MakeUseOf » boot

Be A Super-Geek With Soluto’s New Version: An In-Depth Look [& Invites]

Erez Zukerman — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:31:38 +0000

Let’s face it, if you are reading this, you’re a geek. People come to you for tech help, whether you like it or not. It could be family, friends, or maybe your significant other. Whether or not you help them is up to you, but Soluto is one tech company that is trying to make your life easier.

We first covered Soluto back in June 2010. A lot has changed since, and Soluto recently launched a new web-based version to great fanfare. In a nutshell, it’s a truly innovative tool that lets you help people remotely without taking control over their PCs, and without even having to wait for them to tell you something is wrong. Oh, and it’s free.

The new version came out on December 13th, and I was using it for a few days before that. Rather than be a part of the launch hoopla, we decided to give it some time and really use the new Soluto in real life, and come back with some in-depth observations. For the latest (if not the greatest, yet) in remote tech support, keep on reading. Oh, and I’ve stashed some invites further down the post, in case you need them.

So What’s This Soluto Thing, Anyway?

Soluto is a web app that lets you monitor up to five computers for free, keep them updated and secure, remove crud, and make their users happy. To do its magic, it does require each user to install an “agent” on their system. This agent sends data to the server, but also lets the user help themselves if they want to.

Meet the Soluto agent:

I won’t go too deep into the agent here, but you can see what it does above. It lets you uninstall or disable browser add-ons (for Firefox, Chrome and IE), remove or delay apps taking up previous boot time, and resolve common crashes. Near the bottom-left you see the new bit, the one that says “You’re taking care of this PC”. That’s because I took the screenshot on my own PC, and I manage it with Soluto. When one of my users sees this screen, it says “Erez Zukerman is taking care of this PC”. So, every one of your users has this thing installed.

I Thought You Said It’s A Web App?

I see you’ve been listening! Here’s the web-based part, where you’ll be managing your users:

Those girls under “people I help” are real people; names have been changed to protect the innocent. The part you see above lets you pick users to help, and is just a part of the UI. The full screen looks like this:

If I had to sum it up in two words, they would be “coming soon”. Soluto chose to release the product early, and the fact that most of the UI on the front page doesn’t work yet is just one sign of that decision. It’s not necessarily a bad decision, just one you should be aware of when you use Soluto right now.

Helping Your Fellow Users

Now let’s see what Soluto can tell us about a single computer. First, the overview:

I don’t actually have a luxuriant mop of curly hair, but I couldn’t find a way to change my avatar. The rest is true – you can see that this user (me) uses Chrome, searches with Google, has 89 apps running in the background, and even their motherboard, Windows version, and PC “strength”. But that’s only scratching the surface. For each user, Soluto lets you see Frustrations, Apps, Background Apps, Internet, Protection, and Hardware.

Let’s quickly run through these, starting with Frustrations:

This part of the app lets you see a beautiful timeline of “frustrations”. You can see when apps were non-responsive or crashed for the user. This is awesome because it lets you catch things before the user gets really upset – they’re not ready to call you just yet, but you already see lots of lags or crashes on their timeline.

Next, app management:

This is a part that is beautiful in theory. It’s a list of apps installed on the user’s machine that have more recent versions. Theoretically, you click the Update button, and Soluto pushes a remote update and installs the new version for the user, without them having to do anything. In real life, I couldn’t make this work. Hopefully, Soluto will fix this sometime soon.

Moving on, boot time and background apps:

The next part shows a beautiful list of apps that start on boot. Many apps have explanations (Soluto doesn’t expect you to know every app a user might install), and you can remove them from the boot process, or just delay them so they start once the computer is already up. This worked when I tried it.

Next up, Internet stats:

This part of the app lets you change the default browser, disable browser add-ons, and more. Note that it doesn’t let you access browsing history, or even see the user’s currently set homepage. Soluto is very careful about users’ privacy, and no part of the app lets you see screenshots, files, or any other personal data about the computer you’re monitoring. Slick.

Next, protection:

You can see if a user’s firewall is on or off, as well as their anti-virus and Windows Update status. You should be able to push a Windows update remotely, but this failed when I tried it.

Next, hardware:

You can see exactly what hardware a user is using, their hard drive status, and even temperatures of components. Mega-slick, and works.

