Fresh Mandriva Install

First off Hawklord, I want to personally thank you for all of your patience and advice. It does not go unappreciated.
I have already learned a lot and I am absolutely in love with this machine. The ability to run multiple desk tops all doing different things is almost like using VMs in Windows but to me it's better.

I did figure out why it was reverting back to default everytime I logged back in. Not sure why it matters but the images I used for my desktops were placed in the HDD that I partioned for data storage for each OS. When I moved them directly into the documents folder and set up my desktops with the different images they stayed on next boot up.

OK, I am starting to think that the applet on the bottom right, you can actually see it in the previous image is giving me a false indication of actual wireless signal. Reason I say that is, after I did all of the initial updates, my wireless internet connection was noticeably faster.

When I clicked on Set up a new network interface I still only see the Wired Ethernet only but I am at the point of saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" KWIM?

 

think nothing of it, i hardly did anything,
glad you sorted your desktop and the network app (drakconnect) is a bit odd, i'll see if i can hunt something down,

the applet strength maybe because you are using native drivers,
you would need drakconnect for ndiswrapper with a win98 driver - so that would be a bit difficult at the moment,
.... but if you are happy then leave it

KWIM ??? - never heard of it, had to do a google:-D,

one thing i would advise against - thats downloading 2010.1 through the updates,
i image my / partition and do a fresh install of / only from the next version, all files, folders and settings are automagically detected by the new install - but thats another thread

 

I like the version I am using, so I am thinking about just sticking with what I have. I was doing some reading on some linux sites and read something about iwlist. Not sure if it was a terminal command or a widget but it if I read it correctly, it gives acurate numbers on your processor speed, memory usage, wireless signal etc?

I'm sorry, trying to be like these young cats and using things like KWIM (Know What I Mean) :-D:-D

 

ok, easy one that,

there is a nice little all-in-one program called gkrellm in your software manager, configurable and ... well, nice,

or you can use separate widgets by clicking on the cashew at top right or bottom right,
click 'add widgets',
scroll through to look for the one you want,
grab it with a left click and drag it to your desktop,

personally i prefer gkrellm,

for a network monitor, right click on your wireless icon and choose 'monitor network'

and then there is -

menu > tools > system tools > system monitor

ctrl + esc will bring up your system process monitor

there are a few to choose from, even command line stuff - but there is no real need for that

 

Hawklord,
Hope your day went well and your evening is going well also.
A couple of simple questions for you.
In an earlier reply you asked if I understood what repositories were. I answered with how I understood them to be. So that I know, could you tell me if my assesment was acurate.
This was my answer

Also, I noticed you are a registered Linux user # 476319 How do you become a registered user and do you recommend I become one?

With the wife back in town, my time to sit in front of my monitor has decreased dramatically unfortuantly. But hopefully this weekend, I can get some time on my machine.

 

ok, all your software is on a couple of servers - think of them as a library, a repository,
you need an address to access the libraries, a different address for each section, such as contrib or main - not sections as in video, audio etc,

all updates and new software are tested and added to the libraries, running an update will update your software list,

you can access your software via a graphical user interface (GUI) by using rpmdrake or drakrpm in a terminal then adding your root password to the prompt,
you can then use the search option or just browse through all the software available via the list on the left,
alternatively you can use the urpmi command and the package name to fetch an install the software from the repositories,

using the GUI also allows you to uninstall software,
alternatively as well you can use the command urpme then the package name,

its a lot easier with the GUI though

there are the official mandriva repositories - and the plf (not mandriva supported due to various licensing laws around the world) repositories

everyone who is running mdv2010.0 has access to the same repositories,
i run mdv2010.1 so i access the mdv2010.1 repositories - same as everyone who runs the latest version,

i can do everything and anything i want without using 'outside' packages

this is a good thing as all/any bugs are found before release or, because there are a lot of people using exactly the same software, right after release,

as a note, if there was an infection in the repositories then it would be detected straight away and removed or fixed

there are also 2 'extra' places to get software from, i only use these if i run into a problem with my own software manager

http://rpm.pbone.net/

http://www.rpmfind.net/

as for the registered linux user

http://counter.li.org/

its just a way of being counted and some interesting info - if you like that sort of thing

as for the wife, mines ok, she has the lappy and her own tower,
we don't have tv so we both do our own thing

anymore questions just feel free to ask

 

I apologize, I did not put 2 and 2 together when I saw that reply. Was more focused on the piccy.

Well that certainly saves the headache of researching which would be the best anti-virus program to get not to mention having to have a Anti-Spyware program as well as an Anti-Malware program installed just so you can have some piece of mind like with that "Other" OS. :-D

Well you have been a WEALTH of information Hawklord. Again, I want to thank you. As far as being a registered user, I think I might just go ahead and become one. I am most definitely hooked on Linux.

