Ubuntu as an OS has become more stable than ever – with months and months in between my reboots. I haven’t had a crash or lockup of any kind of 3+ years – but one thing really pissed me off about a year ago – the “Unity Bar”.

Ubuntu took it upon themselves to reword the desktop interface and paradigm as “they saw fit”, putting into place this rediculous left facing menu dockbar thing called the “unity bar” and this little icon on the top left to segregate all your apps into “media apps”, “internet apps”, and “all apps” categories.

This horrible interface has pissed off more people than I know because it just makes harder to find things. They might think it’s easier becase you can type in a few letters to find what you want – but you shouldn’t have to use your keyboard to find an app. You shouldn’t have to scroll through all your apps find it either.

One of the very first things I googled was “how to remove the unity bar in ubuntu” and come to find out (as part of the system) you really can’t. You can’t really replace it, or re-mix it, re-work it, you’re just stuck with that POS.

Today I upgraded to Ubuntu 11.10 and decided to check out the ubuntu software center to see what’s new – and low and behold there’s a system utility called “Cairo dock”. While it’s not really a replacement for the unity dock (and you still can’t remove it), it might be a good solution for you – it was kind of just what I was looking for (and I’ll tell you why).

First of all – fire up “ubuntu software center” and find “cairo dock” (under system utilities) and install it. Once installed you’ve have the option to run Open GL (Compiz like) version, or non Open GL. I love the Open GL version (uses very low system resources).

So – this is why I like the Cairo dock…it’s like the Macbook App bar (but better). I can’t show it here, but the left icon for the very leftmost icon is the “applications menu” which is exactly what you remember it to be (before the Unity dock bar came out). You have access to icons for programs you have open and most used programs, shortcuts, folders, and more.

You can even right click add / remove / modify any launchers on the Cairo dock, you can add custom applets, apply themes, and more! If you want to get your productivity back in your Ubuntu desktop – install Cairo dock!

I use Ubuntu, so VirtualBox allows me to install WindowsXP in it’s own little window on my desktop (just like a browser), and you can install software, use your printer (or other USB devices), browser the web -as if it was another computer (inside your computer). You can install multiple snapshots and versions, like Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, you could even install Mac OS X, other versions of Linux, etc. I use Windows XP for Photoshop and my multi-function printer.

I came accros a weird problem today, since I upgraded to Ubuntu 11.04 I had to install WindowsXP for the first time in Virtual Box. The install went just fine until I had to “click F8 to continue” on the EULA screen. No matter what I did – the F8 just didn’t work at all the virtual box window. I’m using a Microsoft wireless comfort keyboard 4000.

I had to google a few things to figure this out, and that’s when I found that because my keyboard is a multimedia keyboard (a lot of Microsoft and Logitech keyboards are like this), they F keys are mapped to do different things (help, undo, redo, new, open, close, reply, fwd, send, etc.).

There’s actually a button I’ve never used in 20 years called “F lock”, and if you click that it turns off all the “extended capabilities” of your keyboard (same as a num lock or caps lock).

Just find that button on your keyboard as in the image above, and once you click it you should be able to return to the Virtual Box windows and click F8 to continue installing WinXP. Also, if you have problems with your F keys working on a Mac in OS X – like the tab key, scrolling, or other things – try the F lock for those as well.

Hope that helps!

This tutorial is “How to root your HTC EVO 4G from sprint”, (and tips on rooting other cell phones too). We decided to post this since our favorite Android phones have become both the EVO and EVO Shift, and nearly every single friend and relative we know has wanted to know if we could root their cell phones as well. More people would probably do it – if they only knew how easy it was.

What is Cell Phone Rooting?

Rooting is to Android what Jailbreaking was to iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) devices. While they have different names, they are essential doing very similar things to your device, allow unsigned code to run. All of it sounds intimidating but really, its nothing at all!

What are the Advantages of Rooting a Cell Phone?