Final Verdict

The bad: Soluto was made available very early. Many parts of the app haven’t been implemented, and many other parts just don’t work. As updates are not done in real-time, sometimes it can take days to realize that the Windows update you pushed just isn’t going to work.

The good: Soluto is a truly unique concept. The UI kicks ass (no Flash, no HTML5, and it’s gorgeous). The parts that work, work. And it’s free for up to 5 computers, and will stay that way.

Bottom line: I think Soluto will only get better in time. It has been getting better since it was released, and despite its currently raw state, it’s a product I believe in. I say, get in on the ground floor. This is going to be big.

Oh, and about those invites. The company told me they might open the service fully, but they’re not quite sure yet. So when you go to Soluto and it asks for an invite code, just tell them makeuseofsentme. Then once you’re in, test drive the service for yourself then let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

Live USB Install Puts Linux On Your Thumb Drive With Ease

Justin Pot — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:31:34 +0000

Boot one of over a hundred Linux distros from a USB disk. With Live USB, software you can run on both Windows and Linux computers, it only takes a couple of clicks to make your USB disk a bootable Linux disk. The live CD just might be the most useful tool in any geek’s arsenal – we’ve pointed out 50 uses for live CDs in the past and plan on showing you many more. As time goes on, however, CD drives become less common. That’s why booting from a USB drive is useful: it works on notebooks and other devices without optical drives.

Linux Live USB Creator, a similar program, can help create live USB drives, but it only works on Windows. Live USB Install works on both Windows and Linux, and is incredibly simple to use. Just pick which version of Linux you want to use and which drive you’d like to install it to. Your software will be downloaded and installed, and you will soon be able to live a contented life involving the booting of Linux from a USB disk.

If this sounds complicated, don’t worry: it isn’t. Your disk will be up and running in no time.

Using Live USB

The interface couldn’t be much friendlier, inviting you to pick what version of Linux you’d like to install. If you’ve already downloaded an ISO file, great. You can point Live USB towards it to create your live USB disk. If you already have a Linux CD, that’s also great – you can use that as a source too.

If you don’t have either though, you can simply click a version of Linux and Live USB will download it for you. You’ll need to scroll through a rather long list to do so:

Not sure where to start? Ubuntu, Fedora and Linux Mint are all good options if you’re looking for a general Linux experience. You’ll also need to pick which version you want. Not sure what this means? Just pick the most recent version, because that’s probably what you want.

Once you’ve figured out what you want to install, it’s time to figure out where you want to install it. Insert your flash drive and pick it from the menu:

If you can’t see your drive, hit “Refresh“. It will show up.

Persistent Installation

You can, if you want, create a “persistent” installation of Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions. What does this mean? Software you install and documents you create after booting this thumb drive will stay on your thumb drive. It’s a virtual computer on a drive!

Download Now!

Ready to try this out? If so, head over to the Live USB download page. You’ll find a DEB package there for Ubuntu and source code for other Linux distributions. You’ll also find the Windows download.

Conclusion

This program is easy to use and works well. I plan on using it to try out a variety of Linux distros in the months to come.

But, as always, I want to know – how did this program work for you? Fill me in the comments below; I’ll be around to answer questions.

Boot Multiple Live CDs From One USB Disk With YUMI [Windows]

Justin Pot — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:31:55 +0000

Put multiple bootable tools onto one USB drive, then pick which one you want to boot when your computer starts up. Whether you want to try out various Linux environments at once or put together the ultimate Windows repair kit, YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) can help you build a bootable disk with a menu. It even supports Windows Vista and 7 installation disks.

We’ve written about more than one live CD here at MakeUseOf. I myself recently wrote a manual called 50 Uses for Live CDs. These amazing tools can accomplish a lot, from giving you access to a computer that’s otherwise completely busted to more advanced features like scanning a computer for viruses. Many bootable tools fill only one purpose, however, leaving many a techie’s desk littered with recently burned tools. Don’t be like that; use YUMI to combine all of your tools onto one USB disk.

We’ve written about tools that allow you to boot live environments from USB. UNetBootIn and LinuxLive are just two examples. These tools however cannot install multiple environments to one disk. For that, you’re going to need YUMI.

