Create Bootable USB drive

I constantly need to do this and I keep having to look it up, so I am putting it here so I know exactly where to go. Many older computers do not have DVD drives or in my case laptops have defective ones, so I need to create bootable USB's to install new operating systems.

Here are the steps:

Insert USB into machine (for modern operating systems - make sure it is 4GB or bigger)

Go to command prompt: (must "run as administrator")

DISKPART
LIST DISK
SELECT DISK
CLEAN
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
ASSIGN
EXIT

Insert Windows OS DVD

:CD BOOT
CD BOOT
BOOTSECT.EXE/NT60 -------> (XP use BOOTSECT>EXE /NT52 )
COPY THE DVD CONTENTS TO THE USB

DONE

Separating and Merging PDF’s for free

Download PDF Editor here: http://www.pdfill.com/download.html

Choose one of the orange buttons that say download now:


Download and install it.
After it is installed start the program and navigate to “Tools” and then to PDF Tools (No Watermark):











Then click on “Split or Reorder pages”:
















A dialog box will pop up for you to go find your file:















Choose the file to open, then the following box will pop up, telling you how many pages it found and asking you what to do, I chose “split pages” and then typed in “1 to 17” so that it will look at all 17 pages, then I clicked on the checkbox saying “Extract pages as separate files” – (this will create 17 separate PDF’s):













Then click on “Save As” It will then prompt you to “save as:” – choose a directory that you want them to be saved in and then choose a name (here I choose “JJ” which will create 17 separate files called: jj1.pdf, jj2.pdf, jj3.pdf, etc):














Then Hit “Save” button and it will create the 17 separate files in the chosen directory:

You are done, now merging files is just as easy – choose “Merge PDF Files”, go find the separate files you want to merge and then save as the name you want and you are done.

jquery treeview toggle button submitting form

Came across this issue after copying some code from a jquery treeview demo. Once I put the code into a form, it would keep submitting the form before it could drop down the tree.

Found that the sample code had: <button id="add"> This makes the aspx page assume it is of type "submit". I needed to add <button id="add" type="button"> to make it stop submitting on click.

Creating Windows 7 OEM image for deployment

Create winpe boot cd
· Download and install WAIK
· Choose deployment tools command prompt from start menu
· copype x86 c:\winpe_x86
· copy c:\winpe_x86\winpe.wim c:\winpe_x86\iso\sources\boot.wim
· copy “c:\program files\windows aik\tools\x86\imagex.exe” c:\winpe_x86\iso\
· oscdimg –n –bC:\winpe_x86\etfsboot.com c:\winpe_x86\iso\ c:\winpe_x86\winpe_x86.iso
· Verify the iso has been created, and then burn to CD

Configure template machine (oem)
· Install windows, do not enter anything when prompted for product key – puts you into 30 day trial
· Install other applications, configure desktop background, ip configuration, mapped drives, etc
· Install office 2010 but *do not activate*
· Run all updates on office and windows
· HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Registration Delete the whole "Registration" key

Acquire image
^* build answer file first - blog to follow
· Run Sysprep from c:\ windows\system32\sysprep directory
· Choose: oobe
· Choose: Generalize
· Choose: Shutdown
· Choose: OK
· Machine shuts down
· Insert winpe boot cd
· Start machine (have external drive installed)
· Verify drive assignments (find out what is where)
· imagex /compress fast /check /capture e: d:\win7img.wim “Windows 7 Professional” “win7and office 2010”

Applying image
· Insert boot PE disk
· diskpart
· select disk 0
· clean
· create partition primary size 12000 (this is megabytes)
· format quick fs=ntfs label=”Windows 7”
· active
· assign letter=C
· list disk
· list volume
· exit
· imagex /apply d:\win7img.wim 1 c:\
· bcdboot c:\windows /l en-us
· Restart machine into windows welcome mode

Working with GnuCash

GNUCash - great OpenSource replacement for Quicken and even Quickbooks;

.gnucash file is gzipped xml file which you can peek into for info that may not be available in the front end like vendor list, delete invoices (unfortunately the only way), etc

C:\Program Files\gnucash\share\gnucash\guile-modules\gnucash\report contains the .scm files (text files coded in Scheme - a form of LISP) to manipulate invoices' look, etc.

These scheme scripts (.scm) will need to be re-edited (more likely saved then re-imported) when upgrading GNUCash

Quickly remove background using Gimp

The more I use GIMP the more I have come to understand it can do everything I thought I needed PhotoShop to do.

Removing background (creating transparent file)
Open file
Tools -->Paths
Use zoom to get real defined if needed
Once path completed, click Shift-V to make selection
Control-I to select inverse
Go to Layer -->Transparency--> Add alpha channel
Hit "delete" key; now your background is deleted

very easy !

Re-set Fedora root password

Came across the need to re-set my forgotten root password on my Fedora 11 box. The alarmingly simple solution makes it very evident that physical access to machines is extremely important to safeguard.

I am using GRUB so the trick was to show the choice of kernals it wanted to boot to, choose "e" to edit one of them and add "single" at the end of the kernal boot command, then choose "b" to boot that kernal, it will push you into single mode with root priveleges

type in "passwd" and choose a new root password.

apparently LILO is just as easy; booting with: "linux single" gives you the same result.