Simple Help http://www.simplehelp.net Common questions, simple answers Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en simplehelphttp://feedburner.google.com How to view live updates in a file under Linux http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/Qj_C8WJLVAE/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/30/how-to-view-live-updates-in-a-file-under-linux/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:20 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2922

If you administer a Linux server or are a developer it is quite likely that you might need to watch a file to check for live updates to it. It could be a log file which you want to keep an eye on to see if any errors or messages appear, or it could just be a file with some data written into it. Here’s a way you can have that file update itself rather than your having to hit the refresh button constantly.

Say you want to monitor the Apache web server log file, /var/log/http/access.log. Use the following command to get live updates:

# tail -f /var/log/http/access.log

When you hit the Return key you should see the last few entries in the file (if there are any) and then the command will wait for further updates to the file and update automatically. One drawback of this command is that you can not scroll up or down using tail. Another drawback of this command is that if you are monitoring a file that gets rolled (the file gets moved to another file and a new blank file is used instead of the first one), then this command will stop the updates. We have a solution for the second problem. Use the following syntax:

# tail -F /var/log/http/access.log

The upper case -F ensures that even if the file rolls it will continue reading from the new file, which is quite useful. I usually just use this option regardless of whether I think the file might roll or not.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/30/how-to-view-live-updates-in-a-file-under-linux/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/30/how-to-view-live-updates-in-a-file-under-linux/ How to password protect files in Linux http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/dtFawOSjbD0/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/how-to-password-protect-files-in-linux/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:40:57 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2929 Security

If you store important information on your Linux server and want to make sure it is for your eyes only you need to password protect these files. Let’s see how you can do this with Linux.

First, pick a good password. There are a few websites on the Internet that help you generate strong passwords. Try and pick an alphanumeric password. Something such as Rv7fkcxASW8h would be a good choice.

Now check to see if you have the package gpg installed on your computer. Run the following command to check:

# whereis gpg
gpg: /usr/bin/gpg /usr/share/man/man1/gpg.1.gz

If you get an output like the one shown above it means you have the required package installed. If not, check your Linux distribution’s documentation to see how you can install the GPG package.

Say you want to password protect a file called dbbackup.zip with the password Rv7fkcxASW8h here’s how you would go about it:

# gpg -c dbbackup.zip

When you enter this you will be requested to enter a passphrase, which is the password you want to protect the file with. Enter the password twice. Now you should see a file called dbbackup.zip.gpg in the same directory as the original file. This is the encrypted and password protected copy of the original file. You can store this file on your hard drive or ship it to someone on a DVD knowing that it will be very hard and nearly impossible for most people to crack it.

When you want to read the file you will need to remove the password protected encryption. For that execute the following command:

gpg dbbackup.zip.gpg

You will be asked to enter the password using which the file was protected. Enter that and you should be in business. Note that this only works for files and not for folders. You should create a zip or tar archive of the files you want to secure and then add the password protected encryption to it.

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/how-to-password-protect-files-in-linux/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/how-to-password-protect-files-in-linux/ Qimo - an Operating System designed for kids http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/t5Z_z5O91zY/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/qimo-an-operating-system-designed-for-kids/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:26:24 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2920

From the Qimo home page:

Qimo is a desktop operating system designed for kids. Based on the open source Ubuntu Linux desktop, Qimo comes pre-installed with educational games for children aged 3 and up.

Qimo’s interface has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use, providing large icons for all installed games, so that even the youngest users have no trouble selecting the activity they want.

Qimo needs a minimum of 256MB of memory to run from the CD, or 192MB to install. At least 6 GB of hard drive space is recommended, and a 400MHz or faster CPU. Because of its very minimal system requirements, it’s a fantastic OS to install on that old PC sitting in your closet and put in your childs room.

This tutorial will guide you through installing Qimo, and give a brief overview of the apps that are included, as well as instructions on removing some of the ones you may not want your child to access.

  1. To get started, download the Qimo .iso file. You’ll need to burn this .iso to a CD or DVD (it does fit on a CD). Once completed, insert the CD/DVD into your CD/DVD-ROM and boot up your computer. Make sure that your PC is set to boot from the CD/DVD drive first (before the hard disk or other drive).

    You’ll be presented with the initial Qimo boot screen. Because Qimo is a LiveCD, you can try it before you install it, if you’d like. Select Try Qimo without any change to your computer if you’d like to give it a run before you actually install it. This tutorial will actually walk you through the complete installation process - to do so click the down arrow on your keyboard to highlight Install Qimo and then hit Enter.


