**Issue 39 - August 1st, 2008 **
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Contents
In This Issue...
2008 Annual Reader Survey - The results and some answers to questions posed in the survey.
Problems in Paradise - Answers to reader problems and questions.
Security Corner - Computer Security by Kenny Harthun.
Learning Linux - Joseph Bales provides instruction and insight into Linux.
Carol's Corner Office - Carol shows us how to use Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.
My Recommended Software - Need software? Check this list first!
Useful Freeware - Free programs that you may find useful. Did I mention they're free!
Useful web sites - Websites I've visited lately that you may find useful.
The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
Show your support for Daves Computer Tips
Daves Computer Tips is completely free for you to use, but operating the site isn't. I have monthly fees for hosting, bandwidth, and email service. I'm definitely not making a living from this site. If you would like to help cover these expenses you may do so by donating to Daves Computer Tips. Donation is easy and any amount is appreciated. Click the button on the right and donate using your credit card with PayPal.
Spread the word!
Please tell a friend, relative, coworker, or complete stranger about Daves Computer Tips website and newsletter. Remember "word of mouth" is the best advertising!
As always I appreciate your comments and suggestions about the site and newsletter. If you would like to share please contact me at .
Carol is our resident "Office Goddess". If you have Microsoft Office, OpenOffice questions, or suggestions for future Office articles shoot her an email at .
Thank you for taking a few moments to read my newsletter,
2008 Annual Reader Survey
By David Hartsock
What would you like to see covered in the next Newbies Nook? Email me at
A little background
I think of Daves Computer Tips as a community, and hope you do to! As the first anniversary approached (last August) I thought the best way to improve was to ask the readers what they thought I could improve on. At that time the number of subscribers was much lower, so I sent an email to each reader and asked them what they thought. The response was wonderful and helped shape Daves Computer Tips over the last year. Some things that have changed as a result of the first survey are: a better format, inclusion of Linux articles, and a box at the end of each article that allows you to enter your comments for other readers to see. I valued the thoughts and comments the readers (you) shared so much that I decided to do it again this year. In fact, I will try to do it every year!
As the second anniversary approached I realized the subscriber base had grown almost 400%! Wow, how would I aggregate and use all those responses if everyone responded to the email? The only reasonable answer I could imagine was an online survey. With that in mind I set about finding a suitable service. I was shocked to find most would have cost well over $200 to enable the features I needed. Luckily I found Kwik Surveys. Kwik Surveys isn't perfect, but the price was right and it could handle the response. I know it wasn't pretty.
I also know that surveys can be worded so the outcome will be skewed. As I was learning how Kwik Surveys worked I was also trying to word questions in a neutral way. I actually spent 3 days of my vacation working on the survey before I sent it. So there you have it. That's why I did an online survey, why it wasn't pretty, and why it was clunky. I'll try to do better next year. (grin)
The Results
Let's look at some of the questions and responses
| How did you find Daves Computer Tips? | Respondents | Percentage |
| It was recommended by a friend | 36 | 7% |
| Through a search engine | 83 | 17% |
| Recommended by another website | 235 | 48% |
| I don't remember | 138 | 28% |
It's very nice to see the large number of people who found Daves Computer Tips on another website. Having your website mentioned on someone else's is a huge complement. I was a little disappointed by the low number who were recommended by a friend. When a friend recommends something it carries more weight than just seeing it on the web.
| Have you visited the main site? www.davescomputertips.com | Respondents | Percentage |
| Yes | 355 | 69% |
| No | 83 | 16% |
| I didn't know there was anything other than the newsletter | 77 | 15% |
I'm glad 69% know about www.davescomputertips.com and have been there. There is a ton of information available on the site. The ability to search for answers, free software categories, the newsletter archive of past newsletters, and newsletter articles listed by subject can be found on the site.
| Is the website easy to navigate? | Respondents | Percentage |
| Yes | 417 | 81% |
| No | 5 | 1% |
| I haven't visited the main site | 93 | 18% |
That is VERY good to know. I'm not a web designer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've tried very hard to make an attraction and easy to use site. I've been through dozens of button based navigation structures. I'm happy with what is there now. It is easy to maintain and works extremely well, while loading fairly quickly for those on dial-up.
| Have you used the "Search This Site" feature on the main site? | Respondents | Percentage |
| Yes | 120 | 23% |
| No | 322 | 63% |
| I didn't know it was there, or don't know what it is. | 71 | 14% |
I don't believe I ever mentioned this in the newsletter, so that may explain the results. I've created a site search engine based on Google search. Clicking "Search this Site" in the navigation pane on the main site opens a search page where you can search the entire Daves Computer Tips website, including newsletters, for results. The results will continue to get better as I regularly add content to the site.
| How would you rate the value of the Daves Computer Tips website? | ||||
| Excellent | Good | Neutral | Fair | Poor |
| 93 / 35% | 141 / 53% | 32 / 12% | 1 / 0% | 0 / 0% |
This is definitely good news! 88% seem to be mostly happy with the main website.
