FLOSS Notes to Self!

Links to Useful Web Dev Resources

2011-06-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

'Would you like to display your own icon on the browser address bar and browser tabs when visitors view your web pages?

'Now it's easy to create icons and marquees for your web pages with FavIcon from Pics. Simply select a picture, logo or other graphic (of any size/resolution) for the "Source Image" and click "Generate FavIcon.ico'
http://www.chami.com/html-kit/services/favicon/

Thinking Web: Voices of the Community - free to download PDF book.
http://blogs.sitepoint.com/thinking-web-voices-of-the-community/

"The 960 Grid System is an effort to streamline web development workflow by providing commonly used dimensions, based on a width of 960 pixels. There are two variants: 12 and 16 columns, which can be used separately or in tandem."
http://960.gs/

XBOX DVD IR Remote, Ubuntu 10.10 and irxevent

2011-01-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Get the Xbox DVD IR reciver and remote working on Ubuntu - follow this post: http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=688677&postcount=32

The remote should now work with XBMC. To get the Remote working with other applications...

1) Install irxevent

- System> Administration> Synaptic Package Manager> lirc-x

2) Create the irxevent confic file in home folder

- Create a new document in home folder and rename it .lircrc
- Right click on the file and in Permissions tab tick the allow executable tick box.
- Open the file with the text editor and paste the following in the file, then save and close.

begin
prog = irxevent
button = SELECT
repeat = 0
config = Key KP_Enter CurrentWindow
end
begin
prog = irxevent
button = MENU
repeat = 3
config = Key Tab CurrentWindow
end
begin
prog = irxevent
button = BACK
repeat = 0
config = Key alt-Left CurrentWindow
end
begin
prog = irxevent
button = LEFT
repeat = 2
config = Key Left CurrentWindow
end
begin
prog = irxevent
button = RIGHT
repeat = 2
config = Key Right CurrentWindow
end
begin
prog = irxevent
button = UP
repeat = 2
config = Key Up CurrentWindow
end
begin

prog = irxevent
button = DOWN
repeat = 2
config = Key Down CurrentWindow
end

- Run the command irxevent -d in the Terminal (to restart run killall irxevent

and then irxevent -d)

Map more buttons by checking sudo gedit /etc/lirc/lircd.conf to find out the button label (ie. button = DOWN) and then map it to a keyboard key (ie. the Enter key KP_Enter). More info here: http://tv-true.org/how-to/configuring-lirc.html and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9O6Qm5nWwo

To start irxevent whenever Firefox is started create a script and then a new Firefox short that uses the script to start Firefox.

- Create a new file called ffir.bin and copy the script text:

#!/bin/bash
irxevent -d
firefox

- Save the script (remember to make the file make executable).

- Right click on the new Firefox short-cut and open Properties and then change the Command field to Desktop/ffir.bin.

Getting PHP mail function to work on localhost (my computer)

2010-12-16T03:35:00.000-08:00

I set up Apache and installed PHP 5 on my laptop computer running Linux/Ubuntu 10.10, but I couldn't get locally (localhost) run scripts to send emails. Following both the links below (bits from both) got things working. NOTE: for the root email I put my usually email, ie. smith@gmail.com.

http://www.davidhurst.co.uk/2007/06/19/php-mail-and-ssmtp-on-debian-linux/

http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2008/10/21/sending-email-from-your-system-with-ssmtp/

QMU Edinburgh Remote Desktop - Ubuntu 10.10 Citrix Client

2010-11-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

How to access remote desktop on the Queen Margaret University Edinburgh network with Ubuntu (10.10) and Citrix client.

Install the Citrix client through the Ubuntu Software Centre - Applications>Ubuntu Software Centre

Now, follow the instructions here: http://www.qmu.ac.uk/it/certificates/IntRootCertLinux.PDF linked to from this page: http://www.qmu.ac.uk/it/certificates.htm

Copy the crt file to...

/home/username/ICAClient/linuxx86/keystore/cacerts

To move the crt file to the right location you have to open the file manager with root permissions. Open a terminal Applications>Acessories>Terminal and type

gksudo nautilus

enter your password and copy the file from where ever youb saved it (likely to be your desktop of hom/downloads folder) a copy it to the location mentioned above. finally, make sure the permissions of the file are correct. It has to be owned by Root. Right click on the crt file and under the Permissions tab change the owner and group to Root - see the screenshot below.

Convert iTunes M4A files to MP3 on Linux

2010-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Convert iTunes M4A files to MP3 on Linux
http://pragmattica.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/convert-itunes-m4a-files-to-mp3-on-linux/Recursive conversion - so easy and makes me so happy :)

The command... will copy all files that are already mp3s in the iTunes library in to the new folder as well...good by iTines... you will not be missed!

./ConvertToMP3.py /home/itunes /home/mp3s --copymp3s

gvSIG Android Linux Ubuntu 10.10 and Cache-able Maps

2010-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

1) Install gvSIG Mini on my HTC Hero running cooked 2.2 Android trough the Android Market Place.

