Do you use Windows XP? Do you like the look and feel of a Mac? Have you ever considered making your Windows PC look like a Mac? FlyakiteOSX is a program that helps you do this.

“The installer simply automates the process of replacing critical system files, setting registry tweaks, and installing extras such as cursors, sounds, visual styles, etc. FlyakiteOSX DOES NOT contain any spyware or ad-ware of any kind. All files needed for FlyakiteOSX are stored in the Windows directory in a folder named ‘FlyakiteOSX’ that is hidden by default. All registry values for FlyakiteOSX are written to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\FlyakiteOSX.”

The program is pretty safe, but it does make some system file tweaks so things could go wrong. Luckily, when you install the program it offers to make a system restore point so that if things were to go wrong you can easily fix it!

This is what your computer will look like after you install flyakiteosx

Click here to download — be sure to click the normal link to download it

Give flyakiteosx a try, if you like it, then keep it. If you don’t like it, you can uninstall the program and get things back to the way they were by just uninstalling it (through add/remove programs).

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Just wanted to let you guys know about some site updates.

Inside each post:

• There is now a digg badge that will show up at the top of the post once 2 people have dugg the post.
• At the bottom (before author’s name) is a social bookmarking tool bar (Share and Enjoy). Here you can share the post on Digg, Del.icio.us, Slashdot, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Facebook. So if you enjoyed the article, please share it with others by clicking on one of the social icons. Thanks! 8-)
• At the bottom (after the author’s name) there is a list of related posts.

In the sidebar:

• A Technorati badge is located underneath the RSS feed icon and subscribe by email. Clicking on the button will allow you to add WLM Tips as a favorite to your Technorati account.
• Under ‘WLM Tips Extras’ there is now a link to our facebook page, mobile site, Blogged page, and Twitter account.

So…(drum roll please)
If you enjoy reading our articles, please: become a fan of our page on Facebook, share our articles on social networks via the ‘Share and Enjoy’ toolbar, rate/review our site on Blogged, and follow us on Twitter.

Thanks again for choosing WLM Tips and we hope everyone enjoys reading our blog. If you have any comments, complaints, or suggestions be sure to send them to admin@wlmtips.com

I would like to thank Gregory for suggesting this post on the discussion board of our facebook page. I know this is a long post but try and bear with me. There is a lot I need to cover and when you are done you will be glad you did :-) .

This post will show you how to install iPodLinux from Ubuntu; however, this post still applies to Windows. The reason I chose to show the installation from Linux is because it is a little more difficult to get the installer running then in Windows.

The iPodLinux Project is an open source project that has ported Linux to the iPod. iPodLinux allows you to install addons for more functionality, programs and games to your iPod. For example, you can install Wikipedia on your iPod. For a list of all the cool stuff you can install on your iPod, take a look at the module list and the application list.

iPodLinux works with most iPod models, however, you should check to make sure it is compatible with your model by clicking here. According to the iPodLinux website, iPodLinux currently does not work with the following iPod models: 2nd/3rd generation iPod nano, 6th generation iPod classic, all iPod shuffles and the iPod Touch.

iPodLinux provides an installer for installing from Windows or Linux. There is not an installer for Mac OS X; however, you can perform a manual installation if you are Mac OS X user. This post will cover how to install iPodLinux from Ubuntu; however, the installation from Windows is very similar. If you cannot get the installation to work using the installer, try the manual installation mentioned above.

WARNING- BACKUP YOUR DATA BEFORE CONTINUING!!!

You should back up all the files on your iPod (music, pictures, video, data, etc) before continuing. The installation should leave all of your data unharmed but you should still backup in case something were to go wrong. Keep in mind that it is physically impossible to permanently damage your iPod by installing iPodLinux.

Ok, onto the installation.

1.) According to the iPodLinux website, Debian/Ubuntu users need to install libpng3 and libssl0.9.8 libraries before trying to install iPodLinux. To install these libraries, simply type ‘sudo apt-get install libpng3 libssl0.9.8‘ into the terminal.

If you are a Windows user you do not need to do this, merely download the installer (zip archive) to your computer and skip to step 4.

2.) Next, download the iPodLinux installer 2 located under the download section on the Installer 2 page. Be sure to pick the appropriate installer for your computer (32bit or 64bit). Most users will probably need the x86 version.

3.) Once you download the installer, extract the zipped archive with your favorite archive manager. You can also use the following code (only for 32bit) which will extract the files and place an icon on the desktop. For the 64bit version see the iPodLinux website (Installer 2 page).

