Connecting to the Internet using Maxis Broadband via VMware player

28 Jamadil Awal 1431H
This post is translated from here: internet menggunakan maxis broadband [Bahasa Melayu].

This post demonstrates how to connect to the Internet using Maxis Broadband via the VMware player.


1. Make sure the VMware tools are installed. Otherwise Ubuntu fails to detect the modem.


2. Click the toolbar of the VMware player > VM > Removable Devices > Huawei USB Composite Device > Connect (Disconnect from host). See Pic 1.


Pic 1 - Refer Step 2. Disconnecting the modem.


3. Unplug the modem. Then replug the modem. Without this step, Ubuntu fails to detect the modem as shown in Pic 2.


Pic 2 - Refer Step 3. Modem undetected by Ubuntu.


4. On the upper panel, right-click the NetworkManager icon > Edit Connections... > Mobile Broadband tab > Add button.


5. Follow the on-screen setup instructions. Then click the Apply... button. See Pic 3.


Pic 3 - Refer Step 5. Follow the instructions.


6. Again, on the upper panel, click the NetworkManager icon > Maxis. See Pic 4. The modem will start to blink and connect to the Internet.

Pic 4 - Refer Step 6. Select connection.


Done.

Temporary fix to disappearing NetworkManager icon

28 Jamadil Awal 1431H

The NetworkManager icon in my upper panel keeps vanishing for no reason I can think of. See Pic 1. I didn't delete it nor moved it somewhere else. I can't put it back into the panel using Add to Panel (Pic 2) because it's not listed. And I've certainly got the latest version; see Pic 3 and check here: NetworkManager - Linux Networking made Easy.

Pic 1 - NetworkManager icon missing from the upper panel.

Pic 2 - Screenshot of Add to Panel.

Pic 3 - Screenshot of the About NetworkManager Applet 0.8.


This post is a temporary fix. Temporary because, in my case:

• the icon will habitually keep vanishing.

• you have to keep the Terminal open for as long as you want the NetworkManager icon to display. If I close the Terminal, the icon disappears.

1. Run the Terminal.
See the early part of this post on how to access the Terminal: How to add a Terminal shortcut in the right-click menu.


2. In the Terminal, type in:

sudo killall nm-applet

Then press "Enter".


3. Depending on how your laptop security was setup, your password might or might not be required. If required, type-in your password then press "Enter". Otherwise, skip this step.


4. In the Terminal, type in:

nm-applet

Then press "Enter".

Your NetworkManager icon will return to it's previous place in the panel as shown in Pic 4. Keep the Terminal running for as long as you want the icon to be displayed in the current session. The NetworkManager icon might disappear again, or might still be there the next time you boot-up.

Pic 4 - Refer Step 4. The NetworkManager icon is back in the upper panel. Also showing it's menu.



Note:
Abang got this fix from a forum but I don't have the link to it. In the same forum thread, someone mentioned the icon disappears when placed too close to other icons; in my case, this is not true.

internet menggunakan maxis broadband

1] hari ni kita belajar macam mana nak connect ke internet menggunakan maxis broadband melalui vmware player

2] sila pastikan vmware tools telah diinstall... kalo tak, nanti ubuntu tak jumpa modem

3] klik toolbar vmware player > vm > removable device > huawei USB Composite Device > Connect (Disconnect from host)

4] Cabut modem > cucuk balik ke usb port... kalo tak buat macam ni, nanti dia tak jumpa modem

5] right klik network manager [ikon dekat taskbar] > edit connection > mobile connection > add

6] ikut arahan kat skrin > apply

7] Klik network manager > maxis > sepatutnya modem akan mula berkelip dan akan connect ke internet

8] Siap

Problem ngan keyboard VMware

Sekiranya terdapat masalah menggunakan keyboard untuk login selepas update ubuntu dari 9.10 ke 10.04 menggunakan VMware player. ikuti langkah ini:

1] Klik ikon circled man di taskbar > Universal Access Preference

2] Amik Use on-screen keyboard > close > restart ubuntu

3] Nanti lepas restart akan keluar on screen keyboard > login ke ubuntu menggunakan on-screen keyboard tu



4] Selepas login > bukak terminal dan masukkan sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

5] Ikuti langkah yg keluar di skrin > reboot

6] Siap

How to add a Terminal shortcut in the right-click menu

14 Jamadil Awal 1431H

The Linux Terminal, as shown in Pic 1, is similar to the Windows Command Prompt. The Terminal can be accessed from the panel as shown in Step 1 of Using Terminal in this post: How to update Ubuntu using Terminal or Update Manager.