Using This Tool

To get started, you’ll first need to download YUMI. The program comes as a portable Windows program (I’ll write about a similar Linux tool soon). If you’ve used UNetBootIn before, the interface will feel familiar when you start YUMI up:

Scroll through the list to pick a live environment. If you have the ISO already, you can browse for it. Note that the file name will have to match exactly what YUMI states the file name should be in order for you to find it. Not every ISO file will show up in the browser.

If you don’t have the file, you can quickly find the download by clicking the “Download The ISO” link. This will open your browser to start the download and you’ll have to point YUMI to the downloaded file, once it’s done. At this point you can simply click install and the process of installing your live environment to USB will begin.

Once this process is done you’ll be asked if your want to repeat the process. You can keep adding more and more environments until you run out of space on your disk.

When you boot from this CD you’ll be presented with a menu:

Just browse to the environment you want, hit enter and you’ll be on your way.

Many Supported Tools

There are many supported distributions and environments for this disk. Some highlights include:

Windows Vista/7 installation disks
Ubuntu and it’s many versions.
Fedora
Clonezilla
GParted

There’s a heck of a lot more. Check the YUMI download page for a complete list.

One thing to keep in mind though. Having Windows and Ubuntu on the same USB drive with this tool causes problems. Be sure to read the download page’s documentation carefully if you want to do this. There’s a tip on the page.

Conclusion

In many ways this is the Holy Grail of bootable tool creators. A collection of ISOs can become a single USB disk ready to boot just about everything. Combine this with a good sized thumb drive, or even an external hard drive, and you can make yourself a really powerful tools.

Thanks to Josh Peterson for pointing YUMI out to me! What tools did you add to your disk? Share in the comments below.

DOWNLOAD: 50 Cool Uses For Live CDs

Justin Pot — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:31:43 +0000

It is perhaps the most useful tool in any geek’s toolkit, but do you realize all the things live CDs can help you with? If not, it’s time to read “50 Cool Uses For Live CDs”. This guide outlines just a few of the many uses live CDs can offer, and is a great resource for live CD beginners and enthusiasts alike.

There are two ways you can use this manual. The first, of course, is to read it from cover to cover. You’ll learn a lot about live CDs and what they can accomplish.

The other way to read this book is to explore the table of contents and look for any tips you might not know already. You’re bound to learn something new, regardless of how experienced you are. Either way, there’s a lot to find out here, so check it out.

DOWNLOAD 50 Cool Uses for Live CDs
Having trouble downloading? Right-click the link, then click “Save As…”

Read now on Scribd

In this manual you’ll learn about:

Using a computer with a busted operating system.
Continuing to work on a seemingly broken computer.
Recovering and editing your data.
Finding Windows passwords.
Cloning your entire hard drive.
Bypassing snooping employees or parents.
Editing your computer’s partitions.
Setting up temporary servers.

DOWNLOAD 50 Cool Uses for Live CDs
Having trouble downloading? Right-click the link, then click “Save As…”

Read now on Scribd

Please take a moment and share this guide with friends on Facebook and Twitter using the social network sharing buttons below.

How To Create The Ultimate Boot CD For Windows

Justin Pot — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:31:47 +0000

Linux users love to brag about their awesome live CDs, talking about how every Windows user should have an Ubuntu live CD. They make a good point: these CDs allow you to access your computer even when you’re having serious system errors.

Some Windows users, however, aren’t entirely comfortable with learning to use Linux to solve Windows problems. Happily for them, it’s perfectly possible to make the ultimate boot CD for Windows using free tools. You’re going to need a legal copy of Windows XP to do so, of course, but assuming you have that handy all you need to do is follow the simple steps below.

This ultimate Windows boot CD will include everything you need to rescue a busted system, from data recovery software to antivirus scanners. Best of all, the included tools are almost all free to use.

Step 1: Find Or Buy A Windows XP CD

The first thing you’re going to need is a Windows XP CD. Ideally this CD will be a Service Pack 2 disk, though some Service Pack 1 disks might work. Anything older than that won’t work. It’s also worth noting that some OEM CDs, which are what usually come with new computers, won’t work. The idea here is to have a retail disk, typically purchased separately from your computer.

