Fixing Open Office Writer auto-"corrected" date

Open Office Writer is the the word processor in the free, open-source OpenOffice.org Productivity Suite. OOo Writer shares some "features" with Microsoft Office Word, including, unfortunately, automatic "corrections" that are a bit tricky to disable. Open Office developers should really fix this! By default, all auto corrections should be off (disabled). Users who want  auto corrections could enable them selectively.

Currently, you can disable most automatic corrections according to How to Set Up Open Office Writer for Easy Use. However, even after you think you have turned off all automatic corrections, there are still a few active mines waiting for you to step on them. For example, today, while creating a table in Open Office Writer, I came upon a NASTY glich, bug, problem, and royal pain. To sort by dates across multiple years, I needed to enter dates as yyyy-mm-dd, such as "2009-09-23." Each time I tried this, OOo Writer automatically "corrected" it to "09/23/09," which I did NOT want.

If you have the same problem, do the following:

1. Select the table column that contains your date fields.
2. Right-click your date column to display its menu, and then click Number Format to display its window.
   
3. In the Category frame, scroll to and select Text, and then click OK to close the Number Format window.

Note: I found the above solution in the Ubuntu forum. (See #8.)

I am a huge fan of Open Office, and I really want to break my M$ addiction, but sometimes I am almost ready to give up. 

How to build a LAMP test website on Ubuntu

You can use a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) test server on Ubuntu to develop a website on your computer before you upload it to a website host. To build a LAMP test website on your Ubuntu PC, you need to install LAMP and KompoZer, access your LAMP test website through root, edit your test website homepage, edit your test website new pages, and then test your website.

Installing LAMP and KompoZer
After installing LAMP and KompoZer, you can build and test a website in your LAMP test server on your Ubuntu PC. To install LAMP and KompoZer, do the following:

1. Install LAMP according to the instructions in How to Set Up a LAMP Test Server on Ununtu.
   
2. Click System, select Administration, click Synaptic Package Manager, and then enter your password to display the Synaptic Package Manager window.
   
3. In the Quick search field, type kompozer to display its package.
   
4. Select kompozer and then click Apply to install the free KompoZer web-authoring software. Alternatively, you can install Bluefish. However, KompoZer is easier to use.
   

Accessing Your LAMP Test Website Through Root
Accessing your LAMP test website as a root user lets you add and edit HTML files to expand and modify your test website. To access your LAMP test website, do the following:

1. Open Ubuntu, click Applications, select Accessories, and then click Terminal to display its window and a "~$" (tilde dollar-sign) prompt.
   
2. At the flashing cursor immediately after the "~$" prompt, Type sudo nautilus to run Nautilus and display a root - File Browser window.
   
3. Click File System, double-click var, and then double-click www to open it. As shown below, your www folder (your LAMP test website) should initially contain two files: index.html and testing.php.
   

Initial LAMP Test Website

Note: For information about the testing.php file, see How to Set Up a LAMP Test Server on Ununtu.

Editing Your LAMP Test Website Homepage
Edit you LAMP test website home page according your requirements. For example, your homepage should include hyperlinks to other pages in your test website. This simple example has only a homepage and two other pages.

1. Access your test website through your root browser according to the section above.
   
2. Right-click index.html, select Open with, and then click KompoZer to open it and display your initial homepage.
   
3. Type over the first line ("It Works!") with This is Your Test Website Homepage!
   
4. Type over the second line with Here is a link to New Page One. Select (highlight) New Page One, click Link to display a Link Properties window, type http://localhost/newpageone.html into the Link Location field, and then click OK to add the hyperlink and close the window.
   
5. Add a new line and type Here is a link to New Page Two Select (highlight) New Page Two, click Link to display a Link Properties window, type http://localhost/newpagetwo.html into the Link Location field, and then click OK to add the hyperlink and close the window.
   
6. Click File, and then click Save to save your new homepage in your LAMP test website.
   
7. Click File; click Save As to display the Save Page As window; in the Name field, type newpageone.html; and then click Save to create your New Page One in your test website.
   
