Veni Vidi Vici

Seamless Virtualization on Feisty with all the extras...

2007-07-04T18:06:00.000+03:00

Windows+Linux=Love For Ever?

THOSO who are impantient on what this guide does scroll to the botton where I put the gallery....

As you may have read I was recently playing around in Ubuntu with wubi.Last week I decided to more to a normal Ubuntu Install and try to explore what else would it allow me to do.One Issue not so well known but EXTREMELY powerfull is what we call Seamless Virtualization...

-Seamless What???

-Yes I am aware of how is sounds and trust me its not such an easy task but once you manage to pull it off we are talking for around 99% application support in your Linux Box which will suit you and leave any fanboy speachless(Trust me I tried it :P)

As far as more advanced users may be interested let me explain what we shall do.We shall Install an Xp windows installation on a Virtual File,We are gonna use RDP to remotely call apps from it,we are gonna patch the Feisty RPD client for multi application support and use a pearl script to launch them,and finally arrange the tap interface to support multi user functionality.

-Cool so where do i begin?

-The first thing to do like always is prepare your weapons

VirtualBox. The program that will emulate a windows Xp install.Same can be done with VMware,Qemu)
Windows Xp Installation Disk.
Dependencies to use with sudo apt-get install: bridge-utils uml-utilities autoconf automake automake1.9 libX11-dev build-essential openssl rdesktop(incuded in feisty)
Client Xp tools : Server Component and Shutdown.exe
Rdesktop Source with Multi Application Patch or a Compiled binary (untested)

-Got them all now what?

-Lets play with Virtual Box.

1:Virtual Box

Go to Applications->System Tools->InnoTek VirtualBox
Press New>Next and enter for name xp and OS type "Windows Xp" You can use any name but its better to keep it short
Set Memory to as much as you like.I recommend 256 or 512 if you can spare it
Proceed to creating new HardDrive>New>Dynamic Expanding Image>any size above 2GB
Keep pressing next till you are done with basic settings
Now open the new machine settings
go to General Advanced and Select Bidirectional Shared Clipboard
Go to Cd/DVD and Mount the drive which contains the XP Installation CD or the ISO of it.
Go to Network and Select Attached to Host Interface,Cable Connected and Interface name tap0
Go to Remote Display and just tick the box to enable VRDP Server
Go to shared folders and insert any folder you want the XP to be able to read.I inserted both my partitions.MARK down the name when it creates them.
If you have come so far press start and procced to installing Windows XP.Im not gonna get into details on that but its not rocket science either :)

-Ok it finished and im logged at Windows Xp now what?

-Lets Tweak them for our needs

2.Ubuntu Configuration

Open a terminal and type :sudo pico /etc/rc.local

Add this text inside the BEFORE the exit and after any other enties you may have.

tunctl -t tap0 -u GnomeUserName
chmod 0666 /dev/net/tun
/usr/sbin/brctl addbr br0
/sbin/ifconfig eth0 0.0.0.0 promisc
/usr/sbin/brctl addif br0 eth0
/sbin/dhclient br0
/usr/sbin/brctl addif br0 tap0
ifconfig tap0 VboxIp up
bash -c 'echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/conf/tap0/proxy_arp'
route add -host LinuxIp dev tap0
arp -Ds  eth0 LinuxIp pub

Where:
GnomeUserName:your user name logged in linux
Vbox ip:A FREE ip for the virtual machine
Linux Ip:Your Ubuntu Linux local network Ip

For multiply users you need to add those lines too

tunctl -t tap1 -u GnomeUserNAme1
brctl addif br0 tap1
ifconfig tap1 VboxIp1 up
echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/conf/tap1/proxy_arp
route add -host LinuxIp dev tap1

Where
GnomeUserName1=Second User name
tap1=tab increases while we add users.3rd user would be tap2 and so on
Vbox ip1=Another ip to our network DIFFIRENT to the one we used in other users
yourip=the same for all ip of the Linux Machine.For a third user we do the same increasing the numers of tap and VboxIps

Reboot the Linux System now for them to activate or you may enter them manually one by one on a terminal.(good for troubleshooting).Once you are sure they are ok we procceed to:

3.Client Windows Tweaking

In order to make them communicate with the drives we need to open a windows command promt(yeah I know ironic isnt it?) and type in there net use x: \\vboxsvr\name.As you guessed the name is the one we marked before when setting shared folders.If you shared more than one folder then run the command for each one of them with a different letter z,y,x.This will create network drives with those letters..
Place Server and Shutdown.zip at one of those shared folders at your Feisty machine so you can pick them up from the Windows Client.Extract and put them at c:\seamlessrdp\
Go to Explorer>Tools>Folder Options>View>Adanced Settings>Hide File Extention For known File Types and DISABLE it
Righ click on windows taskbar and UNLOCK it.Then if you have your gnome panel up leave it down else drag it up or wherever you want....This will come handy for having both GNOME and Windows Panel at the same screen
Create 2 text documents in that folder and name then shutdown.bat which contains "shutdown.exe -u -f" and logoff.bat which contains "shutdown.exe -l -f".The seamlessrdp folder should now contain seamlessrdp.dll seamlessrdp.exe vchannel.dll shutdown.exe shutdown.bat logoff.nat
Right Start and right click on MyComputer>Properties>Remote>Allow users to connect remotely to this computer CHECK It
Start>Click on the User Icon on Top of the Menu>once you are the Icon Selection press Back>Create a password
Start>Run>Type "control userpasswords2" and a window should pop Up>Uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”
Start>Run>Type "mmc">File>Add remove Snap In>Add>Group Policy Object>Add>Finish>Close>Ok
Keep MMC open and go to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings and select Scripts (Startup/Shutdown) go to startup>Add New Script>c:\seamlessrdp\logoff.bat Save and close
Make sure to UNmount all CDs/DVD on VBox and go to Virtual BoX meny to Click to Install Guest Additions.If there is no media mounted there should pop an installer and just keep pressing next till its dont
Go to Control Panel>Netword Connections and you can either Note down the IP or set a fixed one (recomended if you using a router).To do so just click on properties on the network connection>Tcp/Ip settings>Set manually>And use a FREE IP of your network,the SAME subnet mask as your network and the ip of the default gateway(router or your pc).Enter the gateway ip in the DNS server tab if you fail to get internet in the XP.Press ok and exit.The Ip we Find here we shall call it VboxInternalIp and ITS IMPORTANT since all conections are made with that IP

Open a notepad and paste this code into it.Then Save as Fixes.Reg and run it.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp]
"ColorDepth"=dword:00000004
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDesktop"=dword:00000001 tap0

-Man that was a LOT!!!

-Thats true but the hard part is over now.Lets see how we connect if everything is ok.

Running Windows Applications Seemlesly

First of all we need to load the xp machine on backround so type:"VBoxManage startvm "xp" -type vrdp".If you wish to add it on startup(NOT recommended in my opinion use the System->Preferences->Sessions.

Since you wanna see some results before getting dirty again use that command

rdesktop -rsound -A -s "c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe C:\Windows\explorer.exe" VboxInternalIp:3389 -u "WinUserName" -p WindowsPassword

Be patient.If the above command fails try switching the Ip from Windows to the Vmbox Ip you used on setting up the step 2.It will normally log to desktop with full Gui so you may know if there is something wrong with the setup.
If explorer loads you will be presented with windows task bar.IF YOU HAVE gnome panel in the bottom I suggest to hide it(use the hide arrows)
If you run explorer you may lauch as many apps you want at the same time.On the other side if you launch a notepad using this command you will notice you cannot run any other app.This is a limit of the current RDP
```
rdesktop -rsound -A -s "c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe" VboxInternalIp:3389 -u "WinUserNAme" -p WindowsPassword
```
To fix the above issue we need to patch the RDP client OR use my Compiled binary(Skip that step if you use it and just copy it at step 7).Extract the Rdesktop Source and put the Multi Application Patch inside that folder.Not open a terminal navigate to the folder you extracted and type
```
patch -p1 <20070420_rdesktop.patch
./bootstrap
./configure
make
```
If everything goes well you should find inside the folder a file named rdesktop.You need to copy it to /usr/bin and replace the original.One easy way is "alt+f2>gksudo nautilus" to go there to keep a copy of the original too.You may wanna try my compiled rdesktop but I cannot guarantee its success

If it work type

rdesktop -rsound -A -s "c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe" VboxInternalIp:3389 -u "WinUserNAme" -p WindowsPassword

and then

rdesktop -l "calc"

This should pop out calculator in a second window.COngratulations you have set up multi user rdesktop

Now lets make a script to call an application easier no matter if its first or second on a machine:


#!/usr/bin/perl



my $bin = '/usr/local/bin/rdesktop';

my $host = 'VboxInternalIP';

my $socket = '/home/GnomeUsername/.rdesktop/seamless.socket';

my $shell = 'C:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe';

my $username = 'WinUsername';

my $password = 'Windows password';



if (@ARGV != 1) {

print "usage: rdesktop-wrapper \n";

exit;

}



# if socket and master session exist,

# launch command in slave mode

$numprocs = `pgrep -c -U Gnomeusername -x rdesktop`;

if (-e $socket and ($numprocs == 1)) {

exec($bin, '-l', $ARGV[0]);

