Ubuntu - Still Way Too Geeky!

[RKASA]

Well! it was a slow download , but here I am posting from my new PClinuxOS Gnome2008. 

It installed without problem and I was surprized that the up dates with synaptic only req. 35mb download.

I selected a stock green wallpaper and installed the wbar dock.

downloaded and added

 google earth

 GPRS

 Skype

 Opera

  Its all vary clean runs fast a working well.  With the synaptic rather then the man. in Mandriva I like this better.

My PClinuxOS 2007 which I have all decked out and updated kernel and everything fit like an old pair of favorate shoes, so I ll be staying with that.  I am going to keep this install and keep it up to date for making livecd's with things poeple want on it pre-installed that way I can make both kde and gnome versions.

Total Thumbs up.  

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

If you don't mind, could you let me know where exactly you downloaded it from? If possible a direkt link to the ISO file. Because, as mentioned, i have downloaded it three times and all three produce corrupted CD's that appear empty under both Windows AND LINUX, yet boot fine into a live-CD session (but fail to install). Each CD burned without errors and verified against the downloaded ISO file correctly, so definitely the file i downloaded was corrupted from beginning (there were no errors during download either - one was a Firefox download, the second a FlashGet download-manager download and the third a torrent download).

I did some googling and found that i am not alone with that problem by the way.

I have ordered a CD but i have no idea where it will be coming from and how long it might take...... and i have to admit, from what i saw from the live-CD i like that OS very much - beautiful black theme. That is definitely the one i want on my main machine, USB stick install first for a thorough testing and, if it fills my needs, main and only OS on HDD.

With best regards.......

Thanh

[RKASA]

ftp://mirrors.lastdot.org/pclos/live-cd/e...s-gnome2008.iso

Used my Opera transfers, but it was slow at times.

Burned it with k3b (Linux most commen tool) at 4x.  It s best to burn these large iso at a low speed they are vary compacked files and crupt easy at higher speeds.

I have also had good luck with the cdrecorder that comes with XP at low speed.

I always use the cheapest cd's I can get these are tesco lotus brand.  Almost to the end of second tray of 250 and all were good cd's.  It is vary rare that the files them self are crupted.  After market burning software and too high of speed are the most commen cause of a failed burn.  

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Thank you so much!! I will give it a try. I use "Princo" brand CD's, i have always used these since several years and also never had a bad one. My burning software is "ImgBurn" and i burn at 16x - the slowest these CD's are rated for (16x-52x). I have burned three PSlos Gnome, 2 Ubuntu, 1 Mandriva and 1 SAM 2007 - all are ok except for all 3 PClos Gnome. Also, all three downloaded files had different sizes! First 606 MB, second 660 MB and last 665 MB. All three burned fine, verified against the iso file ok but didn't work, i.e. appeared empty and, despite booting into a live CD session, wouldn't install.

I will try again with your link..... hope to get the right one this time

Many thanks.....

your Thanh

[RKASA]

It should be 665.9mb in size.

My cheap cd-r's are 2X-56X

[dave_boo]

If y'all are worried about an iso download being corrupted, you need to check its md5sum. Open up a terminal, type in

md5sum your_iso_name.iso

It'll print out a fingerprint, to which you can compare the md5sum file from your download location. Hint: for the file that's being discussed in the thread, the md5sum is here: ftp://mirrors.lastdot.org/pclos/live-cd/e...ome-2008.md5sum

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

So for some reason this keeps failing for me. I have completed the download, burned a CD and guess what? The CD appears empty!! Another one for the bin.

After logging in here, i downloaded a Windows application to create and verify those MD5 sums (remember i am using Windows to download and burn CD's and stuff) and to my surprise this software created exactly the same number that's on the page in your link.

Sop the download seems to be fine.

Then how comes that i get all the CD's screwed up? If you put that CD in your drive (OS running), can you browse it's content? As for me, the CD appears empty respectively corrupted (Windows says "use drag and drop to ad files to the CD" (empty, blank CD) while Linux says "no disk in drive".

I'm going to burn one on my boyfriend's laptop, he runs XP and got Nero on there. Will let you know if THAT worked.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[dave_boo]

Hi.

So for some reason this keeps failing for me. I have completed the download, burned a CD and guess what? The CD appears empty!! Another one for the bin.

