Install Linux to USB from Windows (actual install, not just live Linux)

If you're looking to install Linux to a USB key from within Windows, and not just to create a Linux Live USB key, then this will be of interest to you.

I started with a laptop with Windows 8, no CD drive, and 1 blank USB disk on key. I wanted to install Linux to the USB key. I wanted that USB key to be bootable.

1. Download and install Oracle Virtual Box.

2. Download ISO of Linux version that you want to install.

3. Create raw vmdk that points to USB:

Go to Virtual Box installation folder in an administrative command prompt:

VBoxManage.exe internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename "c:\Users\<Username>\VirtualBox VMs\USB.vmdk" -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDriveX

The PhysicalDrive # comes from the disk #. To find the appropriate value go to Disk Management and find what disk is the USB key. For example Disk 2 maps to \\.\PhysicalDrive2, Disk 3 would be \\.\PhysicalDrive3.

4. Load Virtual Box as an administrator. Create new VM. I chose Debian as that was the distribution I was installing. Do not allocate a new virtual disk. Instead select "Choose existing". Choose the vmdk file you created above.

Now you have a virtual machine that uses your USB key as it's hard disk.

5. Run the installation through Virtual Box. Make sure your USB key is not being used. Close all windows to it. Be prepared to lose any data that is on it, as this process WILL format the USB key.

If you finish the installation, you should now be able to use the same USB key to boot your system with. That's what I did. It's a great way to get Linux installed to USB without needing a CD or CD ROM drive (or an extra USB key for the installation).

I can now boot my laptop on from USB. The nice thing is that while I was debugging wireless I would sometimes want to add packages. I could reboot into Windows and download packages from there on the USB key. I then reboot back to a non-vm run and I can then debug and attempt to get wireless working. Not only is wireless working now, but the desktop environment I installed (XFCE) from the non-vm boot is actually working fine when loaded within Virtual Box.

Nachum

x220t Windows 8 Camera upside down

I have had Windows 8 installed for a while and the only thing that never seemed to work right has been the camera. It has been upside down. I searched for all sorts of drivers, registry modifications, and anything I could find. I couldn't get the camera to flip right side up. To the point -> I got it right side up!

Short of all of it is that if Windows 7 settings indicates to flip the camera, then Windows 8 doesn't flip it back. Seems like the camera stores internally whether to flip its output. Once that option is set, Windows 8 drivers don't yet have the option to change them back. Go into Windows 7 and flip the camera back. That'll solve the problem.

x220t Windows 8

I spent the last couple days installing Windows 8 on my x220t tablet convertible and a new SSD CT128M4SSD3.

Here are some hitches and solutions:
1. Won't install to SSD. Keeps saying that Windows can't be installed to this partition or something like that. Using Shift-F10, you can get to the command prompt. Using DiskPart you can play with this disk. I physicall removed my HDD first as to not risk affecting my Windows 7 partition and data. In the end, I finally got it working by converting the SSD to GPT, and NOT doing anything else. Once the disk was marked as GPT, all went well.

2. Windows Update installs updates and then reverts them saying they failed to install. Update the Conexant audio driver first (through Windows Update). That fixes the rest of the updates so they all update smoothly.

3. From my experience, do NOT install Wacom driver from Wacom. It makes the accuracy of the touch screen go way down. Not sure why. After I uninstalled Wacom's generic Tablet PC driver, touch got more accurate.

4. Camera stays upside down, haven't yet figured out how to fix that. The Lenovo Integrated Camera Driver for Windows 7 doesn't work on Windows 8 (Ricoh Bison). Even though it looks like it's installed, it won't show up in the camera app or skype.

5. Microphone doesn't work. Disable the mic's Audio Enhancements option through the sound applet in the control panel.

6. Auto rotate doesn't work. Install Windows 7 version of Tablet Shortcut Menu. Go to location of Tablet Shortcut Menu link, and set compatibility mode to "Run as Administrator". It only opens from the desktop mode of Windows 8, will not open from the Start screen. Once in the tablet utility, choose settings. Then check the Auto Rotate checkbox.

Feel free to leave additional tips in the comments section.
Nachum

Windows 8 install experience

I just upgraded my desktop computer with a new Z77 motherboard and i7 core. Intel has decided not to support Vista x64 for the Z77 chipset. This makes a lot of things not work properly. So I went ahead and purchased the Windows 8 upgrade.

On Windows Vista x64, Windows 8 allowed me to create USB media. So I created a USB Windows 8 install key.

Windows 8 "Keep Nothing" option did not delete my files. Keep Nothing refers to what is upgraded and available as installed and usable programs. It also refers to not bringing over favorites, contacts, settings, documents, etc into the new Windows 8 installation. Files in the root of your hard drive will not be moved so long as they don't conflict with Windows' installation folders. Windows installation folders will be moved to Windows.old or Windows.old.0000 if Windows.old exists, and so on.

This is identical to what happens when you install Windows Vista, or Windows 7 on a hard drive without formatting it.

That was my first big worry, as I could find no information indicating what Keep Nothing did with other files and directories in the root of the hard drive. I ended up backing up hundreds of gigs of data to make sure it wasn't lost. After I installed Windows 8 and verified it's behavior, I then reran the install from the USB key while formatting my hard drive. Now I let Windows 8 re-partition the drive.

Windows 8 creates multiple partitions. I am not sure why. But the advantage for me was to finally convert over to GPT. I couldn't do that without re-partitioning.

