Linux n00b, plz help me!


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I just recently installed mandrake linux, and i am having a few problems, so could someone plz help me?

Ok, well, first off, i was messing around with the browser, and manager to accidently remove the file bar menu from the top. ya know, the one that says file and view and all that. How do i get that back?

also, how do i change the resoultion for the desktop? i cant seem to find it.

and one last thing, which is more of a windows question, but im going to ask anyway. Do you have to format your hard-drive if you want to convert it from FAT32 to NTFS?

thanks for your time.

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oh right... but if you are converting from NTFS to FAT32 then you have to format right? thanks for that link..

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oh right... but if you are converting from NTFS to FAT32 then you have to format right? thanks for that link..

yes. you can't convert from ntfs to fat32, so you have to format.

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I haven't used partition magic with XP with any success, but that was PM 5.0. However, partition magic is a great tool for converting partitions as well as resizing. I have even used it to clone drives (95 & 98). I think the new partition magic (think it is 8.0) should work with XP if that is what you have.

As with any tool that works at this level, make sure to back up. I've only lost one drive using partition magic, but your mileage may vary.

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i have partition magic, but i dont need to convert from NTFS to FAT32.. i need to convert from FAT32 to NTFS.... anyways.. thanx but does anyone know about the resulution and the broswer file bar problem?

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PM 8.0 converts from fat32 to ntfs w/o any data lost

convert from ntfs to fat32 = impossible. you have to fornat on nt/2k or xp

but you have to know that linux doenst have write right on ntfs partitions

there are some free read only drivers you can install on your linux mandrake. The write/read one is $$

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Which desktop are you using? Gnome or KDE? Need to know so I can help you with your problems. Also why are you wanting to change your drive from NTFS to FAT32?

He's converting from FAT32 to NTFS.

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convert from ntfs to fat32 = impossible. you have to fornat on nt/2k or xp

PM 8.0 does convert from NTFS to FAT32. I done it on one of my other PC's the other day.

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PM 8.0 does convert from NTFS to FAT32. I done it on one of my other PC's the other day.

Ditto, I needed a partition that both Windows and Linux could right to on my system so I just converted one.

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Which desktop are you using? Gnome or KDE? Need to know so I can help you with your problems. Also why are you wanting to change your drive from NTFS to FAT32?

im using KDE...

hers the problem, i have two hard drives, a C and a D. C is master and D is slave. I have WinXP installed on C, and decided i was going to try out linux for a while, so i installed that to the D drive. When i boot into linux, its only showing the drive that it is installed to, which is D. I heard that linux can only recognize NTFS file systems, so i needed to change the C from FAT32 to NTFS, and then maybe i could get to the files in my C drive. Anyway, i tried converting the drive over, but it gave me some kind of error message. I will post the message a little later, but im hungry right now and i need to find something to eat! :p

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Linux support read write to many filesystem. Some of them include ext2/ext3/FAT12/FAT16/FAT32/Reiserfs/xfs (recently) and a whole bunch more. But a problem comes with ntfs. Linux can read an ntfs partition but cannot write. Well it can, in a way, write. If you want to be able to read/write you windows partition, stick to FAT32.

P.S. There is someone who managed to use WINE to load the winxp ntfs.sys driver to provide ntfs read and write support to linux. If anyone wants the link, I can easily find it.

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yea post that as I have also recently setup a linux machine and would be interested in reading how to do just that so that I don't have to make seperate partitions on my other machines to read/write on on my linux machine.

kalizar: Have you mounted the drive? you have to physically mount the drive.

While we're on the topic of linux, is it possible to remote desktop from a windows machine into a linux machine?

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While we're on the topic of linux, is it possible to remote desktop from a windows machine into a linux machine?

Yes and no. Remote desktop using RDP (remote desktop protocol) is a windows only thing. So you can't use the windows remote desktop client to connect to a linux machine. This being said, you can use VNC to connect to your linux comp. Just go to RealVNC.com and follow the instructions.

Oh, and if anyone wants it, here's the like to the whole ntfs under linux thing. http://www.jankratochvil.net/project/captive/

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for you resolution you need to make sure you have the other resolutions set in your xf86config file because i think mandrake and redhat only put the resolution you set at install into the config file.. i may be wrong though

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well i found out how to change the resolution, first you click the mandrake control center thing on the bottom left, and goto system>resolution. I also went searching into my hardware, and found that both hard-drives ARE showing up, but it just didnt give me a link to the them in the "home" directory. So, i made a shortcut in the home folder, and now I can access my C. However, I cant open installed programs. Is that because they are installed under windows? Anyway, does anyone know how to make the C drive show up in my home directory without me having to have a shortcut to it?

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....you're just trying to run the .exe in linux?

As for making c drive show up in your home directory you have to open the console and type mount....I forget the rest of the command.....and then you also have to modify a start up file so that linux knows to automatically mount that drive to that folder.

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I also went searching into my hardware, and found that both hard-drives ARE showing up, but it just didnt give me a link to the them in the "home" directory. So, i made a shortcut in the home folder, and now I can access my C.
In other words the partition was mounted but you wanted a symlink in you home directory. Why you would put it there is beyond me. But to each his own.
However, I cant open installed programs. Is that because they are installed under windows?

That and the fact that windows doesn't run Windows programs natively. The data is accessible on the other partition but the necessasry software, libraries, etc are not loaded. Man you really are a "newbie".

Anyway, does anyone know how to make the C drive show up in my home directory without me having to have a shortcut to it?

Yeah you could set the mount point to your home direcotry but that would be stupid. I'm not entirely sure as to why you insist on having a symlink/shortcut in your home directory rather than on your desktop. Now a symlink to a specific folder on the partition is another matter.

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I know its off topic, but I just had to comment on that link in your sig, El_Cu_Guy...

That is such bull. It says that Bill Gates isnt a genius, he was just at the right place at the right time and that anyone could do that. But the point is, nobody else did. He was smart enough to cash in on everything, thats why he owns the largest software company in the world. I just think the writer is jealous.

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