Mega Computer Solutions

UPS installation

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:09:00 +0000

Today we installed Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for one our customers at Kuala Lumpur. We recommended a UPS for their Linux CentOS Server running samba share and KnowledgeTree Document Management System.

The UPS will serve up to 20 minutes of power to the server in case of power outages.

If you'd like us to look into your server situation, please call 0192248416 (Rafiq) or 0122509479 (Adam).

Windows 2008 Server migration

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:34:00 +0000

Today we are migrating Windows 2003 Server to 2008 Server. So we're using a temporary PC for testing before executing the real deal.

Powergrid Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:46:00 +0000

Today we networked a computer to an existing LAN without pulling a network cable. We used the aztech Powergrid networking plug. So I plugged one into a power socket nearby the new PC and linked it, then plugged another one near the switch and linked it up, and alhamdulillah the new PC was connected to the LAN. Amazing piece of technology. :-)

Interactive Virtual Receptionist (IVR)

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:25:00 +0000

We're back online! The latest entry to our product line is the Elastix Server that handles calls like Digi and Maxis call centres.

Fortunately or otherwise, our own system was down since yesterday. But we got it up and running today. Sorry folks for the inconvenience. But it's good that it did happen as we could get our hands dirty getting it fixed.

With the IVR system in place, you can leave a message if we're not in the office, and we always check our voicemail when we get back coz it's in web gui format (below). Easy!

Yeah, you can even set your own music on hold. Sweet!

You can set ringing groups, timing for your IVR (office hours, etc), info recordings for cemmercials, etc.

If you wanna hear how it works, just call our no: 03-61888170 (Malaysia).

Steve Jobs dies today

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

As I woke up this morning and checked my twitter feeds, I saw the news that Steve Jobs has passed away today.

Steve Jobs didn't mean anything to me until today when I read about his life and his contibution to the world in term of Information technology. He is a revolutionist and he has changed the world we live in, in many ways.

Here are some of Steve's quotes of wisdom that I've benefited from, and I hope you will too.

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

“We’ve gone through the operating system and looked at everything and asked how can we simplify this and make it more powerful at the same time.”

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

“I want to put a ding in the universe.”

“I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.”

“The Japanese have hit the shores like dead fish. They’re just like dead fish washing up on the shores.”

“Unfortunately, people are not rebelling against Microsoft. They don’t know any better.”

“Bill Gates‘d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.”

“The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”

“My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”

“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.”

“Click. Boom. Amazing!”

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

“Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?”

“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

“Recruiting is hard. It’s just finding the needles in the haystack. You can’t know enough in a one-hour interview.
So, in the end, it’s ultimately based on your gut. How do I feel about this person? What are they like when they’re challenged? I ask everybody that: ‘Why are you here?’ The answers themselves are not what you’re looking for. It’s the meta-data.”

“We’ve had one of these before, when the dot-com bubble burst. What I told our company was that we were just going to invest our way through the downturn, that we weren’t going to lay off people, that we’d taken a tremendous amount of effort to get them into Apple in the first place – the last thing we were going to do is lay them off.”

“I mean, some people say, ‘Oh, God, if [Jobs] got run over by a bus, Apple would be in trouble.’ And, you know, I think it wouldn’t be a party, but there are really capable people at Apple.
My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that’s what I try to do.”

“It’s not about pop culture, and it’s not about fooling people, and it’s not about convincing people that they want something they don’t. We figure out what we want. And I think we’re pretty good at having the right discipline to think through whether a lot of other people are going to want it, too. That’s what we get paid to do.
We just want to make great products. (I think he means “insanely great products!“)”

“So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get people talking about it, argue with people about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people, get different people together to explore different aspects of it quietly, and, you know – just explore things.”

“When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.
They’ll want to do what’s best for Apple, not what’s best for them, what’s best for Steve, or anybody else. (this actually reiterates my oft-repeated mantra of “ubiquitous evangelism” in companies)”

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

“Our DNA is as a consumer company – for that inpidual customer who’s voting thumbs up or thumbs down. That’s who we think about. And we think that our job is to take responsibility for the complete user experience. And if it’s not up to par, it’s our fault, plain and simply.”

