Wednesday, August 13, 2008
How to install application in iPhone with iTunes
sooner a quick guide for How to install application in iPhone with iTunes will be published till than wait.
iPhone 2.0 problems
Many comments on various issues in 2.0 or 2.0.1 upgrades. Many questions have been answered numerous times. I am adding a summary of a lot of the problems and solutions in this post for reference. I can also update it over time if we need it.
Problem: Mail App crashes after my update.
Solution: This is caused by the sync of the backup from iTunes. The permissions on the mail folder are incorrect (it’s owned by root). The easiest fix is to run bossprefs, click more, and click “fix user dir permissions”. You may need to reboot.
Problem: I have AT&T or a contract carrier. I jailbroke with your guide and now I have no service.
Solution: You activated and you shouldn’t have. iTunes will activate for you but because you clicked the activate button, iTunes did not get to activate. Now your account is not validated. You need to redo the steps and not check activation on your image.
Problem: I have an unlocked 2g phone. I updated to 2.0. Now I get incorrect SIM.
Solution: You did not activate and unlock. Redo the steps and make sure you activate and unlock. In winpwn, this is “activate” and configure boot neuter on the last tab. (See my guide). On osx, this is saying “I am not legit” when asked in pwnage.
Problem: Winpwn IPSW will not complete. It just errors out.
Solution: This one is caused because the size of the image is larger than the partition space. Generally resizing the partition to 550mb solves it.
Problem: I cant restore my custom firmware. I just get error 6, 1, 2, (something low).
Solution: This has multiple causes. Generally, you are not in DFU mode. See DFU guide. Winpwn solution after ruling out the above: Delete the device file (x12220000_4_Recovery.ipsw) in your iTunes folder. (Search for the file). This can also be caused by using the incorrect firmware image (a 3g on a 2g for example).
Problem: My appstore apps are all crashing.
Solution: Sync them back on using iTunes. Should solve it. If not, uninstall them all then sync them on with iTunes.
Problem: I already restored my backup but iTunes keeps telling me I need to restore my backup.
Solution: See my post on this.
Problem: My installer has (insert problem here).
Solution: Installer 4 is not ready for use. See my post on it. Use Cydia.
Problem: I did not install Cydia and installed only installer. I cant install Cydia or any apps now.
Solution: Redo the pwning with Cydia in the image. (Yes, start over).
Problem: Cydia just crashes when I load it. I cant get it to work at all. Cydia sucks!
Solution: Your pwnage install is corrupted. See this post on it.
Problem: In pwnage, I can’t download any of your packages.
Solution: Yes, only telesphoreo works. Skip this and install them from Cydia afterwards.
Problem: I have a 2g iPhone and need it unlocked. All the bootneuter settings are greyed out and I cant select anything. Why?
Solution: You selected a 3g firmware on your 2g iPhone. Download the correct firmware and start again.
Problem: After installing an app, I get a spinning wheel for a long time.
Solution: SpringBoard for 2.0 sucks. It may take 5-10 minutes in some cases to add a new app. There is no solution but to wait it out. This is much worse on appstore apps once you get a load of them. See this post.
Problem: I am in DFU mode and I just get error 1604, 1602, 1601 (some 160x). I am pulling my hair out! What do I do?!
Solution: This one sucks. There’s no single answer for it. Here are some possible suggestions:
Validate you are using the correct firmware. You can get this if you are using an incompatible firmware (3g for 2g for example).
Restart your computer and try again.
Try another computer
Try switching USB ports
Uninstall and reinstall iTunes 7.7
Problem: Mail App crashes after my update.
Solution: This is caused by the sync of the backup from iTunes. The permissions on the mail folder are incorrect (it’s owned by root). The easiest fix is to run bossprefs, click more, and click “fix user dir permissions”. You may need to reboot.
Problem: I have AT&T or a contract carrier. I jailbroke with your guide and now I have no service.
Solution: You activated and you shouldn’t have. iTunes will activate for you but because you clicked the activate button, iTunes did not get to activate. Now your account is not validated. You need to redo the steps and not check activation on your image.
Problem: I have an unlocked 2g phone. I updated to 2.0. Now I get incorrect SIM.
Solution: You did not activate and unlock. Redo the steps and make sure you activate and unlock. In winpwn, this is “activate” and configure boot neuter on the last tab. (See my guide). On osx, this is saying “I am not legit” when asked in pwnage.
Problem: Winpwn IPSW will not complete. It just errors out.
Solution: This one is caused because the size of the image is larger than the partition space. Generally resizing the partition to 550mb solves it.
Problem: I cant restore my custom firmware. I just get error 6, 1, 2, (something low).
Solution: This has multiple causes. Generally, you are not in DFU mode. See DFU guide. Winpwn solution after ruling out the above: Delete the device file (x12220000_4_Recovery.ipsw) in your iTunes folder. (Search for the file). This can also be caused by using the incorrect firmware image (a 3g on a 2g for example).
Problem: My appstore apps are all crashing.
Solution: Sync them back on using iTunes. Should solve it. If not, uninstall them all then sync them on with iTunes.
Problem: I already restored my backup but iTunes keeps telling me I need to restore my backup.
Solution: See my post on this.
Problem: My installer has (insert problem here).
Solution: Installer 4 is not ready for use. See my post on it. Use Cydia.
Problem: I did not install Cydia and installed only installer. I cant install Cydia or any apps now.
Solution: Redo the pwning with Cydia in the image. (Yes, start over).
Problem: Cydia just crashes when I load it. I cant get it to work at all. Cydia sucks!
Solution: Your pwnage install is corrupted. See this post on it.
Problem: In pwnage, I can’t download any of your packages.
Solution: Yes, only telesphoreo works. Skip this and install them from Cydia afterwards.
Problem: I have a 2g iPhone and need it unlocked. All the bootneuter settings are greyed out and I cant select anything. Why?
Solution: You selected a 3g firmware on your 2g iPhone. Download the correct firmware and start again.
Problem: After installing an app, I get a spinning wheel for a long time.
Solution: SpringBoard for 2.0 sucks. It may take 5-10 minutes in some cases to add a new app. There is no solution but to wait it out. This is much worse on appstore apps once you get a load of them. See this post.
Problem: I am in DFU mode and I just get error 1604, 1602, 1601 (some 160x). I am pulling my hair out! What do I do?!
Solution: This one sucks. There’s no single answer for it. Here are some possible suggestions:
Validate you are using the correct firmware. You can get this if you are using an incompatible firmware (3g for 2g for example).
Restart your computer and try again.
Try another computer
Try switching USB ports
Uninstall and reinstall iTunes 7.7
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
How to Hard Reset Your iPhone
To perform a hard reset on your iPhone you can follow these steps:
Step One
Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.
Step Two
The iPhone screen will go black after a few seconds. Release both buttons once the Apple logo appears on the screen.
How to Put an iPhone Into Recovery Mode
To put the iPhone into recovery mode so you can do an iTunes firmware restore follow these steps:
Step One
Open iTunes and connect the iPhone to your Mac.
Step Two
Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.
Step Three
As soon as the screen goes black release the Sleep/Wake button. Continue holding the home button until you iTunes pops up a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.
The iPhone will look like this:
How to Create Custom Ringtones for an iPhone
Using iTunes 7.5 or higher you are able to create custom ringtones for your 1.1.2 or higher iPhone. This method may not work after a firmware update but for now everything works great.
Follow these instructions to make your ringtone and put it on the iPhone.
Step One
Open iTunes by clicking its icon in the dock.
Step Two
Check to see if you have a Ringtones category within your Library. You will find this on the left side of the iTunes window. If you DO have Ringtone category then you can skip to Step Four.
Step Three
Quit iTunes then open a new Finder window by clicking its icon in the dock.
Select Go To Folder... from the Finder's Go menu.
A popup window will appear. Type ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/ into the entryfield and click the Go button.
Select New Folder from the File menu.
This will create a new folder in the Finder window. Select the folder and press the Enter key. This will allow you to rename the folder. Rename the new folder to Ringtones.
You can now restart iTunes. You should now have a Ringtones category on the left!
Step Four
Select a song from your library that you would like to use as a ringtone.
Hold down Control on the keyboard and click the song. From the popup menu select Get Info.
From the window that appears select the Options tab. Check the box next to Start Time and enter a start time for your ringtone. Check the box next to Stop Time and enter a stop time for your ringtone. NOTE***: The first time i tried this I attempted a ringtone 36 seconds long. It would not sync to my iPhone. I'd recommend you keep your ringtone at around 30 seconds long.
Step Five
Press the play button to test your ringtone and make sure it sounds okay. If it doesn't you can go back and modify the start and stop time till it does. Once you are satisfied then Control+Click the song and select Convert Selection to AAC from the popup menu.
You will notice that a copy of the song appears in your library. This copy is the shortened song to be used as your ringtone.
Before you forget go back into the original song's options and uncheck the Start Time and Stop Time so it will play normally.
Step Six
Drag the newly created track to your Desktop.
With the newly created track still selected in iTunes press the Delete key on your keyboard. A popup will appear asking to confirm its removal from the library. Click the Remove button. Another popup will appear asking you what to do with the file. Click the Move to Trash button.
Step Seven
Rename the file you dragged to your desktop to .m4r from .m4a. Do this by selecting the file then pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
Step Eight
Once you have renamed the file on your desktop add it back to iTunes by double clicking on it. You will notice that the track now appears under the Ringtones category in iTunes.
Step Nine
In iTunes select your iPhone from the list of Devices on the left. Then select the Ringtones tab.
Check the box next to Sync Ringtones and select to either sync All Ringtones or to sync only specific ones.
Finally, click the Sync button at the bottom right to sync your newly created ringtone with your iPhone.
Step Ten
To use your new ringtone with your iPhone select Settings from your iPhone's springboard.
Select Sounds from the Settings menu.
Select Ringtone from the Sounds menu.
You will see your newly created ringtone under the custom category! Press to select it!
Follow these instructions to make your ringtone and put it on the iPhone.
Step One
Open iTunes by clicking its icon in the dock.
Step Two
Check to see if you have a Ringtones category within your Library. You will find this on the left side of the iTunes window. If you DO have Ringtone category then you can skip to Step Four.
Step Three
Quit iTunes then open a new Finder window by clicking its icon in the dock.
Select Go To Folder... from the Finder's Go menu.
A popup window will appear. Type ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/ into the entryfield and click the Go button.
Select New Folder from the File menu.
This will create a new folder in the Finder window. Select the folder and press the Enter key. This will allow you to rename the folder. Rename the new folder to Ringtones.
You can now restart iTunes. You should now have a Ringtones category on the left!
Step Four
Select a song from your library that you would like to use as a ringtone.
Hold down Control on the keyboard and click the song. From the popup menu select Get Info.
From the window that appears select the Options tab. Check the box next to Start Time and enter a start time for your ringtone. Check the box next to Stop Time and enter a stop time for your ringtone. NOTE***: The first time i tried this I attempted a ringtone 36 seconds long. It would not sync to my iPhone. I'd recommend you keep your ringtone at around 30 seconds long.
Step Five
Press the play button to test your ringtone and make sure it sounds okay. If it doesn't you can go back and modify the start and stop time till it does. Once you are satisfied then Control+Click the song and select Convert Selection to AAC from the popup menu.
You will notice that a copy of the song appears in your library. This copy is the shortened song to be used as your ringtone.
Before you forget go back into the original song's options and uncheck the Start Time and Stop Time so it will play normally.
Step Six
Drag the newly created track to your Desktop.
With the newly created track still selected in iTunes press the Delete key on your keyboard. A popup will appear asking to confirm its removal from the library. Click the Remove button. Another popup will appear asking you what to do with the file. Click the Move to Trash button.
Step Seven
Rename the file you dragged to your desktop to .m4r from .m4a. Do this by selecting the file then pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
Step Eight
Once you have renamed the file on your desktop add it back to iTunes by double clicking on it. You will notice that the track now appears under the Ringtones category in iTunes.
Step Nine
In iTunes select your iPhone from the list of Devices on the left. Then select the Ringtones tab.
Check the box next to Sync Ringtones and select to either sync All Ringtones or to sync only specific ones.
Finally, click the Sync button at the bottom right to sync your newly created ringtone with your iPhone.
Step Ten
To use your new ringtone with your iPhone select Settings from your iPhone's springboard.
Select Sounds from the Settings menu.
Select Ringtone from the Sounds menu.
You will see your newly created ringtone under the custom category! Press to select it!
Dictionary of iPhone Terminology
Here is a dictionary of iPhone terms to help you understand the words commonly used in the iPhone community. We will be adding terms regularly. If you would like to see a term added please request it in the comments!
Activation
When you first purchase your iPhone all you can do is call 911 until you activate with AT&T (or similar). If you are using an official Apple carrier carrier then you can activate through iTunes; otherwise you will have to perform a hack to activate your iPhone. Once activated it becomes an iPod touch with camera and bluetooth at which point you will want to proceed to jailbreak and possibly unlock it for use on other carriers.
Baseband
The Baseband controls the interaction between the Phone part of the iPhone and the operating system. Whenever the iPhone needs to talk to cell towers-- whether for voice or data-- it works through the Baseband. The Baseband is responsible for making sure the sim-card is valid and for getting Signal. When you unlock your iPhone the baseband is modified to allow communication to other wireless carriers. The latest baseband version is 04.04.05_G and it corresponds to the 1.1.4 firmware.
Bootloader
There are at least two bootloaders in the iPhone. One is the ARM Core Bootloader and deals with the Operating System, the other is the Baseband Bootloader. Bootloaders make sure that when the iPhone boots it is doing things in the right order, and getting everything done. Currently the iPhone has shipped with two different Baseband Bootloaders (3.9 and 4.6). The 3.9BL allowed us to load a hacked baseband which matches the firmware version. Apple changed this feature in the 4.6 BL and made it require a baseband of a newer firmware version. This is why the Dev Team has released a 3.9 fakeblank BL which allows you to load a hacked baseband matching your firmware version.
DFU Mode
DFU means Device Firmware Update. If a restore using Recovery Mode doesn't work you will want to use DFU Mode as a last resort. When placing your iPhone into DFU Mode it does not load the OS before attempting the restore. Hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for 10 seconds. Just before you would normally see the Apple logo, release the Sleep/Wake button and keep hold the Home button until an iTunes detects an iPhone in recovery mode. NOTE**: This is really tricky to get the timing right it will take a few attempts. If you are in DFU Mode your screen will be black with nothing displayed.
Firmware
The firmware version you have installed on the iPhone is similar to the version of the operating system on your computer. Newer firmware versions usually add new features, fix bugs, and improve stability. iPhones first shipped with 1.0.x firmware. iPhones now are shipping with 1.1.4 and version 1.2 (2.0 Beta) is available to select developers.
Installer.app
Installer.app is a UIKit based package manager for the iPhone. It works by downloading packages over WiFi (wireless networking) or EDGE. It supports installing, updating and uninstalling applications from multiple sources. You will use Installer.app to install a majority of your iPhone applications.
Jailbreak
The process of gaining access to the iPhone's root filesystem, allowing third-party applications to run on the device. In general once you jailbreak you will have Installer.app on your SpringBoard. You can use Installer to install most every application you would need on your iPhone.
OOB or OTB
Used to refer to the firmware version your iPhone came with "Out of the Box". ie. If you have a 1.1.2 OTB iPhone that means your iPhone came with the 1.1.2 firmware preinstalled.
Recovery Mode
If you want to do a clean restore you can put your iPhone into recovery mode to do so. Hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until the iPhone reboots. Once you see the Apple logo, release the Sleep/Wake button and keep hold the Home button until an iTunes logo and the usb cable appear on screen. You can then use iTunes to restore your firmware.
Secpack
A Secpack is similar to a password for the Bootloader. When passed to the bootloader, it authorizes write access to the Baseband.
SDK
SDK is short for Software Development Kit and it's basically a library of software that helps you develop applications and utilities. Apple has just released the iPhone SDK which is the set of tools needed to create applications that run on the iPhone.
Unlock
The process of Unlocking allows your iPhone to use any GSM sim card. Currently Apple has limited the use of the iPhone to a select few wireless carriers. The iPhone must be unlocked before you can use any carrier of your choice.
Activation
When you first purchase your iPhone all you can do is call 911 until you activate with AT&T (or similar). If you are using an official Apple carrier carrier then you can activate through iTunes; otherwise you will have to perform a hack to activate your iPhone. Once activated it becomes an iPod touch with camera and bluetooth at which point you will want to proceed to jailbreak and possibly unlock it for use on other carriers.
Baseband
The Baseband controls the interaction between the Phone part of the iPhone and the operating system. Whenever the iPhone needs to talk to cell towers-- whether for voice or data-- it works through the Baseband. The Baseband is responsible for making sure the sim-card is valid and for getting Signal. When you unlock your iPhone the baseband is modified to allow communication to other wireless carriers. The latest baseband version is 04.04.05_G and it corresponds to the 1.1.4 firmware.
Bootloader
There are at least two bootloaders in the iPhone. One is the ARM Core Bootloader and deals with the Operating System, the other is the Baseband Bootloader. Bootloaders make sure that when the iPhone boots it is doing things in the right order, and getting everything done. Currently the iPhone has shipped with two different Baseband Bootloaders (3.9 and 4.6). The 3.9BL allowed us to load a hacked baseband which matches the firmware version. Apple changed this feature in the 4.6 BL and made it require a baseband of a newer firmware version. This is why the Dev Team has released a 3.9 fakeblank BL which allows you to load a hacked baseband matching your firmware version.
DFU Mode
DFU means Device Firmware Update. If a restore using Recovery Mode doesn't work you will want to use DFU Mode as a last resort. When placing your iPhone into DFU Mode it does not load the OS before attempting the restore. Hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for 10 seconds. Just before you would normally see the Apple logo, release the Sleep/Wake button and keep hold the Home button until an iTunes detects an iPhone in recovery mode. NOTE**: This is really tricky to get the timing right it will take a few attempts. If you are in DFU Mode your screen will be black with nothing displayed.
Firmware
The firmware version you have installed on the iPhone is similar to the version of the operating system on your computer. Newer firmware versions usually add new features, fix bugs, and improve stability. iPhones first shipped with 1.0.x firmware. iPhones now are shipping with 1.1.4 and version 1.2 (2.0 Beta) is available to select developers.
Installer.app
Installer.app is a UIKit based package manager for the iPhone. It works by downloading packages over WiFi (wireless networking) or EDGE. It supports installing, updating and uninstalling applications from multiple sources. You will use Installer.app to install a majority of your iPhone applications.
Jailbreak
The process of gaining access to the iPhone's root filesystem, allowing third-party applications to run on the device. In general once you jailbreak you will have Installer.app on your SpringBoard. You can use Installer to install most every application you would need on your iPhone.
