3 Easy Ways to Connect to Windows Shared Folders from Linux

Connecting to file servers is something most people do on a daily basis even without thinking about it. In Linux, it may not be intuitive how to quickly connect to a samba or ftp server without a separate program. Here are a few different ways to connect to a remote file server without needing to touch a terminal.

Using Keyboard Shortcut

You can connect to a server by opening the run application window with the Alt+F2 keyboard shortcut. You will just need to specify the server type by adding the protocol at the beginning of the command. For example smb:// will connect to a samba share; other supported protocols are ssh, ftp, sftp, http, and https.

Note: In the example below my server name is playground and the shared folder is called music.

If your server requires a password to connect, fill out the next window that pops up and select how long you would like it to store your password.

A Nautilus window will automatically open with the server you just connected to, and you should have a shortcut under places on the left side and a shortcut on your desktop.

From GNOME Menu

If you are using Ubuntu, and many other GNOME based distributions, you will have a places menu on your top menu bar. Open that menu and click connect to server.

A new window will open up with a drop down so you can select what type of server you are connecting to.

For a samba/cifs server select Windows share and fill out the required information.

Note: Unlike the run application window, you do not need the slashes to connect here.

Alternatively, you can also get to the connect to server window from Nautilus’ file menu.

With a Shortcut

If you would like instant access to the connect to server window from your GNOME menu bar right click on the menu you would like to add the shortcut to and click add to panel.

In the window that pops up, search for “connect” and connect to server should be one of the results. Highlight the shortcut and click add at the bottom of the window.

Now you will have an additional shortcut on your GNOME bar for easy access.

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Connect Your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android Phone to a Wi-Fi Network

Have you ever wanted to connect your phone or mobile device to a Wi-Fi network at home or your favorite coffee shop but aren’t sure how? Today we’ll take a look at how to connect to Wi-Fi on an iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices.

iPhone / iPod Touch

Note: We are using version 4.0 of the iPhone OS

Find and select the Settings icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Select Wi-Fi from the Settings menu.

If your Wi-Fi setting currently set to Off, tap it to toggle On the Wi-Fi access.

Once your Wi-Fi is enabled you should see available networks appear below. Encrypted networks will show a padlock to the right of the name while “open” networks will not. Tap to select the network to join.

If you choose a network that requires a password, you’ll be prompted to enter it. Type in your password and select Join.

When connected, your network SSID will be indicated in blue with a check mark beside it.

To connect to a network with a hidden SSID, select Other.

You’ll need to know the SSID, Security type, and password. Enter that information and select Join.

  

Now you can browse to all your favorite websites and connect to other devices on your Wi-Fi network.

Android

Note: We are using Android 2.1 for our examples.

On your Android device, select the Settings icon.

 

Under Settings, choose Wireless & networks.

Next, select Wi-Fi settings.

If Wi-Fi is not already turned on, tap the check mark by Wi-Fi to turn it on. When Wi-Fi is enabled, available SSID’s will appear below. Encrypted networks will by indicated with a padlock icon. Select the network to which you’d like to connect.

If password protected, type in your password and select Connect.

You should now see that you are connected to the network.

To connect to a Wi-Fi network with a hidden SSID, select Add Wi-Fi network from the settings.

Then manually type in your SSID and password, and select your network security type. Select Save when finished.

 

Now you can browse the web through your Wi-Fi router or connect to other network devices.

 

Conclusion

Whether you want to connect to Wi-Fi to communicate to other devices or just save on your phone’s data usage, it’s pretty easy to do on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android phone.

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iPhone Backup Takes Forever

You might have encountered these tedious backups, which take ages and this is caused due to error that occurs while you update the apps from App store directly on the iPhone rather than installing it on iTunes.  This backup time usually depends on the number of apps you have installed. Moreover, you would not even be aware of the fact that your iPhone is struggling hard during the backup.

So, what do you do when you come across such issues?  Here is a quick fix that can end your backup issues forever.  This will remove the complete data and make your iPhone, a clean slate. So, you will start afresh. Nevertheless, this process could consume much time depending on the number of applications installed.

Procedure

Let us now check the process of putting your iPhone backup right on track:

• First go to iTunes and select the Edit option. Here chose the preferences. Now choose the Syncing option and select “remove all the previous backups”.  You also need to select “Disable automatic syncing for all iPhones”.
  • Now if you are a Mac user, locate the following path: Users/YOURACCOUNT/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
  • And if you are a Windows user, locate the following path: C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
• Now that you can see a Folder by name, “Backup”, delete all the files in it.
• Now plug in your iPhone, and in the applications tab, deselect “Sync Apps”.
• Now you can see a message asking that “whether you want to remove the Apps in your iPhone”. Just select Yes and this will remove all the apps on your iPhone.  This procedure will also take the backup and recreate all the files that you have removed earlier.
• This completes your sync process so, now remove any leftover apps, by holding and touching the icon until it wiggles.
• Now, in order to delete the apps, select X. This will delete any remaining apps on the iPhone. Now, sync once again.
• Now disconnect the iPhone and restart it and let it boot up.
• Now connect your iPhone back and start adding the apps one after the other.
• Now select the option “Selected applications” and “Sync applications”. Uncheck all the apps at this stage.
• Now you have to do the backup process one after the other. For this select one App and click on Sync. Make sure your sync is complete and after this, click on “Back up”. This will complete your backup.
• Now repeat the above step for every app you need and make sure keep the earlier apps checked. Do not forget to take backup for every sync. Initial backup can take long time but successive backups don’t consume much time.
• Upon finishing the backups, go to Edit and then select preference and there, select Syncing.  Here you will have to enable the option “Automatic syncing for iPhones”.

So, you are done with the backup and now you have found a solution to fix long backups.

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How To Make Microsoft Word The Default Program

It seems every time I install a new software program, it insists on becoming the default program for opening up files of a certain type. If you’re like me and suddenly have Google Earth opening up Powerpoint presentations or are trying to update your resume through Windows Media Player, take these few steps to change the default program.

The main conflict I had was when I installed OpenOffice so that I could read the proposed changes to our Fantasy Football rules that my friend who didn’t have Word sent over. I literally do 99% of my typing in Microsoft Word and for two years Open Office would automatically start when I clicked a .doc. I couldn’t take it anymore and found out the answer to my problems was actually a pretty easy fix.

Make Microsoft Word The Default Program

1. Go to the start menu in the left-hand corner and when the menu appears, click on Control Panel.

2.  Click on classic view in the left menu. This will show you the icons as shown below.

3.  Double-click on the default programs icon.

4.  There will be four choices, click on the second choice that says associate file type or protocol with a program. See the screen shot below.

5.  Now another window will open with a list of file extensions to choose from.

6.  Scroll down the list until you find the .Doc extension and the .Docx extension for the newest Microsoft word file types.

7.  In the screen shot below I have found that .Doc extension and have made it blue by selecting it.

8.  Once you have selected your file type, press on the change program button at the top right.

9.  Now you can choose which program you want to open that particular file type. If you cannot see the program you want you can click on the are browse button below stop

10.  Browse for your programs .exe file and then press ok.

Here is another way to make Microsoft word the default program when opening a .Doc file:

You can make Microsoft word the default program by manually going and finding the executable file for Microsoft Word. This is the file that starts the program. It will be contained in your C drive, program files, then a Microsoft office folder, then another office folder depending on what version you have.

1.  The first thing you need to do to make Microsoft Word the default program is find any .doc file or .docx for 2007+ on your hard drive.

2.  Right click once on the file and select open with from the menu that drops down. See the screen shot below.

3.  You can choose a program to open that file. If it is not there press on browse to find your program.

2.  Browse through your C: Program files directory until you find the program winword.exe.

3.  I had to go to C drive, program files, Microsoft office, office 12, then I found winword.exe.

4.  Make sure you check the “make this the default program for opening files of this type’ box and your troubles are over…until the next time you install new programs in your hood.

Notes on how to make Microsoft word the default program:

• This is an easy way to stop programs from clashing.
• If you do not solve this problem you will be continually slowed down with your work.

I have shown two ways to make Microsoft word the default program so it should not matter what operating system you have, this should work for you.

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How to Control a Remote Computer Using Only Your Chrome Web Browser

Going remote with friends and family is helpful when you need to show them how to do something or fix a problem. Here’s how you can offer cross platform remote assistance using only Google Chrome and an extension.

In most cases you need to install software or have a special service running in the background. With Chrome Remote Desktop, all you need is your Chrome browser running to be able to take control and share your screen. Here’s how to install and use it.

First you need to install Google Chrome if you don’t already have it. Download and install it from the link below.

Then install the Chrome Remote Desktop Beta extension by going to the link below.

During the installation you will be asked to authorize the app to have access to view your email address, view your remote desktop computers, and view and send chat messages.

After it’s installed, open a new tab in Chrome and click the Chrome Remote Desktop BETA app.

Click share this computer and a 12 digit code will be generated for you.

This is a one time code that someone can use to access your computer.

From the other computer, click access a shared computer and type in the first code (spaces are not necessary).

Give it a little bit and the tab will change to the other computers desktop. While in this mode, the computer being shared can either push the disconnect button, Ctrl+Alt+Esc, or close the Google Chrome tab to end the session.

If you have trouble connecting to the remote computer or it hangs when saying verifying access code, try allowing ports 443 and 5222 to have inbound and outbound rules in your windows firewall using both UDP and TCP.

If you need further help check out Google’s help page on the extension below.

Google Chrome Download

Chrome Remote Desktop Beta

Chrome Remote Desktop Beta help page

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How to show your Network connection icon in the taskbar notification area

If you want to see the Network connections icon on your windows taskbar notification area, it is very easy to do. It can be quite handy having the Network connections icon there for you to see as it will let you know if there is a problem with your connection. If you have a wireless network connection you will see the same icon pictured left, but there will be wireless signals coming from it.

Why do you need a network connections icon in your taskbar notification area?

There are some great benefits to having a network connections icon in your notification area in your taskbar. The Network connections icon will let you know if you have low connectivity, an Ip address conflict, or even if you have no internet connection at all. For example a yellow triangle appears over your network connection icon in the task bar when there is an Ip Address conflict or a bad internet connection. If you have a low wireless signal a balloon message will stem form the network connection icon notifying you of the problem.

How to show your Network connection icon in the taskbar?

1. Go to the start menu and choose control panel. Then double click on the Network Connections icon.
2. Now choose your internet connection adapter. I am using LAN ( Local Area Connection) which is with a Ethernet cable. Yours may be a wireless adapter. Right Click on your connection and choose properties from the menu.
3. On the general tab of the Local Area connection properties there is a box that says Show icon in notification area when connected. Tick this box to show the network connections icon in the taskbar.

Watch this video tutorial on how to add a network connections icon to your taskbar

This video shows how to put a network connection icon in your notification area in Windows XP. It also shows you all the benefits to having a network connections icon available in the taskbar.

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How to put a network connections icon in the Notification area in Windows Vista?

If you go to your connection properties in Windows Vista there will not be a box to tick to enable the network connection icon. If you want to place a network connection icon in the taskbar in Windows Vista then follow these steps:

Go to the start icon in The left corner of the Windows Vista desktop.

1. Right click on it for a menu to appear.
2. Choose Properties from the menu
3. The taskbar and start menu properties will appear.
4. Go to the notification tab.
5. Tick the box next to network to show the network connections icon.
6. Press apply and Ok.

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Bitmap Disk Cache Failure when using remote desktop

How to disable Bitmap caching?

1. Re-open the remote desktop connection window to make a new connection.
2. Connect to the remote computer.
3. Open the remote desktop connection window on that  computer.
4. Press on the options button. (A text link for Windows Seven)
5. Go to the Experience tab, as shown in the screenshot below.
6. Untick the box next to Bitmap caching. Press the cross to close.
7. Now disconnect the remote desktop connection and then reconnect to see if the error message comes up.

I actually disable this on both computers as it can cause problems in the future.

Now the second way to fix this error is to clear out the actual cache folder that has the problem. See this article on path to clear terminal services cache folder.

Notes:

• On Windows Seven the box that you have to untick will say Persistent bitmap caching.

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