“That happens more than you think, because this is not just engineering and science. There is art, too. Sometimes when you’re in the middle of one of these crises, you’re not sure you’re going to make it to the other end. But we’ve always made it, and so we have a certain degree of confidence, although sometimes you wonder.
I think the key thing is that we’re not all terrified at the same time. I mean, we do put our heart and soul into these things.”

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life.
Life is brief, and then you die, you know?
And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.”

“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.”

“The people who are doing the work are the moving force behind the Macintosh. My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“I’m the only person I know that’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year…. It’s very character-building.”

“I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”

“I’ve always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do.”

“It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much.”

“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”

“Insanely Great!”

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

“It’s rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing.”

“I feel like somebody just punched me in the stomach and knocked all my wind out. I’m only 30 years old and I want to have a chance to continue creating things. I know I’ve got at least one more great computer in me. And Apple is not going to give me a chance to do that.”

“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”

“The products suck! There’s no sex in them anymore!”

“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.”

“If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth — and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”

“You know, I’ve got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can’t say any more than that it’s the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me.”

“Apple has some tremendous assets, but I believe without some attention, the company could, could, could — I’m searching for the right word — could, could die.”

New linux centos server

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:45:00 +0000

The Asus server with chenbro casing arrived few days ago.

As S.O.P. dictates, we opened to check the hardware and make sure everything's in order.

Then we proceed to install Linux Centos 5.4. Version 6.0 seems not to support webmin. Sometimes getting the latest doesn't mean it's stable.

posted from Bloggeroid

Low profile graphic card

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:02:00 +0000

Today our customer wanted a low profile graphic card.

Image of low profile graphic card.

posted from Bloggeroid

Panasonic kx-p1121e dot matrix printer

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:54:00 +0000

Today was the beginning of ramadan. So we started our fasting day with light work, installing the friendly panasonic kx-p1121e at our customer's office on selayang.

This printer actually has a usb port, so installation was easy, alhamdulillah.

Us, installing the printer... Everything went smoothly.

posted from Bloggeroid
Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

Migrating from E72 to samsung galaxy ace (android)

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Migrating from nokia e72 to android needs some getting use to. Some things to look out for:
- the keyboard needs some practice if one is so use to 'real' keyboard on the e72.
- controlling everything on the touch screen is a slight challenge if one is a nail biter. For better accuracy, the fingernail is necessary.
- menus and settings are more elaborate than nokia's. It seems easier and faster with nokia somehow.
- found the gmail app much superior to nokia's in that android really syncs online gmail to the device. I mean emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc.
- typing was drag until I used the 'swype' technology by samsung that makes typing that much easier and faster. No need to lift your finder during typing, just run through the keyboard and the word forms as long as it's in the english language. Once used to this, typing is enjoyable.
- android devices generally have battery drain issues. The samsung galaxy ace can last for about 7 hours on full charge with 3g and rotation on with active usage.

On a nutshell, nokia users will face a learning curve when migrating to android, but it's not impossible and it's worth it.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

-update 30/7/11-
-can post &amp;amp;amp; edit blogs with bloggeroid. So updating blog post like this is easy now.
- also I think that the swype technology brings comfort to touchscreen typing. Really makes wanna type...
- finding a good replacing for gravity app in android prices to be a challenge though. For now, mustard looks good.
Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

- update 31/7/11 -
- android just gets better the more one visits the market. Just got this app for flashlight called smart led light. It also has sirens lights, emergency lights, text blinking lights,etc. Gives android a while new level of advantages above the symbian os.
- another app that's superb is the camscanner. Out can take pictures of any page our pages and make it into pdf format. Forget about photo copying stuff anymore. Nokia has a similar app but it can't create pdf with multiple pages.
Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

- update 31/7/11 -
- just installed pal ringo and fring. They work well. Only pal ringo doesn't play the voice messages loudly.
- for muslims, there's an app called bi quran that puts nokia and any non android to a slight disadvantage. The app has koran and tafsir all in one app. To me personally is a huge benefit that I couldn't get with my e72.
- installed some news apps like the star, bernama, new straits times, harian metro, etc. advantage is that you'll be notified when there's latest news. Another advantage is you can share out interesting news on social networks like facebook, twitter our even statusnet. Now that's fun. :-)

posted from Bloggeroid
Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

~ update 31/7/11
- installed kiblat compass, very good for muslim users to locate the real direction of kiblat for obligatory prayers. E72 didn't have that.
- the widgets are really great. You can one page for your social networking like facebook & twitter, and another page with all your news widgets like star, the sun, harian metro, etc. So you can get the head lines just by looking at your desktop screen without having to even open the app... that's great!
- google translate is a killer app to install. Translate stuff even to malay. Fantastic tool. Something absenton my nokia and I don't think their gonna have it on symbian ever.
Mega Computer Solutions 1700-80-6342.
Email farihin@megacomputers.com.my. Tttt

