Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Disabling right click - (or the context menu) via Group Policy

To disable the right click you enable a setting in Group Policy called  "Remove access to context menu".

This option is available for Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, Start Menu and Taskbar.

If you allow access to the right mouse button the students will be able to access other systems that might compromise the network at the school.

When changing settings to the Group Policy ensure you make changes to the relevent Group Policy object - such as "Student Security settings".

The settings in Group Policy for "Remove access to context menu" are in:


User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Start Menu and Taskbar

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Explorer

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Internet Explorer | Browser Menus

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Telnet Joggler

The following information can be used to configure the Joggler to allow Telnet connections:
http://jogglerwiki.info/index.php?title=Installing_Telnet

If using Windows Vista or Windows 7 you will need to install Telnet from the "Turn Windows features on or off" option in Control Panel - Programs.

Connect to the Joggler:
Start Telnet.

In the command prompt type Open 192.168.1.x  (Where 192.168.1.x is the IP address of your Joggler - obtained from the Settings - Network)
Password -- letmein

Change directory:
cd /media/appshop or cd tv

Make directory:
mkdir tv

Copy file from internet to folder.
wget http://www.location.com/Program.tar   (Ensure you use appropriate capitals)

Expand compressed archive
tar xvf Program.tar

Delete compressed archive
rm Program.tar

List files in the folder
ls

Copying file
cp applications.xml applications.backup


Edit file
vi applications.xml

Insert/edit the file
i

esc to exit insert mode
:x to write and exit
:w to write changes
:q to exit
:q! to exit and discard changes

Reboot the Joggler
reboot

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 KMS Licensing

Taken from Microsoft Site:


Brief Description
Volume licensing editions of Microsoft Office 2010 suites and applications, Microsoft Project 2010 and Microsoft Visio 2010 require activation. Key Management Service (KMS) is a local volume activation method. To activate your Office 2010 client installations with KMS, you will need to set up a KMS host. KMS Licensing is recommended if you have 50 or more workstations.


Overview
An Office 2010 KMS host is required if you want to use KMS activation for your volume license editions of Office 2010 suites or applications, Microsoft Project 2010 or Microsoft Visio 2010. When Office 2010 volume edition client products are installed, they will automatically search for a KMS host on your organization’s DNS server for activation. All volume editions of Office 2010 client products are pre-installed with a KMS client key, so you will not need to install a product key.

The download contains an executable file that will extract and install KMS host license files. Run the file on either 32-bit or 64-bit supported Windows operating systems (Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2008 R2). These license files are required for the KMS host service to recognize Office 2010 KMS host keys. It will also prompt you to enter your Office 2010 KMS host key and activate that key. After this is done, you may need to use the slmgr.vbs script to further configure your KMS host.

Microsoft Office KMS clients are only activated when five or more than five computers with MS Office installed attempt to get activated using the KMS host. In case of operating systems (e.g. Windows Vista and Windows 7), activation starts after 25 or more than 25 computers with Windows client request for activation.


Instructions
Follow these steps to set up a KMS host:


  1. If you are running Windows Server 2003, you will need to perform this extra step. You will need to download and run the files below:
    Windows Server 2003 32-bit 
    Windows Server 2003 64-bit
  2. Download and run the KeyManagementServiceHost.exe file on this page on a supported operating system.
  3. Enter your Office 2010 KMS host key when prompted. 
  4. Click OK to continue with activation. 
  5. Open port 1688 and allow the KMS host service through the firewall.
    Windows 7 volume editions or Windows Server 2008 R2.
    Open Control Panel and click on the Windows Firewall icon.
    Click on the “Allow a program through Windows Firewall” link.
    Click on the Change Settings button.
    Check the box for Key Management Service. 
  6. Read the documentation to learn more about configuring your KMS host (including activation by telephone) with slmgr.vbs at TechNet.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Anatomy of an Attack - How Hackers Threaten your Security