| How would you rate the value of the Daves Computer Tips Newsletter? | ||||
| Excellent | Good | Neutral | Fair | Poor |
| 153 / 48% | 154 / 49% | 10 / 3% | 0 / 0% | 0 / 0% |
More good news! We must be doing something right!
| Please rate the usefulness of each Newsletter section | |||||
| Excellent | Good | Neutral | Fair | Poor | |
| Newbies Nook | 203 / 42% | 213 / 44% | 061 / 13% | 002 / 0% | 002 / 0% |
| Problems in Paradise | 140 / 31% | 252 / 55% | 063 / 14% | 002 / 0% | 001 / 0% |
| Security Corner | 151 / 32% | 243 / 51% | 072 / 15% | 003 / 1% | 003 / 1% |
| Learning Linux | 065 / 16% | 121 / 29% | 206 / 50% | 015 / 4% | 007 / 2% |
| Carol's Corner Office | 128 / 28% | 185 / 40% | 138 / 30% | 010 / 2% | 003 / 1% |
| Dave's Recommended Software | 175 / 37% | 205 / 43% | 074 / 16% | 015 / 3% | 003 / 1% |
| Useful Freeware | 230 / 48% | 209 / 43% | 038 / 08% | 005 / 1% | 001 / 0% |
| Useful Websites | 183 / 39% | 217 / 47% | 064 / 14% | 001 / 0% | 001 / 0% |
| The Lighter Side | 141 / 30% | 203 / 43% | 099 / 21% | 026 / 6% | 002 / 0% |
Here we go again. Looks good. What is surprising to me is the number of people who are really interested in Linux. 45% of those who responded are reading about Linux. Linux has a strong following and continues to grow!
While the statistics show most of the story let's look at some of the peeves and suggestions left by readers.
Reader Peeves and Suggestions
Comments panel too wide. Difficult to scroll past it.
I toyed with different sizes for the comment boxes. The problem, as I saw it, is if readers didn't see the large text box or a good portion of comments already posted they would not post. I wanted the box big enough to show the fields (name, email, comment) one would have to fill in.
Would like to have a better idea of whats on the site,when reading newsletter.
I agree I don't mention the main site often, but rest assured that it is updated regularly. It's often difficult to find ways to tie them both together, and I want links in the newsletter to go to the correct location on the web instead of making the reader go through the main site and have to click twice.
I use MsnTV to read email (large screen TV) and I find it takes forever to load.
Your secret is safe with me! (grin) Actually I go to great lengths to keep the size, and thus load time, of the newsletter as small as possible. I religiously optimize pictures and screen shots (just ask Carol) so they are as small as possible while still conveying their intended meaning. We use many more screen shots and pictures than any other newsletter that I'm aware of. Why? Because a picture is worth a thousand words! I can tell you how to do it, but showing you what you will see while you do it is priceless!
Please donate is too up front - The give me money aspect - STOP begging for money, all the time.
Well, I'll tell you this up front - The newsletter is free! The problem is that hosting, bulk email, researching, and testing aren't. As the site gets larger so will the bills. The money to run this site comes straight out of my pocket (don't tell my wife). I try to supplement the cost through reader donations and Google ads because I didn't start this as a "pay" newsletter and I won't make it one. Please don't feel obligated to donate, but if you have an extra dollar or two and you feel you've found something useful in the newsletter send it my way. If you don't feel comfortable doing so, or can't afford it no problem. I take great joy in the fact that thousands read the newsletter, find it useful, and learn about computers (and that is what's important)!
What I would really like to see is the number of subscribers grow to the point that ad revenue would cover all expenses. Then maybe Carol, Ken, Joey, and I could devote ourselves full-time to this project. It is a pipe dream, but a goal none the less!
Recommended software isn't that great - Don't repeat the Recommended Software list
We will have to agree to disagree whether the recommendations are great. The software I recommend is the best I have been able to find, and I've tried a lot.
The reason the software list is included in each issue is because not everyone subscribes to the newsletter. Many find the newsletter when searching Google for answers to questions or problems. I update it when recommendations change (such as the recent addition of Online Armor Firewall, and it updates all of the newsletters.
The colors are a bit bright & clunky - A more interesting layout of the newsletter
Well I will agree with that, but I've done my best. I'm not a web designer (and I doubt anyone would argue that), though I've made great strides in my abilities. You should have seen the newsletter and website on day one. Ugly. I've been through many different colors, buttons, navigation methods, logos, etc.
I want pictures! What do you guys look like?
I'm actually working on this. I'm in the process of creating a page that will tell readers a little about each of us. There might even be some pictures of the gang.
YES! I don't see where you offer any FREE trips to Hawaii!
Well I'm proud to announce the first ever Daves Computer Tips Hawaii Contest. The rules are simple: The contest is open to anyone, and the first person to send me (legally) $15,000US wins a free one week vacation to Hawaii! (grin) I hope everyone doesn't enter at once!
More Buddy and Barney
I'm not for sure, but I think my wife secretly took the survey. Buddy and Barney are our cats, and I don't think they've been mentioned before, so the evidence speaks for itself!
