Problem: Ubuntu was being upgraded to a new distribution using do-release-upgrade over SSH and the connection lost, and the backup SSH session could not be reached.

Solution: Run sudo screen -x

Question: How can I retrieve my Windows key when I can not access my computer? (How can I retrieve my Windows key offline) (How can I retrieve my Windows key with a Linux Disk)

Answer:
First, there is no good way to do this using a Ubuntu or Linux Live disc. Sorry.
But, there is an easy way to do this.

Note: Most computers have the key on them somewhere in the form of a sticker. Make sure that the sticker Windows version matches the version installed on the computer to avoid upgrade confusion. If this sticker is missing, proceed using the key.

You can use Hirens Boot CD to retrieve your Windows Keys offline. Hirens Boot CD has MiniXP on it, which is how we will address retrieving your key.

You can download Hirens Boot CD here. For more information of what software is on the CD, click here. For instructions on how to make a bootable USB for Hirens Boot CD, click here (medium difficulty) .

Instructions:

(Ease: Medium. 3/10 difficulty.
Download and burn the newest version of Hirens Boot CD (in our case, it was version 14.0). Download link is above.

Upon booting of the CD, select the option to boot into “Mini Windows Xp”. This will take a moment to load, especially from the CD.

From the MiniXP Desktop, double-click the “HBCD Menu” shortcut.

Select, from the menubar, Programs > Passwords / Keys > Product Keys >
Select XP Key Reader for reading XP Keys, or ProduKey for others.

For XP  Key Reader:
On the XP Key Reader window, click “Browse” and select the drive with your Windows installation, and select the Windows folder.
Then, on the main program window, click “Read Remote Key”

For ProduKey:
When you open ProduKey, a Window will appear. Choose “Load the product keys from the external Windows directory” and click “Browse”.
Select the drive with your Windows installation, and select the Windows folder.
Click OK at the bottom of the source window. (Tip: If your screen is small, you may not be able to see the OK button. Simply press ENTER.)

Wait a moment, and the keys will load.

Tip: Write your keys down twice. If you write the key down wrong by accident and reformat, you may be out of luck for getting the key back again.

Problem: After using the keyboard (by typing) or after changing the volume using a button on your laptop, the track mouse becomes unavailable for a few seconds.Problem is present on Ubuntu 11.04 (or Linux using a Synaptics touchpad mouse driver).
This problem is likely present on other distributions.

Cause: Ubuntu 11.04 changed some of your mouse settings, upon doing so it enabled a feature titled “Disable Touchpad While Typing”

Solution:
(Ease: Easy. Time: Under a minute)
This solution will likely work on other distributions, but the menus may be in different locations.

Enter your system settings
* Gnome3/Unity: Press the Windows Key and type “Mouse”, select “Mouse and Touchpad”
* Gnome2/Failback: Click your username in the upper right-hand corner, and go to “System Settings” and locate “Mouse and Touchpad”

Go to the “Touchpad” tab.

Uncheck the box next to “Disable Touchpad While Typing”

Close the window, and test that it resolved the issue.

Did this work for you? Please comment and let everyone know.

More information about this is available here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynatestingpticsTouchpad

Details: Ubuntu 11.04 BETA I fails to allow use of Unity Desktop when a nVidia GeForce Go 7300 is used.

Problem: The new nVidia driver introduced with Ubuntu 11.04 is not actually compatible with said card.

Solution: Simple.
First, to get into some kind of desktop, get back to the Ubuntu login screen (you can NOT get the desktop to un-freeze, you may have to force shutdown or do some other complicated things).
At the bottom of the login screen, select a different desktop to use. The drop-down box is set to Ubuntu as default. Instead, select “Ubuntu Classic (no effects)” and log in.

Your desktop should now load with the traditional Gnome interface. Don’t walk away just yet, as full functionality is just a moment away:

Open (under System) “Additional Drivers”, find whichever nVidia driver is installed and remove/deactivate it. Restart your computer.

Login and open Additional Drivers again, and install/activate the driver named “Expiremental 3d Support for  nVidia cards”. Restart your computer, and change the desktop in the login-screen drop-down box back to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 11.04 with the Unity desktop should load successfully.

Please comment if this post worked for you, as well as other solutions you may have found.

Target: This article applies to both users running The Sims 3 (all or no EP’s) on either Windows, or WINE (or PlayOnLinux).

This article covers the description of the problem, causes, how to clear the Sims 3 Cache, and how to resolve the problem completely.

Problem description: Objects, Sims (especially clothing) and all or parts of lots are turning black. (Anything with texture).

Further: … Sometimes only newly placed objects have these issues occur. Some Sims may still have correct clothing while others do not. Certain categories of objects (such as only floors, only walls, only tables) seem to have this problem.
Cause: The cause is not certain, but it has been narrowed down to a few things:

Your Graphics Card does not support Vertex Shading. Try disabling “Advanced Rendering” in the Sims 3 options window. Try clearing the cache (see below for instructions)

DirectX may be out of date (Windows) or not all components of DirectX are working properly (WINE + Linux)

Problem Solution:

1. First, please try simply clearing the Sims 3 cache. To do this, Navigate to where your Sims files are saved. This should be located under your My Documents folder (or the Home Folder, in Linux) and under the sub folder, Electronic Arts > The Sims 3

Delete every file (not folder) that contains the word Cache. These should be:

CASPartCache.package

compositorCache.package

scriptCache.package

simCompositorCache.package

Also delete all files in the “Thumbnails” folder.

(“What is a Cache?” see note 1)

After you have deleted the cache, start the game again and see if this resolves the problem.

If it does fix the problem, restart the game to make sure that the solution lasts.

If this does not fix the problem, continue:

2. Disable “advanced rendering” in the game’s graphics options menu.

Delete the cache again (step 1).

Start the game. If this does fix the problem, restart the game to make sure that the solution lasts.

3. If the problem is still occurring, lower the texture detail in the game to its’ lowest setting.

Delete the cache again (step 1)

Start the game. If this does fix the problem, restart the game the game to make sure that the solution lasts.

4. If the problem is still occurring, lower all other graphics settings to their lowest setting.

Delete the cache again (step 1)

You can either leave these settings on low, or try upping them until you get the problem again and narrow them down to a setting that works.

If this helped you solve the problem, please comment below and let people know what you tried and what was or wasn’t helpful, as well as any other solutions you may have found.

Note 1:

“What is a Cache?”

A cache is a place where a program or operating system stores information to be used again. Caches often contain old information that is no longer needed. Caches can also be used to conserve space in the RAM of your computer by storing less used information on the hard drive. A cache often contains instruction sets that the computer has performed in the past, so that the computer will not have to recalculate certain things in the future.

Or, as Wikipedia says:

In computer science, a cache is a component that improves performance by transparently storing data such that future requests for that data can be served faster. …

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cache