 

have a read of this link

http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/index.php?page=virus

i think it explains it rather well

 

Great article. I was actually able to get a couple of hours last night on my rig. I'm still having the problem with these localized language KDE packages. All updates fail because that window pops up. It still takes about 20+ package selections before it goes away, the status bar completes and I get the failure I posted earlier.
Now this even happens when I go into Software Management and type in let's say Sudo, or ndiswrapper and try to download and install these. They fail, and if I go back into Software Management and type these into the box I get "Unfound"
So essentially, I can't perform any updates or DL any software.

 

ok, lets try this

open your 'configure your computer'
click on 'configure media sources for install and update'
click on each one and remove it

when the list is empty, close mcc (mandriva control center, configure your computer, drakconf),
press ctrl, alt + backspace (to log out, your system speaker may shout at you, thats normal) and login again

now go here

http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/

and add the official medias and then the plf medias,

then open a terminal and type su, add your root password (su to root) and type

urpmi --auto-update

press y if prompted,

or alternatively open a terminal and su to root, type

urpmi.removemedia

then follow the instructions from logging out,

let me know how you get on

 

Hawklord, Good Day, I followed your directions and it looks the issue with the KDE Language packages is taken care of. I did receive a couple of errors but when I went back to the configure media sources for install and update, it looked like everything was back.
I was also able to install Sudo and ndiswrapper so I will be taking a look at what I can do with Sudo as well as seeing if ndiswrapper allows me to use my windows driver for my wireless card.

The errors I got while updating the Official as well as PLF medias are shown below in the screenshot. Not sure if they are important or not and I am not seeing so far where anything is acting strange.

Thanks again for the great useful advice. Have a great day!!!

 

ok - you don't need the debug repositories,

menu > tools > system tools > configure your computer,

a box will come up for your root password,

when its open click 'configure media sources for install and update'

main, main updates, contrib, non-free and non-free updates should be checked - only
click ok (bottom right)

i'm not in mandriva at the moment so i can't check which plf ones you need, when i get in from work later i'll post the plf ones,

 

Thanks for the speedy reply Hawklord. Hope your Monday is starting off well. I to am not in front of my mandriva machine at the moment as I am at work on a W!nd0s desktop.

Will take a look in there this evening to make sure that everything you mentioned below is checked off.

Have a great day!!!

 

hate mondays - back to work,

ok, checked my plf and the only ones you need are plf free and plf non-free,

so thats a total of 7 (at least thats what i use)

main
main updates
contrib
non-free
non-free updates
plf free
plf non-free

i suppose there is no harm in checking contrib updates - but mine isn't

 

Yeah my Mondays are hit or miss. Some are ok, some not so good. I have found that pretty much any day of the week can be like most people's Mondays.

Everything you mentioned I have checked except the PLF files. They are not there, so I went back to easy urpmi and reselected them. I got the error:

Code:

unable to parse media.cfg
unable to add medium

So I attempted to go through the konsole and do it manually. Using the urpmi.addmedia --distrib --mirrorlist 'http://plf.zarb.org/mirrors/$RELEASE.$ARCH.list' and got the exact same error.
So far I have not ran into any issues yet, but then again, there is a good shot I have not done anything that would require those packages?
Who knows.

 

ok, the plf medias are the restricted packages - not as in illegal, but as in certain codecs (mp3 and ac3 being a couple - eg. you have vlc in your official repo's, but not the codec for dolby sound - so you can watch a dvd with it, but not hear it),
ffmpeg is one you may find you need - its in plf though
a few programs such as various rippers as these are frowned upon in certain countries,
(eg. here in the uk its illegal to rip a cd for backup, personal use - true, honest),

there are other ways of getting the software you need, pbone and rpmfind are 2 such places,

it depends on what you want your pc for,
all the stuff you need for a home workstation is in your official repo's,

if you want plf, then you could try clearing your mirror cache,
open a terminal and su to root,
copy and past this, then press enter,

Code:

rm -fv /var/cache/urpmi/mirrors.cache

then try adding plf again

 

I think I jinxed myself in regards to Mondays. I'm sitting at my desk around 9 AM this morning and the Chief walks in and says "We are moving across the street NOW" So, have spent most of the day getting our computers and binders and all of our stuff moved across the street. And of course it's a "Secured" space so I have to go into my laptop and disable my wireless. Only in the evening to have to enable it so that I can still do work during the evening and weekend hours. Oh, and no cell phones. Wife LOVED that one. :-D

I'm impressed. Do you have all of this stuff memorized? Can't imagine how long it will take to keep all of this (essentially) code in my head. :-D

Won't be able to get on this evening. To much to do. Hopefully tomorrow.

Burning a CD for your own personal use is illegal in the UK? I can imagine, that it's not a law that the police are able to enforce, but that is really a dumb law. No offense to the UK.

This PC has one pupose in life. To learn Linux on. I plan on reading and reading some more and find out just what I can do with this OS. Eventually want to get into learning about setting up a Linux machine as a home network. But that is further down the road. Need to get the basics down now. :-D

 

no - not in memory, although there is quite a lot in there,

i learnt a little 'cheat' when i first started out on the mad road of linux
i'll pass the tip along

a notebook and pen :-D,

its in sections,

generic linux commands
mandriva specific commands (some work with pclinuxos)
slackware commands
knoppix commands
etc

makes life a lot easier

dumb laws - we have loads:banghead

let me know how it goes, if it doesn't work then there is one more thing to try

 

Well I have started a binder, and have printed off tutorials as well as some of the stuff you have taught me. Will leave some blank paper in it to jot down some notes.

