Questions...lots of questions...

[Arachnid]

Hello again.

I'm back and im back for a bloody good reason - Linux.

I've been pestering enoonmai for quite a while now and i finally decidd i need professional(?) help. So here goes. I have these questions that if someone could answer, i'll make sure you're never flamed at the skoar forum - even if you spam

1 - I've noticed and tried several "flavors" of Linux. Mandrake, Linspire and Knoppix. Linspire was pretty, Knoppix was a ***** to start but witha few cheat codes it worked fine. After using these off the live CD's, i decided to go with Mandrake at enoo's recommendation and i got it up and running last night. So my question here is - What is the main difference between them? I noticed that Knoppix and Linspire had some Debian stuff involved. What is Debian? Similarly, what is FreeBDS etc etc?

2 - Whats the easiest way to install nvidia drivers? I've printed off a guide from www.linuxquestions.org - but it looks a little imtimidating especially since it involves stopping the display manager.

3 - What is an RPM/TAR.GZ file? Do i always have to use Nautilius to run these files? (managed to install the firefox browser though)!

4 - How do you run the various distributables? I'm guessing .exe files are the equivalents but they always behave so differently!

5 - What is Samba? What is a mount point? How can i access the Windows files from Linux? Can i access Linux files from windows?

6 - I've got Wine as an RPM. How do i install it?

7 - The default CD player application with Mandrake 10.1 plays audio CD's but with my speakers turned up to full and the sound properties set at 100%, i can still hear the audio at about 0.000000001 dB. how can i fix this?

8 - How can i view .avi/.mpeg files?

9 - How do i view DVD's? Please suggest a good DVD player

10 - If i screw up anywhere, is there a rollback or a restore feature in Linux?

Thats really all i can think of right now...but be assured, i will be back!

The big bad spider will return.

[h4xbox]

Man dont tell me you failed to notice the below listed threads @ LQ


>> CLICK HERE TO READ THE TUT ON HOWTO- FOR DVD IN LINUX. <<

I noticed that Knoppix and Linspire had some Debian stuff involved. What is Debian?

goto www.debian.org and read further.

What is an RPM/TAR.GZ file?

For tar.gz you can use a utility for zipping(I dont remember the name) Its used for opening zip files.
RPM ==> Redhat package management/manager I guess.
Its like setup.exe for a software in Linux.
You necessarily need not use nautilus, you can open a terminal and write

$ rpm -ivh <rpm filename>

You can also use YUM to install apps.

>> Read this howto @ LQ <<


To run the exe files, first u must "chmod" them. CHMOD is a command
used to change user rights for a file(everything in linux/unix is a file).


>> CHMOD tut from LQ <<

 I've got Wine as an RPM. How do i install it?

Wine.rpm mostly i386 will be ok . as shown above u can install wine with

rpm -ivh wine.rpm(or filename)

How can i access the Windows files from Linux? Can i access Linux files from windows?

You can view the windows file system through linux but it cant be done vice versa. To view the partitions, you must edit the fstab file located at /etc/fstab

To edit the fstab file post ur existing fstab here, I will modify it and tell u how to do it in 5 easy steps. (You have to post ur fstab file for partitions and some info) Though I have edited fstab several times in Redhat I prefer not to risk.

How can i view .avi/.mpeg files?

You can use Xine media player to play mpeg and avi( i think xmms also supports mpeg format)

The default CD player application with Mandrake 10.1 plays audio CD's but with my speakers turned up to full and the sound properties set at 100%, i can still hear the audio at about 0.000000001 dB. how can i fix this?

The problem is soundcard must not be detected properly. Try to check if everything is ok with sound settings at control center or..... Try using soundconf from terminal.

Courtesy:cooldudeprav
REFER THIS THREAD @ OPEN SOURCE FOR LINUX ALTERNATIVES

I have answered whatever I knew...and xpertz here can correct if Iam wrong somewhere.

[Arachnid]

Thanks d00d. I did notice all the threads here and if you've been keeping tabs on me, i've been going thru EVERY thread here. But i needed specific answers to what was bugging me...and see, like you said...there were some answers here and some were not. So there we go.

