloader enabling you to install more than just one operating system. You also have the option to install non-Linux bootable tools like  Ultimate Boot CD or Hiren's Boot CD.

Here's how to install you're favorite tools onto a USB drive with Xboot:

First, download the tool from https://sites.google.com/site/shamurxboot/download:



After you download it, you need to extract the zipped file to a location on your computer where it'll be easy to find. The Desktop usually works best. You'll always know how to get there and it'll make it a cinch to find. Click on the extracted xbootvs1.0beta14.exe file and you should see this window:


Next, from the main window (as it appears above) drag your Linux ISO images onto the open space with columns labeled Name, Size, CAtegory, etc. It's really that simple. Just click on the files from your  file browser and drag 'em there. Now in some cases the ISO you choose can't be identified by Xboot. You'll need to tell it what kind of image it is. Is it a Linux image, like Ubuntu, Fedora, or OpenSuse? Or is it one of those self-booting rescue tools like DBAN or Ultimate Boot CD:



It's good though that there are a lot of presets and Xboot will try to configure the install for the particular bootable tool or OS using the option you choose. Be cautious though, since if you make the wrong choice the whole USB will not boot at all. Here's a preview of those options:


Now, once you've had your starting line up figured out, have Xboot create the Multiboot USB for you. Just click on the Create USB button:




After that you'll be asked to pick which drive you'd want to install everything in. You can also select you choice of bootloader from the same dialog, but I'd go with Syslinux:



So after you're done with all the options, let Xboot do it's thang...


Now it will take some time for Xboot to set everything up, so this would be the perfect for you to get a Coke from the Vendo or a cup of coffee from the pot. If you've known me for some time, you would know. I'm a coffee kind of guy. So I'd get a cup if you were me. But, you know. To each his own. It may take around 15-20 minutes to get everything setup, so take your sweet time and don't worry about it. Okay, okay. I know... I'm stalling. Next step is to test the thing's working. 
To test if the installed OS and tools are booting, you can go back to Xboot. Click on the QEMU tab, pick the drive you installed to and click boot :


I never did get that to work for some reason. So YMMV (your mileage may vary) ... I did however, reboot my machine and and let it boot from the USB and tadaaa: 



I tested all of the stuff I installed and when was sure everything was working I got back to my cup of joe. I thought to myself, it's nice to have a multi-tool like this in your pack of geek gear. You can have this too. Have fun experimenting with Xboot while you're at it :-)

The Latest & Cheapest - AMD Llano Build With $ to Spare

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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I've always been an advocate of the new technologies, but I've always had to spend within reason. The latest and greatest isn't practical. When you've got responsibilities, there are some things that need more priority when it comes to money. Anyway, I don't feel too left out. I do what I got to do and still have the latest technology. If I choose my parts right, I can definitely have a computer that's not a sluggard even after 2 years of use.

So here's my choice for my Latest & Cheapest build:

AMD Llano A4 3400, 2.7 GHz- the latest iteration of AMD techniologies focuses on creating a product with a lot of value. AMD's Llano is it's APU, an Advanced Processing Unit, it's nickname for a CPU+GPU combo on the same physical package. The A4 may be the cheapest of it's siblings, but it isn't the slowest processor out there. It's got 2 cores pumping out 1.9 GHz all while sipping power with it's TDP of 35 Watts. Price: PhP 3,290 (Cash Promo) at PC Hub.

Emaxx A75GM iCafe- Emaxx has been producing low-priced motherboards for around 5 or 6 years now. Teir iCafe series has always been the cheapest of the lot, focusing on just the basics and a price that makes it irrestible to small business owners (re: internet cafe owners) Price: PhP 3,110 (Cash Promo) at PC Hub.

Inwin EC036 ATX w/ 350W PSU- Low-priced ATX case bundled with a 350W PSU that should be plenty if you choose the right parts. It looks good too. 'Nuff said. Price: PhP 1,590 (Cash Promo) at PC Hub.

G.Skill Value Ram 4GB DDR3 1333- I know a bargain when I see one. GSkill has always enjoyed a good rep with geeks for its performance. It don't matter that this is the Value RAM. GSkill is still GSkill. Price: PhP 1,150 (cash Promo) at PC Hub.

1TB Seagate 7200.12 (32mb cache) SATA HDD- I keep harping on how good Seagate is. Well, I'll harp on it some more. They are reliable. And one more thing, 1TB should be more than enough room to store that ",movie collection" of yours ;-) Price: PhP 2,790 (Cash Promo) at PC Hub.

