Ubuntu Waiting for network message on bootup

Simple fix for this:
edit /etc/network/interfaces
make sure "auto" only points to network devices that actually will be and need to be on your network (for services) at boot time.

For instance, wlan0 may *not* be online before your OS loads.

Or, you might have other "auto" devices that obtain an ip address via DHCP. The failsafe allows sufficient time to get a DHCP address. You may decide whether you want to disable the failsafe or disable the auto, but note that some services depend on at least eth0 being "alive" before they start (or your ethn configured device).

Since you're there, it's a good idea to check for legacy network devices you may have configured in the past and make sure they're not "auto".

(If you're using DHCP and this configuration does not work for you, it's an issue with DHCP.)

Can not mark 'xubuntu-desktop' for upgrade

upgrading Ubuntu 10.10 maverick to 11.04 narwhal. so I went into synaptic and uninstalled xubuntu-desktop and got on with life.

Lucid to Maverick lost 3D upgrade

Since I had the best answer for this, I thought I'd post it again.
http://blog.crythias.com/2010/05/got-my-3d-back-on-my-gateway.html

(Remove installed nvidia entries in Synaptic).

Updating smb SAMBA on Linux Ubuntu can't print

At a client's, I had a fresh install of Ubuntu and it could print to a network printer. I updated Ubuntu which included a new smbd install. Then I couldn't print. CUPS (http://localhost:631) told me that I have NT_STATUS_UNSUCCESSFUL.

What?

OK, ping "computername" comes up an ip address on the Internet. Yuck.

It turns out that the name resolve order changed from LAN (lmhosts? netbios?) to Internet DNS (smb.conf entry was comment out, actually). Solutions: edit /etc/hosts to include the ip/name combination of the hosting computer. Or perhaps change the computername to computername.local

Installing Java 6 release 13 on ubuntu

For Firefox (sudo su):

mkdir java6
cd java6
wget http://ftp.mgts.by/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/s/sun-java6/sun-java6-plugin_6-13-1_i386.deb
wget http://ftp.mgts.by/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/s/sun-java6/sun-java6-jre_6-13-1_all.deb
wget http://ftp.mgts.by/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/s/sun-java6/sun-java6-bin_6-13-1_i386.deb
dpkg -i *.deb


Upgraded Gutsy to Hardy, lost sound in mythtv

Do this:
sudo apt-get remove mythtv

sudo apt-get install mythtv

I upgraded Ubuntu Gutsy to Ubuntu Hardy and got no sound on my mythtv with my WinTV PVR-150. There was no audio.

After lots of dead ends, I tried the above and it fixed it for me.

Now if I can figure out how to get mysql to stay loaded during reboot...

Install RealTek 8187b on Ubuntu Hardy Heron

Update 10/12/2008: Don't bother with this. Get wicd to fight the fight with this card (and other wireless cards). Also, for this particular card, I gave up and replaced it with an Intel 4965AGN, which solved a host of issues. The N card is overkill, because it provides three antenna posts versus the two you get. As well, the native Ubuntu driver (BONUS!) doesn't indicate it's an "N". However I hooked up to antenna posts 1 and 3 and it worked fine enough -- as in, I got it to get on the web reliably. At $30, it was a minor extra purchase and worth it to increase the reliability of the WIFI adapter. Also, it worked better in Windows during suspend/resume. Windows users will probably want to get the Intel driver, which works perfectly fine, even if Intel warns that you should get the driver that comes with the PC...

Original post:

Of course it wasn't working when I started it up, I just got a Gateway MT6730 (Great deal on Buy.com)

Anyway:
Wired network connection helped.
Go to Realtek and download the driver.

In the gnome panel, System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager
Click Search
type in ndiswrapper
select for install ndiswrapper-utils-1.9

if you want, you can also choose the ndisgtk, but it shouldn't be necessary.
Click apply

From this website (It's in Italian) I got the rest of the information.

First, open a terminal, go to the download location (cd Desktop, likely?) and unzip RTL8187B_driver_only.zip
cd RTL8187B/Win98
sudo ndiswrapper -i net8187b.inf
sudo ndiswrapper -l
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
sudo ndiswrapper -m
sudo echo ndiswrapper >> /etc/modules


By now, you should be able to click on the network icon of the panel and see wireless networks.
You should be able to connect to the network of your choice.

Please let me know if this works for you, or doesn't. Or if you have hints to make this better.

ETA: added a line for ndiswrapper to load after reboot.
Edit 12/2/2008: Changed the link to Google Shopping for the card, because the original supplier was out of stock. I can't imagine that I was the only one to buy the last one.

Ubuntu Gutsy make a CD from an ISO

How easy is this?

Insert CD.
"Hey, you inserted a blank CD. Make Audio disk/Make Data Disk"
Click Data Disk
Find and double-click your .iso file
Write CD

It ejects. You're done.

Skype Mic and testing microphone for ubuntu, Linux

How do I get the mic to work with Skype on Ubuntu?

This post says:

To fix this you need to open /usr/share/alsa/pcm/dsnoop.conf
and change

@args.SUBDEV {
type string
default -1

to

@args.SUBDEV {
type string
default 0

and then you have to fight your mixer:
I ran the default(?) alsamixer and played around with it until I figured out:
Hit [Tab] to select Capture
Hit [Space] to make ADCMux show Capture L R.
Use arrows to make certain the columns are somewhere in the green area.
Hit [Tab] and use arrows to find/hilight Input So[urce] (may not be necessary, but I needed it to be "Front", so I used up/down arrows to get the correct input).
Hit [Esc] to exit the mixer.

