Use Ctrl+Alt+Del for Task Manager in Linux to Kill Tasks Easily

 

 

Sent to you by Sparkie via Google Reader:

 

 

Use Ctrl+Alt+Del for Task Manager in Linux to Kill Tasks Easily

via the How-To Geek by Justin Garrison on 6/28/10

In Windows you can easily kill any task by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and bringing up the task manager. Linux running the GNOME desktop environment (i.e. Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.) has a similar tool that can be enabled to run exactly the same way.

Setting up global key bindings

The GNOME desktop environment by default uses the Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut to bring up the shutdown, logout, restart, and hibernate dialog. This is not useful for users who are used to quick access to a task manager.

To change the settings of Ctrl+Alt+Del in GNOME open the keyboard shortcuts preferences. In Ubuntu it is located under System -> Preferences -> Keyboard Shortcuts, and in Linux Mint open the mintMenu -> Control Center -> Keyboard Shortcuts.

The keyboard shortcuts preferences will show all of the shortcuts that the GNOME desktop environment can control.

Note: Other program specific or Compiz keyboard shortcuts will not show up here. You will need to look in those programs for what shortcuts are available.

Adding custom global keyboard shortcuts is as easy as clicking Add.

For a Ctrl+Alt+Del replacement we will name the new shortcut "Task Manager" and the command to run is gnome-system-monitor.

Click Apply and notice the new keyboard shortcut shows up under Custom Shortcuts but is disabled.

Click where it says "Disabled" and then press the new desired keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Delete. If the keyboard shortcut already exists as another GNOME keyboard shortcut you will be prompted to reassign the keyboard shortcut.

Click Reassign and the new keyboard shortcut will now be enabled and will show the keyboard sequence for the command.

For an even easier way to kill programs that are not responding, set up one more keyboard shortcut and name it "Kill Window" with the command xkill.

Click on "Disabled" just as before to set the keyboard shortcut for Kill Window to Ctrl+Delete.

Using System Monitor

To test out the new keyboard shortcuts push Ctrl+Alt+Del. The System Monitor will open and will have a lot of useful information on the System tab. This tab gives you easy access to your Linux distribution and release, current running kernel, GNOME version, and available disk space.

The next tab is the Processes tab and is similar to the task manager in Windows. You can sort by CPU usage, memory usage, process name, etc.

To kill a process, find the name and click the End Process button. A confirmation will pop-up and you can easily kill the non-responsive process.

The Resources tab shows CPU, memory, and network history and is very helpful in troubleshooting system performance. The history is only stored as long as the system monitor is open so make sure you leave it running if you want to view performance while running certain programs.

The last tab, File Systems, shows information about local hard disks and partitions. Particularly useful is the device, directory, and used information. The device shows how the system identifies your partition, and directory shows where that partition is mounted or if it is mounted at all.

Using xkill

The last keyboard shortcut that was set up was for a program called xkill. This program doesn't have a user interface or settings. When you push the keyboard shortcut to run xkill the only thing you will notice is your mouse cursor will change into an X.

To kill a process with xkill move the mouse over the window that needs to be killed and left click with the mouse anywhere in the window. The program should instantly disappear along with any sub-windows the process had opened.

If either of these methods are used to kill a process just remember that any unsaved work will be lost because neither of these programs allow the program to save work before closing.

Similar Articles	Productive Geek Tips
Quick Tip: Restart Windows From Task Manager Why is Task Manager Disabled? How Do I Kill All the iexplore.exe Processes at Once? Kill Linux Processes Easier with pkill Kill a Process by Process Name from Ubuntu Command Line	Script Suggestion: Turn Off Music If Inactive 5 Minutes TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window
Latest Software Reviews	Tinyhacker Random Tips
HippoRemote Pro 2.2 Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server	$2K HD SLR camera + $2K RC helicopter + BMX Comodo Internet Security – How Good It Actually Is? The London Underground in Real Time Win Windows® 7 Inside Out & Get a Discount at O'Reilly Very Cool Cassette Tape Artwork Dazzboard is a Multi-Device Sync Solution

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to the How-To Geek using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

When lightning strikes (twice), a photographer is ready

 

 

Sent to you by Sparkie via Google Reader:

 

 

When lightning strikes (twice), a photographer is ready

via Cityscapes by Tempo on 6/24/10

Sometimes, a photographer goes out in search of a good photo--and, because of unforeseen circumstances, he comes back with a great photo, one that gets displayed all over the world.

