[ubuntu] Graphical utility to configure screen refresh rate topic

Hi.
I'm using Ubuntu 14.04x64 to make and (trying) to present lessons in my classroom.
The thing is, when I connect the classroom projector on my VGA port the projector says "Refresh rate out of range" and it exhibits no image at all.
Looking for answers I found about xrandr and how to set the resolution and refresh rate via terminal window.
Then I looked again for a GUI and found Arandr, but it seems to provide only resolution config, not refresh rate. That is already possible via system settings, which made this utility useless.
Is there any utility that can handle the screen/projector refresh rate?
I think that should be on the default screen/monitor options under system settings.
Thanks.

[ubuntu] Disk Utility: "Partition is misaligned by 1024 bytes..." topic

I'm planning to steal some of my Windows 7 partition to increase size of my Ubuntu on my dual-boot as I explained here (just waiting til I can buy some more internet allowance so I can download a Live iso - my internet access is via tethered smartphone). While waiting for my piggy bank to fill, I had a look at my system with Disk Utility, and found my Ubuntu partition is "misaligned by 1024 bytes" which may result in very poor performance." (Screenshot attached)

The laptop is giving less-than-optimal performance, but this may very well be because I smashed the screen and fed coffee to the keyboard. I use an external monitor and usb keyboard and mouse now, so my laptop is a desktop... but who knows what other destruction I have caused the machine's innards? Anyway, I'd like to fix this "misalignment" issue - but not if it means I have to reformat and lose my music/video/other collection (yes, backup backup backup... but it would be such a pain - plus the "poor" performance isn't that poor, and as I already wrote, there are many other possible reasons why performance isn't as good as what it was).

So, does "repartitioning" in this case mean reformating/whatever and losing my files? Or have I misunderstood this? What exactly does this repartitioning entail?

Another quick question: I said that I'm waiting til I can download an Ubuntu Live iso before shrinking the Windows 7 partition and giving the extra freed-up disk-space to Ubuntu. Obviously I don't have an Ubuntu iso. However, I do have a kubuntu-13.04-desktop-amd64.iso and a lubuntu-13.04-desktop-amd64.iso. I could use one of them rather than having to download an Ubuntu image, right? But I'm not a Kubuntu or Lubuntu user, I don't know what the required tools may be called... so can someone perhaps enlighten me on this too? Cheers.

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[ubuntu] Can anyone recommend good disk backup utility topic

Hi there,
I have ubuntu 12.04 that I run as a server, and I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good backup utility where I can just make a disk image of the drive.

My main purpose is if the hard drive was to fail... I can just buy another hard drive (different size+make) and mount the disk image, swap it out, and continue...

1. Can anyone recommend a good way to make such a backup? (Can "dd" command do this?)

2. Will it be a problem if I just mount a backed-up disk disk image onto a new hard drive and put it into the machine, or will it have problems with the fact that it's a different hard drive (different make, size, etc...)?


Thanks a ton!
PA