How to Remove Ubuntu Netbook Remix Without Windows CD and Restore Windows MBR

I ran across the issue the other day with my netbook. I wanted to remove Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but deleting the Linux partition would cause GRUB, the bootloader, to cause errors. GRUB is usually removed by using a Windows Operating System Install CD and running commands through a special prompt. However, since netbooks don’t have CD drives, this was an issue. Sure, I could have done something through a USB flash drive or even through a USB external DVD/CD drive, but no, I found an even easier way to do it. You can restore your MBR without any devices needed and you don’t even have to restart your computer. I added this information to the Review: Ubuntu Netbook Remix, as well as informaton on how to delete the Linux partition on a dual boot Windows-Linux environment. Hope it helps!

Hacking WEP Wireless Keys Via Backtrack Video

Hacking WEP is as easy as eating a piece of banana cream pie with chopsticks (it’s easier than it sounds). There are multiple methods of doing such, especially depending on who makes your wireless card (Atheros chipsets allow for additional, faster methods, as well as some other chipsets). The most common way, which is done via a Backtrack live disk or USB in conjunction with Aircrack, can be seen step-by-step in the following video. Watch the video!

Ubuntu That Looks Like Windows XP

This is really cool in my opinion since Windows XP is my favorite Windows OS. Ylmf OS, an operating system based on Ubuntu, has been designed to look very similar to Windows XP. It is only in Chinese currently, but that will hopefully change some day.

Review: Ubuntu Netbook Remix

Author: DarkKnightH20
Ubuntu Uninstall Guide Also Appended to End of Post

When I first heard about the Ubuntu Netbook Remix distro, I was excited. I thought to myself “Hey, Ubuntu is an awesome operating system so I’m sure the netbook-rendition will be just as good”. Well, I have mixed feelings about this operating system right now, but overall it’s still good.

The installation was a breeze. You simply write Ubuntu to a USB drive using the suggested program, then during reboot you hit F2 to load BIOS. In the BIOS, you must change the boot order so that the USB boots up before the harddrive, then save the settings & quit. The USB will now be read by the computer during bootup, causing the installation to be triggered. You have the option to load the OS without installing it, as well as some other features — and you can also just install the OS right away too. This is fast AND easy. A++ to Ubuntu for the initial installation…Or is it really that easy? MORE on why I wrote that, later!

The interface starts out in the Ubuntu Netbook Desktop-mode. This, to me, is not the most attractive of interfaces (but not ugly)…Usability-wise, it works. Icons are large and navigation is simplified. Categories that represent the standard Gnome menus are on the side and loads of software comes pre-installed. This would make anyone happy who just wants pure convenience. I’m picky, however, and wanted a normal Ubuntu Desktop too, which can be selected very easily via System -> Preferences -> Switch Desktop Mode…So that’s good. I plan on switching back-and-forth between the two. In the netbook interface, heavy alteration took place to help save on pixels being used. You truly get the most out of your small screen in this sense. They want those pixels to not go to waste! Check out this picture for an example–

Notice how there are small icons in the top left corner? These each represent windows that have open. This version of Ubuntu will also alter the size of windows that are opened using “Maximus”. This is to assist those with small resolutions so that they don’t have too much difficulty using large interfaced-apps or dealing with big dialog windows/message boxes.

Hardware Used

If you’re curious about my hardware, I’m running an Atom n280 (1.66ghz), 160GB HDD, 1GB of DDR2 800 ram, and Atheros (AR9285) for Wireless and Wired internet. I have a 2GB RAM module coming in the mail, but to be honest, this isn’t even necessary. Everything runs without a hiccup. I have yet to need the additional ram. Ubuntu Netbook Remix has been fast and stable — except for one random crash when using Firefox. It happened for on particular reason. I just surfed for a bit and then my machine locked up. It hasn’t happened since, however…and no, it was not my hardware’s fault

I mentioned earlier that Ubuntu Netbook Remix almost had an A++ for easy installation. Well, everything did NOT work out of the box. Most things did, but not everything. WIFI and ethernet, for example, did not work without having to install 5 or so files in a specific order, then restart. This requires an additional computer and USB port because of this…Or, if you are dual booting, then a switch over to the other operating system, download the files, then restart and find+install them using Ubuntu (assuming you allow Ubuntu access). For a list of computers that have been tested, as well as possible solutions to problems your computer’s specific model may have, Here.

