Asus Chromebox Review

ASUS’ first desktop Chrome OS device is simply called the Chromebox. From a distance it looks like a somewhat larger Intel NUC. The low profile, square form factor has become the shape of choice for bringing Ultrabook CPUs to desktops. ASUS’ take on the design is matte plastic on all faces, with a glossy plastic trim around the top. There’s a single white LED above the power button on the unit. Google’s Chrome logo and brand integrate nicely on the top of the box. Google appears to be learning from the mistakes of its predecessors - logos are ok, as long as they don’t clutter up the design.

More expensive materials would be nice but for $179, I’m not complaining. In a world where small dimensions usually come at a premium, ASUS and Google continue the Chrome OS trend of delivering a better than expected experience at a given price point.

ASUS Chromebox Comparison ASUS Chromebox vs. Intel Haswell NUC

ASUS Chromebox
	ASUS Chromebox	Intel Haswell NUC
OS Preloaded	Google Chrome OS	None
CPU	Intel Celeron 2955U (2C/2T 1.4GHz 2MB L3) Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3) Intel Core i7-4600U (2C/4T 2.1/3.3GHz 4MB L3)	Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3) Intel Core i5-4250U (2C/4T 1.3/2.6GHz 3MB L3)
GPU	Celeron: Intel HD (200/1000MHz) Core i3: Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) Core i7: Intel HD 4400 (200/1100MHz)	Core i3: Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) Core i5: Intel HD 5000 (200/1000MHz)
Memory	2GB/4GB configs, 2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM Slots	2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM Slots
Storage	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	1 x mini PCIe (full length)
LAN	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Wireless	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	1 x mini PCIe (half length)
External I/O	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	4 x USB 3.0 1 x mini HDMI 1 x mini DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)
Power Supply	65W	65W
Dimensions	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.59" x 4.41" x 1.36"
Starting Price	$179	$285

The Chromebox has four USB 3.0 ports. Two are located on the front, and two more around back. On the back side there’s also a Gigabit Ethernet port, DisplayPort and HDMI outputs as well as a 1/8" audio out.

There’s an SD card reader on the left side of the unit, along with a Kensington security slot. The recovery switch is just above the security slot. To enter recovery mode use a pin or paperclip to keep the switch pressed down while powering up the unit. Hit CTRL+D to boot into dev mode once at the recovery screen.

Despite ASUS’ initial claims that its Chromebox would be fanless, there is a single fan inside the machine. Air is brought in through the bottom and vented through the back of the chassis. Fan noise is minimal, and it is entirely possible to run the machine without the fan spinning up but open up enough tabs and you’ll find the fan humming away all the time. My review unit was a development unit, which ASUS claims was a bit louder than final retail units will be. Given the low performance requirements of Chrome OS and the low thermal footprint of the Haswell based Celeron inside, noise isn’t an issue with the ASUS Chromebox.

As with anything this size, the power supply is external. In this case ASUS uses an AC adapter that looks a lot like what you get with one of its Ultrabooks. The external power supply can deliver up to 65W, although I never saw power consumption above 15W.
Hardware & Configurations

The Chromebox will be available in three different configurations. Each configuration is a fully functional PC with DRAM, storage and WiFi already configured. Chrome OS comes preloaded on all systems.

In the US you’ll only find the Celeron 2955U and Core i3 models. ASUS sampled me the $179 Celeron 2955U but upgraded to 4GB of RAM instead of the default 2GB.

ASUS Chromebox Configurations
	Chromebox-M004U	Chromebox-M025U	Chromebox-M020U
OS Preloaded	Google Chrome OS	Google Chrome OS	Google Chrome OS
CPU	Intel Celeron 2955U (2C/2T 1.4GHz 2MB L3)	Intel Core i3-4010U (2C/4T 1.7GHz 3MB L3)	Intel Core i7-4600U (2C/4T 2.1/3.3GHz 4MB L3)
GPU	Intel HD (200/1000MHz)	Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) 4K Video Support	Intel HD 4400 (200/1000MHz) 4K Video Support
Memory	1 x 2GB DDR3-1600	1 x 4GB DDR3-1600	2 x 2GB DDR3-1600
Storage	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years	16GB M.2 SSD + 100GB Google Drive for 2 years
LAN	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Wireless	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0	dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0
External I/O	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)	SD card reader 4 x USB 3.0 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x Audio Jack (mic-in/speaker out)
Power Supply	65W	65W	65W
Dimensions	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"	4.88" x 4.88" x 1.65"
MSRP	$179	$369	?