    2. click to enlarge

  2. The Qimo installer will begin to load.


    3. click to enlarge

  3. The first step of the installation is to select your language. Do so from the list on the left side of the screen, and then click the Forward button.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. Now select the city closest to you (in your time zone) from the drop-down menu, and click the Forward button.


    5. click to enlarge

  5. Select your keyboard layout from the list in the left column, and again, click the Forward button.


    6. click to enlarge

  6. Now you’ll need to decide how much disk space to allocate to Qimo. Because I’m going to dedicate the entire hard drive to Qimo, I selected Guided - use entire disk. If you don’t want to use your entire hard drive for Qimo, select Manual and use the ’slider’ to determine how much space Qimo gets vs. any other operating system(s) you may already have installed. When you’re ready, click the Forward button.


    7. click to enlarge

  7. Now you’ll need to create a profile. Enter your name, a user name, password and name for the computer. NOTE: do NOT place a check in the box labeled Log in automatically. Qimo will automatically create a username named “qimo” which is the user that your child will log in with. This username automatically signs in each time Qimo starts - your child doesn’t need to enter a user or pass. The account created on this screen is for you to use to administrate the PC. Click the Forward button to continue.


    8. click to enlarge

  8. That’s it - you’re ready to install Qimo. Click the Install button after you’ve reviewed all the info on the summary page.


    9. click to enlarge

  9. Qimo will now install. This may be a good time to go grab a cup of coffee.

  10. Once the installation has completed, click the Restart now button.

  11. Qimo will now start up.


    12. click to enlarge

  12. Because Qimo automatically logs in with the ‘qimo’ account (the account your child should/will use) you’ll be taken directly to the desktop.


    13. click to enlarge

  13. The “Dock” at the bottom of the screen includes links to the apps your child will use most.

  14. The first app in the Toolbar is Text Editor which is exactly as you’d guess - a text editor. Your kids can create brief notes or use it to write out homework.
  15. The second app in the Toolbar is GCompris, a collection of general educational games that are appropriate for children ages 2 and up.


    16. click to enlarge

  16. Childsplay is a collection of educational games.


    17. click to enlarge

  17. TuxPaint is a very simple Paint program that allows your children to create colorful pictures, posters, cards and letters.


    18. click to enlarge

  18. Tux Math teaches mathematics through a series of fun games.


    19. click to enlarge

  19. Certain programs are off-limits to the ‘qimo’ user (your childs account). When/if they try to run those programs, they’ll get an error message similar to the one displayed in the screenshot below.

  20. However, some programs are not off limits. For example, Firefox can be used by the qimo user. The easiest solution to avoid having your child use programs like Firefox, Transmission (bittorrent), IRC or Instant Messaging, is to keep the PC offline entirely.

  21. To quickly update the system, open a Terminal and enter the command su your-user-name (where your-user-name was the one you selected back in step #7). Enter your password when prompted, and then issue the command sudo apt-get update


    22. click to enlarge

  22. Now enter the command sudo apt-get -f install


    23. click to enlarge

  23. If you’d like to remove programs from qimo entirely, enter the command sudo /usr/sbin/synaptic to launch the Synaptic Package Manager.


    24. click to enlarge

  24. From here you can easily search for and remove any programs that you simply don’t want on the PC.


    25. click to enlarge

  25. You can also administer Qimo by logging out of your current session, and logging back in with the username and password you created in step #7.


    26. click to enlarge

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]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/qimo-an-operating-system-designed-for-kids/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/29/qimo-an-operating-system-designed-for-kids/ How to backup your PSP game data to your PC http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/JIrJ41a_U8s/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/16/how-to-backup-your-psp-game-data-to-your-pc/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:00:41 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2913

This brief tutorial will guide you through the steps required to backup your PlayStation Portable game data (saved games, characters etc) to your PC.

  1. The first step is to download and install Sony Media Go. The installation is pretty straight forward, and Media Go will automatically download and install any additional software it requires in order to function. The installation can take a while, so you may want to have your PSP handy to play some games while it’s installing
  2. Once installed, connect your PSP to your PC using a USB cable. Make sure to put your PSP into USB Mode by selecting (on your PSP) Settings -> USB Connection and confirm that it says USB Mode
  3. Launch Sony Media Go on your PC if it isn’t already running. Ensure that your PSP shows up in the left navigation menu. Select Saved Data from the PSP section of that menu.


