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RE: Frequently Asked Questions

wyliecoyoteuk — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:41:16 GMT

This one is a bit overdue, I think.
[b]Why does my wifi work some of the time and not others? and why does getting it to work on Linux sometimes break it in Windows? This is driving me mad!!![/b]

Wireless adapters have issues for lots of reasons, mainly because their manufacturers often offer no Linux support, or actively oppose it.
Most USB dongles need "firmware", which is sometimes copyrighted, so that Linux distributions cannot carry it without permission.
Also, there are often two or three versions of the same dongle, all with different chipsets and firmware, but looking identical.

[b]Most wifi fimware is "cold loaded" into ram on the unit from a location on the hard disk.
e.g. switch on PC, boots up , OS loads firmware.
restart OS, firmware remains active
switch off PC, firmware is lost

This is why when you boot into Windows first, for example, then reboot into Linux, the wifi fails. And Vice versa.
but if you totally power off, and restart, it will work.[/b]

Either the firmware is different, or the OS leaves it in a different state to that expected by another OS.

This is an issue with a lot of USB stuff, and strangely, very few people seem to realise it.
It also applies to USB 3G dongles, USB TVcards, someUSB printers and scanners etc.etc
Bluetooth dongles seem to be OK, oddly enough.

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

theidiamin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:24:08 GMT

If you want to try the virtual machine appoach I'd recommend Virtual Box over the other VM's mentioned. In my experience it's easier and it's free in every sense of the word.

If you can though I'd really go the other way, set up a genuine Linux partition, install whichever distribution looks right for you and add Virtualbox to it.

File sharing between virtual and real systems is easier that way. Since 99.9% of all serious Win apps run under VBox pretty well as on a genuine Win system you may well find all you want to retain your Windows setup for is gaming. The only real difference comes with gaming where the system requirements for Direct X are too much for VirtualBox or other VM's.

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:07:44 GMT

[b]What laptops are compatible with Linux?[/b]

[i]See [url=http://tuxmobil.org/laptop_manufacturer.html]Tuxmobil[/url][/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

wyliecoyoteuk — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:57:30 GMT

I am surprised no-one has added this [url=http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm] Gem of reasoning [/url]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:34:32 GMT

[b]Which books should I read about Linux?[/b]

[i]
Publishers of books about Linux include Jon Wiley & Sons, O'Reilly, No Starch Press and Sams.

*[url=http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-300418.html]Jon Wiley & Sons series[/url] include ... for Dummies (Linux for Dummies, Ubuntu Linux for Dummies, Knoppix for Dummies) and ... Bible (Linux Bible, Fedora/Red Hat Linux Bible, SuSE Linux Bible).

*[url=http://www.oreilly.com/pub/topic/linux]O'Reilly[/url] aims at intermediate users and their series include ... Cookbook (Linux Cookbook, Ubuntu Cookbook, Knoppix Cookbook), ... in a Nutshell (Linux, Ubuntu, Knoppix) and ... Hacks (Linux, Ubuntu, Knoppix)

*[url=http://nostarch.com/]No Starch Press[/url] publish ... for Non-Geeks (Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, Linux for Non-Geeks)

See [url=http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/Publishers]here for more[/url].

There are also some free online magazines;
*[url=http://fullcirclemagazine.org/]Full Circle Magazine[/url] about Ubuntu
*[url=http://pclosmag.com/]PCLinuxOS Magazine[/url]
*[url=http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/]Free Software Magazine[/url]
[/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:04:45 GMT

[b]Is Linux really free?[/b]
[b]I received Linux on a CD-R/DVD-R with handwritten description, is this legal?[/b]
[b]Can I share Linux with my friends?[/b]

[i]Yes, Linux is free in cost but also free to run for any purpose, free to study and adapt, free to redistribute ([url=http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html]you're even encouraged to sell it ![/url]) and you're free to make improvements. See this [url=http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html]GNU[/url] page for more information. Note most distributions are free, however, some distributions (SuSE Enterprise, Red Hat, Xandros, Linspire etc.) are not free.[/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

