Linux Q&A

By TheTerminator
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TheTerminator

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I was wondering why we dont yet have a dedicated thread to answering all us Linux noobs questions? I know it be very useful and would stop spamming up this subforum with single question threads. I hope this can be stickied for use by everyone who wants to learn to use Linux and those willing to help. Weve gotta start somewhere people. ;)

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TheTerminator

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Ive asked questions in here before and people basically tell me to go away. I just think this kind of thread would be very useful.

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Seth

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That's the whole point of this forum, *nix Support. Having a separate thread for each topic allows users to look through the forum and find topics related to their problems. If monolithic threads were the norm, we could do away with all the threads in this forum and just have one big topic :p

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TheTerminator

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Ill start us off. Im running the latest version of Ubuntu, just installed it a couple days ago and its my first time with Linux. My default resolution is low, 1024x768 I think it is. I figured out how to up my res (ctrl+alt+plus sign) but instead of resizing to fit my monitor, it just makes me have to move the cursor around to the edge of the screen to see it. Whats the problem here?

edit: I tihnk of had something to do with an opton i accidentally skipped when installing about optional resolutions. Is there someway to add the resolutions I missed without reinstalling?

Edited by TheTerminator
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msg43

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Ill start us off.  Im running the latest version of Ubuntu, just installed it a couple days ago and its my first time with Linux.  My default resolution is low, 1024x768 I think it is.  I figured out how to up my res (ctrl+alt+plus sign)  but instead of resizing to fit my monitor, it just makes me have to move the cursor around to the edge of the screen to see it.  Whats the problem here?

edit: I tihnk of had something to do with an opton i accidentally skipped when installing about optional resolutions.  Is there someway to add the resolutions I missed without reinstalling?

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edit xorg.cof

look for the sections with screen resoultions

and add the one you want

mabye someone else can better help you my direction were not detailed but it also 1:14 in mornin when I should be in bed

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midway40

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I am running Mepis and this is what I had to do to get 1280x1024. This is the "screen" section of my XF86Config-4 file (in /etc/X11 directory). It only had 1024x764 listed in the various screen modes and I had to add the 1280x1024 to each one plus the "Metamodes" toward the bottom of the list (yours may list 1024x724, 800x600, 640x400). I am using an Nvidia card with hardware acceleration. You must be careful editing these lines or Gnome (gdm) may not start. (Mepis has a "reinstall XF86Config-4" option on the live disk in case kdm doesn't start because of a mistype)

Section "Screen"

Identifier "Screen0"

Device "Card0"

Monitor "Monitor0"

DefaultColorDepth 16

SubSection "Display"

Depth 1

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 4

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 8

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 15

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 16

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 24

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

Depth 32

Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600"

EndSubSection

# Only the official NVIDIA driver supports twinview

# these setting are an example

Option "TwinView" "false"

Option "SecondMonitorVendorName" "unknown"

Option "SecondMonitorModelName" "unknown"

Option "SecondMonitorHorizSync" "30-82"

Option "SecondMonitorVertRefresh" "50-75"

Option "MetaModes" "1280x1024, 1280x1024; 1024x768, 1024x768; 800x600, 800x600; 640x480, 640x480"

Option "TwinViewOrientation" "RightOf"

Option "ConnectedMonitor" "dfp,dfp"

EndSection

EDIT: Just thought that you are using Xorg, don't know what it's config file looks like :(

Edited by midway40
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Shadrack

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I'm in agreement with Seth Kinast, here.

Look at how detailed your problem is. You should have just started a thread asking your problem. One long thread with problems and (hopefully) solutions defeats the purpose of a forum. A lot of people miss that the search function on the forum page only checks the last 30 days worth of posts (i believe).

Linux has a vast amount of possible configurations. A lot of people have very similar problems, but just their configuration itself can lead to a different solution.

For people who are feeling helpful: One thing I've enjoyed doing is using the sort features of the board to show all the "Replies: 0" at the top ;).

