Benchmarking

Here is a good site about bench marking graphics http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/Benchmarking

Data Recovery

This is my method for data recovery of an entire hard drive (adapted from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DataRecovery)

Need installed:

gddrescue

foremost

sudo apt-get install gddrescue foremost

First connect the hard drive to an external drive reader, in an enclosure, or plug into the computer. Now use fdisk to read where it is at

sudo fdisk -l

once you know where the disk it use ddrescue to make an image file of the drive

sudo ddrescue --no-split /dev/hda1 imagefile logfile

If there are errors run

ddrescue --direct --max-retries=3 /dev/hda1 imagefile logfile

If you still have unread parts use

ddrescue --direct --retrim --max-retries=3 /dev/hda1 imagefile logfile

this should have recovered about all you are going to get

use the testdisk program to go in and copy the data out, (you can use this in the first place to repair partitions)

Canon MP560 Printer Troubles

So I installed Linux Mint 12 and my printer wouldn't work. I went back and installed Ubuntu 11.04 and my printer which used to work now no longer does. I have checked out the bug below and it seems to be mine (maybe)

here is a ppa I installed

https://launchpad.net/~till-kamppeter/+archive/ppa?field.series_filter=oneiric

here is the instructions I used to try and get the install script to work

http://moritz89.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/canon-pixma-mp560-under-kubuntu-10-04-in-64-bits/

and

http://dukuntu.blogspot.com/2011/10/mp560-and-1110-64-bit.html

Also tried this solution of changing permissions

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cups/+bug/436544

sudo

sudo chown -hR root /usr/lib/cups/filter

sudo chown -hR root /usr/lib/cups/backend
sudo chgrp -hR root /usr/lib/cups/filter
sudo chgrp -hR root /usr/lib/cups/backend

/etc/init.d/cups restart

still no luck

Install new kernals in Ubuntu

To install new kernals in ubuntu can be pretty easy. Here is the simplest way I know how.

download the following three packages

linux-headers...all.deb

linux-headers...amd64(i386).deb

linux-image...amd64(i386).deb

from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/

There is more information about this process at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds

Now just install with

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers...all.deb linux-headers...amd64(i386).deb linux-image...amd64(i386).deb

**IMPORTANT**

The order that you load the headers and image is important so make sure you pay attention like I have shown above.

Also don't delete previous kernals in case things don't work out.

Ubuntu 11.04 Setup

So I tried to like ubuntu 11.10, and then I tried xubuntu, then kubuntu 11.10, then I tried linux mint 12. I really liked linux mint 12, but my webcam no longer worked, nor my printer and so I have reverted back to Ubuntu 11.04. Here I will document what I like to do to get a fully loaded computer for my self.

First Add PPAs:
ppa:rawtherapee/ppa (change to Lucid)
ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa
ppa:team-xbmc/unstable
ppa:jd-team/jdownloader

Next install some packages:
chromium-browser
rawtherapee
xbmc
wine1.3
ubuntu-restricted-extras
vlc
sensors-applet
openarena
snes9x-x
dosbox
emacs


skype

download the .deb at http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-computer/linux/downloading.ubuntu64

dropbox

sudo apt-get install python-gpgme

download the .deb at https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx

Next post I will go over the installation of programs that need configuration and/or compiling.

lm_sensors on a Gigabyte GA-Z68-UD3H-B3

lm-sensors version 3.3.1 doesn't have support for my motherboard voltage reading yet. It did successfully read the cpu core temperatures, which is good. To get it to read the voltage settings I looked at http://www.lm-sensors.org/wiki/Devices and my particual chip is under the IT8728F. I downloaded the standalone makefile and it87.c. Making certain to have build essentials

sudo apt-get install build-essential

I then compiled, installed, and loaded it into modprobe

make all

sudo make install

sudo modprobe it87

The output of of running sensors now gives me voltage and fan information, but I need to check out what all of those values correspond to and make a config file to use and submit here http://lm-sensors.org/wiki/Configurations.

I found some good information here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/22242/how-to-get-sensor-readings-for-recent-hardware

Here is information on how to get sensors detect up and working https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SensorInstallHowto.

Personally I had to add coretemp and it87 manualy to /ect/modules.

VNC Server

Well, I have just installed Linux Mint today and I am trying to get some remote desktop goodness going on here between my two computers. On the old dell desktop with ubuntu 10.10. It appears to me that the best way to do it is to set up a server with x11vnc. Here is how:

sudo apt-get install x11vnc

Then create /etc/init/x11vnc.conf

start on login-session-start

script

x11vnc -xkb -noxrecord -noxfixes -noxdamage -display :0 -auth /var/run/gdm/root/:0 -forever -bg -o x11vnc.log

end script

reboot and you should be good.

Then just use Remmina or Remote Desktop Viewer to see the other computer. Good stuff. I can't see when it is using xbmc with remmina though or remote desktop viewer.