Buddy (the white one) is a very smart and loving guy. He can open closed doors and get where he wants to go, so we actually have to lock some doors in the house. At our last home mail was delivered through a slot in the front door. We would always find the mail piled on the floor in the living room. It turns out Buddy would stretch up, grab the mail from the slot, and carry it into the living room. Buddy's mission in life? - Eat treats and have people pet him!
Barney (the gray one) is super cute. We have suspicions that he is actually a puppy. He is a ball of energy, plays in water, and chews on things. Definitely a puppy! Barney's mission in life? - He hasn't stopped running around long enough to come up with one!
What is in store for Daves Computer Tips?
Carol, Ken, Joey, and I strive to make this the best newsetter possible. We aren't perfect, but we continue to improve. Since Daves Computer Tips went online in August 2006 we have added Windows Vista, Windows Home Server, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Computer Security, Linux, Useful Websites, and Useful Freeware to the subjects covered. We want you to be informed and learn.
To improve the community aspect of Daves Computer Tips I've been tossing around the idea of a forum. A forum is a website where users can interact with one another, ask questions, answer question, and learn more about computers in general. I've been playing around with forum software and designs. I'll give you a sneak peek.
Who knows? Maybe you'll see a Daves Computer Tips Forum in the near future.
Did you notice the new bar at the end of each article? Now you can bookmark, email to a friend, or add the newsletter to StumbleUpon, Digg, SlashDot, Del.icio.us, Reddit, and Google all in one simple place. Be sure to try it out!
We really appreciate the fact that many readers gave of their time to answer the survey. We also appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. We read every single one and take them to heart. We will continue to provide the best information we can, Improve where we can, and hopefully grow!
Please share your thoughts and comments about this article in the box below!
Problems in Paradise
By David Hartsock
If you would like to see your question or problem answered here email me at
It looks like the interest in Windows Home Server continues! Colin wrote with some concern about server storage and how WHS distributes files when multiple drives are used. His email is below:
Hi Dave
I have been using WHS and Diskeeper since beta and purchased the full copy as soon as it was released. My system is home made and is a slimline unit with a maximum capacity of 2 HDD. I thought that I would be safe by fitting 2 X 750GB drives as I had presumed that my photographs and music would be stored on the server and my 5 other computers would be backed up to it on a weekly basis.
All was fine until I noticed that the HDD was constantly working and backups were taking hours instead of minutes. When I checked Diskeeper it informed me that the c drive (Data mounted at c:\fs\4\) has only 2% free space and that I urgently needed to free up space. WHS had not given any warnings or indication of a problem, in fact it said I had 25% free storage capacity. I thought that the idea of WHS was that the drives acted as one big storage pot and you didn't have to think about a drive filling up, especially as I was being shown 25% free capacity.
I have done a default install so nothing has been adjusted when I set up the software.
I have now set up another WHS box that will allow me to add more drives in the future, this time with a 250GB primary drive and another two 750GB data drives but again after transferring my pictures and music Diskeeper is already informing me that I have used 50% of Data (Mounted at C:\fs\5\) but I have only used 11% of Data (Mounted at C:\fs\6\). I can see the same thing happening with this system once I start backing all my computers up to it.This again is a standard install but this time I added the power pack update.
The other concern I have is that as I am storing my music and pictures on the home server, what happens if the server fails. I thought that the idea of WHS was that if you had multiple drives it would back up the data across them so if one failed you threw in another drive and everything was fine. It is clear in the way that my drives are filling up that this is not the case and I need to have another method of backing up the files that are just saved on the server. It kind of negates the point of the server in the first place though if you have to do that!
I hope you can help as I am starting to get very confused.
Regards
Colin Sherwood
Colin has a valid concern. I'll explain what is happening "behind the scenes" and give a recommendation for Colin.
Windows Home Server Drive Extender Technology
The most important thing to do when building a Windows Home Server is to install the largest drive you have as the primary system drive. The reason behind this is WHS uses the primary drive as:
- The system volume holding the operating system
- Part of the storage pool
- The “Landing Zone” for any files coming into the server
- The storage location for Tombstone files
If we look at each point separately…
We know the system volume is only 20GB. So any drive you install will lose 20GB off the top. Not a big deal. We can deal with that, and it’s a set amount so we know where we stand.
Because it is part of the storage pool it will be used for storage, though the WHS software attempts to place files on the other drives first. Backups are stored across the storage pool and not on one specific drive. This gets a little more complicated if you only have two drives and have Folder Duplication enabled (and you SHOULD!). The home server will now create two copies of every duplicated file and store them on separate physical drives.
The Primary Drive is also the landing zone for any files that come into the home server. This includes new pictures, video, backups, etc. Any files coming into the server get stored on the primary drive first. The reasoning behind this is to keep file transfers as fast as possible. If the home server had to calculate where to store each file, and whether or not the file needed to be duplicated, at the exact time the file was being saved then transfers would take forever. Be using the primary drive as a Landing Zone Windows Home Server can get the files saved quickly and then worry about their final resting places the next time it balances storage.