If you’re not going to be using the netbook interface and still want Ubuntu, then this really isn’t for you…if you have space for all the extras that a normal Ubuntu distro has. You’ll miss some of the missing tools and so forth, I guarantee it. Besides, you can make normal Ubuntu display the same type of interface as the Netbook Remix. It isn’t as easy as changing to desktop mode and back through a simple click or two like in Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but if you really want the interface, it can be done…I personally prefer the standard Ubuntu desktop, but maybe that’s just me

A good task to perform that I would like to mention is installing GParted. Simply run sudo apt-get install gparted via terminal. It’s great for modifying partitions.

I also recommend grabbing KGrubEditor if you’re dual booting. It is KDE, and therefore will need additional packages installed for support (all of which is grabbed easily through a repository) but will work on the Gnome interface.

Depending on your computer, there is likely custom software to help it run. For my eeePC, for example, software is available to help use the shortcuts, manage battery life, etc. Check out what’s available through some nice Googling or repository searching.

Enjoy using Netbook Ubuntu Remix! Expect it to change significantly throughout its life. Also expect others to follow soon with similar solutions that deal with lack of screen space.

Update (February 3rd, 2010): Recently, I decided that I needed to remove Ubuntu Netbook Remix and GRUB from my Netbook. As you can imagine, you cannot use the commonly suggested routes that involve floppy disks and CDs (unless you have an external USB CD drive). However, I found out that it was much easier than anticipated. For those of you who have this issue follow my directions here for help! We will be deleting the Ubuntu partition and restoring your Windows MBR (master boot record). I also give suggestions on how to go about resizing your primary partition after the Ubuntu partition is deleted. Fixing the MBR is the only part that can be a bit confusing

Firstly, bootup into Windows. I use Windows XP myself. Go to Start -> Run — and type in “compmgmt.msc”. Select “Disk Management” (located in the list on the left side) and locate the partition that has Ubuntu on it. Right click on the partition and delete it! After it’s gone you’ll notice that you have a lot of free space that has not been partitioned. You will want to resize your current partition to take this space, but unfortunately Windows did not include this in their partition tool. You will need to download another program to do so. There are a lot of free programs to do this out there, of which some require you to boot up to a CD, but my favorite happens to be Partition Magic. It handles the entire procedure within Windows so no booting up to a CD is needed. As a last resort (or first resort if you don’t mind it), you can actually boot up to Ubuntu using your USB drive and resize through Ubuntu. This seems a bit weird since we just deleted Ubuntu and are not booting up to it again, but no matter…If you decide to do this method, then wait until you have removed GRUB first otherwise it will popup an error about the missing Ubuntu partition.

So…After resizing your primary partition to absorb the new free space from the deletion of the Ubuntu partition, you will want to remove GRUB. This is usually done through a Windows CD, but an even faster (and better) way to do this is via TestDisk. Download the program and extract it. Locate the WIN folder within and then open “testdisk_win.exe”. A command prompt will open. Choose “No Log”. A list of drives will be display in the next screen…Pick your drive! Next you must choose your partition type. Choose “Intel”. Now let the program do its thing. It’ll be done fast. When it completes, restart your computer. If it boots up with no issues, then congratulations, you have restored your MBR and deleted Ubuntu!

Linux Symposium Presentations

The Linux Symposium presentations are available in PDF form Here. This PDF is very informative and not a light read, being 340 pages long. It is packed with information on loads of different topics such as porting to Linux, kernels, topologies, and more. Read it now!