Bruce R — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:06:04 GMT

Hi Folks :)

Absolutely superb thread, standing the test of time very well but no mention, so far, of THE newbie-friendly distro, Mint4 (Daryna), the only one that I have seen with pre-installed 'naughty' media codecs that even work in a LiveCD/RAM session as a very safe way to try out Linux features and concepts. :w00t:
Another tip. If a given distro, doesn't load into a CD/RAM session, try another, because different distros can use even the identical Linux kernel in different ways. ;)
And another tip, most distros contain the Linux free and superior alternative to old partition editors, Gparted (GNOME Partition Editor). For some distros it's rather 'hidden' or then doesn't get installed, but can usually be used to pre-prepare the hard disk drive for simpler installation partitioner use.

If sharing a hard drive with Windows, I have found that it's best to Resize/Move THAT along the drive (letting Gparted re-define direct addressing) and leave 'free space' (10GiB ?) for Linux, but to immediately restart Windows so that XP can CHKDSK or Vista can 'Repair', so as to use the new direct addressing. (If only because of its EULA conditions, it's a good idea to give Vista its own hard disk drive , minimum '40GB', but more space recommended). :cool:

As most new distros default to an automatic search and install of GRUB and its menu for all found operating systems, use that at subsequent machine startup ? :D

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:25:14 GMT

[b]Where can I find Linux hardware vendors?[/b]
[b]Where can I buy Linux pre-installed in the UK?[/b]

[i]*[url=http://www.linuxpreloaded.com]LinuxPreloaded[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.tinytuxbox.com/]TinyTuxBox[/url] a division of [url=http://www.wordit.com]WordIt[/url] who are also on [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&me=A38J0DJWPIEZ0S]Amazon[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.cheeplinux.com]CheepLinux[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.thelinuxshop.co.uk]The Linux Shop[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://efficientpc.co.uk]Efficient PC[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/products/laptops/]Linux Emporium[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.debianshop.com]DebianShop[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Products/Client]Dell[/url][/i]

[i]*[url=http://www.linsentio.com]Linsentio[/url] for Home Theatre PCs[/i]

[i]*[url=http://uk.zepto.com]Zepto[/url][/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

gn2 — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:34:17 GMT

[quote][b]darrelljon (10/01/2008)[/b][hr][b]What distros should I try on old machines?[/b]
[/quote]

Zenwalk: http://www.zenwalk.org/

[b]How do I get everything to work in X,K,Ubuntu 7.10?[/b]

CODE: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-restricted-extras
CODE: sudo apt-get install kubuntu-restricted-extras
CODE: sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:07:19 GMT

[b]What distros should I try on old machines?[/b]

*[i][url=http://damnsmalllinux.org/]Damn Small Linux[/url]/[url=http://damnsmalllinux.org/dsl-n/]Damn Small Linux Not[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://www.puppylinux.org/]Puppy Linux[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://tinyme.mypclinuxos.com/]TinyMe[/url]/[url=http://pcfluxboxos.wikidot.com/tinyflux]TinyFlux[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://fluxbuntu.org]Fluxbuntu[/url]/[url=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_daryna_fluxbox.php]Linux Mint Fluxbox[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://antix.mepis.org]AntiX[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://www.elivecd.org/]eLive[/url][/i]

*[i][url=http://www.thinkgos.com/]gOS[/url] (with OpenOffice.org)/[url=http://opengeu.intilinux.com]OpenGEU[/url][/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

darrelljon — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:47:22 GMT

[b]Where can I find an application for a specific task I need to do?[/b]
[b]Where can I find an explanation of what an application does?[/b]

[i][url=http://www.linuxalt.com/]http://www.linuxalt.com/[/url][/i]

[i][url=http://linuxappfinder.com/]http://linuxappfinder.com/[/url][/i]

[i][url=http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Linux_software_equivalent_to_Windows_software]http://wiki.linuxquestions.org[/url][/i]

[i][url=http://www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html]http://www.linuxrsp.ru[/url][/i]