The Core i3 model ships with an ASUS Chromebox wireless keyboard and mouse (available for $50 separately). The Core i7 model, which isn't available in the US, features a remote control with QWERTY keyboard, external speaker and 1080p webcam.

The $179 configuration is clearly the sweet spot for ASUS’ Chromebox. While the Core i3 model does increase memory capacity and improves performance, unless you have a real need for 4K video out the savings offered by the entry level Celeron model are hard to beat.

Storage

One of the biggest problems with entry level PCs is they ship with a mechanical hard drive rather than solid state storage. The result is very high latency IO and a user experience that can be substantially worse than using a smartphone or tablet when it comes to launching apps. Many Chrome OS devices instead opt for shipping higher performance eMMC solutions or low end SSDs; ASUS’ Chromebox is no exception. All ASUS Chromebox models ship with a 16GB SanDisk U110 M.2 (SATA) SSD. ASUS isn’t multi-sourcing the drives, this should be the only thing you find if you crack open one of the boxes.

The Chromebox ships with an SD card reader and four USB 3.0 ports so you can obviously get media onto the device, there’s just not much space to store it. Also keep in mind that as with (almost) all SSDs you’ll want to keep a substantial amount of free space on the drive to avoid ruining the user experience. In the case of the U110 you have around 12GB free by default, and I wouldn’t drop below 3GB - 4GB free on the drive.

Given the small size of the internal SSD, I don’t expect we’ll see a lot of users pulling large files off of the drive. As there’s no support for network share access under Chrome OS, if you want to play an offline video you’ll have to either stream it off an attached USB/SD card or copy it locally from external storage. Although the Chromebox features four USB 3.0 ports, I measured max sequential write speed at around 42MB/s (copying from a USB 3.0 Patriot Supersonic Magnum SSD). I suspect we’re limited by the write speed to the single NAND device (likely two NAND die) on the U110.

All Chromebox owners receive 100GB of free Google Drive space for 2 years - an attempt to offset the limited local storage.

Memory

ASUS offers three different configurations of the Chromebox. The entry level $179 configuration ships with a single 2GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM. Even the upgraded Core i3 model ($369) only ships with a single 4GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM. It’s only the fully upgraded Chromebox M020U (Chrome for Meetings) that ships with two SO-DIMMs (2 x 2GB).

ASUS shipped me the $179 system upgraded with two 2GB DDR3-1600 SO-DIMMs (4GB total up from the 2GB base). For light usage I didn’t see DRAM usage exceed 2GB, however when I really started heavy multitasking with the machine I can see 2GB being a bit of a limit. I’m pretty confident that the $179 configuration will make for a good system as is, however it likely wouldn’t hurt to buy another 2GB SO-DIMM ($20 - $25).

Inside the ASUS Chromebox

Like the NUC, it's pretty easy to get inside the Chromebox. Peel off the four rubber feet underneath the box to reveal the four Phillips head screws. Remove the screws and use one of the screw holes to provide leverage to pop the bottom off and you're in.

ASUS' motherboard is slightly rectangular (11.25cm x 10cm) compared to the more square Intel NUC form factor (10cm x 10cm).

There are no real surprises on the inside. The Chromebox features two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, an M.2 SATA port and a mini-PCIe both of which come populated from the factory.

via AnandTech

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How to Peel a Pineapple

Remember Cheezels??? That's how you eat Cheezels, stick your finger through the hole. But this is a pineapple. that's a bit to big. Hahaha!!

When I made Pineapple Tarts for sale back when I was 17, I never peel my own pineapples. I pay extra 50 sen (for each fruit) to have it done. It's not easy to peel 10 pineapples each time I make the jam. And I make that a few times. I'd rather pay. But now, I only need one... So, I tried peeling this myself. My first attempt. Hahahah!!