    4. click to enlarge

  4. Click and drag your mouse over all of the Game icons from the top panel to select them all, or hold down the ctrl button on your keyboard and select only the ones you want to back up.


    5. click to enlarge

  5. Now drag those Game icons to the Saved Data section of the Library. The transfer will be very quick, but if you have a lot of saved game data, it might take a bit longer.

  6. Now if you select Saved Data from the Library, you’ll see icons for each of the games you opted to backup. At any point in time, if your Memory Stick becomes corrupt, lost etc, you can drag the data from your Library back to the Memory Stick, and all of your saved games etc will be restored.


    7. click to enlarge

  7. That’s it!

    8. ---
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    ]]> http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/16/how-to-backup-your-psp-game-data-to-your-pc/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/16/how-to-backup-your-psp-game-data-to-your-pc/ How to change the timestamps of any Windows file http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/quA8tmfMtZU/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/15/how-to-change-the-timestamps-of-any-windows-file/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:42 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2909

    This brief tutorial will show you how to change the Created, Modified and Accessed timestamps for any file in Windows.

    1. Start out by downloading and installing SKTimeStamp. The installation is very straight forward - you’ll click ‘Next’ a few times and be done.
    2. Now select a file, right-click it and choose Properties from the menu

    3. On the General tab you can view the Created:, Modified: and Accessed: timestamps (date and time for each attribute). Once you’ve installed SKTimeStamp, a third tab will appear on the Properties window - TimeStamps. Select this tab.

    4. Using the drop-down arrow next to each item (Created:, Last modified: and Last accessed:) you can alter the date for each of attribute. You can also alter the specific time by using the up and down arrows of the ‘time’ section for each item.

    5. Once you’ve made all the changes you want to the file, click the Apply button.

    6. Click OK and once again right-click the file and select Properties. You’ll notice that the time stamps have changed.

    7. If you ever want to quickly update the Modified time stamp of a file to the current day and time, right-click that file, select Properties, select the TimeStamps tab, and then click the Touch button. That will instantly change the Last modified entry to the current day and time.

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    How to change the timestamps of any Windows file - Simple Help


    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/15/how-to-change-the-timestamps-of-any-windows-file/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/15/how-to-change-the-timestamps-of-any-windows-file/     How to restore all your IE Bookmark Favicons at once http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/wpGOFmEDBdQ/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/12/how-to-restore-all-your-ie-bookmark-favicons-at-once/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:30:23 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2903

    This brief tutorial will show you how to quickly restore all the favicons (the small images next to the bookmark name that can help you quickly identify the site) in your IE Favorites.

    1. When viewing your IE Favorites, there should be an icon next to each entry.

    2. However, because of the way IE stores these icons, they can disappear over time (as your cache clears).

    3. Rather than re-visit every site to restore the icon (which can take an incredibly long time) - download and run FavIconizer. FavIconizer doesn’t need to be installed - just download the .exe and run it. If you have a lot of Favorites missing their icons, click the Rescan all links button. If you have relatively few Favorites missing icons, click the Find missing FavIcons button.

    4. FavIconizer will scan all of the links in your Favorites, and re-download any missing icons.

    5. Once again, all of your Favorites will have their icons back.

    6. That’s it!

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/12/how-to-restore-all-your-ie-bookmark-favicons-at-once/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/12/how-to-restore-all-your-ie-bookmark-favicons-at-once/     How to convert videos to play on your PSP http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/Xv2Zd_-L-l8/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/11/how-to-convert-videos-to-play-on-your-psp/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:00:37 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2891

    This tutorial will guide you through the steps to convert video files - movies, TV shows etc, to play on your PlayStation Portable.

    1. First things first, head over to the download page for PSP Video 9 and download and install the Windows version. The installation is very straight forward - you’ll mostly click “Next” a bunch of times. Once the installation has completed, launch PSP Video 9. You should be greeted with an Initial Setup page. If you’re not, close PSP Video 9 and launch it again (I had to open it twice to get the Initial Setup). On that page, select your PSP model from the drop-down list.


      2. click to enlarge

    2. Then click the orange Next button.


      3. click to enlarge

    3. If you want to use PSP Video 9 to transfer the resulting video file to your PSP after it has been converted, plug in your PSP now using a USB cable. After it’s plugged in, click the orange Next button.