# otherwise, start new master mode

# only if no other sessions running

} elsif ($numprocs == 0) {

exec ($bin, '-A', '-s', $shell . " $ARGV[0]", $host, '-u', $username, '-p', $password);

}

Save as rdesktop.pl and with terminal in the folder you saved it type sudo chmod +x redsktop.pl

If you use more than one users make diffirent rdesktop1.pl,rdesktop2.pl.When completed you may copy them over to /usr/bin folder as we did before
Launching an application now is easier than even just type
```
rdesktop.pl "c:/..../application.exe"
```
You can now create a menu in Gnome Panel Considering Seamless Applications.We mainly need 1PowerOn Button,One Poweroff,One pointing to explorer.exe(which in my tests behaved better with the old way NOT the pl script one),and one for each application you want to install and run there
In order to poweroff you may call the "c:/seamlessrpd/shutdown.bat" or force the poweroff
```
 VBoxManage controlvm "xp" poweroff
```
if you Virtual Pc got another than xp name change it

Finito La Musica - Credits Special Thanks

Although its a hard word the result is more than rewarding.I would like to give full credits to all those who really came up with those stuff and made this possible.

mikeytag
Fontis IT consulting
adam'w
tabletguy
And many more I may have skipped of the lovely Ubuntu Community

Gallery

Both Start Menus as you see here:

Showing the Actual System Drives mapped as Netword Drives

Running Multiply Windows Apps

Linux for Windows Users

2007-06-02T13:00:00.000+03:00

Prologue

I would it would not be an overkill to say that there was always a time for any Windows user,that he was temped to try an alternative Operating System.That tempation was even more strong when Windows were doing their dirty tricks and stopped functioning out of a sudden.This time has come for me too.After 2 days of fighting to my Windows XP trying to explain them that my MONITOR is supposed to be the primary device and not the TV that I dont even have connected to the system I came across an interesting trick.I wanted to get my work done and did not want to setup the system from scratch.Then I met wubi

Wubi

What wubi does is really original.It allows you to install Linux from Windows.With a 3 step installer and minimal user interference.In addition to that it does not mess with your HDD since it installs everything on a folder where you tell it to by creating some Virtual Hard Drives.In other words its really safe of those who dont even know what partition is.Even if you mess everything up just log to windows and unistall it from add remove programs just as easy as the mIRC....

Enough with the blattering lets start the games.First we need wubi (9mb) and a linux ISO.If you dont feel sure about which linux to get you can let wubi download the iso for you.If you want really fast download though just do it yourselves from here.Remember to Get the Desktop Version,x86 and alternative Iso or the wubi wont accept it.When it downloads put it in the same folder with the wubi.exe and run it.You should get to this screen eventually

The Username and Password you are supposed to provide them for the Linux.Mind that the pass will be asked a lot so keep it easy to type.If you press install it downloads iso (if its not downloaded by you) and installs.
But I recommend you to check the settings before that.There they are.

Dont panic with all those things you have no idea what they do.Let me give you a quick info.

Swap is the same as windows Virtual Memory just in a separate partition.So normally its best to keep it 2xTimes the Ram of your system.But it will work for 1GB just fine if you only wanna check linux out.
System is the same as the /windows forlder on your system.The main system files will be installed there.
Home is more or less a combination of the MyDocuments,ProgramFiles and User Settings.
The installation Drive is where you want the virtual files installed.Pick one where you can spare the space.It also shows you how much space is left after wubi is installed
Desktop Environment is what type of grafic environment you want.I highly recommend Ubuntu for starters.

So what are the best settings.It depends on each peoples system.The only thing I can recommend for sure is the Ubuntu.For minimal system setup I have made it work with 1swap,3Home,3System but next time I decided to go 2,4,4.So choose the space you want to spare and install wubi.When done it shall ask for reboot.Accept it and when the system restarts you shall see a promt to start Windows of Ubuntu.We start Ubuntu and wait for the installer to Finish.Then it will restart once again and the system will be ready.No more user Interaction needed.

In case you wanna use other that the normal ISO files there is a way even for other debian based distributions or 64Bit ones.I suggest you first try to see how the normal ones work then play with the unofficial ones.For anyfurther info check the Wubi Guide and the Forums...

Ubuntu...ing...

If all goes well you shall be presented with the login screen.You insert the Username and Password we put in wubi and there you are.You are inside Ubuntu.This is the First time Desktop.

I though it looked kinda minimalistic.Dont worry and we can change it a LOT.Since you are used to Windows you can make it look more like it.Im gonna use a Vistaish template so you can see how customizing Desktop works.All elements of those bars are customizable.So you should just delete the upper one and customize the lower one.Right click to delete panel on top.Then go on bottom and delete the workspace switcher and the Recycle Bin.Also UNLOCK the Show Desktop Panel and the Window list if its locked.Finally Right Click and Add to Panel.

From Here add the

Main Menu(the Ubuntu Icon you should not normally have the other main menu)
Keyboard indicator
Notification Area(Tray in Windows)
Volume Control
A clock
A couple of separator if you wanna be aesthetically perfect.

Each of those elements can be moved along the bar.I think that you can set the to the way you are used to with little effort.When done you can lock them.

Screen Monitor and Grafic Card Drivers

Now that the menu is configured to a more easy for you way lets check out our system Hardware support.If the screen is feeling tiring probably your monitor is not supported.Go to System>Prefferences>Screen Resolution and try to set a desired Resolution and Refresh Rate.If you can you are lucky ones.If not we need a get our hands dirty but first we need to make a decision.

Do you wanna play heavy 3D Windows Games or Not.If you do,you have to install the Proprietary Drivers for your card(Official) else we can just skip that part.For Nvidia its highlly recommended and also for ATI after the R480Chipset (X850 Series) even though its a pain.If you only wanna move along and decide later skip to next chapter and go to Beryl.

Installing proprietary drivers is easy at Ubuntu.Go to System>Prefferences>Restricted Drivers and just enable it.It will setup everyhing aytomated and you have to restart the system

Xorg

Xorg is the CORE of the Linux System Grafical environment.You will have to edit it in order to make tweaks.Im gonna show you how we do a simple task such as fixing a monitor that is not recognizing.If your system works so far and you did not install the drivers you can move to Beryl Part or just read this to learn.

First of all before learning I recommend to make a copy.You never know what may go wrong.So type this on terminal

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup1

To make you understand what you are doing Sudo=super user.Linux does not allow every user to edit everyhing.cp is the copy command. The rest is the location of the files.CAPS do matter so x11 will not work.Now lets edit

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

That will get you to a notepad like application with a lot of text inside.Move to the Monitor Section and it should say

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 48-40
VertRefresh 48-60
EndSection

If we want our monitor to display the correct refresh we just change the HorizSync and VertRefresh to our monitor ones.If you dont know them but remember how your windows one worked at 85refresh you can set it to HorizSync 60-65(its mainly ~ -20 of the Vertical one) VertRefresh 85-85

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 60-65
VertRefresh 85-85
EndSection

Save exit and press Alt+CTRL+Backspace to restart the Xserver.Log in and see if its fixed :)

An alternative way is the modeline one.Type this on a terminal:
gtf horizontalresolution verticalresolution refreshrate and if will give you a long line.For example for 1024x768 100hz I type

gtf 1024 768 100

# 1024x768 @ 100.00 Hz (GTF) hsync: 81.40 kHz; pclk: 113.31 MHz
Modeline "1024x768_100.00" 113.31 1024 1096 1208 1392 768 769 772 814 -HSync +Vsync

Take that line without the # and add it on xorg instead of the refresh rates we used before and it will work

REMEMBER IF YOU CHANGE THE monitor Identifier you also have to change it on the Screen Section or you wont be able to boot

You can also edit display modes on the next section Section "Screen" .

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI Technologies Inc R430 [Radeon X800 (PCIE)]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection

This one means that when you set 24Bit Colour you can choose from those 3 available resolutions.You may also add the refresh rate on each resolution or delete the res you dont like i.e

Modes "1024x768_85" "800x600_100"

This one forces 100 Refresh rate on 800x600 while 85 on max and does not allow you to switch to 640x480.

Beryl Eyecandy

This is the most important and neat feature you will love in Linux.Its a project to help you get 3dimentional Desktop.Unlike Vista its ACTUALLY 3D and has very low requirements.I have managed to run Beryl on an AMD 1300 with 9600Ati card and 513 Ram on 266Speed.Here is a quick look at how it looks..

And you can watch some videos of its features on youtube.Here is a nice Demo.

Installing applications to Ubuntu is kinda easy even when it involves the Termina.Fortunatelly for us beryl can be also grafically installed (at least the light Version)Go to Add/Remove.It will ask you to Input password and refresh the list from the net.You do both.Select it to show all available applications on the upper right and search for Beryl.You should see something like that.

Select Beryl Manager and Beryl hit apply and you are done.In most of the cases that is all you need to do if you did not install any driver and got an Nvidia or older ATI.To run Beryl you can either find it on the applications>system Tools or press alt+f2 and type beryl-manager there.You shoud see a gem on the notification area and your windows should become more elastic.For the cube press alt+ctrl and move the mouse.You can set the other settings on the beryl setting manager.

