Old tools still handy today
Today I was asked to complete a task by my co-worker, find computer accounts that have not been used in 90 days and have them disabled. Tried looking at some PowerShell scripts, but didn't want to rewrite a script or piece it together. Also since I had to leave in less than an hour I needed something fast.
Searching my all time favorite tool, I came across this helpful admin tool.
Oldcmp
Basically this is a command line tool to search and disable (or delete) computer accounts. I ran the command with the following switches.
oldcmp -report
This first gave me an idea of how many accounts where reported, with no change.
Then I ran the actual command.
oldcmp -nodc -disable -safety 500 -unsafe -forreal
After this another report is automatically created and was able to disable the computer accounts in about 1 minute.
It's decently fast and honestly, would have taken me hours to really do this without the tool. Even with a script I would still have to tested it, ran in a development environment and I often don't trust my own scripts to disable accounts. :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The commands I always forget
When working on Windows I always forget a few very helpful commands.
MSCONFIG.EXE - For some reason I always forget the location of this helpful tool. Basically it's a GUI for system start ups and services but the location is a bit hard to find.
C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries
SYSTEMINFO.EXE - This is a tool to list basic informtaion of the system including install date. Often when working on an older system I like to take note how old the computer is for reference.
When working on Windows I always forget a few very helpful commands.
MSCONFIG.EXE - For some reason I always forget the location of this helpful tool. Basically it's a GUI for system start ups and services but the location is a bit hard to find.
C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries
SYSTEMINFO.EXE - This is a tool to list basic informtaion of the system including install date. Often when working on an older system I like to take note how old the computer is for reference.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Certification path
After spending some time studying for the Microsoft MCITP exams I had time to really understand why their are held as a standard for system administrators. Microsoft has changed the exams to a much higher standard than before. Which makes me really wished I finished my MCSE back in NT 4.0 when I had the chance instead of now with 2008. :)
While it's hard and sometimes so boring, I do like that fact that I'm preparing for the next operating system and will be much more prepared for future roll outs. What does make it fun is playing with VMware Workstation, which I highly recommend for any system admin or person interested in computers to purchase a license. It's the best $200 I've spent on software besides my Photoshop license.
Also using the TechNet account combined with studying for the exams makes it much more fun. I can now play with any of the Microsoft catalog and try out applications before they are released to get an idea how they would work in a production environment. So far, it's brought alot of much needed excitement to a rather borning topic of Active Directory.
CompTIA
While I'm moving along with the Microsoft certification path I also looked at other certification paths as well. One certification which I never seriously looked at is the CompTIA A+ certification.
The A+ is heavily focused upon desktop support and common IT problems including hardware issues. It's non-vendor specific so this allows the exam to cover Windows pc, and Apple Mac but gives a person a good basics about IT troubleshooting. Honestly, when I went over the test questions I first thought to myself why were they so simple. Even a few questions how to replace the toner on a printer. It seems strange but the exam really gave some good questions to honestly fix a problem in the fastest method possible.
Since I had previous experience working and repairing computers at work and at home, I knew most (but not all) of the answers. For someone just starting in the field, I would say it's a good starting point.
Now there's a few important points I have to follow up with the A+ certification. Just because someone can pass a exam does not make them a good IT support person. Also the test, while pretty solid I think has a few flaws that it's so heavily based upon hardware technology that it's easily outdated. CompTIA has recently released the 2009 version of the test to update from 2006, but I still think memorizing details such as how many pins are on a socket 370 processor is not so important as some other skills.
Also keep in mind that the A+ certification is usually aimed as a entry level IT certification. This means it's focused for help desk, IT break fix tech, and even people who work at Best Buy or Fry's. In fact, I was at Fry's a few weeks ago and in the hard drive section they had a sign for installation, then in writing below "Fry's Electronics only hires A+ certified staff". It was pretty interesting and shows how popular certifications are getting mainstream.
So I'm going to study this on the side, I figure I can use the extra help for my hardware skills and never know when it might come in hand. Also some jobs actually require these smaller certifications for getting through the HR process.
After spending some time studying for the Microsoft MCITP exams I had time to really understand why their are held as a standard for system administrators. Microsoft has changed the exams to a much higher standard than before. Which makes me really wished I finished my MCSE back in NT 4.0 when I had the chance instead of now with 2008. :)
While it's hard and sometimes so boring, I do like that fact that I'm preparing for the next operating system and will be much more prepared for future roll outs. What does make it fun is playing with VMware Workstation, which I highly recommend for any system admin or person interested in computers to purchase a license. It's the best $200 I've spent on software besides my Photoshop license.
Also using the TechNet account combined with studying for the exams makes it much more fun. I can now play with any of the Microsoft catalog and try out applications before they are released to get an idea how they would work in a production environment. So far, it's brought alot of much needed excitement to a rather borning topic of Active Directory.
CompTIA
While I'm moving along with the Microsoft certification path I also looked at other certification paths as well. One certification which I never seriously looked at is the CompTIA A+ certification.
The A+ is heavily focused upon desktop support and common IT problems including hardware issues. It's non-vendor specific so this allows the exam to cover Windows pc, and Apple Mac but gives a person a good basics about IT troubleshooting. Honestly, when I went over the test questions I first thought to myself why were they so simple. Even a few questions how to replace the toner on a printer. It seems strange but the exam really gave some good questions to honestly fix a problem in the fastest method possible.
Since I had previous experience working and repairing computers at work and at home, I knew most (but not all) of the answers. For someone just starting in the field, I would say it's a good starting point.
Now there's a few important points I have to follow up with the A+ certification. Just because someone can pass a exam does not make them a good IT support person. Also the test, while pretty solid I think has a few flaws that it's so heavily based upon hardware technology that it's easily outdated. CompTIA has recently released the 2009 version of the test to update from 2006, but I still think memorizing details such as how many pins are on a socket 370 processor is not so important as some other skills.
Also keep in mind that the A+ certification is usually aimed as a entry level IT certification. This means it's focused for help desk, IT break fix tech, and even people who work at Best Buy or Fry's. In fact, I was at Fry's a few weeks ago and in the hard drive section they had a sign for installation, then in writing below "Fry's Electronics only hires A+ certified staff". It was pretty interesting and shows how popular certifications are getting mainstream.
So I'm going to study this on the side, I figure I can use the extra help for my hardware skills and never know when it might come in hand. Also some jobs actually require these smaller certifications for getting through the HR process.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Windows Server 2008 Core
Server core is nothing new, in fact it's been out for some time but I found this handy cheat sheet from Microsoft which is helpful.
Microsoft Server Core PDF's
Exam 83-640
Recently I took the Microsoft 2008 Active Directory exam 83-640, I actually scheduled the exam for the 70-640 but looks like the 83-640 is now the standard.
The exam is now done from a virtual server where you are given a short list of tasks to complete within a amount of time. It's actually easier for me to complete than the standard multiple question exam because you can remember steps by looking around. Also amazingly enough, the help command is not disabled, which you can also use for any problems.
A few web sites have posted information about the exam, especially concerning if you make too many wrong click would that count against you or not. It turns out that no, only completling the tasks will be recorded in the final score. But a major downside, at least for my testing was the lack of any score besides my points. This doesn't allow me to go over my exam score and study on the items I need help in. The reason given by Microsoft was the testing technology was still too new. The new exam came out in early 2009 so I would guess it should have been resolved by now.
Transcender posting about 83-640 vs 70-640
ExamCollection forum post about 83-640
Server core is nothing new, in fact it's been out for some time but I found this handy cheat sheet from Microsoft which is helpful.
Microsoft Server Core PDF's
Exam 83-640
Recently I took the Microsoft 2008 Active Directory exam 83-640, I actually scheduled the exam for the 70-640 but looks like the 83-640 is now the standard.
The exam is now done from a virtual server where you are given a short list of tasks to complete within a amount of time. It's actually easier for me to complete than the standard multiple question exam because you can remember steps by looking around. Also amazingly enough, the help command is not disabled, which you can also use for any problems.
