4 Ways to Recover From a Crashed or Frozen X Server on Linux

The X server on Linux provides your graphical desktop. If it crashes, you'll lose all unsaved work in graphical programs, but you can recover from the crash and restart the X server without restarting your computer.

X server crashes can be caused by bugs with graphics drivers – the proprietary AMD or NVIDIA graphics drivers, for example – hardware problems, or other software bugs.

Image Credit: Francois Schnell on Flickr

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

The Ctrl+Alt+Backspace keyboard shortcut traditionally restarted the X server on Linux. However, after complaints – particularly from new Linux users that accidentally hit this key combination and lost all their work — this shortcut was disabled by default. To enable it on Ubuntu, Fedora, or any other distribution using a GNOME-based desktop, you can use the Keyboard Layout utility.

Click the Options button and enable the Control + Alt + Backspace check box under Key sequence to kill the X server.

After it's enabled, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to immediately restart your X server. However, this shortcut is implemented by the X server and may not work if X hangs in some ways.

Switch Virtual Consoles

You can use the Ctrl+Alt+F1 keyboard shortcut (and other F-key keyboard shortcuts) to switch to a different virtual console from your X server. (Ctrl+Alt+F7 usually takes you back to X – the exact F key depends on your Linux distribution.)

Once you have, you can log into the virtual console and run the appropriate command to restart your X server. The command you'll need depends on the display manager you're using. On Ubuntu, which uses the LightDM display manager, you'd use the following command:

sudo service lightdm restart

SSH Into Computer

If you can't kill the X server locally, you can kill it over the network. Assuming you have anSSH server set up and running on your Linux system, you can log in from another computer and run the appropriate command to restart the X server. Just sign in via SSH to access a remote console and use the appropriate command to restart your display manager – on Ubuntu, it's the sudo service lightdm restart command above.

Use the Magic SysRq Key

We've covered using the magic SysRq key in the past – the SysRq is is generally the same as the Print Screen key. Assuming you want to kill the X server locally – not over the network – your system may not be responding to key presses, including the Ctrl+Alt+F1 keyboard shortcut. This can occur because the X server has taken control of the keyboard. To take control away from the X server, use the following key combination:

Alt+SysRq+r

After you have, you can try pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to access a virtual console. You can also use the Alt+SysRq+k combination, which kills all programs on your current virtual console, including your X server.

If you want to restart your computer, you can also use the magic SysRq key to cleanly restart your system – see our full post on the magic SysRq key for more information.

Download Classic Windows XP Boot Screen for Windows 7

Windows 7 boot screen is highly customizable and its not limited to 8-bit color bitmaps. You can use high resolution PNG files for animation or boot screen background.

We have shared many awesome boot screens for Windows 7 in past. Some of them are Windows 8, Fire,Metro, Angry Birds, Radian and Windows Vienna boot screens for Windows 7.

There are many Windows users who have upgraded to Windows 7 but still miss good old Windows XP look and feel. For such people we have shared lots of Windows XP themes for Windows 7 which make Windows 7 look-like Windows XP. You can download these themes using following link:

Download Classic Windows XP Themes Ported to Windows 7

And today in this topic, we are going to share something more special for those Windows 7 users who want to bring Windows XP UI to their system.

Windows XP boot screen for Windows 7 has been created by Eorxroa @ DA which brings Windows XP boot screen to Windows 7 system. Following is a preview of this boot screen in action:

If you want to enjoy old Windows XP feeling in Windows 7 boot screen, you can apply this boot screen using following simple steps:

1. First download the boot screen using following link:

Download Link

2. Extract the 7z file using 7-Zip. Now run "Windows 7 Boot Updater". Its an excellent software to change Windows 7 boot screen. More info and download link can be found here.

3. Now you can select the desired boot screen file from the extracted folder using "File -> Load boot skin..." menu and Apply it.