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:54:00 +0000

Linux Transition Package

Business Development Division today presented the Linux Transition Package to help businesses cut cost if they have to spend money for Microsoft Original License.

The Linux Transition Package (LTP) would cut about 60% of the cost borne by businesses having to pay for Microsoft Genuine Software. Mega Computer Solutions introduces Linux Ubuntu Desktop as the more stable replacement for Windows XP/Vista/7.

The average small business has about 15 PCs and they spend an average of RM 1200 on original software on each PC. On average, a company would spend RM 18,000 for original software.

"Is spending RM 18,000 justified, when you're getting a software likened to a road full of potholes?" commented Farihin Fong, Head of Business Development.

Mr Fong reiterated the advantages of Linux Ubuntu Desktop of being cheaper, not proned to instabilities, more intuitive interface and having all similar software as windows has like Evolution for email, Nautilus for file exploring, Evince pdf reader, Wifi and Network Manager, GIMP photoshop for Ubuntu, native support for NTFS and FAT filesystems, automounting for Pen-drives and external hard drives, Firefox and chomre for web-browsing, Gwibber for social broadcasting, LibreOffice for office docs, spreadsheets, presentations; Banshee for MP3 playback and VLC for video playbacks.

Maybank: So far the OK bank

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +0000

So far this bank hasn't given much problems to its customers. Should be interesting to see who Maybank ticks off soon.... :-)

in reference to: Maybank2u.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Firefox Advantage

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000

If you're still on Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), then it may be time to change to Mozilla Firefox. Yes, although IE7 is a standard feature in Win XP and Vista but everyone will attest to its sluggish and rigid nature of operation.

Why would anyone say that? Well after using Firefox, no one would turn to IE7 unless they really had to.

What are the advantages of Firefox over IE7?

Faster start up : Start the clock and you'll find Firefox beating IE7 in the 100 metres.

Faster browsing and response : Following links and page refreshes are a dream in Firefox compared to its sluggish nemesis IE7.

First to innovate tab-browsing : Thumbs up for tab-browsing. So instead to opening each link in new windows (which takes up a lot of memory), Firefox was the first to come up with tab-browsing which enables new-tabs within the same browser to house other pages. So you could have a few tabs of different pages on one browser window. Fortunately IE7 also has this feature but it's NOT as responsive as Firefox's of course.

Add-ons : Firefox has got hundreds of useful add-ons. Click Tools > Add-Ons to install more add-ons. One useful add-on is DownThemAll.

Downthemall add-on : What DownThemAll does is it breaks up the file intended for download into a maximum of ten parts. Meaning each part downloads as though its uniquely separate files, and when the operation is complete, then they are compiled into one file and presto, you've got all that 34MB downloaded in just about 7 minutes!

If you need help with installing Mozilla Firefox, please contact Adam 012-2509479.

Cut cost and work better with Open Office

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:27:00 +0000

You're business is running well, when all of a sudden you realize that you'd have to invest in licensed software for all your 20 or so PCs. Today though, we'll just look at Microsoft Office licensing, its costs and how to avoid it!

Priced about RM 699, the Microsoft Office SBE (Small Business Edition) can be easily obtained. It doesn't cover the installation cost though. That would be about RM 30 per PC. So how much is the total investment?

1. 699 + 30 = RM 729
2. RM 729 x 20 = RM 14580

Imagine putting all that money to better use by opting for Open Office.

Open Office is similar to Microsoft Office in almost every way. It has Word Processor (nemesis to Word), Spreadsheet (nemesis to Excel), Presentation (nemesis to Powerpoint) and many more.