It's looking as if I may not be on for a while. Got to leave town again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully when I can get back to some normalcy I will try what you mentioned below or above how ever your browser displays the forum.

Take care,

Ian

 

ok - no worries, i'll be around,

enjoy your trip

 

Say it ain't so!

I'm trying to learn linux myself, but i'm mostly a debian guy running Ubuntu and Mint, with various VirtualBox VMs like Debian, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, Mandriva, etc... Although I consider myself a debian guy, I have a real soft spot for the KDE versions of PCLOS & Mandriva, FWIW!

I figure "any learning is good learning" and I've been lurking and reading this thread and learning a LOT about how the RPM distro is same/different from Debian. I've been enjoying the discourse without the stress of fixing MY machine (sorry Ian, no disrespect intended) and will be disappointed to see the pace of questions slowing down...

Thanks for the tutorial(s) Hawk!

 

James,
No disrepect taken :-D I have thoroughly enjoyed learning this new OS and hawklord has been a tremendous help. I can't tell you how much I have learned overall just reading other people's threads. Many times, you will find your own answers in them with out the need to post a new thread.

Hawklord - Did not get back until late last night. Actually the trip was not a fun trip at all but that's not important. I did end up coming back with a laptop with Vista on it that will not even boot up. It's funny how when people find out that you know a thing or two about computers how they want you to fix their rigs. :-D I don't mind though, I really enjoy it. Just got to figure out how I can get my hands on a Vista recovery disk so that I can get her system back up and running. I will figure that out I guess.
Hopefully this evening, I will be able to get back on my rig and take your advice from last week.
Hope both of your weekends were enjoyable and relaxing. Will touch base tomorrow I am sure.

 

Hawk, I should have asked this earlier. As previously mentioned, I cleared my cache with the konsole entry you posted and it worked great. Was able to get the PLF packages with no problem after that.

But what exactly in lamen's terms did I do? All I know is I put that code in and it worked but what was I doing to the system that enabled my to retrieve the PLF packages when earlier I was not able too?

Thanks again!!

 

what you did was clear the plf repo addresses as i suspected that they were either broke or just not responding,

adding the plf repos again gave you different addresses - which work,

there are different addresses for the repos, but all contain the same packages,
leaving the broke repo addresses in would, probably, never work and your system would always try to use them as they are the default ones,
so its easy to just remove them and add new ones,

hope that makes sense

 

Hope you had a stress free Tuesday.
So let me make sure I absolutely understand.
When you say "addresses" you are essentially saying "Mirrors" or "Sites" where these PLF packages are located? And by putting in the

Code:

rm -fv /var/cache/urpmi/mirrors.cache

I refreshed the mirrors/sites/addresses which in turn removed the mirrors/sites/addresses that are no longer working. IE maybe they are down, or no longer maintained?

Am I close?

 

basically - yes

rm is the remove command

-fv are switches

http://linux.about.com/od/commands/l/blcmdl1_rm.htm

/var/cache/urpmi/mirrors.cache is the location of the file

you can view the file in normal mode, but to use the command and switches you must be root as its a protected directory

if you view the file you will see that the addresses point everywhere and anywhere on earth (exaggeration but just have a look and you'll get my meaning)
i have one as far as china and some just down the road from me in canterbury

 

Hawk,
Hope you had a great weekend and that your week is starting off well.
I see where there is a KDE update 4.5.3 and have read about how to upgrade to it. Now, with having 2010.0 and not 2010.1 can I update the current KDE? Should I even bother? Even better, in konsole, what can I type that will tell me what KDE version I am currently running?

 

yes thanks, end of the F1 season - bit of a cliff-hanger,
4 contenders for the title, in the end sebastian vettel and a red bull won,

i never up-date out of my repo's, all updates are done through my repo's,
i, personally, don't see the point,

as for which version of KDE,

just open any KDE native application, easiest one is dolphin file manager, but you can do it in K3B, konqueror, kmail, dragon player, amarok, ktorrent, etc

then just click on 'help' and 'about KDE'

as long as its a native application then it will give you the version you are running,

don't forget that mandriva is going through a transit stage, i would leave it as it is,

(just a note - have you thought about a back-up ?
now you have your system, it may be a good time to image your / partition,
only takes a few minutes but saves hours on an re-install if you burger it all up)

 

Well hopefully Sebastian Vettel was someone you were rooting for. Nascar is the big thing here with Jimmie Johnson winning the championship the last 4 years and is a contender to win it again this year. Used to be a big fan, but with so many rules added, it was not fun anymore.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will stick to what I have. As far as backing up my Linux partition, yes, I had thought about it and have not had the time to do it. Have not even researched the best software to use yet. I use Norton Ghost in Windows.