I'm going to do another upside down cake, since I was dissapointed last time.

So before I bake the cakes again, here goes my peeling adventure..

Wonder why the numbers are not quite right with this 2nd peeling pic? Cos I missed those in the middle out during my initital editing, so I just quickly remedied it... haiya, nevermind la. Not perfect nevermind one.

Now, I can peel my own pineapple already. Can you? I'm sure you can.

Oh ya, one more thing about pineapples. I always bake with Morris variety. Huh? What what???

There are a few varieties of pineapple in Malaysia, and the common ones in the market are Morris, Josapine(not Josephine ok, no such pineapple), and Sarawak variety, with Morris being almost everywhere. It's at the rojak stalls, the cut fruit stalls, the juice stations.. Why? It's the cheapest!!!

Well, it's not because of the price that I use this, but because of the taste. I'm sure you won't want to bake with red apples, but green ones. Why? Things that are too sweet don't really taste that good when baked, right? I like Morris, due to the tartness, the amount of fibre it has (especially when it comes to pineapple tarts, the more fibre, the more jam I'll get from 1 fruit). Josapine is more of a eating pineapple than a baking one, that's my personal opinion., but then again, I don't eat fresh pineapples. Maybe due to bad experiences of them making my tongue sore when I was a kid, and they were Morris :)

Posted by guest blogger visit her blog at http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com

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Health Benefits Of Eating Pineapple

One fruit that has provided much health discussion is the good ol’ pineapple. Rarely was it referred to as anything other than a fresh slice of goodness, but lately the effects have provided a more quality review. There might be serious health benefits to men and women by consuming some sort of pineapple daily, whether it be fresh, canned, or the juice.

Pineapples are packed with precious vitamins and nutrients which cause the benefits to include the following:

1) Mighty Manganese

• Manganese is the first mineral of which pineapple contains valuable amounts. Manganese functions in the human body to keep bones strong. Manganese assists in creating bone and connective tissue. 73% of the RDA of manganese can be obtained with simply one cup of pineapple. Calcium is commonly known as the most important component of bone strength, made popular by “Got Milk?”; however, manganese in pineapple helps in absorption of the calcium thus creating a double effect of bone strength. Youth and elderly can benefit from this- growth and maintenance can dually be achieved.

2) No Pain Bromelain

• The next essential agent that pineapple possesses is bromelain. Bromelain aids in managing pain, inflammation, swelling, discomfort, and other similar annoyances. Pain that can be associated with surgery, arthritis, or other inflammation related causes can be controlled and contained more effectively with the healing power of bromelian packed pineapple- the healing fruit.

Beneficial for Men and Women Alike

Pineapple is not more beneficial for one sex or age over the other. There are general health benefits to reach a wide range of consumers:

• Pineapple can help in the stomach and intestinal area for many different reasons. Pregnancy related problems such as nausea or morning sickness can be treated with simple pineapple consumption. Abdominal irritation, constipation, and even worm infestations can be remedied with this fruit. The GI tract is heavily benefited with pineapples. Even dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome has been known to be treated with pineapples; however, just the juice is not as fiber-packed.
• Thyroid regulation has been maintained with common consumption of pineapple.
• Respiratory troubles have been greatly helped with pineapple due to the high levels of the previously mentioned bromelain because of the anti-inflammatory properties keeping the bronchial walls from becoming inflamed.
• Pineapples work to keep the cardiac health.
• Pineapple is also positive in improving the overall immune system of an individual.

With all of these benefits affecting almost every system of the body, it is necessary to ensure that each individual does not have an allergy to pineapple for the benefits will not be fully revealed.

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ASRock H81M-HDS LGA 1150 mATX Intel Motherboard

• Supports New 4th and 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3/Xeon®/Pentium®/Celeron® Processors (Socket 1150)
• 100% All Solid Capacitor design
• Supports Dual Channel DDR3 1600
• 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1
• Graphics Output Options : D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI
• Realtek Gigabit LAN
• 5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec)
• 2 x SATA3, 2 x SATA2, 4 x USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear). 8 x USB 2.0
• Supports A-Tuning, XFast 555, Easy Driver Installer, FAN-Tastic Tuning, USB Key

All Solid Capacitor Design All the capacitors on this board are built with 100% all solid capacitors. With these solid caps, ASRock motherboards are allowed to perform more stably and ensure longer lifetime.

