http://www.unsightful.com Painless tech tips, advice, help, and links you can use! Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:44:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en After reading Kevin Purdy's nice little post on Lifehacker about copying one file to avoid the hassle of reactivating your Windows install, I thought I'd offer my pro tip on the subject. How to answer the voice prompts or operator to get them to authorize your install if you have to ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/08/29/no-bull-guide-to-activating-windows-by-phone/ One of my biggest annoyances with installing a new app is getting all the way to the end and seeing this: "Your system must be restarted to complete installation." Oh hell no. This is my computer, and I reboot it when I want to reboot it. I don't care if your ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/08/29/stupid-windows-trick-kill-an-installers-unwanted-reboot/ Everybody knows about using VMware to test out operating systems - it's a great way to sample thirteen or forty Linux distributions so you can find one you really like without reformatting your hard drive to death. But why not try out some of these interesting gems while you're at ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/06/30/7-kick-ass-vmware-appliances/ It seems like everyone and their mother wants to find out what “this Linux thing” is all about. Well, it’s time they found out. There are so many ways to try it out (are you listening Windows and OSX?) that there’s no reason not to have a go at it. ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/06/28/4-easy/ Granted my in-house network is pretty small compared to what some of you are looking after, but we're all faced with the same kinds of problems. We need to be able to maximize uptime and keep producitivity at the highest level possible. That, and we need to minimize the number ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/06/27/7-great-free-apps-for-admins/ So many of the posts I read on the 'net about removing a forgotten Windows password recommend using a Linux boot disc called "l0pht crack." It's a brute force cracking application, so it basically just searches millions of alphanumeric combinations until it finds the one that works. Personally, I've never ... http://www.unsightful.com/2008/06/26/lost-your-windows-password-fix-it-yourself/