There are many, the first of which is that you are in TOTAL control of your phone and what’s on it! Did you ever notice that there are certain apps that you just can’t delete from your cell phone? That’s because companies PAID Sprint a fee to put them there. A rooted cell phone means that you can install custom themes, custom backgrounds, custom apps and widgets – it opens up a whole new WORLD of opportunities within your mobile phone and Android.

A rooted phone usually runs must faster than one with default software, because it’s optimized (and can be overclocked as well). They also usually have substantially loger battery life, because you obtain the ability to turn off all kinds of services when you don’t need them.

Many people root their phone to avoid paying for apps (which we do NOT recommend), because you can download nearly every app ever created for free online just by searching for the file name and saving it to your rooted phone.

What are the Disadvantages of Rooting a Cell Phone?

Rooting a cell phone is NOT illegal in any way, but mobile companies and cell phone manufacturers will tell you that there is danger in running “unsigned code”, because it could be unstable, unsafe, etc. 99% of the time it’s no more “unsafe” than installing Linux on a computer instead of Windoww. The cell companies want to stay in control of your phone, and what you can install (and what you can’t).

The real disadvantages are if you do intend to download and install illicit apps, they are “unsigned code” and you have no way to verify they are what they are without running them. In addition, if they have to interfact with a server in any way to get data, or save high scores, interact with other players – unsigned apps can’t do that. On the other hand, you can run BOTH signed and unsigned apps on a rooted phone, so the things that need interaction you could pay for. Just remember that downloading paid apps for free is the same as back in the days of Napster – it’s stealing.

DISCLAIMER: We are not responsible for broken, bricked or damaged devices, acts of God or anything else that might of caused your phone to break. This will void your warrantee but there are ways to reverse the process and restore your warrantee (just like restoring the operating system on a desktop computer). Our tutorial here is provided to you for entertainment and educational purpose only, and what you decide to do with the info is up to you – YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!

Things you will need:

• Windows computer
• Small amount of technology knowledge
• HTC SYNC installed and working
• 1GB of free space on your SD Card
• A Full battery (this is crucial, if your battery dies will performing the root, your phone will be bricked and you just made yourself a very expensive paperweight.)
• USB Debugging enabled on your device. To achieve this Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging
• Your phone connect to your computer as charge only
• The AutoRoot.zip file found in this tutorial

Instructions to Root the EVO (Follow them carefully and thoroughly)

1. This will completely wipe your phone. If you want to back up your apps use Titanium Backup.
2. First extract auto root.zip into a folder that is easy to find. I tend to use the desktop or My Documents folder
3. Open the file named ‘AutoRoot.bat’ and let it run. If there is only a flashing line, close the window, right click the file and select ‘Run as Administrator’. Then open the file again. If you are still having a problem email me your question.
4. The file will continue to run. If there are any errors or it fails to complete then restart your phone and try again. Also make sure you are not actively use your phone while the process is working.
5. When it is ready it will reboot your phone into the boot loader and depending on your setup it will either enter RUU mode and automatically flash the debugging firmware or give you instructions on how to flash it from hBoot.
6. If it requires you to manually flash it, just push the power button to select “BOOTLOADER” and say yes when it asks to flash the PC36IMG.zip. It will give some errors halfway through but no worries, this is normal. Once its finished say no to rebooting and then use Vol Down to highlight recovery. Then press power to select it.
7. It will make a nand backup and then restart your phone. If it hangs on the white HTC EVO screen for more than a few minutes, do a battery pull and restart your phone. If it hangs again then you will need to run the RUU and start over.

*This will only work on hBoot version .9x

You can download the AutoRoot v2.3 file here: http://www.multi upload.com/9S4BOSZITN

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your HTC EVO! For more information on rooting other phones, help or information on how to install custom roms, checkout http://forum.xda-developers.com. They will have tons of info and a whole community of people ready to help you.

Here’s some great deals on EVO phones in auctions ending soon:

HTC EVO 4G Android - Droid - Good - CDMA - Sprint Clean ESN - GREAT PHONE - (B1)
	USD 134.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:33:04
HTC EVO DESIGN 4G FREE with New Sprint Contract - Android Cell Phone
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:58:13
MINT SPRINT HTC EVO 4G CAMERA GPS WiFi WHITE CELL PHONE
	USD 197.95 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:19:16
New Naztech Vertex 3-Layer Cell Phone Covers for HTC EVO 4G - Black
	USD 10.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 22:45:08
HTC EVO 4G Android WiFi CDMA Phone Sprint Clean ESN (AS IS)
	USD 86.00 (24 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:20:08
HTC EVO 3D ANDROID SMART PHONE FULL FLASHED 2 BOOST MOBILE
	USD 245.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:20:57
Sprint HTC EVO 4G BAD ESN Phone For Parts
	USD 99.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:31:34
HTC EVO 3D $49.99 w/ New Sprint Contract 4G Android Cell Phone
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:48:21
HTC EVO Shift 4G A7373 - Fair Condition Black Sprint Cell Phone
	USD 119.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 18:47:05
HTC EVO Shift 4G Sprint Android WiFi Camera Cell Phone
	USD 169.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:49:31

The good news is – I found a fix! Turns out the problem is with the Intel video driver that got updated in the Jaunty update. All you have to do is follow the instructions in the Reverting the Jaunty Intel Xorg video driver instructions (like I did) and everything will work again – NP at all! Thanks Ubuntu Wiki!

Remember back when the Palm Pre debuted at CES and one of the major announced features was the ability to tether via USB cable or Bluetooth?  Well a few weeks before the Pre came out sprint quietly removed the feature from the website and no reason was given.  Well as they say “if there is a will, there is a way” and the almighty Palm Pre community has given its rebuttal to sprints actions and boy is it a big one.    So here is the most recent way to turn your palm pre into a “MiFi Hot Spot”.

First you have to make a decision that is going to affect your wallet.  If you so choose (although it isn’t required to complete the hack) you can pay a ten dollar donation fee and get an automatic 2.0 installer to complete everything for you.  If you’re tight on cash, (what has two thumbs and hates to spend money? This Guy.), then you can download the manual 1.5 version and do everything the old fashioned way.  In this tutorial I will be doing the free version.  Maybe sometime in the near future I will do the 2.0 installer, because it does come with some extra features ala WEP encryption and also cancels the screen from automatically shutting off and therefore ending your connection.

STEP 1
First, you will need to make sure you have Java 6 or higher installed and you will also need to have Virtual Box installed as well.  I know it may seem like a waste now; it will come in handy in just a few minutes.

STEP 2
Next, you need to go register for the Palm Pre SDK at Palm.com.   You will need to follow the link in the email they send you so make sure you give a valid email address.  Follow the link and download the SDK for you operating system.  This download contains the files need to hack your Palm Pre.

STEP 3
Once all three things are downloaded you will need to put your Palm Pre into developer mode.  To do this you need to make sure all your cards are closed and begin typing ‘upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart’.  You will see a pop-up that says “Developer Mode Enabler”, tap that and slide it from ‘off’ to ‘on’.  A dialogue will ask you to reset your phone, say yes and go get yourself a snack because the Pre isn’t known for the quickest reboots.

STEP 4
Once your phone is reset you will need to download novaterm1.zip and unzip it to the C:\Program Files\Palm\SDK\bin.  If you’re under a different operating system or you installed the SDK to somewhere else then find it and unzip it to that location.  Now you need to connect the phone to your computer via usb cable and on your phone select just charge when it pops up.

STEP 5

Open up a command prompt and type
cd “\Program Files\Palm\SDK\bin”

Next you need to enter
novacom -t open tty://

Your command prompt will go to the root@castle.  Okay to some this maybe intimidating but if you follow the directions carefully then everything should go just fine.

STEP 6
Now in your root@castle command prompt you need to enter

wget -qO- http://mytether.net/install.php | /bin/sh

This command will download and install the 1.5 MyTether software directly to your palm pre.   Go to your apps and you will see a “My Tether” application has now appeared.  Open the app and enable tethering my turning the button to on and use DHCP when the app asks you.

STEP 7
Now this is the easiest (and most fun) step of all: Enjoy the fruits of you labor!  On your computer select “AoNet” as your wireless network.  It should connect in mere seconds.  If not reset your computer and phone.    You can connect to multiple devices to your Palm Pre because you just hacked yourself a wireless “MiFi” router!

Please post any and all questions in the comments section and we will accommodate you as soon as possible.  Also if you enjoyed this and want more palm pre articles, let us know in the comments section!

Used GREAT HP Palm Pre 2 unlocked - Black (Unlocked) AT&T T-Mobile Simple Mobile
	USD 84.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 03:15:49
Palm Pre Plus - Black (Verizon) Smartphone-Used
	USD 10.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:54:58
Palm Pre 8GB Sprint
	USD 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:17:26
Palm Pre - 8GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 23.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:25:56
Palm Pre - 8GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 20.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:47:27
Verizon Palm Pre Plus No Contract 3G QWERTY Touch Camera WebOS Slider Smartphone
	USD 44.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 14:51:24
Palm Pre P100EWW - Black (Bell Mobility) Cellular Phone
	USD / 46.22 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:59:45
Palm PRE Sprint Used Working Camera Bluetooth Keyboard MP3 MMS Touch Phone BLACK
	USD 20.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 02:00:20
Palm Pre (Sprint) WebOS Cellphone w/ Touchstone Kit & Warranty! Mint Condition!!
	USD 94.90 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 05:06:51
HP Palm Pre 3 - 16GB - Black (AT&T Branded) Unlocked GSM Smartphone
	USD 270.21 (24 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:15:33

Lot of 3 Palm Pixie phones - As Is - Untested
	USD 26.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 18:23:00
VERIZON PALM PIXIE PLUS-CELL PHONE
	USD 70.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 23:33:20

There are 3 basic problems with MP3 files:

1. The MP3 filenames are all screwed up and unreadable with crazy characters
2. The MP3 volume levels are all over the place, some are low and some are really loud
3. The MP3 “tags” are screwed up and the names come up wrong or weird in an iPod or MP3 player

I’m going to show you how to fix all 3 problems, using FREE software with no NAGS, no hidden things to install, no garbage, and no trials! 100% freeware utilities that just plain work!

How to fix MP3 filenames

First download 1-4a Batch File Renamer. It’s a freeware windows utility for renaming files. I have used dozens of file renamers, and I’ve never seen anything quite like this! There seems to be nothing it can’t do.

When you first fire it up it looks like this:

you have simple options to find and replace things. The left pane are your filenames before you make changes, and it shows what they’ll look like once you make the changes in the right preview pane. This works for a lot of instances – but there is an absolutely INSANE expert mode!

Here’s the expert mode screen:

You can use almost unlimited conditions. I removed all extra spaces, replaced underscores with dashes, and capitalized the first letter of every word on 1,000 mp3 files in about 5 seconds! I also remove the first 5 characters from 875 other mp3 files, and I had a bunch of files from one artist with song name but no artist. So I pre-pended those 50 files with the artist name in seconds!

You can clean up your MP3 filenames with this batch renamer utility more quickly than anything I’ve ever seen. The beauty of this little utility is that it works for any kind of file, so you can use it on your digital pics, movie downloads, or anything else you have!

How to “Normalize” and fix MP3 Volume Levels

The next most common thing wrong with MP3 files is that they volume levels are all different. Some are really low, so you turn it way up, and then a really loud once comes on and about blows you out of the room! There are many mp3 file editors that will normalize your mp3′s for you – but again, most of us have thousands of songs or more. I don’t have time to open my MP3′s one by one and fix them in a damn editor. That’s why I was so exited to find a batch file renamer – a utility that would rename all my MP3 files at once. I was just as excited to find this next one. Now, Download Mp3Gain and install it. It’s a windows freeware utility that does exactly ONE thing and it does it well – it normalizes the volume levels on MP3 files in batches!

