VMware image of Laptop Tips and Gotchas

Recently I started working for a client that has a good enlightened approach to equipment, they provided me with an excellent laptop, but had no objection to me using my 16gig/1tb+/i7 monster, so I set about making a vmware image, this was hampered by their reasonable security setup and some oddities of the way that vmware converts hard drives. here’s what I leaned from the process

Problem: 0000007B error on boot
Solutiuon: This is caused by a variety of problems but always boils down to not being able to get access to the boot drive, I’m not going to go into the different reasons, but the best fix is to use a SCSI controller on your virtual machine, first step is to make sure that you convert the machines disk to SCSI, by default when running the VMWARE converter the “disk controller” setting (on the option screen, under devices) it is set to “auto select” which never seemed to work for me, so i set it to SCSI, as shown below

Now this means that you have to have a SCSI driver installed and working on your machine, thankfully this is already installed on Vista and windows 7, but NOT turned on, vmware say “set your SCSI drivers the same as a machine that already works” which is an dumb arse thing to say if you dont give an example, so here are the settings that work.

they are found in the registry at

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> ControlSet001 -> services

now you can reconvert you vmware machine and have no problems

NOTE: If you have already done the conversion and DONT have access to the source machine any more (ignoring the fact your a twit for not testing the VMWARE image before losing access) go here as this is the best writeup of a fix i have seen so far, it did not work for me as do to the problem converter setting problem i mentioned above, but it will fix the problem most of the time

Problem: Symantec Endpoint Encryption
Solution: On a machine with this program installed you have to somehow get round it as it is incompatable with VMWARE, thankfully in this case i had a power user level account (meaning i could install and unistall software) but not decrypt the laptop i wanted to clone (nore should i as it was not my hardware), Sooo, just run the conversion software, and on the first boot, all will seem ok and the HDD will be unencrypted, BUT, the symatic service will notice this little horror and on you next reboot will intercept the boot and ask for a password, attempt to encrypt the virtual HDD then procede to hang and sulk.

simple solution, as soon as you have booted the first time, uninstall the Endpoint Encryption service, this will bypass the symatic software security, as your hdd is currently still unencrypted you don’t need the rights to decrypt it, and your booting will continue as normal

NOTE: I store my VMWARE machines on an encrypted HDD in my laptop, so i felt this was an acceptable action as i would not be lowering the security level of clients data, had this not been the case, I would not have performed this action, remember the old saying “Do NOT screw with your clients data lest you be kicked in the balls and shot in the back of the head in a dark alley”

Vegan Stuffing Mix

This Christmas I was treated to a full veggie/vegan xmas, with many nice bits but my fav was the stuffing, and thus here is the recipe:

ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 packet (150g) of Asda meat free Lincolnshire sausage mix (the dark green packet)
1 packet (110g – 130g) of good quality stuffing, not too strong a flavour, and try and avoid sage stuffing as the sausage mix has that in it)
1 heaped desert spoon of veg suet (Atora light shredded vegetable suet)
1 teaspoon mild mustard
1 tablespoon soya cream
knife edge of Marmite
3 full size pieces of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, finely snipped or chopped
Vegan parmesan
3 finely chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped ( if your sick and twisted . . . Yuck! )
salt and pepper
olive oil

1) Fry the chopped onion until softened
2) Make up the stuffing mix and sausage mix each separably as per packet instructions
3) Mix them all together with the sun dried tomato, suet, mushrooms, Marmite, soya cream, mustard, 1 desert spoon of Olive Oil, salt and peper
4) Put into oiled roasting dish
5) sprinkle with Vegan parmesan
6) Cook for 35 mins at 190 or until golden brown

You will have to forgive me for the terrible picture, but i had eaten nearly all of it before i remembered to take a picture 🙁

Old Comments

Ben Poole(28/12/2011 11:19:34 GMT)

Yes!

Mark Myers(28/12/2011 10:52:33 GMT)

there, corrected!!, happy now

Ben Poole(28/12/2011 09:48:18 GMT)

I’m assuming the sausage mix is veggie sausage??

