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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Linux-based Hard Drive Data Recovery Tools

Posted: 29 Jul 2010 06:20 AM PDT

Linux-based Hard Drive Data Recovery Tools: If your hard drive is unbootable due to corrupt partition tables, computer viruses, system errors, and other non-mechanical issues, you may consider using a hard drive data recovery tool to save your precious files or data from being permanently wiped out. Thankfully, there are tons of available Linux-based rescue tools that can get the job done quickly and easily. I have here a list of some of the most well-known Linux-based hard drive data recovery tools that you can use freely:


SystemRescueCd
SystemRescueCd is a Gentoo-based Linux distribution that is loaded with essential features for rescuing damaged computer systems. It is able to run from a Live CD or from a USB flash drive, and comes with an easy-to-use graphical desktop environment. Here are some of SystemRescueCd's features and software packages that can be used for hard drive data recovery:

* fdisk for editing disk partition table
* PartImage disk imaging software
* TestDisk for recovering lost partition
* PhotoRec for recovering lost data
* GNU Parted and GParted for partitioning disks and resizing partitions
* File system tools: file system create, delete, resize, move
* Ability to create boot disk for operating systems

You may also want to check out my review of SystemRescueCd for more information.



Ubuntu Rescue Remix
Ubuntu Rescue Remix is a live system that can run from CD or USB flash device and has a full command-line environment. It offers up-to-date versions of some of the most capable open-source hard drive data recovery software, which includes GNU ddrescue, Photorec, The Sleuth Kit and Gnu-fdisk. Some of the packages included on the latest version of Ubuntu Rescue Remix are aoetools, array-info, ext3-grep, gptsync, kpartx, and scrounge-ntfs.


F-Secure Rescue CD
Based on Knoppix, F-Secure Rescue CD is specially designed to rescue systems affected by viruses, trojans, worms, and other malware. It can securely boot-up and check the files from the compromised hard drive or view the programs installed. It is also capable of doing more advanced repair and hard drive data recovery operations.


Trinity Rescue Kit (TKR)
Trinity Rescue Kit or TKR is a bootable command-line Linux distro that is mainly based on Mandriva Linux. It is primarily aimed for recovery and repair operations on Windows machine, but it can also be used on Linux. It is bootable from a USB storage device, CD, or through a network using PXE. Trinity Rescue Kit eliminates the standard Linux manual command so that it can save disk space. Here are some of its hard drive data recovery features:

* can easily reset windows passwords
* full NTFS write support
* clone NTFS filesystems over the network
* easy script to find all local filesystems
* recovery of files with utilities and procedures
* recovery of lost partitions
* evacuation of dying disks
* powerful multicast disk cloning utility for any filesystem



Ddrescue
Ddrescue is a simple hard drive data recovery software that has the ability to copy data from one file or block device to another, thus rescuing data in case of read errors. The basic operation of ddrescue is fully automated but you can stop the rescue at any time and restart it later right where you left off. Because Ddrescue is not a Live CD or a Linux distro, you will have to install it first on your Linux system, and then mount the affected hard drive to start rescuing data.


If you have used or know other Linux-based hard drive data recovery tools other than those mentioned above, please share them with us via comment.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:09 PM 0 comments

[HowtoForge] Newsletter 07/29/2010

HowtoForge Newsletter 07/29/2010
================================

New HOWTOs:
===========

* The Perfect Desktop - OpenSUSE 11.3 (GNOME)
* Installing Lighttpd With PHP5 And MySQL Support On Ubuntu 10.04
* Installing Nginx With PHP5 And MySQL Support On Fedora 13
* Integrating eAccelerator Into PHP5 And Lighttpd (OpenSUSE 11.2)
* Script For Automatically Setting Up A Perfect Server On OpenSUSE 11.3 And Installing ISPConfig 3
* Adding Custom Certificates To CIITIX-WiFi

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The Perfect Desktop - OpenSUSE 11.3 (GNOME)
===========================================

This tutorial shows how you can set up an OpenSUSE 11.3 desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-desktop-opensuse-11.3-gnome


Installing Lighttpd With PHP5 And MySQL Support On Ubuntu 10.04
===============================================================

Lighttpd is a secure, fast, standards-compliant web server designed for speed-critical environments. This tutorial shows how you can install Lighttpd on an Ubuntu 10.04 server with PHP5 support (through FastCGI) and MySQL support.

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/installing-lighttpd-with-php5-and-mysql-on-ubuntu-10.04


Installing Nginx With PHP5 And MySQL Support On Fedora 13
=========================================================

Nginx (pronounced "engine x") is a free, open-source, high-performance HTTP server. Nginx is known for its stability, rich feature set, simple configuration, and low resource consumption. This tutorial shows how you can install Nginx on a Fedora 13 server with PHP5 support (through FastCGI) and MySQL support.

