Tips – Page 4 – TheOS.IN

The top five engineering hints you’ll important to successful product engineering

Lewin Edwards presents five engineering tips that are crucially important to successful product engineering, but which are rarely brought up in discussions of engineering practices.

The Internet has exactly one and a half zillion articles (I counted them) containing lists of things to do and not to do in embedded systems design. Many of these articles focus on well-understood topics like switch debouncing and how to estimate maximum stack depth. Dozens of these articles quote our old favorites in terms of embedded disasters: Therac, Ariane, and the Mars Polar Lander. This article gives you a few choice tidbits of advice you won’t find mentioned quite so frequently in other places. It also includes some anecdotes that will show you just how easily your work life can turn into the inspiration for a Dilbert cartoon if you’re not careful.

Ubuntu Linux shutdown the X server

Recently someone asked me a question – “How do I shutdown the X server, so that I have a command line prompt on the console?”

Well answer is very simple use script located at /etc/init.d/ directory. If you are using KDE desktop type the command (make sure you save all the work as following command does not ask confirmation):

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

Within few seconds you should be dropped to a command line prompt on the console. To start GUI type command:

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm start

If you are using GNOME:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop

Again to start GNOME desktop:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

Another way – You can change the current runlevel

From a command line, you can use the init command to go immediately into runlevel 1, which is also known as single user text mode. Open terminal and type the following command:

sudo init 1

Again get back to GUI with init 2 command:

sudo init 2

When you type init 1 command your session will then begin to shut down and bring you into single user text mode. When you type init 2 command your session will then begin to shut down and bring you into GUI mode :)

Pretty easy ahh?

So what are GDM and KDM?

GDM (the GNOME Display Manager) provides an alternate display manager for the X Window System.
KDM (the KDE Display Manger) provides an alternate display manager for the X Window System.
In short, both of them are a graphical login interface for computers using Linux or Unix-like operating systems.

Where does outlook express store the .pst/.dbx data file?

Microsoft outlook and outlook express are widely used email client programs. It is good idea to backup .pst data file.

Please note that Outlook and Outlook express are two different products. So procdure to backup is different.

Outlook .pst data file location

Open Windows explorer and goto following folder

C:\Documents and Settings\vivek\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Make sure you replace name vivek with your own login name.

Outlook express .dbx data file location

Outlook express stores settings in windows registry and emails in .dbx file.

a) Open Outlook Express

b) Select Tools > Options > Maintenance > Store Folder

c) Now you will see a dialog that explains the location of the .dbx files.

d) Open file browser and location .dbx location and backup all files to another computer or zip drive or your backup media.

e) Run regedit in the run box (Star > Run) and pressing Enter:

Regedit

f) Now navigate as follows:

Navigate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager

g) Select the above key > Click File > Export and save the file.

For more information see this thread

Howto Install Windows XP On a USB Flash Or Pen Drive

You can install Windows XP on a USB pen so that you can troubleshoot problem or take your office with you. From the article:

All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you’ll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide a secure browser and virus scanner, and lets you take your favorite DVD burning and Office software with you wherever you may go
All that’s needed is a bootable USB Flash drive with at least 256 MB of storage capacity and a Windows Setup CD. Using the program Bart PE Builder (Freeware), you can install Windows XP on the flash drive, along with other software as needed (and as available space permits)…

=> Read more at: Tom’s hardware site…

You can do the same thing with Linux and USB pen drive.