jimf43

Personally I don't care what the OS is called as long as I can use it to accomplish what I need to do. Brand loyalty is the worst BS and not worth anyone's time. I've run Dos from 3.0, 'all' versions of windows, OS/2 3-4, and a bunch of different Linux Distros. I've been the Systems Administrator for most Engineering departments that I've work in. I've been using Linux in different versions for about three years and seriously (Mepis/Debian) for the last year. So far I don't see it, at least for my needs, as a viable replacement for W2K. That said, I'm amazed at the progress that Linux has made in the last year. Linux also has a number of problems related to the standardization of distro/app installation and updates. Many in the Linux community are dedicating their time , skill, and effort in correcting problems and developing and enhancing all areas of Linux. That's a lot more than can be expected form M$ who will let a flaw exist until public outrage 'forces them' to do something about it. I won't even get into the long list of scams that Bill$ M$ has perpetrated on it's customers. Linux at least allows 'you' to take control of 'your' system. The gap between Window$ and Linux is rapidly closing and I expect parity in their functionality within the next year. Actually if it weren't for some of the database and specialized Engineering apps, I might already be running Linux exclusively. IMO W2k is the high water mark for M$ operating systems. It has the stability, speed, and functionality of NT without the disastrously cumbersome interface that bloats XP and future purposed M$ products. Having seen 'Longhorn', I for one don't want to go there. I'm just hoping that Linux will give me a viable alternative.

Mel, You are entirely correct about the window$ defrag, also Norton does the same thing, putting some blocks at the end of the volume. The defrag utility that I 'know' will do it correctly is VptXP, but there may be others. Partition Magic 8.0 'should' move blocks at the end of the volume when resizing, but, it's an extra risk you may not want to take.

Originally posted by meg: Quote: I already have 3 partitions on my computer. c: 13gb primary with windows xp installed ntfs. d: extended, with my data 35gb ntfs and e: extended that is blank 18gb ntfs which is where i want to install linux. i was planning on converting d (data) to fat32 with partition magic 8 so linux can write to this as well as win xp. is that the correct thing to do. You say your HD is 60GB hda1: 13GB XP hda2: 35GB NTFS hda3: 18GB NTFS 13+35+18=66 This doesn't compute... get a calculator! You need about 15GB for the Linux & another 1GB for the swap 15+1=16 hda1©: 13GB XP hda2(D): 31GB NTFS hda3: 16GB free space 13+31+16=60 So resize hda2(D) to 31GB with partition magic. * convert hda2(D) to Fat32 (or not..partition magic should do this without a problem) * with partition magic delete hda3(e?) and create a 'primary' partion of 15GB * format hda3(e?) linux. * with partition magic and create a 'extended' partion of 1GB for swap & format that linux swap or dos. Quote: after this i boot from the cd to install linux however this is where i am confused. what option do i select in my situation for installing linux if i want to install it on e: ? will it automatically divide e: into the partitions it requires? and dual boot so i can continue using xp when i want to? i dont want to lose winxp. i know this question may have been asked before but i need to know specificaly how it would go for the above scenario? and i think it is better to ask then be sorry in the long run..... Manual install will allow you to chose the correct partitions in mandrake install. I don't see that as a problem.

I agree with danleff. even though the 2.6 kernel is 'available' it isn't a good choice unless your willing to do a lot of work. I'd love to try it but not as a main system. To many issues are only partially resolved.

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. In this case that means that the item was intended to be sold to a PC assembler and not to the retail market. Bluetooth is (supposed to be) a standard, so, you should be able to run it on any Distro that supports that feature. I'm guessing that it's a kernel patch.

A number of people have mentioned that they are using USB key drives. These are even being used as bootable devices for some distros or, as storeage for the CD based ones. It is quite easy to inadvertently destroy the volume headers and thus make the volume inaccessible (believe me I know ;-) ). HP offers a utility that will correctly format a USB key and restore the headers. Works like a charm on any generic USB key. A good tool to have in your toolkit . The only down side is that it needs to be run under Window$. ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp27001-27500/SP27213.exe

Originally posted by danleff: Quote: If any system, this is great! Other postings that I viewed (there were several) said that it would work on 'any standard' USB Key. I hate to say 'all', but, it certainly did the job on my Lexar Jumpdrive which is pretty common... OH, and, I also didn't mention that it's free !