Late last year I attended a seminar titled “Anatomy of an Attack – How Hackers Threaten your Security” by Sophos – stay with me it is important.
Malware (Viruses, spam etc.) used to be distributed by running programs or accessing Word documents they were designed to specifically attack your systems and cause problems with your network. Sophos have now seen a change where theft of data is now the focus and most malware attacks come from infected web pages.
“There is now more new malware per day, than there were for the whole of 2006”
“83% of malware infected web pages are on legitimate websites”
Sophos’ experience has shown that:
  • Networks that use forums or blogs are getting inundated with links to fake antivirus and other malware sites.
  • Very professional looking fake antivirus sites falsely identify viruses on your local machine then recommend you install their fake antivirus to clear them, thus installing the malware.
  • MAC malware is now a reality, and malware sites differentiate between operating systems and attack them with appropriate malware.
  • Targeting of applications, especially the growing Web 2.0 applications, including Adobe, PDF and Flash, Quicktime and Java.
  • Malware distributers are aware that users now install updates and multimedia plug-ins regularly so build websites that require these, getting the site user to install the malware.
  • Hackers are targeting un-patched unsecure websites, especially the ones that are database driven.
There are a number of ways to limit the possibility of malware attack.
  • Ensure not just the Windows operating systems and applications are kept up to date, but also the applications that are used regularly, Internet browsers, Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Quicktime and Java etc. Hackers know which applications are used, which versions have vulnerabilities and then target their attacks.
  • Set the workstations to operate at user level, do not get the users to logon with workstation administrator access rights.
  • If hosting websites ensure the server is secure and patched to block all know vulnerabilities.
  • Ensure passwords are appropriate; the administrator passwords should be at least 8 characters long, with a mix of alphanumerical characters and a mix of upper and lowercase characters. (The Conficker virus spread from one computer to another over local area networks using a database of standard passwords.)
  • Ensure the Anti-Virus client is up to date with the latest update.
    For Sophos:
    • On Standalone versions of Sophos:
      To update, double click the Sophos shield in the bottom right of the task bar.
      To check the update, right click on the Sophos shield and click Open Sophos Anti-Virus. The Sophos Status section is displayed on the left.
    • On network installations of Sophos, check Sophos Enterprise console. (Ensure your network team is monitoring this.)
New malware term:
Server-side polymorphism.
New hacking techniques are emerging making malware increasing difficult to detect and clear one of these is server-side polymorphism. Polymorphism based malware included a polymorphic engine that allowed the malware to replicate and change making it more difficult to identify and block. Server-side polymorphism is where the engine of the malware is not left on the system so the engine can now also be altered, and allowing the malware to change rapidly and harder to detect, making content analysis not enough to clear the malware.

Using Twitter

I have recently been exploring Twitter and looking at using it to publish some of the things I am interested in.

I have found some blogs very useful:



Link:

http://twitterfeed.com

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Address Labels in Microsoft Office

For address labels you want to use Microsoft Word:

Starting labels depends on your version of Microsoft Word. (Word 2007/2010 is the one with the very different ribbon tool bar running across the top.)

If you have Word 2003:
  1. Click on Tools, and if Letters and Mailings is not on the list click on the double down arrows at the bottom of the list to shop hidden options.
  2. Select Letters and Mailings, then select Envelopes and Labels.. from the pop out list.
  3. Select the tab – Labels
  4. In the bottom right of the Labels dialog box – click on the picture of the label, this will allow you to select the label the most likely meets your needs.
  5. If you need to change a setting of the label click on the Details button, when changes have been made click Ok.
  6. When you are happy with the label click Ok.
  7. Type the address is the address box.
  8. Then click Print.

If you have Word 2007:
  1. Above the Ribbon tool bar at the top, click on Mailings.
  2. The second option in is Labels
  3. In the bottom right of the Labels dialog box – click on the picture of the label, this will allow you to select the label the most likely meets your needs.
  4. If you need to change a setting of the label click on the Details button, when changes have been made click Ok.
  5. When you are happy with the label click Ok.
  6. Type the address is the address box.
  7. Then click Print.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Maximize Internet Explorer On Opening

Right click the shortcut icon for IE next to the Start button (if using the Quick Start menu in Windows XP or Windows Vista.), choose Properties, change it from 'normal' to 'maximized'. Now open it.