8. Click File; click Save As to display the Save Page As window; in the Name field, type newpagetwo.html; and then click Save to create your New Page Two in your test website.
   
9. Minimize the KompoZer window to redisplay the root www - File Browser. As shown below, your www folder (your LAMP test website) should now contain four files: index.html, newpageone.html, newpagetwo.html, and testing.php.
   
10. Edit your test website new pages according to the section below.
    

Two New Pages on LAMP Test Website

Editing Your LAMP Test Website New Pages
Edit you LAMP test website new pages according your requirements. In each page, you should include links to Home and other pages in your test website. This simple example has only a homepage and two other pages.

1. Redisplay the KompoZer window. Click File, click Open File to display the Open HTML File window, select newpageone.html, and then click Open to display the page in a new KompoZer tab.
   
2. Type over the first line ("This is Your Test Website Homepage!") with New Page One!
   
3. In the second line, type over New Page One with Home. Select (highlight) Home, click Link to display a Link Properties window, type http://localhost/index.html into the Link Location field, and then click OK to edit the hyperlink and close the window.
   
4. Click File, click Open File to display the Open HTML File window, select newpagetwo.html, and then click Open to display the page in a new KompoZer tab.
   
5. Type over the first line ("This is Your Test Website Homepage!") with New Page Two!
   
6. In the second line, type over New Page One with Home. Select (highlight) Home, click Link to display a Link Properties window, type http://localhost/index.html into the Link Location field, and then click OK to edit the hyperlink and close the window.
   
7. In the third line, type over New Page Two with New Page One. Select (highlight) New Page One, click Link to display a Link Properties window, type http://localhost/newpageone.html into the Link Location field, and then click OK to edit the hyperlink and close the window.
   

Testing Your LAMP Test Website
Each time you finish editing any page on your LAMP test website, you should test that page by opening your test website in a web browser, such as Mozilla Firefox. In this simple example, you edited three pages. Therefore, you should test all three pages as follows:

1. Open your web browser, type http://localhost in its address line, and then press Enter to display your LAMP test website homepage.
   
2. Click on the New Page One hyperlink to display your new page one, and then click on the Home hyperlink to display your home page.
   
3. Click on the New Page Two hyperlink to display your new page two, and then click on the Home hyperlink to display your home page.
   
4. Click on the New Page One hyperlink to display your new page one, and then click on the New Page Two hyperlink to display your new page two.
   
5. Click on the New Page One hyperlink to display your new page one, and then click on the New Page Two hyperlink to display your new page two.
   

Note: If any hyperlinks are not working, edit your homepage and new pages according to the sections above.

How to set up a LAMP test server on Ubuntu

You can set up a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) server as a test server on your Ubuntu 9.10 PC. A LAMP server lets you develop a website on your computer before you upload it to a website host. For additional information and details, see Tux Tweaks: Install LAMP Server on Ubuntu.

Additional Information, 04-13-10: As explained in the Note in the "Using LAMP Server as Your Test Server" section at the end of this article, you must open the root file browser before you can add files to LAMP test server.

Installing LAMP Server on Ubuntu
To install a LAMP test server on your Ubuntu PC, do the following:

1. Open Ubuntu, click Applications, select Accessories, and then click Terminal to display its window and a "~$" (tilde dollar-sign) prompt.
   
2. At the flashing cursor immediately after the "~$" prompt, Type sudo apt-get install lamp-server^ and then press Enter to display a password prompt. Note: To type the "^" (caret symbol), use Shift+6.
   
3. Type your password and then press Enter to display the packages that you can install, and "Do you want to continue [Y/n]?"
   
4. Type y and then press Enter to start the installation and display a prompt to set your MySQL password. Type the password, press Enter to display a retype-password prompt, retype your MySQL password, and then press Enter to continue installing packages.