Please don’t discuss anything related to pirating Windows XP in the comments below; it will be removed.

Once you’ve got your CD, insert it into your drive, ignoring any auto-prompts. Working from an ISO? Extract all files, using 7-Zip or any other program that can unarchive ISO files.

Step 2: Install UBCD4Win

This step is simple; just download UBCD4WIN and install it. The download is pretty big, so expect to wait a while if your connection is slow. The installation process is pretty standard; just follow the prompts.

UBCD4WIN is a piece of software capable of taking the data from a Windows XP CD and creating a Live environment with it. Drivers and a lot of software can easily be added to the mix, as you’ll see in the next step.

Note that this software is Windows only, so Linux and Mac users cannot use it without access to a Windows machine. Sorry!

Step 3: Set Up Your CD

Now we get to the fun part. Start up UBCD4WIN and you’ll see the main interface:

Point the “Source” path to your Windows installation files. If you’re using a CD, this is simply your CD drive. If you extracted files from an ISO, this is the folder where the files are now.

Use “Custom” if you have any additional files you want to add to the CD. Read more about that here but be warned: it’s kind of geeky.

Be sure to check out the “Plugins” button at the bottom of the window. Here you can configure which additional applications will and will not be included on the CD.

These files range from antivirus scanners to disk repair tools, so make sure you go through this list. Want to know what you could include? Here’s a complete list.

Once you’re ready to go, feel free to click “Build“. This will start the process, and ask you to agree with Window’s EULA:

Assuming there are no errors with the process, your ISO will be created. Feel free to try it out using Virtualbox to make sure everything worked properly.

Step 4: Burn Your ISO

Want to burn your ISO to a disk? Check out this list of free alternatives to Nero to find the best tool for the job. I highly recommmend CDBurnerXP.

Step 5: Boot Your ISO

Only one step left: booting from your ultimate boot CD. Insert the CD into your computer, then restart the system. Now you need to launch the boot options. How to do this varies depending on your computer; on a Dell, for example, you press F8. Don’t panic; there are typically on-screen instructions during startup, and you can always consult your manual if you get stuck.

Once you get the CD to boot you’re in! You’ll have a bootable Windows environment featuring a plethora of free tools:

Did this process work for you? Can you think of uses for this amazing toolset? Leave your comments below, and feel free to point us towards better tools for the job.

Windows Users: Here Is Why You Need A Linux Live CD

Tim Brookes — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:30:51 +0000

In my experience Windows tends to have a habit of going wrong when you least expect, and at crucial moments. If you dread that sinking feeling as your system screws the pooch on startup, maybe it’s time to make a Linux live CD.

There are plenty of reasons the average Windows user may want to create a Linux live CD or USB stick before it’s too late. A USB-based distribution will be speedier (you’ll need Unetbootin) or you can simply burn a CD/DVD with something like ImgBurn.

If you’ve not got one yet and are interested in the potential benefits then read on.

Which One?

For the purpose of this article I’m going to keep it simple and stick to the most widely used Linux home desktop distribution ““ Ubuntu. This version of Linux includes a live CD from which you can use or install the operating system, as well as plenty of software to start you off.

There are hundreds of free Linux distributions available, so it can be quite tricky choosing the right one. Ubuntu is a simple, easy to use distribution with a straight-forward interface making it perfect for newcomers. Driver support is also excellent, and driver issues are the last thing you need when you’re trying to fix existing problems.

Scenario 1 ““ Windows Won’t Boot

Whilst you can often resolve issues with Windows via a Windows CD/DVD, not everyone has one. Luckily enough, you can also have a go at fixing your Windows partition with Linux. You’ll need a few tools, notably lilo and ntfs-3g which are readily available in the repositories if you’re using Ubuntu.

You can then have a crack at repairing a corrupted NTFS file system and fixing the Windows master boot record. You can find full instructions on how to do this here.

Scenario 2 ““ Windows Is Dead

So you’ve tried fixing what you can and nothing seems to have helped ““ looks like you need to re-install Windows. But oh no! You’ve (foolishly) left some vital documents on your Windows partition and you’re not formatting till you’ve got them back. Step in Linux!

