TTC Shelbyville – Technical Blog

Sun Microsystems Virtualbox 3.0.6 is the latest virtualization application from Sun.   Computer users are beginning to see the development and use for multiple operating systems on a single computer.  In today’s world cloud computing and virtualization are two of the fastest growing technologies.  VirtualBox supports Linux, MAC and Windows.

Benefits of Virtualization

• Power Cost Savings
• Hardware Cost Savings (Multiple computers on a single physical computer)
• Development of applications (Running Server OS on Client OS)
• Quick Recovery Time (recover vdis allowing users to return an operating system in minutes)

Features of 3.0.6

• Browse your virtual machines and inspect their settings (Remote Desktop)
• Start virtual machines in headless mode
• Pause/resume VMs
• Save the state of running VMs
• Terminate VMs (hard power off or ACPI)
• Remote control your VMs using the integrated RDP Web Control
• Multiple processor support (32 – Growing – Currently 64 bit supports one processor only)
• Shared Folder Support
• USB Support
• Multiple Networking Features
• 3D Graphic Support

Installation

The installation of VirtualBox is fast and easy.  You should take into consideration the amount of RAM on the host computer including hard drive capacity and CPU speed.  The installation of 3.0.6 was on an HP Pavilion Laptop with 3GB or RAM, 160 GB Harddrive powered by a dual core AMD 2 Ghz processor.  This independent installation reviews the install of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 committing 25 GB for hard disk space and 1 GB of RAM.

The installation of an operating system onto the VirtualBox application reguires being familiar with common settings of operating systems and having the ISO or DVD of the other operating system.

By clicking on New, you are walked through an excellent wizard that guides you through the basic setup of the operating system you are installing.   During this walk through, it is important to give yourself plenty of hard drive space for growth and a balanced amount of memory to keep your host computer and virtual computer responsive.  (You can adjust these settings later)   An added benefit is when testing beta software (OS), you can later begin to take away or add to memory to test the computer’s responsiveness.

Installation of VirtualBox

Installation of Windows Server 2008

Settings

Virtualbox makes it easy to select your settings.  One of the most important areas is the number of processors, USB (add a filter to use USB on the Virtual Computer), Networking and pointing to the ISO or DVD in order to load the operating system.

Operating System Loading/Loaded

To use the mouse, click on the Virtualbox screen (it will then be captured).  To release it, hit the right ctrl key.

Notes:  Follow the installation recommendations for the operating system you are installing.  You must protect virtual computers with updates, firewalls, correct permissions and anti-virus software.

VirtualBox is by far the best free virtualization program on the internet.  VirtualBox allows you to take computing to a new level by offering the technology that allows you to expand your network at a minimal cost and to use virtualization for servers, compatibility with other operating systems and to research different operating systems before they hit the market.   VirtualBox is hands down an excellent application for home and enterprise users.

Resources

What is a Virtual Machine?

VMWare

VirtualBox

Microsoft Virtual PC

Microsoft’s Virtualization Website

Windows 7 Beta – Installing and Testing on VirtualBox

Installing Windows 7 on Virtual PC vs. VirtualBox

How to Network Virtual Operating Systems in Sun’s VirtualBox

Answers to Licensing Questions for Sun Micro’s VirtualBox

How to Optimize VirtualBox on Your Windows PC

Learn How to Set Up USB and Networking Options in VirtualBox

How To Connect to VirtualBox using Remote Desktop Connection

VirtualBox Configurations for running Three Operating Systems on a PC

VirtualBox: How to Expand Your Servers with Virtualization

VirtualBox on this Blog.

WordPress articles on VirtualBox and Virtualization

Windows 7 file copying is crazy fast and there are three places to monitor the progress.

sudo rm -rf /*

I’ve been a Unix guy forever and getting with the program (Linux), I play with Linux and run a few servers.   Going to support sites and forums, I noticed a lot of advice was to sudo rm -rf /* in a terminal session.

To clarify, it wasn’t me.   I was looking for advice for an installation of a program.   When I bumped into this, I followed the steps all the way down to the rm command and stopped.    The attitude after the person did this was of bad taste.   If you elect to help people and to post to forums, don’t give destructive advice.  As I begin to open up to Linux projects,  I will be posting warnings on forums that give bad advice.     There are good and bad forums out on the web for Windows, Linux and MAC.   Any time you work in terminal or at a command prompt, with the kernel or registry, you risk destroying your computer.

DON’T run - sudo rm -rf /* -this command will get rid of everything.   Well, the desperate people in a few forums wanting to learn – was killed off by someone showing a little skill.   If you are experimenting with Linux, don’t run the commands if you haven’t researched them.

By the way, the commands may vary a little but yes, you can do this on a MAC.