After logging in here, i downloaded a Windows application to create and verify those MD5 sums (remember i am using Windows to download and burn CD's and stuff) and to my surprise this software created exactly the same number that's on the page in your link.

Sop the download seems to be fine.

Then how comes that i get all the CD's screwed up? If you put that CD in your drive (OS running), can you browse it's content? As for me, the CD appears empty respectively corrupted (Windows says "use drag and drop to ad files to the CD" (empty, blank CD) while Linux says "no disk in drive".

I'm going to burn one on my boyfriend's laptop, he runs XP and got Nero on there. Will let you know if THAT worked.

Best regards.....

Thanh

Are you forgetting to finalise the disc? Sometimes that's necessary, and not know what burning software you're using I can't give you directions on how to do that.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hmm it's an ISO file. Shouldn't that burn, well, an image? I never needed to manually close one of those..... i don't think that is even possible, as double-clicking the ISO icon fires up the ImgBurn software and it does it's thing all by itself.

After burning it on my boyfriend's laptop with Nero, same shit.

"Drive F: is not accessible. The file or directory is unreadable or corrupt".

Do you have any idea..??

Thanh

[dave_boo]

Hmm it's an ISO file. Shouldn't that burn, well, an image? I never needed to manually close one of those..... i don't think that is even possible, as double-clicking the ISO icon fires up the ImgBurn software and it does it's thing all by itself.

After burning it on my boyfriend's laptop with Nero, same shit.

"Drive F: is not accessible. The file or directory is unreadable or corrupt".

Do you have any idea..??

Thanh

If on two different computers you get the same problem, and your md5sum checks out, I'd blame to media....

However, you aren't trying to burn the file from a USB stick are you? It could be that the stick isn't feeding the information fast enough.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello.

No, of course i didn't burn from the USB stick but copied to HDD first. Meantime i tried yet another one, again on my computer, with a different burning software (Active@ ISO Burner) which has an extra option "finalize disk" (was enabled upon opening that ISO file).

Needless to say - that CD is yet another one for the bin.

And blaming the media isn't helping as i burn anything else on those media just fine, except for this #$@*&!! pclos-gnome2008.iso file! That's five in-a-row failed with this one particular file while inbetween 4 others burned just fine in the same burner, with the same blank discs, using the same burning software. So the fault MUST be with that file! Maybe it works only under Linux..........

I'll post on the CD-Freaks forum, they are specialists for this kind of stuff......... i guess i'll wait for the one that i ordered.

Kind regards......

your Thanh

[RKASA]

When on a windows pc I use the M$ provided cdrecorder most other burners remove it when they get installed and they are over rated (IMHO) after market software.  The orig. cdrecorder works fine in windows thats what M$ made it for, and they are a large well known company.

If your media is rated 16X-56X  your going to burn at 4X its not in that range.  

I would assume that slow would not make a differance, but something is and your 

cd's are not 4x rated.

I never use auto speed.  You did get other iso's to burn images with this setup, but I would note your not having much luck installing any of them ether.

I always get my link to the file from the site for the distro that way like in torrents your not by chance downloading someones re master of thier install.

I have had such good luck this way I don't bother with md5 check because they are always good and I got tired of doing them.

I have never had a crupted downloaded file no matter which way I downloaded it, I am sure it must happen, but downloads are slow most crupted files happen in transfers at higher speeds between PC or devices.

just some things to think about.  Hang in there.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Thank you very much for THAT reply. The golden words were: "but I would note your not having much luck installing any of them ether."

While i HAD luck installing any of the Ubuntu's and the Mandriva, so it certainly made me think "let's try this again without that Nvidia card". So i removed it and went back to the on-board one.

And guess what?

Well, i'm posting this from a rather perfectly running PC Linux OS 2008 Gnome

Installed from the cirrupted CD (which doesn't seem to be corrupted after all, even tough it still appears "empty" under both Windows and Linux, yet - without Nvidia it installed just fine). The partition manager is a bee-otch big time but, using gparted, i got 'round that (the partition manager would not take any other option than "use existing partitions" and there weren't any - i used yet another HDD for this, didn't want to destroy my working Ubuntu on the other one).