Securing Your Computer

This is an ongoing article that may be updated in the future as ideas are collected.

Windows Update/Linux Update
One of the most important things you can do is keep up-to-date on your operating system’s patches and fixes. Holes in your operating system are often the most exploited by worms. Do your part to keep yourself safe by updating through your Linux’s repository or your Window’s Windows Update.

Disable Unused Services
If you have ANY unused serves, and I mean any, try to disable them. Having a service running that isn’t used allows for more possible exploitation attempts. For example, on Windows operating systems many worms exercised vulnerabilities that used DCOM. Disabling the DCOM service dealt with this issue and prevented exploitation attempts to begin with. Consequently, internet service providers (ISPs) also took action later during that time, but many were infected who had the service enabled.

Uninstall Unused Programs
This tip also means “don’t install programs you won’t use”. These programs can contain vulnerabilities themselves. Now, under normal circumstances this isn’t an issue since often the program must be running to be exploited. However, under certain circumstances, such as with programs that have their own URI (similar to the “http://” in an URL or “ftp://” in an FTP connection), these vulnerable programs can be activated by the exploit itself.

Keep Up-to-Date Software
Many softwares release service packs and updates. Some of these updates include security fixes, whereas some include new features. What you want to do is update only when security patches are involved. If the update includes new features, then new vulnerabilities can also exist — making the update a security risk. It is a good idea to always look at the changelog before updating.

Turn Off Extra Features in Software
As the above mentions, the introduction of new features in software is a security risk usually. A lot of the time you can avoid such problems by disabling the unused feature (if the software allows it). For example, most instant mesaging (IM) software has file sending, chat invites, and other things. If you disable these settings, you may be able to avoid any possible vulnerabilities that relate to those specific components of the software DEPENDING on how the program deals with them after they’re disabled. A vulnerability may still occur depending on how the software is programmed, but on some occassions it will not.

Install AntiVirus (AV) Software
Most people say that they do not need antivirus software. They say that they’re too smart to catch a virus…Lovely. Just because you think you’re too smart to get a virus, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. If you accept files from friends for example, who says that they’re not going to have viruses? Do you surf the internet? Then you can run into viruses at any time. Any website you go to has the potential to be hacked and have malicious scripts run as soon as the page is loaded. Antiviruses help combat against web based viruses, spyware, etc — pretty much all types of malware. Keep the auto protect features on and keep their definitions up-to-date.

Install Firefox With Adblock Plus & NoScript
For the safest and best internet browsing experience, use FIrefox with a few addons. The first addon is Adblock Plus. This awesome addon prevents majority of ads from ever showing up, as well as eliminates popups and protects from spyware indirectly. It does an amazing job and is by far one of the most popular addons in existence and is my personal FAVORITE. The next addon is NoScript. This one disables any script, java, javascript, flash, etc. from running on pages you visit. This is exceptionally useful when going to websites you don’t normally go to. It has XSS vulnerability protection and can disable itself on websites you select.

Install Firewall (Software & Hardware)
Most people have a router now adays. This acts as a hardware firewall and does an amazing job at keeping most computers safe. For extra protection, it is recommended that you install a software firewall as well. These don’t only keep people from trying to connect to you and send malicious data, but they also prevent your computer from communicating to the outside world when you do not wish for it to. They alert users upon connection requests – local and remote – and can help detect malware indirectly (i.e. if a program you downloaded tries to connect to the internet even though it has no visible reason to, it could have a backdoor hidden in it).

Don’t Use Alpha/Beta Software
I’m hesitant to recommend this one since many software developers need testers…However, vulnerabilities are often at their highest when the software is in such a stage. Be careful. Be safe.

Watch Out for Security Advisories
Even when all the security in the world protecting your computer your defenses can be penetrated in a matter of seconds when attacked by a brand new vulnerability. Some vulnerabilities don’t reach advisory status until it’s too late, but on many occassions you can get lucky and find information that could allow you to protect yourself (such as a temporary manual patch) until a real patch is issued.

