Dec 31, 2011

How to Install Windows 7 using pendrive

Now everyone has a USB stick with them and it is more convenient to take a USB stick than a DVD along with you and almost all new motherboards support bootingfrom USB sticks. Not only that if your CDROM got complaint, the only way to install new Operating System is through USB.. Ubuntu or all other linux versions provide the facility to install it through USB Stick usick using applications such as startup disk creator or Unetbootin.. Also overall installation speed also increases when doing with USB Stick... So in this post , I thought to share the method to load windows 7 to your USB Stick and make it bootable..

You will require a USB stick with capacity not less than 4GB and a WINDOWS 7 DVD.

STEP 1 
Plug your USB and format it after backing up your data.

STEP 2
Open the command prompt. If you are using Windows 7/Vista then open it with administrator rights*.
* Goto Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as Administrator”.
STEP 3
In the command prompt type
diskpart
This will start Microsoft Diskpart utility as shown


   STEP 4
Now type
LIST DISK
This will list all the disks in your system... In that select the disk that shows your USB stick..In the above figure it is DISK 5..Usually DISK 0 shows your Hard Disk..

STEP 5
Inorder to select disk type (Replace #with the respective Disk number)
SELECT DISK #

STEP 6
Now type the following commands in sequence
CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION 1

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK

ASSIGN

EXIT

Now minimize the command prompt and

STEP 6
Insert the Windows 7 installation disc and note down the “drive letter” of your DVD drive. In my case, it is “H:”. Now type the following list of commands as shown below:
H: CD BOOT

CD BOOT

BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 M:(NOTE: M: is your USB drive letter)

EXIT


STEP 7
Copy the contents of your Windows 7/Vista installation disk into the USB flash drive.
That’s it! Your USB stick is now ready to boot and install the OS for you. Don’t forget to enable the “USB Boot” option and change the “boot priority to USB device from hard disk” in your BIOS settings.



NOTE : Recently came to know about a software that will help us to make windows 7 bootable pendrive.... You can download it here....  

Dec 9, 2011

How to change GRUB settings in Ubuntu

I am really happy to introduce a fanpage of LETHALTRIX in facebook. I recommend all of you to follow LethalTrix in facebook, so that u will be updated about the new posts. Also this fanpage is made to make Lethaltrix more Interactive. You can post any of your doubts about Ubuntu ,Hacking or Computer Tips and I will try my level best to help you and post about in LethalTrix... 

 So this post is dedicated to our friend Renitto who inaugurated the fanpage by asking about Grub..Thank u dude for the response u have shown..
 
Actually GRUB is the short form for GRand Unified Bootloader.It is a boot loader package from the GNU project. GRUB  provides the user the choice to boot one of multiple operating systems installed on a computer.

 Grub Customizer is a great software used in Ubuntu or other Debian versions of Linux such as Linuxmint to make changes to grub.You can change the appearance of the GRUB, make changes to the boot list, add, rename or delete a new entry, insert background image, change colour and so on...

Inorder to install Grub customizer you have 3 ways.

INSTALLATION USING TERMINAL
U can access Terminal by pressing the short key Alt+Ctrl+ T. Now type the following commands in order.
Code:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

I prefer this method as it is the fastest method to install. But if you hate terminal view  and if you feel it geeky ,you can go for the other options.

INSTALLATION USING SOFTWARE MANAGER

Open Software centre
  • Add the repository
    Edit > Software Sources > Other Software > Add
    Type: ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer > Add Source > Close
    Reload
  • Install Grub Customizer
    Highlight "Get Software" in the left panel.
    In the upper right search window, type "Grub Customizer".
    Double-click "Grub Customizer" and click the 'Install' icon.

INSTALLATION USING SYNAPTIC

Synaptic:
  • Start Synaptic
    System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager (IN UBUNTU 10.10 & earlier versions)
  • Add the repository
    Settings tab > Repositories > Other Software > Add
    Type: ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer > Add Source > Close
    Reload
  • Install Grub Customizer
    'Quick-search' > type "grub-customizer" > Select "grub-customizer" in lower panel.
    Apply.