2) Install gvSIG on my Laptop running Linux Ubuntu 10.10. Download and follow instructions here: http://www.gvsig.org/web/projects/gvsig-desktop/official - use the full BIN package (I installed 1.10 and it worked with the 1.9 plug-in - see below)

3)Install the gvSIG phone cache plug-in, download and install instructions here: https://confluence.prodevelop.es/display/GVMN/Phone+Cache

4) Read the gvSIG phone cache plug-in user instructions here: https://confluence.prodevelop.es/display/GVMN/Phone+Cache+Documentation

Wipe a Hard Drive with Linux

2010-10-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

sudo shred /dev/sdb -f -v -z --iterations=6

See: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1331572

Add BBC Radio 4 to Synology Audio Station

2010-10-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Download the ASX file from http://bbcstreams.com/ (right click on the (link) and save as filename.txt

Open the saved file with Gedit and copy the line

mms://wmlive-acl.bbc.co.uk/wms/bbc_ami/radio4/radio4_bb_live_eq1_sl0?BBC-UID=d4ec8a9b7be2b54f4179473740e0ac2

Paste in to User Defined Synology Audio Station URL field and change the mms to http.

Done

With thanks to http://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=24622#p99007

Weekly Backup with Ubuntu, Rsync, Anacron and 2 Internal Hard Disks

2010-10-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

1) Edit /etc/anacrontab

Code:
sudo gedit /etc/anacrontab

2) Add line to the bottom of the txt document - for more info see http://linuxgazette.net/104/odonovan.html

Code:
1 1 backup rsync -ravz /home /media/

where the fields mean:
1
the period in days indicating how often this command should be executed
1
the delay in minutes after Anacron begins before it should execute this command
backup
a unique identifier for this job so Anacron can keep track of when it was last executed
rsync...
the command to execute

Android SenseHERO-2.1-090610-B5 - Problem Using Superuser Permissions

2010-07-22T04:32:00.001-07:00

Android SenseHERO-2.1-090610-B5 problem using superuser permissions solution here: http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-sprint-hero/120433-unable-use-superuser-permissions.html

Root and Install Cooked Android 2.1 ROM on T-Mobile Branded HTC Hero Used on the 3 Network

2010-07-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

About the phone
- HTC Hero running T-Mobile branded Android 1.5 bought used from Ebay.

First: Unlock the phone
Unlock code bought from Ebay for £7.00.

Second: Create Goldcard.
It is necessary to create a "Goldcard" micro SD card to by pass the phone's installed T-Mobile ROM software checks and gain access to the phone for rooting.

1) I followed the instructions '"GoldCard" Test Procedure' here though I'm not sure if this is necessary before carrying out "Goldcard" creation process (see below).

"GoldCard" Test Procedure

Please comment on whether this procedure works, it is untested. Thanks to ante0's guide for some details used.

I. Setting up drivers etc

1. Download the latest HTC Sync from here and the latest SDK from here

2. Install HTC Sync & extract the Android SDK .zip file to C:\ (may help to re-name the folder to a shorter name, in this tutorial it will be C:\android\ )

3. Click on your Windows Start menu and right click on "Computer" > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables

Find "Path" under "System Variables" and edit it. Add the following to the end of the text:

;C:\android\tools

4. Restart your computer.

On your phone, click Settings > Applications > Development and make sure USB Debugging is on.

When back at your desktop plug then phone in and wait for it to install the correct drivers, this should be done automatically on the latest version of HTC Sync and adb should be enabled.

5. Type the following into the command prompt window (Start > Search > "cmd") and enter the following and press enter:

adb devices

You should see a serial number pop up and look like:

000000000000 device

It’s the serial number of your phone. This means the drivers are working in normal boot mode. Next we need to check them in fastboot mode (thanks to janhol for helping with this next part)

6. Turn off your phone and load into fastboot by holding the Back button and pressing Power with the hero plugged into the computer

7. "Start" > Right Click "Computer" > "Manage" > "Device Manager"

8. Check that the "ADB Interface" reads "My Hero", not "Android bootloader drivers" or anything else.

If it does then:

Right click "Android bootloader drivers" > "Update Driver Software" > "Browse my computer..." > "Let me pick from..." > "Have Disk..." > "Browse" > "C:\Program Files (x86)\HTC\HTC Driver\Driver Files\Win7_x64" > "androidusb.inf"

Once selected click "OK".

"My HTC" should show in the list of "compatible hardware" now, so select that and click "Next" to install the driver. Switch off the phone (may have to pull the battery).

2) I then followed the instructions 'II. Create a “GoldCard” from a MicroSD Card' from here (ibid). I did have to buy a 2 Gig Kingston Micro SD card as I had trouble using the card that came with the phone. I also bought a Micro SD converter so I could plug the Micro SD card into the laptop (card and converted cost £4.50 from Ebay).

II. Create a “GoldCard” from a MicroSD Card

(Please keep in mind that some memory cards don’t work for this process)

1. Put the memory card you want to use for the GoldCard into your phone, make sure all the data is backed up before proceeding as it will be formatted.

2. With the memory card in your phone, and not connected to the PC, click on:
Settings > SD and Phone storage > Unmount SD Card

Once it unmounts, click Format SD Card.

3. On your phone, click:

Settings > Applications > Development and make sure USB Debugging is on.