Common misconceptions:

Format incompatibility : Well that's easily resolved because Open Office supports more formats that MS Office. In fact, Open Office can read MS Office 2007 documents whereas even MS Office 2003 could not do it

Graphical User Interface (GUI) : It's true that most people think that Open Source still runs on the old DOS black and white interface. Well not anymore, Open Office has the interface equivalent or better than MS Office with all its buttons and all.

Training for the staff : Of course with great transition comes great responsibility! Get a reliable company that will include staff training and support to ensure the transition to Open Office is convenient.

Support : Normally the company proposing Open Office would include their one year's support in the price.

So what's the price? : Current market standard pricing at the time of print is about RM 350 x 20 PCs = RM 7,000 compared to RM 14580 for MS Office. Its a saving of RM 7,580. And you'd stand to gain one year's support, free training for the staff and minimum once a month visit to ensure everything's going well for rest of the year. Following year's support is about RM 150 per month only.

Save money and get IT personnel to support the organization for a year. Patches and upgrades are included in the yearly maintenance contract.

For more info, please call Farihin Fong 012-6571463 or Rafique 019-2248416 to get your organization on Open Office today!

Ubuntu Netbook Remix

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:13:00 +0000

18th January 09 - At last after much testing, the Toshiba NB100 netbook is 100% compatible to the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

So what is Netbook remix?
Just as Linux Ubuntu has got many versions, this one is one of those versions that is custom made for netbooks.

Why not install the normal Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) instead?
Well, immediately it is noticeable that Intrepid has some compatibility issues with the 9" screen. Even if its workable, its just not as good as the netbook launcher interface (above pic), where the start menu becomes bigger and easily accessible. In actuality, the netbook launcher is made for touch-screen, hence the layout as such, but its advantageous for netbooks as well.

Other than the launcher, it also has the 'window picker' application which makes windows bar appear as part of the taskbar (somewhat similar to mac os) and it saves space.

Netbook remix also ensures that the Atheros wifi is fully functional unlike its Intrepid counter-part. And it can install all of the toshiba OSD (On-Screen Display), that is the function buttons that come with NB100 such as volume, brightness, wifi, fan, etc.

Drawbacks - slow start-up. But that is overcomed with a little patience.

If you've got a netbook and want Ubuntu Netbook Remix installed, please call Farihin Fong at 012-6571463 or email farihin@gmail.com.

P/S: Below are the steps to install UNR, taken from this link:

-Start Quote-

To install UNR on your Toshiba

download the following image
http://oem-images.canonical.com/unr/unr-1.0.1.img

From a Ubuntu PC

Download and install USB-Image writer
http://ppa.launchpad.net/ogra/ubuntu...1~ppa1_all.deb

Plug in a usb pen drive(at least 1 Gb)

Then run the Image Writer tool from the accessories menu, select the downloaded image, select the target device and click on "Write to device"..

From a windows command prompt
.
1.Download flashnul from http://shounen.ru/soft/flashnul/
2.At the command prompt run:
flashnul -p
3.Note the physical device number for the target USB disk.
4.At the command prompt run:
flashnul -L \path\to\unr-.img
5.Answer "yes" after verifying the destination device.

Once it finished unmount the usb drive and plug it in to your netbook

Start your NB100 press F12 at the initial screen and select USB Memory as the boot device.
Follow the instructions to install UNR.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE INSTALLATION OF UNR WILL DELETE EVERYTHING ON YOU DRIVE! Including WINDOWS XP!

Once the install is finished open a command prompt and type

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

and add the following to the end of the file

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/payson/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/payson/ubuntu hardy main

save and close it
then type

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install toshiba-payson-unr

if that does not work(at the moment of writing there seems to be a problem)

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install toshiba-config toshiba-nb100-manual toshiba-osd-bin toshiba-osd-userspace

- End Quote-

Laserjet repairs

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Another HP laserjet came in today for repairs. Of course we picked it up earlier today from the customer's place. The symptoms: Printouts seem uniformly smeared on the left side.

What's the issue? We identified it as a fuser kit issue. The fuser kit is the heating component and the last mechanism in the printing line inside the laserjet. So if that's faulty, then the printouts will always have the uniformly smeared effect.

So we ordered the fuser kit and got it repaired for about RM 350 and we returned it to our customer.

Please contact Adam Fong 012-2509479 or email adamfong@megacomputers.com.my for inquiries on printer problems.