Compatibility mode helps make older programs work with newer computers.  Another good tip comes from TechPaul.  His blog gives step by step instructions on setting the processor affinity.  Link

IOBit 360 may give you a UAC prompt that continues to prompt.  If this happens, you may have to hit continue several times to get it to stop.  After it stops, open the settings and click on the autoscan settings.  The application will ask you to purchase pro or to update, purchase pro.  Click on disable and hit the APPLY button.  This should fix it OR disable the UAC Prompt  (IOBit 360 Review Here)

Open regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Double click on EnableLUA and give it a value of 0   REBOOT

If you haven’t visited Annoyances.org, I’ve been using it for years.  You can often find the ‘cure’ for any Windows Annoyance.   Go to the bottom of the page to filter operating systems.  Annoyances

Ever wonder what the .US, .UK, .CZ or the ending of the web address means?

IANA

Here’s a great little add-on for Firefox that allows you to capture Firefox.   This great little tool allows you to create a screen capture for training or whatever you want to use it for.  Simply download the xpi add-on.  Open Firefox.  Click on File, Open File, Navigate to the xpi you downloaded and open it.

Link

SourceForge has some great programs.  This program is used to test your comptuer’s stability.  Systester allows anyone to test their computer.

Moodle is an open source learning management system used to deliver courses online.  Because the Computer Information Technology Class is so complicated, missing one day seems like a week to students.  In order to help this process and allow students who are working or interning early, TTC Shelbyville is placing all of the programs online.   The mission and teaching methods used at TTCS require a ton of hands-on.  While this may not be possible when learning online, the online curriculum allows these students to have direct access to lesson plans, resources and powerpoints.

Office 2007 Won’t Uninstall from Add / Remove Programs  - UPDATE use the link below

use the link from this post http://ttcshelbyville.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/uninstallers-for-office-2003-office2007-office-2010/

Microsoft Article

Here’s a good list of common Information Technology job roles.  Link

Certifications make you more marketable. Yet you have to know what you are doing and have the hands-on. Period.  Two new good acknowledgements from CompTIA are for computer / technology basics.  These are one step before the A+ certifications. 

CompTIA’s Explaination-

For individuals, completing a CompTIA Strata Fundamentals exam means proof of basic technology skills, and is designed as a stepping stone to a CompTIA A+ certification. For businesses, CompTIA Strata Fundamentals exams can help cut down on IT costs by ensuring that employees have a baseline understanding of hardware components and operating system technologies.

CompTIA Strata exams are not certifications, but a confirmation of an individual’s understanding of technology basics.

For More Information – CompTIA’s Strata Exams

Will CompTIA bring these to the U.S.?

Why Can’t We Make Software That Installs and Uninstalls Anymore – Here I with Mike (who is also writing this) sit in the server room waiting for an installation that has gone bad.  It seems like this is happening more and more.   Companies seem to rush software out to be competitive without truly beta testing it.

Things that happen:

• The software begins to install and then the hard drive light stops blinking for a loooonnnnngggg time.
• The software stops responding (Boy the mouse moves and Ctrl-Alt-Delete Works)
• The computer spontaneously reboots
• The computer freezes (mouse and all!)
• You uninstall the application and guts are left behind
• You double click setup and nothing happens
• You double click setup and the application begins installing and disappears
• You reboot your computer “as requested” and Windows is corrupt
• You reboot your computer after installing and it (the software) is not listed in the programs
• An error pops up wanting to send the message to Microsoft.
• The program starts requesting updates immediately.  After getting them it stops functioning.
• Don’t get me started on Linux (8 thousand ways to install software and then modifying 800 files to get the proper configuration)
• After updating a program there are problems and removing the updated version breaks the previous version
• The newer version has a Java interface and when you push a ‘next’, ‘enter’ button or whatever it just blinks. (You have the latest version of Java or Flahs! – Which it seems you update daily)
• The software works on the previous workday.  There have been no updates to the OS or ANY applications and today it doesn’t work.
• We recently installed software on a MAC and got totally lock up.  YES MACS LOCK UP.  The commercial isn’t true.

Final notes- if the software vendor makes a tool that helps to uninstall a program (in addition to the Add/Remove Programs)…..well, you get the picture.

By the way – started at 7:22 am CST and still holding on and off – 3:32 pm CST.   The end result – I gambled and tried something that worked (I looked at Mike and got his advice “Mike this isn’t working.  Let’s try this, keep them busy.”)  The end result is this – experiment with your computer.  Use virtualbox and try freeware, opensource and go through the operating system daily.  The experience you gather from doing so may help you in the end.   We emailed the company this morning and told them how we fixed it.  They informed us yesterday that they had hundreds of complaints and dozens of people waiting for a fix.

I just went over to my doc’s house to hook up his HP Deskjet 932 C.  His new Dell is Vista 64 bit.  After swapping his old LPT cable for a USB, I went to HP’s website to see what needed to be done before plugging the USB into the computer.  HP says to turn the printer on after plugging both sides in and your printer would be ready to use.  NOT!!!  The operating system returned your unknown usb device is ready to use.  Yep….whatever!

Being an old techie, I decided to manually load the printer and manually select the printer placing the port on LPT1.  This forced the driver to load.  Don’t print if you do this.  Now, go to the device manager and delete the unknown usb device under USB Devices.  Next, turn the printer off and on.  The printer driver will now be found and it should load a second printer.  Delete the first printer you loaded.

Flaw In Sears Website Left Database Open To Attack – DarkReading

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Crime expert backs calls for ‘licence to compute’

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