Even if your Windows installation is butchered beyond repair, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to both access and backup any data you had on that partition with a live CD. Many distributions will detect your Windows filesystem, allowing you to mount the drive and recover your data via a nice friendly GUI.

We’ve covered mounting and accessing a Windows partition through Linux here.

Scenario 3 ““ Isolating Hardware Issues

Another handy use for a live CD is the ability to check whether or not your PC is suffering from a hardware or software fault. If Windows won’t play ball, and Linux loads fine then chances are you’re looking at a software fault (at which point you could try and fix and recover).

Of course if Linux doesn’t work either then you may have identified a hardware issue. Some live distributions come with diagnostics tools on the disc, such as Ubuntu‘s inclusion of Memtest86+. Even if you can’t isolate the exact piece of hardware giving you grief, your live CD has saved you some time so you can take the next necessary steps.

Scenario 4 ““ I Badly Need The Web!

So you’ve accepted that Windows is dead and gone, got your data back but now you’ve realised your boss has been waiting for an email for 2 hours, and you’ve got no functioning OS on your PC. Insert your live CD, connect to a network and use your live CD’s built-in web browser to send that email ““ tragedy averted.

Wireless internet might be an issue for some users as additional drivers are often required. If you find yourself in this boat then a direct connection via Ethernet should provide network and internet access.

Scenario 5 ““ My C:\ Drive is Full of Fail

If you’ve got a nasty case of malware poisoning and the idea of booting Windows only to watch it eat all your data doesn’t appeal, Linux might help you out.

Linux is a very secure operating system, with some distributions being more secure than others. Generally speaking viruses do not affect Linux, so most Linux antivirus applications are designed to stop the spread of malware between Windows machines.

It’s no lie that most malware and viruses are geared towards the Windows operating system, and being able to scan your Windows drive within Linux is very useful. Justin has written an article regarding the validity of a Linux antivirus and the best tools for the job.

Conclusion

When it comes to PC security, maintenance and recovery it really does pay to be one step ahead of the game. If you’ve got a spare USB stick you’re willing to sacrifice (2GB or more) then you’ll find loading speeds and boot-up time to be faster than a CD counterpart.

You won’t know how useful that live CD can be until you really need it!

Have you got a spare live CD in the drawer? Do you use a USB stick? Which distribution? Has it ever saved your bacon? Let us know in the comments below.

Linux Live USB Creator: Easily Boot Linux From Your Flash Drive

Justin Pot — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:31:56 +0000

Trying out Linux should be easy; with the help of Linux Live USB Creator it is. Quickly get any Linux distribution to boot from your USB key, complete with a persistent mode for keeping applications and documents in place. You can even install a portable version of Virtualbox to your USB key so you can run Linux comfortably from within Windows.

With support for a shockingly high number of Linux distributions and an easy-to-use Windows interface, Linux Live USB Creator makes the creation of USB boot disks effortless. From downloading the ISO to formatting your drive, there’s not much about USB booting this application doesn’t make easier than similar software.

Feel free to download Linux Live USB right now, and keep reading for an overview of the program.

5 Simple Steps

First things first: fire up the program. You’ll see 5 sub-windows, representing the five steps to making a Live USB key. The first is simple enough:

That’s right: you need to pick which key you want to boot Linux from. Once you’ve done this, pick the version of Linux you want to boot. If you’ve got an ISO or a CD handy you can use that, or you can pick from many downloadable distros:

If you select a distro from this list the program will take care of downloading the ISO for you:

So far, so good. If you want your key to keep downloaded programs and documents in place, you’re going to want persistence mode. This is step 3; simply scroll to leave room:

Step four is optional, but includes some handy tools:

Here you can choose to hide the created files on your key from being seen by Windows, useful if you plan to use your key for more than just booting Linux. You can optionally format the drive you’re writing to, and choose whether or not you want your Linux distro to be loadable in Windows.

Once you’re done you can click the lightning bolt in the fifth box to start the creation of your live CD. Congratulations; you’ve got yourself a bootable USB key.

Live Virtual Machine

The options include a step for launching your key in Windows. What is that about? Well, once your disk is created, open it up in Windows Explorer. You’ll find a new file that looks like this:

You can click this to boot your Linux distro without rebooting Windows, which is handy from time to time. Naturally you’re going to want a pretty powerful computer to try this out, but it’s a nice added touch.

