Recover EXT3 Partitions and Data - Ubuntu Linux.

Note : Please use this option only as final option for recovering data from Corrupted ext3 partitions. In my case, I recovered all files and folders from a corrupted ext3 partition, in which Madriva 2007 was installed. I used my ASUS eeePC with Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) version, for this. The Hard disk was connected to eeePC through USB cable.


Steps :

1. Connect the corrupted HardDisk to your Laptop using USB cable.
2. Boot your computer with UBUNTU (preferably).
3. Make sure that Harddisk is unmounted (usually you can not mount a corrupted partitioned Harddisk).
4. Open a "Terminal" type the following command and press ENTER.

/sbin/fsck.ext3 -b 57345 /dev/sdc7

Where /dev/sdc7 was the partition to be recovered. Use "Sudo" as prefix for the above command if you get messages such as " Permission denied".


5. The above command will recover partition and will prompt for "yes". (In my case, I gave "y" to all prompts). After the execution of this command, e2fsck starts automatically.

6. Finally you will find that all files and directories are recoverd in the partition. You may check by mounting the partition and browsing.


Note : When I was usig the command I recovered A-Z files and folders as it was. But due to my mistake, I run the command once again on the recoverd partition. Finally I left with only single folder named "lost+found". I browsed the folder to see my lost files and folders and it was stored in several sub-folders. One example is, My Desktop folder was found in ""#76511" folder. When I tried to copy the folder to other folder, I could not copy the files / folders and I was getting error message that the "file or folder" does not exist. Then I used "kget" command to copy the files and folders to other folders. (i.e. Right click on files and goto "Download with kget" option and then chose the Destination folder, wher the files and folders to be copied). Please note that "kget" can be used only for files and not for folders. Hence you need to create folders manually, wherever needed.

Reference : An article on Net + My effort.

A Solution - Broken Downloads in Ubuntu Linux.

 

Suppose you are downloading a file from Internet using your web browser (Mozilla Firefox). Suddenly, Internet gets disconnected. At that moment you have no choice but to re-download, usually. Because, if you select "retry" option, download starts from the beginning and you will lose all the partial data that you have downloaded. I found a solution for this, which helps to continue the downloads from the point where it got disconnected previously.

1. Open a "Terminal" window / "Konsole" window.
2. Change directory to the Download directory. e.g. If you are downloading to a folder "/home/v", then type the command cd /home/v.
3. Then type the following command to continue downloading,

wget -c http://www.downloadpack.com/main/example.deb

Where,
http://www.downloadpack.com/main/example.deb is the Download link for the file example.deb which need to be downloaded.
-c option enables you to continue downloads.

Please note that you can get Download Link of the file in Downloads section of your browser, you can just right click on the broken download file and copy the link location.

(Note :
1. Another option is to use wget command alone in order to download bigger files.
2. Usually broken download creats a file named "example.deb.part".
3. I took help from Nanda N, KarMic for this, thanks to her.

Install NGSPICE & MAGIC - VLSI Tools for Ubuntu OS.

         Installation of VLSI design tools such as "ngspice" and "magic" is fairely easy in Ubuntu Linux OS. The simple steps are given below. Please note that Ubuntu uses "debian" packages.

Steps :

1. Go to the below sites and download the packages.

MAGIC:
http://tuxmaniac.com/work/packages/magic/magic_7.5.129-1_i386.deb

NGSPICE:
http://nchc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ngspice/ngspice_17.0.0-1_i386.deb

XSPICE:
http://nchc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ngspice/xspice_17.0.0-1_i386.deb

Note : XSPICE is a dependent package for NGSPICE.

2. Install packages using following command.

MAGIC:
$ dpkg -i magic_7.5.129-1_i386.deb


NGSPICE:
$ dpkg -i xspice_17.0.0-1_i386.deb ngspice_17.0.0-1_i386.deb


Note: You can not install "xspice" & "ngspice" independently. You need to install both at a time.


Happy Designing....


Note : I took help from Mr. Prassana Kalyan, KarMic for this. Thanks to him.

Useful Packages Available in Ubuntu.

        I have tried to List some of the Packages that are really helpful. These packages all come with Ubuntu Linux.


gparted - Partition Manager.
ubuntu-rescue-remix - Data Recovery Tool
brasero - CD burner tool.
openoffice.org - Presently 3.2 version has lot more features when we talk about MailMerge, Conditional Formatting and Total Number of Cells available.
otrs2 - Open Ticket Request System software.
xsane - Scanner Software.
Gimp - Graphical Editor which is almost same as Photoshop.
usb-creator - Usb Startup disk creator software.
Image-Writer - Write .img images on disks.
synaptic - Package manager software tool.
Apache2 - Web Server.
Squirrelmail - webmail server software.
mplayer - Movie Player
totem - Audio Player.
firefox - Webbrowser
evolution - email client (same as thunderbird).
gedit - Test editor for gnome
gdm - Gnome Display manager.

