Computer Tech Weirdo

Installing a new Windows OS? Need programs fast? Check this website out! (windows)

ctechweirdo — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:55:42 +0000

It seems like I’m constantly installing new operating systems on computers. When I do this, I have a routine of installing things on the computer, and usually this takes about a good 2 hours. Thanks to www.lifehacker.com for finding a website that groups applications into one big installer. They’re all freeware and they’re all great software!

All you have to do is go to the ninite website posted below, check box the applications you want, then click get installer. An installer will come up and will automatically install all the applications you selected.

http://ninite.com/

This is going to save a lot of time. Check it out!

Installing Linux Ubuntu on a computer with only a floppy drive, no OS, and no BIOS USB boot support

ctechweirdo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:08:22 +0000

What’s the best way to breath life into an old, slow computer running Windows 2000 or less? Install Ubuntu! This past week I installed Ubuntu on an old Dell laptop that was slower than molasses with Windows 2000! You wouldn’t believe the difference with Ubuntu on it! It was like a brand new computer and it ran really fast.

So how do you install Linux Ubuntu on a computer/laptop that has no OS on it, no CD drive, and no BIOS support to boot from USB? Well, I’ll show you how. Please read through the instructions before you begin and prepare everything accordingly.

Things you’ll need:

Second working computer with Windows OS with a floppy disk drive (you could also purchase a USB floppy disk drive)
>= 2gb USB Flash Drive
1 Floppy Disk (you can find these at flea markets, jockey lots, goodwill, and on ebay)
1-2hrs time

Preparation:

Download PLOP
Download RawWrite (the first one for Windows source)
Download the Ubuntu ISO file
Download Linux Live USB Creator

Steps:

1. Unzip all zipped files and put them into a folder.

2. Insert the floppy disk and go to Computer. Right-click on the floppy drive and click FORMAT.

3. Use these floppy settings:

3. Open RawWrite and in IMAGE FILE area, locate the PLOP img. Then select write.
Note: If writing fails due to driver issues, go to the device manager and delete the drivers for your floppy drive. Then re-install them.

4. Plug in your USB flash drive and open up Linux Live USB Creator and use the following settings:

5. On the computer we’re installing Ubuntu on, insert the floppy with PLOP on it, reboot the computer and go into setup BIOS page (F2,F10,ESC, depends on computer). Find the BOOT ORDER page and select both FLOPPY drive boot and HDD boot. Exit and save changes.

6. Your computer will boot to your floppy drive and the PLOP install menu will come up, follow the on screen instructions to install PLOP, then restart the computer and eject the floppy disk.

7. Your computer should boot into the PLOP main menu. Insert the USB flash drive that you used to create the live usb boot, then in the PLOP menu go down to USB and hit enter.

8. If all goes well, the Ubuntu install screen should come up. Follow the on screen instructions to install Ubuntu.

Not that hard, but took a while to figure out. Hopefully you’ll be able to do it without any issues.

About Computer Tech Weirdo

ctechweirdo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:21:39 +0000

This a brand new blog dedicated to the ongoing hijinx of one Yousef A-H. I deal with computers and computer problems almost daily and have decided to share some of my knowledge with people around the world. I work on all 3 major operating systems, Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux and I’m going to share stories of troubleshooting, tutorials, information about these systems, or even tell you about cool applications that you can get for each one. Enjoy!