If you now want themes in the windows and I think you do you need to install the Beryl Theme manager.For that we need the terminal.Open it and type

sudo apt-get install emerald emerald-themes

When done if you right click on the Gem Icon you should be able to change theme

If you wanna set it to startup go to System>Prefferences>Sessions>New startup item and Put whatever name you want and run "beryl-manager"

Beryl Advanced

Now lets get to some more advanced commands.THose are not needed or you better wish they are not needed.ATI support for Linux is a joke and you may be forced that way....If you got everything working by now you can skip this section.

Let me give you some explanations.There are 2 ways to get 3d Desktop accelaration.Xgl and AIGLX.ATi official drivers do NOT support AIGLX which is far supperior while the default open source ATI drivers do support it but do not support Games.If you got Nvidia you can have both at the same time.For Ati you have to SHUT down XGL+Beryl for games and 3d Apps to Run

How to ATI+XGL+Beryl:

I suppose you already got the official driver installed.To check for that type

fglrxinfo

and you should get

display: :0.0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: ATI Technologies Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: RADEON XPRESS Series
OpenGL version string: 2.0.6334 (8.34.8)

If not use the restricted driver manager OR the add/remove programs to use the binarydriver for an easy installation.This driver may cause some Hybernate-Powermanagemt Issues to Amd machines hence you may want to updrage to the latest official driver which is described in the following paragraph:

To manually install the latest ati driver you have to do this you should get it from here ATI 8.38.6-x86_64
and follow this commands

sudo gedit /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common and add "fglrx" to DISABLED_MODULES="". Then install

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic build-essential debconf dh-make fakeroot gcc-3.4 libstdc++5 module-assistant

chmod +x ati-driver-installer-8.38.6-x86.x86_64.run

./ati-driver-installer-8.38.6-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/feisty (or edgy, whatever)

dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx* fglrx-kernel-source* fglrx-amdcccle*

m-a prepare

m-a update

m-a a-i fglrx

depmod -a

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf from using "vesa" to "fglrx" and add

Section "Extensions"

  Option "Composite" "Disable"

EndSection



Section "ServerFlags"

  Option  "AIGLX" "off"

EndSection

at the bottom.

Now Reboot if you installed drivers
If everything is ok you have to change the place beryl is downloaded from.To do that

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

You should get that notepad again.In the end of file add a new line

deb http://ubuntu.beryl-project.org/ feisty main

Save and close.(This allows us to download beryl version from its own site and not ubuntus version)Then

sudo wget http://ubuntu.beryl-project.org/root@lupine.me.uk.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

This one gets the key and finally we install with

sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl beryl-ubuntu beryl-manager emerald

The Beryl PLugins Unsuported can be skipped if you dont want ALL the neat tricks.Same applies to emerald-themes if you dont want the default themes there.If you want to test them out as you should just add this to the previous line of install :

emerald-themes beryl-plugins-unsupported

Its almost complete.We only need to downgrade the beryl core in a version that works with XGL

sudo gedit /etc/apt/preferences

Paste,save exit

Package: *
Pin: release o=lupine
Pin-Priority: 1000

Update and install Beryl Core

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install beryl-core=0.2.0~0beryl1

This has installed beryl.Now we need to create a diffirent session to log into it with XGL.

sudo gedit /usr/local/bin/startxgl.sh

This Creates a startup script.It should be blanc.Paste this code into it save and close

#!/bin/sh
Xgl :1 -fullscreen -ac -accel xv:pbuffer -accel glx:pbuffer &
DISPLAY=:1
cookie="$(xauth -i nextract - :0 | cut -d ' ' -f 9)"
xauth -i add :1 . "$cookie"
exec dbus-launch --exit-with-session gnome-session

Make it executable now

sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/startxgl.sh

Adding the Session Menu now

sudo gedit /usr/share/xsessions/xgl.desktop

And copy paste this,save exit

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=Xgl
Comment=Start an Xgl  Session
Exec=/usr/local/bin/startxgl.sh
Icon=
Type=Application

Done Press Alt+Ctrl+Backspace and change session to XGl,login and enjoy

More Appications

We got the Ubuntu and Beryl working.The hard part has passed.Now lets add more applications to make our life easier.Open the add remove selection and install those.

Ntfs Configuration Tool .By default the linux does not allow you to mess with windows drives.This tool allows you to make them writeable.If you face any issues with the default version you can update to the one here.Not shutting down may be one issue it causes.
Amule a Linux emule client
ktorrent,Deluge A bitorrent client
Wine .Windows emulator.Really cool way to run Exe files.
GnomeBacker,Brasero Burning Applications for Cds DVDs
VlC Best Mediaplayer out there.Also Xine is impressive one and highly recommended but you have to install from command promt (sudo apt-get install xine-ui)
JaVa 6 web start
XMMS (Winamp like)

Also do get Automatix2

This allows some extra applications to get easily installed such as

Flash player for Firefox
Multimedia Codecs
Frostwire (Limewire Free)
SLAB (custom Menu instead of start one.Check it out)

Aytomatix should install fine by just clicking on the file like a windows installer.If it fails do follow the steps of this guide

Last but not least there is some non free software you may like.

Crossover Office .This allows Ms office and other win applications get installed and run easily.Needs Wine
Cedega .Its like Crossover office for Windows Games.You can see a list of suported games here
NeroLinux.If you cannot live without your Nero you can Get linux Version.I think nero 6.3 Premium Serial works there..

Extra tips

For more application support you may wanna try your windows apps with wine.Just browse to the exe and right click>open with other application>Use Custom Command>wine

Or just type on the terminal wine application.exe I did that so I can run utorrent which seems to work just fine.Same applies to isobuster and many other apps.You can easily create a launcer too so you dont have to type it.Create launcer and input inside in the run part "wine /etc/media/drivername/blablabla/application.exe" and you are done :)

If you want to autolog to the Ubuntu without entering password go to System>Administration>Login Window>Security>Enable Automatic logic for your username..

In case you are facing with DVD burning issues you have to do two things.First of all if your system is all IDE you Need to update your kernel for UDMA support.If your system is Sata HDD with IDE burner you need to do this trick... sudo gedit /etc/rc.local and add BEFORE the end line :P chown root:cdrom /dev/sg0 (or sg1,2,... whatever your system has.)Save close reboot.

If for any reason you just hate to make copy or changes with the terminal you can create a new launcher in desktop ,name it Super User Mode,enter as command gksudo nautilus and save it.Now this allows you to access files previously locked.BE CAREFULL THOUGH because with great power comes great responsibility :)

On the Snow Plugin for Beryl-Unsupported you can use any texture you like.Be it leaves or hearts,stars etc..

On Nautilous you can set your windows Desktop and Application Data in your bookmarks so its Faster to move around.

If you need to make a full system Backup just copy Virtual System Drives.They are located to /media/host/wubi/disks in Linux and in c://Wubi/disks (if c is the install directory) in windows.Better play safe than sorry

UPDATES ARE CRITICAL on Linux.But do be carefull when applying them.I highly recommend to have the update manager turned off and when you choose to install it to have the /etc/apt/sources.list file CLEAN.If you have added some lines or automatix did please COMMENT THEM OUT with # in front and run a "sudo apt-get update".Then run the update manager.Im telling this to you because extra lines will install SVN(untested-beta) upgrades and will prob create issues you cannot fix.After the upgrade you may remove the # and reupdate the apt.

Some Video Applications may not like your 3D desktop.Most of all because they are presenting the image below the 3D layer so you get a black screen.If that is the case im gonna present you a fix for VideoLan.Mplayer seems totally broken in last version but any input is wellcome.In VLC open prefferences check the Advanced Checkbox on the lower right,and go to Video>Output Modules and change the default to X11.If you use unicode Subtitles you need to set it you language.In Videolan that is accomplished by prefferences>input codecs>other codecs>subtitles>encoding.For subtitle size you go to prefferences>video>subtitles OSD>Text Renderer.On Xine you just get some ttf fonts with your language support and put it in /usr/share/xine/libxine1/fonts.Then just select from its menu the fonts and the language and you are done.Mplayer subtitle support is a mess

In order to Install DVD and Win32 proprietary codec you need to either try to install them with Automatix or do this:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Add this one to the Sources: ## Medibuntu - Ubuntu 6.10 “feisty
eft”
## Please report any bug on https://launchpad.net/products/medibuntu/+bugs
deb http://medibuntu.sos-sts.com/repo/ feisty free non-free
deb-src http://medibuntu.sos-sts.com/repo/ feisty free non-free

Save close and type: wget -q
http://medibuntu.sos-sts.com/repo/medibuntu-key.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key
add -

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 w32codecs

In case you have issues with Streaming Video and especially quicktime you may wanna change the default Firefox Plugin.In terminal type

sudo apt-get remove totem-mozilla
sudo apt-get install mozilla-mplayer

Nautilus supports audio file preview when mouseover.Most of the times it will get installed the moment you add the codecs.In case you don't install the codecs you can install the preview with this command

sudo aptitude install mpg321 vorbis-tools

To add Winrar support in intergraded Archive manager use Automatix for installing Archive Tools or type:

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install rar unrar

If you are getting some strange Errors when Shutting down the system about user.virtal.disk,swap failed etc you may need to edit fstab

sudo gedit /etc/fstab

and look for usr.virtual.disk and extra.virtual.disk .
If you find them add # in front of their line like that:

#/media/host/wubi/disks/usr.virtual.disk /usr ext3 loop 0 0
#/media/host/wubi/disks/extra.virtual.disk /media/extra auto loop 0 0

Use Gmail as Default manager in Ubuntu.This tip is extremely usefull for all who do use gmail and dont like embeded mail aps(ME for example).The fix is rather simple.Create a new file named whaever you like with .sh at the end.In my case I liked the gmail.sh.Paste inside

#!/bin/sh
firefox -remote "openurl(https://mail.google.com/mail?view=cm&tf=0&to=`echo $1 | sed 's/mailto://'`,new-tab)"

Save close and run

chmod u+x ~/Desktop/gmail.sh

This makes it executable.Now put is wherever you like.Best place would be in home to create a folder .gmail so the path is /home/yourusername/.gmail/gmail.sh.Now go to System>Prefferences>Preffered Applications Go to mail reader change

Using Alias makes your life easier.Aliases are an easy way to make common commands shorter.Go to your home directory and press ctrl+h(show hidden files) and open with any editor the .bashrc file.Now add to its end the following code

# apt-get aliases
alias name='command'

In other words you can pick any word on the right side to do what you have put on the left.If I want to use just to remove software I just type:

alias junk='sudo apt-get remove"

Themes - Final Touches

Fist of all let me explain something.There are 2 types of themes in our Linux System.The first one are GTK2 Themes and are responsible for everyhing including bars,mouse cursors,icons etc and the second are Beryl Themes since we are using Beryl for Rendering Windows and they end with .emerald name.

You can get themes on numerous of sites such as

http://www.gnome-look.org/
http://art.gnome.org/

In order to make your life easier I have uploaded a pack I gathered from looking around here.

VuBuntu Customization Pack

So lets tweak our Linux shall we?

1. Icons/Task Bar.Those are relatively easy to fix.System>Prefferences>Theme and just drag and drop the tar.gz files inside.IT will ask you if you want to apply new theme select yes and you are set.

2. Windows Decoration.Right Click on Beryl open Emerald Theme manager and import the Dark Glass emerald file.NOT the SVN one.Its a tweat version by me for the new beryl.

3. Mouse Cursor.Its a kinda complex proccess so the best way is go to Add/Remove and install Cursor Selection.Then just alt+f2 and type gcursor.Install the cursors using this tool.

4. Custom Start Menu Icon.For that we need to use a powerfull tool.Alt+F2 and type gconf-editor.This can edit a LOT of gnome features.We now need to go to apps>panel>object>object0 (this can be object1 or other number depending on computer) and look for tooltip Main Menu.If we see that we are in the correct object.Select the box Use Custom Icon and go above to enter where the custom icon is located.In my case for example check how I did it.

While you are here you can also change the apps/nautilus/desktop entry and add the MyComputer,Trash,Home Icons.

If you wanna edit the splash screen(the one when ubuntu enters Desktop its on apps/gnome-session.(You can change spash easily with an app in the Add Remove.Search for splash)
If you want to disable the windows grouping in taskbar its located in Apps>Panel>Applets>Windows_List_Screen0>Prefs .You can also set a max window length if you dont like them autoexpanding to your full bar...

5)Fonts.This is the easiest part.Just open any nautilus window or just Mycomputer and type "fonts:///" you should get yourself to the font folder.Just add any font you want there.In my pack there is the SegoeUi pack.Then to enable it got to System>Prefferences>Font

6)Wallpapers / Skydome.I dont think the first one needs explanation.Skydome on the other hand is new.Its the image that is on the enviroment when we rotate the Cube.It can be set on beryl settings>Desktop>Desktop Cube>Skydome.Skydome picture must be 1x2 ration meaning that if height is 1024 width MUST be 2048.And width must NEVER be bigger that the one your grafic card can handle.To see that just type on a terminal "xvinfo | grep max" Last but not least the animate skydome button enables you to either dynamically move or not the image.This can make it look more realistically 3D.Check the Space skydome for example and you should udnerstand.If you need to resize dome images use GIMP.Last but not least I have included some Caps which are the images displayed above and below the beryl cube.You may disable caps as well.

7)Firefox Tweaking.Firefox has a couple of issues in Ubuntu.For one the default theme is not working very well with theming.For that you can install Cleartabs which is basically the same but is working really nice and has way more bright colours.Also metalion is nice even though heavy for my taste.Last but not least if spelling refuses to work for you use Spellbound as a bridge.You can also use Foxmarks if you want to keep your bookmarks synched on both windows and Linux systems

8)Kiba Dock -ScreenLets.Those are optional.Kiba Dock is a mac like Dock menu with really cool physics engine build in and Screenlets is like the Widgets in Mac or Gadgets in Windows Vista (rotfl on the namings )In case you wanna install Screenlets I have included a custom one to make the VistaOrb more Round in my pack.Installation of both those is no diffirent to most apps in ubuntu so im just linking the guides.Here is a video which shows you Kiba Dock in action.

Screenlets HowTo
KibaDock HowTo

In general most apps are installed that way.You tell it where to get the files(sources list) add the key and "sudo apt-get update" and "sudo apt-get install" .They are removed just by typing sudo "apt-get remove applicationame"

9)Login Manager Theme.This allows you to select how you wanna your login look like.I have not included any manager but DarkClean is cool enough.Especially combined with the corresponding Splash screen.To change login manager theme got to System>Administration>Login Window Local,and drag and drop the theme inside here.Make sure Themed is enabled and you dont have random set on ...

Thats All Folks.!!!!

Now that everything is set you should have a fully working system,really impressive and feature rich.Remember for games to either log out of XGl (ATI) or kill beryl Nvidia even though it works ok(IMBA nvidia Drivers)Enjoy some screens of my finished project.Its not that hard as it sounds and it took me 2hours to setup more or less with no prior Linux experience.I just wanted to make the guide as analytical as possible..Have Fun

Default Monitor layout

Desktop With KibaDock and Screenlets

3D View with Utorrent.exe and Mirc32.exe running :P

Exagonizing the Desktop

Space Animated Space Skydome with Numeric Caps

Custom Beryl Textures Soccer ball

Here are some more Screens of the second theme I am currently using.Its also showing a new cool menu I discovered called USP2 (Ubuntu System Panel2).

Also Using the Snow plugin and custom leaf textures I bring the wallpaper to life :)

Remote Fun.

2007-02-24T14:06:00.000+02:00

Its a fact that nowadays most people have access to broadband internet.As a direct result of this its pretty much safe to assume that ,if you ask a random person weather he would like to be able to control his pc from a distance,the answer would be positive..On first though you may wonder,what for?Whereas the answer lies in the same reason everyone wants a fast connection:

Downloads...

Emule

Emule is an open source P2P program that getting more popular as we speak.The main reasons behind its popularity are the easy to use interface,the fact that is runs on Linux,Ms and Mac machines and that it can use the Edonkey netkword as well.With edonkey and most of the commercial companies shutting down by RIIA the refugees turn to a solution that cannot be shut down easily.If you log in and check the variety of files you shall know what I mean of.

Now apart from the history lesson.You are all wondering what does it do.If you go to its site that I linked before you shall find answers in the typical issues.Download the client install,answer the wizards answers and you are set to go.Mind to set up port forwarding if you are using a router.Now you have to choose where to connect.Servers dialog is using the Edonkeys Network while Cad does not need central machines to work.The latter is a sollution for when someone tries to kill the program by taking down the servers.IT does not matter in our case since you can as well connect to both the same time...

Once you have pretty much learned to use the basics lets setup the remote function that makes this program special...Go to Options Button and then Web Interface as shown below

Select Enabled and choose a port that you wish to make it work and its open to your router.Compression is also recommended unless you face some issues.Now set an administrator password and a guest if you wish too and choose if you want emule to be able to shutdown the machine...Once done press ok and connect to any server you wish for.If everything goes well you should have this.

The URL should be your ip.If you are at a lan it will be your internal IP but dont worry that can be adjusted.You may click on the link there to see if it works.To test if it works for your external ip,open a browser window and enter this adress http://XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX:port/ where
XXX=your external IP and port= the port you have configured.If it fails check your router if its redirecting the port correctly.In worse case scenario that all fail try to set up port to 80.At any rate the success screen should be.

Now you can do everything from anywhere.Add new downloads,search,change server whatever you wish.But is it all?No.There is another cool trick with this prog.How about doing the same with your mobile??

To do this you need a java enabled mobile phone that has access to net with either wap or 3G.Download mobilemule applet and go to option menu web interface to enable it at a DIFFIRENT port than normal mule.Set a password there too.

All you need to do now is run the midlet and select prefferences.Change the login to DynIp/Ip.Save and connect.IF all goes well you should be able to log and control the mule from your mobile...

Utorrent

µTorrent and generally speaking torrent interface is another way to get files from the web.As you may know its the most popular way due to its speed and its also preffered from large companies for legal file distribution due to its safety and ergonomic bandwidth usage.In plain English.Its ULTRA fast and effective in getting max line speed in minutes...Its only drawback is the way you have to look for files but that is another story.I will presume you do know the basics.If not when getting the client use the embedded search for testing purposes and in time you shall discover private trackers too :)

Get μTorrent+WebGui .Extract the files to a folder of your prefference and run the exe.That program needs no intallation to run so better put it at C:\Program Files\Utorrent just to remind you not to accidentaly delete it.When it first runs it shall ask about file assotiation and I suggest you turn this on.Else do make a shortcut where you desire...