OOB or OTB
Used to refer to the firmware version your iPhone came with "Out of the Box". ie. If you have a 1.1.2 OTB iPhone that means your iPhone came with the 1.1.2 firmware preinstalled.
Recovery Mode
If you want to do a clean restore you can put your iPhone into recovery mode to do so. Hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until the iPhone reboots. Once you see the Apple logo, release the Sleep/Wake button and keep hold the Home button until an iTunes logo and the usb cable appear on screen. You can then use iTunes to restore your firmware.
Secpack
A Secpack is similar to a password for the Bootloader. When passed to the bootloader, it authorizes write access to the Baseband.
SDK
SDK is short for Software Development Kit and it's basically a library of software that helps you develop applications and utilities. Apple has just released the iPhone SDK which is the set of tools needed to create applications that run on the iPhone.
Unlock
The process of Unlocking allows your iPhone to use any GSM sim card. Currently Apple has limited the use of the iPhone to a select few wireless carriers. The iPhone must be unlocked before you can use any carrier of your choice.
How to Enable Your iPhones Screenshot Feature
These are instructions on how to enable and take screenshots using the built in iPhone screenshot feature. This feature was first discovered by RiP Dev while working on an update to Caterpillar.
You must have 1.1.3 or higher firmware installed on your iPhone to enable this feature.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified as an installer source. You can find instructions on how to do this here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Screenshot Enabler from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will be notified that you must be on the 1.1.3 or newer firmware. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
A notifications will appear telling you how to use the new screenshot feature. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories menu once installation is complete. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard.
-----
Now to take a screenshot simply hold down the Home button and toggle the Silent Switch. You will notice the screen flash white.
-----
Step Ten
To view the screenshot you just took, press the Photos icon on your SpringBoard.
Step Eleven
Press to select Camera Roll from the list of Photo Albums.
Step Twelve
Press to select the small thumbnail of your screenshot.
Step Thirteen
Now you can see your high quality iPhone screenshot. You can easily sync this to your computer just as you would with any other photo!
THANKS***: Thanks to RiP Dev for discovering this neat too
You must have 1.1.3 or higher firmware installed on your iPhone to enable this feature.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified as an installer source. You can find instructions on how to do this here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Screenshot Enabler from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will be notified that you must be on the 1.1.3 or newer firmware. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
A notifications will appear telling you how to use the new screenshot feature. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories menu once installation is complete. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard.
-----
Now to take a screenshot simply hold down the Home button and toggle the Silent Switch. You will notice the screen flash white.
-----
Step Ten
To view the screenshot you just took, press the Photos icon on your SpringBoard.
Step Eleven
Press to select Camera Roll from the list of Photo Albums.
Step Twelve
Press to select the small thumbnail of your screenshot.
Step Thirteen
Now you can see your high quality iPhone screenshot. You can easily sync this to your computer just as you would with any other photo!
THANKS***: Thanks to RiP Dev for discovering this neat too
How to Fix Issues With iPhone Installer v3.1
These are instructions on how to fix Package download failed and permissions issues with Installer 3.1. This method was discovered by XianLi.
UPDATE****: This tutorial has proven ineffective due to some corrupt BSD installations. We are therefore recommending that you use the iLiberty+ payload that XianLi has created. Read this for more information.
This tutorial only fixes issues with the 3.1 Installer version. Before attempting this fix please ensure you have updated your community sources and you have enough free space on your iPhone root filesystem. Also, if your installer is working fine please do not install this.
Step One
If you haven't already added iClarified to your Installer Source then follow this tutorial.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories
Step Four
Press to select Installer Fix (3.1) from the list of Packages
Step Five
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Six
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Seven
You will be asked to confirm installation. Click the large OK button.
Step Eight
When the installation is complete you will be notified. Click the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories list. Press and hold the Home button until you see the SpringBoard. You can now relaunch Installer and hopefully your issues will be resolved.
For further discussion on this method and other possible fixes please see this hackint0sh thread
UPDATE****: This tutorial has proven ineffective due to some corrupt BSD installations. We are therefore recommending that you use the iLiberty+ payload that XianLi has created. Read this for more information.
This tutorial only fixes issues with the 3.1 Installer version. Before attempting this fix please ensure you have updated your community sources and you have enough free space on your iPhone root filesystem. Also, if your installer is working fine please do not install this.
Step One
If you haven't already added iClarified to your Installer Source then follow this tutorial.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories
Step Four
Press to select Installer Fix (3.1) from the list of Packages
Step Five
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Six
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Seven
You will be asked to confirm installation. Click the large OK button.
Step Eight
When the installation is complete you will be notified. Click the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories list. Press and hold the Home button until you see the SpringBoard. You can now relaunch Installer and hopefully your issues will be resolved.
For further discussion on this method and other possible fixes please see this hackint0sh thread
How to Increase the Volume of Your 1.1.4 iPhone
These are instructions on how to increase the volume on your 1.1.4 iPhone using an Installer source. Remember your iPhone speaker isn\'t very powerful so it will only be a slight improvement but its better then before :)
Step One
Make sure you have iClarified added as an installer source. You can find directions on how to do that here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your Springboard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Volume Boost (1.1.4) from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right hand corner of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will get a Notice telling you that this process will patch your iPhone to increase its maximum volume! Make sure you are on the 1.1.4 Firmware and press the large OK button.
Step Nine
When the installation is done you will get a Notice telling you that your volume has been patched and to restart your iPhone. Press the large OK button.
Step Ten
You will be returned to the Categories list. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button for 3 seconds to bring up the Power slider. Slide it to the right to turn off your iPhone. Then push the Sleep/Wake button again to turn back on the phone!
You will now notice an increase in the volume of your phone
Step One
Make sure you have iClarified added as an installer source. You can find directions on how to do that here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your Springboard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Volume Boost (1.1.4) from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right hand corner of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will get a Notice telling you that this process will patch your iPhone to increase its maximum volume! Make sure you are on the 1.1.4 Firmware and press the large OK button.
Step Nine
When the installation is done you will get a Notice telling you that your volume has been patched and to restart your iPhone. Press the large OK button.
Step Ten
You will be returned to the Categories list. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button for 3 seconds to bring up the Power slider. Slide it to the right to turn off your iPhone. Then push the Sleep/Wake button again to turn back on the phone!
You will now notice an increase in the volume of your phone
How to Increase Your iPhone Call History
These are instructions on how to increase the number of entries stored in your iPhone's Call History. This patch will increase the number of entries you can store to 250!
You must have 1.1.3 or higher firmware installed on your iPhone to install this patch.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified as an installer source. You can find instructions on how to do this here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Call History Patch from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will be notified that you must be on the 1.1.3 or newer firmware. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
A notification will appear telling you to reboot to enable the patch. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories menu once installation is complete. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard.
Step Ten
Hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the Power slider appears. Move the slider to the right to power off your iPhone. Then press the Sleep/Wake button to turn the iPhone back on. You should now notice an increase in the amount of entries your Call History will hold!
You must have 1.1.3 or higher firmware installed on your iPhone to install this patch.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified as an installer source. You can find instructions on how to do this here.
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Call History Patch from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Press the large red Install button that appears.
Step Eight
You will be notified that you must be on the 1.1.3 or newer firmware. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
A notification will appear telling you to reboot to enable the patch. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the Categories menu once installation is complete. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard.
Step Ten
Hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the Power slider appears. Move the slider to the right to power off your iPhone. Then press the Sleep/Wake button to turn the iPhone back on. You should now notice an increase in the amount of entries your Call History will hold!
How to Download Files Using Your iPhone
These are instructions on how to download files using the Safari browser on your iPhone. It installs the Safari Download Plugin written by hachu and extends it to include more file extensions thanks to spyboy.
File formats supported:
zip, rar, gz, lzh, hqx, dmg, dat, exe, tar, torrent, pdf,
wma, wmv, avi, dll, db, flv, swf (code is there , but i disabled it)
sqlitedb, doc (code there, but aint workin), plist (code there, but dont work)
xls (not workin but code there), ppt, pps, msi, asf, iso, img, bin, rtf, 3gp, ipsw, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpg, swa.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified to your list of installer sources. You can do this by follow the tutorial here
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Safari Download Plugin (1.1.4) from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right hand corner of the screen.
Step Seven
A confirmation window will appear. Make sure you are on 1.1.4 and press the large OK button.
Step Eight
Once installation is completed you will receive a Notice asking you to reboot your iPhone. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the categories list. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for 3 seconds. A power slider will appear. Slide this to the right to power off your iPhone. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power it back on.
Step Ten
Press to launch Safari from your SpringBoard.
Step Eleven
Navigate to a page that contains a link to a file you would like to download. Press to click the link. A window will appear with a Download and Change Filename button. Press Download to download your file!
NOTE***: The download will go to the /var/root/Downloads folder. I will make a tutorial soon on how to view these files best.
File formats supported:
zip, rar, gz, lzh, hqx, dmg, dat, exe, tar, torrent, pdf,
wma, wmv, avi, dll, db, flv, swf (code is there , but i disabled it)
sqlitedb, doc (code there, but aint workin), plist (code there, but dont work)
xls (not workin but code there), ppt, pps, msi, asf, iso, img, bin, rtf, 3gp, ipsw, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpg, swa.
Step One
Make sure you have added iClarified to your list of installer sources. You can do this by follow the tutorial here
Step Two
Press to launch Installer from your SpringBoard.
Step Three
Press the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four
Press to select iClarified from the list of Categories.
Step Five
Press to select Safari Download Plugin (1.1.4) from the list of Packages.
Step Six
Press the Install button at the top right hand corner of the screen.
Step Seven
A confirmation window will appear. Make sure you are on 1.1.4 and press the large OK button.
Step Eight
Once installation is completed you will receive a Notice asking you to reboot your iPhone. Press the large OK button.
Step Nine
You will be returned to the categories list. Press the Home button to return to your SpringBoard. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for 3 seconds. A power slider will appear. Slide this to the right to power off your iPhone. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power it back on.
Step Ten
Press to launch Safari from your SpringBoard.
Step Eleven
Navigate to a page that contains a link to a file you would like to download. Press to click the link. A window will appear with a Download and Change Filename button. Press Download to download your file!
NOTE***: The download will go to the /var/root/Downloads folder. I will make a tutorial soon on how to view these files best.
How to Install an iPhone Application Using Mobile AppStore
These are instructions on how to install an iPhone application using Mobile AppStore. This example will show you how to install the Facebook directly from your iPhone without using iTunes.
You must be on the iPhone 2.0 firmware to continue.
Step One
Press to launch App Store from your Springboard.
Step Two
You will be presented with featured iPhone applications you can download and install.
Step Three
Notice the tabs along the bottom of the window. You can use these tabs to locate applications of your choice.
Press the Categories tab to browse applications by their respective category.
Press the Top 25 tab to view the top 25 applications either Paid or Free.
Press the Search tab to search for the application of your choice.
Press the Update button search for updates to your currently installed applications.
Step Four
Lets use the Search tab to locate the Facebook application. Enter Facebook into the search field.
Then press to select the application name from the list of results.
Step Five
You will be presented with a description of the application and a screenshot.
Scroll down to view more information and click the Reviews button to see what others think of this application.
Press the Info button at the top left to return to the description.
Step Six
Press the FREE button to obtain this application.
Notice the button now changes to a green INSTALL button. Press this button to install the application.
Step Seven
A popup will appear asking you to enter in your iTunes account password. Do this then press the large OK button.
Step Eight
You will be returned to your Springboard where you will see a dimmed icon with an install status bar overlaid.
Once installation has finished successfully the icon will become active.
Press the Facebook icon to launch the application.
Step Nine
The next time you connect your iPhone to iTunes it will detect that you have installed a new application. It will ask you if you want to transfer this application to iTunes. Click the Transfer button.
Step Ten
Apple will now ask if you want to transfer them diagnostic information. Click the Don't Send or Send to Apple button.
Step Eleven
Your iPhone will then sync to iTunes. If you select Applications from the menu list on the left you can now see that your application (Facebook) is synced.
-------------------------------------------
You must be on the iPhone 2.0 firmware to continue.
Step One
Press to launch App Store from your Springboard.
Step Two
You will be presented with featured iPhone applications you can download and install.
Step Three
Notice the tabs along the bottom of the window. You can use these tabs to locate applications of your choice.
Press the Categories tab to browse applications by their respective category.
Press the Top 25 tab to view the top 25 applications either Paid or Free.
Press the Search tab to search for the application of your choice.
Press the Update button search for updates to your currently installed applications.
Step Four
Lets use the Search tab to locate the Facebook application. Enter Facebook into the search field.
Then press to select the application name from the list of results.
Step Five
You will be presented with a description of the application and a screenshot.
Scroll down to view more information and click the Reviews button to see what others think of this application.
Press the Info button at the top left to return to the description.
Step Six
Press the FREE button to obtain this application.
Notice the button now changes to a green INSTALL button. Press this button to install the application.
Step Seven
A popup will appear asking you to enter in your iTunes account password. Do this then press the large OK button.
Step Eight
You will be returned to your Springboard where you will see a dimmed icon with an install status bar overlaid.
Once installation has finished successfully the icon will become active.
Press the Facebook icon to launch the application.
Step Nine
The next time you connect your iPhone to iTunes it will detect that you have installed a new application. It will ask you if you want to transfer this application to iTunes. Click the Transfer button.
Step Ten
Apple will now ask if you want to transfer them diagnostic information. Click the Don't Send or Send to Apple button.
Step Eleven
Your iPhone will then sync to iTunes. If you select Applications from the menu list on the left you can now see that your application (Facebook) is synced.
-------------------------------------------
How to Downgrade Your 2.0 iPhone to 1.1.4
This are instructions on how to downgrade your original iPhone from 2.0 to 1.1.4.
You will want to perform this tutorial if you accidentally updated to the 2.0 firmware or you just rather be on 1.1.4.
To follow this tutorial you will need to have iLiberty (Windows, Mac), iTunes 7.5 (Windows, Mac), and the 1.1.4 firmware.
Step One
If you have Windows, uninstall iTunes 7.7 as well as Apple Mobile Device Support and then reboot your computer. Go to your Control Panel and use Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features(Vista) to do this!
If you have Mac OS X, open Terminal from Applications:Utilities. Enter the following commands into the Terminal window:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes StoreActivationMode -boolean NO
defaults write com.apple.iTunes StoreGeniusMode -boolean NO
killall iTunesHelper
rm -r /Applications/iTunes.app
rm -r /Library/Receipts/iTunesX.pkg
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iTunes*
sudo rm -r /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
Step Two
Install iTunes 7.5 onto your computer using the download links provided above.
Step Three
Before attempting to launch iTunes 7.5 for the first time you need to delete or rename the iTunes folder.
Windows:
Rename the C:\Documents and Settings\**your user name**\My Documents\My Music\iTunes folder to iTunes Backup.
Mac OS X:
Select the iTunes folder in your Music directory and rename it iTunes Backup. You press the Enter key to rename a file in Mac OS X.
Step Four
Launch iTunes by selecting its icon in the dock.
Step Five
Put your iPhone into DFU mode by following these instructions.
Step Six
iTunes will notify you that it has found an iPhone in recovery mode. Click the OK button.
Step Seven
Hold down Option and press the Restore button. If you are using Windows hold down Shift and press the Restore button.
Step Eight
Select the iPhone 1.1.4 firmware file you downloaded earlier and click the Open button.
Step Nine
Once the restore has completed you will get a 1015 error or similar.
If you get an error in the 1600s then try putting the iPhone into DFU mode and try again. You might also want to try a different USB port, remove your SIM card and then restart your system and if all else fails use a different computer!
Step Ten
Now you can use your favourite unlocking method to kick your iPhone out of restore mode and unlock it.
Below are some instructions to help you with the more popular methods; however, I would suggest using PwnageTool as it will downgrade your baseband.
Windows: iLiberty+, WinPwn
Mac: iLiberty+, PwnageTool
NOTES***
The first time I tried this I opened iLiberty+ with iTunes still open. It immediately kicked my phone out of recovery mode and then the application closed down. I reopened it and then was able to unlock successfully on my first attempt.
IMPORTANT***
PwnageTool will downgrade your baseband. There is no reason to use an alternate tool do perform this function but if you must... Here are instructions to use KiPhone to downgrade your Baseband.
Step Eleven
Select Software Update from the Apple Menu at the top left hand corner of your screen.
Select iTunes 7.7 from the list of software available for install and click the Install 1 Item button.
For windows users just reinstall iTunes 7.7 from the Apple website here
Step Twelve
Once installation of iTunes 7.7 has completed you can rename the folder iTunes Backup created in Step Three to just iTunes. You will then get your library back!
You will want to perform this tutorial if you accidentally updated to the 2.0 firmware or you just rather be on 1.1.4.
To follow this tutorial you will need to have iLiberty (Windows, Mac), iTunes 7.5 (Windows, Mac), and the 1.1.4 firmware.
Step One
If you have Windows, uninstall iTunes 7.7 as well as Apple Mobile Device Support and then reboot your computer. Go to your Control Panel and use Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features(Vista) to do this!
If you have Mac OS X, open Terminal from Applications:Utilities. Enter the following commands into the Terminal window:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes StoreActivationMode -boolean NO
defaults write com.apple.iTunes StoreGeniusMode -boolean NO
killall iTunesHelper
rm -r /Applications/iTunes.app
rm -r /Library/Receipts/iTunesX.pkg
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iTunes*
sudo rm -r /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
Step Two
Install iTunes 7.5 onto your computer using the download links provided above.
Step Three
Before attempting to launch iTunes 7.5 for the first time you need to delete or rename the iTunes folder.
Windows:
Rename the C:\Documents and Settings\**your user name**\My Documents\My Music\iTunes folder to iTunes Backup.
Mac OS X:
Select the iTunes folder in your Music directory and rename it iTunes Backup. You press the Enter key to rename a file in Mac OS X.
Step Four
Launch iTunes by selecting its icon in the dock.
Step Five
Put your iPhone into DFU mode by following these instructions.
Step Six
iTunes will notify you that it has found an iPhone in recovery mode. Click the OK button.
Step Seven
Hold down Option and press the Restore button. If you are using Windows hold down Shift and press the Restore button.
Step Eight
Select the iPhone 1.1.4 firmware file you downloaded earlier and click the Open button.
Step Nine
Once the restore has completed you will get a 1015 error or similar.
If you get an error in the 1600s then try putting the iPhone into DFU mode and try again. You might also want to try a different USB port, remove your SIM card and then restart your system and if all else fails use a different computer!
Step Ten
Now you can use your favourite unlocking method to kick your iPhone out of restore mode and unlock it.
Below are some instructions to help you with the more popular methods; however, I would suggest using PwnageTool as it will downgrade your baseband.