Pic 1 - Linux Terminal.


The Terminal can also be accessed using a shortcut in the context menu (right-click menu) by right-clicking the mouse, or pressing the menu key on the keyboard. In the context menu, the shortcut to the Terminal is labeled as "Open in Terminal" as can be seen in Pic 8. To be able to use this shortcut, the Terminal shortcut needs to be added to the menu first. How to add it? The simplest and safest way to install is via the Ubuntu Software Center.


1. Run the Ubuntu Software Center. From the panel, click Applications > Ubuntu Software Center. Refer to Pic 2.

Pic 2 - Refer Step 1. Accessing Ubuntu Software Center from the panel.


2. Type "nautilus open terminal" in the search field. The auto-filtered results will be displayed instantly.

Select the "nautilus plugin for opening terminals in arbitrary local paths". Then click the More Info button. Refer to Pic 3.

Pic 3 - Refer Step 2. Ubuntu Software Center displaying the auto-filtered results according to the search term "nautilus open terminal".


3. To install the nautilus-open-terminal, simply click the Install - Free button.

Pic 4 - Refer Step 3. Click the Install - Free button to install the nautilus-open-terminal.


4. If a security window as shown in Pic 5 pops-up, type in your security password then click the Authenticate button. Otherwise, ignore this step.

Pic 5 - Refer Step 4. Authenticate.


5. The nautilus-open-terminal installation process is shown in Pic 6. Once the process is complete, reboot (restart) your laptop for the installation to take effect.

Pic 6 - Refer Step 5. The nautilus-open-terminal installation in progress.


[Update: 9 Feb 2012M] Thank you to Brian for suggesting this method and webpage on how to restart nautilus without having to reboot or log out:
How to restart nautilus without logging out?
"Then just open Nautilus and Open in Terminal is in the context menu" --Brian.


Pic 7 shows the absence of the Terminal shortcut in the context menu. This is after the installation is complete, but before rebooting.

Pic 7 - Refer Step 5. The context menu before rebooting.


Pic 8 shows the presence of the Terminal shortcut in the context menu, indicated as "Open in Terminal".

Pic 8 - Refer Step 5. The context menu after rebooting. The shortcut to the Terminal is indicated as "Open in Terminal".

Toshiba Satellite M100

9 Jamadil Awal 1431H

Not that this post has any significant relevance, just as written proof that an old system can run the lastest Linux. Also as an answer to others out there using the same hardware and asking themselves if it is possible to run Linux on their system.

This system was installed successfully on a Toshiba Satellite M-100 model.

- 14" wide screen
- Intel Centrino Duo processor.
- 4G RAM *upgraded few years ago*
- Harman/Kardon speakers *blown around April 2010*
- Battery no longer reliable. Won't last even a single second.



References
- http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2876

How to install/open/run a "*.bin" application/file/program in Ubuntu

8 Jamadil Awal 1431H

Ubuntu newbie questions i faced:
- I've downloaded a file named ForExample.bin, so what do i do next?
- How do i install a "*.bin" file?

Unlike the Windows' *.exe file, this *.bin file won't auto-execute when double-clicked. There are few extra steps to do before getting the file embedded into the system.


1. By default, files are downloaded into the Downloads file. Move the *.bin file to your Home file, i.e., Cut+Paste.


2. Run the Terminal. Applications > Accessories > Terminal.


3. On the Terminal, type the command:

chmod 755 NameOfBinFile.bin

This is to make the *.bin file executable.
Then press "Enter".


4. Type the command:

sudo ./NameOfBinFile.bin

This is to run the file and install the program.
Then press "Enter".


5. Follow the on-screen commands.



References
This post was written after testing DouglasD's answer to the question "How to open .bin files in linux (ubuntu) ??".



Footnote
Am facing sound trouble instantly after installing Audacity -- complete sound lost. Sound only exists when played in Audacity.

The previous remedy worked but silly me forgot to take note of the method and now the blog has moved, thus method is lost. Abang tried other methods and they partially worked. There's sound but the sound sounds bad, like speaker pecah (blown speakers).

Latest, Abang has tried updating to from Ubuntu 9.10 to Ubuntu 10.04 Beta but still the same speaker pecah problem. Even formatting from Ubuntu 10.04 Beta to Ubuntu 10.04 Beta *just trying* doesn't work.

Because of the formatting, some FireFox plug-ins are missing. So, for a page to display correctly, i need to install the missing plug-ins. Thus, this post/note.

Because of the formatting also, have yet to install Gimp and other programs, thus the picture-less post.