      4. click to enlarge

    4. It should find your PSP, and at this point your setup is complete. Again, click the orange Next button.


      5. click to enlarge

    5. Now you’ll be at the Home section of PSP Video 9.


      6. click to enlarge

    6. Select the Convert tab from the very top menu, and then the Video File tab directly below it.


      7. click to enlarge

    7. On the Video File window, click the large Normal Mode button.


      8. click to enlarge

    8. From the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Select File button.


      9. click to enlarge

    9. Navigate to the video file you want to convert for your PSP, select it, and click Open.


      10. click to enlarge

    10. The default “Save” location for your converted file is in the My Documents -> Red Kawa -> Videos folder. I left this as the folder, but if you want to change it, click the Browse button and select another folder to save your converted video in. When you’re ready, click the orange Next button.


      11. click to enlarge

    11. Give your video a name/title by entering it in the Title field at the bottom of the screen. Once again, click the orange Next button.


      12. click to enlarge

    12. Now you select all of your video (and audio) settings. I opted for the New Video Format, Widescreen as the Video Size, High as the Video Quality, turned Enhanced Quality On, and set the Audio Quality to High. These are all personal preferences, so set them as you wish. You may also want to experiment with them to see what best works for you and your PSP. When you’re happy with your settings, click the orange Next button.


      13. click to enlarge

    13. Finally, it’s time to convert the video. Click the Start Converting button from the bottom-right corner of the window.


      14. click to enlarge

    14. To watch the progress, click the View Conversion Progress link.


      15. click to enlarge

    15. From here you can monitor the conversion progress and see how long the complete conversion will take in the Time Remaining: area.

    16. Once the conversion has completed, click the Library tab from the very top menu-bar. You’ll see your newly converted file in the PC Files table. To copy that file to your PSP, click the Copy to Device button in the bottom right corner.


      17. click to enlarge

    17. PSP Video 9 will now copy the video file to the appropriate location on your PSP - and a thumbnail for that video.

    18. Once the copying has completed, you’ll see that video listed in the Device Files table.


      19. click to enlarge

    19. At this point you can eject your PSP (by using the Safely Remove Hardware system tray icon). Go to the Video section of your PSP, and your new video file will be listed. Watch it, and confirm the quality (both audio and video) is good enough for you. If it’s not, repeat the process but bump up the quality settings. Otherwise, enjoy your video!!


      20. click to enlarge

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/11/how-to-convert-videos-to-play-on-your-psp/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/11/how-to-convert-videos-to-play-on-your-psp/     How to organize your Windows Desktop for maximum efficiency http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/DtF6T9BjMd0/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/10/how-to-organize-your-windows-desktop-for-maximum-efficiency/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:06:36 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2877

    If you’re at all like me (or my mum) - your Windows desktop can quickly become cluttered with shortcuts and files. Using Stardock Fences you can not only organize your desktop for maximum efficiency (makes finding programs/files a snap) - it makes your desktop look great. This tutorial will guide you through setting up and using Fences.

    1. As you can see in the screenshot below, a Windows desktop can often become cluttered with icons, making it difficult to find what you’re looking for.


      2. click to enlarge

    2. That’s where Fences comes in. First up, a download Stardock Fences. The installation is very straight forward - you’ll mostly click “Next” a bunch of times. At the end of the installation you’ll get a Welcome to Fences! window. Click the large Start using Fences! button.

    3. On the Choose layout screen, click the Just create a couple fences button - we’ll add more further in this tutorial.


      4. click to enlarge

    4. You’ll notice two new “boxes” (fences) in the bottom right corner of your Windows desktop. One will be titled Project 1, the other Project 2. Don’t worry, we’ll be renaming these in a few moments.

    5. At this point you may also get a message asking if you’d like to open the Fences Settings. Click the Open Fences Settings button to do so.

    6. For the moment, we’re going to ignore the Fences Settings. Just move this window to the side.


      7. click to enlarge

    7. Right-click somewhere in the Project 1 background, and select Rename Fence….

    8. Change the name from Project 1 to something more appropriate for the icons you’ll “store” in this location. I’m going to put all the program shortcuts to my games in this Fence, so I named it Games.

    9. Now drag and drop all the icons you want to store in this Fence into it. As seen in the screenshot below, I moved all my game shortcuts into it.