Submit Unknown Files to Online Multi-Virus Scanners
You never want to open anything without scanning it for viruses. I personally like to view exe’s under a hex editor, whereas other people prefer viewing files with Ollydbg or even running them in an emulated environment (such as through Wine) for testing purposes. Not everyone can do such tasks, however, and even if they could, they may slip up and miss something. An online multi-virus scanner I highly recommend is Jotti’s Malware Scan. It uses over 20 virus scanners to scan every file you submit. There is a 15mb limit per file though so it won’t work on bigger files without some effort being put in (i.e. chopping up the file into parts and submitting each piece part by part).

Avoid Unknown Websites
Websites are sometimes created with malintent in mind. Avoiding any website you don’t know or have never heard of, is a good way to help keep safe. Googling for information on such websites is highly recommended if you really must go to them.

Turn Off LM Hash (Windows)
LM hash, or LAN Manager hash, is created by Windows automatically. This is more of a local vulnerability, but people can download the LM hash from your computer, then use a cracker to find out what your password is. Look Here for information on disabling the creation of LM hash.

Put Lock on PC Case
This is a local, physical vulnerability for the truly paranoid to deal with. A lock should be put on your computer case to prevent people from opening it. Why would they want to open it? To snag your hard drive, to reset your BIOS, etc. Locks can be broken or picked, but at least they can slow down the attacker or force them to figure out a new means of obtaining what they want.

Password Protect Your BIOS
Though also a local vulnerability, a lot of harm can be caused if the BIOS are left unguarded. Someone could hurt your hardware, change the bootorder to allow for booting from CD, etc. If someone can boot from a CD using your computer, then they can run a different operating system or a set of boot tools to do a numberous amount of malicious activities, such as stealing files, password retrieval/cracking, etc.

Boot From CD/USB Disabled
As mentioned above, if someone can boot up to your computer using a CD, then they can do loads of harm. The same exists with booting up with USB drives. Protect yourself!

Install Encryption Boot Software
Computer using such software have their hard drive’s data protected until after the password is supplied during boot. This disallows people from retrieving the contents of a hard drive after stealing it. Such software is commonly found on corporate computers, especially laptops since they are mobile and can be stolen easily.

Never Use Admin Account
One of the most recommended things to do is to never ever use an administrative account on Windows or Linux. You should always be on a restricted, or semi-restricted, account. This helps prevent exploits from running that require administrative status and can limit their activity. Privilidge escallation vulnerabilities can get around this, unfortunately, but it can very well help you regardless.

Know of any good suggestions? Leave a comment!

Linux Distros I've Tried

Author: DarkKnightH20

A while back I went on a Linux distribution craze. I tried a lot of different distros in the attempt to find one that I liked best. This caused me to run into issues such a partitions becoming corrupted and boot-loader issues. For anyone wanting a dual boot setup, I highly recommend burning a copy of Super Grub. It has helped restore my system on a multitude of occasions. I’m not even close to an expert with Linux so my descriptions for each one are off. As stated earlier, these tests were done “a while back” so I don’t remember completely why I may have disliked a certain distro more than the other. Still, hopefully I can provide some incite for you. Be sure to check out distro review websites for more information before choosing a Linux OS. Most Linuxes come in two flavors: KDE and GOME. More exist, but those are the primary to choose from. They decide what your interface will look like for the most part. Here’s an example GNOME interface–

Notice the simplicity of it? Also, by default it has two task bars showing. This is very typical of a GNOME setup, but can be changed with great ease. Simplicity is what GNOME is all about. GNOME is my favorite. Now here is an example of a KDE interface–

Notice the widgets? KDE is VERY widget friendly. The menu also differs from GNOME’s menu very much. KDE allows for lots of customization, which is what KDE is known for.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s begin. Here are the distros that I’ve tried…

BackTrack 2 – This is primarily a security auditing toolset, but I used it. It lacks some of the bells and whistles of other distros and that was noticeable right away. I didn’t download this distro to use as a permanent solution. In fact, Backtrack 3 was out at this time already and this was just an old CD I had put together for WEP cracking puposes (against my own password protected router). Some worthy mentions about this distro? It includes loads of security auditing tools like previously mentioned. Be sure to stay up-to-date, however, so that you can get the most out of Backtrack. Don’t expect to use this as a real OS (though some do such a thing with it).

Fedora 10 (GNOME) – This distro was fantastic. It was my first GNOME interface and included some nice backgrounds, which isn’t really related to anything, but seriously…nice backgrounds Fedora ran smooth. There were no troubles in installation either. Unfortunately, I did not stay with this OS. It end up suiciding, so to speak, by destroying some necessary files. This was my fault though for having too much fun with the repository. The OS was fast, but not the fastest of all the ones I’ve tried…

OpenSUSE 11.1 (KDE4) — Something about this operating system really bothered me. It didn’t run as fast as the other ones I’ve tried and it seemed just overall choppy in performance. There was potential in it, but it just didn’t seem like my cup of tea.

Mandriva ’09 (KDE4) — If I liked a KDE interface more than GNOME, I’d definitely use Mandriva. It ran without a hiccup and the installation went very well. It seemed to have been a more solid OS than many that I’ve tried.

Linux Mint — For whatever reason, this distro had serious compatibility issues for me. Though I got it to install, it did not want to boot up majority of the time without me having to yell at it. This was the first Ubuntu-type OS I had tried and chose this one because it came bundled with additional software and apparently more compatibility (yeah, right). Unfortunately I cannot review this OS too well because of the aforementioned compatibility issues.

Kubuntu 9.04 — Like the above, compatibility issues existed. This was very upsetting because I very much wanted to try an Ubuntu distribution since it is by far one of the most popular distros out there. Unfortunately I cannot review this OS too well because of the aforementioned compatibility issues. Take note that Kubuntu is Ubuntu with a KDE interface.

Ubuntu 9.04 — Phenomenal. This operating system was the fastest to bootup and very stable. Compatibility was absolutely no issue, which is weird since the two Ubunutu variations I had tried previously failed in this aspect. Booting up to Ubuntu was love at first sight. One of the many good reasons to use Ubuntu is the huge community of support behind it. Support from communities is essential for any Linux operating system. I chose this to be my second operating system in a dual boot configuration. I love the GNOME interface and it’s a nice switch from XP. If you ever want to try Linux, Ubuntu is what is commonly recommended, and I agree. Try it out!

Added September 20th, 2009

Ubuntu Netbook Remix — This is based on the above distro that was absolutely fantastic. This version, however, is altered to be more friendly towards netbooks. For example, the new interface takes up as little pixels as possible so that you can maximize the viewing potential of a small screen with a small resolution. There are some problems in it, but overall it passed the test as a good choice for netbooks. Read my Review on Ubuntu Netbook Remix for more information. Also, I only recommend this distro for netbooks. The normal Ubuntu distro offers more useful tools preinstalled.

Open Source Shout-Outs

Author: DarkKnightH20

The open source community is thriving as usual. Nobody truly needs to pay for software now adays…including an operating system. This article will mention a Linux OS naturally, but the applications listed in here do not assume you are on Linux. OS compatibility will be mentioned in the description. Also, most of these come in a large variety of different languages.

Operating System

If you don’t know the phrase, that’s okay. Windows is a prime example of an operating system due to its large marketshare. Chances are that right now you are visiting this website via a Windows computer. As mentioned in one of my older posts, we do take statistics on what our users use (sounds redundant but it isn’t!) and Windows by far takes the cake. Some of our viewers use a Linux distro, some use Mac OS, but most just use Windows XP. Don’t get me wrong though, that doesn’t make the other operating systems any less good. Personally, Windows XP is my choice of OS. However, I dual boot with…

Ubuntu. I’ve tried many, many different Linux flavors, but end up settling on this one as many do. It’s a fast operating system that is packed with love. You can easily download absolutely any program via the repository and it is compatible with a vast amount of hardware so do not worry. The reason I am attached to Windows XP instead of Ubuntu is primarily for these reason: I program in Visual Basic (a language for Windows systems), my job uses software that requires Windows, my college courses require applications that are purely for Windows, and for familiarity reasons — I’m simply just use to Windows XP. I’m not mentioning these reasons just to blog about them or something, no…I mention them because many run into the same situation, hence why dual booting is a great option. Linux operating systems generally come in two flavors — KDE and GNOME. It is all a matter of preference to the user. KDE has a large amount of widget support right out of the box, whereas GNOME does not. My preference — GNOME. Check out Psychocats.net for a great comparison of the two. To installed Ubuntu, you will need to burn it to a DVD. You can also install it via a USB flash drive/memory stick.

So we now have the operating system setup. Though most distros come with many programs and tools already, let’s pretend they don’t. Have a fetish for creating and/or editing images? You’ll probably want a graphics design/editing program. In that case, I recommend…

GIMP. Not only is this piece of software compatible with Linux distros, it is also compatible with Windows, Mac, FreeBSD, and OpenSolaris. This is great news to all because those who cannot afford to get Adobe Photoshop can use GIMP instead with a minimal tradeoff. GIMP is a very powerful tool and has a great portion of the bells and whistles people are familiar with in Adobe Photoshop. You will not be disappointed.

For Windows users, you may be interested in free compression/decompression utilities, especially if you encounter RAR files often or other files of a more obscure compression format. Maybe you’re just looking for a utility with one of the best compression schemes. My recommendation to you…

7-Zip. This open source utility sports a large range of file compatibility and offers users the 7z high compression option for those looking to truly minimize the size of compressed files. Though RAR and ZIP are the top used compressions, you will run into a *.7z extension one day so why not take a chance with 7 zip? The interface is simplistic and easy to use just like WinRAR or even WinZip so do not worry.

Many people use the Microsoft Office Suite. It is annoying to have to pay money for such suite and many of you WILL need it…or will you? I recommend as alternative…

OpenOffice. This suite supports Windows, Linux, Mac, and more — and can even open files native to the Microsoft Office Suite such as *.docx — an extension from the 2007 suite. Need Power Point? No you don’t! Use their Impress alternative instead. Need to make a spreadsheet or database? Well, I guess you already know I’ll be telling you that the suite can do that as well. Check ‘em out!

This is another one for Windows users. Many of us wish to burn DVDs from videos we legally download from the internet or even videos we create. Normally, you have to buy software or try out many sketchy looking free software that may contain spyware. Instead of wasting your time, why not try…

DVD Flick. Unfortunately, I recommend this one blindly since I haven’t used it, but I’ve heard good things. It supports over 45 files formats, 60+ video codecs, and 40+ audio codecs. What does this mean to you? It can handle most files you throw at it with little-to-no issue. Ch-ch-ch-check it out.

Added September 20th, 2009

Android. This operating system for mobile phones is Google’s answer to those wanting web services tied closely to their phone. Because it is a Google OS, the phone asks for your Google account info. This makes for easy checking of mail, searches, etc. Expect some cool 3rd party development on this one!

MySQL. Don’t want to use Microsoft’s SQL (MSSQL)? Then have all your structured query language-needs dealt with by MySQL instead! Your databases shall be pleased and, moreover, you will be too.

This article will be updated in the future as I run across other recommendations. Did I miss anything? I’m positive that I did so feel free to comment or add you two cents on what should/shouldn’t be here. Credit will be received and, if you have a site, a link to your site will be put up. Thanks.