4. Return to the Command Prompt from earlier after re-plugging in your Hero. Then type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:

adb shell
cat /sys/class/mmc_host/mmc1/mmc1:*/cid

5. A code will display, write the code down into a notepad document or similar (MAKE SURE TO WRITE IT DOWN EXACTLY!)

6. Go to this site: http://hexrev.soaa.me/ then put in your code you just wrote down into the text box and click submit. It will generate the code reversed and replace the first two digits with zeros automatically. Copy this.

7. Then go to http://psas.revskills.de/?q=goldcard and Paste your CID into the box and fill in the other details. You'll be e-mailed the goldcard. Save the goldcard image to disk.

8. Now go to http://download.cnet.com/HxD-Hex-Edi...=uo&tag=button to download the HxD Hex Editor. Install it to your computer.

9. Mount your SD card on your phone so that it shows up on your computer as "Removable Disk" - Pull down the notification bar on the phone and select Mount CD Card.

10. Open the Hex Editor (Run as Administrator if you're in Vista or Windows 7) and click on the Extra menu > Open Disk. Under "Physical Disk" select "Removable Disk". Make sure to UNcheck “Open as ReadOnly”. Click OK.

11. Go to the Extra menu again and click Open Disk Image. Open up the goldcard.img that you saved from your email. Press OK when prompted for Sector Size 512 (Hard Disks/Floppy Disks). You should now have two tabs, one is the SD card (Removable Disk) and the other is the goldcard.img.

12. Click on the Goldcard.img tab and press Ctrl + A (select all) Then Ctrl + C (copy).

13. Click on the Removable Disk tab (Your SD Card) and select the complete lines from 00000000 to 00000170 then press Ctrl + V (paste).

14. Click on File then click Save.

15. Close the Hex Editor.

16. Reboot the phone.

Try to open the memory card on the computer (i.e. mount the drive), if it lets you, you are all set. If it asks/tells you to reformat the card, then try steps 13 – 19 again. If it gives you the same error again, then try a different memory card. You can confirm that it has worked by opening the Removable Disk in the hex editor again and making sure the code you pasted in has stayed but this shouldn't be necessary.

III. Downgrade the Hero using the Goldcard

1. With your phone plugged in, pull down the notification bar on the phone and select HTC Sync. Make sure it connects to HTC Sync on the computer (not sure if this is necessary anymore).

2. Download this generic HTC Hero RUU

Hero RUU -
2.73.405.5
2.73.405.5 (alternative)

3. Double click the RUU exe you downloaded while the phone is plugged in with the GoldCard in it and follow the on screen procedure. This will install the old generic Hero rom on your phone, this is to allow you to install a recovery image. Reboot and fill in as few details as possible as these will be overwritten soon.

The "Goldcard" creation process was a bit annoying as I had to borrow a laptop running Windows XP to use the Hex editor as I use GNU/Linux Ubuntu on my laptop. If anyone has any tips about Hex editor applications to use on Linux, and the steps to take to create the "Goldcard" with the specific editor I would greatly appreciate comments.

Third: Installing a Recovery Image

I followed the instructions '1. Installing a Recovery Image' from here (ibid).

1. On your phone, go to Settings > Applications - and make sure "Unknown Source" is ticked.

2. On your phone, go to Settings > SD card and phone storage - click Unmount SD card.

3. Then click Format SD card.

4. Plug the phone into the computer via USB, then pull down the notification bar and click on the SD card notification. Then click mount.

5. Download this APK and recovery image and save it to your computer:

http://zenthought.org/content/project/flashrec - FlashRec.apk
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=561124 - Amon_Ra’s Hero Recovery Image

6. Copy them both to your SD card (do NOT put them inside any folders on the SD card, just put them on the SD card itself).

7. Unplug the phone from the computer once they are downloaded to the SD card.

8. Go to the Market and download ASTRO File Manager or any file manager program if you do not already have one.

9. Open the file manager and find the FlashRec apk file and click it and choose open app manager and then install it.

10. When it is installed click Open. Click on Backup Recovery Image and wait for it to finish. If you get "backup failed" response make sure the "Goldcard" is working, if the backup is a success carry on to step 11.
11. Once done, click on the empty text box in the FlashRec program and type:

/sdcard/recovery-RA-hero-v1.6.2.img
(replace exact name as new versions come out)

Then click on the Flash Recovery Image button and wait for it to finish.

Forth: Load a Custom ROM

I followed the instructions '2. Loading the Custom ROM' from here (ibid). I installed SenseHERO-2.1-090610-B5.zip downloaded from here, talked about here. Worked great on my Hero - though I guess best thing is to have a look around and get the latest stable ROM from somewhere.

2. Loading the Custom ROM

N.B. This part of the guide can be repeated with as many different rom's as you like. You do not have to repeat the previous sections once you have a recovery image installed.

1. Download a Custom ROM from http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=512 to your computer.

2. Plug in your phone and pull down the Notification bar when the SD notification pops up.

3. Click on the notification and select Mount.

4. Open the SD Card fonder on your computer.

5. Copy the Custom ROM from your computer to your SD Card, do NOT change it, extract the files or put it in any folders

6. Unplug your phone and turn it off.

7. Turn the phone on by holding down Home and Power till you get to the custom recovery screen.

8. Select Wipe from the menu, then select:

Wipe data/factory Reset
Wipe Dalvik-cache
Wipe SD:ext partition
Wipe battery stats
Wipe rotate settings
Press back button
Select Flash Zip from SD Card
Select the file
Click Confirm

N.B. Ignore any "errors", they are normal and usually mean you're not using that feature.