Originally posted by SoulNothing: Quote: i grabbed BOOT IT NG Yeah... I have that too.... After reading the technical documentation, I decided 'not' to use it... Once you put it in you'll have quite a time removing it. Scared the s#@t out of me.... Lilo & Grub are bad enough ;-).

Originally posted by Sherilyn01rox: Quote: NEC MultiSync LCD1700V I cannot find a driver for this monitor, so I tried to pick the closest one, but it's nearly impossible to test different configurations because I have to reboot each time one of them doesn't work. Is this a graphics driver problem or a monitor compatibility problem? I strongly suspect this has to do with the LCD monitor. This is where the Knoppix bootable CDs are indispensable tools. Use one to boot your computer. The detection is good enough so that it will probably configure the xserver for your LCD monitor and you can see what frequencies are required to run it correctly. It runs my laptop screen perfectly. You could also configure the monitor from mfg. specs which should be somewhere in the monitor documentation or on their website. You're looking for horizontal and vertical frequencies. ------- I just tried the Mepis bootable on the Presario laptop with a 15"lcd screen, and that also auto-configured just fine. I really like Mepis/Debian, so (of course) I recommend that you just install that 'instead of' Susi . http://www.mepis.org/node/view/1462 [Edited by jimf43 on 2004-03-29 16:34:25]

Sorry to tell you now, but, it's a real good idea to install Windows first, and, to have your NT install on the first partition of the first drive. Linux can then be put on any primary partition and LILO or Grub will have no problem finding the Windows volume. Trying to put in windows after Linux is a real pita.

Your installation instructions are very good for a Linux/Unix print server. Less so for a local or mixed Win/Linux network. The localhost:631 is a great source for documentation, but Kprinter is probably the easiest setup for most people in a stand-alone or local workgroup. It's a good idea to know about both and I believe that Gnome also has a Cups manager. In a workgroup you usually just need the host and the name of the printer to setup. When you see the shares in accessing samba, you should see the named printer. Printer Drivers may also cause problems. Many drivers support foomatic (postscript) and also lpj (direct), but, some of the new drivers don't support foomatic... that can be a real problem as some programs insist on printing in postscript. There are ways to circumvent this, but it becomes a real pita. Next time: Scanners, or, 'is sane really sane' %~D?

Gee Dan, Ya got me all hot to dig out my old 486-50 (32mb) and try it ;-).

Now if someone would only write a flash 'editor' for Linux ;-)...

Originally posted by koreviper: Quote: jimf43 harse words mate. I'm not trying to be harsh... just realistic, and, trying to save you grief . Doing a hobby/test installation and building a server installation that you 'must' rely on are two entirely different animals. You want your file/print/mail server to be ultra reliable, and, You must be aware that 'you' will be the one supporting that. If you accept that, Debian has impressed me as is a very solid platform for the project. I'm an Engineer and Systems Administrator who's worked with Dos, OS/2, and Windows/NT for its entire existence. I've used Linux in one form or another for the last four years and seriously for the last year. I figure that it will be at least another six months before I feel as comfortable in Linux as I do in W2K. Linux is a very powerful and 'complex' OS... Personally. I wouldn't hesitate to use a Linux server on any 'all Linux' network but I think W2K pro would be my choice on a small mixed network. The problem is that (in my experience) Linux access to windows files is much better than Windows access to Linux. This is counter intuitive when the file server is running on Linux. If you want to do this with Linux then be cautious and start with a testing build.

You say you're 'a Windows person' and I assume ( perhaps incorrectly) that you're competent in understanding and configuring your chosen OS. You know how long it took you to become really proficient in windows, so, what makes you think that you can effortlessly setup a Linux file server. Almost any of the Linux distros will make a superior file server, but, not without a more than basic knowledge of Linux. If you're willing to take the time to learn then fine... Otherwise, I think you'd be better advised to stay with another windows rig.