And so it was last night as Tribune photographer Chris Sweda headed to the John Hancock Center skydeck to snap a few shots of the official debut of the Trump Tower spire--and a supercharged storm broke over Chicago.

Chris got the assigned shots as the spire turned from red to blue to white (below), but he got something much more powerful: A rare shot of lightning bolts simultaneously striking the Trump Tower and the Willis Tower (above).

The Associated Press has transmitted the shot worldwide and the Daily Mail of London has already picked it up. "Stunning images," says the Mail.

Kudos to Chris for getting exactly the right angle and for pressing the button at exactly the right moment. He was equally skillful in capturing the aftermath of the storm as the sky and the skyline faded to a golden glow.  

Oh, by the way, the Trump spire (a visual flop by day) looks pretty spiffy by night.

(Tribune photos by Chris Sweda)

For more Tribune storm photos, click here.  

POSTSCRIPT: Some readers are asking whether the double lightning strike image was easier to capture than it looks. In other words, did a long exposure make separate lighting strikes appear simultaneous?

Tribune photo editors are concluding that the evidence suggests strongly that the strikes did happen at the same time. They are basing their conclusion on the following evidence: Another Tribune photographer, Terrence A. James, got almost exactly the same shot from a different angle (left)--and his exposure lasted just 1/80th of a second. Chris Sweda's picture was a four-second exposure, according to the editors.

Two other pieces of evidence strongly point to a simultaneous strike: 1) Videos sent in by readers--see the comment board--show simultaneous strikes hitting not only the Willis and Trump towers but also the John Hancock Center. 2) When the shots were taken, the internal clocks of both photographers' cameras were set to 7:45 p.m. Although it is possible that Sweda and James took their shots at different times, chances are very good that the photographers clicked their cameras at almost precisely the same instant, capturing the same double lightning strike from different angles.

 

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Cityscapes using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Restore Concrete to a Like New Finish

 

 

Sent to you by Sparkie via Google Reader:

 

 

Restore Concrete to a Like New Finish

via Instructables: exploring by Sakrete on 6/23/10

Repair and restore discolored or damaged concrete with Sakrete Flo-coat. Easily applied with a squeegee.
By: Sakrete

Continue Reading »

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Instructables: exploring using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Install Linux Mint on Your Windows Computer or Netbook

 

 

Sent to you by Sparkie via Google Reader:

 

 

Install Linux Mint on Your Windows Computer or Netbook

via the How-To Geek by Matthew Guay on 6/24/10

Would you like to try out the popular Linux Mint OS on your Windows computer or netbook?  Here's how you can do it even without a CD/DVD drive with the Mint4Win installer.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an increasingly popular distribution of Linux, and many users have found it more user friendly and convenient than other versions.  Mint is based on Ubuntu, and as such includes an excellent installer that lets you install it directly from Windows.  You install it just like a standard Windows program, and can uninstall it from Command Prompt.  The installer is only available in a ISO disk image file, though, so it can still be difficult to install on a computer without a CD/DVD drive such as a netbook.  But, with a little trick, you can use the Windows installer for Mint on any PC, no DVD drive required!

Setup Virtual CloneDrive

Linux Mint is only available as an ISO file, so we're going to mount the ISO file in a virtual CD Drive.  We recommend Virtual CloneDrive for this, so if you don't already have it installed, download it (link below) and install as usual.

You may be prompted to install drivers during the Virtual CloneDrive setup; click Install to complete the installation.

For more information about Virtual CloneDrive, check out our article on Mounting an ISO image in Windows 7 or Vista.

Install Linux Mint in Windows with Mint4Win

Now download the latest version of Linux Mint from the link below.  Select the i386 Live CD edition.

Choose a download mirror near your location, and save the ISO file to your computer.

Once the download is finished, right-click on the ISO and select Mount (Virtual CloneDrive).

 

Now, browse to Computer, and open the virtual DVD.

Run the mint4win program located in the CD image.

In Windows 7, this installer worked fine, but in one test on a Vista system we received the error message below.  If you see this, simply click Continue as the installer still worked fine.

When the installer opens, click Install inside Windows.

Please note: DO NOT click Demo and full installation, as this will not work correctly if the CD is simply a mounted ISO file.