4. Making Changes (from Main Page)


  • Removing / Hiding Entries
    • Hide An Entire Section: Untick the main header (linux, os-prober, etc)
      • Example: Unticking os-prober will disable the script and remove all entries normally found by it - Windows, other Ubuntu installations, etc. Even if the entries within the subsection are enabled, they will not be displayed.
      • Hide Specific Entries: Untick the entry
        • Example: Unticking Ubuntu, with 2.6.35-24-generic will remove that specific entry in the Grub 2 menu.
  • Freezing Entries (new Entries)
    • Unticking "new Entries" prevents the addition of any new Grub 2 menu entries for that section. New options found during updates may be included in the tree view but will not be selected by default.
      • If a new item is found by an enabled script, it will not be added to the Grub 2 menu.
    • Example: If 'new Entries' in 'linux' is deselected, when a new kernel is installed on the main system it will not appear in the menu.
  • Adding Entries
    • Tick the applicable entry.
    • Selecting a main category will enable the script.
    • Selecting an item within a main category will add it to the Grub 2 menu if it's parent is enabled.
  • Renaming Entries
    • Double-click a menu title to enable the editing mode. Type the new title and click elsewhere on the page to complete the edit.
  • Moving Entries
    • To move a main section, highlight the entry and use the Up/Dn arrows on the main menu to change the menu order. Moving a main category will move all its submenus.
      • Example: If you want Windows to appear before the main Ubuntu entries, move os-prober to the top of the list.
    • To move a title up or down within a subsection, highlight the entry and use the Up/Dn arrows on the main menu to change the menu order.
      • A titles can only be moved within its own subsection.

5. Preferences Tabs (Edit > Preferences)
  • General

    Initial display options such as whether the menu is shown, which menu entry is highlighted, and what kernel options to add to the instructions.
    • Default entry
      • How to Specify the Default Entry by Name:
        • 'default entry' > 'predefined': Click on "Entry 1", on the expanded selection screen choose the exact title from the right column.
        • This works for Grub 1.98. Grub 1.99/Natty introduces submenus and using exact titles will change. I don't know if GC has accounted for this change yet. In the meantime, you can refer to this link on how to manually add a default entry from a submenu:
    • visibility - Menu display, other OS selections, and timeout.
    • kernel parameters - Add options such as nomodeset, noapic, quiet, splash, etc
  • Appearance

                             
    Menu eye candy - resolutions, colors, background images.
    • custom resolution
    • menu colors
    • background image
  • Advanced

    Selection of options normally found in the /etc/default/grub file. The user can enable/disable individual items and can modify the existing entries by double-clicking the 'value' column and entering the desired value.

    • The only items listed in this section are those which currently exist in /etc/default/grub. The user can enable items displayed here, but cannot add items which do not already exist in the file.
    • Ticked items are included in the Grub 2 configuration file.
    • Unticked items will not be included in the Grub 2 configuration file. Unticking an entry places a # (comment) symbol at the start of the line in /etc/default/grub

   Returning to Grub 2 Defaults

 Original files which Grub Customizer will modify are moved to the /etc/grub.d/proxifiedScripts folder, with the leading numeric designation removed.

The /etc/grub.d/proxifiedScripts and /etc/grub.d/bin folders, and any *_proxy files are only created if a Grub 2 script has to be modified. If only changes normally made to /etc/default/grub are invoked by Grub Customizer, the following won't be necessary.

To restore the normal Grub 2 control of the boot menu:
  • Remove the /etc/grub.d/bin folder
  • Move the contents of /etc/grub.d/proxifiedScritps back to the /etc/grub.d folder.
    • Any files moved back need to be renamed to the original name.
    • linux back to 10_linux, os-prober back to 30_os-prober, etc.
  • Remove the /etc/grub.d/proxifiedScipts folder once it is empty.
  • Check the settings in /etc/default/grub and make any desired changes (default kernel, timeout, etc).
  • Run "sudo update-grub".



This software is a wonderful tool to edit Grub... If you want more good themes and beautiful themes for your GRUB ,I suggest you go with Burg, an alternative for GRUB...