Testing Apache and php LAMP Server Components
Apache and php are components of the LAMP software bundle. To test Apache and php, do the following:

1. Open a web browser. Type http://localhost/ in the address field, and then press Enter to display a web page that says "It works! This is the default web page for this server. The web server is running but no content has been added, yet." This Apache server is your LAMP test server. Close the web browser.
2. Click Applications, select Accessories, and then click Terminal to display its window. Type gksudo gedit /var/www/testing.php and press Enter to display a password prompt. Enter your Ubuntu password and click OK to open a gedit text-editor window.
   
3. Type into the text editor, and then click Save to save the file. Close the text-editor window to redisplay the terminal window.
   
4. Type sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart and press Enter to restart the Apache server.
   
5. Open a web browser. Type http://localhost/testing.php/ in the address field, and then press Enter to display a web page that shows details about your php installation.

Configuring the MySQL LAMP Server Component
MySQL is the database component of the LAMP software bundle. To configure MySQL for use with your LAMP test server, do the following:

1. Click Applications, select Accessories, and then click Terminal to display its window.
   
2. Type cat /etc/hosts | grep localhost and press Enter to display "127.0.0.1 localhost ::1 localhost ip6- localhost ip6-loopback." 127.0.0.1 is your localhost IP address. localhost is red.
   
3. Type cat /etc/mysql/my.cnf | grep bind-address and press Enter to display "bind-address = 127.0.0.1." If the bind address does not match your localhost address, type gksudo gedit /etc/mysql/my.cnf to open a gedit text-editor window, scroll to the bind address, and then change it to "127.0.0.1".
   

Installing and Testing phpMyAdmin for LAMP Server
The phpMyAdmin utility simplifies working with a MySQL database within your LAMP test server. To install and test phpMyAdmin, do the following:

1. Click Applications, select Accessories, and then click Terminal to display its window. Type sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-auth-mysql phpmyadmin and press Enter to display the packages that you can install, and the message "Do you want to continue [Y/n]?"
   
2. Type y and then press Enter to start the installation and display a Configuring phpmyadmin window. Use your keyboard up and down arrow keys and its spacebar to select apache2, and then press Enter to continue the installation and display another Configuring phpmyadmin window.
   
3. Use the Tab key to select Yes and then press Enter to display a database-password prompt. Type your MySQL password (you had set this in the Installing LAMP section above), and then press Enter to display a phpMyAdmin-password prompt.
   
4. For simplicity, you can use your MySQL password also as your phpMyAdmin password. Type your MySQL password, and then press Enter to display a password-confirmation prompt. Retype your MySQL password and then press Enter to finish installing phpMyAdmin. Close the terminal window.
   
Open a web browser. Type http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ in the address field, and then press Enter to display the phpMyAdmin login web page. In the Username field, Type root in the Username field, type your MySQL password in the Password field, and then click OK to display a phpMyAdmin window.

Using LAMP Server as Your Test Server
If you wish to work on only a single website, place its files in /var/www. To see the initial contents of folder www, click Places, click Computer, click File System, double-click var, and then double-click www to open it. Folder www intially contains only two files: index.html and testing.php.

Note: Before you can add files to your LAMP test server, you must click Applications, select Accessories, click Terminal to display its window, and then type sudo nautilus to open the root file browser. You can then paste HTML files into root/var/www.

If you wish to work on multiple web sites, go to Tux Tweaks: Apache Configuration.

Networking Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows XP

This article explains how to share files and folders between your Ubuntu 9.10 computer and your Windows XP computer through your wired, ethernet home network. For background information and additional details, see Mount samba shares with utf8 encoding using cifs. Though this background information focuses on servers, it also applies to workstation computers. Therefore, procedures and examples in the article below focus on networking Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows XP computers.

To network Ubuntu 9.10 with Windows XP, you need to perform two procedures:

1. On your XP computer, use the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure below to share your XP Shared Documents folder with all network users.
2. On your Ubuntu computer, use the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below to create a share point, which is a desktop icon through which you have read and write access to the Shared Documents folder on your XP computer.