    10. Repeat the steps above to rename Project 2, then drag and drop the icons into it. In the example below, I created one titled Documents, and this is where I store all my MS Word docs, Excel docs, text files and PDFs. When you add a lot of icons to a Fence, you’ll notice that a scroll bar appears.

    11. If you don’t want to scroll through a Fence to find the icon/file you’re looking for, move your cursor to the top of that Fence and it will turn into a “double-arrow”.

    12. Drag the “double-arrow” and your Fence will increase in size. You can make Fences larger both vertically and horizontally - whatever you prefer. Once the Fence is larger, the scroll bar will disappear and all of your shortcuts/files will be visible.

    13. You can also re-arrange Fences, or move them to an entirely different area on your Desktop, by hovering your mouse over the “Title Bar” of that fence until your cursor turns into the “4-arrow” version (see screenshot below). Then just click and drag the Fence to the location you’d like it to be in.

    14. If you still have the Fences Settings window open, skip down to step #15. Otherwise, right-click on a Fence, and select Edit Fences…

    15. From here you can adjust the settings for your Fences and get help on things like creating new Fences, customizing the label appearances, and changing the background color, level of transparency, etc.


      16. click to enlarge

    16. Speaking of creating new Fences… It’s actually very simple. Click any blank area of your Desktop with your right mouse button, and draw a rectangle. When you let go of the cursor, a Create new Fence here link will appear. Select it.

    17. Repeat that step, name each Fence, and drag and drop the appropriate icons/files to each Fence until you have a tidy and organized Desktop.

    18. Select the Customize tab from the Fences Settings. From here you can determine how labels are displayed (never, always, or only when you hover your mouse over that Fence). You can also change the background color and style for your Fences.


      19. click to enlarge

    19. One of the other neat features of Fences is the ability to hide everything on your Desktop. Just double-click a blank area of your Desktop, and everything will disappear. If you want to keep one (or more) of your Fences visible when you “hide everything” just right-click that fence and select Exclude from Quick-Hide.

    20. That’s it! Have fun creating and customizing your Fences.

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/10/how-to-organize-your-windows-desktop-for-maximum-efficiency/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/10/how-to-organize-your-windows-desktop-for-maximum-efficiency/     How to get a free copy of Everest Ultimate Edition http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/5INj859EYqY/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/09/how-to-get-a-free-copy-of-everest-ultimate-edition/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:48 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2880

    For a limited time, you can get a free copy of Everest Ultimate Edition - a system diagnostic, benchmarking, optimization and tweaking utility for Windows.

    You can get a complete overview of Everest Ultimate Edition here.

    To obtain your free license key, follow these simple steps.

    1. First up, visit this page. Enter your first name, last name and email address in the spaces provided (yes, the form is in German). You may want to use a temporary or “throw away” email address, as I can’t guarantee that pro.de (the company involved in this promotion) won’t spam you in the future.

    2. Now check your email. You should have a message from Pro.de (check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive within a few minutes). In that email, there will be a URL. Click that URL.

    3. You’ll be taken to a page that says (in German) - “Thanks for registering, you’ll receive the registration key within the next hour by email”. It did take roughly an hour for the email to arrive, so do be patient.

    4. Once the email comes, it will include a registration key for Everest Ultimate Edition.

    5. Finally, download and install the demo version of Everest Ultimate Edition. When prompted, click the Enter Product Key button and enter the key provided to you via email.
    6. That’s it! You now have a registered, fully functional copy of Everest Ultimate Edition!

    via Killer Tech Tips

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/09/how-to-get-a-free-copy-of-everest-ultimate-edition/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/09/how-to-get-a-free-copy-of-everest-ultimate-edition/     How to download and install Themes on your BlackBerry http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/wUK4IRIDLrc/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:40:16 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2855

    This tutorial will guide you all the way through installing themes - both “over the air” and manually, on your BlackBerry. Note: I have a BlackBerry Pearl 8120, so the screenshots and exact steps in this tutorial are using that model. However, I suspect they are nearly identical for most BlackBerrys.

    First you’ll need to find a theme that you like. Two of the best places (or at least my favorites) are themes4bb.com and the crackberry themes forum. Once you’ve found a theme you want to install, look for an “OTA” or “Over The Air” link. That’s the easiest way to install a theme. But if there is no OTA link and just a link to download the theme, have no fear, we’ll walk you through that too.