% gunzip /tmp/ipodlinux-installer-2.2l.run.gz
% chmod +x /tmp/ipodlinux-installer-2.2l.run
% /tmp/ipodlinux-installer-2.2l.run
% /opt/iPodLinux/installer     (or use the icon)

4.) Now you are ready to run the installer. You can do this by either clicking on the icon on your desktop (if you used the code above) or by using the terminal to navigate to the folder and running ‘./installer’ (if you used an archive manager to extract the files).

Windows users should run the file ‘installer’ after extracting the archive.

At this point you should see a screen similar to the following:

5.) I recommend reading the text on this screen as it could be helpful if something were to go wrong. But for those of you who don’t like to read (like myself) just click Next to get started.

You should now see a screen similar to the following. However, it should list the iPod information related to your model. As you can see, I am using a 4th generation black and white iPod.

6.) Because of a bug in the installer, you will have to come back to this step in a minute. But for now just click Next, you do NOT need to click the advanced check box.

There is a bug in the installer that makes it quit once you have backed up your iPod firmware (in this step). Therefore, once you backup the firmware you will have to run the installer again. So for now it doesn’t matter how you load Linux.

7.) However, if you want to be safe just click iPodLoader2. This will bring you to a boot menu when you turn on the iPod. You will then be able to choose whether to start the Apple OS or Linux. You can also choose to turn off the iPod or put it in Disk Mode.

8.) Check ‘Yes, I want to save a backup.’ and leave the directory as it is to save the backup in the iPodLinux folder. If you want you can change the directory and save the backup elsewhere.

The backup will begin and you should see a screen like the following. When the backup finishes, the installer will probably quit. Don’t worry; apparently this is normal. This is the bug I mentioned earlier.

9.) Once the installer quits, run it again and stop when you get to the page that identifies your iPod. This time you should check ‘Advanced partitioning and package selection.’ Click Next when ready to continue.

10.) After clicking Next you will be presented with the following screen. These default settings are fine so you can go ahead and click Next. However, if you are an advanced user (and who isn’t?) you can change these settings to fit your needs.

11.) You should have seen the following screen the first time you ran the installer (to backup the iPod’s firmware). This time uncheck ‘Yes, I want to save a backup’ since you already did this. This will keep the installer from quitting and allow you to finish installing Linux. Click Next when ready.

12.) You should now see a screen where you can select which modules to install. The following modules are required for Linux to run: base, kernel, ipodloader2, appearance, podzilla2. The top 4 are selected by default but podzilla2 is not. Without podzilla2 you will receive an error when trying to boot into Linux.

Under ‘Podzilla modules ‘is a list of modules you can install to your iPod. These include games, applications, and demos. Just scroll through the list and check the ones you find interesting. There is a little bit of everything here. Click Next to begin the installation.

The following screen will show the status of the installation. This should not take very long (less than a minute depending on how many modules you chose).

Once the installer is finished installing the modules you will be presented with the following screen. Again, I recommend reading this page but of course you don’t have to. Just click Finish to close the installer.

You have now successfully installed iPodLinux! ;-) Be sure to unmount your iPod (don’t just unplug it!). The iPod should restart on its own and when the boot loader appears, scroll down and select ‘iPod Linux’. After a few seconds podzilla should run allowing you to run the modules you just installed. The interface is similar to the default Apple firmware.

If you want to uninstall simply run the installer again. This time it should ask if you want to upgrade your iPodLinux, change the boot loader, or remove iPodLinux. Select uninstall iPodLinux and then select the backup you made earlier. This did not work when I tried it. This could be my iPod model or a problem with the installer.

The only way I could successfully remove iPodLinux was to restore my iPod using iTunes.

WARNING- Restoring your iPod will completely erase all data on the iPod.

I had trouble installing iPodLinux at first, mostly because I didn’t read the website. It took me a while to figure out there was a bug in the installer (if only I had read the section of the website entitled Important Notes).

So if you have some trouble with iPodLinux my suggestion to you is to spend some time on the iPodLinux website and even take a look at the forums. It can be hard to find what you are looking for on the website so if you are still having problems post in the comments and I will do my best to help you.

If you would like to see some of the cool stuff you can do with iPodLinux, check out the Screenshots. Some videos are listed at the bottom of the screenshots page.

If you have any more questions about the iPodLinux Project, be sure to check out their FAQ page. There is also some good guides for iPodLinux located in the Documentation page.

Have you ever wanted to test another operating system but were afraid it would mess up your computer? Maybe on occasion you need to use more than one operation system but don’t want to dual boot. Whatever your reason may be, virtualization is something to look into.

With VMware Server, you can install virtual machines on your computer. As the name implies, this software is designed for use on servers but can be used on regular desktops and laptops. A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a computer that executes programs like a real machine. In other words, you can run an operating system within your current operating system, almost like a program.