Tombstone files are tiny (about 4kb) files that contain nothing more than a pointer. Windows Home Server creates tombstones for each file saved to the server. They are used to track the location and health of the files saved to the server. If you have a photo folder duplicated files in that folder are stored on multiple drives. If one drive that contains these files fails the home server will update the tombstone “pointer” for that file to point to the good copy, thus protecting your data.
How about an example?
Let's look at an example and assume there are two 750GB (698GB formatted) drives in the home server for a total of 1398GB’s of usable storage:
We take 20GB off the top for the operating system partition. – 20GB
Your computer is set to backup 4 home computers, each with 100GB of data. This means your home server will have 400GB of backups (first backup is a full backup), plus additional storage for all files that have changed. We’ll assume 540GB of total backup storage. – 540GB
You have 150GB of videos with folder duplication turned on. – 300GB
You have 100GB of music with folder duplication turned on. – 200GB
You have 50GB of photos with folder duplication turned on. – 100GB
In the above example you see we have used 1160GB of 1398GB available, leaving 238GB of total available space (17% free). In a perfect world that is only 8.5% of total storage left on the primary drive. Because backups are stored to the storage pool it is possible that 100GB of the backups are actually on the primary drive, which would only leave 38GB or 5% of that drive free. This is only an example. I do not know exactly what you have on your home server, but you can see it is possible that you would receive readings as you have from Diskeeper.
Why Not Use RAID?
For those who aren't familiar with the term RAID it's an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. Basically RAID allows a computer to use multiple drives together, called an array, as one drive. RAID has various configurations, but most are used to provide redundancy.
It’s the nature of the beast and every software package is about compromise. In this case Microsoft developed the Drive Extender service as a method to provide redundancy and value to Windows Home Server and it works very well. The other option would have been to implement RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Drives). RAID needs a special controller, and a good controller can cost $500 alone, adding substantial cost to the software and hardware required to run Windows Home Server. The Drive Extender service can add and remove drives very easy, which is important for home users. In a RAID setup adding, removing, and replacing drives is much more complicated. Drive extender is a good compromise!
What do I recommend?
The first thing I would do in your case is start over and use one of the 750GB drives as your primary drive. This will give you plenty of space on the primary for the future.
Install Power Pack 1 again. It has lots of benefits and has been extremely stable for most users.
Install the WHS Disk Management Addin - http://www.tentaclesoftware.com/whsdiskmanagement/. It shows exactly which drive is doing what (See below) and allows you to see where each drive is located inside the server. When I built my server a 500GB drive was the largest I had. You can see that WHS has kept the primary drive reasonably clean (75GB of 465GB used). It seems that Disk 3 has more stored on it than the others, but it doesn't matter. When Disk 3 gets closer to 90% full WHS will automatically start moving files to other drives. This is called balancing.
Copy your files over to the home server and give it a day to balance things out. Remember it’s dealing with balancing and duplicating files. See where you stand on storage.
Enable computer backups for your other computers. See where you stand on storage. By default Windows Home Server stores (If I recall correctly) 2 monthly, 2 weekly, and 7 daily backups, so backup storage should be close after the first backup and increase a little for the next week or so. If you feel that backups are taking too much storage go to the Settings and change them to 1 monthly, 1 weekly, and 7 daily backups and see how that works.
Once you've got to this point step back and see where you’re at with your 3 drives. From my experience WHS works better with 3 drives than it does with 2. I've seen 750GB drives for as low as $99 this week. If you have to pick another up it won't hurt anything.
The second part of Colin's question was:
The other concern I have is that as I am storing my music and pictures on the home server, what happens if the server fails. I thought that the idea of WHS was that if you had multiple drives it would back up the data across them so if one failed you threw in another drive and everything was fine. It is clear in the way that my drives are filling up that this is not the case and I need to have another method of backing up the files that are just saved on the server. It kind of negates the point of the server in the first place though if you have to do that!
Duplication
If you have duplication enabled for a shared folder WHS will store the files in that folder twice. WHS will place copies of the file on two separate physical drives. This uses twice the available space in the storage pool, but allows you to recover files easily if you experience a drive failure. If the server was completely dead, and there was no way of resurrecting it, you can simply remove a drive and mount it in an external enclosure or another computer. Your files are accessible without jumping through any special hoops.
Earlier I spoke of tombstone files. The really neat thing about tombstone files and folder duplication is the tombstone contains a record of the location for both the original file and the duplicate. The original is marked as the primary copy of the file. Should anything happen to the original WHS automatically corrects the tombstone to point to the duplicate file. This happens automatically in the background and access to the file is seamless to the user.
Backups
I will say, and have said before, you can never have enough backups! I always keep a recent Drive Image of all computers, just in case. You never know what will happen. If lightning struck your home, or you experienced a natural disaster will your server be safe? I don't know, but I keep images on a small external hard drive just in case.
Please share your thoughts and comments about this article in the box below!