Title lables on the functions help a lot. Thanks Philipp

Originally posted by Philipp: Quote: Originally posted by jimf43: Quote: You really can't tell what the functions are??? View the profile Mark this topic as solution (topic starter only) Reply with quote to this post Edit this post Delete this post (admin only) I will put up a small forum FAQ/guide later I figures that out ... No offense Philipp, but, those are the least legable/descriptive icons that I've seen in a long while. Give me the format and I'll make you some good ones . A temporary solution might be to have pop-up labels on each of the functions; if your program allows it. [Edited by jimf43 on 2004-03-20 12:44:36]

Not bad but you really need to make/change the icons in the header template to be more identifiable... those just don't work. You really can't tell what the functions are??? Also, we lost a bunch of neat emoticons ! and I notice that this doesn't accept html ;-).

Quote: hi i already have a frontend in xine. it is xine-ui, can i install another frontend?? Of course. Quote: what will i do with the already installed one?? Keep it or uninstall it then see this thread: http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/softinstall.html

Quote: I'm doing well with Debian and apt (haven't reinstalled Synaptic yet), so I'm also kind of waiting for that free CD for Knoppix version 3.4... 8) That might be wise. I'll update as soon as Knoppix or Mepis go to 2.6. Shouldn't be long now.

Quote: Remember, lilo sees the partitions differently than grub. For example, in lilo hda1 is hda1 and in Grub it is hd(0,0). Yes, I'd forgotten that. Quote: Also, different distros may map differently. Believe it or not! Very true, I remember SuSi mapping my Linux boot as hdb5 instead of the hdb6 that Mdk did... Almost screwed me over good ;-). Also 'logically' the sequence should be 1234, but, we all know that isn't so ;( It isn't Grub or LILO that determines the volume tag since it's already used when you use the format utility. Not sure what determines this? Quote: What I found, is that Mandrake will only detect distros installed using Mandrake\x{015B} lilo. So, for example, if I install Win XP, then Mandrake with Lilo, it picks up XP. If I add other distros to the Mandrake lilo later on, then then Mandrake will probably pick them up on an UPGRADE. Since I just did a fresh install, Mandrake only picked up XP, not my other distros. The KDE LILO manager allows you to do a search/refresh and will list 'everything' . From what I've seen, LILO is now better integrated into Linux than is Grub... Is that a good thing ;( ???

Quote: The only reason I prefer Grub over Lilo is because of problems I formerly encountered with Lilo overwriting the MBR when I was dual booting between Mdk and Windows, and it giving me a black screen with lililililililililili...etc. Yes, many of us remember that... I assume that you know how to fix it (now that you have no need) ;-).

Quote: How well does the upgrade progs work? are they as good as apt-get? Is there any diference, good or bad, with RPM? In short would it make my system as good as, or better than Debian. (I am not a distro fanatic, just a Linux one.). Two issues with that... Each Distro is more or less compatable with 'your' hardware, and, which package management system is most effective and less prone to break. That's why we all may have different experiences even with the same Distro. Mdk 9.0 was my first permanent install, and proved to be a great Distro, but, later releases went downhill fast .. The first Mepis build I tried was great, but the last release gave my system fits... Linux is a very complex virtual machine... lots of variables so YMMV 'greatly! So far I've personally found the Debian apt to be superior to rpm , but, everybody's starting to work on improving their package delivery system, so that situation could change. Quote: (I am not a distro fanatic, just a Linux one.) I agree, I'll go for what works, but, I think I'll let these other guys go through the process before I jump .

All Grub (or LILO) is doing is 'pointing' to the bootable partition, so, you should be able to configure Grub (I know you like that) by adding a Mdk/hda1 entry after your existing Fedora/hda0 entry. I haven't used Grub a lot, so, you probably know the editing details better than I do ;-). I've done this with LILO and a win/linux setup, but, not with 2 linux distros. Still, the theory is the same. ;( This thread is pertinent: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/archive/8/2001/12/1/9649

Quote: Unreal is included on the Morphix-Gamers cd, which runs just like Knoppix. I've not tried it but you may want to check it out here... The engine is availible through the debian repository, It's also suposed to run Heretic, which I like much better than Doom... I think I still have the origional disks .