A few web sites have posted information about the exam, especially concerning if you make too many wrong click would that count against you or not. It turns out that no, only completling the tasks will be recorded in the final score. But a major downside, at least for my testing was the lack of any score besides my points. This doesn't allow me to go over my exam score and study on the items I need help in. The reason given by Microsoft was the testing technology was still too new. The new exam came out in early 2009 so I would guess it should have been resolved by now.
Transcender posting about 83-640 vs 70-640
ExamCollection forum post about 83-640
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Computer based training
I'm usually more sold on using books and class room training but there are times when having a on-line class is just easier. Since this semester, I'm taking two on-line classes, one for Linux shell scripting and another for Windows Server 2008 Active Directory. While both are fun classes, I wanted to really study for the Microsoft MCITP certification with the classes highly focused on the information on the certification topic.
After searching around I found a few sites that offer CBT classes. So I'm going to put down the prices for the Microsoft MCITP System Administrator classes as an example.
Testout - They offer two sets of training materials for the Server Administrator and the Enterprise Administrator. Prices are $995 and $1295, which is actually on the cheap side of classes. They include labs, exam questions, videos, and more.
LearnKey - From the web site I think this is a video series like the others but without labs or exam questions. The prices are $1395 for the Server Administrator and $2080 for the Enterprise Administrator.
TrainSignal - They offer the same videos as the others but also Transcender practice tests, labs and extra features like MP3 audio and other file formats to bring along. The pricing is $995 for the Server Administrator and the Enterprise Administrator is $1495. The hours on the courses by TrainSignal are longer and this seems like the best value for CBT (of course your experience may vary).
I'm right now studying for the Server Administrator certification and will be making a purchase soon, hopefully to further help me study.
I'm usually more sold on using books and class room training but there are times when having a on-line class is just easier. Since this semester, I'm taking two on-line classes, one for Linux shell scripting and another for Windows Server 2008 Active Directory. While both are fun classes, I wanted to really study for the Microsoft MCITP certification with the classes highly focused on the information on the certification topic.
After searching around I found a few sites that offer CBT classes. So I'm going to put down the prices for the Microsoft MCITP System Administrator classes as an example.
Testout - They offer two sets of training materials for the Server Administrator and the Enterprise Administrator. Prices are $995 and $1295, which is actually on the cheap side of classes. They include labs, exam questions, videos, and more.
LearnKey - From the web site I think this is a video series like the others but without labs or exam questions. The prices are $1395 for the Server Administrator and $2080 for the Enterprise Administrator.
TrainSignal - They offer the same videos as the others but also Transcender practice tests, labs and extra features like MP3 audio and other file formats to bring along. The pricing is $995 for the Server Administrator and the Enterprise Administrator is $1495. The hours on the courses by TrainSignal are longer and this seems like the best value for CBT (of course your experience may vary).
I'm right now studying for the Server Administrator certification and will be making a purchase soon, hopefully to further help me study.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Windows Server 2008 study guides
A forum poster on the TechNet forum posted a link to his web page with helpful Windows Server 2008 study guides.
http://www.kurtdillard.com/StudyGuides/
Great news for me since he's written a guide for 70-640!
A forum poster on the TechNet forum posted a link to his web page with helpful Windows Server 2008 study guides.
http://www.kurtdillard.com/StudyGuides/
Great news for me since he's written a guide for 70-640!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Learning on your own
I'm studying for the Microsoft MCITP certification exams and been using the self paced books from Microsoft. So far they have been very helpful but I also registered for a local community college course they uses the Microsoft Learning web site. The Microsoft Learning web site is a on-line course for the same topics as the book, Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services, etc. So far from taking the classes it's not too bad but there's a big different between using a book to learn and on-line.
One aspect I enjoy using a book is that it's something I can hold in my hand, sounds funny but I like that I can actually write in it. If I need to make a note about a tough question or good web site, I just write it down in the page. Also it's easier to study off-line when you just need to review a few pages in the book. Of course the down side is the limited interaction with the book compared with on-line classes.
The book does not offer video, example labs, additional documents, not including other technologies such as chat with other students. Overall, I still enjoy books but I think the additional help with an on-line class should help.
Certification practice exams
One part of studying for an exam is a practice exam. It's a how you prep yourself for the exam, but as you might know you can not actually have the real exam. In this case you can use various exam vendors. A nice bonus is with most books you purchase they offer a short practice exam, most of the time this exam is a bit shorter than the more expensive exams you purchase.
So if you already have a book with a practice exam is it worth the money to buy another practice exam? From my research, people say that while very close, a well know practice exam vendor will often have more realistic questions and therefore become a better prep material. I think it's worth the $50~90 per exam especially if that will help you save $100~200 to retake the exam over again.
One word, stay clear of brain dumps, or exam notes that just show the actual exam questions. These are sold by less popular exam vendors and are against the terms for many companies offering exams.
I'm studying for the Microsoft MCITP certification exams and been using the self paced books from Microsoft. So far they have been very helpful but I also registered for a local community college course they uses the Microsoft Learning web site. The Microsoft Learning web site is a on-line course for the same topics as the book, Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services, etc. So far from taking the classes it's not too bad but there's a big different between using a book to learn and on-line.
One aspect I enjoy using a book is that it's something I can hold in my hand, sounds funny but I like that I can actually write in it. If I need to make a note about a tough question or good web site, I just write it down in the page. Also it's easier to study off-line when you just need to review a few pages in the book. Of course the down side is the limited interaction with the book compared with on-line classes.
The book does not offer video, example labs, additional documents, not including other technologies such as chat with other students. Overall, I still enjoy books but I think the additional help with an on-line class should help.
Certification practice exams
One part of studying for an exam is a practice exam. It's a how you prep yourself for the exam, but as you might know you can not actually have the real exam. In this case you can use various exam vendors. A nice bonus is with most books you purchase they offer a short practice exam, most of the time this exam is a bit shorter than the more expensive exams you purchase.
So if you already have a book with a practice exam is it worth the money to buy another practice exam? From my research, people say that while very close, a well know practice exam vendor will often have more realistic questions and therefore become a better prep material. I think it's worth the $50~90 per exam especially if that will help you save $100~200 to retake the exam over again.
One word, stay clear of brain dumps, or exam notes that just show the actual exam questions. These are sold by less popular exam vendors and are against the terms for many companies offering exams.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Good news (or bad) for the Microsoft certifications
Just saw a link posted on Ars Technica that the end of life for Windows Server 2000 will end July 13, 2010 and Windows Server 2003 will end July 14, 2015. Sounds like it's a way to go but honestly many companies will need to already plan the move to Windows Server 2008 well before the deadline. Most applications can run on 2003 or 2008 but the problem is more of home grown applications having issues with the new 2008 servers. I'm studying for my 2008 certification and this seems to be even bigger push to get it done, especially since the all servers will be upgrade soon.
Just saw a link posted on Ars Technica that the end of life for Windows Server 2000 will end July 13, 2010 and Windows Server 2003 will end July 14, 2015. Sounds like it's a way to go but honestly many companies will need to already plan the move to Windows Server 2008 well before the deadline. Most applications can run on 2003 or 2008 but the problem is more of home grown applications having issues with the new 2008 servers. I'm studying for my 2008 certification and this seems to be even bigger push to get it done, especially since the all servers will be upgrade soon.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Certification and some helpful Microsoft sites
Spending time to finish my MCITP certificaiton, I finally made the date of my test for next month giving me 30 days to study for this first test. I'm not too worried but I think I would like to attempt it just to get the worries out of my system. It's going to be tough month of study.
I also found a great site that shows step by step complete with screenshots how to administrate Windows systems.
http://www.visualwin.com/
It's actually really nicely done and helpful if you're a visual learner.
Spending time to finish my MCITP certificaiton, I finally made the date of my test for next month giving me 30 days to study for this first test. I'm not too worried but I think I would like to attempt it just to get the worries out of my system. It's going to be tough month of study.