Supported Distros

Wow. Just, wow. This program supports the automatic downloading and installation of many different Linux distributions. Highlights include:

There’s more; check out Live Linux USB’s official list of Linux distros for a complete list.

Conclusion

Linux Live USB isn’t the first program to help users make live USB keys; uNetBootin does the same job. What Linux Live USB does better than this program is make the process painless. It’s worth checking out just for that, but according to blog OMG Ubuntu, this program works more consistently than others. So it’s easier and better.

Do you like this tool? Let us know in the comments below. Also feel free to share other tools for the job, and to discuss your favorite Linux distributions.

How To Customize The GRUB Boot Loader Using BURG [Ubuntu]

Jeffry Thurana — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:31:15 +0000

Are you setting up your computer to dual-boot between two operating systems (or more)? If so, you must be familiar with the boot loader. This tool enables users to choose which operating system he/she wants to log into. The boot loader that comes with the Ubuntu installation is called GRUB.

As useful as it is, the GRUB boot loader is not the prettiest girl in town. The interface is only as beautiful as a text-based interface can be. Even though some people can live with it just fine, some others wish they could beautify the look a little bit.

If you don’t mind meddling with command lines, you can apply some eye candy (and more functionalities) to GRUB with the help of BURG.

Playing Between The Lines

According to the explanation in the Community Ubuntu Documentation:

BURG stands for Brand-new Universal loadeR from GRUB. It’s based on GRUB and adds features like new object format and configurable menu system.

To add BURG from within your Ubuntu installation, you have to use command lines. But worry not, young Jedi! It’s not as scary as it sounds. As long as you follow everything to the letter – no pun intended – you should be just fine.

But before we begin, let’s look at the original boot loader text-based interface that we are trying to change.

The first step you should do is to log into your Ubuntu installation. Then open “Terminal” to execute all the command lines needed to download, install, and configure BURG. You can find Terminal inside “Applications – Accessories“, or you can also use the search function to find it.

By default, BURG is not included in Ubuntu’s standard repository. So you should add the server that hosts BURG files to the repository by executing this command line:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bean123ch/burg

To avoid mistyping, it’s easier to copy and paste that line to Terminal, and press Enter to execute it.

Then you should download and install BURG (loader, themes and emulator). Use this command to do that:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install burg

The process could take a while, depending on the speed of your internet connection. It’s essential that you use a stable connection to get the best result. From my experiments, I found out that an unstable connection will cause download problems: some of the components might not download completely, and the installation process will fail.

Configuring BURG

After we finish the download and installation process, the next step is to configure BURG. The Terminal will display something like this:

Press Enter to go to the next screen, and another Enter to skip again.

You will arrive at this “Configuring burg-pc” screen. This one is a little tricky because hitting Enter will not bring you anywhere. After several trial and errors, I found out that you have to select the “OK” option by using the right arrow key on the keyboard or by pressing tab, then after the “OK” is selected, you can press Enter to continue.

The following screen will ask you to choose which device is the “GRUB install device“. If your computer has only one hard drive, you will only see one device. The problem is, how to select it? To avoid accidentally skipping this configuration, press Space to select the device before pressing Enter.

Navigating BURG

The configuration is now done. You can restart your system and the GRUB boot loader menu will be replaced by BURG.

Navigating within BURG is easy: use the arrow keys on the keyboard to choose the operating system and Enter to load it.

You can also switch between themes easily by pressing F2 to bring up the list of available themes, move between the items with arrow keys, and hit Enter to choose one. Here are some examples of available themes.

Other Function keys that you can use are F1 for Help and F3 to change screen resolution.

Installing BURG From Windows

BURG also comes with a Windows installer. You can get the installer from BURG’s download page. Using it is also very easy: install it,

And click “Add Boot Entry” under “Programs – Burg” menu.

However, I found this method to be working only if you installed Ubuntu from within Windows. So for those who installed Ubuntu alongside Windows, you have to stick with the command lines.

To be honest, I’m a total newbie when it comes to Ubuntu (Linux) and command lines. I had to repeat the experiment several times just to get it (almost) right, and I’m still trying to grasp everything that I’ve done and described here. So, if you Linux experts out there have found things that I missed here, please do not hesitate to share your input in the comments below.