Right now i am downloading 300 MB's worth of software - strangely i can not find any "update manager" or similar in this OS but it has Skype, RealPlayer, Google Earth etc all in the repos........

If all this installing etc works out, next step will be - same same on main machine, i'll get a larger HDD first.

Best regards......

Thanh

[Thanh-BKK]

Yeah yeah........

Backpedalling again. Just tried on the main machine.... i think i can forget it. PC Linux OS 2008 Gnome boots about half from the live CD, it stops dead after "setting clock". No further reaction.

Tried Ubuntu Gutsy - no luck either, right after the splash screen the monitor turns off - boot process seems to continue for a while but with a blank screen that doesn't help me. Yes, it's doing that in "safe graphics" mode, too.

And in THAT computer there is nothing "ancient" which Linux could complain about...... in fact that machine runs Vista very happily and has plenty of "oomph" to it.

Looks like i'm restricted to my small "ancient" machine for Linux - too ancient to get the fancy stuff, yet the new one that would handle all that doesn't even boot it.

Best regards......

Thanh

[hp8000]

If I remember your main machine has an Ati graphic card ? I guess Ubuntu and PC OSLinux don't load the Ati modules at boot.

Have you tried with the Mandriva LiveCD ?

Best regards.

[RKASA]

  Well at least with all the fancy stuff your not missing that much.  I set it all up with the cube, wiggly windows everything.  After a while I removed it all.  It starts to drive me nuts.  When you change desktops the screen backs up, the cube fly's around and it all happens fast and looks cool, but I just want the other desktop.  The other thing was I like six desktops to sort my work out on to and the cube only has four max.

  This whole thing has netted me two OS's I didn't have before and some really kool docks on my screen I didn't know I could use.

   I really wish we could get this thing going for you.  You sure put in the effort.

[hp8000]

The other thing was I like six desktops to sort my work out on to and the cube only has four max.

Yes, the cube has 6 faces but only 4 sides.

[jackk]

You can add (or remove) from 1 to 32 desktops to the cube (but less or over four, I wouldn't call that a cube anymore )

-With CompizConfig Setting Managers, click menu General / Desktop Size / Horizontal Virtual Size

-With gconf-editor, select key: /apps/compiz/general/screen0/options/hsize

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello

No, i haven't tried the Mandriva CD on the main machine - to be honest, i don't really like it as it looks just "too Windows" and then it's KDE..... and honestly i can't imagine myself being able to change from KDE to Gnome and still have a bootable system....... as i am getting screwed even by changing the refresh rate Yup, happened on PC Linux OS....... the monitor flickers, as it's set to 60 HZ... i changed that to 70 (highest this OS allows me) and rebooted - of course, no luck, black screen again. The monitor DOES handle even 85 Hz as i had Windows running in that mode (resolution 1024x768, it's a 15" CRT "Compaq" monitor).... lucky, i know enough about command lines now - or so i THOUGHT, trying the "nano" thing from a command line - nope, nano = unrecognized command! Weird.

But booting from the live CD again i found that there was a "xorg.conf.old" AND, once logged in as root (with GUI!!) it allowed me to rename the files - so xorg.conf became xorg.conf.old2 and xorg.conf.old became xorg.conf - rebooted and it worked again

Google Earth works, too - yet "refreshing" again like with the old Ubuntu when i used the on-board graphic. That one, altough only two years old, seems to be very poor...... well, it's a computer sold in Thailand..... big Intel-CPU and the rest crap. It's one of those "Vzio" from Tesco Lotus.

Now as to the main machine - i have an idea what could be the problem. Namely the internal memory card reader and/or the USB-Bluetooth adaptor. Both of them stopped Vista from installing first time, and the card reader also stopped XP. However THERE i could unplug those, install, then plug in and on reboot they worked automatically. I'm not so sure that that approach will work under Linux - and sadly, i absolutely need both devices to work, they are used daily.

If the problem is with ATI, what can i do? There is no on-board card in that machine and no AGP slot either to try one of those that i have. That board has PCI-Express, and i will NOT go and blindly buy another graphics card just to find it doesn't work either and i wasted my money. My ATI is no high-end but doies the job very well - it's an "Asus" branded card with the ATI x300 GPU, 128 MB DDR and TV-out (which is also used regular as the PC is my DVD player) so this has to work under Linux.