    Installing BlackBerry Themes Over The Air
    Installing BlackBerry Themes Manually


    Instructions for Installing BlackBerry Themes Over The Air

    1. Over the air installations (called OTA) allow you to point your BlackBerry browser to a file, and have it downloaded and installed directly from there. This is the easiest way to install themes and other BlackBerry software.
    2. In this example I’ll be installing the Custom Silver theme using the Over The Air method. Launch your BlackBerry browser and enter the URL http://themes4bb.com/upload/files/users/evancory/Silver/com_plazmic_theme_Silver.jad. Since that’s pretty long, and a lot to type, I’ve created a “shortened” version for you, which is http://tinyurl.com/dcxq22. They both take you to the same place (file).

    3. You’ll be prompted to download a file (com_plazmic_theme_Silver.jad). Click the Download button.

    4. Themes are generally not very large files, so the download won’t take very long.

    5. Once the download has completed, the installation should begin manually. If it doesn’t, click the Install button. Once it has successfully completed, click OK.

    6. Navigate to your Themes section (if you need help changing themes, see this tutorial) and select your newly installed theme.

    7. And now your newly installed theme is up and running, ready to go :)

      8.  


    Instructions for Installing BlackBerry Themes Manually

    1. Manually installing BlackBerry themes is a bit more involved than Over The Air installations. Generally these themes come in the form of a zip file, and you’ll need to download it to your PC. For this example I’m going to use a Vista BlackBerry Theme. Once downloaded, extract the zip file to somewhere on your hard drive that you’ll remember. I have a specific folder for BlackBerry themes, but anywhere will do.


      2. click to enlarge

    2. Now launch your BlackBerry Desktop Manager (and make sure your BlackBerry is connected to your PC). From the Main Menu select Application Loader

    3. From the Add / Remove Applications section, click the Start button.

    4. Click the Browse… button below the Device application selection list.


      click to enlarge

    5. Navigate to the folder you stored your theme file in, select it, and click Open.


      6. click to enlarge

    6. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager will now run a check on that file…


      7. click to enlarge

    7. and now it will be listed in the Device application selection list. Make sure that the check-box is checked, and that Install is the Action. Click the Next button.


      8. click to enlarge

    8. You’ll be presented with a Summary screen that will list your new theme as the ’software’ to install on your BlackBerry. Click Finish.


      9. click to enlarge

    9. First the theme will load…


      10. click to enlarge

    10. and then the BlackBerry Desktop Manager will make the connection to your device, and install the theme.


      11. click to enlarge

    11. At this point you should have a successful update. You can return to the main menu and/or disconnect your BlackBerry.


      12. click to enlarge

    12. Navigate to the Themes section of your BlackBerry Options ((if you need help changing themes, see this tutorial) and select your newly installed theme.

    13. Exit out of the Theme Options, and your new theme will be up and running. That’s it!

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-download-and-install-themes-on-your-blackberry/     How to change your BlackBerry Theme http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/fpJgSCxhm0k/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:33:17 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2867

    By default, a lot of mobile providers include a rather ugly and “branded” theme for your BlackBerry. This brief tutorial will show you how to change BlackBerry themes.

    1. As you can see in the screenshot below, my BlackBerry came with a painfully ugly - and branded (Rogers) default theme. The first thing I did was change this theme to something less obnoxious. To do so, select Options from the Applications screen.

    2. From the Options menu, scroll down to Theme and select it.

    3. Highlight a different theme, and click it.

    4. Return to the Options menu..

    5. and exit out of it. Now you’re using a different theme. Repeat the above steps until you’ve found a theme you’re happy with.

    6. If you want to find, download and install even more themes, see this tutorial.

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/06/08/how-to-change-your-blackberry-theme/     How to enable the root user account in Ubuntu Linux http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/I-xM9qWOR84/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/28/how-to-enable-the-root-user-account-in-ubuntu-linux/#comments Thu, 28 May 2009 14:42:36 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2834 Security

    Ubuntu Linux ships with the tool sudo all setup for you to use to perform any administrative tasks instead of giving you root user privileges. If you have used other flavors of Linux and performed any administrative tasks on them you will quite likely feel a bit constrained by sudo, even though you can do just about anything you can as root with sudo. In such cases you can enable the root user account which has been disabled by Ubuntu by default. Note: this could pose a security risk and is not recommended for beginners.

    There are two levels at which you can enable root access - the command line and in the Gnome desktop. To enable the root user login on the command line run the following command:

    # sudo passwd root

    The command line will prompt you to enter your password, and then the new root user password twice. Enter them correctly and your root command line login should be good to go.