Why would I want to install a virtual machine on my computer?
With a virtual machine you can test software in a similar environment to see how compatible it is with your other software. If the software doesn’t work well in your virtual machine then all you do is uninstall the software or even the virtual machine without ever changing your host (actual computer) settings.

Other uses of virtual machines include testing software/Linux distros, running multiple OS at same time (for software issues or personal preference), and no longer needing to reboot.

I personally use VMs on my desktop to try out new Linux distributions. This works great because I don’t have to waste time burning the .iso to a dvd and booting the computer off the live cd. I can actually run the distro in live cd mode from the .iso itself. In fact this runs faster than booting off the cd since hard drives can read and write faster than optical drives. I also have Windows installed in a VM (since I am primarily in Ubuntu) if there is something I need to do in Windows but I don’t want to restart my computer. I can just turn on my VM do what needs to be done and then turn it off, all while working on my actual computer.

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What are the system requirements for VMware Server?
Most modern computers will meet the basic requirements for VMware Server. For example you need a Pentium II or newer processor (AMD Athlon or newer), 512MB of ram, 250MB hard drive space (more if you want to create VMs) and a Windows Server 2000 or newer (XP and Vista will work too).

The recommended requirements are 1GB of memory and several GB of free hard drive space. Each VM requires at least 256MB of memory. Therefore, the more memory you have the fast your host and VM will run. Keep in mind that running a VM uses the same hardware as your host machine. This means if you are running a VM and using your host machine at the same time you can expect to see a drop in performance. You should install the VMware program on your primary hard drive but I’d recommend installing your VMs (which you will have to choose for yourself) on an external hard drive or separate physical hard drive (partitions don’t count). This is primarily because running your host and VM on the same hard drive will cause a huge bottleneck.

How do I install VMware Server?
Start by going to VMware’s website and download VMware server. Click the download button. When the EULA appears scroll to the bottom of the page and click yes.

Under the Windows section download the master installer file Binary (.exe). This file is rather large (146MB) so a broadband internet connection is recommended.

While you are waiting for the download to finish, go ahead and register for a serial key. You will need this key to install VMware Server, but don’t worry, it is completely FREE. All you have to do is fill out the registration form and once it is complete, they will give you a serial key.

If you are going to be installing VMware Server on more than 1 computer you will need more than 1 key. If this is the case, be sure to specify that you need more than 1 key. Remember this is completely free and they do not restrict you on the number of keys.

Once the file has finished downloading, start the installer by opening the file you just downloaded. After a few seconds you should see the following screen:

Click Next to go to the next screen. Then accept the license agreement and click Next. At the next screen click Complete and then the Next button to continue.

The next screen will ask which directory you would like to install VMware Server. Unless you have special circumstances, the default directory is fine. Click Next to progress to the next screen.

At this point the install might ask you if you want to disable the cd auto-run feature that most computers have. The feature they are talking about is when you insert a cd into your cd drive you computer will try to automatically load the cd. This can be a problem with VMs if you are wanting to share the cd drive between your host and VMs. Either disable the feature to be safe or if you like you can leave it enabled. When ready, click Next to continue.

Click Install to begin the installation. The installation may take several minutes (approximately 5) to finish. This is normal so do not be alarmed if it seems like it is taking longer than you expected.

When the installation finishes you should see a confirmation screen. At this screen click Finish. At this point you are finished installing VMware Server. You can now create virtual machines on your host computer.

I will go into detail on how to create virtual machines in a future post. However, you shouldn’t wait until then to try out VMware Server. Installing VM is fairly self explanatory and there is a lot of documentation out there to help you.

If you would like a VM that is already setup and configured you should check out the Virtual Appliance Marketplace.

Facebook:
WLM Tips now has a page on Facebook. There you can post on the discussion board, read the latest articles via RSS and interact with other Windows, Linux, and Mac users. So if you have a Facebook account, please become a fan of WLMTips. All you have to do is click on the link above and then click ‘Become a Fan” in the upper right corner of the page.

While at our page you can:

• Upload a picture of yourself
• Upload a picture of your computer, desktop background, high tech device, etc, etc
• Make suggestions for the site via the discussion board
• Ask question via the discussion board
• Post questions and comments on the wall

Polls:
We want to know more about what you, the readers of WLM Tips, are interested in so we’ve decided to implement polls into our posts. Polls will typically be located within a post but the most recent poll will be located in the right sidebar. You will be able to vote once and immediately see the current results of the poll.

Please cast your vote. If you are torn between two answers or your answer is not listed, be sure to tell us in the comments.

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