I also found a great site that shows step by step complete with screenshots how to administrate Windows systems.
http://www.visualwin.com/
It's actually really nicely done and helpful if you're a visual learner.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Linux and the file system
While it's not news for most people I'm studying the detail of the Linux file system. It's interesting to know about the details, so I wrote up some listings I read in my Ubuntu book.
/bin - binaries that are used by admins and normal users. Commands such as cp, mkdir.
/sbin - binaries that are used only by admins or uses with higher privileges. Such as mkfs.
/lib - core system libraries that are used for the boot process.
/usr - Short for UNIX System Resource, storing all of the noncritical binaries for the system. Normally files here do not change and normally stay the same.
/usr/bin - similar to /bin but stores binaries that are not as important.
/usr/lib - program libraries.
/usr/local - used by the admin to install software locally.
/opt - similar to /usr/local, some applications install here while others use /usr/local.
/boot - files for the GRUB and boot configs.
/etc - configuration files for system admins.
/var - files that are variable in size, such as log files.
/var/log - system logs.
/var/spool - directories for contabs, print spools and mail spools.
/var/www - root directory for web servers.
/home - location of the home directory for users.
/root - home directory reserved just for the root user.
/dev - location of the device files.
/mnt - location of the mount disk or device for temp use.
/media - similar to /mnt but typically used for removable media such as CD-ROM or USB flash.
/proc - virtual file system that resides in memory, live system information.
/sys - virtual file system that holds information about devices and drivers on the system.
/tmp - are for storing data on a short term.
For more detail about each file location visit the site Linux Filesystem Hierarchy which has a great amount of information.
While it's not news for most people I'm studying the detail of the Linux file system. It's interesting to know about the details, so I wrote up some listings I read in my Ubuntu book.
/bin - binaries that are used by admins and normal users. Commands such as cp, mkdir.
/sbin - binaries that are used only by admins or uses with higher privileges. Such as mkfs.
/lib - core system libraries that are used for the boot process.
/usr - Short for UNIX System Resource, storing all of the noncritical binaries for the system. Normally files here do not change and normally stay the same.
/usr/bin - similar to /bin but stores binaries that are not as important.
/usr/lib - program libraries.
/usr/local - used by the admin to install software locally.
/opt - similar to /usr/local, some applications install here while others use /usr/local.
/boot - files for the GRUB and boot configs.
/etc - configuration files for system admins.
/var - files that are variable in size, such as log files.
/var/log - system logs.
/var/spool - directories for contabs, print spools and mail spools.
/var/www - root directory for web servers.
/home - location of the home directory for users.
/root - home directory reserved just for the root user.
/dev - location of the device files.
/mnt - location of the mount disk or device for temp use.
/media - similar to /mnt but typically used for removable media such as CD-ROM or USB flash.
/proc - virtual file system that resides in memory, live system information.
/sys - virtual file system that holds information about devices and drivers on the system.
/tmp - are for storing data on a short term.
For more detail about each file location visit the site Linux Filesystem Hierarchy which has a great amount of information.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Some good job information from Microsoft
While I don't like some of the things Microsoft has done in the past, I have to give them credit for offering a lot of free videos and great tips on their sites. After searching around about certifications I found a Microsoft web site with lots of information about find a job, changing a career and where to go next.
It's focused for people in the IT world but I watched the videos and they honestly would work with anyone, it's basic job hunting skills.
The videos are under the "Get Started" section, listed as "Thrive Live" parts 1 to 3.
Microsoft Thrive - Getting Started
At first seeing all of this information focused on finding a job worried me but honestly, I like that a big company like Microsoft offers these small videos. I know they are pushing to sell their books and certifications for more sales of their software. Eh, it's still free.
While I don't like some of the things Microsoft has done in the past, I have to give them credit for offering a lot of free videos and great tips on their sites. After searching around about certifications I found a Microsoft web site with lots of information about find a job, changing a career and where to go next.
It's focused for people in the IT world but I watched the videos and they honestly would work with anyone, it's basic job hunting skills.
The videos are under the "Get Started" section, listed as "Thrive Live" parts 1 to 3.
Microsoft Thrive - Getting Started
At first seeing all of this information focused on finding a job worried me but honestly, I like that a big company like Microsoft offers these small videos. I know they are pushing to sell their books and certifications for more sales of their software. Eh, it's still free.
Features of Windows 7
Windows 7 is coming soon and like previous versions of Windows, should be some good things and bad, mostly changes. I played with Windows 7 for a little bit, then recently I finally bought a TechNet subscription to download the other versions of Windows 7. After installing on my main workstation, I have to say that it's already more impressive than Vista.
But one feature which I have been really waiting for with Vista, is backwards compatibility with Windows XP applications. In Vista, while you could run applications as Windows XP using the "compatibility" function, I think Windows 7 went further and should work with more XP applications. I am really excited about this and once I have it installed will give it the ultimate test.
If I can install my copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2, I will be so happy! I haven't used Photoshop in so long due to both of my main computers running on Vista, which I could never get Photoshop running correctly. Ironically it was working better in Linux under Wine, than in Vista.
The download is about 500MB but should be worth it if it works. :)
Windows XP RC
Windows 7 is coming soon and like previous versions of Windows, should be some good things and bad, mostly changes. I played with Windows 7 for a little bit, then recently I finally bought a TechNet subscription to download the other versions of Windows 7. After installing on my main workstation, I have to say that it's already more impressive than Vista.
But one feature which I have been really waiting for with Vista, is backwards compatibility with Windows XP applications. In Vista, while you could run applications as Windows XP using the "compatibility" function, I think Windows 7 went further and should work with more XP applications. I am really excited about this and once I have it installed will give it the ultimate test.
If I can install my copy of Adobe Photoshop CS2, I will be so happy! I haven't used Photoshop in so long due to both of my main computers running on Vista, which I could never get Photoshop running correctly. Ironically it was working better in Linux under Wine, than in Vista.
The download is about 500MB but should be worth it if it works. :)
Windows XP RC
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Experience from Linux as a desktop, short term trial
In my previous posting I mentioned that I spent about 4 weeks with a Linux system as my full time computer. I still have Vista running on my notebook but my main computer is where I browse and apply for work, so it does a bunch of work for me. After the 4 weeks I wanted to write out some of the pros and cons of working with Linux and what might help out to transition Linux to full mainstream.
First, the installers of Linux has been so much better than when I first installed Linux. I think I first was exposed to Linux Red Hat version 3. I saw the box and read about it on-line but at the time was connected to the Internet with a 56K line, so downloading the entire cd set would taken hours. I instead bought the set from Fry's Electronics and begain the install process.
After installing Linux I ran into a few problem, the video card was not working, the modem did not work either (even though I bought a non-Winmodem) so I was not able to download any drivers or work around this issue. At the time I only had one computer and made things tough to get around. I think I did try Linux again later when I got broadband Internet but didn't venture further than getting the GUI to run and play some simple games.
Now after looking for work I'm finding that many jobs are asking for basic knowledge of Linux, either for Windows system admin positions or even help desk support jobs. I was also curious about getting to know Linux better. After I took a few classes about UNIX and a certification class for Linux, but really wanted to know more.
The installer now is much much smoother. My Fedora and Ubuntu installers found all of the drivers, except for the audio and video drivers but I was still able to work and access the Internet for the drivers. After locating the drivers I was able to find Linux 64bit drivers for my hardware, something a bit rare 8 years ago. I started the install of the drivers but it's not as simple as in Windows.
In Linux you will either have a run file or a gzip file for the driver download. Here's where it gets a bit technical, in order to run the files you might need to make some commands on the command line. Now, in all honesty it's very simple, just run this command and you're done but it's another part of why Linux might not be for the casual computer user.
Another problem I found was the driver install could render your desktop with the wrong display settings and the only way to change this is starting the command line start up, editing the config files and then you should be good to go. This happened to me in Fedora but not Ubuntu.
Going on to application, I feel this is where Linux shines, there are many applications that are open source and able to run typically paid-only applications from Windows. For example, I found a great IRC chat application but on Windows I always couldn't find something that would work the same AND cost nothing. I also liked that with Wine, you could run Windows applications under Linux. This includes games, basically most applications. I was able to get my Photoshop CS2 running while it does not run at all on Vista.