PDF Merge Or Split in Ubuntu Linux.

     Suppose,
1. you have a PDF file (.pdf) with more than one pages in it and you want to split it into multiple files with some options (like page range etc).
2. you have multiple PDF files and you want to merge into a single file

Then, there is a package in Ubuntu with name, "pdfsam".

It can be installed with below command,

sudo apt-get install pdfsam

OR 

you may download it from following link and install manually,
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pdfsam

OR

You may search sites of Ubuntu for the package.


I hope this information helps you all.

Setup TATA plug&surf wireless modem on Linux (also Ubuntu).

TATA INDICOM MODEM SETUP [LINUX – Mandriva, Mandrake]

Open Konsole from Start Menu ­> System ­> Terminals ­> Konsole.
➢
Type “kppp” as command - This will display KPPP (Phone dialer) window.
➢
Tata INDICOM (Wireless) MODEM Setup on LINUX:
If you are using the Modem for the first time, then you need to configure the
Modem. The configuration is as follows.
Click on ¨Configure...¨ button.
It will display New window. Under ¨Accounts¨, click on ¨New...¨ Button.
One more window will be displayed. Click on ¨Manual
Window ¨New Account KPPP¨ gets displayed.
Type in ¨Connection Name¨ text box as TATA (Or any name can be given).
Under Phone Number, Click on ¨Add...¨ Button.
Under ¨Add Phone Number ­ KPPP¨ type phone number as #777. click ¨OK¨.
Click OK on ¨New Account KPPP¨ window.
Under ¨KPPP Configuration ­ KPPP¨ window, Go to ¨Modems¨
Click on ¨New...¨ Button.
Window ¨New Modem KPPP¨ will get displayed.
Type Modem Name as TATA.
Select Modem Device as /dev/ttyACM0.
Uncheck ¨Use
Goto Modem section in the same window. Uncheck ¨Wait for dial tone before dialing¨.
Click OK On ¨Edit Modem Window¨. Click OK On ¨KPPP Configuration Window¨.
Finally you will reach KPPP Login Window.
Connect To INTERNET : (When all settings are made)
 Open Konsole.
 Type kppp command (use small letters).
 ¨KPPP¨ window will be displayed.
 Enter in text boxes, as follows.
Connect to : TATA
Login Id : internet
Password : internet
 Click on ¨Connect¨ Button. Wait for timer to start. Starting of timer means Internet connection
is done successfully.
 To disconnect Internet connection, Click on ¨Disconnect¨ button. This will go back to KPPP
window.
 Press ¨Quit¨ Button to exit.
Trouble-Shooting :
1. When connected to internet, sometimes, it displays ¨Kppp can not find ­/dev/ttyACM0¨. The
meaning is, Modem not inserted OR Modem not working.
2. ¨kppp died unexpectedly¨, means No network coverage.
3. ¨Modem Hangup¨, means No service of Tata
4. Sometimes kppp fails to recognize the USB Modem. This means there are some broken
connections in USB plug.

Note : Ubuntu Linux can detect TATA modems and setup automatically.

Ubuntu - making of image CD for Karmic Koala 9.10 version.

Ubuntu is distributed over the Internet as CD image files, called ISOs. Unlike a regular data file, the ISO file cannot be dragged and dropped or copied directly onto a disc. It needs to be burned in a specific way that expands/extracts the image so you have usable files on your disc. To install Ubuntu from a CD, you first need to burn the downloaded ISO image onto a CD. This requires:

• A working CD/DVD burner
• An 80 minute (700 Mb) CD

The cheapest "write once" CDs that can only usually be bought in packets of 10 or more tend to be much better for this. DVDs require a higher 'burn speed' which often causes problems. More expensive types of CDs seem optimised for data-storage rather than for booting-up from. Also if the 1st one does not work it hurts a lot less and you often get a spindle to keep your linux CDs on.

Windows

95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / XP / Server 2003 / Vista: Infra Recorder

1. Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open source image burning program.
   
2. Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an autorun dialog pops up.
   
3. Open Infra Recorder and click the 'Write Image' button in the main screen.
   
   • Alternatively you can select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'.  
   