Cheers m8.

The sound card is properly configured coz i can here all other system alert sounds and the other funny sounds Linux keeps making...just the CD player is a *****! Imagine playing a Fear Factory CD and not being able to hear anything!


Awww damn...i read that thread a long time ago and i couldnt remember. Thanks buddy

[h4xbox]

Hehe well did not notice the .0001 db u were talking abt.... Dont mind.

You wanna play a cd, still u can use xmms (if its mp3)
You goto xmms playlist and enqueue from /mnt/cdrom. Dont go for the #$%^& cd player.

[Arachnid]

OK now there's another bugger. I followd that link and feel that Totem is prolly best. But now i dont know wihich bloody file to download! Which one ?

LATEST-IS-1.1.2 23-May-2005 01:34 2.0M
totem-1.1.1-1.1.2.diff.gz 23-May-2005 01:34 217K
totem-1.1.1.md5sum 10-Apr-2005 19:57 107
totem-1.1.1.tar.bz2 10-Apr-2005 19:57 1.4M
totem-1.1.1.tar.gz 10-Apr-2005 19:57 2.0M
totem-1.1.2.changes 23-May-2005 01:34 12K
totem-1.1.2.md5sum 23-May-2005 01:34 272
totem-1.1.2.news 23-May-2005 01:34 1.3K
totem-1.1.2.tar.bz2 23-May-2005 01:34 1.4M
totem-1.1.2.tar.gz 23-May-2005 01:34 2.0M

The URL is http://ftp.acc.umu.se/pub/GNOME/sources/totem/1.1/


POINT #2

YOu said that RPM is red-hat package manager. So does that mean it'll work on Mandrake too?

[h4xbox]

 totem-1.1.2.tar.gz 23-May-2005 01:34 2.0M

[ujjwal]

Yep RPM files are used by Mandrake too, many popular distributions use the RPM package system, and this includes Fedora, Mandrake, Suse etc.

You can either install RPM files either through Nautilus or by using the command line

rpm -ivh blahblah.rpm

What is Samba? What is a mount point? How can i access the Windows files from Linux? Can i access Linux files from windows?

Samba is an application to interact with windows networks through linux and other OS's.

A mount point is a directory on which a particular hard disk partition, removable drive, remote share etc. is mounted. Basically, GNU/Linux doesn't use C:, D: etc to name drives, instead, each partition is mounted on a certain directory.

Yes you can easily access windows files from linux, if your windows partitions are NTFS, then add the line

/dev/hda1 /mnt/dos/c ntfs defaults 0 0

To the file /etc/fstab. But first create the directories /mnt/dos/c etc. which will be the mount points for your windows disks

The above line assumes windows is on the first drive. Replace hda1 with hdb1 for second hard drive, hda5 for second partition (D drive) on first hard disk etc.

To access linux partitions from windows, use the tool explore2fs, or something like rfsgui if the partition type is reiserfs (unlikely).

About the CD player, most probably it will have a volume control, else use XMMS.

About exiting the display manager, try using CTRL+ALT+F2, login as root, and type "killall X"

Finally, great to see you here Nid, welcome back.

[pallavnawani]

Originally Posted by Arachnid

Hello again.

I'm back and im back for a bloody good reason - Linux.

I've been pestering enoonmai for quite a while now and i finally decidd i need professional(?) help. So here goes. I have these questions that if someone could answer, i'll make sure you're never flamed at the skoar forum - even if you spam

1 - .What is Debian? Similarly, what is FreeBSD etc etc?

Another Linux distribution.
BSD is the linux distribution created by University of Berkely. It is slightly different in some commands, etc. FreeBSD, NetBSD are versions of this BSD.

2 - Whats the easiest way to install nvidia drivers? I've printed off a guide from www.linuxquestions.org - but it looks a little imtimidating especially since it involves stopping the display manager.

I think it is better if you get somebody else (who has used Linux for a long time) to do this. This is how I did it in FEDORA CORE 3. Your steps should be very similar.