I guess i will wait until the user that offered his help here will be available in July and pay him a really nice dinner and let him sort that machine out for me. I guess it requires a real Linux-guru And in that time i have the small machine working, either PClos 2008 Gnome or Ubuntu+Nvidia card, just a matter of swapping HDD's now, and hopefully am able to gain quite some experience in operating a Linux system.

By the way regarding "the fancy stuff", i don't need the cube as i use only one workplace anyway. But 3D acceleration would be nice, and transparency (i love that about Vista - the Aero stuff) and of course, an absolute requirement, the dock - which refuses to work if the 3D doesn't work.

I very much prefer PC Linux OS as it's beautiful black theme and menus......... but Ubuntu will do (i'm sure i can get it black as well). As long as it's gnome.

With kind regards.....

your Thanh

[Gumballl]

If you care to go back to trying Ubuntu (Gutsy), and you have an ATI video card, make sure you install with the "Alternate" version of the distro (there is a check-box just below the "Start Download" link). This version will have a basic UI for installing the OS. Once your system is up/running, it is possible that you will boot to either a console screen or with any luck, your system will use the Vesa driver such that Gnome can run. You will need to get the appropriate ATI drivers after the installation. It really is no big deal; it is quite easy.

Here's a link to get the many of the desired features out of Ubuntu Gutsy: http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Gutsy

The last time I checked, a cube has six sides. If you require 6 virtual desktops, Compiz is not necessary. You can specify the desired number of virtual desktops with Gnome (by default, Ubuntu specifies 2, but by modifying the preferences, you can change that to 6 or whatever).

As for dual-booting, I gave up on that years ago. I do not see the point anymore since I personally have no needs to run XP or Vista. Everything I require is available with Linux. If you need to dual-boot, then just make sure you have at least a couple of spare partitions for Linux (one for swap, the other for the distro itself).

Good luck, and write back if you have further questions or get stuck on something.

[RKASA]

Yes, a cube has six sides , but you can't put a desktop on the top or bottom only art work, at least not in the compiz I was running. and if you select more then one desk top it gives a repeat of the four sides of the cube ie you see 4 or 8 or 12 or 16, but each set is a repeat of the first four.  So you set the desktop to one turn on the cube and have four and only four desktops.  I don't know of a version that does any differant then that but its possable I guess.  It would be cool to use ctl alt left mouse sw and have it back 

up to see two or more cubes then you would have 8 12 or 16

desktops, or at least make it rotate up and down and put desktops on the top and

 bottom also.  

[jackk]

it gives a repeat of the four sides of the cube ie you see 4 or 8 or 12 or 16, but each set is a repeat of the first four.

Not for me, I'm using a cube, err.. a hexagon, with 6 sides, each of them being an independant workspace. Also, the workspace switcher applet in gnome panel really shows 6 different workspaces.

I'm using compiz 0.6.3

[hp8000]

Interesting, I'll test it as I didn't knew it was possible.

OK, I have compiz 0.5.2-9, maybe the function is not yet implemented in this version.

[RKASA]

Well that is cool.  I have a gnome2008 set up I ll have to put some compiz into it and see if there are even more differances then with kde.  I ll check its that version number.  Thanks

edit: Wow my repos show its 0.7.2 its been up dated a lot. I am going to have to give it a spin.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello

Guys.... i'm posting this from a live-CD session - Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 - ON THE MAIN MACHINE !!

"Vesa" did the trick. Bluetooth - works. Sound - works. Card reader (!) - works!

Now, in the hope it's really "installed to RAM" only i am downloading the restricted ATI driver to see if i can get 3D and "the fancy stuff".

Fingers crossed.............................................

Thanh

[Thanh-BKK]

Yessss!!!

All the "bells and whistles" turned ON now. Amazing what "gummy" sort of effects i can get when dragging windows around Now if i had some "transparency" stuff would be nice.......

Gonna try PC Linux OS tomorrow or next day..... but seeing how good Ubuntu works off a live CD o n this machine...... i seriously think.... Windows's days are numbered.

Anyone interested in a second-hand Vista? Nah.... i'll keep it as a backup, just swap out the HDD's.

Best regards, and good night.....

Thanh

[jackk]

Now if i had some "transparency" stuff would be nice.......

