Video thumbnails in BunsenLabs

I'm trying out BunsenLabs Linux on my old laptop. I came across the same problem I encountered in its predecessor CrunchBang Linux, namely I didn't get a thumbnail preview of video files in Thunar.

The solution I found at the time (see my review of CrunchBang), which was to install ffmpegthumbnailer, didn't work.

The solution this time was to install tumbler-plugins-extra.

How to transfer files from Android phone to Linux Mint Cinnamon 17.3 via Bluetooth

I'm trying out Linux Mint Cinnamon 17.3 on my old laptop. One thing I noticed is that Mint uses Bluz4 rather than Bluez5 in Debian Squeeze (I suppose because Mint is based on a LTS vesion of Ubuntu and is therefore fairly conservative in packages like this providing basic functionality).

As a result, file transfer from an Android phone works in Mint whereas it doesn't in Debian Jessie with Gnome. At least, it doesn't on my newer laptop. It did on my old laptop when I had Jessie installed, but not consistently.

However, I couldn't enable Mint to receive files until I installed

gnome-user-share

I'd been searching for quite a while before I found this information. Maybe there's a guide I missed, but if you're searching for how to receive files in Mint via Bluetooth, that's what you need.

VPN in Gnome on Debian

I was wondering recently if the IP locations given for posters on some internet forums could be faked: could somebody appear to be in one place and actually be in another?

I'd read something about VPN and looked into using it in Debian.It seems the required packages aren't installed by default. (They are in Linux Mint, which I'm trying out on my old laptop.)

Google suggested that PPTP was a good option for getting a free IP address in the US, and these are the packages required in Debian Gnome:

network-manager-pptp-gnome
network-manager-pptp
pptp-linux

You can then go to network settings and create a new VPN connection (I've already created one here).

Click on the plus sign and choose VPN.

I didn't install Open VPN so the only option is PPTP.

Fill in the details from a VPN provider. Gateway is the provider's server name and NT Domain can be left blank. (This is not something I knew- it took me a while to find the information via a web search. I can't remember where I found it exactly, but no credit to me and thanks to whoever it was that put the information up somewhere.)

Hit "Advanced" and untick everything except MSCHAPv2, and enable Point-to-Point encryption MPPE. At least, this worked for me, again based on skimming through various pages of setup advice.

Now test your connection.

The settings given by the first provider I tried didn't work. I tried another provider's details and got a connection straight away. A search for "free American IP address VPN" brings up many providers.

The answer to my question is don't trust an IP location: with VPN a forum poster can appear to be somewhere they are not.

How to see boot error messages

I noticed that the Linux kernel has been updated several times since I installed Debian Jessie and decided to try a new version to see if it would help with a few issues I've been having.

I installed a newer kernel from Debian Backports, but during the reboot I noticed an error message flash by- far too quickly to read.

I was sure I had found a way to read such messages again after the computer finished booting, but just couldn't recall it.

After spending a couple of hours on Google trying to rediscover the secret, I found it.

dmesg

I've put it in red and highlighted it so I don't forget it again.

Running dmesg showed me the error message I'd missed, highlighted in red.

firmware: failed to load radeon/mullins

My new kernel couldn't use the non-free driver firmware I had installed- installing firmware from Debian Backports fixed the problem.

Toshiba C50D-B-120 Part 5 - Firmware update

It's been a few months since I bought my new Toshiba laptop, and by and large, it's been working well. One issue I have had is an occasional artefact in text rendering- I assume a problem with the graphics driver.

I noticed that Debian Backports had some updated firmware for video drivers, so I wondered if this might help with my problem, but I just couldn't see the firmware update even though I have backports in my sources list.

To cut a long story short, the instructions page in the link above has the following line to add to sources list:

deb http://http.debian.net/debian jessie-backports main

To get firmware updates, it should of course be:

deb http://http.debian.net/debian jessie-backports main contrib non-free

(Firmware is non-free software.)

I've upgraded firmware as follows:

Removed the following packages: firmware-linux 
Upgraded the following packages: firmware-linux-nonfree (0.43) to 20151207-1~bpo8+1 
Installed the following packages: firmware-amd-graphics (20151207-1~bpo8+1) firmware-misc-nonfree (20151207-1~bpo8+1) 
Upgraded the following packages: firmware-atheros (0.43) to 20151207-1~bpo8+1

The rendering issue doesn't seem to have entirely disappeared, although first impressions are that it is happening less frequently.

Update Flash fix... oh, what's the bloody point?

Flash is full of security holes again. I uninstalled it.

Queue irony tag:

How long will Flash survive?

A few years ago, it was difficult to browse the web without coming across a site using Flash.

Released in 1996, the browser plug-in enabled animations, interactivity and streaming video on what was a largely static web.

But the software has been plagued by security problems, and has been criticised for affecting computer performance and battery life.

Now many experts say the media plug-in's days are numbered. Watch the video to find out more.

BBC News

How to update a Windows computer

I have recently had to update a couple of Windows computers that hadn't been updated for a while (Windows 7 & 8). There seems to be a bit of a knack required, so I thought I would share my experience and knowledge gained.

Step 1: turn on the computer and leave it for a couple of hours. You may see a notification that Windows is downloading updates. It will probably stall at %18 or a similar figure.

Step 2: Reboot the computer. You may see an option to restart and install updates or you may not. You will see notifications about updates being installed while shutting down and while restarting. This step could take 9-10 hours.

Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2. Yes, this could take another 9-10 hours.

Your computer is now up-to-date. Enjoy! (Until next week, then go back to step 1.)