That’s right – it can rename 1-10,000+ mp3 files in batch mode! Personally, I recommend doing them about 1,000 at a time if you’re in a time crunch or using your computer all day. Else, you could load say 10,000 in a batch and do them overnight while you sleep. See, unlike the file renaming, this utility has to actually analyze and change the volume level on your each MP3 file, and then save it back again. For me to do about 1,000 mp3′s on my laptop with 2GB ram as I worked took about 30 minutes. Oh – and don’t worry, it doesn’t change the sound quality of your MP3 files at all (just the volume level). It’s a completely lossless process.

Here’s a screenshot of Mp3gain in action on my laptop – you can see that the volume levels for my files was all over the map, some higher, some lower. I made them all a good default of 89db (decibels).

How to Fix MP3 Tags

The last problem we all seem to have is the tags on MP3 files are usually all over the place too. Some are great, some have artist but no song, others have song but no artist. You get all kinds of weird characters, mis-spellings, and more. Now download Mp3 Tag Editor, and install it.

When you start the program first you will need to open a folder that contains MP3 files, and it will read and analyze the current tag information like this:

Once your files are imported you click to look them up on freedb or Amazon. I chose freedb, and then you get a dialogue box like this one:

A lot of times you can just lookup your missing (or bad) song information from what’s already in the tags (or filename). I my particular case – that didn’t help me because my mp3′s (in this case) were karaoke files and the file information within them didn’t really help look them up in freedb at all. I chose to “determine via web search”, and guess what – JACKPOT!

You can see in the image above that my lookup found exactly what my mp3′s were down to the very last detail! Check out what happens when I click “ok” and the changes are saved:

My MP3 files are completely updated with accurate information – so they will (now) display properly in any CD or MP3 player! I’ve used a lot of Mp3 tag editors in the last so many years, and this one is free, fast, and very accurate!

Conclusion

If you use the 3 freeware MP3 utilities I told you about today to clean up your MP3 collection you will be much happier with your music collection! Maybe then your friends will want you to fix theirs too – or you could be a DJ!

Out of the 50 tips, here are the ones I picked out to be most useful Linux Terminal Shortcuts:

1. Rip a DVD: You wouldn’t think it would be this easy, but you can rip a DVD on the command line with the following: dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/cdrom_image.iso
2. Encrypt your files: Easily encrypy any files from prying eyes using this command: gpg -c filename.doc, and simply enter your password twice. Then to decrypt them later, just run this command: gpg filename.doc.gpg and enter the password you used.
3. Block a Web Site: Kids use your laptop a lot? Boyfriend spending too much time on MySpace? You can block any web site in linux quickly and easily. Just run this command to open a file: gedit /etc/hosts, and then add 127.0.0.1 website.com one by one to block any web sites you want!
4. Scan Wireless Networks: If you want to scan for all available wireless networks, run this command: iwlist scan, and get much more info on each than you would ever get in Windows.
5. Convert text to HTML: Linux shines in it’s ability to process information, and particularly in conversion utilities. For example, convert a text file into HTML like this: recode ..HTML < file.txt > file.html
6. Schedule a download: Say you want to download an 800MB file but want to do it when everyone is asleep? Just run this command: echo ‘wget url’ | at 01:00

I’m sure there are tons more not in that article – post yours now below!

[nms:linux hacks,8,0,0,smorgas.linux.hacks]

Back in the days of dial-up modems, when broadband was still kind of dreamy – we had these things called “utilities”. Windows was just an operating system, and there were all kinds of things that it “didn’t do” yet…like unzip files, manage themes, burn cd’s, and countless other things. There were lots of software repositories online where you could download freeware “utilities” that did cool things. Those days were kind of lost with the wild west days of the web.

I’m happy to announce there are still a few programmers out there writing and maintaining cool and free downloadable software utilities, and Karen’s Powertools is one of them. Her utility solves the problem of trying to figure out what exactly is stored in a bazillion directories by allowing you to print them a detailed listing, that includes options for date, name, system files, subdirectories and more. If you don’t download it – bookmark it today, when someone asks you how you do this – you’ll remember reading this post and want to forward it on to them!

You can download Karen’s Directory Printer here!

sudo apt-get install samba

Next, stop samba while you make the required changes by running this in terminal:

sudo /etc/init.d/samba stop

Now you need to edit the samba config file, which is located here:

/etc/samba/smb.conf

You can open it in a text editor to make changes by running this in terminal:

sudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf

Copy and poast the following into smb.conf:

[global]
    ; General server settings
    netbios name = YOUR_HOSTNAME
    server string =
    workgroup = YOUR_WORKGROUP
    announce version = 5.0
    socket options = TCP_NODELAY IPTOS_LOWDELAY SO_KEEPALIVE SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192

    passdb backend = tdbsam
    security = user
    null passwords = true
    username map = /etc/samba/smbusers
    name resolve order = hosts wins bcast

    wins support = yes

    printing = CUPS
    printcap name = CUPS

    syslog = 1
    syslog only = yes

; NOTE: If you need access to the user home directories uncomment the
; lines below and adjust the settings to your hearts content.
;[homes]
    ;valid users = %S
    ;create mode = 0600
    ;directory mode = 0755
    ;browseable = no
    ;read only = no
    ;veto files = /*.{*}/.*/mail/bin/

; NOTE: Only needed if you run samba as a primary domain controller.
; Not needed as this config doesn't cover that matter.
;[netlogon]
    ;path = /var/lib/samba/netlogon
    ;admin users = Administrator
    ;valid users = %U
    ;read only = no

; NOTE: Again - only needed if you're running a primary domain controller.
;[Profiles]
    ;path = /var/lib/samba/profiles
    ;valid users = %U
    ;create mode = 0600
    ;directory mode = 0700
    ;writeable = yes
    ;browseable = no

; NOTE: Inside this place you may build a printer driver repository for
; Windows - I'll cover this topic in another HOWTO.
[print$]
    path = /var/lib/samba/printers
    browseable = yes
    guest ok = yes
    read only = yes
    write list = root
    create mask = 0664
    directory mask = 0775

[printers]
    path = /tmp
    printable = yes
    guest ok = yes
    browseable = no

; Uncomment if you need to share your CD-/DVD-ROM Drive
;[DVD-ROM Drive]
    ;path = /media/cdrom
    ;browseable = yes
    ;read only = yes
    ;guest ok = yes

[MyFiles]
    path = /media/samba/
    browseable = yes
    read only = no
    guest ok = no
    create mask = 0644
    directory mask = 0755
    force user = YOUR_USERNAME
    force group = YOUR_USERGROUP

Next, you're going to want to edit the appropriate values:

netbios name = name_of_your_computer_will_be_on_the_network
workgroup = same_name_all_computers_in_house_use_as_workgroup
wins suypport = yes
force user = YOUR_USERNAME
force group = YOUR_USERGROUP

you can edit anything else you want, but in most cases at least those 5 things are required. Now, start samba back up:

sudo /etc/init.d/samba start

Next, you need to actually ADD THE USERS MANUALLY INTO SAMBA (this is why mine was failing - I never did this part). Run these commands in terminal:

sudo smbpasswd -L -a your_username
sudo smbpasswd -L -e your_username

You will be asked for a password after running the first one, BE SURE to use your LOGIN password and username for Ubuntu! That's it! You should now be able to see and access the Ubuntu box on the Windows based network, and login from another PC using your main Ubuntu username and password. Any files or folders you right click and "share" on the Ubuntu box will appear on the PC's now when you go to "Network" and the name of your Ubuntu box.

If you get stuck or need more info, view this page for reference.

So I guess the answer is YES, you can still buy a very reasonable and stable custom computer and build it yourself. You MAY have to search for the best deals on some parts, BUT stick with better brands – cheaper is NOT always better. If you’re looking for parts to upgrade, or want to build a new one from the ground up – here are the some of the most reputable places I know of with good prices, quality service, and a decent return policy. Please, comment now to add your two cents in the mix!!

Tiger Direct

The TechGeek

Computer Parts on eBay