There are some problems with Wine, for one I installed it on Fedora and Ubuntu, Wine only worked on Fedora with no problems while on Ubuntu there were many issues. I couldn't start any Windows applications, even after patching and updating. Of course I'm sure it's a problem of configurations but shows an example of out of the box it needs some work.
What is a really nice feature of Linux is the ability to install packages using the YUM or APT-GET command. These commands pull down the application files and install the application in one command line. This really makes it easy to install most command applications or even other third party applications if you include the source of the applications.
On the topic of applications there were some issues that I found. Since I was editing my resume and sending out applications to jobs, I was often using Sun's Open Office Suite. With Open Office you can save documents as DOC but not the new DOCX format. I was working on my resume when I sent a copy to my girlfriend, after a few minutes she called that the formatting was off. To be sure, I sent the same version to my Vista machine and opened it up in Office 2007, sure enough all of my formatting was off by a page or so.
Now, many people send resumes in many formats but I think it's a valid point that not all documents will save the same formatting as they are opened by different applications. In turn, there are more Office users than there are Open Office users, so to make my resume the most compatible I can either use Office or send the resumes in a new format. I started to send out resumes in PDF format but quickly I found out that Craiglist blocks attachments beyond a certain size, and my PDF documents were beyond that size. So I restored back to sending my resume and cover letters in standard text format, which worked but had a few people ask for a DOC format instead.
I really considered sending the documents in the Open Document standard that Office 2007 can now open but if my guess is correct, many people do not patch their Office suite and can not open any other document format. Either way, I sent out my cover letters and resumes in text format but when they ask, it's in DOC format created from my Vista computer. I rather do a bit extra work just in case to get that job.
From my using Linux experience I found that while it's grown to a great OS I'm still not sure if it's ready for the standards of a Dell or Gateway PC. There is going to be required knowledge to install drivers, and since the GUI is not always the ideal tool to use, some command line knowledge as well.
Does this mean Linux could never become main stream?
Well no. Linux has a huge bonus that it's free to use and deploy. I see an ideal Linux desktop install for netbooks, where the user is only using the the system for Internet or simple chat applications. Linux is also proven in areas where a stable OS is needed that does not have any security issues, such as the file share devices or home routers. But in the world where people constantly install games, applications and share files that need to be the same format, I don't see Linux taking over soon.
Now, this argument is not the same on the server side. Microsoft has already mentioned that they know about the growth of Linux and adding Linux to their virtual software. We'll see how this turns in the next few years but looks to be very interesting.
In my previous posting I mentioned that I spent about 4 weeks with a Linux system as my full time computer. I still have Vista running on my notebook but my main computer is where I browse and apply for work, so it does a bunch of work for me. After the 4 weeks I wanted to write out some of the pros and cons of working with Linux and what might help out to transition Linux to full mainstream.
First, the installers of Linux has been so much better than when I first installed Linux. I think I first was exposed to Linux Red Hat version 3. I saw the box and read about it on-line but at the time was connected to the Internet with a 56K line, so downloading the entire cd set would taken hours. I instead bought the set from Fry's Electronics and begain the install process.
After installing Linux I ran into a few problem, the video card was not working, the modem did not work either (even though I bought a non-Winmodem) so I was not able to download any drivers or work around this issue. At the time I only had one computer and made things tough to get around. I think I did try Linux again later when I got broadband Internet but didn't venture further than getting the GUI to run and play some simple games.
Now after looking for work I'm finding that many jobs are asking for basic knowledge of Linux, either for Windows system admin positions or even help desk support jobs. I was also curious about getting to know Linux better. After I took a few classes about UNIX and a certification class for Linux, but really wanted to know more.
The installer now is much much smoother. My Fedora and Ubuntu installers found all of the drivers, except for the audio and video drivers but I was still able to work and access the Internet for the drivers. After locating the drivers I was able to find Linux 64bit drivers for my hardware, something a bit rare 8 years ago. I started the install of the drivers but it's not as simple as in Windows.
In Linux you will either have a run file or a gzip file for the driver download. Here's where it gets a bit technical, in order to run the files you might need to make some commands on the command line. Now, in all honesty it's very simple, just run this command and you're done but it's another part of why Linux might not be for the casual computer user.
Another problem I found was the driver install could render your desktop with the wrong display settings and the only way to change this is starting the command line start up, editing the config files and then you should be good to go. This happened to me in Fedora but not Ubuntu.
Going on to application, I feel this is where Linux shines, there are many applications that are open source and able to run typically paid-only applications from Windows. For example, I found a great IRC chat application but on Windows I always couldn't find something that would work the same AND cost nothing. I also liked that with Wine, you could run Windows applications under Linux. This includes games, basically most applications. I was able to get my Photoshop CS2 running while it does not run at all on Vista.
There are some problems with Wine, for one I installed it on Fedora and Ubuntu, Wine only worked on Fedora with no problems while on Ubuntu there were many issues. I couldn't start any Windows applications, even after patching and updating. Of course I'm sure it's a problem of configurations but shows an example of out of the box it needs some work.
What is a really nice feature of Linux is the ability to install packages using the YUM or APT-GET command. These commands pull down the application files and install the application in one command line. This really makes it easy to install most command applications or even other third party applications if you include the source of the applications.
On the topic of applications there were some issues that I found. Since I was editing my resume and sending out applications to jobs, I was often using Sun's Open Office Suite. With Open Office you can save documents as DOC but not the new DOCX format. I was working on my resume when I sent a copy to my girlfriend, after a few minutes she called that the formatting was off. To be sure, I sent the same version to my Vista machine and opened it up in Office 2007, sure enough all of my formatting was off by a page or so.
Now, many people send resumes in many formats but I think it's a valid point that not all documents will save the same formatting as they are opened by different applications. In turn, there are more Office users than there are Open Office users, so to make my resume the most compatible I can either use Office or send the resumes in a new format. I started to send out resumes in PDF format but quickly I found out that Craiglist blocks attachments beyond a certain size, and my PDF documents were beyond that size. So I restored back to sending my resume and cover letters in standard text format, which worked but had a few people ask for a DOC format instead.
I really considered sending the documents in the Open Document standard that Office 2007 can now open but if my guess is correct, many people do not patch their Office suite and can not open any other document format. Either way, I sent out my cover letters and resumes in text format but when they ask, it's in DOC format created from my Vista computer. I rather do a bit extra work just in case to get that job.
From my using Linux experience I found that while it's grown to a great OS I'm still not sure if it's ready for the standards of a Dell or Gateway PC. There is going to be required knowledge to install drivers, and since the GUI is not always the ideal tool to use, some command line knowledge as well.
Does this mean Linux could never become main stream?
Well no. Linux has a huge bonus that it's free to use and deploy. I see an ideal Linux desktop install for netbooks, where the user is only using the the system for Internet or simple chat applications. Linux is also proven in areas where a stable OS is needed that does not have any security issues, such as the file share devices or home routers. But in the world where people constantly install games, applications and share files that need to be the same format, I don't see Linux taking over soon.
Now, this argument is not the same on the server side. Microsoft has already mentioned that they know about the growth of Linux and adding Linux to their virtual software. We'll see how this turns in the next few years but looks to be very interesting.
The strangest computer problem solved!
For a few weeks I've been battling this strange issue on my main yellow computer. I call it the yellow computer because it's a Cooler Master case in yellow and black, a special edition color I picked up from Fry's Electronics. After I had the computer running for about two years, I wanted to install a distro of Linux so I downloaded Fedora 11 and Ubuntu 9, installed them including the drivers to have a running system.
After a few days of running my Linux system, I wanted to play some video games and the Wine Windows emulator was not as stable as I liked, so I decided to reinstall with my Vista Ultimate.
