Installing Ubuntu (Linux).......

About Ubuntu :

Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.

Installing Ubuntu (Linux).......


Ubuntu (Linux)

What you will need:

• Ubuntu (Linux) Boot Disk

Make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD.

To check this go into your BIOS. From there go to "Boot" and go to "Boot Priorities". Make sure CD-ROM is set to boot first and you're all set.

1. Insert the Ubuntu 7.04 boot disk and start up your computer. The boot screen will come up next. Highlight the Start or install Ubuntu choice and press Enter. Be patient while the loader goes back and forth. This may take a few minutes.

2. After that Ubuntu will load up and you will be presented with a very bare screen. Double click on the Install icon to begin setting up Ubuntu.

3. After you double-click on the install icon it will first ask you to pick your preferred language. Choose one and click Forward.

4. The next screen will ask you to pick a location near you for time purposes.

5. Now to choose your keyboard layout. Most commonly it is U.S English.

6. Once again it is time to partition your hard drive. From this screen make sure that Manual is checked and click Forward.

Now you should see a screen entitled Prepare partitions. We are now going to create the partition in which Ubuntu will run on plus a file called "SWAP" to act as virtual memory.

7. First let's create the SWAP file. Click on New partition. The SWAP file won't need a whole lot of space to run, so just give it 512 megabytes which will be more than enough for it to run. Now just change the Use as: option to SWAP while keeping the type of partition as Primary and the location as Beginning. Click OK to add it.

8. Now make sure free space is highlighted and click New partition again. This time we will add the hard drive space for Ubuntu to use. Give it what ever amount of space you would like depending on your hard drive space. Just remember to give it at least 2 GB though I recommend you give it much more. Now change the Use as: to ext3 and keep the rest of the settings the same. Click OK to add.

9. Next right-click on the partition ext3 and click edit. From here change the mount point to a forward slash / and click OK.

10. You should see a screen similar to this one, but with the partition NTFS on it. Last thing to do before proceeding is check the box next to ext3 to format and then click Forward.

11. The next screen is going to ask you if you want to import any accounts you may have on Windows XP. If you want to do it, if not just proceed.

12. Time to enter your personal information. Just as a note: your login has to be all lowercase letters.

13. Now just confirm all the information and click Install to start enjoying the beauty of Linux!

Congrats! You have fully installed Ubuntu (Linux) on your system.......

Home Page : http://www.ubuntu.com/

Download now - Download the Ubuntu, Edubuntu or Kubuntu CD installer to your computer now.

Request a free CD - Request a free Ubuntu, Edubuntu or Kubuntu CD from Canonical.

Installing Windows XP......

Installing Windows XP......

Windows XP

What you will need:

• Windows XP Boot Disk

Make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD.

To check this go into your BIOS. From there go to "Boot" and go to "Boot Priorities". Make sure CD-ROM is set to boot first and you're all set.

Installing Windows XP

Now I am going go over how to install Windows XP step-by-step.

1. Make sure your XP boot up disk is in the CD-ROM and start your PC.

2. A blue MS-DOS screen will load up first asking you if you want to install drivers or run an Automated System Recovery. Just wait for them to go by and then Windows will begin to load files needed to install XP.

2. Now you will see a Welcome to Setup screen. From here just press Enter.

3. Agree to the license agreement by pressing F8.

4. Now to the important part of this installation. You will now see a screen where you will tell Windows XP to install itself. We aren't going to give XP the entire hard drive as we will be giving some to Ubuntu also. Press the C button on your keyboard to create a new partition.

5. You will now see a screen in which you can edit the size of our new partition. Depending on your hard drive size and preference, determine the amount of gigabytes (GB) you are going to give XP to use. After you have chosen the size hit Enter to create the partition.

Note -

• Windows XP requires at least 1.5 gigabytes of hard drive space.
• 1000 megabytes (MB)= 1 gigabyte (GB). So when entering XP's partition make sure to write it as 90000 instead of 90, because it reads in megabytes, not gigabytes.

6. You will now be brought back to the screen in step 4. Highlight the new partition you created and press Enter to install.

7. The next screen will ask you how you would like to format the partition (FAT32 or NTFS). The choice is up to you and what you prefer. If you need help then check out this article FAT32 or NTFS: Making the Choice. Regardless of your choice, choose the quick option as this will make the installation go a whole lot quicker.

8. The last step before Windows installs itself onto your system. Just press F to begin formatting.

9. Now just wait...

10. After the installation has completed your system will reboot and now it is time to finish up installing Windows XP. This part should be pretty self-explanatory so I will let you complete it with your own choices.

Congrats! You have fully installed Windows XP on your system.......

Installing Windows Vista.......

Windows Vista

What you will need:

• Windows Vista Boot Disk

Make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD.

To check this go into your BIOS. From there go to "Boot" and go to "Boot Priorities". Make sure CD-ROM is set to boot first and you're all set.

Installing Windows Vista

Now I am going go over how to install Windows Vista step-by-step.

1. Make sure your Vista boot up disk is in the CD-ROM and start your PC.

2. When it begins to boot you should see a black screen with a loading bar. This may take a few minutes so just let it load everything.