Security Corner
by Ken Harthun
How to Install and Configure TrueCrypt Disk Encryption - Part 1
Last issue, I promised to show you how to install and configure TrueCrypt, the free open source on-the-fly encryption program. TrueCrypt is a very powerful program that you use to create virtual encrypted disks (which are basically just files on your hard drive that can be mounted as if they're disks, complete with unique drive letters). You can also encrypt entire partitions or hard drives and encrypt entire USB flash drives. For most people, a simple encrypted volume on the hard drive will be all that's needed. For those who own laptops that have sensitive personal or business information on them, full-drive encryption is recommended. Likewise, if you back up sensitive data to a USB flash drive, you'll want to encrypt the whole drive. We'll get into full-drive encryption in Part 2; for now, I'll show you how to install and configure TrueCrypt to create a simple encrypted volume that you can use to store your information securely. Mac OS X and Linux users: TrueCrypt works for you, too. Installation and configuration steps should be similar, but be aware that I'm showing the Windows version.)
First, go to http://www.truecrypt.org/downloads.php and download the version you need. Save it to a convenient location. Double-click the TrueCrypt setup icon and we're ready to go. Click on Run when you see the security warning:
Accept the terms of the license agreement. (It's an interesting read if you care to read it.):
On the next screen, click Next to accept the default Install option:
Accept the defaults on the next screen and click the Install button:
You'll get a message telling you TrueCrypt was successfully installed and you'll be asked if you want to restart. Click OK on the first message, and NO on the second if you want to examine the installation log screen:
Go ahead and restart your computer (you'll see a message saying that you can't close the installation wizard until you restart. Click yes). When your computer comes back up we'll get down to work setting up an encrypted volume. Go ahead, I'll wait..Zzzzz...
Oh! I see you're back. OK. Double-click the TrueCrypt icon on your desktop and you'll see this screen:
You absolutely want to read the Beginner's Tutorial, so click Yes. It's going to tell you just about everything I show you here, but it has a few tips you'll want to know. The tutorial will open in your browser, so you can follow along and continue setting up TrueCrypt. When you see this screen, click on Create Volume:
On the next screen, accept the default by clicking Next:
For now, we're just going to accept the default and create a Standard TrueCrypt Volume:
On the next screen, just type a name for your volume. It can be any name you want. Then click Next:
On the next screen, just accept the defaults; it's stuff for Geeks like me who want to tweak things:
Next, select the size of your volume. I chose 50 MB, but you can set it to anything you want up to the maximum space available on your drive:
Click next and you're going to be asked to set a password. Read the screen and you'll see it gives the same advice that I promote. In fact, read my Security Corner articles in Issue 34 and Issue 35 and heed the advice!
Don't worry about the Use keyfiles option for now; I'll explain that later. You can go ahead and check the Display password box if you want; it might make it easier for you to enter a long password twice. Yes, you want a long password, though you don't have to make it 20 characters. If you don't, however, you'll get this warning:
On the next screen, you'll be asked to select your file system. I recommend NTFS, as that is what 2000/XP/Vista uses as default. You can safely ignore the note at the bottom of the screen. The randomness of the numbers that you see flashing by are already so high as to make cracking the encryption of your volume virtually impossible.
You'll see some things happen and then you'll be presented with these two messages:
and
Go ahead and click exit and you're ready to start using your new encrypted volume. Go back to the main window and click Select File:
Choose the name for the volume you just created:
Back at the main screen, select a drive letter you want to use and click Mount. Mounting refers to the computer associating a drive letter with a location, in this case the TrueCrypt volume you just created. You'll be prompted for your password.
Enter it, and your TrueCrypt volume (in my case, Z:\) will be mounted. Now, you can safely Exit the program. Don't worry, your drive will stay mounted until you restart.
You can save files to your TrueCrypt volume just like you would same them to any other drive. Whatever you store there will be encrypted and decrypted on the fly as long as the drive is mounted.
When you shut down your PC, the volume will be dismounted, so the next time you start up, you'll have to run TrueCrypt and mount your volume again. If you don't turn off your PC, be sure to manually dismount the volume; otherwise, anyone who gains access to your account will have access to your TrueCrypt volume. If you dismount it and someone gains access to your account, they'll have to know your TrueCrypt password to see your encrypted files.
Next time we'll explore full drive and USB device encryption and I'll address any questions resulting from this article.
Ken Harthun writes about security issues for IT Knowledge Exchange and blogs on general Geek things at Ask the Geek. He's always interested in your questions.
Please share your thoughts and comments about Ken's Security Corner article in the box below!
Learning Linux
by Joseph Bales
The Linux Command Line 102
This article will go over some of the most basic commands you might need
when using Linux (or any Unix variant such as Mac OS X or FreeBSD). Please
remember that Linux is case sensitive. So FoO is something completely different
from foo. I will use the term <filename> to represent the place where you
should insert a filename. You won't need to include the brackets. For
example,
rm <filename>
should be typed as,
rm bobsmith.txt
or whatever the filename is you are working with.