4 USB 3.0 (2 Front, 2 Back) Besides the two USB 3.0 ports on the rear I/O supported by the chipset, this motherboard also has an added chip to support an additional front USB 3.0 header for two more USB 3.0 ports.

4 Power Phase Design Compared to other competitors 3 Power Phase design, ASRock uses 4 Power Phase design and sturdy components for delivering smoother power to the CPU, thus enhancing the motherboards performance at lower temperatures A-Tuning A-Tuning is ASRock's multi purpose software suite with a new interface, more new features and improved utilities, including XFast RAM, OC Tweaker and a whole lot more. FAN-Tastic Tuning Configure different fan speeds for respective temperatures using the graph. The fans will automatically shift to the next speed level when the assigned temperature is met.

Application

Best for Diskless workstation i.e CCBoot or NXD, suited for internet Cafe such as BattleLAN, school laboratory, or SOHO.

Specifications

Manufacturer	ASRock
Part #	H81M-HDS
Form Factor	Micro ATX
CPU Socket	LGA1150
Chipset	Intel H81
Memory Slots	2 x 240-pin DIMM
Memory Type	DDR3-1066 / 1333 / 1600
Max Memory	16GB
RAID Support	No
Onboard Video	Depends on CPU
CrossFire Support	No
SLI Support	No
SATA 3 Gb/s	2
SATA 6 Gb/s	2
Onboard Ethernet	1 x 10/100/1000 Mbps
Onboard USB 3.0 Header(s)	Yes

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My Five Best Linux LiveCD OS

Linux is so useful, you don't even need to install it before it gets to work. One of the popular uses of Linux is to create live media that can be used to run desktop systems or to create utility discs for all kinds of administration. Confused about the live CD that's right for you? No worries, we've got the top five live Linux CDs to get you started.

The popularity of live CDs has waned a little bit over the years, for a couple of reasons. One of the big reasons a lot of users chose a live CD, initially, was the difficulty of installation. Back in the day, Linux just wasn't as easy to install as it is now. And many users liked to use Linux on a live CD to get the hang of it before trying to dual-boot with Windows or replacing Windows altogether.

By the way, while we're talking about live CDs here, you're not restricted to CDs for most Linux live distros. Some ship full DVDs of software, and most are bootable from USB as well in case you have a netbook or other machine without a optical drive — or just happen to prefer carrying a USB key over a CD or DVD.

Selection criteria: So how were the distros chosen? You'll notice that none of the major Linux distros (a.k.a. Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Slackware, etc.) appear in the list, though most of the picks are derived from one of the major distros. Though Ubuntu, Linux Mint, et al. have perfectly serviceable live CDs or DVDs, they're not really designed for long-term use as a live distro. I'm sure some folks do use them that way, but they're the cream of the crop for installing to a hard drive — not for live media.

When choosing the best of the many live media Linux distros out there, I looked for distributions that are actively being developed, that serve a specific and useful purpose, and should be useful to a fairly wide audience. To that end, I picked from end user distros as well as utility distributions that are used for specific tasks.

But I tried to avoid discs that are just interesting to a very, very small audience. You'll find live media distros that are great for niche tasks, but not too interesting to 98% of the Linux community. For example, dyne:bolic looks really interesting for folks who want to do multimedia production. But how many folks want to do serious multimedia production off a live CD? (It also hasn't been updated in a while, so it'd be bumped out anyway...)

Without further delay, let's take a look at the discs that hit the top of charts.

The Undisputed Champion: Knoppix

You simply can't have a list of best Linux live CDs without Knoppix. If not the first live CD to appear, it's certainly the most successful and enjoys a very large and active community.

Knoppix is a Debian-based live CD that uses LXDE (at least in the default) as its desktop and includes most (if not all) of the software you'd want for a desktop system. It's updated regularly, if not speedily, and has excellent hardware support. Knoppix is primarily aimed at being run from live media — but it's proven so popular over the years that support for hard drive installation has been added.

Note that you're not going to see the same set of applications, or quite as up to date, as with Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, etc. Knoppix is optimized for speed and uses some default Debian apps. For instance, you'll get IceWeasel instead of Firefox. But, if you're looking for a live CD with great performance, Knoppix is the one to turn to.

The Knoppix site is just a wee tiny bit cluttered. One might get the impression that the Knoppix folks really, really want you to buy a CD or DVD rather than downloading. You can find downloads via the Torrent tracker (probably the best way to get it if you don't have an ISP that fiddles with Torrent traffic), or grab it from one of the mirrors.

Note that when you download Knoppix, the list of files can be somewhat confusing. Look for the latest version of Knoppix, and pay careful attention to the file names. The current release is 6.2.1, and you want to grab KNOPPIX_V6.2.1CD-2010-01-31-EN.iso for the English language release, or KNOPPIX_V6.2.1CD-2010-01-31-DE.iso for the German release. If you want the DVDs, look under the knoppix-dvd directory on the mirror. This can be confusing because the top of the listing will include Knoppix ADRIANE, which is the Audio Desktop Reference Implementation and Networking Environment. This is primarily for users who are blind or have limited vision.

If you do happen to accidentally download ADRIANE, don't fret — you can use the knoppix "cheat code" to start in the default Knoppix environment. What's a cheat code? One of the many options you can use at the ISOLINUX boot prompt. Here you can specify the language, keyboard set, time zone, and tell Knoppix to skip various hardware detection options if you've had trouble.

Tiny and Feisty: Puppy Linux

For older hardware, or for users who really like minimalist systems, there's Puppy Linux. The ISO image for Puppy Linux is less than 200MB, and can live entirely in RAM — assuming you have a modern system with more than 256MB of RAM, of course. Most systems should be able to easily handle Puppy.

Boot Puppy and you've got a nice little desktop system that has a browser, media player, Word processor, terminal emulator, file manager, drawing apps, the whole shebang. It just doesn't ship with the standard (and some might say, um, full-figured) apps you'll find with today's popular desktop distros. No Firefox, but you've got Midori. No LibreOffice, but you've got AbiWord.

And you can get those other apps. Puppy makes it easy to install packages of the popular (pupular?) and most widely used open source apps. But if you're going Puppy, why not go all the way and live on the slim side?

Ready to embrace the Pup? Head over and grab the latest release. Want it on your hard drive? Read the how not to install Puppy Linux docs.

It's also worth noting there's a variant of Puppy that might be interesting, called Quirky. It's built using Puppy's Woof builder system, and might be interesting for folks who want to experiment.

Backup and Restore Any OS with Clonezilla Live

Computers come and go, but data shouldn't. I love Linux because it's stable and runs on cheap (or expensive, if you prefer) hardware. Linux runs great on older and refurbished hardware, and in my experience is consistently stable and reliable. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for hardware — when you factor in failed RAM, dead hard drives, and so on. It's a good idea to assume that any given system is just one keystroke away from sudden death, and plan accordingly.

For work documents I use Dropbox to keep my writing and notes backed up. That covers my writing, Amazon MP3 downloads, Photos, and other essential data that fits under 50GB. But for the bulk of my data, I use Clonezilla to create a clone of my hard drive every few weeks so if my hard drive dies I can plop in a new drive and restore from backup.

Clonezilla is based on Linux and uses free software — but it doesn't judge. Have some Windows systems or an Intel-based Mac that you want to clone? No worries. Clonezilla will boot on 32- (x86) and 64-bit (amd64) systems, and it handles just about any filesystem you want to throw at it. Even if it doesn't support the filesystem, it can dd the data and restore it byte by byte. If it does support the filesystem type, it can save time by only copying the data used and not the entire filesystem.

You'll find two editions of Clonezilla, one meant to be run from a server and one (Clonezilla Live) to boot from CD or USB. Unless you have a bunch of machines to backup and restore (like a server room full), Clonezilla Live is what you'll want. Just boot the machine using the Live CD or USB, then back up to an external disk or over the network and you're good to go.

Help Me! SystemRescueCD

Along the same lines, I am a fan of SystemRescueCD and try to keep a current release on disc and USB at all times. I rarely need to use it, but when I do, it comes in very handy.

SystemRescueCD is a rescue disc for Linux systems in particular, but also can be used with other x86 or amd64 hardware. (An older version is available for SPARC systems, too.) You can even set it up for PXE booting if you like, so if you're in an environment with a lot of systems, you can dispense with the USB/live CD media and boot systems using PXE. If you need to boot a system and copy data off, or try to rescue the system, or want to nuke the data — SystemRescueCD is for you.

SystemRescueCD has a full complement of rescue tools, networking tools, partitioning tools, and so forth. If it doesn't have everything you need, it comes very, very close. Check out SystemRescueCD today and make sure you have a copy before you need it.

Network Security Toolkit

Last, but certainly not least, there's the Fedora-based Network Security Toolkit (NST). If you've ever looked at the top 100 security tools published by Insecure.org and thought "gee, I wish I had all those in a convenient live media" then you'll love NST.

Granted, it doesn't have all 100, but it comes really close. You'll get Wireshark, Nmap, Snort, Nessus, and even some nifty network geolocation features.

NST sports a Web User Interface that's easy to use, as far as network tools go, and is a must-have for any network or system administrator — or Linux enthusiasts who want to learn more about networking. Like the SystemRescueCD, this isn't one I reach for often, but I like having it around. Note that it's available not only as a live media image, but also as a virtual appliance if you'd prefer to spin it up in VMware Player or Workstation.

Summary

Even if you're not a live CD aficionado, I'd recommend having a live CD on hand anyway. In particular, I'd suggest having the SystemRescueCD or Knoppix tucked away for emergencies. If your hard drive dies or a system update goes awry, being able to boot a system from live media makes a big difference. It's also handy when friends have computer problems, and a good chance to show off Linux to boot.

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UNetbootin : Universal Netboot Installer

UNetbootin is a Universal Netboot Installer that allows you to create bootable Live USB drives for Windows and other Linux distributions without burning a CD.

It runs on both Windows and Linux. You can either let UNetbootin download one of the many distributions supported out-of-the-box for you, or supply your own Windows or Linux .iso file if you’ve already downloaded one or your preferred distribution isn’t on the list.

You can download UNetbootin from here.

Advantages of bootable USB sticks with UNetbootin.

There are some clear advantages of bootable USB flash drives over CDs/DVDs: Your notebook doesn’t have an optical drive or it’s broken… You can carry around a fully functional operating system on your keyring… Data can be stored on the flash drive while on Live CDs you can’t…

Most likely you will want to install a Linux distribution, or a Windows distribution you have the .iso file. A bootable USB drive can also come incredibly handy when you have to backup your broken computer, and there are a lot more scenarios. UNetbootin has built-in support for numerous distributions, including Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, PCLinuxOS, Linux Mint, ArchLinux, Debian, CentOS, Frugalware, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and Parted Magic, though many other distributions can also be installed via an existing ISO or floppy/hard disk image file.

Visit UNetbootin at http://unetbootin.net/

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How-To Make Live USB Bootable Ubuntu 9.04

Ubuntu 9.04 is the latest in line of Ubuntu Linux operating system, which is faster and has a more improved user experience. I have only 3 partitions on my hard disk, one for Windows Vista, one for Windows 7 beta, and one for my local files. I am used to 3 partitions maximum, since it looks less cluttered this way. Instead of creating a fourth partition, why not try installing it on a USB drive? Obviously, doing a proper install is better than doing a installation on USB, but since I don’t use Ubuntu much creating a fourth partition doesn’t make sense either.

For those having problems with bootable live CD, they can try creating a bootable live USB.

UNetbootin is a free portable tool for both Windows and Linux that lets you create bootable live USB drives for a variety of Linux distributions. It also lets you do a quick ‘frugal install’, but we will only cover the procedures for creating a bootable live Ubuntu USB in this post.

Once you run this tool, you get two choices. Either you can select to download a Linux distribution from the list or you can locate the disk image of the Linux distribution you downloaded. If you have not downloaded Ubuntu yet, select Ubuntu from the list of Linux distributions and then select the latest version 9.04_live from the list.

In my case, I already downloaded Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition Image file(.iso file) from the website, so the later option would be best for me.

Note: You should have a USB Drive with a minimum 1GB of free memory.

Once the installation is complete, it will ask you to restart the computer. Click Reboot Now to restart your system.

Now while your system is starting up press the appropriate button(usually F1, F2, F12, ESC, Backspace, or Escape) to bring up Bios Boot Menu. Now change the startup order to boot USB by default, usually you will have to press F6 to move the selected USB device on top. Once done, save changes and restart the system. Now you will have Ubuntu running from USB drive.

Note: If you get ‘BOOTMGR is missing’ error, then this article will help you fix it.

Enjoy!

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Fixing "BOOTMGR is missing" Error While Trying to Boot Windows 7 or Vista

If your Windows 7 or Vista computer has encountered the dreaded “BOOTMGR is missing” error, you aren’t alone. If the problem isn’t hardware related you can fix it with relative ease as long as you have a Windows DVD handy.

If you don’t have one, you can create a Windows Vista repair disk using this guide.

Boot off the Windows Vista DVD and then click Next at the first prompt:

You should see a link in the lower left-hand side for “Repair your computer”

The installation process will attempt to find your Vista installation directory. If there’s more than one in the list, select the correct one and then use the Next button again.

Click the first link for “Startup Repair”

The installation process will repair the system, and then prompt for you to reboot.

Alternatively you could have chosen the Command Prompt option instead, and use the following command to fix the boot options only:

bootrec /fixboot

At this point you should be able to reboot your computer, remove the DVD and everything should be working.

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How-To Make Windows 7 System Repair Disc

The new version of Windows seems to be a lot for stable than previous releases, however you never know when a malfunction might occur. Today we take a look at an option in Windows 7 that lets you create a System Repair disc in case you need to boot from it to recover your OS.

Create System Repair Disc

Type system repair disc into the search box in the Start menu.

The dialog box opens where you select the right drive and click Create disc. A CD will be fine as it only takes up 142MB of space.

Using the Disc

If you are having problems with your machine just pop in the recovery disc and boot from it and enter into Windows Setup [EMS Enabled].

After it boots up you can access recovery tools or restore the computer back to a system image.

Now you can choose from different recovery options to help you get your machine back up and running.

You never know when an Operating System disaster might occur, but having a System Recovery Disc to boot from should be part of your backup and recovery toolbox in case it does.

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How-To Create Repair Disc For Windows 7, Vista

If you have purchased or own a PC (Personal Computer) whose OS (operating system) is Windows 7 or Vista that is pre-installed, you most likely don’t have a regular Windows repair disc. What you do have is some crappy disc from the manufacturer that totally wipes your computer back to factory settings. What if you just want to run Startup repair off the install cd without losing all your settings?

Windows 7 Users: Click Here to Learn How to Create a System Repair Disc for Free

It turns out that Microsoft is going to let you create your own Windows 7 or Vista repair disc when Service Pack 1 comes out in a month or so. If you can’t wait that long, the nice people over at Neosmart have created their own Windows 7 or Vista Repair Disc available for download. Update: it looks like the discs are no longer free.

The file is an ISO image file… if you are familiar then skip to the link, otherwise we’ve also got instructions on how to create a CD from the ISO file.

Burn Windows 7 or Vista Recovery Disc ISO to CD

You may already have a tool to do this such as Nero, but the best tool available for burning ISOs is ImgBurn, a freeware utility that does nothing else but burn ISO images, and it does it well.

Open up ImgBurn, and then click on the “Browse for a file” button, selecting the file you downloaded from Neosmart.

Put a blank CD into the drive, and then click the big Write button.

That’s about all there is to it… you now have your very own Vista Recovery CD.

Download ImgBurn from imgburn.com here.

Download Windows 7 or Vista Recovery Disc from neosmart.net here.

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