So far, I am not as dissatisfied as I expected to be. I really thought this would be horrible. As I haven't yet done heavy development on this system, I can't say for sure how the Windows 8 behavior will affect me. We'll see that soon enough.

Windows 8 did freeze on me once. Right after cleanly installing Windows 8, I poked around, and I found the "PC Settings" menu, and chose to run Windows Update from within that menu. That just got stuck. 0% downloaded, and then no response to anything except mouse movement. Couldn't get out of it, couldn't ctrl-alt-del, couldn't do anything.
Even after reboot, I couldn't get the updates to install, but this time I went to the Control Panel, and clicked Windows Update. It just wouldn't download anything.
I got around that by installing all of the updates on this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35670
relating to KB2770917.
I picked this update to install manually as it appeared to be the most comprehensive of the updates that Windows was itching to install.

After all of these updates were installed, Windows Update started working.

My installations have so far been working. Hopefully I can continue PCI Express development on this system soon.

Unlock iPhone

Since my AT&T contract expired almost a year ago, I have always been looking for ways to unlock my 04.11.08 baseband. Here's what I've found out. AT&T has been unlocking out of contract iPhones since April 8 2012! I can't believe how long it took for me to find out!

If you are out of contract (2 years or paid Early Termination Fee), then call AT&T and ask them to unlock your iPhone. You will need to be fully paid up (no outstanding debts to AT&T). At that point they will put your iPhone on the unlock list.

Finally I can take my iPhone out of the country or use T-Mobile if I like.

"The Coming Revolution" by Zamir Cohen - Good Laugh

I just received a new book as a gift from my mother. It is a 'scientific' look into how the Bible and Judasim was correct all along. It is written by Zamir Cohen, a prolific writer and Rabbi from Israel.

I started reading this book last night, and I can say that after finishing a couple of chapters I am confident in my analysis of the whole book.

A chapter begins with an incorrect scientific assumption that was prevalent anywhere from a few years ago to a few thousand years ago. This incorrect scientific assumption is then later revealed to be false. The logic from bad science to newly proven good science is backed up with a lot of scientific proof from many different sources in astronomy, chemistry, physics, and many other fields.

Zamir now pulls out a series of quotes from the complete range of Jewish learning, and uses these quotes to prove that Judaism knew the previously stated science, and must have known that from the Jewish God.

At first glance this seems to be really clear proof of how the Jewish God handed over many of the secrets of the world to the Jews, and this proves how Judaism is the one true religion.

There are 2 glaring flaws in all of this. The first flaw is how Zamir ties the quotes to the science.

The first chapter is about the big bang theory. Zamir describes a world where everyone, since the beginning of man's existence, believes that the world had always existed in a steady state. He implies that the Jews were the only group of people to believe that the world didn't always exist as it is today. He then goes on to describe the scientific steps which show a preponderance of proof for a moment of creation (ie the big bang). Now he goes back and shows how the Jews had known this all along.

The scientific community begins to believe in the big bang -> God created the world!

Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch?

The second flaw relates to the astronomical amount of Rabbinical quotes, relating to all areas of life, in the complete range of Jewish learning. The quotes that Zamir chooses are only the ones he can manage to thinly tie to some form of science. Jewish leaders and Rabbis since Judaism began have been passing on knowledge to their students. They would spend their days teaching these students, and much of what they said has been written and passed down. It would be highly unlikely if all of their quotes would be wrong (even the quotes that relate to science). It is much more likely that a few of the things stated would prove to be correct.

Let's take a room full of the insane and write down everything they say. In 10 years, let's see if, of the thousands of jabberings of gibberish, any of them are true. If any of them are true, then I'm converting to Insanism. Clearly they have a window into the truth of the world!

Let's have Zamir Cohen write a book about all of the quotes from even a single book of ancient Jewish learning, and scientifically prove everything in that book. Now that would be a mind-blowing read.

Unlimited voice, text, and a ton of data for less

I have been an AT&T customer since I got my first iPhone late in 2009. I have been paying a $100+ bill every month. I like having unlimited talk (and not just mobile to mobile).

Sadly, my iPhone is locked and jailed. But I still searched for ways to lower my bill.
Go here: http://goredpocket.com

I now have a prepaid account with auto-refill every month. The cost is $60. No additional fees. I have unlimited talk, text, and 2 GB of data. This is half the price of what I used to pay.

NOTE: Auto refill didn't work the first time for me. That wass sad, but I was out phone service for one morning until I noticed and re-ordered. Beware the auto-refill! After this happened, I attempted to re-enable auto-refill one month later just at renewal time. Now 2 months have passed since auto-refill first failed, and this time around auto-refill worked properly. Hopefully it will keep working.

I have a locked iPhone that is working fine on Red Pocket as they are an AT&T MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator).

Before:
Unlimited voice
200 texts
3GB data
~$120

Now:
Unlimited voice
Unlimited texts
2GB data
$60

Unbelievable. Been using Red Pocket for almost 2 months, and it is providing me the same reception as AT&T (as they are using the AT&T network).

The caveats are:
Bad customer support, takes forever to get a hold of a CSR (Customer Support Representative)
No visual voicemail (iPhone voicemail button now calls voicemail instead of displaying it)
No MMS (Group messages will still work if you disable MMS in the iPhone options)

Saving $50+ a month is worth it.