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/installing-nginx-with-php5-and-mysql-support-on-fedora-13


Integrating eAccelerator Into PHP5 And Lighttpd (OpenSUSE 11.2)
===============================================================

This guide explains how to integrate eAccelerator into PHP5 and lighttpd on an OpenSUSE 11.2 system. From the eAccelerator project page: "eAccelerator is a free open-source PHP accelerator, optimizer, and dynamic content cache. It increases the performance of PHP scripts by caching them in their compiled state, so that the overhead of compiling is almost completely eliminated. It also optimizes scripts to speed up their execution. eAccelerator typically reduces server load and increases the speed of your PHP code by 1-10 times."

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/integrating-eaccelerator-into-php5-and-lighttpd-opensuse-11.2


Script For Automatically Setting Up A Perfect Server On OpenSUSE 11.3 And Installing ISPConfig 3
================================================================================================

Here's a little script that automates the task of setting up a Perfect Server - OpenSUSE 11.3 x86_64 [ISPConfig 3], and in the end it also installs ISPConfig 3.

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/script-for-automatically-setting-up-a-perfect-server-on-opensuse-11.3-and-installing-ispconfig-3


Adding Custom Certificates To CIITIX-WiFi
=========================================

CIITIX-WiFi is a turnkey solution to your WiFi hotspot needs. Built onto the rock solid stable debian linux, setting up a secure (TTLS) WiFi hotspot is just a minute away. This guide shows how to set up an AAA server (authentication, authorization and accounting) with CIITIX-WiFi. CIITIX-WiFi comes with certificates valid till 2020 but in case someone want to use their own certificates this tutorial can come in handy.

You can find the document here:
-------------------------------
http://www.howtoforge.com/adding-custom-certificates-to-ciitix-wifi


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can now support HowtoForge by becoming a subscriber:

HowtoForge Subscription
=======================

For a monthly fee of 5 EUR or 25 EUR for half a year, you can become a HowtoForge supporter and help us cover our costs (servers, bandwidth, etc.) and support ISPConfig development. In return, you receive the following benefits:

1. Access the whole HowtoForge web site without any ads.
2. Download the results of our tutorials as VMware images (where available) (a list of downloadable VMware images is available here: http://www.howtoforge.com/list-of-downloadable-vmware-images).
3. Download our tutorials as PDF files.
4. View our tutorials as printer-friendly pages.
5. You will be marked as a "HowtoForge Supporter" in your forum posts.
6. Plus, you support the ISPConfig development.

If you have the free VMware Server or Player installed, you can import our VMware images and start playing around with the results of our tutorials immediately. It's a great way to track down problems with your own setup or simply to save time. ;-)

More details can be found on http://www.howtoforge.com/subscription.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Best Regards,

Your HowtoForge Team
Email: info@howtoforge.com
URL: http://www.howtoforge.com

To unsubscribe or update your records, click here: http://newsletter.howtoforge.com/howtoforge/user/update.php?email=matrixunix.ubuntu@blogger.com&code=d8531959c7da2982ec3a7f8f82a13961

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Posted by z0ltrix at 3:06 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

T5353 Smartphone Dual Boots Android and Windows Mobile OS

Posted: 28 Jul 2010 04:39 AM PDT

Have you ever heard of a cellular phone or smartphone that dual boots Android and Windows Mobile OS out of the box? If you haven't, then you will now. Introducing, the T5353, an HTC Touch Diamond2 clone that has a 3.2-inch touch sensitive display (240*400 pixels) and is preloaded with two mobile operating systems: Android 2.0 and Windows Mobile 6.5. Once you turn on the phone, a bootloader will appear allowing you to choose which OS to boot.

The T5353 is without doubt made somewhere in China and is designed to mimic the look and feel of the HTC Touch Diamond2 smartphone. But you don't have to be Jacky Chan to use the handset as it supports several languages including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and more. The smartphone is powered by a Marvell PXA310 624MHz/XScale-V3 based processor, and is loaded with 256MB RAM and 512MB flash memory, which is expandable to up 16GB in size via MicroSD.