Regardless, sounds good. I love a good stuffing.

Restart Linux xserver hotkey

I cant believe I have lasted this long not knowing this, but there is a hot key combination to restart the xserver without the command line or a computer restart (doh!) on Ubuntu derived distros.. useful for when you make multi screen property changes (windows and mac scum may laugh at this point if they wish)

Ctrl+Alt+”Backspace”

Careful as it closes all existing apps.

Old Comments

Ben Poole(23/12/2011 14:55:18 GMT)

Chortle.

Ben Poole(23/12/2011 14:54:50 GMT)

Snigger.

Ben Poole(24/12/2011 22:01:33 GMT)

GUFFAW!

Mark Myers(25/12/2011 23:18:16 GMT)

@ben well you match the criteria of both mac and scum

Taking Notes Episode 142

This is a brief ASW post*

I was kindly asked by Bruce Elgort to take part in the Taking Notes podcast No142 on behalf of LDC, where we discus the latest round of NoSQL databases and how they relate to IBMs offerings, it was a proud and nerve racking moment for me, so if for some reason, you’re in the IBM Domino community or interested in NoSQL and have not seen the pod cast listed under the Taking Notes Page or Bruces blog, you can find it here

  • Also Bruce wont leave me alone till I post it.

Old Comments

David Leedy(22/11/2011 19:17:59 GMT)

Great Episode!

Mark Myers(22/11/2011 18:45:06 GMT)

@sean it was an honour to be asked by bruce

Sean Cull(22/11/2011 18:38:27 GMT)

I really enjoyed this podcast. Its good to know what else is happening out there.

Bruce(22/11/2011 18:26:18 GMT)

You signed a contract 🙂

Mark Myers(22/11/2011 19:38:40 GMT)

@David, it strange ive find out that no one ever tells Bruce/Julian if they enjoy the episodes (well i cant see any comments on the blog)

Used Linux applications List

Due to a hatred of the new ubuntu UI (I like a desktop UI on my desktop rather than being forced to use a tablet layout), the time came to switch Linux version (in this case to Mint Linux as it has a nice simple UI but means I can still use all the debian packages)

As it was a complete wipe of the HDD, i noted down all my Linux apps for reinstall and figured that maybe one or 2 others might find the list useful

VMWare Workstation (without which Linux would not be a suitable desktop operating system for me)

Jungle Disk Backup (Desktop Version and Server Management)

Guake Terminal (a simple and persistent terminal on the hot key F12)

Btnx (mouse mapping deamon and GUI)

Thunar File Manager (very powerful file rename accepts regex)

Truecrypt (because only the paranoid survive, and i carry client data)

FileZilla (the de facto Linux FTP client)

EASYTAG (The best audio tager for Linux)

LYX Document Processor (a great GUI for LaTex word processing)

Prey (enabling you to disable/track/find lost electronic equipment)

Streamripper (command line Internet radio ripper)

Mainstream (thankfully ported to Linux)
Skype
Lotus Notes
Spotify
Crome
DropBox

Games
Amnesia and Penumbra Games (quite the most shit my pants scary games ive every played esp Amnesia)
The humble bundle Games (i get them when ever there is a new bundle)

Linux Standard (Normally installed with most Linux distros now, but still used all the time.)
Libre Office
GIMP
GNome Mplayer
Audacious (the best music player for Linux)
VLC (for the rare times Mplayer does not handle media)
Mozilla Thuderbird (for backing up my Gmail)

Old Comments

Bill Malchisky(21/11/2011 03:49:18 GMT)

Nice list and post. Here are a few more apps that I use, which may be helpful as well.

Adobe Acrobat, Flash plugin
Transmission BitTorrent Client
Tomboy Notes
Tetravex, Sudoku, Klotski, gBrainy, Atomix (games)
Remmina Remote Desktop Client (the best)
Archive Manager
WiFi Radar

Mark Myers(21/11/2011 09:32:58 GMT)

Ooo like the “Remmina Remote Desktop Client” that one to use, thanks for the add ones, ill have a look at them.

have you tried the Amnesia game?