Now right click any link on the page, choose Open In New Window....don't maximize it....instead, use the mouse to resize it to what you want it to be.

Now close the FIRST window you opened, and then close the new one you just resized.

Reopen IE from the shortcut icon again, and all windows from now on will be the size you chose and created.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Adding Network Shares as a Library Location

Is it possible in, Windows 7, to add a network share as a library location?

If you have your music files stored on a server on your network. When you try to add the share \\ServerName\Share as a libray location you get the error ”This folder cannot be included because it is on a share that is not indexed.”

The help link in the error message does not provide usefull information regarding this.

If you have you media files stored on a Microsoft Server you can add the share to the library if you install Microsoft Windows Search 4.0.

Once installed do not try adding the share to the library until the indexing has been completed. (You get a glowing magnifying glass in the right of the task bar.

If you use a NAS device that can not run the latest Windows Indexing service then the following may help.

Friday, October 02, 2009

"ISA server cannot load the properly page"

When you try to run Microsoft ISA Server the following error may be displayed "ISA server cannot load the property page" error detail is 0x80004005 unspecified error.

The ISA Server though maybe still working, if you restart the server you will probably still have the same problem.

Solution:
Managment console view maybe corrupt.
You need to clear out the console view settings by going to:
File>Options>Delete Files button. I then shut down the console and restarted the ISA Server Managment console and everything was back to normal.

In case youre wondering how to get into the managment console even though you get an error, just keep clicking continue until the console loads up.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Test a port is open

Taken from the following JTB World - Blog

One way is to use old telnet.exe like this to find out if a port is open.
Syntax: telnet [hostname or IP address] [portnumber]
Example: telnet myserver 27000

You can also try the IP of the computer, server or host. You must be able to Ping that address.
If the window hangs while saying "Connecting ..." and then goes away, the port is not accessible. If the window instantly goes away, the port is probably not accessible. If the window display text, like "220 ESMTP spoken here" or just shows an empty window the port is open.Or if run in a command window:C:\>telnet myserver 27000Connecting To myserver...Could not open connection to the host, on port 27000: Connect failed

But if you have Windows Vista you probably don't have telnet because it is not installed as default.

Click Start, Control Panel, Programs, and then Turn Windows Features on or off. In the list, scroll down and select Telnet Client. Click OK to start the installation. Or you can just run: start /w pkgmgr /iu:"TelnetClient"

Now you should be able to check if a port is open or closed or not accessible. If it is not accessible start checking if the firewall is the issue.

Here are some usable links:
How to manually open ports in Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
Open a port in Windows Firewall in Windows Vista
Troubleshooting Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2

Additional comment by Matt

The telnet approach works pretty well for a single port. If you know what you're doing you can even use it to send POP/SMTP/ETC commands.

But you ought to try "Angry IP Scan" http://www.angryziber.com/ipscan/ for when you need a broader scan (multiple ports or multiple hosts or both).

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Problems with IE 8

When you are using Windows Internet Explorer 8, you cannot browse specific Web pages. You have determined that this problem is not related to compatibility issues. Beginning or intermediate users may want to begin by viewing the following Microsoft Help and Support topic:
Internet Explorer 8: Web sites do not display or work correctly

More advanced users may want to review the following methods to resolve the problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967897


If all else fails start IE 8 with out Add-in and then reset Internet Explorer

  1. Run Internet Explorer in No Add-ons mode
    Browser add-ons can sometimes interfere with or conflict with other software on your computer. Start Internet Explorer without add-ons to see whether the problem is resolved. To do this, follow these steps:
  2. Click Start, and then type Internet Explorer in the Start Search box.
  3. Click Internet Explorer (No Add-Ons). Internet Explorer opens without add-ons, toolbars, or plug-ins.
  4. Test Internet Explorer to verify that it works correctly.
  5. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
  6. In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box, click Reset.
  7. When Internet Explorer finishes restoring the default settings, click Close, and then clickOK two times.
  8. Close Internet Explorer, and then reopen it. The changes take effect the next time that you open Internet Explorer.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Installing additional drivers at setup via USB floppy

