Free Geek Box

Free Geek of Providence is starting to distribute Free Geek Boxes in order to the public. First you might say what is Free Geek Providence? They do a better job of describing themselves. Here’s an description from there website:

Free Geek Providence is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to addressing the digital divide by providing computer training, redistributing computer technology and providing volunteer opportunities to our community while maintaining relationships with responsible recycling partners.

For a small donation you can receive a Free Geek Box. What will it have in it? From what info I gathered from the website it’ll usually have a Pentium III,256 MB RAM, network card and some other options available at an extra cost(minimal). For an operating system they loaded with Xubuntu (Linux based) which is free. For more detailed information you can check them out the Free Geek Providence website.

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Learning Linux

In my upcoming adventures with Free Geek Providence I’ll be encountering the operating system installation of a Linux based Xubuntu. To be honest I’ve only touched upon Linux as far as usability and real world testing.

I have tried some of the more popular ones like Ubuntu, Kubuntu. Xubuntu, Puppy Linux and Backtrack. Some have more of a learning curve than others. For someone used to a windows environment it can be intimidating. Terms such as KDE, Gnome, terminal server, command line, can be baffling to the new person(as they are to me to be honest). My goal is to try and weed through the jargon and understand Linux better.

I’ll be back with more about Learning Linux.

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Puppy Linux in Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

Here I do a couple of videos installing and using Puppy Linux in Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2007. At first I kind run into a snag but I worked out a few bugs and learned more about using the virtual software. It was fun doing it and I’m still learning about it. I hope your all having a great holiday!

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What is Free Geek?

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You may have noticed in some of my past posts mentioning “Free Geek” . I’ll attempt explain a little further. In a short and simple explanation they “Help the needy get nerdy” .  Here is the official mission statement from Free Geek of Providence "Free Geek Providence is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to addressing the digital divide by providing computer training, redistributing computer technology and providing volunteer opportunities to our community while maintaining relationships with responsible recycling partners."

They are a non-profit group that helps those who perhaps can’t either afford or uninitiated get acquainted with computers. The goal is to provide both training in both building and using a PC. They use free Linux operating system that is both free and relatively simple to use. On top of that they can walk away with a PC they build themselves or earn by volunteering  for the group for certain amount of time.

They do this using donated equipment. Computer stuff that is donated is gone through and tested. If obsolete is it is sent to a local responsible recycler rather than just sent over seas or dumped in the local landfill. Here is a video of what can happen to your old stuff from 60 Minutes. If it is reusable it is used for building units either for the volunteers(to earn) or for sale in a thrift store or online.

This is just a small snippet of what they do for the community. If your in the Rhode Island area and are interested in donating unused computer equipment click here to see more. The Free Geek that started it all can be seen here. Thanks for coming by and have a geeky day. What do you do with your old computer stuff?

Ubuntu Guide from PC World

Here is an excellent guide from PC World on how to install the latest release of Ubuntu Linux. It can still be a little intimidating for the uninitiated to install a Linux software. They have made it a bit simpler. A guide is nice to have.

Upgrade: Ubuntu 8.04 to 8.10

This one is for those Linux fans out there. I made the plunge and decided to upgrade my Linux PC from Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) to 8.10(Intrepid Ibex, where they get these names I'm not sure). I run my Ubuntu on an older Pentium III Compaq for the sake of trying out Linux. In truth I don't use it a whole lot but it is useful and it kills time some days. I'm not going to get super detailed step by step instruction but, maybe just share my thoughts and experience with it.

My first recommendation is to visit the Ubuntu website which has instructions on getting you started. One of the first things they recommend is to make sure your current version 8.04 is up to date. So you go to the Update Manager by going to the System->Administration->Update Manager.


I click Check button and find out I have 85 updates to do. Like I said I haven't used this in awhile so I got behind a bit. Yours may actually vary. So I click Install Updates and begin the process.

They aren't kidding when they say "Please wait, this can take some time".

This is what it should look like when your done updating. It does take some time so don't be in a rush.


Now you have to tell Ubuntu what type of upgrade to look for. You go to System, then Administration and then to Software Sources. When the window comes up go to the Updates tab. Where it says Release upgrade select Normal releases.


Now you go back to the Update Manager and now it will say New Distribution release "8.10" is available. Click on Check and the process will start.


You'll get a window with some release notes. You'll then click on Upgrade.


Now you'll be downloading the upgrade tool.



Now this seems like a silly question. Do you want to start the upgrade? Of course I do. Be for warned though put aside a great chunk of time before you start. Put an addition on the house or write that novel that you've always wanted to do. I am exaggerating but, don't expect do much on your computer for a few hours.




The process now begins. The download is an estimated 764mb so it will take awhile depending on your connection. If your on dial-up your in trouble. I'd get the CD somewhere before attempting this as it probably take days instead of hours I would imagine.





Of course you don't think this went without any glitches. I clicked ok and then got this message....



To be honest I don't even know what Samba Server does.I made note of this for troubleshooting later and the upgrade continued...



On to the next step...



Not sure why we'd want to keep them. Perhaps as a backup in case something went awry. I decided to live dangerously and removed them.







Now we see that I'm running Ubuntu 8.10.At some point the system reboots. I can't remember if it was automatic or I had to do it manually. It seems I have a graphics card or screen resolution problem. I'll troubleshoot that when I have some time. It went successfully though. I don't notice much difference. My text in the System Monitor comes in discolored though. It seems to some type of graphics problem. This is an older machine and may be struggling to keep up. Figuring out the problem will give me something to do when I have some free time (haha yeah right who am I kidding). Anyway like I hinted at before this does take a considerable amount of time. I believe it took me close 6 hours or so on broadband (cable) connection. It's not for the faint of heart. Good luck and I hope this is of some use to someone. Thanks and have a great day!