This is where the problems started. I first ran the installer as normal but suddenly the OS would hang upon first boot up. I kept wondering maybe there's some files still left on the hard drives? So I used a USB to SATA device, then Acronis Disk Director to erase the drives and confirm there is no hidden partitons or MBR's left on the disk. Once I confirmed by using a full data wipe method, I restarted the install, then was stuck at the same point. I even bought a new 1TB hard drive I saw on sale, figured I might as well add some drives while I have the computer case opened. Still installing on the brand new drive had the same results.
I started to think maybe there's something hanging on the system. I posted some threads and found out people mentioned it could be the memory, drives are holding a MBR from Linux, my computer might be destroyed. After thinking about the problems, I went back and reinstalled Ubuntu 9, since I had no problems with the install I figured I keep it on until I found a real solution.
From using Linux full time I felt like I wanted to go back and run my Windows apps, so I installed Vista again. I figure since the computer was running with no problems for the past month I would be ok. Well, Vista installed to the same point but instead of hanging, it would blue screen and crash.
The system would install fine, reboot and upon startup, that "Windows is starting" message, it would instantly reboot, flashing a blue screen. So I restarted the startup in safe mode, and found out it was hanging on the install of CRCDISK.SYS.
I searched Google for the solution but found many articles pointing out random problems caused by this from error. Many of the users listed fresh installs, changing hardware, to even the error randomly happending on a new system. Basically none of the solutions worked and I was still stuck with the same problems.
For a wild idea, I flashed my motherboard BIOS to the latest version. This seemed to work as I was able to get Windows to boot but the OS was extremely slow, even moving the mouse was stuttering and barley working. Something still wasn't working right.
At this point I was frustrated, I already tried everything I could think of, my next step would be to disassemble the entire computer and test each component, which could take hours.
While playing on-line game World of Warcraft, I was chatting with some guild members about the problem. Two people mentioned that it sounds like a issue with the DVD drive or the media. I was thinking, how could the media be so problematic, doesn't the Windows installer check the files before installing?
To test the theory I needed another copy of Vista. Since I was going to purchase the subscription someday, I figured I start a TechNet subscription and use the unlimited trials of Windows 7 Ultimate. Downloaded the ISO and key, burned to a DVD and started the install process again. This time success!
After I was up and running with Windows 7, I took some time to rethink my trouble shooting process and why I didn't think of using a new media?
Part of the problem was the install with Linux. When I was installing Linux I used two different versions on two different medias, one was on a dvd and that was Fedora 11, while the other was on a cd and that was Ubuntu 9. The Fedora 11 installed fine, then I reinstalled Ubuntu 9, but after that the Fedora 11 didn't install correctly. I think instead of checking the dvd of Fedora I instantly assumed it was the computer hardware. So I switched to Vista and the same error, which made me believe it was something related to what was the similar hardware, the hard drives.
I really enjoy working on computers, I think even after years of support I still find that I'm new and always learning skills. Of all of the possible technical solutions, it was the easiest, just a 10 cent dvd fixed the problem.
For a few weeks I've been battling this strange issue on my main yellow computer. I call it the yellow computer because it's a Cooler Master case in yellow and black, a special edition color I picked up from Fry's Electronics. After I had the computer running for about two years, I wanted to install a distro of Linux so I downloaded Fedora 11 and Ubuntu 9, installed them including the drivers to have a running system.
After a few days of running my Linux system, I wanted to play some video games and the Wine Windows emulator was not as stable as I liked, so I decided to reinstall with my Vista Ultimate.
This is where the problems started. I first ran the installer as normal but suddenly the OS would hang upon first boot up. I kept wondering maybe there's some files still left on the hard drives? So I used a USB to SATA device, then Acronis Disk Director to erase the drives and confirm there is no hidden partitons or MBR's left on the disk. Once I confirmed by using a full data wipe method, I restarted the install, then was stuck at the same point. I even bought a new 1TB hard drive I saw on sale, figured I might as well add some drives while I have the computer case opened. Still installing on the brand new drive had the same results.
I started to think maybe there's something hanging on the system. I posted some threads and found out people mentioned it could be the memory, drives are holding a MBR from Linux, my computer might be destroyed. After thinking about the problems, I went back and reinstalled Ubuntu 9, since I had no problems with the install I figured I keep it on until I found a real solution.
From using Linux full time I felt like I wanted to go back and run my Windows apps, so I installed Vista again. I figure since the computer was running with no problems for the past month I would be ok. Well, Vista installed to the same point but instead of hanging, it would blue screen and crash.
The system would install fine, reboot and upon startup, that "Windows is starting" message, it would instantly reboot, flashing a blue screen. So I restarted the startup in safe mode, and found out it was hanging on the install of CRCDISK.SYS.
I searched Google for the solution but found many articles pointing out random problems caused by this from error. Many of the users listed fresh installs, changing hardware, to even the error randomly happending on a new system. Basically none of the solutions worked and I was still stuck with the same problems.
For a wild idea, I flashed my motherboard BIOS to the latest version. This seemed to work as I was able to get Windows to boot but the OS was extremely slow, even moving the mouse was stuttering and barley working. Something still wasn't working right.
At this point I was frustrated, I already tried everything I could think of, my next step would be to disassemble the entire computer and test each component, which could take hours.
While playing on-line game World of Warcraft, I was chatting with some guild members about the problem. Two people mentioned that it sounds like a issue with the DVD drive or the media. I was thinking, how could the media be so problematic, doesn't the Windows installer check the files before installing?
To test the theory I needed another copy of Vista. Since I was going to purchase the subscription someday, I figured I start a TechNet subscription and use the unlimited trials of Windows 7 Ultimate. Downloaded the ISO and key, burned to a DVD and started the install process again. This time success!
After I was up and running with Windows 7, I took some time to rethink my trouble shooting process and why I didn't think of using a new media?
Part of the problem was the install with Linux. When I was installing Linux I used two different versions on two different medias, one was on a dvd and that was Fedora 11, while the other was on a cd and that was Ubuntu 9. The Fedora 11 installed fine, then I reinstalled Ubuntu 9, but after that the Fedora 11 didn't install correctly. I think instead of checking the dvd of Fedora I instantly assumed it was the computer hardware. So I switched to Vista and the same error, which made me believe it was something related to what was the similar hardware, the hard drives.
I really enjoy working on computers, I think even after years of support I still find that I'm new and always learning skills. Of all of the possible technical solutions, it was the easiest, just a 10 cent dvd fixed the problem.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Backups
Recently a friend mentioned to me a UNIX workstation at his work could not start the GUI or xwindows. The OS could start but since the desktop was limited to a command line, there was a bit of problem getting back to the applications on the desktop since the windows could not be started. Unfortuntaley my friend did not have any backup of the systems and the application looks like it was having problems so it could be more than a simple copy of a few files.
Thinking about backups, they are usually considered something nice but not always kept at a high priority. Often when a new system is purchased, the last item, if even remembered is the backup license or software. Not to mentioned how many stand alone systems are purchased with out a valid backup solution, or how many are in production with out testing the restore procedures.
From my experience at home and in the enterprise data center, a backup is a make or break point for the system. If you have a backup, even a old backup from a few months ago, it's far better than starting over from a base OS. In once case at my previous job, a key system in a multi-tier application crashed from a hardware issue. Basically the system ran a SQL server that was a key component for updating workers in the distribution centers. With this one server down, the entire work force of workers would have to be let go and this would impact the company with a lost of several thousand dollars of work and merchandise not shipped to the stores.
After I found the server lost a drive and was not mirrored (old HP ProLiant DL310) I installed a new drive and OS, but the problem was installing the applications and data. We had a process for emergency bare metal restores but it was never 100% successful, often requiring some fine tuning and slight fixes. We were lucky and the server came up with some tweaking from our SQL DBA but it was down to the wire. To say we were on edge is to say the least, I was there till 4AM on Sunday waiting for the ok from the application team.
Thinking back to how important backups are, I have been not taking regular backups of my personal computers. Mostly I think my reason why I skip out is I usually keep my files across multiple computers and take a backup about twice a year. It's lazy and after thinking if I lost everything, how much would I really loose?
I actually almost found this recently.