Installing Windows Server 2003 can fail if the disk controller hardware is relatively new and the drivers are not contained within the Windows Server standrad driver set. (i.e. SATA)

You will need to download the driver from the manufactures website and then copy the matching .sys, .cat, .oem and .inf drivers to a floppy disk.

If you are installing to a machine with out a floppy disk driver you will need to use an external USB floppy disk drive.

During the installation after you have configured the partitions, the installation will request the driver files again if the driver fails to load it may be that the driver .OEM is not optimised to look for the USB floppy drive.

You will need to edit the TXTSETUP.OEM file adding the following information:

[HardwareIds.scsi.MSAS2K3]
...
...
id = "USB\VID_03F0&PID_2001", "usbstor" #--HP
id = "USB\VID_054C&PID_002C", "usbstor" #--Sony
id = "USB\VID_057B&PID_0001", "usbstor" #--Y-E Data
id = "USB\VID_0409&PID_0040", "usbstor" #--NEC
id = "USB\VID_0424&PID_0FDC", "usbstor" #--SMSC
id = "USB\VID_08BD&PID_1100", "usbstor" #--Iomega
id = "USB\VID_055D&PID_2020", "usbstor" #--Samsung
id = "USB\Vid_0930&PID_6540", "usbstor" #--MY USB KEY

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Internet Explorer 7 open multiple tabs

Internet Explorer 7 does not support a built-in command to open multiple tabs at startup, and Group Policy only allows you to configure one home page.
Although you can specify multiple URL’s as default homepages, this might not be what you want.A solution to open several tabs at once for only one time, can be made with Windows Scripting Host, or wscript.

First, create a new text document with Notepad or some other text editor and add the following content:

var navOpenInBackgroundTab = 0x1000;
var oIE = new ActiveXObject("InternetExplorer.Application");
oIE.Navigate2("http://www.itexperience.net");
oIE.Navigate2("http://www.google.com", navOpenInBackgroundTab);
oIE.Navigate2("http://www.whatismyip.org", navOpenInBackgroundTab);
oIE.Visible = true;

Save the file as launchie7.js (so change the extension from *.txt to *.js) to your C:\ drive

To launch Internet Explorer with multiple tabs, run the following command from Start - Run:
wscript.exe C:\launchie7.js


Taken from http://www.itexperience.net/2008/09/30/open-multiple-tabs-in-internet-explorer-7/

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Make a bootable USB drive to install Windows 7

Update for previous blog, from the following garyshort.org

Step 1 – Create a bootable USD Drive

  1. The first thing you need is a USB drive. (Ensure you backup an existing USB drive as you will be wiping the drive.)
  2. Open a command prompt as administrator.
  3. Get the drive number by typing:
    diskpart
    list disk

    On my machine the USB disk was number 1.
  4. Format the drive by typing:
    select disk 1
    clean
    create partition primary
    select partition 1
    active
    format fs=NTFS
    assign
    exit
  5. Mount the Windows 7 iso using Daemon Tools or similar.
  6. Navigate to the boot directory cd E:\boot
  7. Using bootsect, make the USB drive a bootable NTFS drive, ready for a Windows 7 image (my drive was labeled G):
    bootsect /nt60 G:
  8. We are finished with the command prompt now, so you can close it.

Step 2 – Copy the installation files from the mounted Windows 7 iso to the USB drive. (All files)

Step 3 – Install on the Netbook

  1. Plug in the USB drive and turn on the netbook
  2. On start up press to select the bootable drive (On ASUS Eee PC press Esc at boot up for Boot selection.)
  3. Select the USB drive and press return
  4. The netbook will boot from the USB drive and the installation will begin
  5. Install as normal.