    To enable the root user to now log into Gnome, open the file gdm.conf which will most likely be at /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf and change the AllowRoot condition to:

    AllowRoot=true

    Save the file. Log out of Gnome and log back in to activate your new settings.

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/28/how-to-enable-the-root-user-account-in-ubuntu-linux/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/28/how-to-enable-the-root-user-account-in-ubuntu-linux/     How to stop Ubuntu from asking for your sudo password http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/sNExq59Csog/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/27/how-to-stop-ubuntu-from-asking-for-your-sudo-password/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 10:48:44 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2830 Security

    If you use Ubuntu Linux it is quite likely that at some point or another you may have been frustrated at its asking for your password when trying to perform an administrative tasks, such as installing programs or changing system settings. Ubuntu uses the sudo tool to manage administrative rights rather than letting users easily log in as the root user. This is actually a good security measure. However, if you need to perform administrative tasks frequently it can get rather annoying. Here’s how you can set Ubuntu to not prompt for your password when using sudo.

    Note: this is something that is not recommended if you are using your computer in a public place or at your work, as this will compromise the security of your data. You’re better off setting this at your home desktop where you are likely to trust more people.

    Launch a terminal window and enter the following command:

    # sudo visudo

    Visudo is a tool used to edit the configuration file of sudo . The command will prompt your for your password. Enter it one last time. The configuration file will open in a text editor, most likely Nano. Scroll down to the end of the document and add the following line:

    username ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

    Replace username with the username of the user you want to allow a passwordless sudo. So if the user is calvin, you would enter:

    calvin ALL=NOPASSWD: ALL

    Save and exit the file. Log out, log in as the user calvin and test out your new passwordless sudo.

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/27/how-to-stop-ubuntu-from-asking-for-your-sudo-password/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/27/how-to-stop-ubuntu-from-asking-for-your-sudo-password/     How to install Ubuntu themes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/JwxpxsCGQPY/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/26/how-to-install-ubuntu-themes/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 10:00:24 +0000 Ross McKillop http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2815

    This tutorial will guide you through installing new Desktop Themes in Ubuntu Linux - and provide a couple of resources to find themes.

    1. First you’ll need to find some themes to download and try out. Techie Souls has a list of 50 of the best looking Ubuntu (Gnome) themes that you can peruse, complete with download links. And gnome-look.org is a great place to find even more themes.
    2. When you download themes, don’t uncompress them. Leave them as tar.gz files - just remember where you saved them. From the Ubuntu menu, select System -> Preferences -> Appearance.


      3. click to enlarge

    3. On the Appearance Preferences page, make sure that the Theme tab is selected. Then click the Install… button.


      4. click to enlarge

    4. Navigate to the theme file that you downloaded, select it, and click Open.


      5. click to enlarge

    5. The theme should now install. Click OK.

    6. Click the Apply New Theme button.

    7. And Ubuntu will now apply that theme, changing the look and style of Ubuntu.


      8. click to enlarge

    8. Repeat the above steps to try out other themes. That’s it!

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    ]]>     http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/26/how-to-install-ubuntu-themes/feed/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/26/how-to-install-ubuntu-themes/     How to Create a Multi Part Tar File with Linux http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/simplehelp/~3/j7JQUKbKafo/ http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/05/25/how-to-create-a-multi-part-tar-file-with-linux/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 18:25:45 +0000 Sukrit Dhandhania http://www.simplehelp.net/?p=2785

    Sometimes when you want to store your backup or any other large set of files online or want to share them someone else you need to find a way to compress and split the files into chunks of 100 or more Megabytes. I felt the need for this as well recently when I wanted to store my backups online and the online storage service had a cap of 100 MB per file. I found a really neat solution based on the tar command. Using this method I split my backup of about 1 GB into 10 chunks of 100 MB each with incremental filenames.

    The 1 GB file I wanted to split was called dbbackup.db. Here’s the command I ran to create multiple tar files of 100 MB each out of it:

    # tar -cf - dbbackup.db | split -b 100m - db_backup.tar

    This command took a long time to run. Once it was done running I was left with ten files, 100 MB each named db_backup.taraa, db_backup.tarab, db_backup.tarac, and so on and so forth.

    Now I can copy these files to my external storage or ship them with ease. To stitch the 1GB file back together all I need to do is to run the following command:

    # cat db_backup.tara* | (tar x)

    And voila, I get my original file again.

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