9. Once it is done, select Reboot and you will boot into the OS. Once you are loaded in make sure you format your SD card once more through the settings menu and then reboot the phone one last time. This will ensure you get the correct apps.

Fifth (and finally): I Updated the Radio Driver

I followed the instructions 'III. Updating your Radio' from here (ibid). I installed the latest driver available at the time, version: 63.18.55.06PU_6.35.15.14.

III. Updating your Radio

N.B. People have been reporting problems with this part of the guide, try it at your own risk. It is not required to be on the latest radio when using a Custom ROM, however it is usually recommended! The radio deals with your signal levels, I found it to increase my signal from a maximum of 2 bars to full. It is likely to help if you travel, but if you are happy with your signal and tend to stay in the same place it may not be worth it.

Be aware that if this doesn't work it can potentially brick you phone... though I've had no reports of that so far. Just people finding it doing different things after it flashes.

1. Download the latest radio from the following site:
At time of writing that is: 63.18.55.06PU_6.35.15.14
N.B. Radio's are not region specific!

2. Mount your SD Card so your computer can read it and place the downloaded file in the main directory

3. Turn off your phone and boot into the recovery screen (holding Home + Power)

4. Choose:
Flash Zip from SD Card
Click Confirm
Reboot system now when prompted

N.B. This can take anywhere between 1 - 10 minutes or maybe even longer in some cases. Do not touch your phone until you either: get back to the recovery screen or your custom rom loads and you see the unlock screen.

DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY OUT, THIS WILL BRICK YOUR HANDSET.

5. When this process has completed reboot the phone and you should have the new radio. This can be checked in Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Baseband Version

The phone is working great with all the new feature that Android 2.1 provide - sweet.

How to play live mp3 streams on the Android platform?: Answer, Nagare

2010-06-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

How to play live mp3 streams on the Android platform.Install and use Nagare Version 0.1.1 for free from the market place - plays live mp3 audio streams from shoutcast and icecast servers.I had trouble playing Cinemix streamed mp3 radio - the Nagare free application worked great.My hardware platform: HTC Hero, running Android 1.5.

Acer Aspire One Update BIOS Using Linux

2009-09-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

How I updated my Acer Aspire One netbook BIOS using Linux/Ubuntu 9.04.

Following these instructions could render your netbook unusable! Follow at your own risk.

Quick Summary (detailed instructions below)

1) Use Unetbootin to create a FreeDOS bootable USB stick.
2) copy the downloaded BIOS update and BAT script on to the stick (unzip the BIOS download, and then go to the sub folder BIOS_ACER_3310_Windows_AOA110 & AOA150/Dos_Flash, and copy the files 3310.BAT, 3310.fd and FLASHIT.EXE to the USB stick).
3) Boot the Aspire One from the USB stick - choose "Default" and then "Safe Mode".
4) At the Dos prompt go to the b: drive (i.e. type "b:", without quotes, and hit enter) and run the the 3310.BAT script (i.e. type 3319.BAT, without the quotes, and hit enter) - job done!

Required Downloads

IMPORTANT: Download the correct BIOS update for your model from the Acer website
Service and Support > Driver Download > Netbooks > Aspire One > Model - Then the BIOS tab

Download Unetbootin for Linux: http://sourceforge.net/projects/unetbootin/files/UNetbootin/372/unetbootin-linux-372/download

Download FreeDOS image ISO: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.0/fdbasecd.iso

Detailed Instructions

Download the FreeDOS iso file to your desktop, from the link above. We'll come back to this in a moment.

Unetbootin is a great tool for creating bootable USB sticks, we're going to use it to create a FreeDOS bootable USB stick. Download the Linux version (from the link above) on to your destop. Right click on the downloaded Unetbootin file, go to Properties > Permissions and check the "Allow executing file as program" check box. Close the properties window. Double click on the Unetbootin (you should be asked for your password), and Unetbootin should start up.

In Unetbootin there are a number options - choose "Diskimage", next to the ISO drop down box. Next to the the Text Input bo, there is a "browse for file" button, click this and select the earlier downloaded FreeDOS iso file. Select the correct USB drive, and click "OK".

Once the bootable FreeDOS USB stick has been created, copy the downloaded BIOS update and BAT script on to the stick. To do this, unzip the BIOS download, and then go to the sub folder BIOS_ACER_3310_Windows_AOA110 & AOA150/Dos_Flash, and copy the files 3310.BAT, 3310.fd and FLASHIT.EXE to the USB stick.

Once the USB stick in ready, insert it into one of the USB ports on the Aspire One. Turn on the Aspire One and press the f12 key. Choose to boot from the USB stick. Once booted, hit enter and then select "Safe Mode". At the FreeDOS prompt (a:) go to the b: drive (i.e. type "b:", without quotes, and hit enter) and run the the 3310.BAT script (i.e. type 3319.BAT, without the quotes, and hit enter).