LiteOn iHAS524- Another brand that I've trusted and relied on for many years, these guys have been OEMing for Dell and Sony for the longest time. It's time they get some press, even if it's from a small-traffic blogger like me :) Price: PhP 830 at Enigma.


The final price? PhP 12,760 or around US$ 295. It's cheap and the tech is new. I couldn't ask for more for the money.

Install Linux Onto a USB Stick

Thursday, August 11, 2011

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HP v165w 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive P-FD16GHP165-EF (Blue)Okay, so I wrote about using the Universal USB Installer to create a bootable virtual CD-ROM on your USB thumb drives. That was a few weeks back, but I've been busy with a lot of other things so pardon the delay. If you want to go back, I wrote about it here: Install Ubuntu 11.04 From a USB Stick. So you might ask, "Why would I use this?" I covered some of the reasons in my earlier post. Another reason I do this is I usually get asked to help out friends and relatives with their computers. I used to bring along this small zip up sling bag that was a CD wallet inside. I have all my rescue CD's in there. I also have a precision screw driver set in there. That's all I need to be a one-man geek rescue squad. Well now that USB sticks have increased in capacity and tools have been made available online, it's now possible to chuck those CD rescue disks and use USB thumb drives instead.

Well after posting that, I felt it was a bit unfair if I didn't post about how to do this over on the Linux end with UNetBootin. And yes, it is as easy as downloading the application, choosing settings and rebooting your computer. Let's get to it.

1. If you're comfy with using commands on the terminal, just open one up and type in sudo apt-get install unetbootin. You'll be asked for your password, as always:

2. You can also launch the Synaptic Package Manager (available in many Linux distributions) and download it from there. Just fire up Synaptic, click Reload and once everything's updated use Search to find UNetBootin. Tick the check box and click Apply:

3. After installing it whichever way you want, launch UNetBootin :

4. You can have UNetBootin download the ISO image of the Linux distribution you want by choosing the Distribution and use the drop-down menus to choose your flavor of Linux and version of choice:

5. If you already downloaded the ISO of your Linux of choice, just click on the Diskimage option and tell UNetBootin where it is on your computer.  :
By the way, I would recommend connecting one USB thumbdrive so it doesn't get confusing when you choose the device to install everything on. If you're all good with that, click on the OK button.

6. This here is my favorite part. I let the app do it's thing automagically and I get to get up and grab a cup of coffee:

7. Once the install is complete, just click on the Reboot button:

When the computer reboots, go into BIOS and change the settings to make the USB stick the first thing it will boot to. On certain computers, you have function keys (F1 to F12) that you can use it brings up your booting options. This is different from computer to computer, even from motherboard to motherboard. So consult your handy user manual.

16GB USB Flash DriveSo now that I have a bootable Linux rescue CD installed on my USB thumb drive, I can ditch the real CD's. And I can ditch the sling bag too. I still need to bring along my screwdrivers though. But what if I have several rescue CD's I need? Well, I'll cover installing multiple live CD's onto a single USB stick on another post. Yes! Multi-boot is possible on USB sticks too with the right tools. Stay tuned in for that one.

Edit Grub2 Boot Options Easily on Ubuntu 11.04

Friday, June 17, 2011

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A few months back I shared my discovery about editing boot options in Grub2 and how there was a different way to edit the boot options on menu.lst safely. I blogged about that in this post: Missing Your menu.lst? You've Got Grub2!

Having re-installed Ubuntu recently, I wanted to document how to do it within a GUI environment with mouse-click ease. Well, not really. I mean, you do have to type in a few things to actually download the app you need to do the boot options editing for you. But, it is easy and it is inside the picture-pretty interface. No terminal commands are involved and there were no animals harmed during the making of this HowTo. So enough of the dry wit and let's get to it:

1. First, you need to download StartUp-Manager. The easiest way to do that is through the Ubuntu Software Center. You can click on the icon on the sidebar in Ubuntu 11.04:



2. Next, use the Search box in the Ubuntu Software Center to find the software you need. You can simply type in "StartUp" and Search will give you choices. StartUp-Manager is usually the first one:



3. Click on the entry for StartUp-Manager to select it. Once you click on the Install button, you'll be asked for your password:



4. Key in your password to authorize the install:



5. You'll be able to check on the progress of the download while it is running: 



6. After it is installed, where do you find it? Unlike previous versions on Ubuntu, where clicking on the Ubuntu logo will bring up a list of applications, 11.04 brings up a Search box instead of a huge list. I'm not a fan of it, but this may be easier for some people. Type in "Start" or "Startup" in Search and you should see StartUp-Manager listed first. Click on the icon to launch:



7. StartUp-Manager will perform a few tasks in the background, basically scan and create a list of items  you can configure for boot options:



8. Once StartUp-Manager is done polling the system for the information it needs, you can toggle the choices to your liking. In the sample below, I chose to shorten the Timeout to 5 from the original 10 seconds. I also chose to have Windows 7 as the Default Operating System. I'm not the only one using this PC, after all. And the wife prefers Windows 7 still. Everything else was pretty much left to the default values. After you're done, just click on the Close button:



9. StartUp-Manager will do the editing of boot options in the background:



10. Reboot and check to see if the options you set are to your liking. Just repeat the process of launching StartUp-Manager and clicking on different choices if you feel the need to change anything.

So much like everything Linux, there is a the terminal way of doing things and sooner-or-later an all-click, painless, graphical solution that some generous geek out there was kind enough to contribute to the community of users. Both methods are usually just as effective as the other. It's just nice to know that even in customizing your Linux install you are given choices. Choice matters for open-source and it's community of users are a great resource for giving every user in it that choice. Whether it be a way of doing things or different applications doing the same basic thing, there is choice. And that is where the crux of it all is!

What is Bit Rot?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

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Imagine if you will a library filled with over a million books. In the inventory are a mix of old and new books. Now a majority of the books are read more often than others. Some only get read occasionally. Others still have sadly been forgotten and have reached a point where decay had already started or set in. Imagine as well that when some of these books are removed from the shelves they leave behind small bit and pieces or whole pages.

Stop PC Crashes with WinZip System UtilitiesWindows operating systems are like book libraries. In fact, they had what as Dynamic Link Libraries or DLL's. Whenever you click on something or open a program, these libraries are called to perform the sequence of activities to complete the task or function you want. Say, clicking on an icon on the desktop will start the program and the Windows operating system files that help that program do it's work. Now over time, if not properly maintained, neglected files will cause your computer to slow down. A few would be links to uninstalled programs, unused DLL files left over from uninstalled programs and duplicate files. Much like a real libraries, anthing unused just wastes precious space and makes it harder to find the books you really need. And just like real libraries, any left over material will eventually build up and cause further waste of space.

These broken and unused extra files eventually snowball and can cause everything from slow system performance to system lock ups. It's like the gunk building up on your drain, really. In computing, this is what's known as Bit Rot. So how do you prevent Bit Rot. You need to clean your DLL's and get rid of any unused files left over from installing, uninstalling, updating. You'll also need to clean up temporary files for stuff you won't need anymore. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools out there that can help. One tool that I use is CCleaner.

It has a Cleaner that will scan for and get rid of temporary files that are unnecessarily taking up space:




It's got a Registry Cleaner that automatically detects and cleans unused DLL's, files, shorcuts and help files:



It has tools to thoroughly uninstall programs, clean up startup items and securely wipe hard drives:



You can even run CCleaner to clear out your recycle bin automatically:



If that isnt enough for you, then maybe you need a swiss army knife kind of solution, a toolkit that will have it all in one small package. WinZip System Utilities might be the thing you're looking for.

Fix Registry Errors with WinZip System UtilitiesWinZip System Utilities has got Registry Optimizers that scans for and cleans registry errors, and organizes your registry for better faster performance. It's got Disk Cleaners & Optimizers that frees up disk space, defrags your hard disk and checks your hard drives for file system and disk errors. It's got a Memory Optimizer, a Driver Updater and a Game Optimizer to tweak your Windows settings to peak performance for the use you intend it for. It's got Security & Privacy Tools to help you clean hidden privacy-exposing traces, ermanently delete confidential data so that it cannot be retrieved. It's got a built in Encryptor to protect your personal files from unauthorized access. It's got Backup & Recovery Tools that allow you to recover accidently deleted data, automatically backup your important files and restore from saved backups. It even has a duplicate file remover. And to top it all off, all of what I just said can be scheduled to run regularly and automatically.

It's easy to use, it can do all the work for you when you want it to. I don't think there's a sweeter deal out there right now.  So go on over to WinZip's site and run a free scan to try it out.
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