GIMP batch processing

Just want to share a nice little plugin BIMP (Batch Image Manipulation Plugin)for batch processing in GIMP. As it says on the tin, it allows you to queue up processing steps and apply them to a set of images in batch. You can find this plugin at: http://www.alessandrofrancesconi.it/projects/bimp/

Xubuntu 14.10 and Intel i915

It is very easy to setup Xubuntu on this old laptop.  Unlike the OS (Windows) it replaced, it runs smoothly on the laptop's Core2Due processor and with 3GB memory.  Most hardware on this laptop just works in Xubuntu, with the exception of the Intel i915.  Every now and then, I got a corrupted screen.

After reading up a few posts on online forums, it seems this can be fixed by applying

1) Create a i915.conf file in /etc/modprobe.d with this line

options i915 enable_rc6=1 enable_fbc=1 lvds_downclock=1

2) create a xorg.conf in /etc/X11 with the settings below

Section "Device"

   Identifier  "Intel Graphics"

   Driver      "intel"

   Option      "AccelMethod"  "uxa"

EndSection

(source: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Intel_graphics)

This tricks seem to work so far.  I will update this post in few weeks time to let you know if it really gets the job done!

Things to do after installing Xubuntu

This is a checklist that I found useful when setting up a new Xubuntu installation.

1. NetBIOS - Allows computer names to be used rather than IP.
1. sudo apt-get install winbind libnss-winbind
2. Edit /etc/nsswitch.conf, and add wins to the end of the line in (3)
3. host: files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns wins
2. Samba Configuration Tool - Allows folders to be shared with other Windows computers.
1. sudo apt-get install system-config-samba
2. sudo touch /etc/libuser.conf
3. sudo system-config-samba
3. RDP Client - Allows making remote desktop connection to a Windows machine in the network.
1. sudo apt-get install remmina
4. Preserve Job History - Stops CUPS preserving job history
   1. sudo pico /etc/cup/cupsd.conf
   2. add PreserveJobHistory off just before WebInterface Yes

Add optimized driver repository from Oibaf at https://launchpad.net/~oibaf/+archive/ubuntu/graphics-drivers

Hyper-V and Hyper-V Adminsitrators Group

While VirtualBox is an excellent virtualization solution, it is a Type-2 Hypervisor, i.e. it has greater overhead.  The extra overhead can be a problem for Virtual Machines that facilitate demanding applications such as Visual Studio.  Virtual Machines with these demanding application would be better served by a Type-1 (aka Bare Metal) Hypervisor.

There are Type-1 Hypervisors available, but some can be very strict in hardware requirement; and some can be a bit tricky to setup.  Since Hyper-V comes with Windows 8.1, and is in the "Click and Install" software category, I decided to give it a spin.

Hyper-V is not installed in Windows 8.1 by default.  To add Hyper-V, go to "Programs and Features", click on "Turn Windows features on or off", select Hyper-V features and click OK.

With the default setup, only Administrators or user in the Administrators group can connect to the Hyper-V Server.  Since I have taken extra trouble to create a Normal User account for my day-to-day use, I do not want to ruin all my efforts because I want to use Hyper-V.  Luckily, you can allow a non-admin user to connect to Hyper-V server by adding the user to the Hyper-V Administrators group (rather than the Administrators group).  You can find this group by right clicking on Computer, selecting Manage. Under the "Local Users and Groups", you should be able to find the "Hyper-V Administrators" groups as shown below.  Add the local user who you are allowed to connect, and off you go.  The local user you have added can now connect to the Hyper-V server.

Further information on Hyper-V setup can be found at: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/jj647785.aspx

Acer XC115

Just received my Acer Aspire XC115 today.  If you are going for the Windows 8.1, it is relatively easy to set it up as Windows is able to find most of its drivers during the installation.  The only exception is the AmdAS4 Device.  However, it is not hard to fixed.  All you need to do is to install the latest AMD chipset drivers for this platform.

If you are installing Windows 7, you may need few more drivers but again shouldn't be difficult (I have not tried it myself), as you should be able to find them from the manufacturer site (if not from Acer itself)

• Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller 
• http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=13&PFid=5&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
• AMD PSP 1.0 Device
• http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Windows%208.1%20-%2064
• USB xHCI Compliant Host Controller
• http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Windows%208.1%20-%2064
• Realtek High Definition Audio
• http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

As for performance, it would be daft to think this is lightening fast for a machine costs less than USD 160 and has a 15W TDP APU.  However, it is certainly not painfully slow neither.  I have run Cinebench R15 on it, and it is very comparable to my i5 laptop which costs significant more.

Just for further references, I have also included result from my other machines.

Update 2015-03-19: Cinebench result from a Core2Duo E4600 machine with nVidia GeForce 8400 has been added.  It seems the R2 iGPU is much faster than GeForce 8400, and the E2 6110 CPU is more than comparable with a Core2Duo, especially if you take the operating frequency into account, i.e. 1.5GHz vs 2.4GHz

Update 2015-04-12: Cinebench result from a Lenovo S20-30 is added.

Remote Connection Manager 2.7

Microsoft has this little free Utility that lets you to have multiple remote desktop sessions opening in a single Window.  It is a nice utility but it is a bit out of date.  The last version was 2.2 and was released in 2010.

This has changed with the arrival of 2.7 (released in November 2014).  I don't know why it is so late to the party, but I glad it does.  It finally brings features found in Remote Desktop Utility comes with Windows 8.

It is available on Microsoft Website at: http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=44989

Here is a quick quote from the application page for its new features:

"The RDCMan 2.7 version is a major feature release. New features include: - Virtual machine connect-to-console support - Smart groups - Support for credential encryption with certificates - Windows 8 remote action support - Support for Windows 8, Windows 8.1 / Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2"

Options for auto login missing in Windows 8.1

I have hooked up my computer to my TV in the living room and set up Windows to auto log in at start up.  However, today this failed.  I know Windows can be forgetful at time.  No problem, a trip to "netplwiz" will fix it, won't it?


Well, it isn't quite as easy as it turned out.  It seems a recent update had done something to the security policies that made the option for auto login disappear.  A quick search in Google shows that this option can be restore by resetting the security policy as follow:

1. Press Windows-X to bring up the menu
2. Select Control Panel
3. Click User Accounts and Family Safety
4. Click User Accounts
5. If your security policies are non-standard you will see a link "Reset Security Policies" at the bottom of the left column. If the security policies are default you will not see this link. Click Reset Security Policies
6. You will see a confirmation box.
7. Press Windows-R
8. Type control userpasswords2
9. The check box should be there, uncheck the box and select your login information
10. Note that it now defaults to your local account - if you login with a Microsoft account don't forget to enter that email address in the user name.

Since I don't have custom local policies, this fix does me no harm.  However, if you have done some customizations to your local policies, you may look for a more precise solution.