Wait for the BIOS to update - do not interrupt this process.

My Acer Aspire One (AOA110-Ab, Model No: ZG5) BIOS
Latest BIOS Version at time of writting: 3310 (size 2.7 MB)
Release date: 2009/08/05

Fix Network Printing Problem with Synology DS207+ and HP1018 Printer

2009-02-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

The HP LaserJet 1018 printer would not print via the Synology DS207+ as a network printer if the printer had been turned off and on again. I found that I had to connect the printer directly to a computer running Windows (in this case Windows XP) as a USB printer, and print something, and then reconnect the printer to the DS207+ before my Ubuntu computer computers could use the HP1018 as a network printer. It looks like this is because the printer needs firmware "uploaded" each time it is turned on and this happens via the Windows printing process. After some hunting about (and this post maybe premature as I have only just "fixed" the problem) it looks like the solution is to update the Synology so that each time the printer is plugged it uploads the firmware. Here I will outline the step that I followed to accomplish this so that the printer should always work as a network printer for computers running the GNU/Linux/Ubuntu operating system. Briefly the steps are, gaining telnet access to the DS207+, downloading and copying 2 files to the DS207+. Most of the information I found at this forum post... http://www.synology.at/enu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=12718&sid=133792242a5c43c98348c4961947d545#p54476

Telnet access

Get the telnet patch from here http://download.synology.com/download/telnet/EnableTelnet.zip and follow the sysnology instructions for installing the patch http://www.synology.com/enu/support/releaseNote/telnet.php Basically through theDS207+ management HTML interface, go to firmware and select the newly downloaded and unzipped patch file, and then wait for the DS207+ to restart.

To access the DS207+ via telnet, open up a terminal in Ubuntu - Applications>Accessories>Terminal and type

telnet [IP address of the DS207+]
(In my case this was 192.168.2.2)

Then type the user name

root

and the admin password used for accessing the management interface.

Downloading and copying the files across to the DS207+

Ok... so far so good, we have a telnet session going on the DS207+

Now, download the 2 files needed from here

http://cid-94d5e7d028973aa5.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/usb.agent
http://cid-94d5e7d028973aa5.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/sihp1018.dl

I then copied these via samba/the network/Nautilus, to a shared folder I had set-up on the DS207+ called shared

Then, back to the terminal and time to copy the files from their shared location on the DS207+ to the location that they need to be on the DS207, i.e. copying the files from where I dropped them across the network into the correct place on the DS207+ operating system.

So I needed to get root access on the DS207+, first of back in the terminal windows type...

su

then...

ls

to list all the folder. Then...

cd volume1/shared

Then

ls

again to make sure the files I copied there, are indeed there... they were! To copy the file to where they need to be type...

cp usb.agent /usr/syno/hotplug/

and then...

cp sihp1018.dl /usr/syno/hotplug/firmware/

Now reboot the DS207+ and the printer should always work with Ubuntu as a network printer.

Who was it that said something like... "I'm sorry I have written you such a long note but I don't have time to write a short one"!!! This is just to help me remember what I have done and what resources I have used, so if you are reading this I'm, sorry if it does not makes sense...

How to Install a Larger Hard Drive to a Softmodded Xbox With Ubuntu

2008-09-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Xbox details

Xbox from Ebay that has already been soft modded with Xbox Unleased dash board and XBMC as an application.

Installing a larger (300gb) hard drive

1) Get the Eeprom.bin file.

First download a copy of ConfigMagic Xbox v1-6 FINAL

http://btjunkie.org/torrent/ConfigMagic-Xbox-v1-6-FINAL/4324cfc48c7fb23b4043bea4e68b20b01f74b156b581

Double click on the ConfigMagic-Xbox_v1.6-FINAL.rar file and unpack to the desktop.

Using FileZill, FTP the ConfigMagic folder to the Xbox e:/apps folder.

Reboot the Xbox and go to Applications>ConfigMagic - go to the main menu and select the option to backup the Eeprom.

FTP back in to the Xbox and find the Eeprom.bin backup file in E: (NOTE: to see the file in FileZilla, may need to go to "server" from the option at the top of the screen, and then select "force show hidden files")

2) Creating the xboxhdm boot disk, and then unlocking the xbox hard drive, cloning the xbox hard drive to the new (larger) hard drive and then locking both hard drives - follow this tutorial: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=650510&view=findpost&p=4275830

Download xboxhdm from one of the torrent tracker sites, for example Pirate Bay

To create the boot disk in Ubuntu use the "make-iso-lin.sh" instead of the "make-iso-win.bat" script. I.e. open terminal and the navagate to the xboxhdm folder cd /home/[user-name]/Desktop/xboxhdm and then type the command ./make-iso-lin.sh and hit enter.

3)Locking the hard drives

NOTE: remember to lock them both. i.e. follow the tutorial to the end and this will lock the xbox hard drive. Then unplug the xbox hard drive from the IDE cable, set the jumpers on the new hard drive to "master", then boot up from the boot disk again and follow the same locking process.