Make use of suspend & hibernate

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Most notebooks take about 2 minutes to shutdown and another two minutes to start up again. What would you do if you're going between classes or moving to somewhere nearby? Turn off completely and turn it back on again at the new location?

This is where you could use the suspend or hibernate options. What's the difference?

Suspend will record your current active session into the RAM and turn off the hard disk and all other power supply, except to the RAM of course. If the RAM is turned off, then all data recorded to it will be erased. So in this state, power is still being used, so use it only when the notebook or netbook needs to be turned off only for a short while, say 10-15 minutes.

If longer than 15 minutes, go for hibernation option. It's workings are similar to suspend, but instead it writes to the hard disk and then turns off completely. So when turned on, it will startup from scratch but will load and resume where you last left off, so there's no time wasted loading everything again.

Try using these two options to optimize your mobile device usability and performance. Say if you're salesperson, you can use hibernate when you're done with one customer, place it into the notebook/netbook bag and go on your merry way until you see your next customer. Then just start up again, but it'll go straight to where you last left off, so that its easier to resume when your meet the next customer.

But if you're working on your on your mobile device then someone asks you to move to another floor in the same building, then use suspend, place it in the bag and move to your destination. Just be aware that the power supply is running at a very minimum and it may run out too, after a few hours.

For further inquiries on using hibernation and suspend on your Windows or Ubuntu notebook or netbook, call 012-6571463 or email farihin@megacomputers.com.my

Ubuntu & Toshiba Netbook NB100

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Wonder how Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid will fare on a Toshiba NB100 Netbook? It works fine after some tweaking. After installing ubuntu, the main issue was getting the Atheros Wireless LAN to work.

The Atheros Wifi issue is resolved by installing ndiswrapper from Synaptic. Then start the ndiswrapper program and point to the the XP driver containing the inf file. Then restart the machine. Normally it will work after the restart.

Get the driver from here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/79635463/a0daf9a0/atheros-wlan-xp-53067.html

Other than that, bluetooth works like a charm.

But before formatting, please ensure that a copy of the recovery disk is done through the Recovery Disk Creator in Windows XP. That DVD recovery disk will actually reinstall the whole XP OS as how the netbook came with originally. Its a good idea to keep it as a backup.

There are some tweaks that can be done after installing Ubuntu 8.10. Check out this forums for some leads:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=993133&highlight=toshiba+nb100&page=3

Please contact Farihin Fong 0126571463 or farihin@megacomputers.com.my if you require some help with ubuntu and XP installations on netbook or any other IT related issue.

Streamyx Dialer

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:57:00 +0000

Berikut adalah langkah2 nak buat Streamyx dialer,

1. Masukkan cable dari modem ke komputer atau notebook anda,

2. Go to Control Panel -> Networks -> Add new network wizard,

3. Click next, pilih 'Connect to the Internet' then Next,

4. Then choose 'Set up my connection manually' -> 'Connect using a broadband connection...' spt dalam gambarajah di atas,

5. Masukkan nama Connection. Apa2 pun boleh, ini tak kisah. Selepas tu, masukkan username anda, contohnya farihin@streamyx. Ingat bukan streamyx.com ye... lepas tu password dua kali. Pastikan maklumat ini semau daripada streamyx bukan rekaan sendiri ;-). Klik Next.

6. Letakkan tanda kat "Add shortcut to the ...." lepas tu habiskan dengan klik 'Finish'.

7. Selepas tu boleh pergi ke desktop, mesti ada icon streamyx tu, klik dan connect je...

XBox Media Center for Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Linux Ubuntu memang hbat sebagai desktop OS utk keje2 office, tapi bagaimana dgn entertainment?

Boleh jugak! Saya terlintas dgn artikel mengenai XBox Media Center atau XBMC utk Ubuntu. Saya sedang install nih, tapi rasa daripada review orang, memang ini bagus punya! Steps nak installnya seperti berikut:

1. gedit /etc/apt/sources.list dan paste-kan yg mana patut (check version dulu):

Gutsy Gibbon 7.10:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-gutsy/ubuntu gutsy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-gutsy/ubuntu gutsy main

Hardy Heron 8.04:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-hardy/ubuntu hardy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-hardy/ubuntu hardy main

2. Save sources.list file tadi dan buat command apt-get update (sebagai root lah ye),

3. Selepas tu, command apt-get install xbmc

Installing Limewire in ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Installing limewire in ubuntu is much easier than you think, but surprising most forum posted lenghty and cumbersome steps to follow. I'll try and make it plain simple. If you need assistance please call us 1700-80-6342 (Malaysia line) or email rafique@megacomputers.com.my

LimeWire is a p2p program that is Java based. We are fortunate to have a Linux version of this excellent software. It's not available on any repositories that I have came across, so you will have to download the deb package.