Here are some of the other basic features and technical specifications of the T5353:

* Network Bands: Quad-band, 850/900/1800/1900MHz
* SIM Slots: Single SIM Slot
* Data Connections: WAP, GPRS, SMS, MMS
* Bluetooth V2.0 A2DP
* WiFi 802.11b/g
* Speakers: 1 Speaker
* Digital Camera: 3-megapixels camera
* Playback Formats: MP3/3GP/MP4/JPEG
* GPS: Built-in GPS (Inner Sirf III)
* FM Radio Tuner: Built-in FM Radio Tuner
* Voice Recording: Voice Recording Supported
* Batteries: 2 x 1100mAh (800mAh actual) lithium ion
* AC Charger: 100~240V AC charger
* Dimensions: 4.25 in x 2.09 in x 0.55 in (10.8 cm x 5.3 cm x 1.4 cm)
* Weight: 4.34 oz (123 g)

What's in the box?:


With its price tag of only $199.90 at DealExtreme, it's quite tempting to just grab the T5353 because I think it has most of the essential features of a smartphone, plus you get to try and use two excellent mobile operating systems. However, I have never heard or seen anyone using the T5353 just yet so I couldn't say anything about its performance. In case you already have this phone or if you decide to get one soon, don't forget to share with us the experience of using it.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 2:27 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

How to Install iTunes on Ubuntu Linux

Posted: 27 Jul 2010 04:43 AM PDT

How to Install iTunes on Ubuntu Linux: If you are new to Linux and have been using iTunes for managing your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, you may find it frustrating that there is still no native support for iTunes on Linux.

If you only have an iPod, you may try first any of the iTunes replacements that we have featured here. However, if iTunes is really a necessity and that you can't live without it, there is a simple way to install it on Linux.

We will once again use Wine, a compatibility layer for installing Windows application on Linux. To properly install Wine on Ubuntu Linux, you may refer to any of the following posts:

* How to Install Microsoft Office on Ubuntu Linux
* How to Install Adobe Photoshop on Ubuntu Linux

After installing Wine, make sure you have "ubuntu-restricted-extras" package installed so that iTunes can play MP3 and ACC files. You can quickly download and install it using this command:

$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Next, download iTunes HERE. Take note, the 64-bit version of iTunes is not yet supported.

After you have completed downloading iTunes, navigate to your download folder and make it executable:

$ chmod +x iTunesSetup.exe

Now you can install iTunes using Wine by right-clicking on the iTunes installer, and then click the "Open With Wine Windows Program Loader" option. After it, the iTunes installation window should appear:


Install iTunes the way you install it on Windows. The installer may freeze a bit during installation but don't worry and just let it finish. Here is a screenshot of a successful installation of iTunes on Ubuntu Linux:


iTunes may also freeze or crash the first time you launch it. Perhaps the best way to solve this issue is to restart your system. After restarting, you can open iTunes once again by going to Applications --> Wine --> Programs --> iTunes.

Here is a screenshot of the mega-bloated iTunes running on my Ubuntu 10.04 desktop:


I'm quite surprise that iTunes is running rather well on Ubuntu Linux. Although not as fast as using it inside Windows, I would say that it is still very usable under Linux.

How about you? Have you tried installing iTunes on Linux?

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:05 PM 0 comments

Monday, July 26, 2010

Weekly Ten (7-26-2010)

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 04:00 AM PDT

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:


1. The Limits of the Coded World
In an influential article in the Annual Review of Neuroscience, Joshua Gold of the University of Pennsylvania and Michael Shadlen of the University of Washington sum up experiments aimed at discovering the neural basis of decision-making. In one set of experiments, researchers attached sensors to the parts of monkeys' brains responsible for visual pattern recognition.
More @ NYTimes

2. Build a $200 Linux PC
Times are still tough out there, but our needs and desires don't always flag just because the economy does. If an accident or an equipment failure has punched an unexpected hole in your computing life, you may be in need of a system—any system—to fill it. Or maybe you've discovered that your family just needs one more box to use as a Web terminal to keep the more powerful systems free more often.
More @ ExtremeTech

3. Ooh! Ahh! Google Images presents a nicer way to surf the visual web
When you think about "information," what probably comes to mind are streams of words and numbers. Google's pretty good at organizing these types of information, but consider all the things you can't express with words: what does it look like in the middle of a sandstorm?
More @ Googleblog

4. Daft Punk Helmet replica finally completed

More @ HackaDay

5. Microsoft's New Slogan: Hey, It Could Be Worse
The Windows wizards announced a new corporate tagline during a meeting with employees this week, a Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed. So, are you ready for the million-dollar phrase?
More @ PCWorld

6. Welcome to the future: cloud-based WPA cracking is here
In 2008, I speculated about the future of distributed security cracking. That future has arrived, in the form of a $17 "cloud" based service provided through the efforts of a security researcher known as Moxie Marlinspike. It is effective against pre-shared key deployments of both WPA and WPA2 wireless networks.
More @ TechRepublic

7. Why India's $35 Tablet May Be Just a Dream
A prototype tablet from India that looks similar to the iPad but costs a few hundred dollars less than the magical device is on its way, according to the country's government officials who showed the device at an event Thursday.
More @ Wired

8. Hitachi 'Life Microscope' promises to track your every movement

More @ Engadget

9. Sony's trojan horse for 3D and Move: games you already own
Sony has money and effort sunk into two technologies: the PlayStation Move and 3D televisions and movies. The company would love nothing more than to have you waving your glowing, ball-tipped controller while wearing glasses in front of your brand new 3D Sony television.
More @ ArsTechnica