4) Formatting the new hard drive

Finally, plug the new hard drive in to the Xbox and go the the Unleashed "format" menu (password "Xbox" - case sensetive) and format all deives, F, G, X, Y, Z)

Done

To set XBMC as the default dash use this http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=220144 remeber to download and unpack XBMC to get the shortcuts from _tools.

Settings for Manually Mapping Synology DS207+ Shared Folder from the Neuros OSD

2008-05-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

(OSD using the new Arizona software platform)
Both the Synology DS207+ and the Neuros OSD use open source software.

From the OSD's main menu Play.Browse>Network Shares>Map Network Share Manually>

Connection Type = Windows
Server Address = [DS207+ LAN IP address], example: 192.168.2.20
Share Location = [folder name], example: share-ds207
Share Name = [folder name], example: share-ds207

Accept

Input user details (check user privileges using the DS207+ admin pages)

Done

Stop My Asus Eee PC Going Into Standby Mode When the Lid is Closed

2008-04-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the train happily surfing the web on my Asus Eee PC using the now free WiFi Internet, available since National Express took over from GNER a few months ago (available on the UK east cost service anyway!). I use my Eee PC as an MP3/OGG player. I decided I wanted to stop surfing the web, and read a book instead (a momentous decision), this meant closing the lid of the Eee and leaning my book on top of it for maximum comfort. However, this reminded me that when you close the lid, the Eee automatically goes in to standby mode - very annoying if you want to carry on listening to music!

So, since I'm on the train and have nothing else to do, I thought I would investigate how to stop it going in to standby mode when you close the lid, and instead do nothing except turn the screen off.

It took a few mins to find out how to do it...

First, open a terminal. In easy mode (default Linux setup) simply press the CTRL, ALT and T keys on your keyboard all at the same time. The default terminal program in Easy mode is named lxterm.
(Info from: http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:openaterminal)

Then, in the console type

sudo kwrite /etc/acpi/lidbtn.sh

You should see

#!/bin/sh
LID_STATE=`cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state | awk '{print $2 }'`if [ $LID_STATE = "closed" ] ; then
/etc/acpi/suspend2ram.sh
fi
exit 0

Replace with the code below and save the file.

#!/bin/sh
LID_STATE=`cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state | awk '{print $2 }'

if[$LID_STATE = "closed"]; then
# /etc/acpi/suspend2ram.sh
su user -c "DISPLAY=:0 xset dpms force suspend"
elif[$LID_STATE = "open"];then
su user -c "DISPLAY=:0 xset dpms force on"
fi

Close the lid to test. That's it.,
(Info from: http://wiki.eeeuser.com/close_lid_shutdown)

Network Printing Ubuntu and Synology DS-207+ Disk Station

2008-01-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Setting up a client computer (i.e. laptop or desktop) running Ubuntu Gusty to print over the home network with a Synology DS-207+ Disk Station as the print server.

There is also a very rough video version (my first ever video tutorial!) of this How To.

This part of the How To assumes that the network printer is pluged in to the DS-207+ and that the DS-207+'s IP address and Samba user name and password are know, and that the network is setup and ready to go. If this is not the case please see the sections below and the Synology DS-207+ setup CD and manual.

Setting up a Network Printer on a Client Computer Running the GNU/Linux Ubuntu Gutsy Operating System
- Open up the "Print Configuration" window - System>Administration>Printing

- Click "New Printer".

- In the add printer dialog window select "Windows Printer via SAMBA" and then in the "Samba Printer" input box type the IP address and printer designation (this is hard set by the DS-207+ and cannot be changed - "/usbprinter") of the DS-207+ (i.e. 192.168.2.20/usbprinter).
- Click "Authentication required" and add the user name and password and click "Verify".

- Once the printer has been verified as being available click forward.
- On the next screen, select the printers manufacturer from the list and click forward.
- On the next screen, select the printer model from the list and click forward.

- Choose a name for to identify the network printer by.

- Select the newly installed printer from the list on the left and click the "Print Test Page" button.

All being well the printer is installed correctly and will print a test page.

Get the Home Network DHCP Allocated IP Address of the DS-207+
- To login the network router open up Firefox and type the IP address 192.168.2.1 (the default IP Address for this particular Belkin router) into the address bar and then hit "Enter".
- Login to the router administrations pages using the admin user name and password.
- Click the option "DHCP Client List" in the left hand menu.
- The DS-207+ host name will be "null" and the IP address is indicated to the left.
NOTE: I have "hard set" the DS-207+'s IP address so itis outside the DHCP allocated addresses (it is 192.168.2.20) and will not change if the router is restarted. This is because the client computers have to know the correct IP address for the DS-207+ in order access the network printer. To hard set the IP address see the instructions below.

Login to the DS-207+
- - To login the DS-207+ open up Firefox and type the IP the address 192.168.2.20 (this is the IP Address I have hard set the DS-207+ t0) into the address bar and then hit "Enter". Otherwise find the IP address of the DS-207+ as allocated by the routers DHCP server - see instructions above.
- Login to the DS-207+ administration pages using the admin user name and password.

"Hard Set" the DS-207+ Home Network IP Address
- To "hard set" the DS-207+ IP address login to its administration pages as above and then click the "System" option in the left hand menu.
- Input the IP address that you want making sure it is within the home networks range i.e. 192.168.2.2 - 192.168.2.xxx.