Table of basic commands
You may have seen some of these before, but here they are in a handy table.
| ls | Lists all non-hidden files in the current directory. ls is equivalent to the DOS command dir. You can also specify a directory to view. For example, ls /home/bobsmith will show the files in the /home/bobsmith directory even if you are not in it. ls -a shows all files, even hidden one (in Linux a file is hidden if the filename starts with a period). ls -l gives you the long details of each unhidden file such as permissions, date modified, owner, and size. ls -al will give you the long listing of all files. Play around with this one, it won't hurt anything |
| rm | Removes (deletes) a file. rm is the equivalent to the DOS command del. This action cannot be undone. The usage is rm <filename> You can also delete directories by typing rm -rf <directoryname> Be careful because this command will delete every file within that directory and there is no undelete command. |
| mkdir | Makes a directory. It's really just that simple, mkdir <directory_name> will create a directory with the name you specify. |
| man | Lists the manual page for a command. man <command_name> will give you a detailed instruction set for just about any command line command. It will show you how to use the command and will list all the options available for the command. You can even do a man man to find out more about the man command. |
| less | Shows the contents of a file. less <filename> will print the contents of a file to standard output (i.e. the screen). If the file is more that one screen length, you can scroll down or up by using the arrow keys or page down using the space bar and page up using the U key. Press Q to quit back to the command line. |
| top | Shows current processes and memory usage. The information is shown in real time and you can quit back to the prompt by typing Q. This is similar to the Task Manager in Windows. |
| cd | Changes directory. cd <directory_name> is the typical usage. cd by itself will take you to your home directory. cd - will take you back one directory. |
| pwd | Lists your current position in the directory structure. |
| cp | Makes a copy of a file. cp <old_filename> <new_filename> will make a copy of the file. You can also specify a different directory. For example, cp foo.txt /home/bobsmith/backups/foo.txt will make a copy of the foo.txt file in your current directory into the /home/bobsmith/backups directory. |
| mv | Moves and/or renames a file. mv <filename> <new_directory> will move the specified file to the new directory. You can also rename files while moving or rename files within a single directory. mv foo.txt foo.txt.bak will rename foo.txt to foo.txt.bak. mv foo.txt /backups/renamed_foo.txt will move and rename the file. |
| tar | Archive a file or group of files. tar xvfz <filename.tar.gz> is the most common usage. Tar was originally designed to archive backups to tape machines, but now many Linux software packages are released as a tarred zip file (i.e. with the extension .tar.gz). The options "xvfz" will unzip and extract the contents of such a file while showing the results. Please note that you should not use the "-" before the options in tar as you will with most other commands. |
| ln | Creates a link to a file. This is the equivalent to a shortcut in the Windows world. ln -s <file_or_directory_name> <linkname> will create a symbolic link with the name <linkname>. You should almost always use the "-s" option when using ln. The ln command can come in handy if you need to access files from a directory that is deep in a directory structure. ln -s ~/backups/bobsmail/2008/July July will create a link called July in your current working directory. The you can just type cd July instead of having to type in the full path. ls -l <linkname> will show you the file to which the link is linked. |
| ps | Shows a list of running processes. ps by itself shows only your processes you are running in terminals. ps -a will show all terminal processes for all users. ps -ax will show all running processes, even windowed processes. This command is useful for quickly obtaining a process's ID number (PID, this is important for the following command). |
| kill | Forces a specified process to quit. kill <PID> will cause the process to quit. Let's say that Firefox has locked up on you and you need to kill it. First go to a terminal and run ps -ax to get the PID. In this case we will say it is 11347. Now type kill 11347 and Firefox should quit gracefully. If it does not quit, you can add the "-9" option like so, kill -9 11347. This will force Firefox to quit no matter how much it protests. |
| sudo | Allows a specified command to be executed as the administrative user. sudo <command> is the proper usage. You can use this command to do anything to any user's files or processes. Let's say your roommate started a program that is using all your system's resources and then you came over and logged into your account. If you have the administrator's password, you can use sudo to kill your roommate's process so you can get your work done. Example, sudo kill -9 11234. Depending on your settings, sudo will usually ask for a password the first time you use it and will retain that password in memory for about 15 minutes. After that time you will have to enter the password again the next time you use sudo. You will also need to use sudo when doing the dangerous task of editing system files. |
Nano Text Editor
The easiest to use command line text editor for Linux is GNU nano. Nano is a free replacement for the old Unix editor Pico. nano <filename> will open the specified file in nano or you can just type nano and an empty document will be opened. sudo nano <filename> will allow you to edit files as the administrator which is quite handy. Here is a screen shot of me editing this article with nano in Mac OS X.
As you can see nano is fairly simple, but does offer more advanced options such as syntax highlighting. At the bottom is a handy list of commands to be used within nano. The ^ symbol represents the CTRL button on your keyboard. ^O and ^X are the most commonly used commands. ^X will quit nano and ask if you want to save any changes. ^O (this is the letter, not the number) will save your document without quitting. Don't forget that this is the command line. Your mouse will be of little use to you while in nano, so I recommend just forgetting about it. Also, other keyboard shortcuts may not work as they normally do. For example, in nano, CTRL+V does not paste, it pages down.