Select where you'd like to install Linux Mint, your preferred language, username, and password, and the Installation size you want. 

Note: that Linux Mint is installing as a normal Windows application, so it will not overwrite any of your files.  Click Install when everything's entered.

 

Linux Mint will now be extracted from your disk image and setup on your computer.  This may take a few minutes depending on your computer's speed.

When the install is finished, you'll be asked to reboot your computer.  Save any work you have open, and select Reboot now.

Finishing Linux Mint Setup

When your computer reboots, you'll notice a new screen showing options for Windows and Linux Mint.  Windows will load by default, but to finish setting up Linux Mint, press the down arrow on your keyboard and select Linux Mint.  Press the Enter key to continue.

Linux Mint will detect your hardware and set it up.

It will then finish installing the OS and setting everything up.  This took about 15 minutes in our test.  Once it's finished, your computer will automatically reboot; remember to select Linux Mint at the boot screen again.

Getting Started with Linux Mint

Linux Mint is a nice looking Linux distro that makes it easy to get up and running.  It includes popular programs such as Firefox and Pidgin, and supports multimedia codecs and Flash Player directly after installation.

The first time you run it, you can quickly learn your way around Linux Mint from the startup dialog.  This includes links to tutorials, features, and more.

 

Linux Mint is very easy for Windows users, as the main Mint menu is quite similar to the Windows 7 Start Menu.  You can search for programs and more directly from the Mint menu, just like in Windows 7 and Vista.

Mint automatically detected our WiFi network, so we just had to click on the network icon in the system tray and select the network to log on.

Unfortunately, it didn't include drivers for our Nvidia graphics card, but when we tried to enable advanced graphics effects, it automatically found and offered to install them.  Click Enable and enter your administrative password, and the drivers will install and let you take full advantage of your hardware.

This works similar to the way you install proprietary drivers in Ubuntu, so you can check out our article on Installing Proprietary Drivers in Ubuntu for more info.

 

Linux Mint is easy to use, so have fun and try out what you can do in Linux Mint!

Changing Boot Options

By default, Mint4Win will leave Windows as the default operating system, and will give you 10 seconds at boot to choose to boot into Linux Mint.  To change this, boot into Windows and enter Advanced system settings in your start menu search.

Here click Settings under Startup and Recovery.

From this dialog, you can select the default operating system and the time to display list of operating systems.  You can enter a lower number to make the boot screen appear for less time.

Or, if you'd rather make Linux Mint the default operating system, you can select it from the drop-down menu.

Uninstall Linux Mint

If you that you don't want to keep Linux Mint, you can easily uninstall it just like you would any other program installed in Windows.  Open Control Panel, select Uninstall a program, and then browse to the Linux Mint entry.  Click Uninstall/Change in the toolbar.

Confirm that you want to uninstall Linux Mint.  The uninstall process is very quick, and once it's finished your computer will be back the same as it was before you started.

 

Conclusion

Linux Mint is an easy to use version of Linux that is great for beginners.  If you're used to using Windows, you may have an easier time finding your way around in Linux Mint than in other distros such as Ubuntu.  Since you can install it just like a normal Windows Program, it's quick and easy to give it a try and even remove if you don't like it, and no DVD drive's required.

If you'd rather try out Ubuntu on your Windows computer, check out our guides on How to Install Ubuntu with the Wubi Installer and how to Install Ubuntu Netbook Remix with the Wubi Installer.

Links

Download Linux Mint

Download VirtualCloneDrive

Similar Articles	Productive Geek Tips
Install Ubuntu Netbook Edition with Wubi Installer Install IceWM on Ubuntu Linux Rip Audio CDs in Linux with Sound Juicer Install Monodevelop on Ubuntu Linux Boost Netbook Speed with an SD Card & ReadyBoost	Script Suggestion: Turn Off Music If Inactive 5 Minutes TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window
Latest Software Reviews	Tinyhacker Random Tips
HippoRemote Pro 2.2 Xobni Plus for Outlook All My Movies 5.9 CloudBerry Online Backup 1.5 for Windows Home Server	iPhone 4 vs iPhone 3GS Choose your Best Photo for Online Profiles Personal Renamer Can Automate Batch Renaming of Files Share Files between Ubuntu & Windows 7 computers Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Map If you own a laptop, read this…

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to the How-To Geek using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites