Fog is a Linux-based, free and open source computer imaging solution for Windows XP and Vista that ties together a few open-source tools with a php-based web interface. Fog doesn’t use any boot disks, or CDs; everything is done via TFTP and PXE. Also with fog many drivers are built into the kernel, so you don’t really need to worry about drivers (unless there isn’t a linux kernel module for it). Fog also supports putting an image that came from a computer with a 80GB partition onto a machine with a 40GB hard drive as long as the data is less than 40GB.
Fog also includes a graphical Windows service that is used to change the hostname of the PC, restart the computer if a task is created for it, and auto import hosts into the FOG database. The service also installs printers, and does simple snap-ins.

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I first heard about FOG on FLOSS Weekly. At that time the school where i work as a system admin and which runs ubuntu on all our computers decided to setup our only windows lab. So it was a great coincident and I decided to give it a try since it would just be what i need in setting up the windows lab. Downloading and installing FOG was quite easy and straight forward, however using it was quite another story.

The first time i had problems uploading an image. I uploaded the image i wanted to clone using the web interface i reboot and told the computer to boot from PXE. Everything worked till an error cames up about not been able to move image due to some php error ( something like that) i couldn’t take down the error code because it was very long and on a computer terminal, guess there was a problem some were with the config file.

Anyway i decided to do a fresh install (reinstalling both the machine and fog) and this time around NFS wont start .. i checked everything that could be wrong but couldn’t trouble shoot the problem, So i did another fresh install (reinstalling machine and fog) i went for ubuntu 8.10 server this time around. and lucky for me everything worked. i loaded the web interface and setup the images (following the guide) but when its time to upload an image i got an error

“Warning: ftp_login() [function.ftp-login]: This FTP server is anonymous only. in /var/www/fog/commons/functions.include.php on line 2266″

I followed followed what was posed here but the problem still remained.. so i decided to do another machine install like in previous times formating the machine and install fog again… still the same problem .. so i said ok let me go back to hardy .. i formated the server and installed ubuntu 8.04 .. same problem .. googling the problem showed this post in the fog user forums which is the exact problem am having.. but that didnt help much than to give me the feeling of “ok its not a problem with me and am not alone”

I am not good with php or infact any web programing so its hard getting the problem solved .. getting support in the forum from previous experience as yielded very little help. but i have posted my problem there just in case a good hearted person lend me a hand

In conclusion .. FOG is a great project with lots of advantages over many cloning solution out there free or proprietary. and the fact that its works for majority of users shows how much of a quality product it is. well it didn’t work for me but that doesn’t remove the fact that its a great product .. unfortunately i wont be able to use it.. and would either have to install every computer for the windows lab by hand or have to buy Norton ghost to do the job .. because days spent trouble shooting FOG as kept me behind schedule. I will definitely give it another try maybe when a newer version is released.

I just want to thank the developers of this project for putting out such an awesome software … it has a lot of potential and am sure once the little bugs are fixed will become a standard for cloning windows. i really wish the community would come out and help these guys so that they don’t get to do everything by them selves. FOG needs a better community Infrastructure (a better forum maybe) and an IRC presence so that people with problems can easily go there and the community and help each other.

Also would be nice if FOG could re-master Ubuntu or Fedora to create a single install image which contains the base OS plus a pre-configured version of FOG all in one cd. something like we have in freeNAS .. now that would be great and make it more dead easy to install. like a install and forget experience.

I would like to donate to this project in my next payday .. maybe pay for a better forum host .. if they are interested

Just want you guys to keep up the great work you are doing for the community.

Control panel

Desktop

Log-On Screen

Shut Down Screen

Folder Option

Power DVD

Boot Screen

Normal

Pimped

You most have seen how cool Vista, Ubuntu, and OSX all look with their Aero, Beryl, and Tiger looks. Windows XP users have to content with their rather dull looking interface.But you too can spice up your Good old XP by showing it some pimping love, fortunately most of the programs we need to do this are freewares and can be downloaded here in my blog. Would also include very cool stuffs like applications and codec’s that would further increase your user experience on windows XP .

Note-these article is not about making your Xp look like vista or any other OS for that matter no! .rather it is about adding style to your PC while still retaining the unique Xp look.