How To Create & Use A USB Ubuntu Linux Boot Jump Drive

Jeffry Thurana — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:31:17 +0000

Even though Ubuntu and most other Linux distros have beautified their interfaces and made them more user-friendly, most everyday computer users still shiver when they hear the word Linux. Maybe this is because Linux used to have a reputation as “geek-only”, thus non-geeky computer users are afraid to even try it. That’s why the folks behind Ubuntu have created a feature which allows users to try the OS – either from the live CD or from a USB drive – before deciding whether to install it or not.

But having a bootable Ubuntu installation inside a thumb drive (some people prefer to call it a “jump drive“) goes beyond just trying it out. It’s – after all – a fully working computer OS inside the USB drive, complete with all of the necessary applications. You can use it as a portable computer, with the ability to save and store all documents and settings inside the USB drive itself (persistent mode). More advanced Linux users usually use this persistent mode boot drive as a recovery kit to fix problems.

Here are the steps to put a fully working, USB Ubuntu Linux boot jump drive.

Creating The Boot Drive

To be able to create a USB Ubuntu Boot Jump Drive, you first need to have the Ubuntu installation image (burned onto a CD or mounted as a virtual CD) and a 1GB or larger USB drive.
Plug in the USB drive, back up the content (if there’s important data on it) then format it. After that, browse onto the Ubuntu CD, find an application called “usb-creator”, and run the app.

The “Make Startup Disk” window will open with options to customize the process. You can choose the source of installation (disk image or CD), and the destination (USB drive). Then you should set the amount of space from the USB drive that you want to use to store data.

Since the amount of reserved space will be the maximum storage space that you can use to save your documents on the go, it’s important that you set it as large as possible. Logically, using a larger capacity of thumb drive would be better. Even though you can use a 1GB drive and set the reserved space to 250MB; you can easily set the reserved space to 3GB if you use a 4GB drive.
After you click the “Make Startup Disk” button, the process will start. This will take a while depending on the speed of your system and the speed of the USB drive itself.

Then after the installation is done, you may reboot the system to start Ubuntu.

The process can also be done from within Ubuntu itself. All that you have to do is to find an application called StartUp Disk Creator and go through the similar process as you did under Windows.

Just a quick note, according to my experiments, creating the boot disk under Ubuntu is faster.

Another alternative that you can use to create an Ubuntu boot drive is Unetbootin. This application will also allow you to create a boot drive for other Linux distros.

Using The Boot Jump Drive

To use the boot drive, you need to boot your machine with the USB drive inserted. Some machines have already set the boot order to start from Optical Drive, then External Drive (USB included) and finally – when no other drives present – internal Hard Drive; while some others start with internal Hard Drive. You might have to choose the boot drive manually depending on your machine boot setup. Different machines have different setups, so you need to consult your documentation (or geeky friend) to know more.

The most common way to change the boot drive is to press F10 during boot and use the Up/Down and Enter keys to choose which drive you want to boot from. Or you could permanently change the order of your machine’s boot drive using the BIOS setup. Some machines utilize F2 key during boot up to access the BIOS setup. But again, yours might use a different method.

Installing Ubuntu (or other Linux distros) in a USB thumb drive is a perfect way to try out Ubuntu without modifying your system. It’s also a great way to have your own beautiful, fast, and virus-free personal portable working environment inside a thumb drive.

Have you tried creating USB Linux boot jump drive? What do you use it for? Share your stories using the comments below.

How To Start In Windows Safe Mode & Its Uses

Tina Sieber — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:31:02 +0000

The Windows operating system is a complex structure that hosts a lot of processes. As you add and remove hardware and software, problems or conflicts can occur, and in some cases it can become very tedious to pinpoint the source. However, Windows provides a basic tool that simplifies the search for the culprit.

Windows Safe Mode is a boot option to start your computer in a limited state. Only basic files and drivers absolutely necessary to run the operating system are loaded. Graphic drivers are among the dispensable ones and do not load, hence Safe Mode looks rather bleak. Generally, Safe Mode is a boot option used to troubleshoot issues in Windows.

This article explains how to start in safe mode with Windows and why you would want to. Note that you will need an Administrator account in order to log into Safe Mode.