3. Next select your language, time/currency format, and keyboard method. Then press Next.

4. Now just click Install to continue.

5. Now type in your activation key and check Automatically activate Windows when I'm online if you would like. Then click Next.

6. From here choose the version of Vista you purchased and then check the box I have selected the edition of Windows that I purchased. Click Next.

7. Time to read (though no one does) and agree to the license agreement. Check the box that you do and click s.

8. The following screen will now ask you how you want to install. As you booted from the disk the top option is likely shaded out. So just click on Custom (advanced) to continue.

9. Now we get to the good stuff! It is time to partition your drive. You should see your hard drive in the box. Click on Drive options (advance) so we can edit.

10. You should now see four different options (Delete, Extend, Format, and New). Click on New and then choose how much space you want to give the new partition. Click Apply to create the new partition. When you are satisfied click Next to finish up.

Note -

• Windows Vista recommends at least 15 GB of hard drive space.
• 1000 megabytes (MB)= 1 gigabyte (GB).

11. Now Windows Vista will install itself onto your hard drive. After it is finished Windows will restart your computer and it will be time for you to edit your personal options.

Finished! After you complete all the personal information

Congrats! You have fully installed Windows Vista on your system......

6 free remote desktop sharing and screen sharing solutions........

Working in IT for 1 year, I’ve learned that desktop sharing/screen sharing software applications make life a lot easier for both the users and for the Administrators. It’s not only a great way to supply technical support to users, but it’s also a fabulous way to share data and collaborate with others remotely quickly and easily.

I’ve been using remote desktop sharing software for a while now and it’s worked wonders for our team. Multiple people in different locations around the country can work on a presentation or a project plan simultaneously from their desktop computers! Here’s a list of a couple of my favorite screen sharing software over the last few years:



Probably my favorite because of it’s ease of use and the fact that you can use it to remotely access your PC or MAC also! Yuuguu is completely free and allows you to instantly share your screen with anyone. Works well through firewalls also and on MACs.

Home Page : http://www.yuuguu.com



CroosLoop is also very easy to use, but requires that each party install the CrossLoop software onto their computers. Uses 128-bit encryption and allows for file-sharing also.

Home Page : http://www.crossloop.com/







Another popular service for remote desktop sharing. Easily access remote PC’s by installing a client software onto each machine. Good for remote PC trouble-shooting, etc.

Home Page : https://secure.logmein.com



A good free tool for online collaboration, desktop sharing, and remote PC access. No registration required, no logins, very easy to use. Uses SSH to make connections to other PC’s.

Home Page : http://showmypc.com




SkyFex allows remote watching and remote control in real time. Does not require additional software installation and works transparently through NAT and Firewalls. Only for IE though.

Home Page : http://skyfex.com



TeamViewer has a couple of features, such as remote control of PCs, screen sharing, file transfer, chat ability, and is secure. Have to install the TeamViewer software for it to work.

Home Page : http://www.teamviewer.com




A free software that lets others watch your screen in real time. No need to install any software, which is a plus. Works with Windows, Mac and Linux.

You can use all of the applications for all kind of activities, such as boardroom presentations, group lectures, remote PowerPoint Presentations, computer helpdesk, whiteboard for telephone conferences, etc.

If you know of one that I missed or think is better, post a comment! Enjoy!

The Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware test file......

EICAR Standard Antivirus Test File Information

A few words about the Eicar Standard AntiVirus Test File

The Eicar Standard AntiVirus Test File is a combined effort by antivirus vendors throughout the world and EICAR organisation to come up with one standard by which customers can verify their antivirus installations.

To test your installation, you would copy the following line into its own file and name it EICAR.COM.

----------------------------cut here----------------------------------
X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
----------------------------cut here----------------------------------

When done, the resulting file will have either 68 or 70 bytes.

When avast scans this file, it will report finding EICAR Test-­NOT virus!!.

It is very important to know that THIS IS NOT A VIRUS! However, users often have the need to test that their installations work properly. The antivirus industry, through the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research, has adopted this standard to facilitate this need.

Please delete the file when installation testing is completed so that unsuspecting users are not unnecessarily alarmed.

How to use :

Start --> Run --> Notepad

Open notepad

Type --> Save

Scan with Anti virus software.........

5 ways to speed up your PC..............

Free up disk space

By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:

•	Remove temporary Internet files.
•	Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•	Empty the Recycle Bin.
•	Remove Windows temporary files.
•	Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•	Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

To use Disk Cleanup

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

2.	In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.

Choose the files that you want to delete.

3.	Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.	When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.

Speed up access to data

Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:

•	You add a large number of files.
•	Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•	You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

To use Disk Defragmenter:

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.

2.	In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives. Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3.	To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented. After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4.	To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5.	To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6.	To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.

Detect and repair disk errors

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.

If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

To run the Error Checking utility:

1.	Close all open files.
2.	Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3.	In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4.	In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5.	Click the Check Now button.
6.	In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start

7.	If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

Protect your computer against spyware

Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.

Learn all about ReadyBoost

If you're using Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.