10. 10 Bizarre Human Mysteries
Every so often, we'll come across strange and inexplicable conditions found in the human body. These are the mysteries science can't easily debunk, the kinds that defy natural laws and how we've come to understand ourselves. There's always debate concerning these supposed powers.
More @ Listverse

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:09 PM 0 comments

Saturday, July 24, 2010

5 Best Web eCommerce Software for Linux

Posted: 24 Jul 2010 09:32 AM PDT

5 Best Web eCommerce Software for Linux: The buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks is called electronic commerce (commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce). Today, eCommerce is mostly done on the web and is conducted entirely electronically for buying virtual items such as access to premium content on a website and purchase of physical items using eCommerce payment gateway.

eCommerce has been beneficial to both business owners and consumers. It helps businesses cut down costs as they can sell their products or services through their website or online shop 24 hours a day without having the need to build a physical store or offices and hire additional employees. For consumers, eCommerce provides us the convenience to shop or pay for services in the comfort of our home.

For those of you who are planning to build or setup an online shop to sell goods or services, I have here a list of some of the most popular web eCommerce software for Linux. The following web eCommerce programs that I'm about to feature here are all free and open source, so try or use them as you wish:

osCommerce
OsCommerce is considered as one of the best web e-commerce and store-management software because it is loaded with excellent features and offers a basic set of functionality that meets the common needs of online businesses. It is easy to setup and use and can run on any web server that has PHP and MySQL installed. Aside from the basic features, osCommerce can be easily customized through add-ons or custom code.

Some of the key features of osCommerce:

* Compatible with PHP 4 and MySQL
* Compatible with all major browsers
* Automatic web-based installation.
* Unlimited number of products and categories
* Automatic setup of e-commerce payment systems: Authorize.net, Netbilling.com, 2Checkout.com, iPayment.de, PayPal.com, PsiGate.com, SECPay.com, and TrustCommerce.com; Many other add-on ecommerce payment systems, off-line (manual) credit card payments, and on-line payment processing.
* Multi-currency support via manual update from exchange rate server.
* Support for dynamic images (one image per product).
* Web-based administration module.
* Database backup and restore.
* Secure transactions with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) support.


VirtueMart
VirtueMart (formerly known as mambo-phpShop) is a web e-commerce solution written in PHP and is created as an extension of the Mambo or Joomla! content management systems (CMS). It utilizes the MySQL database environment for storage. VirtueMart supports the use of unlimited number of products and categories. It allows the sale of downloadable products, and offers a catalog mode where the shopping cart features are turned off. It also supports multiple prices for a single product, based around shopper groups or a quantity range while providing different payment gateways. VirtueMart gives PHP developers freedom to view, update or customize the operation of the shopping cart. In addition, it offers simplified templates structure that allows various shopping and cart pages to be edited as standard html and css.


Ubercart
Ubercart is an e-commerce and web-based store management software that is fully integrated with one of the leading open source content management systems, Drupal. It is making use of the major core and contributed systems of Drupal, giving site users the shopping cart feature that integrates with other parts of a company or community website. Developers can easily add or alter Ubercart functionality to accommodate virtually any e-commerce need, which means you'll never have to change the source code to add new features and you'll have a trouble-free upgrade path as it keeps on advancing to meet the needs of a growing community.

Some of the key features of Ubercart:

* Configurable product catalog
* Flexible product creation system
* Flexible product attributes system
* Single page checkout
* Automatic account generation (anonymous checkout)
* Simple order processing
* Simple order creation and editing
* Integrated payment system
* Activity logging
* XML import/export


Magento
Magento is an open-source web eCommerce application created by Varien, building on components of the Zend Framework. It supports installation of modules through a web-based interface accessible through the administration area of a Magento installation. The modules are hosted on the Magento eCommerce website as a PEAR server, and community members can upload a module through the website. A paid version of Magento, the Magento Enterprise Edition, is best suited for large companies.


Batavi
Batavi is an open source webshop that is inspired by a preliminary version of osCommerce 3.0, a version that seemed to be never finished by osCommerce developers. It is developed on LAMP, specifically PHP and MySQL, and adopts a three layer model in which design objects, code, and database are strictly separated.

Some of the key features of Batavi:

* Fully flexible template system
* Full content management
* Robust architecture to process vast numbers of products, visitors, customers and orders
* Customer/group specific pricing, payment or shipping modules
* Related products for cross- and upselling
* Unlimited product segmentation to present products
* Product price rules for pricing vast numbers of products
* Fully automated integration with product content providers: *
* Open ICEcat interface available
* Interface for multi warehouse and multi supplier (including stock and purchase prices) support

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:07 PM 0 comments
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