You can have transparency, blur, woobly, fire, water, explosion, shadow... effects and tons of options, but you should install compizconfig-settings-manager if you want to be able to easily play with all of them.

From terminal:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Then you can run it from menu System / Preferences / Advanced Desktop Effects Settings

Anyone interested in a second-hand Vista?

What is Vista ?

[hp8000]

Yessss!!!

All the "bells and whistles" turned ON now. Amazing what "gummy" sort of effects i can get when dragging windows around Now if i had some "transparency" stuff would be nice.......

Gonna try PC Linux OS tomorrow or next day..... but seeing how good Ubuntu works off a live CD o n this machine...... i seriously think.... Windows's days are numbered.

Anyone interested in a second-hand Vista? Nah.... i'll keep it as a backup, just swap out the HDD's.

Best regards, and good night.....

Thanh

I would seriously advice to keep Windows (though not the crappy Vista) on your HD in dual boot with GNU/Linux (any distro). Dual boot is very easy to set up and in case you mess your Linux OS you can boot on Windows to browse for some help. To play games you'll need Windows, camera support in Skype doesn't always work in Linux as it's a beta version.

You can use GNU/Linux for 99% of the common tasks but in case it's better to keep M$ on a small partition even if you don't use it often.

Just my two cents.

[Thanh-BKK]

H

Yeah, as i mentioned.... i will keep my Vista (it is not crappy at all, i'm very happy with it) installed on it's HDD (dual-boot in fact with XP) and will just swap the HDD for one with Linux. I.e. Linux will be installed on a new, virgin, HDD, and if i need Windows (in case of a screwed up Linux) i'll just swap them again.

I would add another HDD but the problem is that the machine is completely occupied - i've got two HDD's in there, a DVD burner, a separate DVD drive... this uses up all available IDE ports, and the board doesn't support the use of IDE and SATA HDD's together (there's SATA ports too).

About games, the only one i like is "Need For Speed Underground" and i think it can be coaxed into running under Wine. If not - well, i guess i can live without it - don't play it often (and Tux Racer is fun, too! With a totally addictive soundtrack). But there is one Windows application i can NOT live without - i hope THAT will work under Wine - my trusty old iPhoto Plus. I got that together with a scanner in 1999 and since then it has been my one and only picture editing program ever since. It doesn't require installation - has all files in one folder which i can copy even to a thumbdrive and run it from there with all templates etc. Works in all Windows versions - from 95 to Vista! I hope it'll work in Linux, at least in Wine.

I guess all my other jobs can be done under Linux natively - video and sound editing, office stuff (i used Open Office under Windows already, i like it), Bit Torrent (got Transmission under Linux, K-Torrent is also good)..... i don't think there's much Windows stuff i'm going to miss.

Is there a way (n00b question!) to copy all the "theme" stuff from PC Linux OS into Ubuntu? Because i can't get that to boot on my main machine, no matter what tricks i try. But i love it's looks so much (black theme!!) and since the CD appears empty under Linux as well, i will need to copy it from the small machine where it is installed onto the main one, using a thumb drive. Just what file(s) will i need to look for? Something called "artwork"? I don't need the wallpapers but the theme itself.

With kind regards......

Thanh

[RKASA]

If your going to have dual boot run the games over where they run the best.  All the other stuff after games can be done just fine in linux.  Wallpaper and desktop themes can be moved around in packages lots of them in the repos.  You can surf the repos and pull things, and its no hard at all to build your own most everything you see has a menu to change it in the control. 100's of icon sets and an icon editor to make your own thats not hard to use.  The splash and stuff at boot is not that easy to change its imbedded in things it gets geeky to change it.   Getting it from one distro to another,  I am sure can be done but its not going to be copy paste.  

I use a laptop so all my extra drives connect with a cheap usb to ide adptor cable, that is the old drives I have saved.  I also have some new ones that are 

in travel case with usb cable.

 Each drive is seen as a sda sdb etc. this works great if ya need even more drives.  Only about 2800Baht for 80gig case cable

etc. I dual boot the kde 2007 with upgrades and XP.  Gnome2008,Minime2008, and a few others are on the other drives via usb

sorting the grub can get to be a job if ya make lots of changes a boot program like GAG can resolve that.  It will track like 27 installs for booting.  cheers