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patch-rustem

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Maybe we want I thread for questions that we don't expect an answer to.

I running debian sarge with a 2.6.11.2-kraxel1 kernel with the v4l patches from bytesex.org to watch FreeView with MythTV.

I get a perfect picture from my nova-t video card. I've a new Pinnacle 300i PCTV card, that will tune and lock on to a channel, but within a few minutes the picture starts to break up.

I read all the relevent threads over at linuxtv.org. The kernel modules seem to load properly without any errors. What am I doing wrong?

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markwolfe Veteran

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I was wondering why we dont yet have a dedicated thread to answering all us Linux noobs questions?  I know it be very useful and would stop spamming up this subforum with single question threads.  I hope this can be stickied for use by everyone who wants to learn to use Linux and those willing to help.  Weve gotta start somewhere people. ;)

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Actually we have a whole section for FAQs and HOWTOs.

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=84 for clients

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showforum=148 for servers

You can see it above the "main" forums in this screenie:

post-36818-1118401482_thumb.jpg

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markwolfe Veteran

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mark do people seriously look at those. I sick and tired of people asking the same qeustion over and over again

586044623[/snapback]

Honestly, no. :no:

Last year, I was able to get them moved a subforum of the main *nix area, and they were very visible and active there. Then Neowin got re-structured (split *nix into server and client sections), and the FAQs moved under the sub-forums (becoming sub-sub-forums, and not visited often).

Long story. I gave up on moving these after a few months, but I am re-starting the "Admin pestering" :ninja: I might annoy people so much I get de-modded, but I will get these things moved!

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Shadrack

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hmmm... having Q&A is what the entire forum is for, not one particular thread. It would be nice if more people would write their "how-to's." I personally have a bunch I could write, but I always feel like I shouldn't because my How-To wouldn't address every single linux distro out there.

But it still would be helpful if people who have had a problem that they faced in Linux. A challenge. They were able to come up with a solution, and post their experience so others could learn from it. Following a step-by-step how-to is helpful if it addresses your problem point blank. Reading how someone went through the solution finding processes, knowing what debugging tools they used, and whats available in the OS would be even more helpful.

Like ancient parable says:

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a life time."

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markwolfe Veteran

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Like ancient parable says:

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, feed him for a life time."

586045367[/snapback]

And smack 'em with a fish, if they get out of line! :trout:

:p

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rezza Veteran

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Ok, also, whats a good program to download music with for Linux?  Preferrably easy to install.

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Umm... wget? ;)

Unfortunately online music stores have pretty limited linux support at the moment as far as I know (never used 'em myself).

If you're talking about P2P, linux has clients for all the major networks (And more lesser-known networks than you can shake a stick at).

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markwolfe Veteran

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Cody Brocious worked on pyMystique, which allows buying and downloading DRM-free songs through iTunes. It is an unsupported product, and Apple is likely to try to make it "not work" at any opportunity they get.

http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/28/cx_ah_0328tentech.html

Cody even had an interview posted as front page news here on Neowin, if I am not mistaken.

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rezza Veteran

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If I wanted to install LBA Linux what file format should I have on the drive, Fat, Fat32, NTFS, Linux ext2, Linux ext3, Linux swap?

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Don't format the partition. Just leave some unpartitioned space and linux will happily set up its own partitions on there.

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Sensayshun

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Well I'm on Ubuntu now and I'm enjoying it, but.....

How can I get a 1280 x 1024, what file do i have to edit and what do I have to make it say?

And what do I use to open a .run file because that's how ATi's drivers come.

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markwolfe Veteran

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You can try using CTRL+ALT+[num pad plus] or CTRL+ALT+[num pad minus] to change resolutions, but more likely is that you need to specify the mode(s) you want in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

As for the .run file, there should have been instructions on ATI's site that tell you what to do, but in short, you need to chmod it (change mode) to set the flags that allow it to be executable. chmod a+x filename will do that.

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