Upgrade From Ubuntu 8.04 to 8.10 - Part 1

This for those Ubuntu fans out there. Apparently Ubuntu has an update. This video from PCMech showing how to to upgrade from 8.04 to 8.10. I'll be giving it a try soon and I'll let you know what happens.

Ubuntu wireless woes

A friend of mine was encouraging me to write about how I got my wireless card to work in Ubuntu. Unfortunately I didn't take notes and some of it was trial and error(lots of that). If I do it again I'll take some notes. I did find a few guides that were very helpful. One was through Ubuntu Documentation which gives an excellent tutorial on how to install and use Ndiswrapper to configure your wireless card. Another was through Ubuntuguide.org which had some excellent beginner stuff. I'm still enjoying Ubuntu and hope you do too!Good luck!

Exploring ubuntu

After using and exploring ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) the more I'm beginning to like it. I just thought I'd share a few thoughts on it here. The interface and usability has out shined my expectations of it. I'm getting used to using the command line for certain items though a lot has been automated by the shell(gui) which makes it less intimidating. Though I'm getting over my initial fear of using the command line. I've been playing catch up on Linux terminology. So far there hasn't been a whole lot I haven't been able to use as far a functions and features compared to Windows XP. Somethings are even easier. I like it so far enough to consider it for my next PC build as my OS of choice. For the price you pay ($0.00) it may be worth checking out.

On another note a friend of my is visiting with us let me explore his new Acer laptop with Windows Vista. He recently upgraded his memory and it now works blazingly fast (despite Vista being a resource hog). Some of the features are nice and seemed to work fine while I was using it. Worth upgrading from XP is debatable. Much of it was nice eye candy but worth the money to upgrade from XP is debatable

Installing Backtrack 3 to dual boot with XP

I was recently asked to upgrade a laptop's drive(Dell Lattitude D600) from an 80Gb to a 120 Gb and to install Backtrack 3(Linux) in a dual boot with Windows XP. Backtrack 3 is a Linux distribution focusing on wireless security. The website for it is here called Remote Exploit. After I had successfully cloned the drive over using XXClone software, my next task was to configure the dual boot. I first tried to find some video's on Youtube on the subject or at least some instruction on the web. Though I did find some, many were a bit confusing even contradicting. 90% were for Ubuntu which though similar wasn't quite the same setup. For some reason didn't even think to try main website (Remote Exploit) so I ended up there and sure enough I found a tutorial video on dual booting XP and Backtrack. This was done by one of the developers Mati Aharoni(user: muts). It's a good tutorial though he's a bit quick though. I had to stop the video several times to follow along. I basically copied how he did it. Needless to say it was successful and the laptop now is configured to dual boot both Windows XP and Backtrack 3. There were a few moments when I held my breath because of a couple of goofs(though mostly my fault, Mati did a couple too) one was one line that had something like "root/root/" and all that was needed was one "root/" command. There were a couple of other's but I can't remember them(sorry).

I was happy that I was successful though it was tedious entering all the settings manually. It's not for the faint of heart. Most importantly(Even Mati emphasizes this) is to have a backup. I had just cloned the drive so basically I had a backup in case I messed up. You should too if you attempt this. Also if you attempt this I suggest have a good chunk of time and coupled with a whole lot of patience.

Source: Wiki page for Backtrack 3

Operating systems for older machine

First I'd like say thanks to for Ray accepting an invitation to post here. I work with Ray on a daily basis at our day jobs. What he brings here is his perspective on items like (but not limited to) laptop's, freeware software, alternate operating systems(Linux etc..) and his experience with dealing with spyware and virus's. I look forward to his stuff.

Ok on to my main subject which of course choosing an operating system for an older machine(say 5-6 years old in this case)> I came across an interesting item here from PC Daily Tips . The author tells how he put Windows 2000 pro in his wife's laptop. I've put Windows 2000 in several machines and also run on the family PC(which is close to 8 years old) and I find it to be a very dependable operating system which at times is faster than comparable machines running XP. It may not be able run all the latest games or highly graphical programs but for everyday home/office use it does the job. It's great for a second PC, student or kid's first PC. Linux might be for a more advanced user which I'm sure Ray introduce some here. Well that's just my two cents. Have a great day and come back soon.

More Ubuntu

So far I've been unsuccessful in getting this online. My usb wireless network adapter(D-Link DWL-122) is a pain to try get to work under Linux. Though the operating system seems ok and runs well on the Compaq EN not being able get online has bugged me. I'm an internet junkie and getting online is important to me as it would be to other's. I've pretty much given up on the adapter I have and I've begun to look at purchasing one that would be a bit simpler(and possible) to set up. The other choice would be to hard wire through my router which would be a pain to set up in my case. I haven't given up just yet. I won't give in to the penguin just yet.

To Ubuntu or not to Ubuntu?

Well I installed Ubuntu Linux 7.04 on my Compaq EN that I had lying around. It's my first foray into open-source operating system. I down loaded the program(an ISO image) and burned it on a CD. The actual installation was pretty painless. The only early glitch so far is that sound comes out of the system speaker and not the plugged in speakers in the back. I also had a stuck CD when it was finished installing. I'll be fiddling with it at a later time as it's a late in the morning and I do have my regular job to attend to later today. Later.