To test: arecord testfile.out
To hear: aplay testfile.out

If you get this far, Skype's microphone audio will/should work for you.

Because it can be done. Part 2

The strange twist to me is that by the time I come up with a great idea, I don't always have a chance to implement it. Well, I guess like a lot of people, I have a desire to reinvent the wheel.

And, so I'm reading the man pages for beep and I realize beep is quite powerful in what it could do. Including different frequencies. Could MIDI be played through beep? ... Well, it appears, yes. Thanks to the MIDI Beeper.

What's all this obsession with beep?

It's pretty much so I could make an alarm, at first. Now I understand its potential to signal all types of things, including log warnings, etc. The other point is... without a sound card.

Because Linux can do it. That's why.

sudo apt-get install beep
sleep 5m;beep;beep;beep

My wife called. "Call the order in, but not for 5 minutes."

Sigh. So many different ways to handle this. I don't want to go to my microwave. or my stove. Besides, these things keep wanting you to turn off the beeper after they do it. I could open a calendar app. no. I just want to know when 5 minutes have passed.

And in 5 minutes, I get a beep. or whatever. And there ... it's done.

beep! beep! beep!

of course, I did it by intuition, not the right way. soo um.. beep -r 3 ok? fine.

Watching MediaPlayer 11 on Linux

*Yawn*
VirtualBox + XP + WMP11 + Seamless + full screen = movies.

In my case, though, my 1650x1050 full screen seamless tended to drop a frame or two, but the audio was quite good, and didn't skip a beat.

Windowed Virtual seemed to be smooth and right on target.

If you want to watch Netflix Watch Instantly on Linux, why not give virtualization a try? It's not that hard.

Oh, and for the naysayers: Who cares? Chances are you bought a box with XP/Vista on it before you installed Ubuntu. Also, what do you think Parallels is?

PXE, DHCP, and no DHCP

I just read about Installing Linux with no CD and a comment asks about PXE without DHCP.

From other comments I've read, and my own personal experience, there just isn't a way to do PXE without DHCP. PXE is built into the network card's interface. It's pretty much as hard coded as the MAC Address (at least, until you boot your OS). At the risk of oversimplification... OK, I'm risking it... the basic operation of PXE goes like this:

1. Boot
   
2. Boot order...Network
   
3. PXE ... seek out BOOTP/DHCP broadcast offers
   
4. get an IP address
   
5. find out who handles tftp (perhaps from the DHCP server itself)
   
6. boot from the tftp server
   

No, seriously, read the link above.

In any case, one might cringe and say, "I can't have another DHCP server on my network!" Well, if you're actually attempting what is described in the above link, the thought in my head is simply that you probably don't need to worry about that.

In essence, there are only a few barriers, most can be summed up by creating a DHCP server in your zone.

The barriers (as I understand them):

• You have a router that doesn't pass DHCP
  
• You have an administrator who doesn't want another DHCP server on his LAN
  
• You feel that DHCP has its own administrative nightmare
  

It's ok. If you're already trying to install LINUX, chances are you probably are game enough to run your own DHCP server. But you don't have to do a big range. Just set it up with some settings like this:

host apxecomputer {
hardware ethernet 00:15:FF:FF:FF:FF;
fixed-address 192.168.1.49;
}


The point *is* PXE install of Linux, isn't it?

OK, if not, an alternate bet in this day and age is to boot locally with a Live USB Distro. What? You can't afford $10 for a 2GB USB flash drive?

No sound in Realplayer 10

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=168080
ShortShort:
sudo apt-get install alsa-oss
edit realplay file (around line 71)
change

$REALPLAYBIN "$@"

to

aoss $REALPLAYBIN "$@"

Ubuntu - VirtualBox

On my new computer, I decided I wanted to work on not so much of the default OS, but rather Linux, so I installed Ubuntu as dual boot. Fine. But then I needed to access Roboform. Meh. Wine isn't all there, and ... well, I decided I was going to try this virtualization thing.

VirtualBox was it. I installed the "other" OS in a virtual window and now I can do what I need to on one without needing to dual-boot.

Actually, it wasn't just the new OS that I installed, but also XP ...it FLIES on the new hardware, even virtually. I can do the things I need to do and then go back and forth.

I haven't really done all I could do, but now I can play some games, run that software I need, including Roboform.

I know you won't believe or want to believe this: OpenOffice.org opens almost instantaneously on my XP VirtualBox, while it still takes a bit to open on Ubuntu. (OK, the third time I open OpenOffice.org on Ubuntu, it's instant...)

ETA: BTW, Before you scoff at this, this is EXACTLY what Parallels does on MacOS. Parallels has a market. Wonder why? Yeah.It's the same market that Wine is trying to assuage. Come on. VirtualBox allows XP in a Window on Linux. Or it can be in full screen "seamless mode" (I don't recommend/need it for my widescreen monitor. It's too sluggish.)

Ubuntu!

OK, really quick:
1) The default java implementation ... stinks. Go to java.com and get a real implementation.
2) The multimedia answer is VLC. If I could sum up all the questions for how to watch DVDs, listen to streaming audio (like Live 365), etc., the answer is VLC. No, really. Yes, that DVD:/ error on totem. Install VLC. Use it. Enjoy.
3) All the cool Compiz goodness that you see on YouTube -- Wiggly windows, etc., are in System->Preferences->Appearance->Visual Effects and Extra. But you need to install the compizconfig-settings-manager and go back to there (Custom) and have fun