[i][url=http://easylinux.info/wiki/Alternatives]http://easylinux.info/[/url][/i]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

wyliecoyoteuk — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:04:33 GMT

1.How do I defragment my Hard disk in Linux?
You don't need to, most Linux filesystems are designed not to fragment files.
2.Where can I get an Antivirus program for Linux?
You don't need one, Linux is secure by design, and it is actually quite hard work for a user to get a virus running on Linux.
3.Where can I get an Anti-spyware program for Linux?
See above answer 2
4.Where can I get a ZoneAlarm equivalent for Linux?
See above answer 2
5.Why can't I just click on an exe file to install a program in Linux?
See above answer 2
6.why do I need a password to change any system settings?
See above answer 2

:)

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

boywander — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:37:52 GMT

[i]How can I access ext partitions from windows?[/i]

XP and older - [url]http://www.fs-driver.org/[/url]

[i]Learning resources?[/i]

Just found this, I'll be following it at some point - [url]http://www.linux.org/lessons/[/url]
Look around their bookstore and further links around the site as well.

Linux terminal commands directory - [url]http://www.oreillynet.com/linux/cmd/[/url]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

malc_wright — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:51:33 GMT

Will my hardware work with Linux?

Here are some Hardware Compatibility links which might help you discover if all your hardware is supported ,or even help you when considering a new hardware purchase:
[url]http://www.linux-drivers.org/[/url]

[url]http://www.linux-certification.com/results_servera.html[/url]

[url]http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/[/url]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

Muttzcuttz — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 00:06:32 GMT

[b]Q: I use windows and have been trying a Linux LiveCD. Im still unsure about installing Linux, how can I install it without commitment and losing windows?[/b] updated 18.02.07

A:

The best solution to this I find, is to use VMware server. Free to download.
[url]http://www.vmware.com/download/[/url]

This will allow you to run virtual PCs within Windows, where you can fully install and try the distribution. The main benefits of this are
1) You windows installation is safe. The virtual PC is a file on your hard drive, which VMware treats as a hard disk. From within VMware you can start / reboot / shutdown... everything you would normally do on a PC.
2) When youve installed the OS, COPY the disk file to a safe place
3) If it all goes horribly horribly wrong, just delete the Virtual PC, copy the one you saved, and its like it was untouched :D
4) No limit to the number of PCs you can have! From within windows you could have 10 virtual PCs, all running a different distribution, making it much easier to boot different distributions for comparison :D
5) You can try the software that isnt available when using the live CD, i.e. testing package installations and burning cds.

The one downside though is that the installation of drivers may be different as windows emulates the hardware in VPC.

My 2p, I've got VMware installed on a seperate drive here and have Mandriva, Suse, and Puppy all on their own Virtual PCs :)

Requires a reasonable amount of RAM.

EDIT: A smaller download (although inferior) is MS Virtual PC 2004. Lacks things like USB support, but is 15MB opposed to 120MB.

Cheers, G

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

malc_wright — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:33:23 GMT

Why can't I Play..DVDs,MP3s, WMAs etc..

Answer: You can but most Linux Distros do not for legal reasons contain the CODECS required to play proprietary formats with in the Distro itself. In order to play proprietary formats try Googling for, ['The Distro name' Penguin Liberation Front].

Once on a Penguin Liberation Front site you just follow the instructions given to put the Codecs in to your system.

Mad Malc

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

900i — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 09:46:00 GMT

If you run Windows/Linux and you don't want to mess with partitions and dual boot. Try installing VMware Player from http://www.vmware.com/download/player/ This lets you run virtual machines in your chosen OS. Go here for various pre-built virtual machines http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/cat/45 or simply run this VM http://linuxbasics.org/course/lbox-howto and you can load up and "install" and run any guest OS you want so long as you have a bootable CD "iso". I have succesfully run Ubuntu inside Windows XP on my works m/c, and various live CD's like DSL, Puppy and Feather Linux inside my Ubuntu OS on my laptop at home. Try it, no more partitioning, uninstalling boot loaders. You are able to run both your native OS and a guest OS at the same time, without reboots.