Windows: iLiberty+, WinPwn
Mac: iLiberty+, PwnageTool
NOTES***
The first time I tried this I opened iLiberty+ with iTunes still open. It immediately kicked my phone out of recovery mode and then the application closed down. I reopened it and then was able to unlock successfully on my first attempt.
IMPORTANT***
PwnageTool will downgrade your baseband. There is no reason to use an alternate tool do perform this function but if you must... Here are instructions to use KiPhone to downgrade your Baseband.
Step Eleven
Select Software Update from the Apple Menu at the top left hand corner of your screen.
Select iTunes 7.7 from the list of software available for install and click the Install 1 Item button.
For windows users just reinstall iTunes 7.7 from the Apple website here
Step Twelve
Once installation of iTunes 7.7 has completed you can rename the folder iTunes Backup created in Step Three to just iTunes. You will then get your library back!
How to Use Your iPhone as a Wireless Modem (Windows)
These are instructions on how to use your iPhone as modem to access the Internet using Windows. This is known as tethering. The Mac version of this tutorial is here
The act of tethering your iPhone to gain internet access through your computer may or may not be allowed by your cellular network. Please make sure you check as we cannot be responsible for any charges incurred.
To follow this tutorial you must have a jailbroken iPhone running the 2.0 firmware. You can find instructions on how to do this here: 2G iPhone, 3G iPhone.
Step One
Press to launch Cydia from your SpringBoard.
Step Two
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Three
Press to select Networking from the list of sections.
Step Four
Press to select 3proxy from the list of packages.
Step Five
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Six
Press the Confirm button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Once installation has successfully completed press the Close Window button.
Step Eight
Press the Install tab at the bottom of the screen to return to the sections list.
Step Nine
Press to select Terminal Support from the list of sections.
Step Ten
Press to select MobileTerminal from the list of packages.
Step Eleven
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Twelve
Press the Confirm button at the top right of the screen.
Step Thirteen
Once installation has successfully completed press the Close Window button.
Step Fourteen
Press the Home button on your iPhone and the phone should restart. If it does not then please restart the phone manually.
Once you iPhone has booted back up you should notice a new Terminal icon on your Springboard.
Step Fifteen
Now on your computer select the Wi-Fi Menu from the right of the screen and click Connect to network
Step Sixteen
A popup will appear asking you to select a network. Click Set up a connection or network at the bottom of the window.
Select Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network and click Next
Click Next to continue
Name your network as desired. I called mine iClarified's Tether. Set security type to No authenication then click Next.
Click the Close button.
Step Seventeen
On your iPhone press to select Settings from your Springboard.
Step Eighteen
The press to select Wi-Fi from the Settings Menu.
Step Nineteen
Now press to select the network name you created (iClarified's Tether).
Step Twenty
Now press the Blue Arrow next to the network name you created (iClarified's Tether).
Step Twenty One
Take note of the IP Address that appears. In my case it was 169.254.115.1.
Step Twenty Two
Press the Home button then press to launch Terminal from your Springboard. When Terminal launches type in socks and press the return button.
Step Twenty Three
Now press the Home button and launch Safari from your springboard. Try to load a webpage (ie www.google.com). Notice your iPhone will automatically switch to 3G from wifi once it realizes the adhoc network isn't working
Step Twenty Four
Now on your computer open Firefox and select Options from the Tools Menu.
Select the Advanced tab and then Network subtab. From here click the Settings... button.
Choose Manual proxy configuration and enter the IP Address we wrote down earlier in the SOCKS Host field. Make the associated port 1080 and blank out the rest of the fields then click the OK button.
Step Twenty Five
In your browser address bar navigate to the address about:config. You will notice a Filter field. Type in socks
Step Twenty Six
Double click the line called network.proxy.socks_remote_dns to change its value from false to true. Now exit and restart Firefox.
Step Twenty Seven
And there you go! You should be able to now use your iPhone 2G/3G as a wireless modem for your computer! ie Tether your iPhone.
NOTES***:
You may want to go back into Terminal on your iPhone and hold down the Home key for several seconds to terminate socks.
The act of tethering your iPhone to gain internet access through your computer may or may not be allowed by your cellular network. Please make sure you check as we cannot be responsible for any charges incurred.
To follow this tutorial you must have a jailbroken iPhone running the 2.0 firmware. You can find instructions on how to do this here: 2G iPhone, 3G iPhone.
Step One
Press to launch Cydia from your SpringBoard.
Step Two
Press to select the Install tab at the bottom of the screen.
Step Three
Press to select Networking from the list of sections.
Step Four
Press to select 3proxy from the list of packages.
Step Five
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Six
Press the Confirm button at the top right of the screen.
Step Seven
Once installation has successfully completed press the Close Window button.
Step Eight
Press the Install tab at the bottom of the screen to return to the sections list.
Step Nine
Press to select Terminal Support from the list of sections.
Step Ten
Press to select MobileTerminal from the list of packages.
Step Eleven
Press the Install button at the top right of the screen.
Step Twelve
Press the Confirm button at the top right of the screen.
Step Thirteen
Once installation has successfully completed press the Close Window button.
Step Fourteen
Press the Home button on your iPhone and the phone should restart. If it does not then please restart the phone manually.
Once you iPhone has booted back up you should notice a new Terminal icon on your Springboard.
Step Fifteen
Now on your computer select the Wi-Fi Menu from the right of the screen and click Connect to network
Step Sixteen
A popup will appear asking you to select a network. Click Set up a connection or network at the bottom of the window.
Select Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network and click Next
Click Next to continue
Name your network as desired. I called mine iClarified's Tether. Set security type to No authenication then click Next.
Click the Close button.
Step Seventeen
On your iPhone press to select Settings from your Springboard.
Step Eighteen
The press to select Wi-Fi from the Settings Menu.
Step Nineteen
Now press to select the network name you created (iClarified's Tether).
Step Twenty
Now press the Blue Arrow next to the network name you created (iClarified's Tether).
Step Twenty One
Take note of the IP Address that appears. In my case it was 169.254.115.1.
Step Twenty Two
Press the Home button then press to launch Terminal from your Springboard. When Terminal launches type in socks and press the return button.
Step Twenty Three
Now press the Home button and launch Safari from your springboard. Try to load a webpage (ie www.google.com). Notice your iPhone will automatically switch to 3G from wifi once it realizes the adhoc network isn't working
Step Twenty Four
Now on your computer open Firefox and select Options from the Tools Menu.
Select the Advanced tab and then Network subtab. From here click the Settings... button.
Choose Manual proxy configuration and enter the IP Address we wrote down earlier in the SOCKS Host field. Make the associated port 1080 and blank out the rest of the fields then click the OK button.
Step Twenty Five
In your browser address bar navigate to the address about:config. You will notice a Filter field. Type in socks
Step Twenty Six
Double click the line called network.proxy.socks_remote_dns to change its value from false to true. Now exit and restart Firefox.
Step Twenty Seven
And there you go! You should be able to now use your iPhone 2G/3G as a wireless modem for your computer! ie Tether your iPhone.
NOTES***:
You may want to go back into Terminal on your iPhone and hold down the Home key for several seconds to terminate socks.
How to Activate and Jailbreak Your OTB 1.1.2 iPhone Using Windows
These are Windows instructions on how to Activate and Jailbreak an iPhone that was shipped with the 1.1.2 firmware (OTB, OOB, OTTB) and the 4.6 bootloader. These instructions do not unlock your iPhone to use on other carriers. They do however allow you to install applications and in general use your iPhone as an iPod touch.
If you are not sure if you have the 4.6 bootloader then check the serial number of the iPhone. If the 4th and 5th digits are 45 or higher then you have the new bootloader and cannot unlock. Follow this tutorial until an unlock is found. As soon as a software unlock is released I will post instructions so check back.
**NOTE**: If you have opted to unlock your iPhone with TurboSIM or something similar this is the guide you should follow before inserting your TurboSIM.
**NOTE** (Wednesday, December 20th, 2007 12:00):
Here is a list of suggestions for those still having problems with the jailbreak server(Step 22). These suggestions have not been proven as it has always worked for me. However, they are still probably worth a try if the server is giving difficulty. If anyone has a suggestion to add then please let me know.
- Try to do a hard reset on the iPhone and try again
- Make sure you have a strong wireless signal
- Try the jailbreak with your iPhone still connected to the computer and iTunes
- Try using http://www.jailbreakme.com instead of http://jailbreakme.com
- Disable wireless encryption on your network
- Use a Wi-Fi connection without proxy
DOWNGRADE TO 1.1.1
For this you will need iBrickr 0.91, iTunes 7.5, and iPhone Firmware 1.1.1
- Update iTunes to get the latest version.
- Download iBrickr 0.91 from: here or here
- Download iPhone Firmware 1.1.1 from: here
Step One
Connect your iPhone to your PC and launch iTunes
Step Two
Press and hold Home and Power button of your iPhone at the same time. Once the screen turns black, release the power button but keep on holding the Home button until Apple logo changes to the restore screen. Note: The screen may also just stay black. This is normal. Just hold the home button till iTunes detects the iPhone.
Step Three
iTunes will then detect an iPhone in restore mode.
Hold down the Shift key and click Restore.
A dialog window will appear asking you to select the firmware to restore to. Select the 1.1.1 firmware we downloaded earlier (iPhone1,1_1.1.1_3A109a_Restore.ipsw)
At the end of the restore you will get Error 1015. This is okay. Simply click the Ok button.
Another popup will appear telling you your iPhone is in recovery mode. Click the Ok button.
Step Four
Exit iTunes by selecting Exit from the File menu. Press Control+Alt+Delete on the keyboard. Select to Start Task Manager.
Click to select the Processes tab from the Windows Task Manager window.
Select iTunesHelper.exe from the list of processes and then click the End Process button. A popup will appear asking you to confirm the end process. Click the End Process button from the popup.
You can now close Windows Task Manager by click the X at the top right of the window.
Step Five
You will notice your iPhone is still in recovery mode. To exit recovery mode launch iBrickr.exe which you downloaded earlier.
Click the Boot the phone link.
iBrickr will say Please wait while iBrickr tries to fix your phone.
The iPhone will reboot and display the Activate screen again!
You can now close iBrickr.
JAILBREAK 1.1.1
Step One
At the "Activate iPhone" screen move the slider to the right for emergency calling.
Step Two
Dial "*#307#" then press the Call button.
Step Three
You will hear the phone call itself. Use the back arrow to clear the number you just enter. Now dial "0" then press the Call button.
Step Four
Now you will be able to see the incoming call. Press the Accept button.
Step Five
Now press the Hold button to put the call on hold.
Step Six
The phone will call itself again. This time press the Decline button.
Step Seven
We now are shown the keypad again. Click the contacts tab at the bottom. We are now presented with an empty contacts menu. Click the plus(+) button to add a new contact.
Step Eight
Press Add New URL.
Step Nine
Input prefs: as the url then press the Save button.
Step Ten
Press Add New URL again.
Step Eleven
Input http://jailbreakme.com as the url then press the Save button.
Step Twelve
Now in the contact view you will see the 2 urls. Press the prefs: url.
Step Thirteen
This will bring up the iPhone's Settings Menu. Select your wireless network from the Wi-Fi category. Press the Settings button at the top left to go back to the Settings Menu.
Step Fourteen
Select the General category from the Settings Menu. Then select the Auto-Lock subcategory.
Press to select Never from the list of Auto-Lock times.
Press the Settings button at the top left to return to the settings window.
Step Fifteen
Press the Home button. At the "Activate iPhone" screen move the slider to the right for emergency calling.
Step Sixteen
Now dial "0" then press the Call button.
Step Seventeen
Now you will be able to see the incoming call. Press the Accept button.
Step Eighteen
Now press the Hold button to put the call on hold.
Step Nineteen
The phone will call itself again. This time press the Decline button.
Step Twenty
We now are presented with our contacts menu. Press to select the contact we added.
Step Twenty One
Press the http://jailbreakme.com url. This will open Safari and take you to jailbreakme.com
Step Twenty Two
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press Install AppSnapp.
Phone will return to activation screen, but don't panic, just wait. iPhone should automaticly restart after almost a minute. When the phone starts again, it should no longer say Slide to emergency, but rather Slide to Unlock. This means it was successfull!
I've had a few reports of the emergency slider not changing to the unlock slider. The best suggestion so far has been to keep the iPhone connected to the computer and make sure its detected in iTunes. Otherwise it seems to work if you retry installing AppSnapp till it works. Don't know what the issue is exactly (maybe a server load issue) but if it doesn't work immediately then try again.
UPGRADE TO 1.1.2
- Download the Jailbreak 1.1.2 package from: here.
- Download the 1.1.2 Firmware from: here
Step One
Launch Installer from your springboard.
Select Install from the tabs at the bottom.
Scroll down and select Tweaks (1.1.1) from the list of categories.
Press to select OktoPrep from the list of Packages.
Press the Install button at the top right and corner of the screen.
Press Install again to begin the installation.
When OkPrep finishes you will be notified that it is now okay to upgrade to 1.1.2. Press Ok.
Step Two
Reboot your phone by holding down the Sleep/Wake button for three seconds. Move the power slider to right to power down. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power back on.
Launch iTunes.
Name your iPhone if it asks then click the Done button.
Step Three
Reboot your phone by holding down the Sleep/Wake button for three seconds. Move the power slider to right to power down. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power back on.
Step Four
Launch iTunes.
Name your iPhone if it asks then click the Done button.
Step Five
If you get a dialog window asking you to update to 1.1.3 then click the Don't Install button.
(NOTE*: The image shows 1.1.2 because i don't have an image for 1.1.3 yet)
Hold down Shift and click the Update button to update to 1.1.2
A dialog window will appear asking you to select the firmware to restore to. Select the 1.1.2 firmware we downloaded earlier (iPhone1,1_1.1.2_3B48b_Restore.ipsw)
Once complete a dialog box will appear letting you know you have updated successfully.
When it finishes updating, the iPhone will have been restarted. The new emergency slider and connect to iTunes image will be on the iPhone.
Step Six
Close iTunes then extract the 1.1.2-jailbreak.zip we downloaded earlier. A folder will be extracted called 1.1.2-jailbreak.
Double click windows.bat from within this folder to start the jailbreak. NOTE***: Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed. You can find it here: http://www.java.com
Step Seven
A popup will appear asking you to enter the desired password and whether or not to enable SSH. Make sure you check to enable SSH and then press Jailbreak!
Whens it done a popup will appear letting you know the jailbreak has been successful! During this process the phone may be rebooted a few times.
You have an jailbroken iPhone!!!
NOTES:
I'm rapidly improving the quality of my own screenshots; however, some of them have been obtained from around the net. Most notably I'd like to give thanks to Mark from HacktheiPhone.
If you using this guide for StealthSIM or similar and you are in an unsupported country then you will need to install iWorld from the Installer for your calling to work properly.
THANKS:
Well, I also really need to thank all the developers who have been working like crazy to make this tutorial even possible, especially the iPhone Dev Team.
If you are not sure if you have the 4.6 bootloader then check the serial number of the iPhone. If the 4th and 5th digits are 45 or higher then you have the new bootloader and cannot unlock. Follow this tutorial until an unlock is found. As soon as a software unlock is released I will post instructions so check back.
**NOTE**: If you have opted to unlock your iPhone with TurboSIM or something similar this is the guide you should follow before inserting your TurboSIM.
**NOTE** (Wednesday, December 20th, 2007 12:00):
Here is a list of suggestions for those still having problems with the jailbreak server(Step 22). These suggestions have not been proven as it has always worked for me. However, they are still probably worth a try if the server is giving difficulty. If anyone has a suggestion to add then please let me know.
- Try to do a hard reset on the iPhone and try again
- Make sure you have a strong wireless signal
- Try the jailbreak with your iPhone still connected to the computer and iTunes
- Try using http://www.jailbreakme.com instead of http://jailbreakme.com
- Disable wireless encryption on your network
- Use a Wi-Fi connection without proxy
DOWNGRADE TO 1.1.1
For this you will need iBrickr 0.91, iTunes 7.5, and iPhone Firmware 1.1.1
- Update iTunes to get the latest version.
- Download iBrickr 0.91 from: here or here
- Download iPhone Firmware 1.1.1 from: here
Step One
Connect your iPhone to your PC and launch iTunes
Step Two
Press and hold Home and Power button of your iPhone at the same time. Once the screen turns black, release the power button but keep on holding the Home button until Apple logo changes to the restore screen. Note: The screen may also just stay black. This is normal. Just hold the home button till iTunes detects the iPhone.
Step Three
iTunes will then detect an iPhone in restore mode.
Hold down the Shift key and click Restore.
A dialog window will appear asking you to select the firmware to restore to. Select the 1.1.1 firmware we downloaded earlier (iPhone1,1_1.1.1_3A109a_Restore.ipsw)
At the end of the restore you will get Error 1015. This is okay. Simply click the Ok button.
Another popup will appear telling you your iPhone is in recovery mode. Click the Ok button.
Step Four
Exit iTunes by selecting Exit from the File menu. Press Control+Alt+Delete on the keyboard. Select to Start Task Manager.
Click to select the Processes tab from the Windows Task Manager window.
Select iTunesHelper.exe from the list of processes and then click the End Process button. A popup will appear asking you to confirm the end process. Click the End Process button from the popup.
You can now close Windows Task Manager by click the X at the top right of the window.
Step Five
You will notice your iPhone is still in recovery mode. To exit recovery mode launch iBrickr.exe which you downloaded earlier.
Click the Boot the phone link.
iBrickr will say Please wait while iBrickr tries to fix your phone.
The iPhone will reboot and display the Activate screen again!
You can now close iBrickr.
JAILBREAK 1.1.1
Step One
At the "Activate iPhone" screen move the slider to the right for emergency calling.
Step Two
Dial "*#307#" then press the Call button.
Step Three
You will hear the phone call itself. Use the back arrow to clear the number you just enter. Now dial "0" then press the Call button.
Step Four
Now you will be able to see the incoming call. Press the Accept button.
Step Five
Now press the Hold button to put the call on hold.
Step Six
The phone will call itself again. This time press the Decline button.
Step Seven
We now are shown the keypad again. Click the contacts tab at the bottom. We are now presented with an empty contacts menu. Click the plus(+) button to add a new contact.
Step Eight
Press Add New URL.
Step Nine
Input prefs: as the url then press the Save button.
Step Ten
Press Add New URL again.
Step Eleven
Input http://jailbreakme.com as the url then press the Save button.
Step Twelve
Now in the contact view you will see the 2 urls. Press the prefs: url.
Step Thirteen
This will bring up the iPhone's Settings Menu. Select your wireless network from the Wi-Fi category. Press the Settings button at the top left to go back to the Settings Menu.
Step Fourteen
Select the General category from the Settings Menu. Then select the Auto-Lock subcategory.
Press to select Never from the list of Auto-Lock times.
Press the Settings button at the top left to return to the settings window.