Now it's time to go out there and start playing with these commands. Try editing some files from the command line or make some directories and move some files into them for practice. The more you use the commands, the more comfortable you will be with the command line. Don't forget to use man to find out all the options and features of each command. Over time, you might be surprised at how quick and efficient the command line can be compared to the typical graphical interfaces.
Joseph Bales is a writer of fiction and humor, as well as a true computer geek and Linux guru. Visit his blog at http://josephbales.com.
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Carol's Corner Office
by Carol A. Bratt
Hi everyone,
I can't believe that summer is on it's way out. A month to go and then I will be putting up with the crappy traffic again after school starts!
I really can't complain though - it has been a nice summer thus far. We just returned from a long weekend in West Palm Beach and that was a nice get away. The next time I visit there though, it will be in the winter months. We are waiting for the weather to get a little cooler before we take a longer vacation. This time I think we will be heading to Savannah and Charleston.
Enough about me, let's get on with the articles!
Entering Text, Dates and Numbers in MS Excel
Cells in a worksheet can contain five kinds of entries and each one is handled in a different way as I will explain below:
Text is any word or combination of letters and numbers. Text is automatically left-aligned in the cell. Any text too long for the cell overlaps any blank cells to the right.
Numbers, such as 2,350 or 95% form the basis for all your calculations. They are automatically right-aligned in the cell to keep the columns of numbers lined up.
Dates and Times are different sorts of numbers. Although they may contain words, such as February and AM, MS Excel knows what you mean and changes them into values you can use in calculation. It can be weird at times though.
Formulas, like you used in algebra (i.e. x + y), specify the calculations you want Excel to make based on numbers in the worksheet. They always start with an equal sign =.
Comments are a way to communicate directions or information without typing directly in a cell. You can tell a comment is in a cell by a small red triangle in the upper-right corner. You can read comments by placing the mouse pointer over the cell and pausing.
Entering Text
Text you input always appears in the active cell.
- Click the cell where you want the text to appear and the bold border moves to this cell, showing that it is the active cell.
- Input the text. What you type appears in the active cell and in the formula bar. If you make a mistake you can click Backspace and correct it.
- When you have completed the contents for one cell, you press Enter.
The text you typed is deposited into a cell. The bold border moved down to the next row.
Once you have finished keying in your text or data, you can complete the cell entry in any of the following ways:
- Press Enter to move down one cell.
- Press Tab top move to the right one cell.
- Press an arrow key to move one cell in any direction.
- Click any other cell to move directly there.
- Click the check mark on the Formula bar.
Entering Numbers
You can type numbers into a cell using the keys on the top row of the keyboard or, if Num Lock is turned on, by using the keypad on the right side of the keyboard.
- Type the numbers in the cell and press Enter.
- If you type decimals, such as 1.5000, Excel often will eliminate the trailing zeros and will display 1.5.
- You can also type dollar signs, commas, or percent signs, and Excel will display them with the numbers. Even when you type these symbols, Excel interprets your entry as numbers.
- Type a negative number by typing a minus sign or by surrounding the number with parentheses.
The numbers will appear right-aligned within the cell.
Enter Dates and Times
You key in dates and times just as you do text. How you key them in determines how they will appear. You can key them in several different says:
- Key in 9/25 or 9/25/01 or 9/25/2001 and press Enter, and Excel will display 9/25/01. If you do not include the year, Excel assumes the current year.
- Key in Sep 25, Sept 25, September 25, or September 25, 2001 and press Enter and Excel will display 25-Sep.
- Key in 8:00 and press Enter, and Excel will display 8:00 and assumes AM.
- Key in 8:00 a and press Enter and Excel will display 8:00 AM.
- Key in 8:00 p and press Enter and Excel will display 8:00 PM.
Excel provides a number of shortcut keys you can use to do something quickly. Often they involve holding down the CTRL key while pressing another key.
- To enter today's date, hold down the CTRL key and press ; (semicolon).
- To enter the current time, hold down the CTRL and the Shift keys and press; (semicolon).
Like numbers, dates are right-aligned within the cell and you can use dates in calculations.
More in OpenOffice
As in past articles, Oo Calc is very much like MS Excel. They pretty much to things the same way, save for a click here or there or a slight deviation in navigation. You will find that is the case insofar as entering text and data as well.
To enter data in an Oo calc worksheet you simply:
- Click in the cell where you would like to enter content, whether it be text, numbers or dates.
- Key in the information.
- Click Enter.
- You can also use the arrow keys to move to another cell.
Something a bit different when you want to delete the contents of a cell, that doesn't occur in MS Excel:
You can select the cell or cells and click Delete.
A dialog box then opens which will allow you some control over what is deleted.
If you do not want to be bothered with the dialog box, you can simply select the cell or cells and click Backspace. The contents of your cell will then disappear.