Press Ctrl-Alt-F1
Login as root
Type on command prompt
#init 3
Run the NVIDIA Installer.

type
modprobe nvidia
cp -a /dev/nvidia* /etc/udev/devices/

cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak
vim /etc/X11/xorg.conf
^^
You'd better be able to use vim before you try this!

Change the line
Load "dri"
to
# Load "dri"

Change the line
Driver "nv"
to
Driver "nvidia"

Save the file, and now type
init 5

3 - What is an RPM/TAR.GZ file? Do i always have to use Nautilius to run these files? (managed to install the firefox browser though)!

RPM file is an installable file. Many software come as RPM files. Tar.gz file is a bit like a zip file. Tar is an archiver, while gzip is a compressor. A tar.gz file is first archived by tar, then compressed by gzip. You can extract the files as follows
gunzip <filename.tar.gz>
tar -xvf <filename.tar>

Or, you can do this in one step:
tar -zxvf <filename.tar.gz>

4 - How do you run the various distributables? I'm guessing .exe files are the equivalents but they always behave so differently!

You can run them by typing their name on command line and pressing enter. For example, to run gthumb type
gthumb
on command line and press enter.
Alternatively you can choose the program from the menu (As in windows)

6 - I've got Wine as an RPM. How do i install it?

login as root. Then on the command line, type:
rpm -ivh winefilename.rpm

7 - The default CD player application with Mandrake 10.1 plays audio CD's but with my speakers turned up to full and the sound properties set at 100%, i can still hear the audio at about 0.000000001 dB. how can i fix this?

It is possible that your sound mixer is set to a very low value by default. Turn on the volume. Sorry, cannot help more, I use Fedora only.

8 - How can i view .avi/.mpeg files?

Install Mplayer or Xine. I suggest you install both. If they are already installed, you can view a .avi file by:
mplayer <filename.avi>
or
gxine <filename.avi>

9 - How do i view DVD's? Please suggest a good DVD player

Same as above. Use mplayer or xine.

10 - If i screw up anywhere, is there a rollback or a restore feature in Linux?

To avoid problems, you should be careful while you are logged in as root. Best Idea is to only log in as root if really necessary. To install a program such as wine (for example), first login as a normal user. Then open the terminal (or command prompt as windows calls it) and type:
su
Now it will prompt you for the root password. Enter the password. Now you can install wine by using the command I gave above. After you are finished, logout by typing:
exit.

Pallav

[firewall]

Originally Posted by pallavnawani

BSD is the linux distribution created by University of Berkely.

Hmm... linux distribution !!! Are you sure ?

[h4xbox]

Nope its not a linux distribution. Iam sure. Its Berkeley Standard Distribution.

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by pallavnawani

BSD is the linux distribution created by University of Berkely. It is slightly different in some commands, etc. FreeBSD, NetBSD are versions of this BSD.

very good effort pallav, but just a small clarification i'd like to make.
BSD was originally derived from Sixth Edition UNIX, which was released in May 1975 by Bell Telephone Laboratories. FreeBSD project was started after settelment of numerous lawsuits which proprietary UNIX(R) vendours had filed against Berkeley. The BSD family of operating systems are known for their reputation of being stablest, securest, and free.. in fact so stable that the International Space Station is running on that normal NetBSD downloadble from their homepage, right now hundereds of miles up in space...


Interesting:
Unix/FreeBSD family tree (170KB gif image)
http://www.tribug.org/img/bsd-family-tree.gif

Exaustive information about the BSD can be obtained from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD

@h4xbox, BSD stands for Berkeley Software Distribution

[h4xbox]

Thanks GNUrag

[Arachnid]

Thanks for the welcome back Ujjwal I got kinda disappointed when all my older posts were deleted.

Anyways....i couldnt get mplayer to work. I did exactly as the readme said and it blew up in my face.
Problem 2 - Mandrake 10.1 wont detect any USB devices. It just freezes. Found a fix on other forums though and they said you can either reindtall or you can upgrade/update the kernel. But i dont know how to do that!!! Even the nVidia installer says that my kernel is crap...so it contacts the nvidia ftp site, that doesnt work - so it complies a kernel...thingy for me...how sweet...but then it sez that it cant give me a compatible kernel source or some **** like that. I'm at the end of my wits and i'm reconsidering using Linux altogether. It's too much of a hassle for a n00b.

So if you guys want to see me in geekdom - please help me out! I cant find any help around here coz all my friends know about computers is that IE is used to surf pr0n websites and Excel is used to make littel boxes

[pallavnawani]

Originally Posted by Arachnid

Anyways....i couldnt get mplayer to work. I did exactly as the readme said and it blew up in my face.

I don't think _anybody_ can help you if state your problems like this. I (and every body else) would like to know the exact error that happened before we can make any suggestions.

Problem 2 - Mandrake 10.1 wont detect any USB devices. It just freezes. Even the nVidia installer says that my kernel is ****...so it contacts the nvidia ftp site, that doesnt work - so it complies a kernel...thingy for me...how sweet...but then it sez that it cant give me a compatible kernel source or some **** like that. I'm at the end of my wits and i'm reconsidering using Linux altogether. It's too much of a hassle for a n00b.

I don't think _anybody_ can help you if state your problems like this. I (and every body else) would like to know the exact error that happened before we can make any suggestions.
Pallav

[Arachnid]

Thanks Pallav.

Regarding the mplayer app, what im trying to say is that i installed the app exactly as the readme file instructed. It asked me to run a certain file starting with C...i think it was config or something. Step two was to type makefile. Step 3 said to type makefile mplayer. I did that and i couldnt find anything as a start menu icon or anything. Sorry - i know its alot of Windows speak...but hey...ive been using windows for quite a long time now!

Problem 2 LIke i said...Mandrake just wont detect any USB devices. If i insert a USB pen drive, konqeror freezes and does not respond. The only option is to remove the drive and reboot. If i leave it plugged in at boot, then it fails to detect the CD/DVD drives. I wish i could show you screenshots...but whats the point?

But yeah...that is the EXACT error (if you'd like to call it that).

I tried installing the nvidia drivers but still no luck. I tried to look where i could get an updated kernel, on one forum someone had posted a urpmi - kernel-source command or something similar, but that just asked me for CD3 and said the update was complete. But still no luck. If I allow the nvidia installer to look for a kernel on the nvidia website, the system goes into limbo and i have to reboot.

What do i do? Looks like im stuck till i have someone come and see my system.

Can youy guys suggest me some books to read to get better versed with Linux. I have a UNIX book by Yashwant Kanethkar but im too lazy to study UNIX all over again

PLease help.

Last question. How do i log in as root?

[banned2wise]

Login as root using command su

Learn Linux in 24 hours in Sams teach yourself series is a good book.

What error do u get when u use pen drive. For me I have used pen drive/flashdrive in knoppix, it worked
well for me, btw I dont know about mandrake. Perhaps you should search LQ for answers / posts related to pendrive ...

The other two errors (mplayer and nvidia). I too have no idea under these circumstances that u have explained.

[Arachnid]

OK. Here's the latest. I managed to install the nvidia drivers. I editied the XF86Config file (using vi might i add!! )

I editied the file to make sure that the driver was changed from "nv" to "nvidia".

Stopped dm and restarted x but it took me back to the console and x would not start.

So i took a look at the Xorg.log file and it said that it could not find the module "nvidia". Resetting back to "nv" worked.

Checked on the nvidia forums and it said something about adding nvidia to the modprobe.preload file.

I did that and rebooted but it still takes me back to the console view! What do i do?

Please help.

regarding the USB screw-up, i downloaded something from the easyurpmi site and that fixed it, but it only works under GNOME and not KDE. But that aint bad.

Please tell me how can i get the nvidia splash screen

EDIT - i have just appended the modprobe.preload file with the word nvidia.

Is there something else i need to write with it? Syntax?