Create a New Samba User

Check Pinter is Attached to the DS-207+

Getting an HP LaserJet 1018 Printer Woirking With Gutsy 7.10

2008-01-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

The HP LaserJet 1018 printer stopped working for some reason, although it had worked out-of-the-box. This thread on the Ubuntu forums sorted things tho, specifically using the code below.

$ wget http://foo2zjs.rkkda.com/firmware/sihp1018.tar.gz
$ tar xvzf sihp1018.tar.gz
$ arm2hpdl sihp1018.img  > sihp1018.dl
$ sudo cp ./sihp1018.dl /usr/share/foo2zjs/firmware/sihp1018.dl
$ sudo  cat /usr/share/foo2zjs/firmware/sihp1018.dl >  /dev/usb/lp0

Re-Encoding AVI Using Mencoder

2008-01-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

I had a home movie file that was not playing well on the Neuros OSD so I checked out how to re-encode it. Specifically I followed these instructions.

mencoder original-movie.avi -oac mp3lame -ovc xvid -xvidencopts pass=2:bitrate=800 -o new-version-of-movie.avi

Once re-encoded the movie worked perfectly.

Neuros OSD Media Player - Auto Mount Network Shares

2007-12-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

Neuros OSD: http://www.neurostechnology.com/

IMPORTANT: Remember to turn off the firewall on the computer with the shares!
(Use Fire Starter and add a rule to allow the OSD access)

Setup Samba
This was basically to allow basic networking and so the script files created using gedit could be copied on to the OSD.
Create Samba user: http://linux.byexamples.com/archives/123/creating-samba-user/
Open terminal and type...


smbpasswd -a username

Telnet into the OSD
Open terminal and type...

telnet
open [IP address]
User name: root
Password: pablod
cd ..
ls

Auto Mount Script
General instructions: http://forums.neurostechnology.com/index.php?topic=7918.0
Specific script I adapted: http://forums.neurostechnology.com/index.php?topic=7918.msg41934#msg41934

Create the script and rc.user files using gedit and copy them to /mnt/OSD folder on the OSD

cp /rc.user /mnt/OSD
cp /mount_script.sh /mnt/OSD

Sharing Files Over A Local Area Network (LAN) - Ubuntu and Windows

2007-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

Straight forward and clear tutorial for getting files sharing between Ubuntu and Windows machines using Samba: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=202605&highlight=network+sharing

I used this with Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 and and Vista, and it worked great.

[Edit] Another good tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad17kma8rNM

Network Printing

2007-09-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Finally got 2 Ubuntu machines sharing a printer over a wireless network using this tutorial: http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Setting_Up_a_Network_Printer_using_CUPS

I had to stop the firewall on the server, using Firestarter, while setting the printer up. I also had to creae a new policy to always allow access to the print server (Ubuntu machine) 0n port 631 from the client machine's IP address.

Once the Ubuntu machine was setup as a server for the printer it took about 5mins to get an Windows XP machine sharing the printer, over the same home network, using this how to: http://www.owlfish.com/thoughts/winipp-cups-2003-07-20.html. The only bits I actually had to use are posted below.

( Note: my network printer address - http://192.168.2.4:631/printers/LaserJet-1018)

------------------------------------

Hostname lookup

Another common step is to ensure that hostname broadcast by CUPS is accessible from the Windows XP machine. If your CUPS machine is accessible using a name rather than just an IP address then you don't need to do anything for this step. If the CUPS machine is not accessible via it's hostname then you need to set a mapping between the CUPS hostname and its IP address in the Windows hosts file. Under WindowsXP the host file is in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS, in Win2k replace WINDOWS with WINNT. The format is simple:

# Example hosts entry
192.168.0.3 rock

Under some CUPS server configurations you will be able to use the IP address instead of the hostname, but often only a hostname will work.

Postscript Printing

To use a printer queue as a Postscript printer requires a Windows XP Postscript printer driver, such as the built-in MS Publisher Imagesetter or this freely available one from Adobe.

Built-in MS Publisher Imagesetter

To use the MS Publisher Imagesetter driver, use "Add Printer" to add a new network printer, select "Connect to a printer on the Internet..." and enter the URL for your printer queue (e.g. http://rock:631/printers/Epson). When prompted for a driver select a Manufacturer of "Generic" and the Printer "MS Publisher Imagesetter".

------------------------------------

Beyond the Red Line

2007-04-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

I came across a new community developed game today, Beyond the Red Line, based on the new (rather than original) Battlestar Galactica TV series. This was exciting as there is a Linux (as well as Windows and Apple) version. I did have a problem running the game tho (on my Toshiba A120 running Ubuntu Feisty Fawn beta - fully updated), so I have documented the solution here for future reference.

Installing the game was easy. Download the Linux install to the desktop (took about 30mins). Then change the permissions of the file so that it is executable - right click on the file, choose the permissions tab and click the "allow executing file as program" check box, and then click close. Then run the install - double click the install file (BtRLDemoInstaller.run) and click "run". After checking the files integrity the install box pops up, then click through the couple of options. install completed.