Set Up Sharing on Windows XP
To set up Windows XP to share documents with Ubuntu through your wired, ethernet home network, do the following:

1. On your Windows XP computer, click My Computer to display its window.
2. Right-click Shared Documents, click Properties to display its window, and then click Sharing to display its page.
3. In the "Network sharing and security" frame:
1. Select Share this folder on the network.
2. Write down the Share name, which is "SharedDocs" in this example. You will need the Share name when you perform the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below.
3. Select Allow network users to change my files.
4. Click Apply to set folder permissions, and then click OK to close the window.
5. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel to display it.
6. Double-click System to display its window, and then click Computer Name to display its page.
7. Write down the contents of the Full-computer-name field, which is "alpha" in this example. You will need the Full computer name when you perform the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below.

Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu
To set up Ubuntu to share documents with Windows XP through your home network, do the following:

1. On your Ubuntu computer, click Applications, select Accessories, click Terminal to display its window, and then do the following:
1. Type sudo aptitude install smbfs, press Enter, type your password, press Enter again, follow the prompts, and then to install the smbfs packages, which you need for sharing files on the network.
2. Type sudo mkdir /media/ubuntusharename, and then press Enter to name the share icon that will be on the Ubuntu desktop. Use a meaningful name for the ubuntusharename. This example uses "betashare" because the Ubuntu computer name is beta.
3. Type sudo nano /etc/nsswitch.conf, and then press Enter to display the nsswitch configuration file through the nano editor.
4. On the Hosts line, use the arrow keys to move your cursor to the "d" in dns on the hosts line, type wins and a space immediately before dns so that the hosts line is
   hosts: files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] wins dns mdns4.
5. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
6. Type sudo aptitude install winbind, and then press Enter to install windbind.
2. Close the terminal window, and then turn off your Ubuntu computer completely.
3. Turn your Ubuntu computer back on, click Applications, select Accessories, click Terminal to display its window, and then do the following:
1. Type sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab_old, and then press Enter to back up your fstab file. Do not skip this step because fstab is an important system file. In case you need to recover fstab, use the following command: sudo mv /etc/fstab_old /etc/fstab.
2. Type sudo nano /root/.smbcredentials, and then press Enter to display your credentials file, which might be empty.
3. Add two lines to your credentials file:
   username=winusername
   password=winpassword
   Replace winusername with your user name on your Windows XP computer. Replace winpassword with your Windows XP password.
4. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
5. Type sudo chmod 700 /root/.smbcredentials, and then press Enter so that only root can access your credentials file.
6. Type sudo nano /etc/fstab, and then press Enter to display your fstab file. At the bottom of the file, add the following line:
   //wincomputername/winsharename /media/ubuntusharename cifs guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777 0 0
   Replace wincomputername with your Windows XP Full computer name, which is "alpha" in the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure above. Replace winsharename with your Windows XP Share name, which is "SharedDocs" in the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure above. Replace ubuntusharename with your Ubuntu share name, which is "betashare" in this example. Therefore, this line on the example Ubuntu computer is:
   //alpha/SharedDocs /media/betashare cifs guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777 0 0
7. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
8. Type sudo mount -a, and then press Enter to display your Ubuntu-share icon on your Ubuntu desktop.
4. Close the terminal window, and then double-click your Ubuntu-share icon to open it. It should contain the same folders and files as the Shared Documents folder on your Windows XP computer.

How to install Wine on Ubuntu

Wine is free software that lets you run Microsoft Windows applications under a Linux operating system, such as Ubuntu. Windows and its applications are very expensive. When you upgrade to a new Windows operating system, you often need to also buy new Windows applications. In contrast, Both Ubuntu and Wine are free, and Wine can help you save money by letting you run many of your existing Windows applications under Ubuntu for as long as you wish. For more information, see Wine (software) - Wikipedia and WineHQ - About Wine.

 

To install Wine on Ubuntu, do the following:

1. Select System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager to display its window.
2. In the "Quick search" field, type wine, and then click Search to display packages that include "wine" in their titles.
3. Select wine, click on Mark for installation to display the "Mark additional required changes?" window, and then click Mark to close that window and mark "wine" in the Synaptic Package Manager window.
4. Click Apply to display the "Apply the following changes?" window, and then click Apply to download and install the Wine packages.
5. On the "Changes applied" window, click Close to close that window.
6. Close the Synaptic Package Manager.