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

logicman — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:47:21 GMT

Where can I download distros?
Where can I download apps, games, wallpapers etc.?
Where can I get more information and help?
This is a great site, imo:
[url]http://www.linuxhotbox.com/index.htm[/url]

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

malc_wright — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:25:29 GMT

Q : How do I make space for a Linux install?

Answer: Back up your data first, may be it's time to do a bit of spring cleaning? Defrag your unpartitioned Hard drive.

Then:
Either use a windows based partitioner like 'Partition Magic' to shrink your Windows partition, or pick a Distro like Mandrake 9 or 10 which has always shrunk windows partitions without loss for me.

Having shrunk your partition do not be tempted to format the partition ready for linux using 'Partition Magic'. Letting the Distro do that work itself gives good results every time if you let it use the newly created empty space.

Always install Linux after Windows, ie Windows is Drive C:, or in linux terms HDA1 or SDA1., ie the first partition on the Hard drive. Why? because Windows default pagefile is always the first partition on the hard drive and windows can't read linux partitions so linux partitions can't be first.

Q: I want to try another Distro how do I remove this one?

Answer: If you are dual booting with Windows XP or Windows 2000 go into 'Start' 'Control Panel' 'Performance and Maintenance' 'Admin Tools' 'Computer management''Disk Management' and then delete those partitions shown as 'Healthy (partition unknown)'. This leaves empty space to install a new Distro. However you will have to install the new Distro immediately as your PC will not boot into Windows until you have.

If you are using 'Partition Magic' on an earlier Windows OS simply delete the linux partitions. Then install your new choice.

Mad Malc

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

macca — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 01:15:37 GMT

[b]Q: How do I burn a downloaded Linux iso image?[/b]

[b]Answer:[/b]
Well, a few things to look out for. This is a very common mistake by new Linux users. DO NOT simply burn the iso as a data cd – you MUST burn the iso as an image! You must instruct your burning software to burn an image – eg. in Nero on windows XP choose “burn image” and select the iso file.

DO NOT extract the iso image and then burn the contents to cdr – this will not work!
Also, extracting the iso contents to the hard drive does not make them bootable or usable!

DO NOT use the built in windows XP utility to burn – it can ONLY burn data discs (which is not what you want!).

Burn the disc at a slow speed (4X or 8X) – some Linux iso images do not burn correctly at high speed.

DO NOT choose any options in the burning software to make the disc bootable (the iso image will lay the files out for you in order for this to happen automatically).
Nero is recommended for windows users to burn their iso images. If you’re looking for a free alternative, CDBurnerXP Pro should do the trick.
Another option for windows users is BurnCDCC (designed to burn images exclusively – useful for newbies).

Always use quality CD / DVD media. Try to resist cheap ‘n’ nasty media, even though the price is right. As outlined above, burn faster / higher quality media at 4X or 8X speed. Make sure your media is compatible with your hardware burner!

Some older CD-ROM drives may have problems booting burned CD-RW discs burned from another drive. Older models may boot CD-Rs but have trouble with CD-RWs. This could be the reason for many boot errors. Older laptop drives can also be troublesome. Some drives will not boot multi-session discs but will have no problem with single-session discs. Where possible, boot from the same drive that you used to burn the disc.

Occasionally, downloads may become corrupted. Dial up modem connections can loose connection and become interrupted. Where possible, use a download manager and verify the checksums. Opera is well renowned as being the most reliable browser for downloads.

On Linux, use K3b or a similar gui app (command line tools are also available).

Further Reading.
This guide from the Ubuntu website may also be useful.

[b]Q: How do I boot from the Linux disc?[/b]

[b]Answer:[/b]
Make sure your computer bios is set to boot from the appropriate cd / dvd drive. Many systems do not do this by default. Take a look at the post screen and check for the appropriate key to press to enter the bios setup (may be a function key (eg. F1) or delete). Set the first boot device to the appropriate cd / dvd drive. Make sure you save your settings before exiting. Ensure that the cd / dvd is inserted when rebooting.

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

macca — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:32:37 GMT

[b]Q: How can I get a fully functioning Ubuntu install (ie. play commercial DVDs, install media codecs, install Adobe Reader, etc.)????[/b]

A: Well, you have 3 options really - I’d recommend options 2 or 3 – much quicker ;)

[b]OPTION 1: Read the Ubuntu documentation and install all required codecs / software / etc manually.[/b]
If you read the official Ubuntu Documentation here, you should find individual guides for installing / configuring all the software / packages / codecs you need.
Advantages – Excellent documentation and a good method to learn something about the ins and outs of Linux.
Disadvantages – A bit long winded and may take a while if there are a few things you want to set up.

[b]OPTION 2: Use Easy Ubuntu to install / configure everything for you.[/b]
Easy Ubuntu can install a large amount of software and codecs that you might need – take a look at the site for a full list.
Advantages – Very simple to run and it will take care of the install / setup for you – very nice for newbies. Very quick and painless process. It’s also uses a safer method to install the software than Automatix (see OPTION 3) – so if you’re paranoid in ‘breaking’ your system further down the line, this may be the best choice for you.
Disadvantages – Some features are x86 only.

[b]OPTION 3: Use Automatix to install / configure everything for you.[/b]
Automatix works in a similar way to Easy Ubuntu (OPTION 2) but offers a huge amount of available software in comparison. Simply follow the instructions on installation (see link), start Automatix, then simply select what you want it to install. Automatix will do the rest.
Advantages – Also very simple to run / install. Large amount of apps available for install.
Disadvantages – Can take a while to finish install / setup of apps (depending on which / how many you select). Is a bit harsh on the apps database by using the force option when installing some packages – this can cause problems further down the line (possible dependency problems), but I’ve only heard of it in rare cases. Again, some apps are x86 only – a full list of all the apps and their supported architectures can be found here.

[b]NOTE – Easy Ubuntu and Automatix are best performed on a ‘fresh’ install – as any manual setup performed at an earlier date may be overwritten.[/b]

Hope this helps.

Macca

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

spike09 — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:16:49 GMT

MY Favourite for Distro's http://distrowatch.com/ , for everything NOn MS http://microsoft.toddverbeek.com/index.html , very helpful page http://www.control-escape.com/index.html

Chris

RE: Frequently Asked Questions

logicman — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:10:32 GMT

An excellent idea, David.

Re: Can I run XXX program on Linux?
Check the WINE compatibility database:
[url]http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/[/url]

Frequently Asked Questions

DJ — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 14:53:15 GMT

I've noticed that we get quite a few of the same questions keep cropping up, so I thought it would be useful to maintain an FAQ here. Here's a few to start us off, please feel free to add more questions & answers (not just questions please, create a seperate thread for those then the answers can go here once they've been answered :)).

[b]Which distribution should I choose?[/b]
[i]Whichever one you like best. Try the most popular ones (see here to see which ones are most popular with MM readers) and see which you like best. Hardware support is pretty much the same whichever you choose.[/i]

[b]Where can I get Linux?[/b]
[i]Every distribution has a website, from which you can usually download the distribution free of charge. Alternatively, you can buy a copy from one of the many online Linux CD retailers (e.g. CheepLinux) or from one of the people advertising in MM classifieds. If you want Ubuntu, they will ship you a CD free of charge - see shipit.ubuntu.com.[/i]

[b]Which router/modem should I buy to use with Linux?[/b]
[i]Any router with an Ethernet port should plug-and-play with Linux. Avoid PCI and USB modems at all costs, as only a few of them will work and getting them to do so isn't easy - always go for a router when possible. If you're looking for a standard (i.e. not ADSL/ISDN etc.) modem, any serial modem will work - if you don't have a serial port, you can buy USB -> Serial converters cheaply and these will work with Linux.[/i]

[b]Can I run XXX program on Linux?[/b]
[i]Not unless there is a Linux version of it - Windows software does not (generally) run on Linux. If there isn't a Linux version, there may well be a different Linux program that will do the job.[/i]