   
4. Select the Ubuntu CD image file you want to use, then click 'Open'.
5. In the dialog, click 'OK'.

XP / Server 2003 / Vista: ISO Recorder

1. Download and install the appropriate version of ISO Recorder.
   
2. Insert an unformatted CD into your burner. (Note: one can burn DVDs with this tool only from Vista.)
   
3. Open Windows Explorer, browse to your ISO file, right-click and choose "Next".

Windows 7

1. Right-click on an ISO image and choose “Burn disc image”.  
2. Select a disk burner (drive) and press "Burn".  

Ubuntu

The procedure may differ slightly depenting on which version of Ubuntu you are using

1. Insert a blank CD into your burner. A "CD/DVD Creator" or "Choose Disc Type" window might pop up. Close this, as we will not be using it.  
2. Browse to the downloaded ISO image in the file browser.
3. Right click on the ISO image file and choose Write to Disc.  
4. Where it says "Write disc to" you may have options such as "File image" as well as your CD drive. Choose your CD drive. Your CD drive may show as something like "BD-MLT UJ-210S"
5. Select the write speed. If you are burning a Ubuntu Live CD (one that you may want to boot from), it is recommended that you write at the lowest possible speed.
6. Start the burning process.  
7. After burning completed, verify that your CD contains multiple files and folders and not just the ISO file. This way you will know the process was performed correctly.

Reference : Ubuntu site.

Upgrade Ubuntu Linux Versions from 9.04 to 9.10

Ubuntu ver 9.10 is going to get released at the end of October 2009. If you are already having ubuntu 9.04 version, then you can upgrade as below,

Steps :
1. Press Alt+F2. This will open "Run Application" window.
2. Type in "update-manager -d" and click on run.
3. You will see a Update manager window, which will ask you to confirm updates.

Software Package converter for Ubuntu Linux.

If Ubuntu is your Linux Operating System and you need a software to convert packages between RPM, DEB, etc., then here are the solutions.

1. package-converter :

This software can be downloaded at the below link,

http://foxoman.googlecode.com/files/package-converter_3.0.0.2-2_all.deb

This software can be used to convert from/to .rpm, .deb, .tgz, .slp, .lsb, .pkg etc.  I have tested the software under Ubuntu Netbook remix 9.04. The command to run the software is "package-converter".

2. alien:

This package comes with ubuntu and can be downloaded from Ubuntu sites.

It converts RPM packages into DEB packages.

Install MS PAINT under Linux (Ubuntu).

Installation is as follows,
1. Download Paint setup file from
"http://download.microsoft.com/download/winntwks40/paint/1/nt4/en-us/paintnt.exe".
The file you download is "paintnt.exe".
2. Open with "wine" (Windows Emulator).
3. This will create 6 other files in the same folder. They are,
README.TXT
MFC42.DLL
MFC42U.DLL
OLEPRO32.DLL
MSVCRT.DLL
MSPAINT.EXE
This indicates Installation is complete.
4. Run the "MSPAINT.EXE" OR open "MPAINT.EXE" with wine.
This idea is for those who feel MSPAINT confortable to work with,
but using LINUX OS.

TIPS on Mail Merge in OpenOffice.Org (Linux).

Here are the TIPS for successful mail merging in Open Office. Please note that the OS is Linux here.

1. Open office mailmerge works well in the versions, 3.0.1 and 3.1.1.
2. Mailmerge depends on Java (JRE) and Python.
3. Best format of database is dBASE files.
4. Debian Packages of OpenOffice includes no Java in it. Hence there is need to install 

separately, in case of debian linux.
5. Email Account setup must be perfect in ooo-writer.
6. Test the internet connection before proceeding for email merge.

Install OpenOffice.Org 3.1.1 on Ubuntu Linux

How to Install OpenOffice.Org 3.1.1 on Ubuntu Linux:

If you want to install OpenOffice 3.1.1 in debian linux (Ubuntu) automatically using
"Synaptic", use the following procedures.

1. Open "sources.list" file from "/etc/apt/" using gedit / nano.

Command: sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list OR sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

2. Add following 2 lines at the end.

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

3. Add the trusted key for these repositories:

sudo apt-key adv –keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com –recv-keys 247D1CFF

Then go to "terminal" (gnome-konsole) and update the packages by using
following command.

Command: sudo apt-get update

4. Then open "Synaptic" in root / superuser / fake-root mode.

Command: sudo synaptic

5. Search the package using "openoffice" key in search textbox and you will find
a list of packages of openoffice (if there is any previous versions). Righ click on
the package and select "Mark for Upgrading". Then click on "Apply" button to upgrade
the OpenOffice package to 3.1.1 version.

If there is no existing (old version) openoffice package installed in your computer,
then you can right click on the package and select "Mark for Installation". Click on
"Apply" to install.

OR

If you are installing  for the first time, then use the command,

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org

Troubleshooting :

I found some errors while installing packages due to broken links / broken packages.
This seems to be a BUG. This can not be solved automatically in any way. I found an
easier but manual method to fix it.
Go to Path : /var/cache/apt/archives.
Method: Usually all debian packages are stored in a local folder whenever we install
new packages from Internet. Go to the folder and delete defective/broken packages
manually and then use the update option and reinstall.

Karmic Koala - Ubuntu 9.10 version

New version of Ubuntu Linux OS is going get released at the end of October 2009. The name for the version is "Karmic Koala".