Step Fifteen
Press the Home button. At the "Activate iPhone" screen move the slider to the right for emergency calling.
Step Sixteen
Now dial "0" then press the Call button.
Step Seventeen
Now you will be able to see the incoming call. Press the Accept button.
Step Eighteen
Now press the Hold button to put the call on hold.
Step Nineteen
The phone will call itself again. This time press the Decline button.
Step Twenty
We now are presented with our contacts menu. Press to select the contact we added.
Step Twenty One
Press the http://jailbreakme.com url. This will open Safari and take you to jailbreakme.com
Step Twenty Two
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press Install AppSnapp.
Phone will return to activation screen, but don't panic, just wait. iPhone should automaticly restart after almost a minute. When the phone starts again, it should no longer say Slide to emergency, but rather Slide to Unlock. This means it was successfull!
I've had a few reports of the emergency slider not changing to the unlock slider. The best suggestion so far has been to keep the iPhone connected to the computer and make sure its detected in iTunes. Otherwise it seems to work if you retry installing AppSnapp till it works. Don't know what the issue is exactly (maybe a server load issue) but if it doesn't work immediately then try again.
UPGRADE TO 1.1.2
- Download the Jailbreak 1.1.2 package from: here.
- Download the 1.1.2 Firmware from: here
Step One
Launch Installer from your springboard.
Select Install from the tabs at the bottom.
Scroll down and select Tweaks (1.1.1) from the list of categories.
Press to select OktoPrep from the list of Packages.
Press the Install button at the top right and corner of the screen.
Press Install again to begin the installation.
When OkPrep finishes you will be notified that it is now okay to upgrade to 1.1.2. Press Ok.
Step Two
Reboot your phone by holding down the Sleep/Wake button for three seconds. Move the power slider to right to power down. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power back on.
Launch iTunes.
Name your iPhone if it asks then click the Done button.
Step Three
Reboot your phone by holding down the Sleep/Wake button for three seconds. Move the power slider to right to power down. Then press the Sleep/Wake button again to power back on.
Step Four
Launch iTunes.
Name your iPhone if it asks then click the Done button.
Step Five
If you get a dialog window asking you to update to 1.1.3 then click the Don't Install button.
(NOTE*: The image shows 1.1.2 because i don't have an image for 1.1.3 yet)
Hold down Shift and click the Update button to update to 1.1.2
A dialog window will appear asking you to select the firmware to restore to. Select the 1.1.2 firmware we downloaded earlier (iPhone1,1_1.1.2_3B48b_Restore.ipsw)
Once complete a dialog box will appear letting you know you have updated successfully.
When it finishes updating, the iPhone will have been restarted. The new emergency slider and connect to iTunes image will be on the iPhone.
Step Six
Close iTunes then extract the 1.1.2-jailbreak.zip we downloaded earlier. A folder will be extracted called 1.1.2-jailbreak.
Double click windows.bat from within this folder to start the jailbreak. NOTE***: Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed. You can find it here: http://www.java.com
Step Seven
A popup will appear asking you to enter the desired password and whether or not to enable SSH. Make sure you check to enable SSH and then press Jailbreak!
Whens it done a popup will appear letting you know the jailbreak has been successful! During this process the phone may be rebooted a few times.
You have an jailbroken iPhone!!!
NOTES:
I'm rapidly improving the quality of my own screenshots; however, some of them have been obtained from around the net. Most notably I'd like to give thanks to Mark from HacktheiPhone.
If you using this guide for StealthSIM or similar and you are in an unsupported country then you will need to install iWorld from the Installer for your calling to work properly.
THANKS:
Well, I also really need to thank all the developers who have been working like crazy to make this tutorial even possible, especially the iPhone Dev Team.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Understanding resistor tolerance
The last band of the resistor indicates its tolerance. Tolerance takes into
account unavoidable variations in resistor manufacturing. Though a resistor
may have a 2,000 ohms marking, for example, its actual value may be slightly
higher or lower. You refer to the potential variation in value as tolerance,
expressed as a percentage (for example, +5-percent tolerance means the resistor
value may vary plus or minus 5 percent from the stated value). In most
cases, being a little off doesn’t significantly affect the operation of the circuit.
Knowing the tolerance of the resistor lets you decide if a resistor is adequate
for a particular circuit. Tolerance appears in the last column of Table 4-1.
Take a look at the yellow-violet-red-silver resistor example from the previous
section. By looking at Table 4-1, you can see that silver, the last band, denotes
+10-percent tolerance. This value means that the resistor can vary in tolerance
10 percent higher or lower than its indicated value. If the resistor has an
indicated value of 4.7K with a 10 percent tolerance, the actual value can fall
anywhere between 4,230 and 5,170 ohms.Most circuits tell you the safe resistor tolerance to use, either for all the resistors
in the circuit or for each resistor. Look for a notation in the parts list or
as a footnote at the bottom of the circuit diagram. If the schematic doesn’t
state a tolerance, then you can assume that you may safely use standard +5
percent or +10 percent tolerance resistors.
If you aren’t sure of the resistance of a particular resistor, you can use a multimeter
to check it,
Table 4-1 Resistor Color Coding
Color 1st Digit 2nd Digit Multiplier Tolerance
Black 0 0 1 +20%
Brown 1 1 10 +1%
Red 2 2 100 +2%
Orange 3 3 1,000 +3%
Yellow 4 4 10,000 +4%
Green 5 5 100,000 n/a
Blue 6 6 1,000,000 n/a
Violet 7 7 10,000,000 n/a
Gray 8 8 100,000,000 n/a
White 9 9 n/a n/a
Gold 0.1 +5%
Silver 0.01 +10%
account unavoidable variations in resistor manufacturing. Though a resistor
may have a 2,000 ohms marking, for example, its actual value may be slightly
higher or lower. You refer to the potential variation in value as tolerance,
expressed as a percentage (for example, +5-percent tolerance means the resistor
value may vary plus or minus 5 percent from the stated value). In most
cases, being a little off doesn’t significantly affect the operation of the circuit.
Knowing the tolerance of the resistor lets you decide if a resistor is adequate
for a particular circuit. Tolerance appears in the last column of Table 4-1.
Take a look at the yellow-violet-red-silver resistor example from the previous
section. By looking at Table 4-1, you can see that silver, the last band, denotes
+10-percent tolerance. This value means that the resistor can vary in tolerance
10 percent higher or lower than its indicated value. If the resistor has an
indicated value of 4.7K with a 10 percent tolerance, the actual value can fall
anywhere between 4,230 and 5,170 ohms.Most circuits tell you the safe resistor tolerance to use, either for all the resistors
in the circuit or for each resistor. Look for a notation in the parts list or
as a footnote at the bottom of the circuit diagram. If the schematic doesn’t
state a tolerance, then you can assume that you may safely use standard +5
percent or +10 percent tolerance resistors.
If you aren’t sure of the resistance of a particular resistor, you can use a multimeter
to check it,
Table 4-1 Resistor Color Coding
Color 1st Digit 2nd Digit Multiplier Tolerance
Black 0 0 1 +20%
Brown 1 1 10 +1%
Red 2 2 100 +2%
Orange 3 3 1,000 +3%
Yellow 4 4 10,000 +4%
Green 5 5 100,000 n/a
Blue 6 6 1,000,000 n/a
Violet 7 7 10,000,000 n/a
Gray 8 8 100,000,000 n/a
White 9 9 n/a n/a
Gold 0.1 +5%
Silver 0.01 +10%
The power of Ohm’s Law
Ohm (never one to sit around twiddling his thumbs) also expressed that
power is related to voltage and current using this equation:
P = V x I; or power = voltage x current
You can use this equation to calculate the power consumed by the buzzer in
the previous section:
P = 12 volts x 0.006 amps = 0.072 watts which is 72 milliwatts (or 72 mW)
What if you don’t know the voltage? You can use another trick from algebra.
(And you thought Mrs. Whatsit wasted your time in Algebra 101 all those years
ago!) Because V = I x R, you can substitute I x R into this equation, giving you
P = (I)(I) x R; or power = current squared x resistance
You can also use algebra to rearrange the equation for power to show how
you can calculate resistance, voltage, and current if you know power and any
one of these parameters.
Do you really hate algebra? Did Mrs. Whatsit fail you those many years ago?
You’re probably happy to hear that online calculators can make these calculations
much easier. Try searching on www.google.com using the keyword
phrase “Ohm’s Law Calculator”
power is related to voltage and current using this equation:
P = V x I; or power = voltage x current
You can use this equation to calculate the power consumed by the buzzer in
the previous section:
P = 12 volts x 0.006 amps = 0.072 watts which is 72 milliwatts (or 72 mW)
What if you don’t know the voltage? You can use another trick from algebra.
(And you thought Mrs. Whatsit wasted your time in Algebra 101 all those years
ago!) Because V = I x R, you can substitute I x R into this equation, giving you
P = (I)(I) x R; or power = current squared x resistance
You can also use algebra to rearrange the equation for power to show how
you can calculate resistance, voltage, and current if you know power and any
one of these parameters.
Do you really hate algebra? Did Mrs. Whatsit fail you those many years ago?
You’re probably happy to hear that online calculators can make these calculations
much easier. Try searching on www.google.com using the keyword
phrase “Ohm’s Law Calculator”
Understanding Ohm’s Law
Say that you’re wiring a circuit. You know the amount of current that the
component can withstand without blowing up and how much voltage the
power source applies. So you have to come up with an amount of resistance
that keeps the current below the blowing-up level.
In the early 1800s, George Ohm published an equation called Ohm’s Law that
allows you to make this calculation. Ohm’s Law states that the voltage equals
current multiplied by resistance, or in standard mathematical notation
V = I x R
Taking Ohm’s Law farther
Remember your high school algebra? Remember how if you know two things
(such as x and y) in an equation of three variables, you can calculate that
third thing? Ohm’s Law works that way; you can rearrange its elements so
that if you know any two of the three values in the equation, you can calculate
the third. So, here’s how you calculate current: current equals voltage
divided by resistance, or
I= V\R
You can also rearrange Ohm’s Law so that you can calculate resistance if you
know voltage and current. So, resistance equals voltage divided by current, or
R = V\I
So far, so good. Now, take a specific example using a circuit with a 12-volt battery
and a light bulb (basically, a big flashlight). Before installing the battery,
you measure the resistance of the circuit with a multimeter and find that it’s 9
I = V\R = 12\9 = 1.3 amps
component can withstand without blowing up and how much voltage the
power source applies. So you have to come up with an amount of resistance
that keeps the current below the blowing-up level.
In the early 1800s, George Ohm published an equation called Ohm’s Law that
allows you to make this calculation. Ohm’s Law states that the voltage equals
current multiplied by resistance, or in standard mathematical notation
V = I x R
Taking Ohm’s Law farther
Remember your high school algebra? Remember how if you know two things
(such as x and y) in an equation of three variables, you can calculate that
third thing? Ohm’s Law works that way; you can rearrange its elements so
that if you know any two of the three values in the equation, you can calculate
the third. So, here’s how you calculate current: current equals voltage
divided by resistance, or
I= V\R
You can also rearrange Ohm’s Law so that you can calculate resistance if you
know voltage and current. So, resistance equals voltage divided by current, or
R = V\I
So far, so good. Now, take a specific example using a circuit with a 12-volt battery
and a light bulb (basically, a big flashlight). Before installing the battery,
you measure the resistance of the circuit with a multimeter and find that it’s 9
I = V\R = 12\9 = 1.3 amps
Units Used in Electronics
Table 1-1 Units Used in Electronics
Term Abbreviation Unit Unit Symbol Component
Resistance R ohm Ω Resistor
Capacitance C farad F Capacitor
Inductance L Henry H Inductor
Voltage E or V volt V
Current I amp A
Power P watt W
Frequency f hertz Hz
Table 1-2 Prefixes used in Electronics
Number Name Scientific Notation Abbreviation
1,000,000,000 1 billion giga G
1,000,000 1 million mega M
1,000 1 thousand kilo k
100 1 hundred
10 ten
1 one
0.1 tenth
0.01 hundredth
0.001 1 thousandth milli m
0.000001 1 millionth micro μ
0.000000001 1 billionth nano n
0.000000000001 1 trillionth pico p
Term Abbreviation Unit Unit Symbol Component
Resistance R ohm Ω Resistor
Capacitance C farad F Capacitor
Inductance L Henry H Inductor
Voltage E or V volt V
Current I amp A
Power P watt W
Frequency f hertz Hz
Table 1-2 Prefixes used in Electronics
Number Name Scientific Notation Abbreviation
1,000,000,000 1 billion giga G
1,000,000 1 million mega M
1,000 1 thousand kilo k
100 1 hundred
10 ten
1 one
0.1 tenth
0.01 hundredth
0.001 1 thousandth milli m
0.000001 1 millionth micro μ
0.000000001 1 billionth nano n
0.000000000001 1 trillionth pico p
How to Adjust your cookie security policy
As mentioned, cookies are not as bad a thing as some people in the computing world would like
you to believe. Instead, the only real risk they present is a loss of some privacy, as mentioned
earlier. If you allow your browser to be instructed to create cookies on your computer, then over
time your PC would have quite a collection of them. Anyone who used your computer would
then know what sites you visited, if they knew where the cookie files were located.
The latest version of Internet Explorer includes many new enhancements. One of the enhancements
includes a new way of accepting cookies. Now, you have the ability to specify if you
would like your browser to block all cookies or just certain types.To be able to use this new
feature, you will have to understand what the two different types of cookies are: first- and
third-party cookies. First-party cookies are placed on your computer by the current site that
you are visiting. Third-party cookies are placed on your computer by remote sites such as
advertisement servers.If you do not want your computer to accept third-party cookies so that marketing companies
cannot identify what ads they have shown you, or if you just want to adjust your cookie acceptance
settings, then follow these steps:
1. Open up a copy of Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools menu bar item and select Internet Options.
3. When Internet Options loads, click the Privacy tab.
4. You will see the up-and-down slider that allows you to select different levels of cookie
security. I recommend that you bypass this and just click the Advanced button
instead.
5. Once you click the Advanced button and see the Advanced Privacy Settings window,
check the box that says Override Automatic Cookie Handling.
6. Your settings for first- and third-party cookies will now be available for adjustment, as
shown in Figure 14-3. I recommend that you always accept first-party cookies. You can
decide if you want to block or select the prompt to accept third-party cookies. Prompt
will pop up a dialog box notifying you that a cookies request has been received.
7. Once you are finished with your settings, click the OK button to save your changes and
return to Internet Options.
8. Click OK once more to close Internet Options.Now that you have set the cookie privacy setting manually, you can eliminate cookies from
being stored on your hard drive in the first place. Doing so will allow you to protect your
privacy and still be able to use Web sites that need cookies
you to believe. Instead, the only real risk they present is a loss of some privacy, as mentioned
earlier. If you allow your browser to be instructed to create cookies on your computer, then over
time your PC would have quite a collection of them. Anyone who used your computer would
then know what sites you visited, if they knew where the cookie files were located.
The latest version of Internet Explorer includes many new enhancements. One of the enhancements
includes a new way of accepting cookies. Now, you have the ability to specify if you
would like your browser to block all cookies or just certain types.To be able to use this new
feature, you will have to understand what the two different types of cookies are: first- and
third-party cookies. First-party cookies are placed on your computer by the current site that
you are visiting. Third-party cookies are placed on your computer by remote sites such as
advertisement servers.If you do not want your computer to accept third-party cookies so that marketing companies
cannot identify what ads they have shown you, or if you just want to adjust your cookie acceptance
settings, then follow these steps:
1. Open up a copy of Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools menu bar item and select Internet Options.
3. When Internet Options loads, click the Privacy tab.
4. You will see the up-and-down slider that allows you to select different levels of cookie
security. I recommend that you bypass this and just click the Advanced button
instead.
5. Once you click the Advanced button and see the Advanced Privacy Settings window,
check the box that says Override Automatic Cookie Handling.
6. Your settings for first- and third-party cookies will now be available for adjustment, as
shown in Figure 14-3. I recommend that you always accept first-party cookies. You can
decide if you want to block or select the prompt to accept third-party cookies. Prompt
will pop up a dialog box notifying you that a cookies request has been received.
7. Once you are finished with your settings, click the OK button to save your changes and
return to Internet Options.
8. Click OK once more to close Internet Options.Now that you have set the cookie privacy setting manually, you can eliminate cookies from
being stored on your hard drive in the first place. Doing so will allow you to protect your
privacy and still be able to use Web sites that need cookies
Locking down Internet Explorer
Now that you have removed all of the spyware and adware on your computer, let’s turn off certain
features of Internet Explorer so that you will be less likely to accidentally install more spyware.
To get started, change the ActiveX install settings to prevent any new ActiveX apps to be
installed. Follow these steps to change this setting:
1. Open up a copy of Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools menu bar item and select Internet Options.
3. Click the Custom Level button on the Security tab.
4. Locate Download Signed ActiveX Control at the top of the list and select Disable.
5. Click OK and click Yes on the confirmation screen.
6. Select OK once more to close Internet Options.
A change in this setting can prevent you from installing new ActiveX controls from all Web
sites, good and bad. If you ever run into some problem with a Web site not loading correctly,
just re-enable this setting and try the site again.
features of Internet Explorer so that you will be less likely to accidentally install more spyware.
To get started, change the ActiveX install settings to prevent any new ActiveX apps to be
installed. Follow these steps to change this setting:
1. Open up a copy of Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools menu bar item and select Internet Options.
3. Click the Custom Level button on the Security tab.
4. Locate Download Signed ActiveX Control at the top of the list and select Disable.
5. Click OK and click Yes on the confirmation screen.
6. Select OK once more to close Internet Options.
A change in this setting can prevent you from installing new ActiveX controls from all Web
sites, good and bad. If you ever run into some problem with a Web site not loading correctly,
just re-enable this setting and try the site again.
Detecting and removing spyware
There are a bunch of free apps on the Web that will help you scan your computer for adware
and spyware. There are two programs I recommend that you use to scan your computer. Each
of these programs has its own database of adware and spyware that is updated frequently. To
make sure that no spyware and adware goes undetected, it is a good idea to scan your computer
with both programs. The first app is called Ad-aware, which is published by Lavasoft.
This is a great program that has a basic version available for free when used for personal use.
The second app is called Spybot S&D, which is developed by Patrick M. Kolla and is also
free.Using these two apps to detect and remove spyware and adware from your computer will not
only rid your computer of those annoying programs, but will also speed up your computer and
free up disk space. Follow these steps to get started using Ad-aware:
1. Visit www.lavasoft.de and download a copy of the basic version of Ad-aware that is
free when used on personal computers.
2. Once you have Ad-aware installed on your computer, start it up by clicking the Adaware
icon on your desktop.
3. When Ad-aware is loaded, the first thing you should do is update the data files. This can
be done by clicking the globe icon, as shown in Figure 13-1.