Once you run it and select your speed and port settings that again must be correctly forwarded you get at this screen.

On the upper right you select search engine and search for your file.DO mind that the file must have at least one seed for it to download.The more seeds/leeches it has the best for you and the speed it is.Once you have tested the basis close the program.

Now go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOURUSERNAME\Application Data\uTorrent .There you need to place the webui.zip as it is (NO extraction).

Once done reopen the application and press ctrl+P (Prefferences) go to advanced and Web interface.Again select username pass and alternative port if you dont wanna use the default Utoorent uses for downloading.

Once done press ok.Once again you can connect using the http://XXX.XXX.X.X:port/gui/ where XXX is your external ip and port is the port the uttorent connects thet net.You may also use another port if you have specified it on the previous menu.Mind that slashes and gui are needed here too and they have to be LOWERCASE.Gui will not work.If you just wanna test if it works locally try this command http://localhost:PORT/gui/ where you just fill the port.

From the web interface you can add delete stop and resume torrents at your home/work pc from any pc connected on the net with only a browser.

Note that IE is NOT SUPPPORTED and prob will never be due to its BAD architecture.

Remote Administrator

Remote Administrator is one commercial software that provides you total control of a PC.Its like the Remote assistance windows use but much easier.How it works its mainly to install the server to the pc you wish to get controled and again setup password and port and run the client from the pc that is controlling.You shall be given a screen and have full control of mouse keyboard etc for advanced troubleshooting and configuring.I am not gonna write a complete guide since its out of the Http easy to use routines and its a commercial software but I am letting you know if you always wish of something more...

HFS

This is a remarcable freeware application that should be brought to your attention.Http File Server. What it does is making your home pc a file server for sharing files to the web.Its ultra small and easy to configue that you are gonna love it.I am pretty sure you tried giving a file to a friend which is at university firewarll and could not accept.Or how about sharing a 700mb file with email?Rapidshare and Sendspace may offer a partial sollution but if you do have upload speed HFS is all you need.Also you may also wish to make your HD accesible from net for yourself.With username and password protection just in case you ever need a file at work and dont wanna drive all around town to get it.

Lets start shall we?It all boils to this.Download the file and you shall get a HFS.exe.Run it.You are done.You should get this screen

You may drag and drop any files in the Virtual File System and they become shared.You may also add your whole Drive as I did for this demo.From the browser if you enter the adress the usual way http://XXX.XXX.X.X:port you should get his..

I think it pretty much covers it all.You can always change ports and configure more advanced options but that is up to you.

DynDNS

All those tricks sound nice.But you shall soon face one question.If you got a Dynamic ip (Constant Changing one) how will you know what is your homes ip?Here is where sites like https://www.dyndns.com/ come handy.

The easy way is to make a mirc script and make your PC autojoin a specific channel.Then you can know of it by a simple dns on him.But the best sollution is go to the site above and make an account.Its free.

Once there go to my services and then Add Host Services.Then go to Add Dynamic DNS Host.Once there pick any hostname you like and an extention from the list.Say I pick minoas and extention mine.nu Press Add host and we are almost done.

Last but not least we need a way to upload the Ip to that site.Most routers support DDNS so check on its setup configuration.If you dont use router you may either use DynDNS Updater or the embeded function on the HFS I talked about before..What do they do?When your IP chances they let the site know and redirect the domain to the new ip.

So to speak in plain english.If you set this up correctly you dont need to know your IP.You can connect to your pc by just inputing yourname.mine.nu from any browser.So in all the previous applications you can just use the http://yourname.mine.nu:port setup instead off the old Ip one

Have fun remoting...

The Epsilon War.A howto fight an unknown virous..

2006-12-08T22:54:00.000+02:00

After a little adventure I recently had I decided to share it in case someone shares the same problem with me,or is just having a virous that is so new/unpopular to be listed.Its mainly targeted to begginer users that would be interested in knowing a bit about their systems and like to get their hands dirty...

Chapter 1:Suspicion

It all started one day I tried to type in Greek.The first symptom was when I tried to input the accented epsilon (έ) which was typed as ¨¨ε.I then tried other combos to just find out I had totally lost ( ' ) .

Fist thought that crossed the mind was the unicode and language/regional settings.After messing with them for a while with no success it was Scan time.Updated and fully scanned the system with Norton Antivirous,Kaspersky,Nod32m,Antivir Personal,Spybot,Webroot.Apart from some cookies that they are always found nothing else suspicious appeared...The problem insisted.....

Chapter 2: Investigation

It was time to locate the source of my pain.And NO I was not willing to format the system.I would not give the battle that easily.So I did a series of tests

Safe mode : The letters were working ok here.Ok then it MUST be application related
Normal mode : I pressed Run and inserted Msconfig.On the box that appeared I selected diagnostic startup and rebooted windows.Again everything appeared to be ok.Time to find that @#^@^$@# aplication
TaskManager : Reverted msconfig to normal,rebooted.Pressed Alt+Ctrl+Delete ,switched to Processes,Sorted them by UserName and starting killing them one at a time.Occasionally I was faced by a Timeout to shutdown the system but you can disable it by pressing Start->Run->Shutdown.exe -a .After Killing all processes I could the problem was still there and only the processes I could not kill were left.Ok we are facing Stealthed application

Since there is an application that I cannot see I decided to check the startup methods just to find the suspicious exe.

-Regedit : Start->Run->Regedit.exe .From there you have to browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

And check which programs are setup to start.My search resulted in nothing so I went to check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command

Since its a VERY sneaky way to startup a file.Nothing here too...

-Services : Start->Run->services.msc /s .Located all the services that are enabled to start ayto and made them manual.Also disabled all the Non Microsoft Ones.Rebooted system but with no luck

-Msconfig : Start->Run->msconfig .You can play with services from here too but it does not list the hidden ones that is why I preffer the previous method.Just go to autorun method and checkout everything that you don't know what it is and reboot.Again in my case that did not fix the system.

So that was it.Time to take the war into my own hands.Poor Xp have no way to defend themselves from malicious coders...

Chapter3:Foreign Weapons -> Victory

All the medium user will ever need is 2 free and simple tools.Courtesy of Systernals

Lets start with Process Explorer.Download it extract and run.You should get such a screen

The Blue ones are applications the User started.So if you got a virous,spyware its probably coloured Blue.Kill the ones you know and check or if you are more patient than me you can try to google them.If in the first 2 pages results you see any mention of words such as malware,spyware,worm,virous you have found the culprit.I took the kill method till I located the application that caused the issue.I had a name "csrss.exe" and even though listed it was not detected by antivir so I think its a new variant.

Now its time for autoruns.Download extract and run and go to Logon Tab.This is what you should see...

The suspicious exe WILL appear here as well as its startup method.In my case it used HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\Run
So I unchecked it,Rebooted and tested.Oh the Happiness...Opened Regedit to delete the entry and then the file....Hope you are as lucky as I am..Did I mention the fulfillment feeling you get after all this trouble?

How to customize Firefox Installation

2006-11-25T18:23:00.000+02:00

A Firefox of your own

Beeing a Firefox user for a while I really like the way this browser is evolving.It seems that more seem to share that view,hence it became the browser with the fastest user infiltration.The thing that makes it fun is,the way its customizable and configurable.Simple and friendly if you wish to or the beast within if you are power user.The vast variety of extensions themes etc apart from the many advantages has one disadvantage:Unlike fully featured release pack in FF when you format the PC or just need to reinstall it you have to add each one of the extensions manually.This is both annoying and unnecessary.

But a sollution to this issue was expected to appear.Nowadays there are plenty of ways but I am gonna show you an easy method to create a personal release of FF containing all you need and requiring no user interaction.

Step 1 : Preparation

First lets pick our weapons shall we??

A brand new installer of Firefox.
The addons , themes we want
Silence the foxes , a tool created by laptonic

Note that in the addons part its important to DOWNLOAD them not install them only.To do this right click on the install button and select save link as.You will then be promted to download the .xpi or .jar file.

So you now should have the addon installed AND downloaded separately...Do the same thing with themes.

Step 2 Backing up and adjusting.

This part is important.We need to first backup our settings if we are existing FF users.For that reason I do suggest to either use Google brower Sync or FoxMark Bookmark Synchonizer
The Google Addon also backups Saved passwords and Browsing History.If you dont care about all those you can just export your bookmarks manually using FF Manage Bookmarks.

After we do the backup or if we are not FF users we need to install it and customize it EXACTLY as we want him to be on the installer.This is important because the settings will get copied.So please clean up your addon that contain login personal info,Adjust the Gestures that you wanna have as default and tweak every part of the browser as you would like it to end.Once done we can move to next step.

STEP 3 : Cooking the Fox

One we have all the files we can start.Extract the Sof.rar to a folder.Inside that folder put the official Firefox2 Setup you downloaded.Afterwards run sof.exe. and select new project

Press next and press browse to locate the folder with the original firefox installer.Once you find it the Unpack button will be available.Press it and wait for the unpack to end and press next.