Links:

See this blog for additional information on Windows 7 on Asus Eee PC 901.

Monday, March 23, 2009

How do I turn off the autocomplete function in Word 2007

Start Microsoft Word

Press Alt+F11 to show the Visual Basic Editor. Press Ctrl+G to activate the
Immediate window. Type

Application.DisplayAutoCompleteTips = False

and press Enter.

Close Visual Basic editor.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

MSTSC /admin

In both Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008, the Remote Desktop Program has been updated to version 6.1 (6.0.6001) and one of the changes is that the functionality previously associated with the /console switch is now called the /admin switch.

If you use "mstsc /v:servername /console" in a script file then the /console will be ignored (with no warning) and you will be connected to a normal session that is not the server console.

You now use /admin instead of /console.

Detailed discussion on the the change here:

http://blogs.msdn.com/ts/archive/2007/12/17/changes-to-remote-administration-in-windows-server-2008.aspx

Monday, February 02, 2009

Installing Windows 7 via USB or SD Media

You can install Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista from USB or whatever other removable media your computer can boot from? Insert your removable media into a Windows XP or Vista PC and run the following commands from an elevated command prompt.

  1. diskpart
  2. list disk (find the disk number for the removable media)
  3. select disk #
  4. clean
  5. create partition primary
  6. select partition 1
  7. active
  8. format fs=fat32
  9. assign letter=y (or any free drive letter)
  10. exit

Once that is complete mount the ISO and run the following command.

xcopy x:\*.* /s/e/f y:\

Where “x” is the drive letter of the mounted ISO. Once complete boot off the device and install the OS. When a new Windows 7 or 2008 R2 build is released, simply delete the contents, rerun the xcopy command and you are ready to go again.

Link: http://thelazyadmin.com/blogs/thelazyadmin/archive/2009/01/08/installing-windows-7-via-usb-or-sd-media.aspx

Windows 7 and Asus Eee PC 901

Problem with the Black screen during boot up.

There is a conflict with the Asus BIOS and Windows 7. This occurs because the Operating system does not use the Netbooks screen as the first option during the login phase.

Quick Fix:
When the black screen has been displayed for a short while, lightly press the power button. This puts the Netbook to sleep. Lightly press the power button again wakes the Netbook and displays the login box.

Longer term fix:
Set the User account to auto login (Not recommended for secure systems.) and run a script to display the screen on the monitor.

Auto Login For Window 7 (and Windows Vista)
  1. Go to start
  2. Type netplwiz in the search box
  3. Select the user from which you want to login automatically and uncheck the box “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer”.
  4. Enter the password of the account in the box.
  5. Click ok

Setup the display script

  1. Just open notepad and save this code as a .bat file in the startup folder found in the start-menu:

    displayswitch /extend
    displayswitch /internal


  2. Start menu location:
    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Links: http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=58307

Thursday, January 22, 2009

How to view and transfer FSMO roles in Windows Server 2003

This article describes how to transfer Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles (also known as operations master roles) by using the Active Directory snap-in tools in Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in Windows Server 2003.

FSMO Roles

In a forest, there are at least five FSMO roles that are assigned to one or more domain controllers. The five FSMO roles are:

  • Schema Master: The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to the schema. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access to the schema master. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.
  • Domain naming master: The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.
  • Infrastructure Master: The infrastructure is responsible for updating references from objects in its domain to objects in other domains. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the infrastructure master in each domain.
  • Relative ID (RID) Master: The RID master is responsible for processing RID pool requests from all domain controllers in a particular domain. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the RID master in the domain.
  • PDC Emulator: The PDC emulator is a domain controller that advertises itself as the primary domain controller (PDC) to workstations, member servers, and domain controllers that are running earlier versions of Windows. For example, if the domain contains computers that are not running Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows 2000 client software, or if it contains Microsoft Windows NT backup domain controllers, the PDC emulator master acts as a Windows NT PDC. It is also the Domain Master Browser, and it handles password discrepancies. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the PDC emulator master in each domain in the forest.