 To test your Wine installation, do the following:

1. Select Applications > Wine > Programs > Accessories > Notepad to start a clone of Windows Notepad and open its window.
2. Type test, click File to display its menu, and then click Save to display its window.
3. In the "File name" field, type test.txt, and then click Save to store then file in your home folder.
4. Close the Notepad window.
5. Select Places > Home Folder to display its "(your name) - File Browser" window.
6. Right-click test.txt to display it menu, and then click Open with Other Application to display its window.
7. Scroll down to and select Wine Windows Program Loader, and then click Open to display the "test.txt - Notepad" window.

How to install VitrualBox Ubuntu guest additions

This article defines VirtualBox Ubuntu guest additions, explains how to install them, and (if necessary) how to calibrate the Ubuntu video display.

What are VirtualBox Ubuntu Guest Additions?

VirtualBox Ubuntu guest additions are optional, supplemental software packages available through VirtualBox. You can install these guest additions after using VirtualBox to install Ubuntu as a guest operating system on a Windows XP host. Ubuntu guest additions enhance Ubunutu and make it easier to use. For example, after you install the Ubuntu guest additions, you can:

• Move the mouse pointer between Windows XP and Ubuntu without first pressing a key to switch between the operating systems.
• More easily change the Ubuntu screen size.

Installing Ubuntu Guest Additions

To install Ubuntu guest additions, do the following:

1. Install your Ubuntu guest operating system, boot it, and install all its recommended updates according to the procedure in How to Install Virtual Ubuntu on XP.
2. Press the right Ctrl key to switch the mouse and keyboard to your XP host, click on Devices to display its menu, and then click on Install Guest Additions to place the VBOXADDITIONS_3 icon on your Ubuntu desktop and display its window.Press the right Ctrl key to switch the mouse and keyboard to your Ubuntu guest, and then click OK to close the "VBOXADDITIONS_3" window.
3. Double-click on VBOXADDITIONS_3 icon to display the "File Browser" window, and then copy VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run to your home folder.
4. Click on Applications to display its menu, click on Accessories to display its menu, click on Terminal to open its window, and then type (after the "$" prompt) sudo chmod +x VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run, press Enter to display a password prompt, and then press Enter to display the "$" prompt.
5. Type sudo apt-get install dkms.gcc, press Enter to display "Do you want to continue [Y/n]?" Press Y, and then press Enter to update kernel packages through DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support) and display the "$" prompt.
6. Type sudo apt-get install linux-hearders-$(uname -r), press Enter to install Linux headers and display the "$" prompt, type sudo ./VBoxLinusAddtions-x86.run, and then press Enter to install the guest additions and display the "$" prompt.
7. Close the "Terminal" window, restart Ubuntu to display a "VirtualBox-Information" window that explains "mouse pointer integration," and then click OK to close the information window.

Calibrating Your Ubuntu Video Display

Hardware capabilities vary among PCs. Therefore, after you install Ubuntu guest additions, your Ubuntu guest operating system might not display its windows correctly. For example, after you switch from Ubuntu to XP, and then back again, the Ubuntu window might be partially blank. If you think that calibrating your Ubuntu video display might improve it, try the following procedure:

1. Double-click on the Sun VirtualBox desktop icon to open its window.
2. Click on the Settings icon (orange gear) to display its window; in the left frame, select Display, to display its "Video" page.
3. Adjust the Video Memory setting if you think doing so might improve your Ubuntu video display. You can experiment with this setting, and then reset it later.
4. Turn off (uncheck) Enable 3D Acceleration if you think doing so might improve your Ubuntu video display. You can experiment with this setting, and then reset it later.
5. Shut down your Ubuntu guest, and close the "Sun VirtualBox" window.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5, experimenting with the settings in steps 3 and 4, until you have calibrated your Ubuntu video display to your satisfaction.

