OK, I've decided to take the plunge...  I'm installing Ubuntu 7.04 on my secondary hard drive as I type this.  As in, I am typing this in Linux, running from the LiveCD, with the installer at 51%.

This thread will be my journal as things progress, on my road to Windows independence - or as close as I can get.  My first major hurtle will likely be getting both OSes to boot properly.  I've NEVER been able to set it up right the first time.  I have a CD with fdisk on it in case I hose the system, but that's it.  I have important files on my primary hard drive, and I'm trusting Ubuntu not to muck with them.  

My first impressions:  I'm liking the look and feel.  Everything is a bit stretched, as I've got a 16:10 monitor, and I've not taken the time to set it up properly for a liveCD.  The interface (Gnome) is clean, pretty, and more importantly, works exactly as expected.  Functions and programs are laid out in an intuitive manner, and I'm fairly confident I can manage most common office-related tasks without trouble.  I am a bit concerned about Photoshop, as everything I've heard says it will NOT work in Wine.  Photoshop and CounterStrike:Source are the only reasons I'm keeping Windows XP installed at all.

The installer is nearing finished now...  I'll report back after I reboot and confirm that everything works - or is hosed.

OK.. I'm back.

In Windows :(

On reboot, all I get is "Unable to load Operating System" or something like that - basically, my MBR is torched.  My rescue disk includes a copy of "GAG", which is a lot better than it sounds.  It lets me boot into Windows  - but not Linux - and won't install to the hard drive.

Looks like I get to see if I can get GRUB to work or something.  I can handle this stuff, but I was hoping to be able to push this for newbs - that's not happening, when it barfs all over the MBR.

New approach:

I'm downloading "Super GRUB Disk" in an attempt to install GRUB properly from a CD.  I asked for directions on the forum, which i should have done before - but I'm a man.

You might need to boot from the CD, select "rescue system" and do a grub-install by hand.

I just put Ubuntu 7.04 on my 4TB file server, so far so good!


If you're putting Ubuntu on your boot drive, and trying to boot windows from the secondary drive, you might need the following magic:

If you have installed DOS (or Windows) on a non-first hard disk, you have to use the disk swapping technique, because that OS cannot boot from any disks but the first one. The workaround used in GRUB is the command @command{map} (see section map), like this: grub> map (hd0) (hd1) grub> map (hd1) (hd0) This performs a virtual swap between your first and second hard drive.

http://www.linuxselfhelp.com/gnu/grub/html_chapter/grub_4.html

www.apple.com/getamac/

OK - I'm back.  I had to sleep/work/all that stuff.  

The only good news is that my windows partition is fine.  Grub won't boot either OS, although I can boot from Super Grub.  Ubuntu so far won't boot to a login screen, but we're not there yet.

I have Windows on my primary hdd, on the only partition.  In Ubuntu (LiveCD), it shows up as /dev/hda1.  Ubuntu is installed on /dev/hdb1.  Two seperate, physical hard drives.  

Grub, however, insists that Linux is on the first disk.  I'll try the drive swapping technique above, even though my Windows partition is on the right disk.  

*sigh*

My Longhorn Server install went fine today.  No issues at all.  =)

ubuntu?

This thread will never end.

Dude, you picked the wrong distro.

Burn a Mepis disk, the thread would be about 3 messages.

1. I burnt

2. It worked

3. I'm done

By all means, use ubuntu, we like to hear what a pia linux is.

Your friendly senior linux admin.

In the past, I've tried Redhat, Debian, Knoppix, and now Ubuntu.  None of them have worked right so far.

Its the challenge I'm in it for now, I can at least keep my system running while I much with it....

Quoted: In the past, I've tried Redhat, Debian, Knoppix, and now Ubuntu.  None of them have worked right so far. Its the challenge I'm in it for now, I can at least keep my system running while I much with it....

Oh! you want a challenge.

Stay away from Mepis - not right for you!!!

Quoted: By all means, use ubuntu, we like to hear what a pia linux is.

I never had a problem with Ubuntu. <shrug>

I'm running it on my 1TB file server right now. I use Linux for what it is good for: servers *.




* shitstorm incoming.

Quoted: I'm running it on my 1TB file server right now. I use Linux for what it is good for: servers turning electricity into heat

There, fixed.

FYI: I just loaded the "Debian Live" (Etch/stable) OS on my Linux desktop at home. I prefer "pure debian" if at all possible instead of Ubuntu or some such (I used Mepis until they went to Ubuntu repos).

I also installed "Damn Small Linux" on my 3 year old sons PC yesterday and loaded up a bunch of learning games, he loves it .

I've installed ubuntu on 3 machines without any trouble.

all dual-boot to either Win XP or LINUX.

I use ubuntu 90% of the time.

linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks.

ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way.

Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way.

Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over).

And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.  

Thats it , way less work than windows to get running.

But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!!

Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!!

Dude i just installed Vista on a crap ton of computers at work and 2 at home... these two were home brews, assorted hardware from the last 2 years. Vista required no drivers whatsoever, and i am willing to bet that the install process took less input and was finished faster.

all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart

this is supposed to be simple? how many typical home users would be able to figure that out? the ones who still use AOL and think Office has evaporated from their computers if the shortcuts are deleted off the desktop?

as far as antivirus/antispyware- it doesn't matter what OS you use, you need antivirus... this has been proven time and time again- linux and mac are no more secure than windows, they are just smaller, less opportunistic targets. vista comes with antispyware installed and running from the factory... no user intervention.

Quoted: img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/Screenshot-2-1.png

Gotta love Beryl. How do people function with such plain desktops these days.

I suspect I'll be fine in Linux, I use 90% Open Source anyhow.  OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Thunderbird, and Photoshop are my primary apps.  Only one is private, and I'm thinking of converting to Bibble Pro for my primary photog stuff anyhow - its mainly color correction, and Bibble is better at Raw conversion anyhow.

Quoted: Quoted: By all means, use ubuntu, we like to hear what a pia linux is. I never had a problem with Ubuntu. <shrug>

Neither have I.
Same goes for Debian and Fedora.

I'm running it on my 1TB file server right now. I use Linux for what it is good for: servers *. * shitstorm incoming.

I have no need for a server at this time, and Linux functions quite well as a desktop OS for me.

(Not much of a shitstorm, I know.  But at least I tried.  )

Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!!

Good explain to me in stupid terms how to get Ubuntu to connect to my internet then!

Quoted: Quoted: By all means, use ubuntu, we like to hear what a pia linux is. I never had a problem with Ubuntu. <shrug> I'm running it on my 1TB file server right now. I use Linux for what it is good for: servers *. * shitstorm incoming.

As far as servers go, take whatever distro/package mgmt system you prefer. xterm on your workstation and besides the difference in promts they all work on most hardware.

Start adding fancy video cards, sound cards, wireless adapters, and a GUI (a desktop machine) into the mix and not all distros are ready for prime time. Does it all work out of the box w/minimum hassle for someone new to linux (usually the target right - get folks off winblows, see what your missing)?

I wasn't taking a 500 yard shot at Ubuntu, Im a senior linux sysadmin, tried many distros, hacked into the linksys wireless router years ago (linux under the hood for those that didn't know) not to mention many of the other little black boxes that do some kind of specialized stuff on the market today that run linux under the hood. Can't hardly do any research into linux without Ubuntu popping up everywhere - A WHOLE lot of hype. I have alot of respect for those that contribute to Ubuntu and all those that make up the Ubuntu community. There is strong community support w/this distro.

Ive tried different flavors of Ubuntu on my laptop, desktop and as a server for extend periods (30-180 days). A noob on a laptop isn't going have much fun when his wireless doesn't work out of the box. Gnome is configured in a minimalist fashion - no fun for a noob or a poweruser - I MUCH perfer KDE - used Kubuntu on laptops and desktops - won't help the noob - shit wont always all "just work".

I get asked all the time "what should I use?". Not always an easy question to answer.

The user has to be qualified. Do they REALLY understand what a file system is - I mean all OS's have one - this is the most important thing for anyone behind a keyboard to wrap their head around, it's the basis of good housekeeping, keeping a good backup, finding shit in the office etc etc etc.

Do they know what a driver is, how to find one and READ? It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't read, it's tough enough when you do as many docs are clear as mud even when you TRY.

I point these 2 things out because most (not all) computer users fall into this category. You have to offer a suggestion/distro that will compete and yield a pleasent experience being productive. We all know many linux users today are hackers - were not targeting him/her. Those windows users pointing out the lack of productivity issue w/Linux are just plain clueless and completely brain-washed by micro$oft. Thats some sheeple for ya!

For those that attempt to take the plunge and burn a live cd (what a great little piece if technology - thanks knoppix for the kick-start) the choices can be daunting, the process from download to install to hard drive can be very time consuming without the experience. By the time one or 2 get done it's often "what a PIA", but is sorta all works.

The one distro that has the highest success rate with a completely running gui that isnt to far from what folks are used to and has the best hardare support out of the box I've found is Mepis, a debian/ubuntu based distro. This is the one I've found - so far - that just works. I can take a windows box, repartition the hd non-destructively, install Mepis and be done in a couple hours (most of that time is waiting around) enven on most laptops!. Laptops can be a pia for those  that are unaware.

I really don't get to hyped about any distro for whatever use. They all have their good and bad points depending on their use, design, package mgmt etc.

For a server (off topic) to someone that want's to get there quick - RH/Feedora is my suggestion. For the tweakm gentoo can't be beat - learn to work fast. Debian is not a preference for me in this case.

Anyway - didn't want to start any shit, just get tired of all the hype the noobs base their decisions on. What little marketing is out there for linux (if that's what you want to call it) is completely useless for them - doesn't help arm them w/anything that will hit the target IMHO.

And yes...

YMMV

I'm going to have to agree with everything the above poster said.  I'm pretty damned savvy when it comes to PCs, but I've been totally Microsoft-centric to this point.  I have nothing against MS, but I want to learn something new.

I chose Ubuntu for the community support.  They've been helpful, and I've not even made a post over there yet :)  Someone else has had all my problems for me.

UPDATE:

I'm in Gnome now, typing happily.  Unfortunately, I'm in recovery mode, as the regular kernel will NOT load, and takes about 45 minutes to decide to stop trying.  The virtual drive swap mentioned above worked well, and I now know enough about Grub to troubleshoot and install it.  I actually like it a lot better than the Windows bootloader, its far, far more versatile once you get it.

My next step is to do a full upgrade on gnome, see if that magically solves my problem.  Couldn't hurt!  Well, okay, sure it could, but I'm still trying it next.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all I did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!! Dude i just installed Vista on a crap ton of computers at work and 2 at home... these two were home brews, assorted hardware from the last 2 years. Vista required no drivers whatsoever, and i am willing to bet that the install process took less input and was finished faster. all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart this is supposed to be simple? how many typical home users would be able to figure that out? the ones who still use AOL and think Office has evaporated from their computers if the shortcuts are deleted off the desktop? as far as antivirus/antispyware- it doesn't matter what OS you use, you need antivirus... this has been proven time and time again- linux and mac are no more secure than windows, they are just smaller, less opportunistic targets. vista comes with antispyware installed and running from the factory... no user intervention.

Well I also installed vista on a seperate hard drive , also home built with ALL name brand and fairly common hardware from new to about three or four years old , and it needed drivers for the onboard ethernet ( 3 COM onboard lan chip) , and wireless card ( linksys WMP11), so I added an linksys lan card and got online and was able to install from windows update  the correct driver  for the onboard lan and it does not work worth a crap, the onboard lan dies about every 20 minutes and nothing short of a reboot gets it going again .

I gave up on the wireless card and its a linksys not some off the wall noname card.

So now until service pak one is out that hard drive is just sitting unplugged and unused.

this is supposed to be simple? how many typical home users would be able to figure that out? the ones who still use AOL and think Office has evaporated from their computers if the shortcuts are deleted off the desktop?

Yes that is simple , basically read the how to and click about 4 or 5 times on what it tells you , and that is a HELL of alot simpler than the ATI - all in wonder card under XP I had and no more complicated than installing nvidias 3 d driver for vista off there website.

as far as antivirus/antispyware- it doesn't matter what OS you use, you need antivirus... this has been proven time and time again- linux and mac are no more secure than windows, they are just smaller, less opportunistic targets. vista comes with antispyware installed and running from the factory... no user intervention.

Well in the many years , since the Win 3.11 and dos days , I have been running a version of dos and or windows I have been hit quite a few times with virus , trojan and spyware programs. And that was installing and using all the big anti-virus and later anti spywear programs and keepimg them up to date.

And I have been running Linux , Solaris and BSD's for the last ten years or so and NEVER had any of those problems and not running ANY antivirus programs at all , oh the anti virus programs for linux and tha BSD's os's are to check email either on your desktop pc or on a mail server.  

Solaris , I had a server that uptimes counting into the YEARS and NEVER EVER had a problem with viruses and crap.

So what you said "as far as antivirus/antispyware- it doesn't matter what OS you use, you need antivirus... "   Except for a mail server serving a Windows client is TOTAL bullshit.

"they are just smaller, less opportunistic targets. " Oh yea ? how many linux servers running apache are out there? More than Windows servers.

Yea no user intervention

And even running vista in windows classic with ALL the pretty stuff turned off its still noticeably slower than Ubuntu 7.04 running Gnome with all the eye-candy turned on.

What is really telling is this , all three of my kids have thier own computer ages from 4 to 10 , when I ran only windowsxp and with antivirus programs and let them play online on all the kid sites like elmos world , nickjr and ect i always have to reinstall windows every few months because they would just get loaded up with all the crap windows like to install automaticly for you and start running slower and slower with lockups and all the usual stuff you windows users know and love , but when the same pc's used by the same kids in almost the same way but running linux I only reinstall when I upgrade.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!! Good explain to me in stupid terms how to get Ubuntu to connect to my internet then!

Wired or wireless?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!! Good explain to me in stupid terms how to get Ubuntu to connect to my internet then! Wired or wireless?

Wireless with Linksys WMP311 v2 card

Also tried Mepis and it wouldnt connect.  Did Mepis on a wired internet connection and it ran the internet just fine.

Quoted: img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/Screenshot-2-1.png

That looks pretty cool. What is it?

Quoted: Quoted: img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/Screenshot-2-1.png That looks pretty cool. What is it?

Ubuntu LINUX

Beryl

My IPSC pistol / My desk top in CUBE mode.

beryl - google searched videos

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!! Good explain to me in stupid terms how to get Ubuntu to connect to my internet then! Wired or wireless? Wireless with Linksys WMP311 v2 card Also tried Mepis and it wouldnt connect.  Did Mepis on a wired internet connection and it ran the internet just fine.

Do you have ndiswrapper installed yet?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: linux may be fun to play with, but i have tried a few times on the desktop and it is seriously lacking for productivity work, and hardware/driver support really sucks. ill agree that linux has a place on small servers, but desktops / datacenter = no freaking way. Dude I installed Ubuntu 7.04 64 bit version and it detected and installed ALL , yes EVERYTHING from old to new , of my hardware , something windows never even came close to ( can you say install driver- then reboot over and over). And to get 3d accel working with my BFG nvidia 7800 card all i did was follow one of the howto's on ubuntu's forum , which consisted of starting synaptic and clicking on one of the config tabs then clicking to use all the repositories then restarting synaptic and search for " nvidia " and let it install it and restart and I had 3d for games.   Thats it , way less work than windows to get running. But i'm not dual booting ,  just running Linux only and it is so worth it without having to deal with antvirus and antyspyware programs . now I can open any email attachment and surf porn in complete safety !!! Good explain to me in stupid terms how to get Ubuntu to connect to my internet then! Wired or wireless? Wireless with Linksys WMP311 v2 card Also tried Mepis and it wouldnt connect.  Did Mepis on a wired internet connection and it ran the internet just fine. Do you have ndiswrapper installed yet?

Nope

This is the first time in a few years that I've really messed with Linux again.

I've gotten rusty.

I fooled around with Linux and ndiswrapper a year ago. I'm no expert, but here are some of the notes I kept to get my laptop to work in slackware...

----------------


Install ndiswrapper.  It allows the use of Windows wireless LAN NIC drivers in Linux.  

tar -zxvf ndiswrapper*
make dist clean
make
make install

Obtain the windows drivers for your WLAN NIC.  For mine it is Broadcom's bmcwl5.sys, bmcwl5.inf

ndiswrapper -i bmcwl5.inf <------------- installs drivers
ndiswrapper -l <-------------------------- see status of drivers
modprobe ndiswrapper <---------------- creates wlan0, loads driver

Configure card manually....

iwconfig <-------------------------------- see if interface is available, reboot if necessary
iwlist wlan0 scan <----------------------- detect wlan/access point
iwconfig wlan0 essid mynetwork4 <----- set SSID to mynetwork4
iwconfig wlan0 mode managed <------- set to infrastructure mode
iwconfig wlan0 key restricted 12356abcde <-- set WEP key
ifconfig wlan0 up <---------------------- activate interface
dhcpd wlan0 <--------------------------- activate interface for DHCP
ndiswrapper -m <----------------------- write settings for modprobe

Configure card automatically during startup.  For slackware, use vi to modify the rc.inet1.conf script and the resolv.conf script.

vi /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf

once in the script, enter the ssid, managed, ip address of wlan0, subnetmask for wlan0, the WEP key, and gateway ip


vi /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 192.168.0.1

-----------------------


FYI, I ended up switching over to Mandriva Linux for my laptop.  I didn't have to do any of the stuff I typed above.  I simply installed Mandriva, it detected my WLAN card and asked for the windows drivers, and I then used a wizard to enter the settings.

When I installed ubuntu on my toshiba Laptop,  I couldn't get it to connect to my old WEP D-Link Router.

I upgraded to a WPA router and it connected right off the bat.

Not usre why,   but now it works.

Quoted: When I installed ubuntu on my toshiba Laptop,  I couldn't get it to connect to my old WEP D-Link Router. I upgraded to a WPA router and it connected right off the bat. Not usre why,   but now it works.

What's the chipset on your Toshiba?  

I've only booted from the CD to test Ubuntu on my new tosh, and all worked except for wireless.  I've never set up wireless on Linux, so I set it aside for another day.

Quoted: Quoted: When I installed ubuntu on my toshiba Laptop,  I couldn't get it to connect to my old WEP D-Link Router. I upgraded to a WPA router and it connected right off the bat. Not usre why,   but now it works. What's the chipset on your Toshiba?   I've only booted from the CD to test Ubuntu on my new tosh, and all worked except for wireless.  I've never set up wireless on Linux, so I set it aside for another day.

Atheros

When I installed it,  it could connect to a local open network,  but never could get it connected to WEP.

WPA was a matter of typing in my password, and it ran fine.


the other thing about ubuntu Linux and My Toshiba,  is sometimes after 15-45 mins. My USB mouse quits working. the touchpad continues to work.

Haven't figured that one out yet.

Success!!!

My USB wifi adapter was the problem.  I booted into recovery mode, opened a console, and hit "init 5".  The only thing that fails is Avahi, a network discovery tool.  From there, I googled around until I noticed something about Avahi crashing when drivers were set up wrong, and rebooted w/o the adapter - runs GREAT.

I would like to get that working though, as my wife's laptop is set up to connect to an ad-hoc network to share net connection.  For now, she can't get online while I'm in Linux.  She complained a bit, but then she made me dinner, with pie for dessert, so now we're all happy.

I'll see if I can get NDISwrapper running tonight.  I also still need to set up my display.  I have a LG 16:10 21" widescreen LCD, and it didn't autoconfigure.  my native resolution is 1440x900, and its not even an option yet.  I think I'm going to need to upgrade my video drivers, then edit the configs to make my monitor show up right.  

Other than those two issues, it has been VERY usable.  The PC seems a lot faster running gnome than WinXP.  Once I get my monitor set up, I'll work on Beryl - that seems very fun, at least.  With some of the options turned down, I'm betting it will be very, very nice to have multiple desktops like that, instead of just buttons on the taskbar.

Then on to gDesklets, or whatever has taken its place.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: When I installed ubuntu on my toshiba Laptop,  I couldn't get it to connect to my old WEP D-Link Router. I upgraded to a WPA router and it connected right off the bat. Not usre why,   but now it works. What's the chipset on your Toshiba?   I've only booted from the CD to test Ubuntu on my new tosh, and all worked except for wireless.  I've never set up wireless on Linux, so I set it aside for another day. Atheros When I installed it,  it could connect to a local open network,  but never could get it connected to WEP. WPA was a matter of typing in my password, and it ran fine.

Thats exactly what mine is doing.  It would sit there in WPA and do nothing furthermore though.

In Ubuntu and Mepis.

fedora > ubunto  


imo  

OK, another update.

I installed the nVidia drivers, no trouble, until I reboot.  I get an API version mismatch, and X won't start.  I ran the nvidia-xconfig again, and it works.  Peachy.

Window rez is now correct (1440x900), and I installed Beryl.  What a way to waste a few hours!  After you get it tweaked, it seems very stable and stays out of the way.  My wife walked in and I was moving windows around and stuff, and she did a double take.  The cube thing is more useful than I would have thought as well, especially for things like web design, where you have a couple full-screen apps up at once.

The bad news is, whenever I plug in my wifi adapter, my system slows to a crawl - like mouse moves twice per second.  When I unplug it, the system freezes.  I'm just going to by a cheap Belkin Wireless-G router at Walmart for $40 and be done with it.

The GIMP is okay, but not intuitive at all right now.  I've got 4+ years invested in Photoshop, so its not going to be an overnight change.  Bibble Pro is all I need on a daily basis anyhow.  For Web development, I'm not sure yet.  I've not begun to tackle emacs or vim, instead relying on nano for command-line stuff, and whatever text editor is bundled for GUI stuff.  I've been finding myself using the design view in dreamweaver less and less anyhow these days, so it shouldn't be a major switch.  I've got my eye on a couple apps, we'll see how it goes!

tyman,

A couple of notes for new mepis install - wireless issues, a couple other odds-n-ends...

ndiswrapper on Mepis 6 w/cranky wireless hardware:

add "blacklist bcm43xx" to /etc/modules.d/blacklist (happens to be the driver for my wireless card - beware not all drivers of the same name are the same!!!)
ndiswrapper -e <all but lsbcmnds>
rmmod bcm43xx
rmmod ndiswrapper
modprobe ndiswrapper

A little script to do some cleanup etc (modify as needed - it needs it at least 1X)...
#!/bin/sh

echo
echo 'Lets fixup a bit, update, upgrade, install codecs, skype, mozplugger etc.'
echo
echo 'Press enter to continue throughtout this script when you see these dots: ...'
echo

echo 'Lets nuke the dangling links in /etc...'
symlinks -r /etc | grep ^dangling
symlinks -rd /etc
echo

echo 'Lets update /etc/apt/sources.list for skype and libdvdcss...'
read PAUSE
echo ' ' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo '# 8/13/06 added for libdvdcss, skype' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo 'deb http://debian-multimedia.org/ etch main' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo ' ' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo '## Repository for Skype' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo 'deb http://download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/ stable non-free' >> /etc/apt/sources.list
echo

echo 'This is for libdvdcss (gotta watch dvd\'s)...'
read PAUSE
echo 'gpg --keyserver hkp://wwwkeys.eu.pgp.net --recv-keys 1F41B907'
echo 'gpg --armor --export 1F41B907 | apt-key add -'
echo

echo 'Now we update the package list...'
read PAUSE
apt-get update
#apt-get upgrade
echo 'Nuke all the previous entrys in this script before running again - this script is part notes and part script'
echo 'ctl-c and reboot!!!'

echo 'You modified this script and this is the first part, second round, right?'
echo 'Install libdvdcss...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install libdvdcss
echo

echo 'Install Skype...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install skype
echo

echo 'Install Mozplugger...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install mozplugger
echo

echo 'Install Mozilla-mplayer...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install mozilla-mplayer
echo

echo 'Grab the mplayer-in.conf for Mozilla-mplayer...'
read PAUSE
wget http://path/to/mplayerplug-in.conf
mv mplayerplug-in.conf /etc/
echo

echo 'Install vim...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install vim
echo

echo 'Update your profile so when you hit vi you get vim (smbit would be nice too - hint, hint) ...'
read PAUSE
echo ' ' >> /etc/profile
echo 'alias vi=/usr/bin/vim' >> /etc/profile
echo

echo 'Install kmplayer...'
read PAUSE
apt-get install kmplayer
echo

#I don't have an iPod but did play some to sync one out
#echo 'Install libgpod-dev...'
#read PAUSE
#apt-get install libgpod-dev
#echo

#echo 'Install libpmount0.0...'
#read PAUSE
#apt-get install libpmount0.0
#echo

#echo 'Install hal-device-manager...'
#read PAUSE
#apt-get install hal-device-manager
#echo

echo 'Press enter to continue...'
read PAUSE

echo "If you saw errors, re-run this script. If not..."
echo "Reboot if you feel the need."

#End Script

vi /etc/mplayerplug-in.conf and turned on some stuff that didn't look to have anything to do w/.wav files
enable-smil=1
enable-helix=1
enable-rm=1
enable-mpeg=1
enable-ogg=1
enable-wmp=1
enable-qt=1
enable-gmp=1

I don't mess w/wireless security at the client side - always restrict access to the WAP via the router/restricted mac addresses IF I even care (my WAP is wide open at home - let the neighbors use it if they need) - I'm not too concerned w/encryption between wireless clients and routers (what's my dumb-ass neighbors got a scanner and intercepting my packets???)

I've always wanted to try Linux... But I never seemed to have the patience. Plus I don't want to mess with it on my main PC, so my "experimental" PC is a 6 year old Dell with a Pentium 3. I've tried Knoppix and SUSE (I think), but never got my wireless adapter to work, so I just gave up, maybe I should try again since the wireless card in it is newer.

Ubuntu Rocks!

I dual-booted it on my former PC and its going to be my dedicated Ubuntu PC, once I finish clearing off everything off it.

Be sure to check out Beryl.

I just rebuilt three of our comps, I dual booted all three with Win XP pro and Kubuntu (Ubuntu with KDE) Kubuntu detected and configured all hardware right off the bat, Win XP sent me through driver hell on a few pieces.