How To Boot Ubuntu From A USB Flash Drive

Below are the three methods, that can be adopted to boot Ubuntu OS from a USB Flash Drive!

Option 1: Boot Ubuntu as a Live CD from a USB Flash Drive

Use this option to install Ubuntu as a Live Install, which allows you to boot from the USB flash drive in Ubuntu, experience the Linux environment but will not retain any changes or settings after you shut down. This is a great way to get a feel for the OS, test some of it's capabilities as well as typical hardware compatibility.

Programs you may need to download:

1. Ubuntu 10.04 Live CD ISO available at ubuntu.com.
2. Universal USB Installer available at pendrivelinux.com.

What you will need:

1. Computer Running Windows XP/Vista/7.
2. Fat32 Formatted USB 2.0 Flash Drive, at least 1GB.
3. PC with a Bios that can boot from USB.

Now with all of the necessary components in place, we can begin to setup our Ubuntu Live USB Drive,

1. Run the Universal USB Installer by Pendrivelinux.com that you downloaded earlier.
2. Choose Ubuntu 9.10/10.04.1 Desktop i386.
3. Select the Ubuntu Live CD that you downloaded earlier.
4. Choose your Flash Drive.
5. In this instance, we are going leave the persistence option unchecked.

This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the speed of your system. At one point the progress bar will freeze until it is done, and this is the lengthiest wait of the process.

Once complete, you can reboot your computer with the USB flash drive in the USB port, press F12 for the Boot Menu and choose the removable media to boot from and you are in.

As this is a Live USB, any changes you make to the Ubuntu environment will not persist through a reboot. This is because running in this mode, Ubuntu uses available RAM in place of Swap and Hard Disk space. This option also contains the install files needed to install Ubuntu directly to your desktop if you should so desire.


Option 2: Boot Ubuntu as a Live CD with Persistence from a USB Flash Drive

This option will install Ubuntu Linux onto your flash drive with an area for persistent storage. You will be able to restart the computer, boot back into the Linux environment and all settings or changes made previously will persist.

Note: This option is particularly hard on Flash Memory, as there can be quite a bit of reading and writing to the Flash Memory.

What you will need:

1. Computer Running Windows XP/Vista/7.
2. Fat32 Formatted USB 2.0 Flash Drive, at least 2GB.
3. PC with a Bios that can boot from USB.

Now with all of the necessary components in place, we can begin to setup our Ubuntu Live USB Drive,

1. Run the Universal USB Installer by Pendrivelinux.com that you downloaded earlier.
2. Choose Ubuntu 9.10/10.04.1 Desktop i386.
3. Select the Ubuntu Live CD that you downloaded earlier.
4. Choose your Flash Drive.
5. Select the Persistence Option of 1GB Casper-RW.

This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the speed of your system. At one point the progress bar will freeze until it is done, and this is the lengthiest wait of the process.

Once complete, you can reboot your computer with the USB flash drive in the USB port, press F12 for the Boot Menu and choose the removable media to boot from and you are in.

As this is a Live USB with Persistence, any changes you make to the Ubuntu environment will keep through a reboot. This option also contains the install files needed to install Ubuntu directly to your desktop if you should so desire.


Option 3: Install Ubuntu directly to a USB flash Drive

This option works through installing Ubuntu to the flash drive as a complete installation. It does not retain the installation files to install on another system. This will allow you to use Ubuntu exactly as if it were installed alone on the hard disk. You can boot from it with any computer that can boot from a USB flash drive.

Note: This method requires that you disable your hard drive in BIOS to prevent overwriting your current operating system and force the install onto the USB drive.

What you will need:

1. USB 2.0 Flash Drive, at least 4GB.
2. PC with a BIOS that can boot from USB.
3. Blank CD.
4. A Computer with the ability to Burn CD/DVD.