How to install virtual Ubuntu on XP

After you install virtualization software, such as VirtualBox, on a Windows XP host operating system, you can install almost any other guest operating system to run simultaneously with its XP host. A guest operating system is also called a client or a VM (Virtual Machine). The procedures in this article explain how to:

1. Download an Ubuntu ISO file.
2. Install VirtualBox on an XP host.
3. Prepare VirtualBox to run Ubuntu as a guest operating system on an XP host.
4. Use VirtualBox to evaluate Ubuntu by running it from its virtual CD (its ISO file) without installing it.
5. Use VirtualBox to install Ubuntu as guest operating system (also called an Ubuntu client, or a virtual machine Ubuntu) on an XP host.
6. Prepare Ubuntu to boot from its virtual hard drive instead of its virtual CD.
7. Boot Ubuntu from its virtual hard drive.

For more information, see the Sun VirtualBox User Manual.

Downloading an Ubuntu ISO File

If you do not have a recent Ubuntu ISO file, you need to download it. You need not burn the ISO file to a CD because the ISO file serves as a virtual CD. To download an Ubuntu ISO file, do the following:

1. Go to the Ubuntu website.
2. Click on the Download Ubuntu button to display the download page. Note: Do not download 64-bit Ubuntu unless your PC supports it.
3. Use the "Download location" drop-down menu to select your location, such as the United States.
4. Click on the Begin download button to display an "Open Ubuntu" window.
5. Select Save File, and then click OK to start downloading the Ubuntu ISO file to your default download folder, such as MyDocuments/downloads/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso (current filename in December 2009).

Installing VirtualBox

To install VirtualBox on Windows XP, do the following:

1. Go to the VirtualBox Downloads website, and then download VirtualBox 3.1.2 for Windows as an executable file: VirtualBox-3.1.2-56127-Win.exe (current filename in December 2009).
2. Double click on VirtualBox-3.1.2-56127-Win.exe (or current filename) to display a security warning, click on Run to display the "Sun VirtualBox Setup" window, click on Next to display the "Sun VirtualBox License Agreement" window, accept the terms, and then click on Next to display the default installation folders. Change nothing.
3. Click on Next to display your shortcut choices, select Create a shortcut on the desktop, and then click on Next to display the "Warning: Network Interfaces" window.
4. Click on the Yes button and then the Install button to start installing VirtualBox for Windows. At each Microsoft 'logo' warning, click on Continue Anyway.
5. When the installation process displays the "Installation is complete" window, select Start Sun VirtualBox after installation, and then click on the Finish button to display the "VirtualBox Registration Form."
6. Either validate that you have an existing account or create a new one, and then click on the Register button to display the "Sun VirtualBox" window.

Preparing VirtualBox to Run Ubuntu

To prepare VitualBox to run Ubuntu, do the following:

1. If the "Sun VirtualBox" window is not already open, double-click on the Sun VirtualBox desktop icon to open its window.
2. Click on New to display the "Create New Virtual Machine" window, and then click on Next to display the "VM Name and OS Type" window. In the Name frame, type a VM (Virtual Machine) name, such as Ubuntu 9.10. In the OS Type frame, use the Operating System dropdown to select Linux, and then use the Version dropdown to select Ubuntu. Select Ubuntu (64 bit) only if your PC supports 64-bit Unbuntu and you have downloaded it.
3. Click Next to display the "Memory window", and then click Next to accept the recommended base memory size and display the "Virtual Hard Disk" window.
4. Click Next to display the "Create New Virtual Disk" window, repeatedly click Next to accept the defaults until you display the "Summary" window, and then click Finish to display the "Sun VirtualBox" window.
5. Click on the Settings icon (orange gear) to display its window; in the left frame, select Storage, and then in the Storage Tree under the IDE Controller, select the CD icon (currently labeled Empty) to display its Attribute frame at the right.
6. Click on the folder icon at the right of the CD/DVD Device field to display the "Virtual Media Manager" window, and then click on Add to display the "Select a CD/DVD-ROM disk image file" window.
7. Navigate to the Ubuntu ISO file that you had downloaded according to the "Downloading an Ubuntu ISO File" section above. Select the ISO file, click on Open, click on Select to add it as a virtual CD, and then click OK to close the "Settings" window.