4. Then, on the Webupdate screen, click the Connect button. It will tell you if a new
update is available. If one is, just click OK and it will be downloaded and installed.
5. Now that Ad-aware is updated, you are ready to scan your computer. Just click the Start
button in the lower-right corner of the window.
6. Select Perform Smart System-Scan on the Next screen and click Next. The scan will
begin.
7. Once the scan has finished, you will hear a sound. Click the Next button again to view
the results.8. The Scanning Results screen will be shown, which lists any instances of spyware and
adware on your computer, as shown in Figure 13-2. Scroll through the list and uncheck
any objects that you do not want to remove. Then, click the Next button again.
9. You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the items on the list. Click OK
to continue removing the files and registry entries associated with spyware and
adware.
The files will be quarantined as a backup just in case you experience any problems with the
operating system after you remove the files and registry entries. You are now finished with
using Ad-aware and can close the application.
You are now ready to get Spybot Search & Destroy installed and set up on your computer so
that you can ensure that you have removed all spyware and adware from your computer.To do
that, just follow these steps:
1. Visit Spybot’s Web site at www.spybot.info and download a copy of Spybot Search
& Destroy.
2. Once Spybot S&D is installed on your computer, start it up by expanding the Spybot
Search & Destroy folder and selecting Spybot S&D (easy mode). The first time it is run,
you will have to select the language that you want to use and will be shown a few legal
disclaimer screens.3. When Spybot loads, you will want to update its data files as well. This can be done by
clicking the Search For Updates screen located in the middle of the screen.
4. Check all of the updates that are shown on the screen and click the Download Updates
button, as shown in Figure 13-3.
5. Once Spybot has finished downloading and installing the updates, it will restart itself.
When that happens, you are ready to begin scanning your computer.To begin scanning,
just click the Check for Problems button.
6. Once scanning has finished, you will be presented with the Results screen. Click the Fix
Selected Problems button, as shown in Figure 13-4, to remove all of the selected search
results.
7. When all of the entries in the search box have check marks, Spybot is finished cleaning
your system. You may now close Spybot.
Your computer has now been scanned and cleaned with two great spyware cleaning software
apps. As you can see, Spybot picked up on some things that Ad-aware missed. Using both of
these programs together will allow you very good detection and removal of spyware on your
computer.
and spyware. There are two programs I recommend that you use to scan your computer. Each
of these programs has its own database of adware and spyware that is updated frequently. To
make sure that no spyware and adware goes undetected, it is a good idea to scan your computer
with both programs. The first app is called Ad-aware, which is published by Lavasoft.
This is a great program that has a basic version available for free when used for personal use.
The second app is called Spybot S&D, which is developed by Patrick M. Kolla and is also
free.Using these two apps to detect and remove spyware and adware from your computer will not
only rid your computer of those annoying programs, but will also speed up your computer and
free up disk space. Follow these steps to get started using Ad-aware:
1. Visit www.lavasoft.de and download a copy of the basic version of Ad-aware that is
free when used on personal computers.
2. Once you have Ad-aware installed on your computer, start it up by clicking the Adaware
icon on your desktop.
3. When Ad-aware is loaded, the first thing you should do is update the data files. This can
be done by clicking the globe icon, as shown in Figure 13-1.
4. Then, on the Webupdate screen, click the Connect button. It will tell you if a new
update is available. If one is, just click OK and it will be downloaded and installed.
5. Now that Ad-aware is updated, you are ready to scan your computer. Just click the Start
button in the lower-right corner of the window.
6. Select Perform Smart System-Scan on the Next screen and click Next. The scan will
begin.
7. Once the scan has finished, you will hear a sound. Click the Next button again to view
the results.8. The Scanning Results screen will be shown, which lists any instances of spyware and
adware on your computer, as shown in Figure 13-2. Scroll through the list and uncheck
any objects that you do not want to remove. Then, click the Next button again.
9. You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the items on the list. Click OK
to continue removing the files and registry entries associated with spyware and
adware.
The files will be quarantined as a backup just in case you experience any problems with the
operating system after you remove the files and registry entries. You are now finished with
using Ad-aware and can close the application.
You are now ready to get Spybot Search & Destroy installed and set up on your computer so
that you can ensure that you have removed all spyware and adware from your computer.To do
that, just follow these steps:
1. Visit Spybot’s Web site at www.spybot.info and download a copy of Spybot Search
& Destroy.
2. Once Spybot S&D is installed on your computer, start it up by expanding the Spybot
Search & Destroy folder and selecting Spybot S&D (easy mode). The first time it is run,
you will have to select the language that you want to use and will be shown a few legal
disclaimer screens.3. When Spybot loads, you will want to update its data files as well. This can be done by
clicking the Search For Updates screen located in the middle of the screen.
4. Check all of the updates that are shown on the screen and click the Download Updates
button, as shown in Figure 13-3.
5. Once Spybot has finished downloading and installing the updates, it will restart itself.
When that happens, you are ready to begin scanning your computer.To begin scanning,
just click the Check for Problems button.
6. Once scanning has finished, you will be presented with the Results screen. Click the Fix
Selected Problems button, as shown in Figure 13-4, to remove all of the selected search
results.
7. When all of the entries in the search box have check marks, Spybot is finished cleaning
your system. You may now close Spybot.
Your computer has now been scanned and cleaned with two great spyware cleaning software
apps. As you can see, Spybot picked up on some things that Ad-aware missed. Using both of
these programs together will allow you very good detection and removal of spyware on your
computer.
Defending Spyware and Adware
Spyware is becoming the largest menace of computers in the last year. Hidden away within free
applications, these programs can spy on your computer activities and report home various
information about your computer habits. Adware is another menace that is closely related to
spyware. Just like Spyware, it can be secretly installed on your computer and will monitor what
you do. Then, when the time is right, some Adware apps will display relevant advertisements.
Did you ever visit eBay.com and then notice an advertisement for Ubid.com, one of eBay’s
competitors, pop up on your screen? If so, then you are infected with a bad case of adware.
How does your computer get infected? There can be a number of reasons why, but the most
common reason is that you visit a Web site and are prompted to click Yes on some pop-up
box to allow an application to install that you think is a game or some cool browser utility
such as a search toolbar. Often, these utilities are spyware themselves and are also bundled
with other spyware and adware. Unfortunately, users never seem to read the terms of service
agreements that are presented when they are installing these free apps on their computers
and pass right over the notices that this software will display ads and will monitor your
browsing habits.
These next few sections will show you how to detect and remove spyware and adware from
your computer, as well as what to look out for to protect your computer from getting infected
in the first place. Additionally, you will learn how to use some of the new features of Windows
XP Service Pack 2 to protect your computer from getting infected if you accidentally try to
install spyware or adware.
applications, these programs can spy on your computer activities and report home various
information about your computer habits. Adware is another menace that is closely related to
spyware. Just like Spyware, it can be secretly installed on your computer and will monitor what
you do. Then, when the time is right, some Adware apps will display relevant advertisements.
Did you ever visit eBay.com and then notice an advertisement for Ubid.com, one of eBay’s
competitors, pop up on your screen? If so, then you are infected with a bad case of adware.
How does your computer get infected? There can be a number of reasons why, but the most
common reason is that you visit a Web site and are prompted to click Yes on some pop-up
box to allow an application to install that you think is a game or some cool browser utility
such as a search toolbar. Often, these utilities are spyware themselves and are also bundled
with other spyware and adware. Unfortunately, users never seem to read the terms of service
agreements that are presented when they are installing these free apps on their computers
and pass right over the notices that this software will display ads and will monitor your
browsing habits.
These next few sections will show you how to detect and remove spyware and adware from
your computer, as well as what to look out for to protect your computer from getting infected
in the first place. Additionally, you will learn how to use some of the new features of Windows
XP Service Pack 2 to protect your computer from getting infected if you accidentally try to
install spyware or adware.
Stopping spam in the first place
Stopping spam in the first place
Users can do a lot of things when browsing the Internet to make sure that they do not end up
receiving spam. But before anyone can prevent the actual receipt of spam, he or she needs to be
aware of why spam is received in the first place. So, why is that annoying spam sent?
To start off, the most common reason why users receive spam is because they submit their
e-mail address to a Web site or company that starts sending them advertisements or sells their
e-mail address. Usually, most Web sites notify you when they intend to sell your e-mail address,
if they plan on doing so. This notification is commonly hidden away in the terms of service
agreement or privacy policy—so much so that 99 percent of Web visitors check the agreement
box but never actually take a look at the information.
This is by far the number one reason why users receive spam. They sign up for some service
that promises them some great free offer, such as free movie tickets, and then they end up
receiving tons of spam because they didn’t realize that they gave the Web site permission to sell
their e-mail address to thousands of other companies. If they would have taken the time to
read the terms of service agreement and the privacy policy, they would have found out that by
using the so-called free service, they give the Web site permission to do whatever they want
with your personal information.
Paying attention to the details is very important when you’re using the Web.With the absence
of useful laws that actually make a difference on certain Internet subjects such as spam, some
companies take advantage of users. If you are considering signing up for a site and cannot find
their terms of service or privacy policy, do not use their service. That lack of information should
be a huge warning sign.
Another common reason why users end up with inboxes packed with spam is because they
inadvertently sign up for various newsletters. I shop online a lot and end up creating many different
accounts at different stores so that I can purchase items. During the signup process, you
are almost always asked if you would like to sign up for their deal-of-the-week newsletter or
some other kind of promotional material. They want you to give them permission to send you
more advertisements so that, it is hoped, you will buy from them again. You may think that this
is nice, but when you have accounts at 25 different online stores, you could be getting a lot of
messages that are just advertisements.When you are creating accounts at online shops or other
Web sites, make sure that you uncheck all of the newsletter links, unless you really want to get
one. These options are usually placed on the Web page in a location that you may overlook.
The check boxes are checked on purpose so that those people that miss them automatically end
up on the advertisement mailing list. Keep an eye out for these boxes and you will be able to
cut down on spam.
If you follow the two tips just mentioned you will dramatically cut down on the amount of
spam you receive. Another way to fight spam is to create separate e-mail accounts. There are
several different Web sites on the Web from which you can get free e-mail. Create separate
accounts on these free sites or request more mailboxes from your Internet Service Provider.
Then, use each mailbox for a different purpose. I like to have one mailbox that is just for my
personal mail from my family and friends. I never give away that address on any Web site and
even tell my family and friends never to submit that address to any Web site on my behalf. I
have been doing that for the last two years and still to this day have not received any spam tothat account. I highly suggest that you create an e-mail that you will use for personal mail only
and never give that address to any Web site.
I also have a separate account that I use for all of my online purchases. This way, if I ever start
to get too many weekly newsletters and some unethical store sells my information, I can just
close the e-mail account and start up a new one with a different name. Additionally, I have a
separate e-mail address (my junk mail address) that I give to any Web site that requests an email
to sign up for something. This way, I can still get the confirmation message that a lot of
sites require you to do something with to verify your e-mail address and not have to worry
about the site sending me tons of junk that will fill up my personal inbox. You should defiantly
create a separate junk e-mail address so that you can give that address out to Web sites instead
of using your personal address.
Users can do a lot of things when browsing the Internet to make sure that they do not end up
receiving spam. But before anyone can prevent the actual receipt of spam, he or she needs to be
aware of why spam is received in the first place. So, why is that annoying spam sent?
To start off, the most common reason why users receive spam is because they submit their
e-mail address to a Web site or company that starts sending them advertisements or sells their
e-mail address. Usually, most Web sites notify you when they intend to sell your e-mail address,
if they plan on doing so. This notification is commonly hidden away in the terms of service
agreement or privacy policy—so much so that 99 percent of Web visitors check the agreement
box but never actually take a look at the information.
This is by far the number one reason why users receive spam. They sign up for some service
that promises them some great free offer, such as free movie tickets, and then they end up
receiving tons of spam because they didn’t realize that they gave the Web site permission to sell
their e-mail address to thousands of other companies. If they would have taken the time to
read the terms of service agreement and the privacy policy, they would have found out that by
using the so-called free service, they give the Web site permission to do whatever they want
with your personal information.
Paying attention to the details is very important when you’re using the Web.With the absence
of useful laws that actually make a difference on certain Internet subjects such as spam, some
companies take advantage of users. If you are considering signing up for a site and cannot find
their terms of service or privacy policy, do not use their service. That lack of information should
be a huge warning sign.
Another common reason why users end up with inboxes packed with spam is because they
inadvertently sign up for various newsletters. I shop online a lot and end up creating many different
accounts at different stores so that I can purchase items. During the signup process, you
are almost always asked if you would like to sign up for their deal-of-the-week newsletter or
some other kind of promotional material. They want you to give them permission to send you
more advertisements so that, it is hoped, you will buy from them again. You may think that this
is nice, but when you have accounts at 25 different online stores, you could be getting a lot of
messages that are just advertisements.When you are creating accounts at online shops or other
Web sites, make sure that you uncheck all of the newsletter links, unless you really want to get
one. These options are usually placed on the Web page in a location that you may overlook.
The check boxes are checked on purpose so that those people that miss them automatically end
up on the advertisement mailing list. Keep an eye out for these boxes and you will be able to
cut down on spam.
If you follow the two tips just mentioned you will dramatically cut down on the amount of
spam you receive. Another way to fight spam is to create separate e-mail accounts. There are
several different Web sites on the Web from which you can get free e-mail. Create separate
accounts on these free sites or request more mailboxes from your Internet Service Provider.
Then, use each mailbox for a different purpose. I like to have one mailbox that is just for my
personal mail from my family and friends. I never give away that address on any Web site and
even tell my family and friends never to submit that address to any Web site on my behalf. I
have been doing that for the last two years and still to this day have not received any spam tothat account. I highly suggest that you create an e-mail that you will use for personal mail only
and never give that address to any Web site.
I also have a separate account that I use for all of my online purchases. This way, if I ever start
to get too many weekly newsletters and some unethical store sells my information, I can just
close the e-mail account and start up a new one with a different name. Additionally, I have a
separate e-mail address (my junk mail address) that I give to any Web site that requests an email
to sign up for something. This way, I can still get the confirmation message that a lot of
sites require you to do something with to verify your e-mail address and not have to worry
about the site sending me tons of junk that will fill up my personal inbox. You should defiantly
create a separate junk e-mail address so that you can give that address out to Web sites instead
of using your personal address.
Using WPA for a more secure wireless connection
Wi-Fi Protected Access, or WPA, is a new, improved security standard for wireless connections.
WPA has addressed the weaknesses of WEP; it was developed to create a viable alternative
to WEP that is more secure than that standard. The fundamentals are the same between
the standards, but WPA has improved some of the various mechanisms that plagued WEP. For
example, encryption keys are now dynamic and change often automatically. Additionally, the
complexity of the encryption key has also been increased to help fight off users who try to
derive a key from data that they capture. One of the largest improvements in WPA is the addition
of authentication to the wireless connection. Now, users have to have the right encryption
settings, as well as a valid username and password, to gain access to the network.
This new standard is just starting to gain momentum. Microsoft has released a special patch
for Windows XP that adds this new standard to Windows. However, installing the patch will
not allow you to use this new standard. Just as with WEP,WPA is programmed into the
firmware of the hardware components. In order to use WPA, you must have hardware that
specifically supports it. Currently, only a few companies offer base stations and wireless
adapters that support this new method of security. However, that will change in time.
The next time you are considering purchasing a wireless base station and adapter, do some
research and pick one that supports WPA to ensure that your wireless communications will not
be decrypted and your privacy is secure.
WPA has addressed the weaknesses of WEP; it was developed to create a viable alternative
to WEP that is more secure than that standard. The fundamentals are the same between
the standards, but WPA has improved some of the various mechanisms that plagued WEP. For
example, encryption keys are now dynamic and change often automatically. Additionally, the
complexity of the encryption key has also been increased to help fight off users who try to
derive a key from data that they capture. One of the largest improvements in WPA is the addition
of authentication to the wireless connection. Now, users have to have the right encryption
settings, as well as a valid username and password, to gain access to the network.
This new standard is just starting to gain momentum. Microsoft has released a special patch
for Windows XP that adds this new standard to Windows. However, installing the patch will
not allow you to use this new standard. Just as with WEP,WPA is programmed into the
firmware of the hardware components. In order to use WPA, you must have hardware that
specifically supports it. Currently, only a few companies offer base stations and wireless
adapters that support this new method of security. However, that will change in time.
The next time you are considering purchasing a wireless base station and adapter, do some
research and pick one that supports WPA to ensure that your wireless communications will not
be decrypted and your privacy is secure.
Using WEP for secure communication
Using WEP for secure communication
Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP, is the first security standard for wireless networks. The
basic concept for WEP security is to encrypt the data that is sent back and forth between the
access point and the client adapter. This is done using various degrees of encryption strength. A
special key, known as the encryption key, is used by computers to connect to a WEP-protected
wireless network. This allows the client computer’s adapter to be able to decrypt and also send
encrypted messages in the same language as the base station.
This standard sounds like a great way to secure a wireless network. However, it presents some
flaws. The largest one is that the whole system relies on just one key. If someone’s laptop is
stolen that is part of a corporate network, the encryption key must be changed for the base
station and for all of the other computers using the wireless connection. This change is
necessary because the current encryption key could be easily extracted from the system settings.
Additionally, someone can potentially derive the encryption key by carefully analyzing the data
they intercepted.
If you have a wireless base station, I highly recommend that you enable WEP to protect your
home. Setting up WEP is different on every set of hardware, but the following are the basics:
1. Connect to your base station setting remotely using your Web browser. This address and
port number varies, but usually is http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.2.1. Often, the
port number is changed to 8080 so people don’t think you have a Web server running. In
that case, try http://192.168.1.1:8080 or http://192.168.2.1:8080.
2. Once you connect, you usually are asked for a password. For all Linksys hardware, the
Username field is left blank and the password is admin. Other hardware manufacturers
use some sort of a variation of the above. It also would be a good idea to change the
password to something other than admin when you are working in the administration
settings.
3. Locate the WEP settings and specify the encryption strength in bits. Then, come up
with an encryption key and type that in.Write down your encryption key and strength
for use in step 5.
4. Save your changes. You can now close the Web administration site.
5. The last part of setting up WEP is configuring the client computers that will connect to
the base station. Once again, this information varies, depending on your wireless card.
Consult the manual for your card to find out how to set up your card to use WEP.
Setting up WEP will greatly increase the security of your wireless network. Even though there
are some flaws, it is much better than using no protection at all. It has the same effect as a car
alarm. If a burglar has to choose between a car that clearly has an alarm or one that doesn’t,
which one will they choose to break into?
Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP, is the first security standard for wireless networks. The
basic concept for WEP security is to encrypt the data that is sent back and forth between the
access point and the client adapter. This is done using various degrees of encryption strength. A
special key, known as the encryption key, is used by computers to connect to a WEP-protected
wireless network. This allows the client computer’s adapter to be able to decrypt and also send
encrypted messages in the same language as the base station.
This standard sounds like a great way to secure a wireless network. However, it presents some
flaws. The largest one is that the whole system relies on just one key. If someone’s laptop is
stolen that is part of a corporate network, the encryption key must be changed for the base
station and for all of the other computers using the wireless connection. This change is
necessary because the current encryption key could be easily extracted from the system settings.
Additionally, someone can potentially derive the encryption key by carefully analyzing the data
they intercepted.
If you have a wireless base station, I highly recommend that you enable WEP to protect your
home. Setting up WEP is different on every set of hardware, but the following are the basics:
1. Connect to your base station setting remotely using your Web browser. This address and
port number varies, but usually is http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.2.1. Often, the
port number is changed to 8080 so people don’t think you have a Web server running. In
that case, try http://192.168.1.1:8080 or http://192.168.2.1:8080.
2. Once you connect, you usually are asked for a password. For all Linksys hardware, the
Username field is left blank and the password is admin. Other hardware manufacturers
use some sort of a variation of the above. It also would be a good idea to change the
password to something other than admin when you are working in the administration
settings.
3. Locate the WEP settings and specify the encryption strength in bits. Then, come up
with an encryption key and type that in.Write down your encryption key and strength
for use in step 5.
4. Save your changes. You can now close the Web administration site.
5. The last part of setting up WEP is configuring the client computers that will connect to
the base station. Once again, this information varies, depending on your wireless card.
Consult the manual for your card to find out how to set up your card to use WEP.
Setting up WEP will greatly increase the security of your wireless network. Even though there
are some flaws, it is much better than using no protection at all. It has the same effect as a car
alarm. If a burglar has to choose between a car that clearly has an alarm or one that doesn’t,
which one will they choose to break into?
Configuring the Windows firewall
Configuring the Windows firewall
Configuring the firewall to allow certain programs to work through it is not always the best
thing to do, because it will expose your computer more to the outside world and increase
your risk of getting infected with something. However, in the short term or for an application
that you must use, you can make it work through the firewall. In the original version of the
firewall, the only possibility was to specify a port number to open. Now, it is much easier to
make an application work though the firewall. Instead of typing in a port number, users can
just select the program on their computer that they want to have accessed through the firewall.
This capability makes the firewall configuration much more user-friendly. Additionally, in
Service Pack 2, Microsoft left in the old way to open up the firewall manually by entering in a
port number, so that users still have total control if they really want it. The end result of these
two methods is the same; the only difference is the ease of use for less experienced Windows
XP users.
Using the new feature to open up holes in the firewall is pretty cool. Follow these steps to open
up the firewall for a specific application:
1. Open up Network Connections again by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run.
Then, type firewall.cpl in the box and click OK.
2. When the Windows Firewall settings window loads, click the Exceptions tab.
3. You will see a list of all of the different exceptions that are currently enabled, as signified
by the check in the box. By default, a few applications will be enabled. I recommend that
you uncheck all of the entries unless you use them. If not, then you are just taking an
unnecessary risk by leaving those doors open.
4. If you want to add an application to the exception list so that it will be able to accept
connections and data from the outside world, such as an Instant Message program that
wants to receive files from other users, just click the Add Program button.
5. Select the name of the program from the list or click the Browse button on the Add a
Program window to select the executable of the application that you want to open to the
world.
6. When you are finished selecting the program that you want to be able to access through
the firewall, click OK and it will appear on the list, as shown in Figure 12-2.
7. Now that the program is on the list, just check the box next to the name to open up the
firewall for the application.
8. Click OK to activate your new firewall settings.
Windows Firewall also includes settings on how you want your computer to respond when
several different standard Internet messages are sent to it. For example, one setting you can
specify is the ping command, which is a network command used to estimate turnaround time
between sending data to a computer and receiving a response. All of these settings are found on
the Advanced tab by clicking the Settings button under the ICMP section. The screen is pretty
straightforward. If you want your computer to have a stealth presence on the Web, as I mentioned
earlier, you should uncheck all of the entries listed on the ICMP tab.
Configuring the firewall to allow certain programs to work through it is not always the best
thing to do, because it will expose your computer more to the outside world and increase
your risk of getting infected with something. However, in the short term or for an application
that you must use, you can make it work through the firewall. In the original version of the
firewall, the only possibility was to specify a port number to open. Now, it is much easier to
make an application work though the firewall. Instead of typing in a port number, users can
just select the program on their computer that they want to have accessed through the firewall.
This capability makes the firewall configuration much more user-friendly. Additionally, in
Service Pack 2, Microsoft left in the old way to open up the firewall manually by entering in a
port number, so that users still have total control if they really want it. The end result of these
two methods is the same; the only difference is the ease of use for less experienced Windows
XP users.
Using the new feature to open up holes in the firewall is pretty cool. Follow these steps to open
up the firewall for a specific application:
1. Open up Network Connections again by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run.
Then, type firewall.cpl in the box and click OK.
2. When the Windows Firewall settings window loads, click the Exceptions tab.
3. You will see a list of all of the different exceptions that are currently enabled, as signified
by the check in the box. By default, a few applications will be enabled. I recommend that
you uncheck all of the entries unless you use them. If not, then you are just taking an
unnecessary risk by leaving those doors open.
4. If you want to add an application to the exception list so that it will be able to accept
connections and data from the outside world, such as an Instant Message program that
wants to receive files from other users, just click the Add Program button.
5. Select the name of the program from the list or click the Browse button on the Add a
Program window to select the executable of the application that you want to open to the
world.
6. When you are finished selecting the program that you want to be able to access through
the firewall, click OK and it will appear on the list, as shown in Figure 12-2.
7. Now that the program is on the list, just check the box next to the name to open up the
firewall for the application.
8. Click OK to activate your new firewall settings.
Windows Firewall also includes settings on how you want your computer to respond when
several different standard Internet messages are sent to it. For example, one setting you can
specify is the ping command, which is a network command used to estimate turnaround time
between sending data to a computer and receiving a response. All of these settings are found on
the Advanced tab by clicking the Settings button under the ICMP section. The screen is pretty
straightforward. If you want your computer to have a stealth presence on the Web, as I mentioned
earlier, you should uncheck all of the entries listed on the ICMP tab.
Making Your Computer Load Faster
ver wonder why it takes your computer so long to start up after you log
on? After all, the system already loaded the majority of the operating
system components. Does your computer take longer to load after you
sign on than it used to take when you first brought it home? These are all
questions that you will find the answers to in this chapter. You can make
your system load faster by a number of methods. The last chapter touched
on how to make the system boot faster. This chapter will concentrate on
how to make the system load faster after the operating system has loaded
and you are presented with the sign-on screen. But first, the system startup
needs to be examined in more detail so that you will better understand what
you will be doing.
After you turn on your computer, it goes through the boot-up process,
which loads the main system components and drivers. Eventually, when
those are finished loading, the Windows shell is started and you will be
presented with the sign-on screen. Once the sign-on screen is displayed
and you sign on, the system begins to load the rest of the Windows shell
programs, such as Windows Explorer, which is the program behind the
spiffy new Windows XP navigation and look. Once that is finished
loading, the system moves on to starting up the applications in the
startup folder as well as other sneaky registry startup programs. Once
these applications are finished loading, your mouse will no longer display
the hourglass, and you are set to do whatever you want with your
computer.
This chapter will take you through the steps of speeding up all of the
different parts of the system startup. First to be examined will be ways to
speed up the logon process. Next to be discussed will be ways to get rid of
all those extra applications that run at start that further slow down your
computer. Additionally, interesting new features of Windows XP that are
not turned on by default and will make your system even faster are explored.
When you have finished reading this chapter and implementing the
suggestions given, your system will have a much faster loading time and
will be ready to use earlier than ever before.
Adjust the startup programs
After you sign on, the system finishes loading the system shell and then begins to load the
startup programs that you have installed and also some that you have not. Often when you
bring home a new computer it is filled with extra software that you do not need to be starting
when your computer, starts up. One example of this kind of software is Windows Messenger,
which was developed by Microsoft.
Every time I turn on my computer,Windows Messenger automatically loads and signs me
on to the network. I love Windows Messenger, but I do not want it starting up every time I
turn on my computer. It slows down my load and lets everyone know that I am on my
computer, which makes avoiding certain people impossible. On top of loading Windows
Messenger, and other visible programs such as antivirus software, a handful of other applications
will start up automatically. This section will help you see what programs are starting up
automatically and then will show you some great tricks to stop them all from starting up.
Identifying the auto startup programs
The first step in stopping the auto startup is identifying exactly what is starting up and what its
purpose is.To do so, you will use a cool little program called the system configuration utility,
which is built into Windows XP, and the Google search engine (www.google.com), which
can look up what the entries are for. First, you will need to start up the system configuration
utility and write down what programs are listed.To do so, follow these directions:
1. Start up the System Configuration Utility by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run.
Then key in msconfig and click OK.
2. Once the System Configuration Utility has loaded, click the Startup tab, as shown in
Figure 9-6.
3. Now that the list of the active startup programs is visible, make a list of all of the items
listed with the name as well as the file that is loaded, which is listed under the command
column.
4. Once you have your list made, you can start researching which programs should be
removed from the list and which programs should stay. Because almost every computer
has different programs starting up after logon, I recommend that you browse the Web and
look for a specific program and what will happen if it is removed from startup. One interesting
site to visit is a database of common startup programs called AnswersThatWork. It
is located at www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm. At
that site, they can’t present you with recommendations for each of the programs listed. If
you can not find one of your programs listed on that site, just do a quick search on Google
and most likely you will find several Web sites telling you what that program does and
what removing it will do.
Removing programs from startup
The System Configuration Utility makes removal of items from the system startup very easy.
Once you know the item that you want to remove, uncheck the check box next to the item, Then, once you have unchecked all of the items that you no longer want to start at startup,
click the OK button. This will cause a new window to pop up that asks if you would like to
reboot now or later. Choose what is most convenient for you, as it has no effect on the changes
you just made.
Once you reboot, the program should no longer be loaded. This procedure will work for the
majority of the programs configured to start up automatically. You may notice, however, that a
few sneaky applications refuse to go down without a fight. This next section will help you
exterminate those.
on? After all, the system already loaded the majority of the operating
system components. Does your computer take longer to load after you
sign on than it used to take when you first brought it home? These are all
questions that you will find the answers to in this chapter. You can make
your system load faster by a number of methods. The last chapter touched
on how to make the system boot faster. This chapter will concentrate on
how to make the system load faster after the operating system has loaded
and you are presented with the sign-on screen. But first, the system startup
needs to be examined in more detail so that you will better understand what
you will be doing.
After you turn on your computer, it goes through the boot-up process,
which loads the main system components and drivers. Eventually, when
those are finished loading, the Windows shell is started and you will be
presented with the sign-on screen. Once the sign-on screen is displayed
and you sign on, the system begins to load the rest of the Windows shell
programs, such as Windows Explorer, which is the program behind the
spiffy new Windows XP navigation and look. Once that is finished
loading, the system moves on to starting up the applications in the
startup folder as well as other sneaky registry startup programs. Once
these applications are finished loading, your mouse will no longer display
the hourglass, and you are set to do whatever you want with your
computer.
This chapter will take you through the steps of speeding up all of the
different parts of the system startup. First to be examined will be ways to
speed up the logon process. Next to be discussed will be ways to get rid of
all those extra applications that run at start that further slow down your
computer. Additionally, interesting new features of Windows XP that are
not turned on by default and will make your system even faster are explored.
When you have finished reading this chapter and implementing the
suggestions given, your system will have a much faster loading time and
will be ready to use earlier than ever before.
Adjust the startup programs
After you sign on, the system finishes loading the system shell and then begins to load the
startup programs that you have installed and also some that you have not. Often when you
bring home a new computer it is filled with extra software that you do not need to be starting
when your computer, starts up. One example of this kind of software is Windows Messenger,
which was developed by Microsoft.
Every time I turn on my computer,Windows Messenger automatically loads and signs me
on to the network. I love Windows Messenger, but I do not want it starting up every time I
turn on my computer. It slows down my load and lets everyone know that I am on my
computer, which makes avoiding certain people impossible. On top of loading Windows
Messenger, and other visible programs such as antivirus software, a handful of other applications
will start up automatically. This section will help you see what programs are starting up
automatically and then will show you some great tricks to stop them all from starting up.
Identifying the auto startup programs
The first step in stopping the auto startup is identifying exactly what is starting up and what its
purpose is.To do so, you will use a cool little program called the system configuration utility,
which is built into Windows XP, and the Google search engine (www.google.com), which
can look up what the entries are for. First, you will need to start up the system configuration
utility and write down what programs are listed.To do so, follow these directions:
1. Start up the System Configuration Utility by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run.
Then key in msconfig and click OK.
2. Once the System Configuration Utility has loaded, click the Startup tab, as shown in
Figure 9-6.
3. Now that the list of the active startup programs is visible, make a list of all of the items
listed with the name as well as the file that is loaded, which is listed under the command
column.
4. Once you have your list made, you can start researching which programs should be
removed from the list and which programs should stay. Because almost every computer
has different programs starting up after logon, I recommend that you browse the Web and
look for a specific program and what will happen if it is removed from startup. One interesting
site to visit is a database of common startup programs called AnswersThatWork. It
is located at www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm. At
that site, they can’t present you with recommendations for each of the programs listed. If
you can not find one of your programs listed on that site, just do a quick search on Google
and most likely you will find several Web sites telling you what that program does and
what removing it will do.
Removing programs from startup
The System Configuration Utility makes removal of items from the system startup very easy.
Once you know the item that you want to remove, uncheck the check box next to the item, Then, once you have unchecked all of the items that you no longer want to start at startup,
click the OK button. This will cause a new window to pop up that asks if you would like to
reboot now or later. Choose what is most convenient for you, as it has no effect on the changes
you just made.
Once you reboot, the program should no longer be loaded. This procedure will work for the
majority of the programs configured to start up automatically. You may notice, however, that a
few sneaky applications refuse to go down without a fight. This next section will help you
exterminate those.
Customizing the Windows XP Boot Screen
Changing the boot screen
The image that is displayed during the boot is hidden away in a system file
called ntoskrnl.exe. This system file is loaded during the system boot
and is what displays the boot image and animation.When users first started to make their own boot screens, they would use resource hacking tools
to hack into the file and replace the old Windows XP bitmap image file with one that they
made. Then, they would swap the old system file with the hacked version of the system file so
that the new boot screen would be displayed.
The majority of users do not start off by making their own boot screen. Instead, they download
one that someone else made from the Web. Unfortunately, the only way to distribute a boot
screen is to share the system file that the author has hacked from his or her system. This
method of distributing boot screens works for some people, but it may cause serious problems
for the majority of users.
The problems of changing the boot screenIf you download a hacked system file with a new boot screen and replace the old file on your
computer, after you restart, you may find that your computer will not start and will give you a
nice error message. “C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt.” Missing or
corrupt? Uh-oh. This is the most common problem that users experience when trying to
change their boot screen using the file swap technique.
Users that get this message, or any similar error message, are receiving it because they replaced
their system file with a file that is not compatible with their version of Windows XP.
Windows XP was released in many different languages for different parts of the world.
Each language version of XP has a slightly different version of code. Additionally,
Microsoft continuously releases software update patches to update the code of the system
files such as the monthly security updates and almost yearly service packs. All of these
factors result in several different versions of the boot screen system file floating around on
the Web.
You could find a boot screen file that was made from a hacked system file from the German
version of Windows XP. Or more commonly, you could find a boot screen that was made from
a hacked file from the original version of Windows XP.When you try to install that boot
screen on a computer that, for example, has Service Pack 2 installed on the English version of
XP, you will have problems.
Windows XP will only work with a specific version of the system file that contains the boot
screen. This arrangement complicates the change of the boot screen with the common file swap
technique. It will do so because users will have difficulty telling on what version of Windows
XP a particular boot screen that is distributed on the Web will work.
Users have to be aware of more than just the version problem. Because you are downloading a
hacked version of a critical system file that is executed during the boot sequence, you could
possibly download a version that someone modified and in which he or she put some variation
of malicious code that could harm your computer. Read the next section to find out how to
change your boot screen safely.
The image that is displayed during the boot is hidden away in a system file
called ntoskrnl.exe. This system file is loaded during the system boot
and is what displays the boot image and animation.When users first started to make their own boot screens, they would use resource hacking tools
to hack into the file and replace the old Windows XP bitmap image file with one that they
made. Then, they would swap the old system file with the hacked version of the system file so
that the new boot screen would be displayed.
The majority of users do not start off by making their own boot screen. Instead, they download
one that someone else made from the Web. Unfortunately, the only way to distribute a boot
screen is to share the system file that the author has hacked from his or her system. This
method of distributing boot screens works for some people, but it may cause serious problems
for the majority of users.
The problems of changing the boot screenIf you download a hacked system file with a new boot screen and replace the old file on your
computer, after you restart, you may find that your computer will not start and will give you a
nice error message. “C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt.” Missing or
corrupt? Uh-oh. This is the most common problem that users experience when trying to
change their boot screen using the file swap technique.
Users that get this message, or any similar error message, are receiving it because they replaced
their system file with a file that is not compatible with their version of Windows XP.
Windows XP was released in many different languages for different parts of the world.
Each language version of XP has a slightly different version of code. Additionally,
Microsoft continuously releases software update patches to update the code of the system
files such as the monthly security updates and almost yearly service packs. All of these
factors result in several different versions of the boot screen system file floating around on
the Web.
You could find a boot screen file that was made from a hacked system file from the German
version of Windows XP. Or more commonly, you could find a boot screen that was made from
a hacked file from the original version of Windows XP.When you try to install that boot
screen on a computer that, for example, has Service Pack 2 installed on the English version of
XP, you will have problems.
Windows XP will only work with a specific version of the system file that contains the boot
screen. This arrangement complicates the change of the boot screen with the common file swap
technique. It will do so because users will have difficulty telling on what version of Windows
XP a particular boot screen that is distributed on the Web will work.
Users have to be aware of more than just the version problem. Because you are downloading a
hacked version of a critical system file that is executed during the boot sequence, you could
possibly download a version that someone modified and in which he or she put some variation
of malicious code that could harm your computer. Read the next section to find out how to
change your boot screen safely.