Now with all of the necessary components in place, we can begin the process,

1. First, you will need to burn your Ubuntu ISO to CD using a program like ImgBurn available at ImgBurn.com.
2. Boot your computer and press F2 to enter the system BIOS. Within here you will want to disable your Hard Drive. If this is not an option in your BIOS, I would suggest shutting down your computer and unplugging the power and data cables from your hard drive before proceeding. Note: If you choose not to disable your hard drive, you run the risk of installing Ubuntu on top of your current OS and can lose valuable information.
3. After you have disabled your hard drive, place the Ubuntu Live CD into your computer and boot from this.
4. At the initial boot screen, choose to try Ubuntu, not install.
5. Once Ubuntu loads, plug in the desired flash drive into the computer.
6. Now, double click on the Install Ubuntu icon that appears on the desktop.
7. The first 3 screens are language, time zone, and keyboard layout.
8. Now Ubuntu will notify you that there is a disk mounted, and asks to unmount it. This is your flash drive. Give it permission to unmount.
9. This is the prepare disk space screen. I chose to leave mine at default and let the installer handle the partitions needed by Linux.
10. Now you will see the login and user information screen.
11. Now you are ready to install, click install.
12. At one point during the installation, you may notice a skip button appear on the bottom left. This is to skip the auto update, and finally the language packs. I chose to skip language packs update.
13. This may take a while, mine took atbout 35 minutes to complete. When it is done, eject the disk and shut down the computer. Plug your hard drive back in if necessary, or boot your computer into bios and re-enable it. Reboot your computer and press F12 to enter the boot menu, choose the flash drive and boot into Ubuntu.

Author Bio:

Joshua Bulman is a full time web designer and IT support technician for a company that provides Custom USB drives via the web marketplace. He enjoys reading fiction, writing just about anything, and discovering new technologies.

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Secret Codes For Your Android Mobile

Hai friends, here is a wide collection of secret codes for your mobile with Android OS. These codes enables you to access the hidden options which are not shown by default on your device, and can be used for testing the functions of various utilities used by your mobile.

Note: We Cannot guaranty that these codes will work on all Android mobiles!

Previous Articles:

• Nokia Universal Secret Codes.
• LG Mobile Phone Secret Codes.

These codes are used only by technicians, So be careful with them and use it at your own risk. Press "Ctrl+D" for Future Use! :)

General Codes:

*#06# – To Display's IMEI number.

*2767*3855# – To format your device i.e To delete everything on the phone memory (Can be customized).

*#*#4636#*#* – This code will display your usage statistics and battery.

*#*#273282*255*663282*#*#* – This code helps you to back up all media files on your mobile.

*#*#197328640#*#* – This code will send you to the test mode, to test various functionality of your mobile.

*#*#1111#*#* – This code will display FTA software version.

*#*#1234#*#* – This code will show PDA and firmware version.

*#*#232339#*#* – For wireless LAN tests.

*#*#0842#*#* – This code is used  for Backlight/vibration test.

*#12580*369# – Display's Software and hardware info.

*#*#2664#*#* – This code is used for Testing the touchscreen.

*#9900# – System dump mode.

*#9090# – Diagnostic configuration.

*#*#34971539#*#* – Will display Detailed camera information.

*#872564# – USB logging control.

*#301279# – HSDPA/HSUPA Control Menu.

*#7465625# – This code will display phone's lock status.

*#0*# – This code will enable you to enter the service menu on newer phones like Galaxy S III.

*#*#7780#*#* – Reset the /data partition to factory state.

Basic Codes:

*#*#7780#*#*   - This code is used for factory restore setting.This will remove Google account setting and System and application data and settings.

*2767*3855#   -  This code is used for factory format, and will remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage. It will also re install the firmware.

*#*#4636#*#*   - This code show information about your phone and battery.

*#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*    - This code opens a File copy screen where you can backup your media files e.g. Images, Sound, Video and Voice memo.

*#*#197328640#*#*    -  This code can be used to enter into Service mode. You can run various tests and change settings in the service mode.

*#*#7594#*#*   -  This code enable your "End call / Power" button into direct power off button without asking for selecting any option(silent mode, aero plane and power-off).

*#*#8255#*#*  -  This code can be used to launch G Talk Service Monitor.

*#*#34971539#*#*    -  This code is used to get camera information. Please avoid update camera firmware option.

W-LAN, GPS and Bluetooth Test Codes:

*#*#232339#*#* OR *#*#526#*#* OR *#*#528#*#*   -  W-LAN test (Use “Menu” button to start various tests).

*#*#232338#*#*    -  Shows WiFi MAC address.

*#*#1472365#*#*    -  GPS test.

*#*#1575#*#*    -  Another GPS test.

*#*#232331#*#*   -  Bluetooth test.

*#*#232337#*#    -  Shows Bluetooth device address.

Codes to launch various Factory Tests:

*#*#0842#*#*   - Device test (Vibration test and BackLight test).

*#*#0588#*#*    - Proximity sensor test.

*#*#0*#*#*    -  LCD test.

*#*#2664#*#*   -  Touch screen test.

*#*#2663#*#*    -  Touch screen version.

*#*#0283#*#*   -  Packet Loopback.

*#*#0673#*#* OR *#*#0289#*#*    -  Melody test.

*#*#3264#*#*    -  RAM version.

Code for firmware version information:

 *#*#1111#*#*   -  FTA SW Version.

*#*#2222#*#*   - FTA HW Version.

*#*#44336#*#* - PDA, Phone, CSC, Build Time, Changelist number.

*#*#4986*2650468#*#*   - PDA, Phone, H/W, RFCallDate.

*#*#1234#*#*  - PDA and Phone.

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What are Cloud Services?

If you work in business and computers, chances are you would have heard about cloud services. It’s something that is talked about a lot but rarely explained to those who don’t know. If you are starting a job in this area or are just curious about the service and how it can help you, it’s important it is explained clearly to you.

Below is a guide on cloud services. This article covers what it means, what cloud services are and how they can help you and your company. Hopefully, after reading you should have a better understanding of cloud services.

What does the term “cloud” mean?

The term cloud in computing refers to internet based computing. It is when all your resources, files, software, programs and information you share on it are available to other computers and internet enabled devices. It means everything you store on your cloud is easily available online.

What are cloud services?

Cloud services are when a business offers secure cloud space to individuals, businesses and organisations.

With a cloud service you can have programs such as word processing programs, spread sheet programs, in-house data systems and email programs easily available without the use of downloading the software onto your computer or device. The result is easy accessibility to files and programs from any device so that you can work from any device and share files and information with others. It works great with families, who may want to share photographs and files, and it works for businesses that may need to work on shared files and access informationeasily and regularly.

How can cloud services help me and my business?

Cloud services can help your business if you rely on your team to access the same files and if your company is computer based. When you work in an office, frequently you will need to access a file someone else has been working on or updating. With a cloud service, anyone of your staff members with the right permissions can access these shared files, saving you time and money. With a cloud service you don’t need to waste time emailing things or downloading them onto external hard drives, this in turn can save you money.Using cloud services can mean if an employee can’t come in because their child is sick off school or it’s a snow day, your employee can still work that day from home by just logging onto the cloud service where all the files they’ve been working on are stores.

What companies provide cloud services?

There are many types of companies that supply cloud services. The first thing to take into consideration is security and reliability. Consider how there are three different types of cloud: public, private and hybrid. Work out which type will serve your needs best, for example if you are using the service for personal use, private is good for you.Do some research on companies before committing to a service as there are many companies now offering this and therefore, a lot of competition. Companies that specialise in technology solutions usually offer this service and tend to be reliable due to their specialised field.

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Forget Your Windows 7 Password? Create Windows 7 Password Reset Disk

Suppose if you forgot Windows 7 password, you would try to find solutions to recover or reset it through the internet. Soon you would find one solution—using Windows 7 password reset USB disk, which is most mentioned by people. So here in this article, I will show you the exact ways to create a Windows 7 password reset disk.

Theoretically, a password reset disk Windows 7 can be made with a CD/DVD or USB flash drive. Since USB flash drive is more convenient to carry and safer to preserve, here I highly recommend creating a Windows 7 reset password with USB to prevent your computer from being locked. Below are guides on how to create a Win 7 password recovery USB.

Situation 1 :)

If you haven’t forgotten your Windows 7 password yet. At this situation, you can easily make such a password reset USB disc for free to prevent your computer from being locked.

Now follow the below steps:

1. Insert the prepared USB flash drive into your computer.
2. Type “reset” in the Windows search box and select “Create a password reset disk”. 
3. When the “Forgotten Password Wizard” appears, click “Next”.
4. Select your USB flash drive and click “Next”.
5. Once the wizard finishes creating the reset disk, click “Next” then “Finish”.
6. That's it. Job Done!

Don't Miss: Top 3 Windows Password Recovery Softwares.

Situation 2 :(

If you have already forgotten your Windows 7 password. Many computer users actually didn’t take any precautions against Windows 7 password forgotten problem before they find they’ve lost or forgotten the password. So if you don’t have such a password reset disk when you forget or lose your Windows 7 password, you need to seek for other ways to make one and then use that to reset Windows 7 password.

Here’s how to create a reset password Windows 7 USB with Windows Password Recovery Enhance:

You need to do the below steps in another system in order to recover your system.

1. Download and install PC Login Now's iso file.
2. Burn the ISO file to CD (Use Magic ISO).
3. After you have created a bootable disk, Insert that disk into the DVD Drive and Restart your computer.
4. Set the BIOS to boot from CD. (Mostly not required if your system automatically detects the disk on your DVD Drive).
5. The software then automatically runs.
6. Use PCLoginNow to finish the job.

Note:

Download-file is an ISO file named “PCLoginNow_Free.ISO” which should be burned to a CD before using it.

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How To Create Bootable Windows 8 Usb Drive

It’s been quite some time since we have seen technology revolving around portability. A USB drive acts as a portable medium for storing noticeable memory and as such a portable and a bootable windows  8 USB drive gives you a flexible availability of an operating system on your reach. Well most of the systems coming through in today’s age lack optical drives so it would be quite a wise decision to go on and use a bootable USB drive to install Windows 8 onto your system.

To create a bootable windows 8 USB drive we need to incur some requirements which happen to be:

1. A flash (USB) drive bearing a capacity of 4 GB or more than that.
2. A Windows 8 DVD or Windows ISO file which acts as the source which has to be transferred.
3. If you consider having windows 8 DVD then you need an optical DVD drive in your computer but if you go onto have an ISO file then a USB port will work well.

Note: If you have a windows 8 DVD then you may proceed doing this procedure from the very first step, but if you have an ISO file then you need to go on from the second step.

Procedure: 

• First we have to create a windows ISO file from the windows 8 DVD. This ISO file contains all the data which needs to be transfer into the usb drive to create a bootable one. There are many tools to create an ISO file from a DVD; you can use any of them. My suggestion is, you can use Magic ISO.
• After you have created the required ISO file, you need to download the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool from the Microsoft Website and install it onto your computer. Windows xp users need image mastering api v2 to use this software.

• After installing it start the download tool by looking for it either in the start menu or the shortcut icon on the desktop.
• When the tool utility will open up it will ask you for the path of your ISO file. By clicking onto browse you will have to locate the ISO file in the computer. This location has to be the path associated with your ISO files destination.

• After selecting the ISO file you can click onto next which takes this utility onto a next step.
• The next step is to select the media we wish to use, as we are going to make a bootable USB drive so the type of media has to be USB. There is an option to keep DVD as the media too which implies that you can make a bootable DVD too through this application but for now we have to go through the USB process.

• After selecting the media you need to erase all the contents present in the flash drive by pressing erase USB drive. This will format the USB drive and make it free to be used particularly from this process.

• When you will click next the utility will show you a tagline “creating bootable drive, just wait for the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool to prepare the drive and copy the Windows 8 installation files to it”.

• The download tool will start formatting the drive, after that it will start copying the contents and as soon as this will be completed you will come across a labeled line that Bootable USB drive created successfully. If t\all the steps would have been incurred properly a Bootable USB drive would be ready to be operated.

This completes the process and your bootable windows 8 Usb Drive is made and prepared to be used as an installation media. Now you simply have to boot your computer through the USB drive and you would be easily able to install new windows on your computer. The maximum time period to install Windows 8 is almost 20-30 minutes with great ease.

Author Bio:

Khalid: http://www.siliconelake.com/
With the Divine Assistance i do succeed and with that Assistance i fail.

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Flipped Text Generator ʎuunɟ

Flipped text generator is very useful when you want to amaze your friends by flipping the text upside down. You can use these text in social media like facebook, Google+, etc... As status update.

If facebook & Google+ you can use this in chat box too.

The are simply like normal text but are not available on your keyboard, So to create them a simple tool as you see below is required.

What to do:

• Just enter the text to be flipped it the first box.
• Copy the flipped text from the second box.
• And use it everywhere! :)

Dont miss: Send Images On Fb Chat Box!

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Facebook Chat Letters Generator

Hai friends here is an intresting way to amaze your friends by generating the letters in the form of pictures and posting them in the fb chat box. By seeing the above pic you can understand.

What To Do:
Just type the text to be converted into picture, in the Type here field.
Copy the codes generated in the Use this field and paste it on the fb chat box and feel the magic. :)
You can Preview the final picture on the Preview field.

Don't Miss:  Send Images On Fb Chat Box!

Type here: Hello

Use this:

Preview:

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