GNU/Linux

A reliable, step-by-step guide to bring a VirtualBox/VMware .ova into QEMU/KVM, with both GUI and CLI paths—and fixes for the most common pitfalls.Contents Prerequisites 1) Extract the OVA 2) Convert VMDK → QCOW2 3) Create the VM in virt-manager (GUI) 4) Alternative: virt-install (CLI) 5) Common gotchas & fixes Quick troubleshooting checklist Prerequisites QEMU/KVM, libvirt, and virt-manager installed on the host. User is allowed to manage libvirt (typically being in the libvirt/libvirtd and kvm groups). Enough disk space to hold the converted image (QCOW2). 1) Extract the OVA An OVA is a tar archive containing an .ovf (metadata) and one or more .vmdk disks. ...

What started as a quick VirtualBox install turned into a multi‑headed boss fight: USB errors, a sulking kernel driver, a turf war with KVM, and even a Nix syntax bite. Here’s the complete journey and the fixes that finally made my VM boot. Head #1 — USB devices wouldn’t enumerate Can't enumerate USB devices Could not load the Host USB Proxy service: VERR_NOT_FOUND Root cause: Host USB support + Extension Pack missing, and the user not in vboxusers. ...

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by NixOS commands, flakes, or the dreaded garbage collection panic, this guide is for you. It’s not just a cheatsheet—it’s a practical survival kit for running NixOS with flakes, keeping your system clean, and always having a rollback strategy when things go sideways. 🖥️ NixOS Essentials Task Command Show version nixos-version Edit config (classic) sudo nano /etc/nixos/configuration.nix Rebuild + switch sudo nixos-rebuild switch Build only (no switch) sudo nixos-rebuild build Roll back last rebuild sudo nixos-rebuild switch --rollback List generations sudo nix-env --list-generations --profile /nix/var/nix/profiles/system ⚡ Flakes Basics Task Command Init flake nix flake init -t templates#nixos Show flake outputs nix flake show Update all inputs nix flake update --commit-lock-file Update one input nix flake lock --update-input nixpkgs --commit-lock-file Build system sudo nixos-rebuild build --flake .#<hostname> Switch system sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#<hostname> Boot (safe) sudo nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#<hostname> 🔄 Safe Updates & Rollbacks Keeping your system updated is great… until it doesn’t boot. Here’s how to avoid disasters. ...

For ages I wanted a clean dual‑boot between Windows 11 (for the few things that require it) and NixOS (for everything I actually enjoy). This is the full journey: GParted wizardry, fixing MBR/GPT issues, laying out a big EFI (because NixOS loves EFI space), and finishing with flakes. Step 1 — Disk Layout in GParted I booted a live USB with GParted and created the following: EFI System Partition (ESP): 1030 MB, FAT32, flags boot, esp Windows: 200 GB, NTFS Linux swap: 8 GB Linux root: rest of the disk (later Btrfs) Why a big ESP? NixOS + systemd‑boot keeps multiple generations of kernels/initrds. A tiny 100 MB ESP fills up fast. ...

After some looking about and being sick of running Windows 10 just for doing some Scratch-like programming for uni, I have decided to update my system to full a Linux pc with, if needed Win10 and Kali VMs for all my HackTheBox and TryHackMe needs. Because I still don’t have proper internet and using phone internet sharing, installing arch without some cable internet is a bit of a stretch. After seeing some Debian-Titus work in progress during ChrisTitusTech stream, I definitely want to give AwesomeWM a try. What’s not to like about a small, quick and efficient window manager. ...

I have some peculiarities for my desktop setup that I use every time I reinstall a new OS. So instead of researching how to do the setup all over every time I reinstall an OS, dual boot, or distro hop, I will throw them all in a blog post and save some keystrokes and a bit of time. On my main computer, an old Dell Optiplex, with an NVIDIA GTX1650, I am dual-booting Kubuntu 20.04 and Windows 10. ...

Linux gaming had become easier and easier over the years thanks to the wonderful communities at Lutris and PlayOnLinux and the implementations of Vulcan on the Linux side of computing. I have arranged the options by steps, but sometimes the steps need to be changed based on the local implementation, previous installed packages and preference. Without further ado, let’s begin: ...