On my main workstation, I usually run Vista Ultimate on the workstation but it's been running slower and slower over the years. Thinking I'm going to upgrade when I have time, I backed up my files over the past few months. The past month I wanted to install a Linux workstation instead of working from a virtual desktop. Installing on a physical box involves some extra challenges such as locating the correct drivers.
After installing the Linux on my workstation, by changing the boot drive from C:\ to my D:\ drive, I found that some how my master boot record was changed. Tried some recommended steps, the reinstalled Vista, thinking I could reinstall to a junk directory but still copy off my data. To my surprise, I checked and all of my data was gone!
Actually, the Vista installer copied all of my data to a new folder Windows.old, I used a USB to SATA device and I was able to copy my data. I was extremely lucky, I had my resumes and other data that I could have lost and did not have a recent backup.
Like the issue at the old job, the lost of data or non tested restores can be the success or failure of any data restore. If I lost my resumes, that would be about a few days of work, not to mention that I would be behind on my job search.
Recently a friend mentioned to me a UNIX workstation at his work could not start the GUI or xwindows. The OS could start but since the desktop was limited to a command line, there was a bit of problem getting back to the applications on the desktop since the windows could not be started. Unfortuntaley my friend did not have any backup of the systems and the application looks like it was having problems so it could be more than a simple copy of a few files.
Thinking about backups, they are usually considered something nice but not always kept at a high priority. Often when a new system is purchased, the last item, if even remembered is the backup license or software. Not to mentioned how many stand alone systems are purchased with out a valid backup solution, or how many are in production with out testing the restore procedures.
From my experience at home and in the enterprise data center, a backup is a make or break point for the system. If you have a backup, even a old backup from a few months ago, it's far better than starting over from a base OS. In once case at my previous job, a key system in a multi-tier application crashed from a hardware issue. Basically the system ran a SQL server that was a key component for updating workers in the distribution centers. With this one server down, the entire work force of workers would have to be let go and this would impact the company with a lost of several thousand dollars of work and merchandise not shipped to the stores.
After I found the server lost a drive and was not mirrored (old HP ProLiant DL310) I installed a new drive and OS, but the problem was installing the applications and data. We had a process for emergency bare metal restores but it was never 100% successful, often requiring some fine tuning and slight fixes. We were lucky and the server came up with some tweaking from our SQL DBA but it was down to the wire. To say we were on edge is to say the least, I was there till 4AM on Sunday waiting for the ok from the application team.
Thinking back to how important backups are, I have been not taking regular backups of my personal computers. Mostly I think my reason why I skip out is I usually keep my files across multiple computers and take a backup about twice a year. It's lazy and after thinking if I lost everything, how much would I really loose?
I actually almost found this recently.
On my main workstation, I usually run Vista Ultimate on the workstation but it's been running slower and slower over the years. Thinking I'm going to upgrade when I have time, I backed up my files over the past few months. The past month I wanted to install a Linux workstation instead of working from a virtual desktop. Installing on a physical box involves some extra challenges such as locating the correct drivers.
After installing the Linux on my workstation, by changing the boot drive from C:\ to my D:\ drive, I found that some how my master boot record was changed. Tried some recommended steps, the reinstalled Vista, thinking I could reinstall to a junk directory but still copy off my data. To my surprise, I checked and all of my data was gone!
Actually, the Vista installer copied all of my data to a new folder Windows.old, I used a USB to SATA device and I was able to copy my data. I was extremely lucky, I had my resumes and other data that I could have lost and did not have a recent backup.
Like the issue at the old job, the lost of data or non tested restores can be the success or failure of any data restore. If I lost my resumes, that would be about a few days of work, not to mention that I would be behind on my job search.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Building a computer cheaply
Recently I order a new computer from Newegg. It's a computer that I will use for a home server and to practice installs, basically a more powerful machine than my spare computer I have now. I was looking for a few key items in my next computer, basically a computer that had user replaceable parts, common chassis size, room for expansion, plus drivers available in Linux.
At first, I was considering a small desktop computer with a Intel Atom processor the same as used in the common netbooks. After using my netbook for the past few months and seriously playing around with the smaller processors I felt like this would not be a productive for a server. The big gain of the Intel Atom is the power savings, but if the server is so low performance, I could use a 1GHz desktop I have now to use instead.
Once I figured out I wanted to use a normal processor, I decided to choose between Intel and AMD, both parties have great processors but I was looking for a good price vs performance. Searching around prices from Newegg and Fry's I finally decided upon the AMD Phenom 9950 Agena 2.6GHz. The price was just over $100, had great reviews and with the new quad core processor, should have a bit more power than the older dual core.
Choosing a motherboard was easier, I found the prices of the Micro-ATX motherboards much cheaper than the full sized ATX motherboards. I also chose off brand memory to lessen the cost over premium brand memory, still using 4GB so I will have enough to run at least 3 virtual machines. Topping off with a decent mid-tower case, 500 watt powersupply, and a 600GB hard drive I was complete. I did not buy a video card because the motherboard has built in video as well as using ATI which offers Linux support. The total amount I spent was $500 for everything but I think it's a good mix of performance, long term usability and Linux support.
After looking at the features, I wonder just how cheap could a desktop computer be built for? All of my pricing is from Newegg, they offer very reasonable prices and their shipping is usually competitive.
Let's start off with a desktop, 4GB of memory, at least 500GB hard drive, video card, including monitor.
CPU - ~$70 (Intel or AMD)
Intel - Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
AMD - AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
For the price this processor is cheap and with the 65W power offers some power saving. The down side is it might be a tad slower than a same speed 125W cpu. For the price I feel like this is a good value per dollar. If you search around you can sometimes find older generation processors like the AMD 6400's for under $50 but I personally think this might be a bad idea. For some of the older generations of processors use older socket types and finding a motherboard could cost more than using a new processor.
Motherboard - ~$60
Intel - ECS G31T-M7 LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
AMD - ECS GF8100VM-M3 AM2+/AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 8100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Both of these motherboards are the micro-ATX size, which means they are physically smaller and lack the additional features of a full sized ATX motherboard. For most users is this fine and in fact, the majority of desktop systems sold by Dell or Gateway use a micro-ATX format motherboard. While these offer on board video, even audio they do not have digital video output for DVI, the feature will cost you about $10 more in price.
Memory - ~$50
Intel - OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
AMD - OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
The Intel memory is DDR2800 while the AMD memory is DDR21066, there is more selection of DDR2800 memory but for the needs, you shouldn't have any reason to pick one over the other. 4GB is the standard I feel for most users, the price is cheap enough were you should not skip out and offers a great performance per dollar.
Hard drive - $85
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
There are some reviews of the 1TB hard drives too slow but for the price, I think it's a great deal. If you wanted a 750GB expect to pay about $70, so for $15 more you get 250GB extra. There are some deals from Fry's also but expect the price to be similar until the 2TB drives start to drop in price.
Video card - included with motherboard
I'm skipping the video card since the motherboard has on board video.
DVD drives - $30
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
Case - $25
Rosewill R220-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Rosewill makes very reasonable priced cases and offer a good selection of choices. There's a few choices on cases, from the basic to the extreme. I personally prefer to spend a bit more on cases since they outlast the other parts in my computer. I am using a case I bought three years ago and it's still good as new.
Powersupply - $20
Sunbeam PSU-BKS-480-US 480W ATX12V Power Supply
Again, you can choose something cheap or extreme. I think the 480W of power should be more than enough for the computer. If you intend to use more drives or a larger graphics card you might need to upgrade.
Monitor - $150
ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built in Speakers 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR20000:1) w/ SPDIF out
Like the case, you will have the monitor usually longer than the computer. I like the wide screen and the price difference from a 22" wide screen to a standard 19" is only $50. I think it's well worth the extra screen space for multitasking.
Extras - $40
Keyboard and mouse are usually a personal preference, but there's many choices available.
Total cost - About $530 plus tax and shipping.
With some careful shopping you can get this price even lower and find some better deals. These prices are not on sale and the standard every day prices.