Run Ubuntu Inside Windows
If you want to avoid the confines of the emulator sandbox, give coLinux a whirl and run Ubuntu as a cooperative process alongside Windows.
coLinux (Cooperative Linux), available from http://www.colinux.org/, takes a unique approach to solving the same problems that emulators do. Instead of providing a completely enclosed sandbox like Virtual PC or VMware, it's a port of the Linux kernel that lets you run Linux alongside Windows. This means that you don't get a fully emulated and/or virtualized PC environment. But you do get enough to launch a Linux distribution in console mode with networking support, and from there you can use ssh to tunnel into the coLinux system and run applications on your Windows X11 server. You can get a great, free X11 setup with Cygwin (http://www.cygwin.com), a Windows port of many Linux tools and applications. With the combination of coLinux and Cygwin, you can get Ubuntu running alongside Windows, and without the overhead and complexity of other offerings, it runs quite fast.
To get Ubuntu up and running with coLinux, you'll first need to install coLinux itself and choose the minimal Debian disk image that comes along with it. With some apt-get trickery, you'll be able to turn that Debian installation into an Ubuntu system.
Install coLinux
Download the latest installer from the coLinux web site, and run it under Windows. If you don't have WinPcap (http://winpcap.mirror.ethereal.com/install/default.htm) installed, you should download and install it (don't worry, the coLinux installer will remind you about this, too).
When you run the installer, it will try to install coLinux into C:\\Program Files\\coLinux. You should change this to C:\\coLinux, because the default configuration files expect to find it there. Plus, paths without spaces make everyone happier.
When you're prompted to choose a Linux distribution, select the Debian installer. This will download a small compressed file that you'll later expand to about 1 GB. Sometime during the install, you'll get a Windows Logo compatibility-testing error message about the TAP-Win32 adapter, which is necessary if you want to use networking, so you'll need to click Continue Anyway and let Windows install it.
When installation is finished, you'll be offered the opportunity to look at the README file. I know you would normally never do this, but with software that's this complicated, I think you should.
Set Up the Debian Image
Now that coLinux is installed, there are a few more steps to get it configured. By now, I hope you've installed Cygwin, since you'll need to use some of the utilities from it to get things set up nicely. If not, go install it now and, when you're ready, open a Windows command prompt, then cd to the C:\\coLinux directory. You'll need to expand the filesystem image you downloaded. It's probably compressed with bzip, so you should use the bunzip2 utility from Cygwin to decompress it:
C:\\coLinux>\\cygwin\\bin\\bunzip2 Debian-3.0r2.ext3-mit-backports.1gb.bz2
Consider backing up this file before you unzip it, just in case you make a horrible error while you are hacking it and want to start out with a fresh image.
Next, you'll need to create a swapfile. Cygwin's dd is fine for this purpose. Windows has a utility called fsutil that can also create it, so either of these commands will create a 512 MB swapfile:
> fsutil file createnew swap_device 536870912
> c:\\cygwin\\bin\\dd if=/dev/zero of=swap_device bs=1M count=512
Now you need to work on the configuration file. Copy default.colinux.xml to colinux.xml and open colinux.xml in your favorite text editor.
Edit this file and make sure the paths to your filesystem image (default is root_fs) and swap device (default is swap_device) are correct. Bump up your memory size to whatever you feel comfortable setting aside (256 MB is good, assuming you have more than 512 MB of memory and don't plan to do something memory-intensive while your coLinux system is running).
Now it's time to get the network connection set up. Go to Control PanelNetwork Connections and locate the TAP-Win32 adapter, highlighted in Figure 9-16. Change its name if you'd like (the default will be something like "Local Area Connection 5"), and add its name to the network entry in colinux.xml.
Figure 9-16. Finding the TAP adapter in Windows
Now you need to share your Internet connection. Locate your Internet connection in the Network Connections window, right-click on it, and select Properties. Go to the Advanced tab, click "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection," and select the TAP adapter in the "Home networking connection" drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 9-17.
In Windows 2000, you will need to first boot up coLinux; then select your Local Area Connection, select the Properties tab, and choose "Enable Internet Connection Sharing for this Connection." This is because Windows 2000 won't let you enable sharing unless the Tap interface is live at the time.
Figure 9-17. Sharing your Internet connection
Next, return to the Command Prompt and start colinux as a standalone process. You can run it as a daemon, but it's easier to debug this way. The -t NT option uses the Windows command prompt as the console, for easier cutting and pasting, and the -c option specifies the configuration filename:
C:\\coLinux>colinux-daemon.exe -t NT -c colinux.xml
Cooperative Linux Daemon, 0.6.3
Compiled on Sun Feb 5 20:25:03 2006
Linux version 2.6.11-co-0.6.3 (george@CoDebianDevel) (gcc version
3.4.4 20050314
(prerelease) (Debian 3.4.3-13)) #1 Sun 384MB LOWMEM available.
initrd enabled: start: 0xd7e10000 size: 0x001ef78a)
On node 0 totalpages: 98304
You'll see the usual messages scroll by until you get a login prompt. Log in as root, with the password root. At this point, networking won't be working, since there are some hardcoded (and incorrect) values in /etc/network/interfaces. Run the command pump -i eth0 and check the output of ifconfig to see if you got an IP address from Windows connection sharing. If so, you can edit (you may want to do an apt-get update and then apt-get install vim or apt-get install emacs) /etc/network/interfaces and replace:
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.254.205
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.254.1
with:
iface eth0 inet dhcp
If you want the same address each time, you should instead replace 192.168.254.205 with the address you got from pump. As long as you're not running multiple coLinux instances, you'll never need to worry about IP address collisions. If you are running multiple instances, you can always choose IP addresses in the 192.168.0.0/24 that don't conflict.
At this point, you can issue the command halt inside of the coLinux distribution to shut down, start up coLinux again, and verify that networking is configured correctly on boot. Now you're ready to install Ubuntu.
If your real network uses the same address range as that used by Windows (192.268.0.0/24), you'll have problems. If this happens, you'll need to change your physical network to use a different range of addresses.
Install Ubuntu
It's pretty easy to turn Debian into Ubuntu, but for the smoothest transition, you should make sure you've got the latest and greatest Debian system, so do an apt-get update; apt-get upgrade. You also need to update a few things to make sure your system has the necessary versions to install Ubuntu. This should do the trick:
$ sudo apt-get install sed locales
For another (not quite as quick-and-dirty) approach to converting Debian to Ubuntu, see "Convert Debian to Ubuntu" [Hack #66].
Next, edit /etc/apt/sources.list, delete everything in there, and insert the following lines:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
Now, it should theoretically be smooth sailing from here, but it probably won't be. To kick off the update, run apt-get update and then apt-get dist-upgrade.
If you see a message about configuring LILO, you can ignore it. coLinux doesn't use it.
During the upgrade, you will almost certainly get this error:
E: This installation run will require temporarily removing the
essential package e2fsprogs due to a Conflicts/Pre-Depends loop.
This is often bad, but if you re ally want to do it, activate the
APT::Force-LoopBreak option.
E: Internal Error, Could not early remove e2fsprogs
If so, add -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" to the apt-get dist-upgrade command line, as in:
$ sudo apt-get -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" dist-upgrade
If you continue to get errors, run this command to clear things up:
$ sudo apt-get -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" -f install
Then, run the apt-get dist-upgrade command again, and it should run to completion.
When it's done, you must apt-get install ubuntu-keyring so that apt-get can verify package signatures. Now you can start apt-getting what you need. Pick out some high-level applications, since this will pull in a lot of other dependencies. I'd suggest something like:
$ sudo apt-get install firefox openoffice.org2 gnome-games
Do what you can to prevent Ubuntu from installing an X server, since that can only complicate things.
Enabling SSH
If you'd rather not work in the coLinux console, you can SSH in to your coLinux system. First, run apt-get install ssh, then use ifconfig eth0 to determine your IP address, which will be on the private network that Windows assigned for Internet connection sharing, such as 192.168.0.143. Fire up PuTTY or openssh (available in Cygwin) to connect to that IP address. If you're using Cygwin, you may need to set your TERM to something other than cygwin, such as ansi:
bjepson@thlon ~
$ ssh root@192.168.0.16
Password:
Last login: Fri Mar 3 23:00:31 2006 from thlon.mshome.net
Linux colinux 2.6.10-co-0.6.2 #5 Sat Feb 5 10:19:16 IST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux
The programs included with the Ubuntu system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Ubuntu comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by
applicable law.
colinux:~#
Running X11 Applications
To run any X11 applications, you'll need to ssh -X into your coLinux system from within the Cygwin X11 environment and launch applications from there. (You will probably need to enable X11Forwarding in Ubuntu's /etc/ssh/sshd_config and restart sshd with /etc/init.d/sshd restart to get this working. You'll need to apt-get xauth as well.)
Now you're ready to start playing. Run the adduser username command to add a mortal user, and then you can log out as root.
Next, start up a Cygwin shell on the Windows system, and run the Cygwin X server with the command startxwin.sh. When the xterm appears, use ssh -X IP_ADDRESS to log in to your coLinux system. Replace IP_ADDRESS with either the fixed private network address you assigned it or the latest one it got from DHCP (use ifconfig in the Ubuntu system to find this out). Once you're logged in, you can start running your favorite programs (see Figure 9-18)!
Figure 9-18. Windows and Linux in perfect harmony
If you get the error "xterm Xt error: Can't open display: xterm: DISPLAY is not set," you should log out, and try ssh -X again, but with the -v option, which gives you verbose details on your connection attempt and should shed light on the situation. For example, if you see an error related to xauth, that means you need to apt-get xauth on the coLinux Ubuntu system.
coLinux (Cooperative Linux), available from http://www.colinux.org/, takes a unique approach to solving the same problems that emulators do. Instead of providing a completely enclosed sandbox like Virtual PC or VMware, it's a port of the Linux kernel that lets you run Linux alongside Windows. This means that you don't get a fully emulated and/or virtualized PC environment. But you do get enough to launch a Linux distribution in console mode with networking support, and from there you can use ssh to tunnel into the coLinux system and run applications on your Windows X11 server. You can get a great, free X11 setup with Cygwin (http://www.cygwin.com), a Windows port of many Linux tools and applications. With the combination of coLinux and Cygwin, you can get Ubuntu running alongside Windows, and without the overhead and complexity of other offerings, it runs quite fast.
To get Ubuntu up and running with coLinux, you'll first need to install coLinux itself and choose the minimal Debian disk image that comes along with it. With some apt-get trickery, you'll be able to turn that Debian installation into an Ubuntu system.
Install coLinux
Download the latest installer from the coLinux web site, and run it under Windows. If you don't have WinPcap (http://winpcap.mirror.ethereal.com/install/default.htm) installed, you should download and install it (don't worry, the coLinux installer will remind you about this, too).
When you run the installer, it will try to install coLinux into C:\\Program Files\\coLinux. You should change this to C:\\coLinux, because the default configuration files expect to find it there. Plus, paths without spaces make everyone happier.
When you're prompted to choose a Linux distribution, select the Debian installer. This will download a small compressed file that you'll later expand to about 1 GB. Sometime during the install, you'll get a Windows Logo compatibility-testing error message about the TAP-Win32 adapter, which is necessary if you want to use networking, so you'll need to click Continue Anyway and let Windows install it.
When installation is finished, you'll be offered the opportunity to look at the README file. I know you would normally never do this, but with software that's this complicated, I think you should.
Set Up the Debian Image
Now that coLinux is installed, there are a few more steps to get it configured. By now, I hope you've installed Cygwin, since you'll need to use some of the utilities from it to get things set up nicely. If not, go install it now and, when you're ready, open a Windows command prompt, then cd to the C:\\coLinux directory. You'll need to expand the filesystem image you downloaded. It's probably compressed with bzip, so you should use the bunzip2 utility from Cygwin to decompress it:
C:\\coLinux>\\cygwin\\bin\\bunzip2 Debian-3.0r2.ext3-mit-backports.1gb.bz2
Consider backing up this file before you unzip it, just in case you make a horrible error while you are hacking it and want to start out with a fresh image.
Next, you'll need to create a swapfile. Cygwin's dd is fine for this purpose. Windows has a utility called fsutil that can also create it, so either of these commands will create a 512 MB swapfile:
> fsutil file createnew swap_device 536870912
> c:\\cygwin\\bin\\dd if=/dev/zero of=swap_device bs=1M count=512
Now you need to work on the configuration file. Copy default.colinux.xml to colinux.xml and open colinux.xml in your favorite text editor.
Edit this file and make sure the paths to your filesystem image (default is root_fs) and swap device (default is swap_device) are correct. Bump up your memory size to whatever you feel comfortable setting aside (256 MB is good, assuming you have more than 512 MB of memory and don't plan to do something memory-intensive while your coLinux system is running).
Now it's time to get the network connection set up. Go to Control PanelNetwork Connections and locate the TAP-Win32 adapter, highlighted in Figure 9-16. Change its name if you'd like (the default will be something like "Local Area Connection 5"), and add its name to the network entry in colinux.xml.
Figure 9-16. Finding the TAP adapter in Windows
Now you need to share your Internet connection. Locate your Internet connection in the Network Connections window, right-click on it, and select Properties. Go to the Advanced tab, click "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection," and select the TAP adapter in the "Home networking connection" drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 9-17.
In Windows 2000, you will need to first boot up coLinux; then select your Local Area Connection, select the Properties tab, and choose "Enable Internet Connection Sharing for this Connection." This is because Windows 2000 won't let you enable sharing unless the Tap interface is live at the time.
Figure 9-17. Sharing your Internet connection
Next, return to the Command Prompt and start colinux as a standalone process. You can run it as a daemon, but it's easier to debug this way. The -t NT option uses the Windows command prompt as the console, for easier cutting and pasting, and the -c option specifies the configuration filename:
C:\\coLinux>colinux-daemon.exe -t NT -c colinux.xml
Cooperative Linux Daemon, 0.6.3
Compiled on Sun Feb 5 20:25:03 2006
Linux version 2.6.11-co-0.6.3 (george@CoDebianDevel) (gcc version
3.4.4 20050314
(prerelease) (Debian 3.4.3-13)) #1 Sun 384MB LOWMEM available.
initrd enabled: start: 0xd7e10000 size: 0x001ef78a)
On node 0 totalpages: 98304
You'll see the usual messages scroll by until you get a login prompt. Log in as root, with the password root. At this point, networking won't be working, since there are some hardcoded (and incorrect) values in /etc/network/interfaces. Run the command pump -i eth0 and check the output of ifconfig to see if you got an IP address from Windows connection sharing. If so, you can edit (you may want to do an apt-get update and then apt-get install vim or apt-get install emacs) /etc/network/interfaces and replace:
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.254.205
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.254.1
with:
iface eth0 inet dhcp
If you want the same address each time, you should instead replace 192.168.254.205 with the address you got from pump. As long as you're not running multiple coLinux instances, you'll never need to worry about IP address collisions. If you are running multiple instances, you can always choose IP addresses in the 192.168.0.0/24 that don't conflict.
At this point, you can issue the command halt inside of the coLinux distribution to shut down, start up coLinux again, and verify that networking is configured correctly on boot. Now you're ready to install Ubuntu.
If your real network uses the same address range as that used by Windows (192.268.0.0/24), you'll have problems. If this happens, you'll need to change your physical network to use a different range of addresses.
Install Ubuntu
It's pretty easy to turn Debian into Ubuntu, but for the smoothest transition, you should make sure you've got the latest and greatest Debian system, so do an apt-get update; apt-get upgrade. You also need to update a few things to make sure your system has the necessary versions to install Ubuntu. This should do the trick:
$ sudo apt-get install sed locales
For another (not quite as quick-and-dirty) approach to converting Debian to Ubuntu, see "Convert Debian to Ubuntu" [Hack #66].
Next, edit /etc/apt/sources.list, delete everything in there, and insert the following lines:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted
Now, it should theoretically be smooth sailing from here, but it probably won't be. To kick off the update, run apt-get update and then apt-get dist-upgrade.
If you see a message about configuring LILO, you can ignore it. coLinux doesn't use it.
During the upgrade, you will almost certainly get this error:
E: This installation run will require temporarily removing the
essential package e2fsprogs due to a Conflicts/Pre-Depends loop.
This is often bad, but if you re ally want to do it, activate the
APT::Force-LoopBreak option.
E: Internal Error, Could not early remove e2fsprogs
If so, add -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" to the apt-get dist-upgrade command line, as in:
$ sudo apt-get -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" dist-upgrade
If you continue to get errors, run this command to clear things up:
$ sudo apt-get -o "APT::Force-Loopbreak=true" -f install
Then, run the apt-get dist-upgrade command again, and it should run to completion.
When it's done, you must apt-get install ubuntu-keyring so that apt-get can verify package signatures. Now you can start apt-getting what you need. Pick out some high-level applications, since this will pull in a lot of other dependencies. I'd suggest something like:
$ sudo apt-get install firefox openoffice.org2 gnome-games
Do what you can to prevent Ubuntu from installing an X server, since that can only complicate things.
Enabling SSH
If you'd rather not work in the coLinux console, you can SSH in to your coLinux system. First, run apt-get install ssh, then use ifconfig eth0 to determine your IP address, which will be on the private network that Windows assigned for Internet connection sharing, such as 192.168.0.143. Fire up PuTTY or openssh (available in Cygwin) to connect to that IP address. If you're using Cygwin, you may need to set your TERM to something other than cygwin, such as ansi:
bjepson@thlon ~
$ ssh root@192.168.0.16
Password:
Last login: Fri Mar 3 23:00:31 2006 from thlon.mshome.net
Linux colinux 2.6.10-co-0.6.2 #5 Sat Feb 5 10:19:16 IST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux
The programs included with the Ubuntu system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Ubuntu comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by
applicable law.
colinux:~#
Running X11 Applications
To run any X11 applications, you'll need to ssh -X into your coLinux system from within the Cygwin X11 environment and launch applications from there. (You will probably need to enable X11Forwarding in Ubuntu's /etc/ssh/sshd_config and restart sshd with /etc/init.d/sshd restart to get this working. You'll need to apt-get xauth as well.)
Now you're ready to start playing. Run the adduser username command to add a mortal user, and then you can log out as root.
Next, start up a Cygwin shell on the Windows system, and run the Cygwin X server with the command startxwin.sh. When the xterm appears, use ssh -X IP_ADDRESS to log in to your coLinux system. Replace IP_ADDRESS with either the fixed private network address you assigned it or the latest one it got from DHCP (use ifconfig in the Ubuntu system to find this out). Once you're logged in, you can start running your favorite programs (see Figure 9-18)!
Figure 9-18. Windows and Linux in perfect harmony
If you get the error "xterm Xt error: Can't open display: xterm: DISPLAY is not set," you should log out, and try ssh -X again, but with the -v option, which gives you verbose details on your connection attempt and should shed light on the situation. For example, if you see an error related to xauth, that means you need to apt-get xauth on the coLinux Ubuntu system.
Play Windows Games in Linux
Those Windows games don't have to be trapped in that partition you rarely boot into. Instead, you can use Wine or Cedega to play them.