To run the game pop up Nautilus file manager and navigate to home-directory~/btrl_demo, double click the btrl_demo file (I might have had to make this executable as well!). The game starts - excellent. The problem was when I click on the "Briefing" option the game crashed with the error [Linux] ERROR: "Could not load ABexp04 anim file" at fireball/fireballs.cpp:697. This was solved by checking out the BtRL forums, and following this thread.

Download the file libtxc_dxtn060508.tar.gz (from the bottom of the s3tc page) on to the desktop. Unpacked it with archive manager - double click it and click extract. Then install libtxc_dxtn - pop up a terminal using Ubuntu's main menu Applications>Accessories>Terminal and navigate to the libtxc_dxtn dircetory by typing... cd Desktop/libtxc_dxtn ...and then hit the enter key. Then type the two commands below, hitting enter after each command, to install libtxc_dxtn.
make

make install

That got things going for me. I still have a problem with garbled sound, but I'm working on this!

Installing Ubuntu on a Toshiba Satellite Pro A120

2007-02-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: I have since run 7.04 and 7.10and Hardy Heron 8.04 (LTS) and all work perfectly out-of-the-box, including the wireless card and Compiz Fusion (or whatever 3D desktop 7.10 ships with). I NO longer use Automatix as most stuff is installed by default or is as easy to install through Synaptic or Apt.

I recently (Jan 2007) bought a Toshiba Satellite Pro A120 (Part Number: PSAC1E-04V00VEN) and, as I have been using Linux for the last two years and Ubuntu for the past year, the first thing I did was (boot up the system decline the Windows XP license and email Toshiba for a refund) install Ubuntu Edgy 6.10. Here I want to document the process for my own records and for anyone thinking of installing Ubuntu on a Toshiba A120. [EDIT: I had said that the built in wireless card did not work, this was wrong, the card works perfectly - see below]

Introduction
Basically it was a really (really) smooth ride installing Ubuntu, everything worked – Beryl 3D desktop even worked with no configuration once the repositories were added, and Beryl installed. Even the built in wireless card worked.

Basic Installation
I downloaded the Ubuntu iso file and burnt it on to a CD using GnomeBaker on my desktop, which is also running Ubuntu. I then booted up my Toshiba laptop with the Ubuntu CD in the CD Rom, making sure that the CD Rom was set as the primary boot device in the BIOS. At the Ubuntu menu I select the "Live CD/Install" option (at this point the hard drive is not effected) and boot in to the Ubuntu live desktop. On the desktop there is an install icon, click this and the install process will start. I went through the few steps, selecting time zone etc, and then left the laptop to install Ubuntu – this took about 15 mins.

Useful links

Get GNU Linux - Trying out the live CD

Video Tutorial – Installing Ubuntu

Ubuntu Forums

Post Install
Ok, the installation was really straight forward, time to install Automatix and get the wireless network going as well as a few other useful codecs and applications.

Installing Automatix
Installing Automatix is a simple as going to the website and downloading the install .deb file. Having downloaded the file double click on it and install Automatix.

Setting up the wireless network card
Once installed, start Automatix from the Applications>System Tools>Automatix menu option and select the NDISWrapper from the “Internet” options and click start (you have to be connected to the Internet obviously). Once it is installed, from the main Ubuntu menu bar go to System>Administration>Networking and setup the wireless network settings.

It is also worth installing a bunch of other packages/applications through Automatix, namely Mplayer, GnomeBaker, Google Earth, Multimedia Codecs, AUD-DVD Codecs (to enable watching of DVDs) Thunderbird (email client), Flash Player, Real Player etc.

Installing Beryl 3D desktop
Add the Beryl repositories then open System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager, search for Beryl, select the packages and click “Apply”. Once Beryl is installed open Applications>Accessories>Terminal and type beryl, and Beryl should start. Try holding down Ctrl + Alt and pressing the left or right arrow key! To make Beryl start everytime the laptop is started open System>Preferences>Sessions, click the "Startup Programs" tab, click the "Add" button and type "beryl" (lower case with out the quotations) as the "Startup Command", and you are done.

Games
With the good support for the Intel graphics cards I decided to find out what games run natively under Ubuntu, and was welcomely surprised to find quite a few really good ones

Open Arena
I was really please to find that the Quake III engine had been GPL'ed a while back and an open source project had been busy creating an excellent open source version called Open Arena. Having been a huge fan of the original Quake, it was great to be able to download this and have it just work, very smoothly, even getting straight into an Internet game. To start playing Open Arena, download the Linux tar ball, unpack, and double click the "ioquake3.i386" file (I might have had to right click on the file, choose the “Permissions” tab and click the “allow executable” box) and it should fire up – excellent game.

PlaneShift
PlaneShift is a open source and free Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMOGPG) that, although I have not had time to get into it, looks really sweet. Well worth a try.

Other Games
Other games to try are BZFlag a “free multiplayer multiplatform 3D tank battle game” installable through Synaptic, as well as Globulation 2, LXDoom and Trigger.

Windows Games on Linux
To play a good variety of Windows games, for a small price you can purchase TransGames, Cedega. From my limited experience this is an excellent way to get Windows games going on Linux, with lots of titles supported.

Linux Game Publishing have a range of titles for sale that are worth looking at as well.

Well, hope this helps someone!