You can also buy a refurbished system from the major manufactures but I like to build a computer because you have more options.
Ars Technica also has a good system guide which is aimed towards the budget computer gamer.
Ars Technica System Guide April 2009
Recently I order a new computer from Newegg. It's a computer that I will use for a home server and to practice installs, basically a more powerful machine than my spare computer I have now. I was looking for a few key items in my next computer, basically a computer that had user replaceable parts, common chassis size, room for expansion, plus drivers available in Linux.
At first, I was considering a small desktop computer with a Intel Atom processor the same as used in the common netbooks. After using my netbook for the past few months and seriously playing around with the smaller processors I felt like this would not be a productive for a server. The big gain of the Intel Atom is the power savings, but if the server is so low performance, I could use a 1GHz desktop I have now to use instead.
Once I figured out I wanted to use a normal processor, I decided to choose between Intel and AMD, both parties have great processors but I was looking for a good price vs performance. Searching around prices from Newegg and Fry's I finally decided upon the AMD Phenom 9950 Agena 2.6GHz. The price was just over $100, had great reviews and with the new quad core processor, should have a bit more power than the older dual core.
Choosing a motherboard was easier, I found the prices of the Micro-ATX motherboards much cheaper than the full sized ATX motherboards. I also chose off brand memory to lessen the cost over premium brand memory, still using 4GB so I will have enough to run at least 3 virtual machines. Topping off with a decent mid-tower case, 500 watt powersupply, and a 600GB hard drive I was complete. I did not buy a video card because the motherboard has built in video as well as using ATI which offers Linux support. The total amount I spent was $500 for everything but I think it's a good mix of performance, long term usability and Linux support.
After looking at the features, I wonder just how cheap could a desktop computer be built for? All of my pricing is from Newegg, they offer very reasonable prices and their shipping is usually competitive.
Let's start off with a desktop, 4GB of memory, at least 500GB hard drive, video card, including monitor.
CPU - ~$70 (Intel or AMD)
Intel - Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
AMD - AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
For the price this processor is cheap and with the 65W power offers some power saving. The down side is it might be a tad slower than a same speed 125W cpu. For the price I feel like this is a good value per dollar. If you search around you can sometimes find older generation processors like the AMD 6400's for under $50 but I personally think this might be a bad idea. For some of the older generations of processors use older socket types and finding a motherboard could cost more than using a new processor.
Motherboard - ~$60
Intel - ECS G31T-M7 LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
AMD - ECS GF8100VM-M3 AM2+/AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 8100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Both of these motherboards are the micro-ATX size, which means they are physically smaller and lack the additional features of a full sized ATX motherboard. For most users is this fine and in fact, the majority of desktop systems sold by Dell or Gateway use a micro-ATX format motherboard. While these offer on board video, even audio they do not have digital video output for DVI, the feature will cost you about $10 more in price.
Memory - ~$50
Intel - OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
AMD - OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
The Intel memory is DDR2800 while the AMD memory is DDR21066, there is more selection of DDR2800 memory but for the needs, you shouldn't have any reason to pick one over the other. 4GB is the standard I feel for most users, the price is cheap enough were you should not skip out and offers a great performance per dollar.
Hard drive - $85
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
There are some reviews of the 1TB hard drives too slow but for the price, I think it's a great deal. If you wanted a 750GB expect to pay about $70, so for $15 more you get 250GB extra. There are some deals from Fry's also but expect the price to be similar until the 2TB drives start to drop in price.
Video card - included with motherboard
I'm skipping the video card since the motherboard has on board video.
DVD drives - $30
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
Case - $25
Rosewill R220-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Rosewill makes very reasonable priced cases and offer a good selection of choices. There's a few choices on cases, from the basic to the extreme. I personally prefer to spend a bit more on cases since they outlast the other parts in my computer. I am using a case I bought three years ago and it's still good as new.
Powersupply - $20
Sunbeam PSU-BKS-480-US 480W ATX12V Power Supply
Again, you can choose something cheap or extreme. I think the 480W of power should be more than enough for the computer. If you intend to use more drives or a larger graphics card you might need to upgrade.
Monitor - $150
ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built in Speakers 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR20000:1) w/ SPDIF out
Like the case, you will have the monitor usually longer than the computer. I like the wide screen and the price difference from a 22" wide screen to a standard 19" is only $50. I think it's well worth the extra screen space for multitasking.
Extras - $40
Keyboard and mouse are usually a personal preference, but there's many choices available.
Total cost - About $530 plus tax and shipping.
With some careful shopping you can get this price even lower and find some better deals. These prices are not on sale and the standard every day prices.
You can also buy a refurbished system from the major manufactures but I like to build a computer because you have more options.
Ars Technica also has a good system guide which is aimed towards the budget computer gamer.
Ars Technica System Guide April 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Netbooks - yay or nay
A few months ago I purchased a Asus netbook, it's the standard model with the 10" screen. At first it was great, I installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix and everything was working. But soon after I started to do some real work that I found the keyboard was just too tiny to work on. The shift key was about the size of a regular key and I was constantly pressing the up arrow instead of shift.
After a short time I modified the keyboard to elimate flex and a few weeks later, the keyboard started to fail. At this time, I switched to using a Apple keyboard plugged into the netbook. Ironically my little netbook was now taking up more space than a full sized notebook. Once I had the netbook working again with the keyboard I tried a few more applications, getting away from the limitations of the small keyboard.
Interesting, I found that it was still hard to really do any work that required multiple applications or larger resolutions. For example, I'm reading about Ruby, it's a script program language available on multiple platforms. Basically you write the scripts using a text editor, save as *.rb, then run the files from a terminal using the command "ruby filename.rb".
This sounds easy, in fact you can have multiple windows open on a normal computer, and watch Hulu or something else while work. But not on the small resolution of the netbook. Due to the small screen size, just opening up the text editor you take up the entire screen. From here you need to switch to the terminal window, which also takes up the entire screen. It's not such a big problem, many people are used to switching screens, and many laptops are sold with low resolutions such as 1080x640.
The hard part is really working around these limitations and is the lower cost of the netbook worth the trade off. After spending more time, I feel like the netbook is great for checking e-mails, Internet, having fun with Linux packages but I'm not sure how much else.
Currently I keep the netbook for fun and learning but I'm building a new system which I'll pick a regular workstation with a standard processor.
A few months ago I purchased a Asus netbook, it's the standard model with the 10" screen. At first it was great, I installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix and everything was working. But soon after I started to do some real work that I found the keyboard was just too tiny to work on. The shift key was about the size of a regular key and I was constantly pressing the up arrow instead of shift.
After a short time I modified the keyboard to elimate flex and a few weeks later, the keyboard started to fail. At this time, I switched to using a Apple keyboard plugged into the netbook. Ironically my little netbook was now taking up more space than a full sized notebook. Once I had the netbook working again with the keyboard I tried a few more applications, getting away from the limitations of the small keyboard.
Interesting, I found that it was still hard to really do any work that required multiple applications or larger resolutions. For example, I'm reading about Ruby, it's a script program language available on multiple platforms. Basically you write the scripts using a text editor, save as *.rb, then run the files from a terminal using the command "ruby filename.rb".
This sounds easy, in fact you can have multiple windows open on a normal computer, and watch Hulu or something else while work. But not on the small resolution of the netbook. Due to the small screen size, just opening up the text editor you take up the entire screen. From here you need to switch to the terminal window, which also takes up the entire screen. It's not such a big problem, many people are used to switching screens, and many laptops are sold with low resolutions such as 1080x640.
The hard part is really working around these limitations and is the lower cost of the netbook worth the trade off. After spending more time, I feel like the netbook is great for checking e-mails, Internet, having fun with Linux packages but I'm not sure how much else.
Currently I keep the netbook for fun and learning but I'm building a new system which I'll pick a regular workstation with a standard processor.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Songbird
Songbird is a open source music player for various clients, from Windows to Linux. I played with this player before on Windows XP and wasn't too impressed, not sure which version but it was a few years ago.
