i jus downloaded and burnt mandrake onto a differentcomp, ive never used linux before and when i boot up it loike looks like DOS and a whole bunh of text scrolls. it asks for my usermane so i type it in and it says like [nick@localhost nick]$ or someting like that. i have no idea what do do after that...so any help would be appreciated, im not familiar with linux at all and this is my first time with it
It seems that either: a) you didn't configure your graphical server (called X) during the install b) you chose not to start the X server automatically c) you chose the wrong video card during hardware config d) you chose the wrong monitor or resolution during hardware config Normally with Linux there are many things to do to remedy this situation, but for simplicitiy's sake, I recommend that you reinstall from scratch. That way you can start out on the right foot, instead of troubleshooting from the get go. Mandrake is very easy to install, but the fundamentals are quite different than what you're used to. This time pay closer attention to the install process... especially of the X server. Make sure to select your video card from the list, and that you correctly configure your monitor and input devices. If you have a super-generic monitor which is also non plug&play , now would be a good time to find out its vertical and horizontal sync ranges. For most monitors, this can either be automatically detected, or you can choose your model from the list. But there are some funky no-name screens out there, and in that case you'll need to add the ranges by hand. Let me know if you need any more help. -AT
and, what does partitioning do? (i feel so noob) oh, and sorry for posting into the wrong diectory, i didnt realize it until i checked up on the thread to see any new posts. and again sorry!
It's no problem. The best way to install Linux for a n00b is to have a dual-boot configuration. The preferrable way to go about this is to make two partitions on your HDD, one for Windows and one for Linux. This makes things much simpler and cleaner, and Windows is prevented from messing with Linux files (it will break them if it can!). The general rule of thumb about multi-booting is to install the older OS first, in this case Windows. Install Windows on the first of the two partitions, because the MS bootloader is very cheezy, and it will not even boot if Windows isn't located on the first partition of the first HDD. Stupid? Yes! But that's what you get when you base a modern OS on quick & dirty 16-bit code from the early '80s. (Trivia: MSDOS was originally called QDOS, for "Quick and Dirty Operating System"). Once you get Windows installed, reboot and install linux to the unpartitioned space. It'll handle making a bootloader so you can choose whether to boot into Windows or to Linux. With Mandrake, you don't have to worry about learning what each partition does and how to set it up either. You pretty much tell it "Use the extra space", and it'll automatically set up your / (root) partition, which is for the OS and your software, the swap partition (rarely used in Linux but necessary), and the /home directory (for your personal files & stuff).
so whats different between 10.0 and 9.1 (i got 9.2 because it sounded coool and its the first discos ive used) <<<oh oh (whats a faster discos mandrakemove is preetty sloooOOOOOoooow)
Mandrake 9.1 was a nice OS, but if you have very modern hardware, you want to choose the newest distro you can. Mandrake 9.1 uses a 2.4 kernel, which is rock solid; tried and true. But kernel 2.4 had problems with some AGP types, and also uses a depreciated sound system by default. Mandrake 10 uses kernel 2.6.3, which is very modern, fast and sleek. It no longer uses the old sound system, and has support for all major AGP types, SATA, and 64-bit Athlons (among many, many other things). I really like kernel 2.6.x, I think it's a step in the right direction, so I recommend Mandrake 10. P.S. - Any operating system that you run directly from CD rather than HDD will be slow. Distros that run from CD do have their purposes, but you really cannot use them to learn Linux, because you cannot write to the system and make changes. Besides, if you really want to use an operating system, it's *horrible* to run it from a CD! Just get a real install version like Mandrake 10, and use "Live" type distros to show your friends Linux when they're too afraid to change their hard drive.
ok did partitioning, installed mandrake10. SAME THING, its like startup in a console of doom. when i installed there was no hardware config there was no X server, no video card choosing no monitor resolution choosings.
OK, there's a problem here. It seems that you bypassed a very important section. After the operating system is installed, you are presented with a screen with many details -- system time, sound, network, security, etc etc. You can bypass it completely, but there are important things to be done here. Among the different settings listed, "Display Server" is one of the sections. Chances are, red letters read "No display configured" in that section. This happens with some video cards, especially generic ones. You'd have to choose your card manually from a list. If you want, you can try and start the X server manually (assuming you have a video card setup). Login with the username and password you created for yourself (NOT root). Once you have a command line, type "startx" without the quotations. If X starts it's just a matter of setting up Linux to start the X server automatically. If you get lots of errors and kicked back to shell, you didn't set up your video card. I'm voting on the latter. In that case, the easiest way for you to remedy it would be to boot to those install CDs onnce again. This time, since you already have your packages configured, you can save a lot of time by choosing "Upgrade Mandrake 10" instead of "Install Mandrake 10". That way you can choose new configuration options without having to reinstall all the packages again (which are just fine).
when i do alot of the packages, it asks for a 4th disk....but only 3 can be downloaded! at linuxiso. whatever is after the dot<<<!!@!!! GRRR *angry constipated i just got out of a turkish prison face*
There are 5 discs in MDK 10 community. The last two discs are commercial packages and supplemental apps.
oh, well i gotta new problem, i cant use USB mouses. and i think mandrake isnt compatible with my ethernet thinger
Use a USB to PS/2 adapter. I don't know what NIC your using, but stay the hell away from Netgear...They are a tad slow on the fact that Linux exists.
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC <integrated and, i downloaded firefox, and accesed it through my windows partition and....how do i install it?
Those NIC's should be fine. Assuming you're in the GUI, run the HardDrake tool. Kinda like device manager and the control panel merged into one.
actually, nvm. thanks for all yoru help. im gonna use a different linux. which one is fast, simple. all im going to do with is is basically playback music, instant messeng, and light gaming (counterstrike and such)
No offense, but If you don't know what a GUI is, maybe you should learn a little bit more about computers in general before you try and tackle Linux? A GUI means "Graphical User Interface". A GUI is a graphical way of seeing your operating system, i.e. the easy way. An example of GUI is X Windows. An example of non-GUI is your shell console. If I was you, I'd pick up a copy of "Moving to Linux: Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodby!. It will really help you understand the fundamentals of Linux, and many fundamentals of computing in general. It's a pretty entertaining read, too.
none taken, i cant pick up that book right now, broke, ive heard about it. Im gonna try redhat-its fully compatible with my (soon to be thrown out window) system. thanks for all your help Big B and Anti-Trend. ^in about...3 weeks hopefully when i get my new system!