On the next screen don't get confused and try to select or browse files.Just press Copy my files.

Once you get successful message we have to make one little tweak.Because this tool was designed for Firefox 1.0-1.5 and is no longer being developed we have to manually copy 3 files.

You have to find your own path since the RED letters will differ from one pc to another
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\1l3b10aj.default

Once you locate the correct folder copy bookmarks.html and mimeTypes.rdf and prefs.js to your SoF folder under the path SoF\Project\Firefox\Profile
There should already be 3 files there we are gonna replace.You can skip the Bookmarks part if you wanna have the default Bookmarks.Its only necessary if you want to have CUSTOM bookmarks in the installation.

Now lets add Extentions and themes.Its kinda simple procedure.Remember the xpi and jar files I told you to download?You just copy them to those 2 folders
\SoF\Project\Firefox\Themes
\SoFfoxes\Project\Firefox\Extentions
Do note that themes NEED to be jar and extentions XPI.So if you come across a theme in XPI you can simply rename it to JAR and vice versa.

Once done return to SoF application and now press the Pack Button.Wait till everything is finished and it will generate sfirefox.exe that will be the final outcome.

Feel free to test the outcome.Remember to remove older version of FF.If you make any changes later all you need to do to repack is Rerun SOF.exe and select existing project or just dont close it till its working....

I hope you found it usefull.I am also enclosing a Personal Release with Addons and Themes you may find interesting...

Get it HERE .

Note that due to ForecastFox poping an annoying window when first run I set the location cordinates to Greece to stop it from asking.If you wish to keep this addon remember to change it to your city.Also press check for updates for a couple of compatibility tweaks...

Rapidshare - Megaupload File Sharing Tips

2006-11-14T18:55:00.000+02:00

INTODUCTION

Nowadays the flow of information on the internet tends to get a totally new and unprecedented shape.The speeds rise with geometric rates and so does the size of files we do want to send or share.The email system or the IRC and other IM solutions fail to satisfy that need since they require a lot of time,stability and effort in both the sender and receiver that is getting worse when the file size is getting big or the amount people who want it increases. FTP could do it but apart from not user friendly it also requires some free space resulting in a process that demotivates common user from dealing with it and the last contestant P2P programs is quite chaotic and insecure environment for both looking for and downloading what you might need.

This is where the File Sharing Services came into the game.You can easily and one step upload a file with any web browser to their Space,for free and whoever types the file URL can download it.Innovation indeed which got endorsed by a large sum of people.For further details you can try them out yourselves.This is a small list of the most famous uploading services.Feel free to try them.

Now lets get in a little deeper.When you start using those services you will notice some annoying features they implement.I am gonna deal with Rapishare and Megaupload specifically but those fixes will prob work to other cases too.

Firefox
Firefox seems the best browser for that job.Let me explain to you how.All you will need is 2 extentions and a third party software.No need to be a computer genious to make it work.Lets see the tools

TiX :Simple Extention that resets countdown to zero in many sites including Rapishare.
User Agent Switcher :Extention that will enable us to bypass Megaupload limits
RapidLeecher Or CMS Grabber:Third Party software that will make you bypass the Ip limit for Rapidshare

As far Tix is concearned you just right click and press TiX Now while rapidshare or megaupload timer is ticking.It will then skip to zero.

User agent switcher can be a little harder to fix.After you correctly install and restart FF you have to:

Go to Tools -> User Agent Switcher -> Options
Click on User Agents and Add one
On the window that appears type in the following info:
Description: Megaup(or whatever you want)
User Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; MEGAUPLOAD 1.0)
Save and exit.
Now whenever you are seeing the download slots full message press on Tools -> User Agent Switcher and select the one you created.
Remember to switch to default after getting the file.

Last but not least the Rapidleecher is as simple as a game to operate.Type the link of the download and the image code.Whenever you wish to download more than the default you need to insert a new proxy which results in a new IP.Here are some lists but you can google for more:List1 List2

InternetExplorer 6 or 7:

In this case things tend to differ a bit.

Rapidleecher and clones do work here too since they are standalone and browser independant
TIX does not work on IE so users you need to type this in the adress bar the second the timer starts : javascript:alert(c=0) OR javascript:var c=0;
For Megaupload bypass this is the trick:

Open Start menu and select Run.
Type there regedit.exe and press Enter
Carefull while you are here.Navigate to this place: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform if you got Internet Explorer 6 or
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform if you got Internet Explorer 7
Select Post Platform,Right click to it and Select New and String Value
Input “ “MEGAUPLOAD 1.0” in that newly created Value
Restart the Pc.

Last but not least if for any reason Rapidleecher is not what you are looking for you can manually change the IP unless you got a static one.This is kinda more advanced method and browser independent.To do this:

-Clear the cookies or Browser Data in FF
-Go to Start menu,Run,and input CMD.exe,press enter
-type this in that black window:

ipconfig /flushdns (ENTER)
ipconfig /release (ENTER)
ipconfig /renew (ENTER)
Exit (ENTER)

I think that covers more than your basic needs.Have fun

k750 / w800 Modding Guide

2006-11-05T14:10:00.000+02:00

I am a proud owner of a Sony Ericsson K750 for a while now.Lately I decided to customize it to beyond recognition.This is a guide for those desiring the same.

Caution:
Everything here needs you to have a CID36 Phone.If you don't you just have to hope when CID49 breaks because its impossible to mount any loader at this time.

BEFORE you do anything create a full backup of your settings,numbers files as because they will prob get deleted.To do so use Myphonexplorer Create backup function.

Some of those procedures are delicate and require your full attention (and battery ofc).If you are not sure of what you are doing dont attemp those modifications.I am not responsible for any damage you might cause to your handset.If you do however reach an unresponsive state dont panic since its almost impossible to kill HW with Software mods.At any decent shop it can be restored to funcional state...

UPDATE:There was an accident and I got my hosting account hijacked.Due to this most download links will not work at the time.I will try to reupload them as soon as I get some free time.But you can still look them up yourselves too.I apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused..

Step 1 : Firmware Upgrade

The main plan is to install w800i firmware to it.For that reason the choice was the R1BC002 for its stability and the majority of tweaks available.There are mainly 3 routes to change the firmware of your phone

Prior to using the software we must get the files we need.By pressing >*<*<<* on the standby menu you get to SE service menu.Navigate to Software info and check on the part it says CDA... By that number go to to K750 CDA LIST or W800CDA LIST and check what language file you need.In my case I had CDA102337/3 which corresponds to Greek Eme3File.Now you have to download the files.You can either get firwmares your own way or just register to Topsony and get them from there.What we need is...

-W800 R1BC002 MAIN EU EMEA.bin (same for all languages)
-W800 R1BC002 FS EMEA3.bin (Get the one with YOUR language,this was my own)
- W800i_CDA102425_39_EMEA_3.zip (optional for advanced Users,ALSO Dependant on your CDA you have selected.To find your w800CDA use this list )

What we now need are to correctly setup drivers.If you have used the SonyEricsson Update Service you might skip this part.Else Download and extract those files to any directory and follow those instructions

Download the zip file to your computer. Remember where you put it.
Unzip the file to a temporary folder.
Connect your D750/K750 to the PC using the USB cable. This will initiate the Windows Found New hardware wizard to be used during the installation.
Follow the instructions in the wizard, and choose to “Install from a list ..”, press “Next”.
Browse to the temporary folder created under step 2 above to point to the driver to install and press “Next”.
When the driver is installed, press “Finish".

Now choose your Method:

Gflash

The easy way is GFlash a tool created by jagheterfredrik.Download and extract to any folder.
Run it and Press Read CID then connect the phone off while pressing C.You should get to this screen

Note the Marked Red Info.If you got a CID 49 this program will NOT work and if you got Brown you need to make it RED.

Lets move to flashing Tab.

Insert the files you downloaded in the corresponding location.Select w800 and input your language CDA.Press Flash and you are done.Just make sure battery is GOOD..You don't wanna run our while flashing trust me..

When its done we got a brand new W800Firmware.Open it to check it out and then close it again for customizing...

With Gflash you can apply vkp patches and expand sms memory.Check on the Extras tab and Select Extend SmS storage.This will give you unlimited sms but don't overdo it after 1000-1500 it will make phone slow.Now lets see about patches patches.Select the Repair/GDFS/pathing tab.

Its HIGHLY recommended to Read GDFS and create a backup before messing with your phone any further.If you don't and crash it you will need a service cable.After Backing up GDFS select patch and drag and drop all the vkp files you want into the blank area.To get those files visit
http://mobilefree.ru/modules/patches/ (Use Babelfish to translate the page)
or from www.topsony.com or from MaxWedges collection patches .The Russian site contains ALL known patches so I recommend it.

This concludes the Gflash usage guide.Easy and simple.Lets move to something more advanced..

FAR MANAGER & SEFP

First we need to donload the needed software.The firmware files stay the same and we Now need that optional file I said in the start.

Install Far and extract the SEFP in this plugins directory.We are set to go...Run Far manager and press Alt+F1,then 0(zero for selecting the plugin)You should be here now..

Select those options and press Enter The Matrix.Connect the phone turned off while pressing C and you should get this screen.If not disconect remove battery and try again before the 60sec timeout.