Go here and start downloading. Choose the basic package (which is FREE) and admit that you will never use it for copyright infringement :P Get the Linux version of the software for Ubuntu. The file name is LimeWireLinux.deb.

Install the package using by double clicking the file.

It shouldn't take long. Once its done, you can launch the program located at

Applications > Internet > LimeWire

If you feel like you hate it, you can always do this to totally remove it; no traces left, simply type this command:

sudo dpkg -P limewire-basic

Finally don't forget to configure your port forwarding, so you can start downloading your favourite files.

New browser, Opera.

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:44:00 +0000

Hi, have you tried using Opera 9. Its available for Windows and Linux here. For Linux users, you easily download Opera 9 from your 'Add/Remove Application' utility.

To me it beats Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox anyday. Let me share with you why Opera is better then the rest.

Pros

1. Starts fasters than all the other browsers.

2. Has built-in email program that runs easily from the left panel.

3. Has notes, so we can easily have our to-do list, jobs done list, follow-up list available anytime. And information is copied easily to the notes by highlighting -> Right Click -> Copy to Notes. This creates a new note.

4. Contacts are easily extracted into Contacts program by pressing 'K' whenever you're reading an email.

5. Zooming function. Opera can zoom in and out while maintaining the aspect ratio of the page. Unlike Firefox's and IE's enlarge function of Ctrl+(+) which actually enlarges the fonts and makes the page go heywire.

6. Email program has filter function, that can filter mails according to contacts or any custom filter we want.

These are the six reasons I feel that make Opera a class above the rest. If you'd like to install Opera on your Linux PC or Windows XP or having trouble doing so, please contact us at 1700-80-6342 (Kuala Lumpur) or email us farihin@megacomputers.com.my.

Are you ready for IT outsourcing?

noreply@blogger.com (Farihin Fong) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:56:00 +0000

Do you really save with IT outsourcing?

We at Mega Computer Solutions hope you do, otherwise we'll have a real short relationship. ;-)

But how ready are the Small & Medium Enterprises for outsourcing in Malaysia or KL for that matter? And can IT outsourcing really save you money? We've got the method and we're gonna share...

Let's look at it from 3 different perspectives:

1. IT executive - Average salary RM 1500 these days, per annum it comes up to RM 18,000. He ensures the smooth running of the IT infrastructure and is consulted for any IT related expansions or downsizing.

2. IT infrastructure - The average SME with about 30 PCs would need at least a Domain Controller (Desktop Security), Proxy Server (Internet Security) and Centralized Anti-Virus. Some also have Instant-Messaging Server for easy file-transfers and collaboration work. This would cost a bomb: Domain Controller RM 12000 + Proxy Server RM 10000 + Anti-Virus RM 3600 = Grand Total of RM 25,600. To top it all up, not just any IT executive can handle of these Servers. He has to be really good, and really good IT people's salary would not be at RM 1500 per month.

3. Value-Added Services - What are the value-added services you'd get from in-house IT? But with outsource you may get some perks.

Let's look at how IT outsourcing can help:

1. We do the IT executive's job for HALF of his salary ;-). That means the company already saves RM 9,000. Also no need to pay us bonuses at the end of the year.

2. Stagger the IT infrastructure acquisition through our 'Hire-Purchase-Style' Service Agreement where it'll cost from RM 850 to 1800 only per month. Benefits: No high initial capital spending, no repair and maintenance costs, monthly payment comes under operations so the balance sheet looks clean and after 3 years the Servers would be transferred to client.

3. Imagine if we provided free anti-virus for the one whole year when you sign up for the 3-Year Service Agreement. Now that's value-added service that no in-house IT is willing to do....

Contact 1700-80-6342 (yes its a local malaysia line) or email farihin@megacomputers.com.my for more info. We're glad to help.