Wine (http://www.winehq.com), the open source Windows compatibility layer, is well known for its ability to run many popular Windows applications, and even certain Windows components such as Internet Explorer. Wine can also run some popular Windows games, though gaming is not its primary focus. Still, if a game runs successfully in Wine, then Wine is probably the best way to play it. It is usually a fairly straightforward matter to install and play games in Wine, not to mention the fact that Wine itself is free and open source software.
Still, there are other game-playing solutions for Linux that may often produce better results. That is certainly the case when it comes to classic, DOS-based games. For these, DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net) is your best bet. DOSBox is a free and open source x86 and DOS emulator that runs on multiple platforms (including modern versions of Windows and Mac OS X, as well as Linux). It is especially good with older games.
Run Blasts from the Past
DOSBox is included in Ubuntu's universe repository and it is generally up-to-date. So you can simply install it by running:$ sudo apt-get install dosbox
or using Synaptic or Adept In either case, the SDL multimedia library dependencies will also be installed. After you've installed DOSBox, you'll need to create a new directory in your home directory and name it something like dosgames. This is, of course, where you'll install those DOS classics you remember so fondly. Let's download and install a game to use with DOSBox; you'll find almost all the classic DOS games at the Abandonia site (http://www.abandonia.com).
I chose a true all-time classic, the original Tetris (http://www.abandonia.com/games/en/69/Tetris.htm), and made a directory for it (dosgames/Tetris). Then I unzipped the Tetris download into the dosgames/Tetris directory. To launch DOSBox, you just type dosbox in Terminal.
Doing so brings up the DOSBox shell where you can enter various DOS commands and launch your games. The DOSBox shell opens in the Z directory by default, so you will need to mount the C directory, which contains your games. You can do so within the DOSBox shell by typing:Z:> mount
c
/home
/username/dosgames
where username is your username and dosgames is whatever you named the directory that contains your DOSBox games. After you've mounted the C directory, you can switch to it simply by typing c: within the shell.
Figure 9-9. The DOSBox shell
Now that you're in the C directory, type dir to have a look at its contents. (See the DOSBox Wiki at http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=DOSBoxWiki for a DOS command reference and other useful information.) If you've installed Tetris, you should see a line like this:TETRIS 15-03-2006 14:14
which simply tells you that TETRIS is a directory, and gives you the time and date of its installation. Inside the TETRIS directory (change to it by typing cd teTRis, and then look inside with dir), you'll see one file: Tetris.com. (DOS executable files have one of three extensions.exe, .com, or .bat.) You can launch the game by typing tetris.com. (You can also launch the game by typing TEtrIS.COMdon't worry about case sensitivity.) shows the game in action.
Figure 9-10. Playing the original Tetris, with DOSBox
There are a few basic commands you can access if you need:
Ctrl-F7 decreases frameskip.
Ctrl-F8 increases frameskip.
Ctrl-F11 slows down the game.
Ctrl-F12 speeds up the game.
When you've finished your game, type z: at the prompt and press Enter. This takes you back to the Z:> prompt, where you can type exit to quit the DOSBox shell.
You're not limited to antique classics like Tetris when you use DOSBox; many more graphically advanced games are available as well. Abandonia, in addition to its very wide selection of games, is also valuable for its compatibility ratings; you can see at a glance whether an older game is compatible with DOSBox (most are). And many collections of DOS games are available on CD-ROM, including classic role-playing games such as Wizardry and Might and Magic, as well as classic text adventures from Infocom. Some of these collections are easy to find in the $9.99 bin at your local computer store. Others are a bit harder to find, so you might have to check eBay.
Run Current Windows Games with Cedega
Cedega (http://www.transgaming.com) is a commercial version of Winecommercial to a fault, some would say. Cedega, formerly known as WineX, is basically a fork of Wine that has gone proprietary. This has generated some resistance among free software fans, and you won't find Cedega in the Ubuntu repositories. But if you're a gamer, you'll want Cedega anyway; it's generally regarded as the best way to run recent Windows titles on Linux.
Cedega costs $5 per month, and you have to pay the first three months up front. However, there is a fully functional, two-week trial version available. I recommend you start with that; if you like it, you can convert to the paid version from the trial.
You can download the Cedega Time Demo from http://www.transgaming.com/products_linux.php. You'll find the download link near the bottom of the page, and you'll find system requirements and installation information at http://downloads.transgaming.com/files/timedemo_howto.html. Pay particular attention to the video-card requirements: Cedega won't be worth your subscription cost if your system isn't up to handling current games. NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon class cards are pretty much the minimum requirement; pixel shaders are only available on NVIDIA FX class cards and above. ATI Radeon 8500 or better cards will also work, but only with proprietary ATI drivers. Intel and other cards may be able to drive some games, but probably not most.
To install the Cedega Time Demo, run the installation script with this command:$ sh
/PATH_TO_INSTALLER/
cedega_timedemo_installer
Note that the preceding command will install the Time Demo in your user directory. If you'd prefer a system-wide installation, then run the preceding command as root.
The installer will check for updates and then ask whether you want to install the Microsoft Core Fonts and the MozControl package. You must agree to the licenses for each before they are downloaded as part of the install.
The TransGaming people will email you a registration key, which you'll need to enter during the process of installing Cedega. shows the Cedega registration process.
Figure 9-11. The Cedega demo must be registered during installation
Finally, before you play your first game with Cedega, a wizard will walk you through tests of various facets of your system. If your computer can't pass the OpenGL Direct Rendering and 3D Acceleration tests, in particular, Cedega is not going to run many games.
After installation, you can launch the Cedega Time Demo by entering:$ ~/cedega_timedemo
in a Terminal. This brings up Cedega's graphical interface
Figure 9-12. The Cedega interface
In Cedega, almost everything can be done via the GUI. There are command-line options too, though. You can read about these options and other Cedega usage tips on the Cedega How-To Guide page at http://downloads.transgaming.com/files/Cedega-How-To-5.0.0-2.html. Note that the Cedega Time Demo is actually the same as the full subscription version, currently 5.1.
To install a game with Cedega, just click the Install button and then browse to and run the installer. You can download games from a wide variety of sources (e.g., Download.com), and you can even mix and match the original Windows .pak files from CDs with open source game binaries for games like Quake I, II, or III. You can also install demos to try a game before installing the full version but note that there can often be significant differences between the demo and the full game; both may not run. TransGaming has an extensive games database (http://transgaming.org/gamesdb/) you can consult.
Figure 9-13. Installing the Quake III demo
As noted earlier, you'll want the best graphics setup possible to take maximum advantage of Cedega and today's Windows titles. But Cedega (and Wine as well) can run some games even on underpowered machinesa title such as Delta Force 2 being a case in point
Figure 9-14. Running Delta Force 2
Cedega, in spite of its licensing and cost issues, is regarded by many as the best way to run current Windows games on Linux. For hardcore gamers, that alone is enough to recommend it. Just be sure your system is suitably equipped, and also make sure you have the time and inclination to tweak your system to get the most out of Cedega, and today's games. Sometimes a game will run "out of the box," but sometimes it won't. For many gamers, getting such games to work is part of the fun.
Run Google Earth with Wine
Modern games aren't the only visually advanced Windows applications that can be challenging to run on Linux. Because it relies on DirectX and OpenGL, a sophisticated application like Google Earth poses similar issues, and there are similar rewards for those who can get it to run.
A HOWTO for Gentoo users for installing Google Earth with Wine was published at http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Install_GoogleEarth_with_wine, and I was able to adapt these instructions for an Ubuntu PC. Your mileage may vary: chances are some additional tweaking will be required, depending on your computer's exact configuration. But you can use the following instructions as a starting point, and, if you're lucky, they'll be all that is needed. First, of course, you must install Wine.
Next, you need to install the Microsoft DCOM98 (Distributed Component Object Model for Windows 98). First, run winecfg and set the Windows version to Windows 98. Then, you can download DCOM98 from here: http:// download.microsoft.com/download/d/1/3/d13cd456-f0cf-4fb2-a17f-20afc79f8a51/ DCOM98.EXE (or just search for the link on Google; it's probably faster!). Now, install DCOM98 with a WINEDLLOVERRIDE, specifically:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32=n" wine DCOM98.EXE
After you have DCOM98 installed, download the psapi.dll from http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/pop.php?psapi and place the DLL in your ~/.wine/drive_c/windows/system32 directory.
Downloading these DLLs from untrusted sources can be quite dangerous, since you have no way of knowing that they have not been compromised (for example, they could be harboring a Trojan horse). The safest option is to copy them over from a working Windows system that has recently been checked for spyware, viruses, and other malware.
Next, download Google Earth from http://earth.google.com. Before you do so, though, run winecfg again and set the Windows version to Windows XP. Also, before you install Google Earth, make sure you download the usp10.dll (Google for the download location); place this in the ~/.wine/drive_c/windows/system32 directory as well.
Now, install Google Earth like so:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32,oleaut32,rpcrt4=n" wine GoogleEarth.exe
After you've managed to install Google Earth, you reach the moment of truth: it's time to run it. Here's the command I used:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32,usp10,msvcrt=n" \\
wine "c:\\Program Files\\Google\\Google Earth\\GoogleEarth.exe"
This should work However, it might not work on your system, and therein lies the challenge. (If you do run into trouble getting it to work, be sure to check the HOWTO mentioned earlier in this section.) Getting Google Earth to run on Ubuntu or any Linux system is a worthy hack, and tools like Wine (along with DOSBox and Cedega, for vintage and state-of-the-art games) make it possible.
Wine (http://www.winehq.com), the open source Windows compatibility layer, is well known for its ability to run many popular Windows applications, and even certain Windows components such as Internet Explorer. Wine can also run some popular Windows games, though gaming is not its primary focus. Still, if a game runs successfully in Wine, then Wine is probably the best way to play it. It is usually a fairly straightforward matter to install and play games in Wine, not to mention the fact that Wine itself is free and open source software.
Still, there are other game-playing solutions for Linux that may often produce better results. That is certainly the case when it comes to classic, DOS-based games. For these, DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net) is your best bet. DOSBox is a free and open source x86 and DOS emulator that runs on multiple platforms (including modern versions of Windows and Mac OS X, as well as Linux). It is especially good with older games.
Run Blasts from the Past
DOSBox is included in Ubuntu's universe repository and it is generally up-to-date. So you can simply install it by running:$ sudo apt-get install dosbox
or using Synaptic or Adept In either case, the SDL multimedia library dependencies will also be installed. After you've installed DOSBox, you'll need to create a new directory in your home directory and name it something like dosgames. This is, of course, where you'll install those DOS classics you remember so fondly. Let's download and install a game to use with DOSBox; you'll find almost all the classic DOS games at the Abandonia site (http://www.abandonia.com).
I chose a true all-time classic, the original Tetris (http://www.abandonia.com/games/en/69/Tetris.htm), and made a directory for it (dosgames/Tetris). Then I unzipped the Tetris download into the dosgames/Tetris directory. To launch DOSBox, you just type dosbox in Terminal.
Doing so brings up the DOSBox shell where you can enter various DOS commands and launch your games. The DOSBox shell opens in the Z directory by default, so you will need to mount the C directory, which contains your games. You can do so within the DOSBox shell by typing:Z:> mount
c
/home
/username/dosgames
where username is your username and dosgames is whatever you named the directory that contains your DOSBox games. After you've mounted the C directory, you can switch to it simply by typing c: within the shell.
Figure 9-9. The DOSBox shell
Now that you're in the C directory, type dir to have a look at its contents. (See the DOSBox Wiki at http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php?page=DOSBoxWiki for a DOS command reference and other useful information.) If you've installed Tetris, you should see a line like this:TETRIS 15-03-2006 14:14
which simply tells you that TETRIS is a directory, and gives you the time and date of its installation. Inside the TETRIS directory (change to it by typing cd teTRis, and then look inside with dir), you'll see one file: Tetris.com. (DOS executable files have one of three extensions.exe, .com, or .bat.) You can launch the game by typing tetris.com. (You can also launch the game by typing TEtrIS.COMdon't worry about case sensitivity.) shows the game in action.
Figure 9-10. Playing the original Tetris, with DOSBox
There are a few basic commands you can access if you need:
Ctrl-F7 decreases frameskip.
Ctrl-F8 increases frameskip.
Ctrl-F11 slows down the game.
Ctrl-F12 speeds up the game.
When you've finished your game, type z: at the prompt and press Enter. This takes you back to the Z:> prompt, where you can type exit to quit the DOSBox shell.
You're not limited to antique classics like Tetris when you use DOSBox; many more graphically advanced games are available as well. Abandonia, in addition to its very wide selection of games, is also valuable for its compatibility ratings; you can see at a glance whether an older game is compatible with DOSBox (most are). And many collections of DOS games are available on CD-ROM, including classic role-playing games such as Wizardry and Might and Magic, as well as classic text adventures from Infocom. Some of these collections are easy to find in the $9.99 bin at your local computer store. Others are a bit harder to find, so you might have to check eBay.
Run Current Windows Games with Cedega
Cedega (http://www.transgaming.com) is a commercial version of Winecommercial to a fault, some would say. Cedega, formerly known as WineX, is basically a fork of Wine that has gone proprietary. This has generated some resistance among free software fans, and you won't find Cedega in the Ubuntu repositories. But if you're a gamer, you'll want Cedega anyway; it's generally regarded as the best way to run recent Windows titles on Linux.
Cedega costs $5 per month, and you have to pay the first three months up front. However, there is a fully functional, two-week trial version available. I recommend you start with that; if you like it, you can convert to the paid version from the trial.
You can download the Cedega Time Demo from http://www.transgaming.com/products_linux.php. You'll find the download link near the bottom of the page, and you'll find system requirements and installation information at http://downloads.transgaming.com/files/timedemo_howto.html. Pay particular attention to the video-card requirements: Cedega won't be worth your subscription cost if your system isn't up to handling current games. NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon class cards are pretty much the minimum requirement; pixel shaders are only available on NVIDIA FX class cards and above. ATI Radeon 8500 or better cards will also work, but only with proprietary ATI drivers. Intel and other cards may be able to drive some games, but probably not most.
To install the Cedega Time Demo, run the installation script with this command:$ sh
/PATH_TO_INSTALLER/
cedega_timedemo_installer
Note that the preceding command will install the Time Demo in your user directory. If you'd prefer a system-wide installation, then run the preceding command as root.
The installer will check for updates and then ask whether you want to install the Microsoft Core Fonts and the MozControl package. You must agree to the licenses for each before they are downloaded as part of the install.
The TransGaming people will email you a registration key, which you'll need to enter during the process of installing Cedega. shows the Cedega registration process.
Figure 9-11. The Cedega demo must be registered during installation
Finally, before you play your first game with Cedega, a wizard will walk you through tests of various facets of your system. If your computer can't pass the OpenGL Direct Rendering and 3D Acceleration tests, in particular, Cedega is not going to run many games.
After installation, you can launch the Cedega Time Demo by entering:$ ~/cedega_timedemo
in a Terminal. This brings up Cedega's graphical interface
Figure 9-12. The Cedega interface
In Cedega, almost everything can be done via the GUI. There are command-line options too, though. You can read about these options and other Cedega usage tips on the Cedega How-To Guide page at http://downloads.transgaming.com/files/Cedega-How-To-5.0.0-2.html. Note that the Cedega Time Demo is actually the same as the full subscription version, currently 5.1.
To install a game with Cedega, just click the Install button and then browse to and run the installer. You can download games from a wide variety of sources (e.g., Download.com), and you can even mix and match the original Windows .pak files from CDs with open source game binaries for games like Quake I, II, or III. You can also install demos to try a game before installing the full version but note that there can often be significant differences between the demo and the full game; both may not run. TransGaming has an extensive games database (http://transgaming.org/gamesdb/) you can consult.
Figure 9-13. Installing the Quake III demo
As noted earlier, you'll want the best graphics setup possible to take maximum advantage of Cedega and today's Windows titles. But Cedega (and Wine as well) can run some games even on underpowered machinesa title such as Delta Force 2 being a case in point
Figure 9-14. Running Delta Force 2
Cedega, in spite of its licensing and cost issues, is regarded by many as the best way to run current Windows games on Linux. For hardcore gamers, that alone is enough to recommend it. Just be sure your system is suitably equipped, and also make sure you have the time and inclination to tweak your system to get the most out of Cedega, and today's games. Sometimes a game will run "out of the box," but sometimes it won't. For many gamers, getting such games to work is part of the fun.
Run Google Earth with Wine
Modern games aren't the only visually advanced Windows applications that can be challenging to run on Linux. Because it relies on DirectX and OpenGL, a sophisticated application like Google Earth poses similar issues, and there are similar rewards for those who can get it to run.
A HOWTO for Gentoo users for installing Google Earth with Wine was published at http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Install_GoogleEarth_with_wine, and I was able to adapt these instructions for an Ubuntu PC. Your mileage may vary: chances are some additional tweaking will be required, depending on your computer's exact configuration. But you can use the following instructions as a starting point, and, if you're lucky, they'll be all that is needed. First, of course, you must install Wine.
Next, you need to install the Microsoft DCOM98 (Distributed Component Object Model for Windows 98). First, run winecfg and set the Windows version to Windows 98. Then, you can download DCOM98 from here: http:// download.microsoft.com/download/d/1/3/d13cd456-f0cf-4fb2-a17f-20afc79f8a51/ DCOM98.EXE (or just search for the link on Google; it's probably faster!). Now, install DCOM98 with a WINEDLLOVERRIDE, specifically:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32=n" wine DCOM98.EXE
After you have DCOM98 installed, download the psapi.dll from http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/pop.php?psapi and place the DLL in your ~/.wine/drive_c/windows/system32 directory.
Downloading these DLLs from untrusted sources can be quite dangerous, since you have no way of knowing that they have not been compromised (for example, they could be harboring a Trojan horse). The safest option is to copy them over from a working Windows system that has recently been checked for spyware, viruses, and other malware.
Next, download Google Earth from http://earth.google.com. Before you do so, though, run winecfg again and set the Windows version to Windows XP. Also, before you install Google Earth, make sure you download the usp10.dll (Google for the download location); place this in the ~/.wine/drive_c/windows/system32 directory as well.
Now, install Google Earth like so:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32,oleaut32,rpcrt4=n" wine GoogleEarth.exe
After you've managed to install Google Earth, you reach the moment of truth: it's time to run it. Here's the command I used:$ WINEDLLOVERRIDES="ole32,usp10,msvcrt=n" \\
wine "c:\\Program Files\\Google\\Google Earth\\GoogleEarth.exe"
This should work However, it might not work on your system, and therein lies the challenge. (If you do run into trouble getting it to work, be sure to check the HOWTO mentioned earlier in this section.) Getting Google Earth to run on Ubuntu or any Linux system is a worthy hack, and tools like Wine (along with DOSBox and Cedega, for vintage and state-of-the-art games) make it possible.
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