Evaluating Virtual-CD Ubuntu

To evaluate Ubuntu through its virtual CD, do the following:

1. If the "Sun VirtualBox" window is not already open, double-click on the Sun VirtualBox desktop icon to open the window.
2. Click on the Start icon (green arrow) to display a "VirtualBox-Information" window that explains how to use the host key (right Ctrl) to switch the mouse and keyboard between your XP host and Ubuntu guest.
3. Click OK to close the information window, click OK again to close any other information window, and then press Enter to display the Ubuntu menu.
4. Press Enter, and then click on OK to run Ubuntu from its virtual CD without installing it and display your virtual-CD Ubuntu desktop.
5. Evaluate Ubuntu by trying its various features. In your virtual-CD Ubuntu, you can do almost everything except save data.

Installing Virtual-Machine Ubuntu

To install Ubuntu as a virtual machine (guest operating system) on your Windows XP host operating system, do the following:

1. Run your virtual-CD Ubuntu and display its desktop according to the "Evaluating Virtual-CD Ubuntu" section above.
2. Double-click on the Install Ubuntu icon to display the "Install" window, select English, and then click on Forward to display the "Where are you?" window. Make sure your region and time zone are correct, and then click on Forward to display the "Keyboard layout" window.
3. Select USA, and then click on Forward to display the "Prepare disk space" window. Accept the default, and then click Forward to display the "Who are you?" window.
4. Enter your name, login name, password (twice), and computer name; select Require my password to log in; and then click on Forward to display the "Ready to install" window.
5. Click on Install to install your virtual-machine Ubuntu. After the installation displays the "Installation Complete" window, click on Restart Now.
6. After Ubuntu restarts, close its window to display the "Close Virtual Machine" window, select Power off the machine, and then click OK to turn off Ubuntu.

Preparing Ubuntu to Boot from its Virtual Hard Drive

To prepare Ubuntu to boot from its virtual hard drive instead of its virtual CD, do the following:

1. If the "Sun VirtualBox" window is not already open, double-click on the Sun VirtualBox desktop icon to open the window.
2. Click on the Settings icon (orange gear) to display its window; in the left frame, select Storage, and then in the Storage Tree under the IDE Controller, select the CD icon (currently labeled as your Ubuntu ISO file) to display its Attribute frame at the right.
3. Use the CD/DVD Device dropdown to select an optical drive, and then select (check) the Passthrough box.
4. Click OK to close the "Settings" window.

Booting Ubuntu from its Virtual Hard Drive

To boot Ubuntu from its virtual hard drive, do the following:

1. If the "Sun VirtualBox" window is not already open, double-click on the Sun VirtualBox desktop icon to open its window.
2. Click on the Start icon (green arrow) to display a "VirtualBox-Information" window that explains how to use the host key (right Ctrl) to switch the mouse and keyboard between your XP host and Ubuntu guest.
3. Click OK to close the window, click OK again to close another information window, and then press Enter to boot Ubuntu from its virtual hard drive and display its login window.
4. Click anywhere within the Ubuntu login window to display a "VirtualBox-Information" window that prompts you to click on Capture so that you can use your mouse and keyboard within your virtual-machine Ubuntu.
5. Log in to Ubuntu to display its desktop.
6. Click on System to display its menu, click on Administration to display its menu, and then click on Update Manager to display its window.
7.  Click on Check to display a list of recommended updates (if any), and then click on Install Updates to download and install them.
8. After Update Manager displays "your system is up to date," click on Close to close the "Update Manager" window.

Note: Steps 6 through 8 are optional. However, you should update Ubuntu at least once each month.

Note: You should print the above procedure (Booting Ubuntu from its Virtual Hard Drive) and keep it handy. Although this procedure is quite simple, and you might not need it after you have booted virtual Ubuntu a few times, you should keep the printed procedure on file. For example, you might need it if you have not booted virtual Ubuntu for several months.