Right after you should see this screen.

This is where you get 2 choices.Either Flash the phone or mess with his filesystem.Lets begin with flashing turorials..

1)GDFS Backup
Like I said BACKUP your GDFS.To do this select Flash...

Then use this sequence.

a)Left click on the memory to turn into yellow.
b)Press F5 for Copy to the sected destination (You can use the right side for destination or manually input it on the white popup)
c)Use this Mem Start 45F00000 - 00100000 And press Read.A raw file will be created in the destination Directory..

2)Flashing Main
Now lets see how we do flash the baby.When its done we are on the same directory.Navigate on the right side(local browser) and find the files we have downloaded in start.

a)Locate the Main file in local pc in the folder you extracted it.Left Click to select it(yellow)
b)Press F5 and copy
c)Select BABE image
d)input this MEM range 44020000 - 013E0000

3)Flashing Flash

Same procedure and for Flash with main difference the MEM range:45400000 - 00B00000 as show below:

4)Applying VKP patches

By the same way you can apply VKP patches we saw earlier.The only diffirence is the selection of process VKP script instead of Flash BABE and no need to input anything else...I highly recommend to apply patches after you have checked phone is working 100% for easier troubleshooting

Some notable patches:

Change icons in file manager : aesthetic change of the yellow folders in files manager submenu.
Blacklist : Whoever is in the Phones whitelist will be not accepted.
Camera files name : It names the photos according to date and time it was shoot
Flashlight : If you press the camera button while cover is closed the flash turns on.
Change font : It changes the fonts to a smaller cooler one
Kill Setupwizzard : It does no longer popup when changing sim cards
Playlist : redirect playlist to Card/mp3/playlist
Flashlight and vibration on missing calls : When you have an unanswered call the flash blinks each 20 secs and the motor vibrates.
Work phone without sim : Enables some phone features without having a sim.
Aytoaccept files from BT : Disable the need to accept a file from BT

This almost Concludes the Flashing procedure.We do have to finalize the phone.

5)Finalization

Disconnect the phone and remove the battery and exit and restart Far manager.Insert battery and connect the phone like you did before.

Now we pick the FS way.Its a folder layout similar to windows.We need you to navigate to tpa/preset/custom on the phone and on the PC to the folder you extracted W800i_CDA102425_39_EMEA_3.zip

Select all the files on the local folder (shift and arrows for fast selection) and press to copy the files on the left side.Carefull NOT have selected drm or they will be copied to that folder instead.So double check files are placed correctly.

Further Customization
*If you want you may edit some things in customize.xml with notepad.This can take care of some default settings the phone gets after a master reset like profile time.I personally am not such curius about it and I only altered this line
W800i Resulting in displaying whatever you like in status menu and service menu.Yes you can make it Nokia3210 for fun :P.Each time you edit this file you need to MASTER reset the phone so its better doing it before first boss...

This conludes the Flashing Guide.Choose your tool that serves you best.Now if you thing we are done you are far from right...

Step 2: Firmware Tweaks

1)Edit the acoustic settings.

They are located in the ifs/settings/acoustic
Those files are responsible for the audio quality in walkman mode,ringtone mode and phone mode.

I highly recommend to use this files w810acoustic .Remember to delete the mp3 extention so you can unrar it.Go to acoustic folder and after deleting the original ones ( backup if you are scared) copy them with far manager in their place.You will notice great change in quality and loudness.

Also note these 2 files :

farfield_play.apf =High quality Lower volume used for Mediaplayer
farfield_ring.apf =Low quality Higher volume used for Ringtones

If you wish to have louder mediaplayer copy the farfield_ring.apf to pc rename it to farfield_play.apf and replace it to phone after deleting the old one.Same way if you wish to have clear ringtones you you reverse the last procedure.

Do pay a visit a this Esato's Thread for more info on acoustic

2)Expand SMS memory,MMS size

We did it with Gflash lets see how it works here.

Go to folder /ifs/settings/messaging/
Find pref_store.txt
Press F4
Change the /smsdata to /tpa
Press F2(save) , F10 (exit)

For MMS size expand(send 3x bigger MMS)
Go to /ifs/settings/messaging/
Edit <>100<.message- swing -size > to <>300<.message- swing -size >
Save,Exit.Not all phones have this setting so dont worry if you are unable to locate it.

3)Edit Startup,Shutdown Images and sounds.

Go to /fs/tpa/preset/system/settings

The files listed there are:

SPLASH=First image you see while starting phone png format
STARTUP_IMAGE_SEMC=Animation when starting phone gif format
SHUTDOWN_IMAGE_SEMC=Animation when Shutting down phone gif format
SHUTDOWN_SOUND_SEMC.mp3=Startup sound
STARTUP_SOUND_SEMC.mp3=Shutdown sound

You can use any k750 screensaver for startup and shutdown images as long as its 176x220 size and you make sure you have REMOVED the gif extension.Mind also that it should NOT be on infinite loop or it will keep displaying it till you press a key.

The splash can be set by phone firmware I think and its the easiest of them all

You can use any mp3 but I suggest you keep it short so the phone boosts faster.

Removing any of those WONT break the phone and will make it boot ultrafast.

A great source of images is myk750 and myk800

I personally did this trick:When you apply this patch it will read for startup files on the folder other can you can access with any program including the phone menu.Just remember to place your startup files in that folder.

4)Edit default system sounds.

Those are located in FS/tpa/preset/system/sound
Some are mid but most are mp3 format.You can find your own sounds and use the same name to replace the original ones.Same procedure all over.In some cases if you need to replace a mid file with an mp3 you need to apply the needed patch.I personally changed failure.mid to failure.mp3.

Some notable sounds:

Notification.mid=The sound when a message is delivered.Can be safely erased
Messagealert1,2,3.... =The default sounds for SMS,MMS.Can be replaced but not removed.
camerafocus.3gp=Camera sound can be safely removed.
lowbattery.mid=Annoying sound when battery is low.The first I removed :P

5)Change Camera And Display Driver

First you need to get a hold or custom drivers.Best place is again www.topsony.com and Esato's Hybrid Camera Thread

Latest Revisions are (Ver7.8 & Mirror) and Ver30.1

On the mobile the camera driver is located in ifs/settings/camera/

The display is in ifs/settings/display/

Just browse there and replace the original with your downloaded camdriver0.dat.(Always backup before deleting original)

I didn't see any notable difference in display camera change so I suggest you skip that part but if you wish to try there it is Custom display_driver

You can also apply Move Drivers to other VKP patch for moving the driver folder to other so it can be changed without far manager.

Remember to have created the folder /tpa/user/other/drv and placed the Display AND the camera driver.If you forget this the phone wont display a thing when powered on.

6)Backup needed files

You can backup games you have purchased,java applications,voice dialing commands and image associations.

Voice Commands are located in tpa/system/voicecontrol/stby

Image associations are located in tpa/system/pbook/image

Java is located in tpa/perset/system/ams/

For the latter you can apply this patch for moving java to other folder and enabling you to backup and send files via Bluetooth.Remember to have created directory in other first.

7)Killing SE Links in folders

For some reason the SE menu are filled with annoying links that connect and download images,sounds,etc.To remove it just

Go to tpa\preset\system\custmenu select and delete (F8) all files there
Go to tpa\preset\custom and delete all the .itm files from there

8)Change the layout file

Layout.xml is located in /tpa/system/layout and is responsive of the overall apperance of fonts and some menu characheristics.I am not gonna get into how to create it just link some interesting layouts.

Remove Opeator name It does what it says.Will not work correctly with some themes unless you disable one of their elements.Note that this layout is NOT made by me.If it fails to work with your theme you can make one of your own with the method I describe below.
remove scrollbars Removes the little scrollbar on every menu on the phone
Fonts Fine , Title Bold Without Logo and Scrollbars Does the same as the other 2 as well changes the fonts

To install replace with original layout.xml as done many time so far

I also suggest applying this VKP script so we move the layout.xml to other.DONT forget to have copied the file in the new folder

Some layout tips if you wish to make your own.

To remove operator logo:

Search for "StatusIndication"
"TitleMode" value="1" - Change 1 to 4
"OverlayStyle" value="0" -Change 0 to 2

To minimize the Numbers that appear when you manually dial on the desktop

Search for "MainInput"
Locate this line below sett name="FontType" value="FontD_24B"
Change FontD_24B to whichever you desire according to legend(I suggest FontE_20B)

Change the Fonts in the buttons Calls and Menu

Search for "SoftKeys"
Locate line sett name="FontType" value="FontE_20R"
Change the FontE_20R to what you like

Change the font size in sms input

Look for "StringInput"
Locate attributes count="13"
2 lines below should be attr index="1" value="16"
Change to the number you like or the style you like (i.e "FontE_12R")

Just for a quick legend when you meet value FontA_20B

A is the font type.Valid among A,D,E AFAIk
20 is the size.Valid from 12 to 28 AFAIK
B is bold.Also there is R=regular ,I=Italic,BI=Bold Italic

My current layout if HERE and has overall smaller fonts,no operator or scrollbar,and changed waclman fonts.I also used the VKP patch for smaller inbox text.