The formatting in Oo Calc works pretty much the same way it does in Oo Writer.
For basic formatting, you use the drop-down lists on the formatting toolbar for font, font size, et.
For Advanced formatting, you would use the Font and Font Effects tabs of the cell formatting dialog box.
You can apply numeric formatting using the toolbar as well. Follow along below:
- Select the cells you would like to format.
- Use the appropriate icon on the formatting toolbar.
The first icon you see will format currency. The default is US.
The second icon is the default for US percentage.
Go ahead and try all of them; experiment and become familiar with them.
I think you will find that if you could follow the instructions above for MS Excel, you will have no problems using Oo Calc. They really are pretty much alike except of course, Oo is FREE!
Until next time, take care of YOU!
Carol Bratt has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books!
Please share your thoughts and comments about Carol's article in the box below!
My Recommended Software
Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Software
Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.
CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!
Antivirus and Firewall Software
ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!
Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.
Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best. Online Armor uses an interface that is easier to navigate than most other firewalls and the protection level can't be beat! Online Armor is available in both a free and reasonably priced paid version, which offers even more protection!
Audio and Video Software
Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.
Adobe Premier Elements 7 - Elements is the home version of Adobe Premiere, the best professional video editing suite today. Premier Elements costs 1/6th the price of the professional version, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.
DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.
Computer Hardware
Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!
CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!
HP Computers
- My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!
Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!
Computer Maintenance Software
Diskeeper 2008 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.
Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.
Computer Utility Software
Acronis True Image 2010 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.
Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.
Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.
WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.
Desktop Utility Software
Bootskin Vista - Change the boot screen (the one with the moving bar) in Vista. It's free!
LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you log into Windows (where you enter your password). Hundreds of skins available online. It's free.
CursorFX Plus - Change the cursors on your computer, add interesting effects. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.
IconPackager 4 - Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.
WindowBlinds 6 - WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.
Internet and Email
1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.
Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.
Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.
Firefox 3 - An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.
Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.
Photo and Picture Software
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 - Photoshop Elements is the home version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price of the full Photoshop version.
Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.
Please share your thoughts and comments about Dave's Recommended Software in the box below!
Useful Freeware
If you find a program that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
vmcNetFlix - A great add-in for Windows Vista Media Center that integrates the NetFlix WatchNow service into Media Center
GnuCash - GnuCash is a FREE personal and small-business accounting software package that works with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
SelfImage - Free drive imaging software. A nice alternative for those on a budget.
Virtual PC 2007 - Free software from Microsoft that allows you to create and run other operating systems within Windows XP and Vista. This is great for testing software, browsing without fear of spyware, and many other uses.
Please share your thoughts and comments about this software, or other free software, in the box below!
Useful websites
If you find a website that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
PriceProtectr - Interesting site that watches products for price drops! As an example, if you buy a laptop from Best Buy you have 30 days to receive a refund if the price drops from your original purchase price. This site allows you to enter a product to be watched for a set period of time. If the price drops you are notified!
Cuil.com - Cuil (pronounced "cool") is a new search engine. Cuil presents search results in columns with screen shots. Looks interesting!
Start64 - If you are using a 64bit version of an operating system, or are thinking of moving to a 64bit OS, you should have a look at Start64. Lots of information about 64bit Vista, drivers, and software.
Bradicon - Create an icon from any picture. Useful for customizing your desktop.
HomePage - Allows you to create a custom home page for your browser. Add sites to the homepage and they are displayed as pictures of the website. It makes a nice starting place when browsing if you regularly visit several of the same sites (Daves Computer Tips?).
Fontifier - This is cool! Download a sheet, print the letters in your own handwritting, and Fontifier will create a Windows font of your handwritting. You can install the font on your computer and use your own handwritting in word processors, spreadsheets, and other programs!
Please share your thoughts and comments about these websites, or other useful sites, in the box below!
The Lighter Side
I spend thousands of hours each week searching the internet for funny or entertaining items to share with my readers. Enjoy!
Pivot Stick Figure Animator - Have you seen the stick figure animations on the Net? Now you can create your own for free!
Tire Trouble - Not funny, but you should be aware of this. There is a 30 second commercial before the video. - Thanks Bob
Icanhascheezburger - This site has some really cool cat pictures that have been captioned with funny text. The text is in LOL speak, but it's still funny.
Fly like a bird - a very interesting simulator that allows you to fly over mountain, like a bird, using your mouse. - Thanks Don
See my computer mouse after I've just completed a newsletter! This would be interesting to send to your friends. - Thanks Jim
Please share your thoughts and comments on The Lighter Side in the box below!
Take a Moment to Spread the Word!
I have quite a few plans for the website and newsletter, but they will require lots of participation to be successful. I know that you have graciously given me 15 or 20 minutes to read the newsletter, but please take an additional 30 seconds to send a note suggesting the newsletter to a friend. Carol, Ken, Joey, and I would greatly appreciate it!
If you would like to subscribe to future newsletters, or change your current subscription, please do so by using the subscription box on the home page or at the top of each newsletter!