Recently I changed over my main workstation desktop from running Vista for two years to Ubuntu 9 Linux. After making this change I needed to find a simple music player that offered many of the functions of iTunes but on the Linux platform. I could have gotten iTunes to run in Wine but prefered to use something open source.
Playing with version 1.2 of Songbird I'm really impressed of the layout and speed of playing songs from the browser. There's nice little features like Mixtape that show you details of the artist, complete with Wikipedia links. You can import songs like most music players and the import function works just as fast of iTunes.
Another nice feature is the listing of Last.FM for steaming radio, which is sometimes missing from other popular music players. I have to say that I looked at the listing of popular Linux music players, including Amarok, which was highly rated but didn't work as clean for me.
Overall it's nice to find applications that are open source and work better than their popular applications.
Songbird is a open source music player for various clients, from Windows to Linux. I played with this player before on Windows XP and wasn't too impressed, not sure which version but it was a few years ago.
Recently I changed over my main workstation desktop from running Vista for two years to Ubuntu 9 Linux. After making this change I needed to find a simple music player that offered many of the functions of iTunes but on the Linux platform. I could have gotten iTunes to run in Wine but prefered to use something open source.
Playing with version 1.2 of Songbird I'm really impressed of the layout and speed of playing songs from the browser. There's nice little features like Mixtape that show you details of the artist, complete with Wikipedia links. You can import songs like most music players and the import function works just as fast of iTunes.
Another nice feature is the listing of Last.FM for steaming radio, which is sometimes missing from other popular music players. I have to say that I looked at the listing of popular Linux music players, including Amarok, which was highly rated but didn't work as clean for me.
Overall it's nice to find applications that are open source and work better than their popular applications.
Linux and the master boot record problem
Recently I purchased a new 1TB drive for my computer. I was running out of space and could not backup my main drive of 500GB without a larger drive. Since the price has come down since they been released I bought a Western Digital and installed with no problem.
After I had this new larger drive I decided that I should try installing Linux on my main computer but use another disk, my old backup for the Linux install. So I first changed the boot up process in BIOS, from the 500GB to the 250GB, then installed Fedora11 64bit version.
Fedora installed with no problems, even got Wine to install AND run Photoshop CS2! But I noticed that I could not change the audio setup. Then I installed the video drivers, ATI 3850 video card, after that I lost video on reboot. Yikes!
At this point I decided to try Ubuntu 9, to compare the differences between the drivers and application install process. Also I wanted to see how hard it was from using YUM vs APT-GET or DEB packages. When I did the install of Ubuntu on the same 250GB the install crashed out and couldn't reinstall, in fact I couldn't reinstall any OS on the same drive.
I was really worried that I might have lost my Vista partition on the main 500GB drive, sure enough I loaded it up and got a blue screen of death. Lucky for me I had a simple USB to SATA device so I saved all of my data but this wasn't the path I wanted to take upgrading my pc. lol
Once all of my data was safe, I disconnected the 1TB backup drive, the 250GB drive, and just enabled the 500GB main drive. Restarted the Vista install and Windows would hang upon reboot. Even after scrubbing the entire drive, I would still see this error. So I asked in forums and most of the answers were about the master boot record. The master boot record (MBR) holds the data of how to boot an OS, if this is missing, the computer is not sure where to load the OS. It's similar to a starter on a car, the engine could be working just fine but can't start without the starter. The starter is only needed once the engine is turned off, but always needed to start up.
After being really stuck on this issue, I finally just tried to reinstall Ubuntu but this time I removed all of the partitions from the installer, and created a new partition. I did this many times before but just for luck, tried it again. As luck would have it, Ubuntu installed with no problems!
Once it was safe that it's running good, I started to down load the drivers I needed. I found both of my video card and sound card were working with their Linux 64 bit drivers, very happy! Then I installed some extras, but so far it's working great!
Now, I'm still confused by this problem and asked my Dad about it. We both think that the Vista installer could not erase the MBR correctly and only when using Ubuntu the installer over wrote the MBR.
Either way, this is a nice Linux install, now only if I could get Photoshop CS2 to work with Wine again. :)
Recently I purchased a new 1TB drive for my computer. I was running out of space and could not backup my main drive of 500GB without a larger drive. Since the price has come down since they been released I bought a Western Digital and installed with no problem.
After I had this new larger drive I decided that I should try installing Linux on my main computer but use another disk, my old backup for the Linux install. So I first changed the boot up process in BIOS, from the 500GB to the 250GB, then installed Fedora11 64bit version.
Fedora installed with no problems, even got Wine to install AND run Photoshop CS2! But I noticed that I could not change the audio setup. Then I installed the video drivers, ATI 3850 video card, after that I lost video on reboot. Yikes!
At this point I decided to try Ubuntu 9, to compare the differences between the drivers and application install process. Also I wanted to see how hard it was from using YUM vs APT-GET or DEB packages. When I did the install of Ubuntu on the same 250GB the install crashed out and couldn't reinstall, in fact I couldn't reinstall any OS on the same drive.
I was really worried that I might have lost my Vista partition on the main 500GB drive, sure enough I loaded it up and got a blue screen of death. Lucky for me I had a simple USB to SATA device so I saved all of my data but this wasn't the path I wanted to take upgrading my pc. lol
Once all of my data was safe, I disconnected the 1TB backup drive, the 250GB drive, and just enabled the 500GB main drive. Restarted the Vista install and Windows would hang upon reboot. Even after scrubbing the entire drive, I would still see this error. So I asked in forums and most of the answers were about the master boot record. The master boot record (MBR) holds the data of how to boot an OS, if this is missing, the computer is not sure where to load the OS. It's similar to a starter on a car, the engine could be working just fine but can't start without the starter. The starter is only needed once the engine is turned off, but always needed to start up.
After being really stuck on this issue, I finally just tried to reinstall Ubuntu but this time I removed all of the partitions from the installer, and created a new partition. I did this many times before but just for luck, tried it again. As luck would have it, Ubuntu installed with no problems!
Once it was safe that it's running good, I started to down load the drivers I needed. I found both of my video card and sound card were working with their Linux 64 bit drivers, very happy! Then I installed some extras, but so far it's working great!
Now, I'm still confused by this problem and asked my Dad about it. We both think that the Vista installer could not erase the MBR correctly and only when using Ubuntu the installer over wrote the MBR.
Either way, this is a nice Linux install, now only if I could get Photoshop CS2 to work with Wine again. :)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Windows 2008 Sysprep?
Sysprep is a great tool for Windows administrators. It enables a server to be "reset" and copied so they can redeploy the server to a new system, saving time on the installation time. Normally it's a quick method to deploy a system on a physical server to save time but really shines on virtual servers where it's common to deploy new images.
So how does it work?
On 2008 go to the following
c:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe
From here selection the following options.
1) System Cleanup Action - Select "Enter system out-of-box-experience"
2) Shutdown Options - "Power off"
I usually choose power off because I want to take a image or clone the server after it's been reset using the Sysprep tool. Overall the method to Sysprep is much simpler than before. In the older version of Sysprep in Windows 2003 and XP, you had to copy the Sysprep folder to the C:\ drive and then run the tool to built the options, then run Sysprep.
It's a good sign to see Microsoft make the effort to give a few more tools for the admins.
Sysprep is a great tool for Windows administrators. It enables a server to be "reset" and copied so they can redeploy the server to a new system, saving time on the installation time. Normally it's a quick method to deploy a system on a physical server to save time but really shines on virtual servers where it's common to deploy new images.
So how does it work?
On 2008 go to the following
c:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe
From here selection the following options.
1) System Cleanup Action - Select "Enter system out-of-box-experience"
2) Shutdown Options - "Power off"
I usually choose power off because I want to take a image or clone the server after it's been reset using the Sysprep tool. Overall the method to Sysprep is much simpler than before. In the older version of Sysprep in Windows 2003 and XP, you had to copy the Sysprep folder to the C:\ drive and then run the tool to built the options, then run Sysprep.
It's a good sign to see Microsoft make the effort to give a few more tools for the admins.
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