4. Restart your system and enjoy the boot screen.

NovaBACKUP Professional Free License

NovaBACKUP Professional is an easy-to-use Windows Backup Software for Laptops, PCs, and Workstations, this application makes users to follow best data-protection procedures. Easy setup and step-by-step wizards make this the perfect backup software, a great data protection solution for home and small business users.

NovaBACKUP Pro provides the ability to backup your data to CD/DVD drives, online over the internet, or to tape drives, disk drives and other media without interfering with other programs. The Step-by-Step Wizardguides you through performing backup and restoration procedures, and the integrated disk-imaging disaster recovery means you will be up and running fast when the worst happens.

The robust scheduler lets you set automatic backups so you don't even have to think about it.  Copy & Mirror functionality provides a simple method for "twinning" or "mirroring" data and directories in native format and the also has  integrated Open File Backup feature for Windows 7/Vista/XP/2003 users too, and a lot more.

User Interface :

The user interface of this backup software consists of a single main screen. At the top of this screen you'll find the "Launch Button", "Quick Access Toolbar" and a set of seven tabs.The Launch Button is in the top-left corner of NovaBACKUP,it provides fast access to files and often used commands. From here, you can quickly create a new job, open, run and save an existing job, or import previous backup jobs.
The Home tab contains convenient information about your previous and next scheduled backup as well as useful shortcuts and the "Quick Select" feature. The Backup tab allows you to select files and folders to backup. Similarly, the Copy tab allows you to select files and folders to be copied to another destination. The Restore tab enables you to make selections to restore files and folders. The Schedule tab provides a means to schedule backup jobs to run at a future time/date. The Logs tab provides access to logs for previously run jobs. The Device tab provides a means to configure and view backup devices. The Status tab give you a method to view the progress of the currently running job.

The file lists in the Backup, Copy and Restore tabs look very similar to the Windows Explorer, which makes it familiar and easy to use. Selected files can be browsed by expanding the drives or network resources in the tree view display on the left-hand side. Next to each folder and file is a check box. These are used for adding and removing files from the selection list.

NovaBACKUP Professional  Features :

• Easy to install, easy to use Make your first backup in minutes with simple wizards.
• Flexible Back up local. Back up online. Advanced options available.
• Back up to Cloud Storage, USB drives, NAS, FTP, Amazon S3, and more
• Select Individual Files & Folders, or a Single Backup Image
• Automatic Set it and forget it.
• Full, incremental and differential backup.
• Restore Files by Time
• Compatible with Windows 7
• Supports multiple languages including Deutsch, Francais, Brazilian Portuguese, Español and Italiano

Over all:
NovaBACKUP protects laptops and workstations with file backup to locally attached storage and cloud, imaging for complete system recovery, and includes many more features.A detailed comparison of 16 leading backup software products tested by TopTenReviews.com, has NovaBACKUP Professional leading the pack and ranking ahead of common solutions such as Acronis True Image and Norton Ghost.

"NovaBackup backs up and restores your data better than any other backup software. It also allows you to store your backups anywhere you want and ensures that your backups remain virus-free. This data backup software's interface is sophisticated enough for data backup experts, but is also simple enough to reduce the learning curve for people who haven't used this kind of software before. You'll have no problem fulfilling your data backup and recovery needs with NovaBACKUP."

 

I highly recommend NovaBACKUP for an easy and quick backup solution that automates everything it can and yet gives you the choice of what, when and where to backup. The software will even send an email to any mail account you would like when finished.I use this as my backup software and NovaBACKUP has many features that can be used by professionals and home users alike.

NovaBACKUP Professional Free License :

To grab a free license visit this promo page, provideyour details (name & email ID) and receive  NovaBACKUP Professional license key, plus download link for the installer of this software.

 

Note:

1.This Promo or free offer is for NovaBACKUP Professional 12.5 (worth $50) , the current version is 13 and the provided (free) version is not upgradable to latest version, unless you pay for the upgrade.

2.This software requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 to be installed on your system.