You can transfer FSMO roles by using the Ntdsutil.exe command-line utility or by using an MMC snap-in tool. Depending on the FSMO role that you want to transfer, you can use one of the following three MMC snap-in tools:

  • Active Directory Schema snap-in
  • Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in
  • Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in

If a computer no longer exists, the role must be seized. To seize a role, use the Ntdsutil.exe utility.


Transfer the Schema Master Role

Use the Active Directory Schema Master snap-in to transfer the schema master role. Before you can use this snap-in, you must register the Schmmgmt.dll file.

Register Schmmgmt.dll

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.
  3. Click OK when you receive the message that the operation succeeded.

Transfer the Schema Master Role

  1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc in the Open box, and then click OK.
  2. On the File, menu click Add/Remove Snap-in.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Click Active Directory Schema, click Add, click Close, and then click OK.
  5. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Schema, and then click Change Domain Controller.
  6. Click Specify Name, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
  7. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Schema, and then click Operations Master.
  8. Click Change.
  9. Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Transfer the Domain Naming Master Role

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
  2. Right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.
    NOTE: You must perform this step if you are not on the domain controller to which you want to transfer the role. You do not have to perform this step if you are already connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.
  3. Do one of the following:
    In the Enter the name of another domain controller box, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
    -or-
    In the Or, select an available domain controller list, click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
  4. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Operations Master.
  5. Click Change.
  6. Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Transfer the RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Master Roles

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click Active Directory Users and Computers, and then click Connect to Domain Controller.
    NOTE: You must perform this step if you are not on the domain controller to which you want to transfer the role. You do not have to perform this step if you are already connected to the domain controller whose role you want to transfer.
  3. Do one of the following:
    In the Enter the name of another domain controller box, type the name of the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
    -or-
    In the Or, select an available domain controller list, click the domain controller that will be the new role holder, and then click OK.
  4. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Users and Computers, point to All Tasks, and then click Operations Master.
  5. Click the appropriate tab for the role that you want to transfer (RID, PDC, or Infrastructure), and then click Change.
  6. Click OK to confirm that you want to transfer the role, and then click Close.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Installing and Configuring Eeebuntu on to an Asus Eee PC

Website with download and Forum: http://eeebuntu.org/

How to create a bootable USB memory stick with the Operating system ISO file.
Using UNetbootin for Linux or Windows.
http://www.liliputing.com/2008/12/how-to-install-eeebuntu-with-a-usb-flash-drive.html


Partitioning The Disk (preparing disk space screen)

You need to make some decisions here. Some Information about the Asus Eee 901:
/dev/sda is the 4GB onboard SSD
/dev/sdb is the internal removable SSD (8GB windows, 16GB Linux)
/dev/sdc is the SDHC/SD/MMC card if you have one in there
/dev/sdd is your USB Stick (if the SD slot is empty it's /dev/sdc)

I manually partitioned the eee. Here is the partition scheme I used:
/dev/sda1 is the entire 4GB section. I am mounting it as "/" and using ext2
/dev/sdb1 is 15002 MB of sdb. I am mounting it as "/home" and using ext2
/dev/sdb2 is the remaining 1135MB of sdb and is swap space. The swap space is large to allow for hibernation.
You can use ext2 to to lessen the number of writes to the SSD. Of course using a journaled files system is generally better



Switching between Ubuntu Netbook remix and the standard desktop

  1. Right click on the Ubuntu circular icon in the top right, and click Edit Menus.
  2. In the Menu section select Preferences under the System menu.
  3. In the Items section scroll down and tick the Sessions option.
  4. Then click Close.
  5. Expand the System menu optin then Preferences and select Session.
  6. In Startup Programs
  7. Look for NETBOOK LAUNCHER, untick it then click close
  8. Reboot your machine and you'll get a standard Desktop.