For more info on layouts check here

9)Change the menu

It is possible to ENTIRELY change the menu looks and feel.To do this we need to mess with menu.ml file located in tpa\preset\system\menu

To pick your own style menu you can visits this Se-Nse Thread or TopSony Or Clubw800
Some interesting concepts are:

Download those files,extract them and copy to the tpa\preset\system\menu after deleting the original menu.ml

If you feel like creating you own you should check this thread

Last but not least this VKP patch for Redirecting the menu folder to /tpa/user/other/menu

Remember to have created the folder and placed the files there in advance bla bla bla...

*If you have applied the Blacklist.vkp patch and you are a perfectionist like me you can also edit the list name in the phones menu.To do so edit menu.ml and locate AllowedCallers_Id.Then you can change the textid="MENU_SCREENING_TXT" to what you want but beware of the context rules

Just an update to those who wish to Link Directly Applications to Menu.For exemple suppose I want to change Internet Services menu with the new application From Gmail.
The main template is like that:

The red X can be any element we change.In our case it should be 4.
The name is the element id of what we replace.Carefull with that since an invalid element Id will make the menu.ml not work.I usually use "Applications" since its allowed to use the same element Id many times...
The Text you can input whatever you like.
On the 2 icon files you need to have correct sizes(check the ones you are replacing) and the first is for the unselected while the second is for selected.They need to be in the same folder as menu.ml
For Java Suite and vendor you can either go to applications menu on the phone and select properties or use the method below.They are under MIDlet-Name: and MIDlet-Vendor:

The Blue Part is the most important since failure to input the correct one will result in a non loading application.How do we discover it without being PshycoMantis?Its kinda simple.

Take the gmail.jar file or any jar you wanna put in main menu.
Shift+Right click on explorer and select Open With.
Choose Program
Select winrar from the list or winzip or winace.Any decent archiver can open jar files.
Inside it WILL contain a folder named Manifest.MF
View that file with wirar or just extract to desktop and open with notepad.
There will be a line MIDlet-1: Gmail, GmailIcon.png, com.google.gm.MiniGMail
The Red is what we need to locate.Then its the icon we dont care about.Right next to the icon we get the BLUE line we need...

10)Change the looks of mediaplayer

This will change the way the Walkman looks.
Excatly same procedure as before but with tpa\system\multimedia\mp as the folder we are working.Again you can find skins on Se-Nse forums and Topsony

Some interesting skins

I have yet to locate a VKp script for redirecting this to other.Also DO mind that there is a memory issue with that one and playing the camera while in walkman can revert the skin to original.Not seen it yet on my w800 but if you notice instability restore the original files.

11)Add a language to the existing firmware

First go to Topsony and donwload the language file you want.For our example say you want to add Portuguese to my system languages.Donwload w800_Language_EUROPE_1.rar

Then Go to tpa/preset/system/language and put there pt.t9 and pt.lng

Delete(f8) lng.dat and lng.lst

Go to tpa/preset/custom and download customize.xml to your pc.

Open it with notepad

find allowed -language part and add this line pt

Do a maste reset.If all is done correctly the new language should be available.

Language files are firmware Dependant.If for some reason the previous fails make sure you have correct version.Try flashing your phone with the corresponding FS file if you need to extract a specific language pack.In the expample to make sure its correct you can flash the FS with the w800Europe1.bin leaving the main intact and when you get the files reflash it to the version you desire...

Step 3 : Hardware Modding

I have to admit the black k750 is nice but kinda common around here.Since our baby after all those procedures is all but common thus we should apply a case mod too.Those are the possible combinations if we use official parts

-The Base(middle one) can either be black(w810),silver or orange(w800)
-The face and the Back can be Black,Silver(k750 Vodafone),Gold(W700),White(W800)
-The leds can be any colour you wish since k750 has initialy white leds so you can apply this mod to change the colour
-The lens cover,buttons, can take any combination of the following models..

You can also locate custom colours on the ebay.I will personally go for Silver Orange combo.Will Post photos as soon as it arrives...

To dismantle your phone the instructions are on this thread Part1 & Part2 or this file

I hope you find all those info Usefull.I Tried to be as explicit I can be for new users in high tech stuff...

Gallery

This is the final result of what once was a normal K750.Hope you enjoy it.

Back Side (k750 Silver cover,W800mirror,W800 Middle):

Right,Left Side,Walkman Logo (W800middle,k750 Buttons):

Front Side (K750Silver Chassis,Orange Membrane for keyboard,W800Joystick)

Menu and Layout.xml Changed,Operator Logo removed,Small Fonts VKP patch.

Credits

Special thanks to Esato and Se-Nse Forums communities,to Mobilefree , Clubw800 , Topsony , The Laser , Joker XT , SiNgle , jagheterfredrik ,Darkmen , gbrooks3 , hendrix ,1X10N and all those who made this possible.All credit for the software and custom files listed here should go to their creators,owners.I just tried to sort it out and sum it up in a friendly guide...

Video Game Parody

2006-10-05T11:48:00.000+03:00

Last night while I was wathing my little brother with my cousin play on the Ps2 an old idea occred to me.I have been around for videogames since I can remember0 (Amstrad,Basica Games and Atari ST) and it always made me wonder.Why there have been no Video Game Parody so Far?

First of all let me define parody what I mean by saying parody.Its sort of comedy that is mainly adressed to people who are aware of the matter.So imagine a video game adressed to people who have been around that trend for a while.Take for exemple the movies.There are horror movies,action movies,romance movies,and comedies as mainstream categories.In the game industry we have seen the first 3 in all possible combinations but the latter is practically non existent with very few games adding a humorus touch in their feel.I bet everyone has seen a Leslie Nielsen film.Imagine that in a game

The best way to do this would be to make a multiply character game with rather simple controls but not lacking in gameplay and swift transitions.Let 's see how would such a game be if I had the lyuxury of owning a video game company.

As the curtain rises the player would find himself in a stadium playing what it would seem to be a soccer game but amongth the 2nd quarter the referree would start to behave in a bizzare way(sold out the game).This would be the initiative of a massive fans riot.At this point the camera changes to a strategy view and you are asked to place your hulligan teams inside and outside the stadium(kessen Way or any RTS ).Then a brief cinematic of a stone hitting the refferee and backtracking time so the player sees who threw it.

This is your new char.A brief loading screen with the commands and we are into good old double dragon action.Move freely and kick everyones ass around there using any enviromental object at your disposal(figting force,and that Rockstar Riot Game) while beeing carefull of not getting arrested .While you do have fun soon the game will switch you to your new char who this time will be a law enforment officer whose clubs happens to meet with your face.This turns to Co-Op mode (Hallo)with the cross directional button issuing voice commands in the rest of your team and our main objective is to secure some points among the massive chaos.When you succeed you loose the suit and go with a colleage for a coffee...

At this point the camera changes to one inside the windshield of an unknown car speeding and you can see the your previour char while a button will flash leting you choose accelerate or break.No matter what you choose you run over him and your new hero is a guy in a hawai shirt who had just lifted a car and was on his escape...A high speed chase could follow in Most Wanted style till you get yourself safe in a deserted town...Or isnt it??And what is that DAMN fog around here??(Silent Hill for those who are not aware of it)

Anyway this could go on forever but I think you pretty much get the idea.A composition of quick and simple gameplay and character transitions would offer much more than enough fun to any gamer around here.And this is all games are about,fun...Offcourse apart from the transitions there are many little touches that could make the whole issue much more interesting.

-Not always the good guys win.For start I would make a boss so elite that would instagib your toon and would be your next char breaking havoc.Like that Collosi in the "Shadow of the Collosus"inNY city or that ancient arcade game that you get monsters to destroy the cities...

-Time lapse.Everyone can mock about the way time passes in video games.Imagine a save room typewriter way (Resident Evil) that the camera is facing so you can see your charand while you take your time to write your story you see monsters pilling up and waiting for you to finish.That can also be achieve while in a tight situation that you need to switch weapons.You see your char say to the bad mob "one sec" and you see him start searching his bags..When he gets it "ok lets move on now" and the fight continues

-Inventory space.I dont know about you but I would LOVE to see the char hardly moving because he is carrying a 1mx75cm bag filled with everything he got.Or even better imagive your char getting caught in prison and to put the results of the body search to a big pille :P

-Stupid Riddles.Imagine a door that gives you to solve a hard mathematic equasion.And after 3 tries the char gets pissed and knocks it down or just blast it with that grenade launcher.

-Famous battles.Every gamer out there knows of the console wars.Imagine your char geting attacked and by grabbing the first thing he sees to trow into the attacker he grabs a PsTWO(the small one).He looks at it and reconsiders so by grabing the XboX breaks his attakcers head...The Scene closes with the Char Smiling and holding the box as if it was one commercial with a stupid punchline...

-Battles no2.I dont even wanna get into the Mario Vs Sonic battle,Link Vs Solid Snake etc because this can get endless...But the majority of flashes out there can show the vast interest in this area....

Anyway lets conclude this already long post.I do believe that this section of Video Games is still unexplored and has a lot to offer and even more raw materials to choose from.Right now we are the at a point that the media (DVD ,Blue Ray)offers plenty of space to fill.If there is such a game to go out this would be the best time..Now as far copyrights are concearned they can be dealt with the same way to the movie.Change the name to something similar.They can also be cross platoform so noone would bother starting a legal war...Let me know what you think of it...