What you need

Google desktop Enterprise

Yahoo Widgets

Desktop X

Zune XP theme

Window Defender

Object Dock

Calledos wallpaper changer

Wallpapers

K-lite codec

Orbit download manager

Zune Player

Paint.NET

Lets Get Started

Theme

- To start the pimping we need to change the look of your PC that boring blue XP theme would be changed and to do this we would download the Zune theme which was released by Microsoft. The Zune Theme is a special Windows XP Theme. Designed to look like its new Zune portable media player. This is an official skin for Windows XP that has a dark grey style and orange Start menu.It is really cool and i promise you that once you have installed it you will never get enough of it. Download

Get a Dock

One of the best application i ever used on an XP system was Object dock.(i still use it on vista) Object dock is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated Dock. By allowing users to have more control over how they organize their desktop, users can take control of their desktop icons and shortcuts to have them be available when where and how they need them. All this with the unique style and top-rate performance. Once you have Downloaded and installed Object Dock you can drag any application or its shortcut to the dock and it would save it as a shortcut to the application. And any time you need just click on the icon on the dock and wala! there you have it. you can even customize the looks,animation and background of your dock to what you want you can change the icons of any of the programs in the dock to any one of the icons available on this page for download.

Download

Caledos wallpaper changer

I have so many wallpapers that most times am always confused as to which on to use at a particular time.But that is over now i now have a program the would do that for me.it called caledos wallpaper changers …well i guess the name is self explanatory.all you have to do when you install the program is to direct it to where your wallpaper folder is and set how frequent you want it to change the wallpapers-say every 5min,10min etc.you can even set to always display the wallpaper to fill the screen or any display format you prefer.*caledos wall paper changer works in the background and you can set it to always start up with your PC.

Download

Go Google

Tell you what some of the most beautiful thing about vista is the sidebar and the search option embedded into every folder in windows so that you can easily search for anything you want.With Google Desktop Enterprise you have have both the sidebar and a powerful search program on your XP.The Google sidebar looks so cool (and blends very well with the XP background.It even has a glassy transparent background,and comes with so many gadgets which are customizable mini-programs that display continuously updated information and allow you to perform common tasks without opening a window. For example, you can display regularly updated weather forecasts, news headlines, and a picture slide show.)

that i sometimes want to replace it with the one that can with vista.And the google desktop search is so powerful (what else do you expect from a search program called Google.)and easy to use.once installed it does a background indexing of all the files on your computer.this is done only when your computer is idle.once completed you can search for any file on your computer just by typing it on the search field of the program,and as you type you get to see the result of your search display instantly in an elinimation order.

Once installed you can customize it to your taste.

Alternatively you can use Yahoo widget or Desktop x both are programs that provide widgets for your XP.However i would advise that you use one widget program at a time because of the drain of using a combination two can have of your system memory.and i would recommend Google desktop because of the search function and the sidebar.However Yahoo Desktop is also every Stylish and has a lot of cool gadgets.

* Widgets are small, specific applications that you can run on your Windows .Because they are so small, Widgets need another application to run. A Widget can do almost anything from displaying a weather forecast to playing a game. Widgets generally sit on your desktop and don’t look like applications as we’re used to seeing them in a standard window. Instead, Widgets tend to look like small pictures or animations.

Download

Google Desktop

Desktop x

Yahoo widgets

K-Lite Codec

No PC pimping would be complete without installing a one stop codec to play all the movie file you have on your Computer.To be honest some of the most frustrating computer experience is that annoying pop-up that comes up when ever when ever you attempt to play a video file telling you that the necessary codec needed is not installed.the truth is they are many video codecs out there and it is almost impossible to know how many of them are there and you don’t know which one you don’t have until when you get the pop-up.this is where k-lite codec comes in .it is a mega Codec Pack that includes everything needed to play online and offline computer media. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack includes the Full K-lite codec pack as well as Quicktime and Realplayer codecs and BS Player. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack includes codecs for the most popular compressions like Divx and Xvid as well as some of the less popular but still necesary codecs. This is our one stop codec resource. Download

Window Defender

Unfortunately Windows XP does not come with any anti spyware pre-installed fortunately MS has developed one and its called window defender and it is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive. so if you always paranoid about spyware and you cant really afford to pay for one.Window defender might just be the right option for you. Download

Orbit download manager

Every computer needs a download manager to handle and organise our numerous downloads and one of the best Download manager out they is Orbit. It is a great speed download manager Orbit downloader is an indispensable tool for download acceleration which can download up to 500% faster than a normal PC download. Download

Paint.NET

For those graphic designers out they there is a program that can compete with any graphic suit in the market,very cool,easy to use and gets the job done.it is called Piant.NET and it is an image and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is currently being maintained by some of the alumni that originally worked on it. Originally intended as a free replacement for the MS Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple tool for photo and image editing. The programming language used to create Paint.NET is C#, with a small amount of C++ for installation and shell-integration related functionality. *You need to have Dotnet framework 2.0 installed on your computer to get paint to work. Download

Zune Player

This is a very cool media player that can be used to compliment the the windows media player that comes with your system.It has a very cool design and can easily sync with the zune portable music player . Download

Finally you can download some of the coolest wallpapers for your system in my download sidebar.