Read more: http://www.techno360.in/novabackup-professional-free-license/#ixzz20aZEjuk6
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

Download New Themes For Windows 7 And Windows 8

Download New Themes For Windows 7 And Windows 8 The themes page of Windows personalization gallery has always been a good place to look for new themes and wallpapers. Microsoft regularly updates the gallery with new themes and desktop backgrounds. The gallery now features over 200 themes for Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems.   Microsoft has recently updated the gallery with a [...]

SkyDrive vs Google Drive vs Dropbox vs Apple iCloud- Comparison

With the release of Google drive, the cloud storage competition has become more intense. Microsoft's SkyDrive had released a desktop version for Mac and Windows just before the release of Google Drive. There has also been discussions on privacy policy and terms of use of Google drive. Now as a user which cloud storage is good for you? Each one has its own advantages and improvement areas, so there isn't one clear winner here. But Microsoft has put up a comparison chart for SkyDrive, iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive. Since the comparison is from Microsoft, obviously the winner would be SkyDrive. Storage wise, SkyDrive is the best as it offers more GBs than others and is also priced lowest when compared to the market leader Dropbox. SkyDrive does not have an Android app, but you can check the alternatives here. So its now up to the users to decide on which is good for them. Thanks Neowin

How To Upgrade Your SkyDrive Account From 7 GB To 25 GB For Free

Microsoft has just released SkyDrive client application for Windows, Windows Phone, Mac OS X Lion, and iOS operating systems. The SkyDrive client lets users to access, browse and upload files to your SkyDrive account without leaving the desktop and offers 7 GB storage space for free.

Users who need more storage space can purchase paid storage. You can add +20 GB to your account by paying $10/year, add 50 GB by paying $25/year or 100 GB by paying $50/year. While Microsoft claims that 99.4% of the users use of 7GB or less space, it would be nice if Microsoft offered 25 GB as free storage space.

 

Now the good news is that Microsoft is offering 25 GB free space for loyal SkyDrive users. Just follow the instructions given below to upgrade your SkyDrive account storage space from the initial 7 GB to 25 GB for free!

 

 

Step 1: Visit this page, download the setup file and install SkyDrive client on your PC.

 

Step 2: Once installed and running, right-click on the SkyDrive application icon in the system tray (notification area) and click Manage Storage. This action will open SkyDrive account home page in your default web browser.

Step 3: Enter your Windows Live ID and password to login. You should see storage plans and a free upgrade offer. Simply click on Free upgrade to upgrade your storage space from 7 GB 25 GB. Good luck!

[via intowindows]

WIndows 8 Server Preview

Microsoft has released a public beta of Windows Server 8. You can get a free copy from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/windows-server/v8-default.aspx

It can't run in most virtual environments, so if you are going to try it out...you will probably need a physical machine.

The first thing I noticed - There is no start menu:



While digging around I found this point very frustrating. I kept clicking that empty space on the far left of the task bar. I can bet if they leave it this way, there will be third party solutions to bring it back :)

Because the start menu is missing, everything is accomplished through the server manager. This new interface is quite powerful. How many times have you jumped on a server and need to stop and start a particular service right away?

You can easily drill down to a service just by typing its name:



As you can see, I was testing our Remote Control - and thankfully it works perfect under this beta of Windows 8.

There are other dashboard controls just like this for events, performance, rolls and features, and even a best practices analyzer.

All the tools you would use in day to day administration are conveniently located on the tools menu of the server manager:



They are making changes to explorer too. Commonly accessed items are available right from the folder view:



Accessing the properties of a folder can now be done in one click:



When I first opened task manager I was shocked:



I thought "That's it?" What are they doing?!?

But I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked the "More Details" button:



On another tab, they have beautiful performance graphs:



The users tab is great, it shows performance, memory usage by user:



It would really help when you are trying to figure out who is hogging all the resources on the Terminal Server :)

I can imagine a lot will change before the final release, but it is worth checking out to see where Microsoft is headed with the next version of Windows.

Steve Wiseman