How To Start Windows In Safe Mode

F8 key [Windows 95 Through Windows 7]

The standard method to start Windows in Safe Mode is by pressing the F8 key during Windows boot.

Restart or turn on the computer.
As the computer starts listing installed hardware, start to repeatedly (and gently) tab the F8 key.
If you missed the right time point, start over.
You will know that it worked when you are redirected to Advanced Boot Options.
Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select Safe Mode from the options.
Press Enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.

System Configuration Utility [Windows 98 Through Windows 7]

If you seem to miss the right moment to hit the F8 key, you can use the System Configuration Utility to initiate a boot into Safe Mode before you restart your computer.

Go to > Start.
In Windows 98 through XP open the > Run dialogue. In Windows Vista and 7 type into the search field.
Type ‘msconfig‘ into the respective field and hit enter.
The System Configuration Utility will launch. Switch to the > Boot tab.
Under > Boot options, check the > /SAFEBOOT or > Safe boot option and select > Minimal or > Network.

Warning: Do not use the System Configuration Utility if you suspect your machine is infected with malware! The malware could corrupt registry keys required to boot into Safe Mode and this in turn could cause your computer to be stuck in a deadly circle. The /SAFEBOOT value added to the boot.ini would cause your computer to continuously boot into Safe Mode, but due to corrupted registry keys it would not be able to, leading to a reboot into Safe Mode and no way out.

A super thorough Windows Safe Mode Tutorial can be found at Bleeping Computer. It features detailed instructions and screenshots for different Windows versions, from Windows 95 through Windows 7. It also describes a fix for the above described ‘deadly boot circle’.

When & Why To Use Safe Mode

Safe Mode can be used to find out whether problems are caused by installed software or drivers, or whether essential components of your operating system are damaged.

If the problems you experienced previously disappear as soon as you boot into Safe Mode, it’s safe to assume that a piece of software or a driver installed on your computer is causing the issues. It could still be anything from a driver or software conflict to malware. But at least you know nothing essential is broken, for example your computer hardware.

Most malware can only be removed in Safe Mode. The reason is that the sneaky piece of software will thwart every attempt you make to remove it. In Safe Mode, however, malware typically is not loaded and hence cannot prevent you from getting rid of it.

When Windows won’t boot normally at all, you are forced to use Safe Mode. In this case, it’s your last resort to fixing your operating system.

How To Use Safe Mode

Do the problems occur while Windows is booting? Possibly a software or service launches at startup and causes trouble. Boot into Safe Mode with network support or download Autoruns for Windows utility on another computer, copy the .exe file to your computer, launch it in Safe Mode, and examine the list. Disable suspicious programs. Alternatively, you can use > Start > Run > MSCONFIG and examine the list of programs in the > Startup tab.

Do you experience crashes and BSOD? Did the issues occur after you installed hardware drivers? Go to > Control Panel > Device Manager and remove the recently installed hardware.

Reversing your most recent changes didn’t solve the problems? If available, try to use a system restore point. It automatically rolls back your system to a functional state. You can access the System Restore Utility from Safe Mode. This article on Windows 7 News & Tips explains how to use the Windows 7 System Restore. This Microsoft Support article covers the Windows XP System Restore.

Do you suspect malware? Consult with Remove-Malware.com for a list of tools to remove malware. Run these tools in Safe Mode or as instructed.

A very useful and detailed guide explaining the Windows XP Safe Mode and how to use it for troubleshooting can be found on PCStats.

Conclusion

Windows Safe Mode is a simple but effective troubleshooting tool that allows you to access a mildly or severely corrupted operating system in a very basic state. When booting into Safe Mode, you avoid hardware or software conflicts because most components are not loaded. You also circumvent issues caused by programs that have planted themselves into autorun, for example adware or malware.

Yet you have full access to the Control Panel, so you can remove drivers, uninstall software, and stop programs and services from launching at startup. Safe Mode should be your first stop when you suddenly run into typical Windows problems, like a slow or freezing system, random crashes, or dramatic boot issues.

What is your success rate in troubleshooting and fixing issues using Safe Mode? Has it ever helped you out of a bad mess?

Image credits: miqueias, Ilin Sergey