Linux for Dummies

[siam2007]

maybe some sort of thing like the have at Chiang Mai "Chiang Mai Computer Club".....

who knows maybe we could find others to join us.

and maybe we can find a Compu-Expert who would be willing to perform as a tutor every fortnight or so for a moderate fee ?

worth a try ?

[howto]

... Weird, could not get Mint Deb 16 to run off the thumb.

Same thumb I used before.

Sumptin 'bout 'non-contigious' memory'.

I need a dvd and burn it.

The previous Mint Deb 16 did not

- work with the Realtek NIC

- the HDMI did not work....

The previous was not 'Mint Deb 16',

it was Mint Deb 11.

I did find the 'most common command line's used'

they are quite close to DOS commands.

I trekked to Zeer, got some DVD's,

only to discover my DVD burner is dead.

I've been using 'RemPrep' + 'WinFira/FiraDisk' for years.

That thumb has several iso's on it.

The error 'non-contigious memory' is exactly what it implies.

The iso on the flash drive is non-contigious.

I've read how to fix it (fix will take hours).

So I'll wait till next week (children are at school).

Many thanks to whom have replied/contributed to this tread.

[JSixpack]

... Weird, could not get Mint Deb 16 to run off the thumb.

Same thumb I used before.

Sumptin 'bout 'non-contigious' memory'.

I need a dvd and burn it.

The previous Mint Deb 16 did not

- work with the Realtek NIC

- the HDMI did not work....

The previous was not 'Mint Deb 16',

it was Mint Deb 11.

I did find the 'most common command line's used'

they are quite close to DOS commands.

I trekked to Zeer, got some DVD's,

only to discover my DVD burner is dead.

I've been using 'RemPrep' + 'WinFira/FiraDisk' for years.

That thumb has several iso's on it.

The error 'non-contigious memory' is exactly what it implies.

The iso on the flash drive is non-contigious.

I've read how to fix it (fix will take hours).

So I'll wait till next week (children are at school).

Many thanks to whom have replied/contributed to this tread.

You might try other USB boot creators. There are a few out there.

[howto]

Thanks JSixpack,

I have tried several (in the past).

But it has been 4 years, guess I should look again.

I've 4 iso's on that thumb...

- Hirens

- Install W7

- Repair W7

- Mint Deb Cinn 11

They continue to function.

Think I'll del Mint Deb Cinn 11,

replace it w/ Mint Deb Cinn 16.

And run a 'contig' app on that thumb.

This should be the fastest 1'st attempt.

If failure, then move to another loader app.

Which loader app do you use/prefer?

[JSixpack]

Thanks JSixpack,

I have tried several (in the past).

But it has been 4 years, guess I should look again.

I've 4 iso's on that thumb...

- Hirens

- Install W7

- Repair W7

- Mint Deb Cinn 11

They continue to function.

Think I'll del Mint Deb Cinn 11,

replace it w/ Mint Deb Cinn 16.

And run a 'contig' app on that thumb.

This should be the fastest 1'st attempt.

If failure, then move to another loader app.

Which loader app do you use/prefer?

No particular preference but I've found some work better than others w/ certain distributions. Makes no sense, I agree. Yumi, Unetbootin, Universal USB Installer, etc. And you need the latest version.

[howto]

"No particular preference but I've found some work better than others w/ certain distributions.

Makes no sense, I agree.

Yumi, Unetbootin, Universal USB Installer, etc. And you need the latest version."

Yep, tried every one back in 2011, they all failed.

Only what I've been using has worked.

I'll keep on plugging at it, till I am PO'ed.

Ever use 'Easy2Boot' ???

That is what RMPREPUSB website recommends now.

U know, this should become a diff post...

I / we have drifted off...

[dharmabm]

dd

Sent from my SlimKat OnePlus using Tapatalk

[dharmabm]

^ I'm like you. A while ago I posted an offer in this forum to start a club where like minded people can meet and learn from each others. No reply so far.

I don't recall seeing this, but we had a Linux users group a few years ago that met monthly for a year or 2 until a number of members left the country and interest petered out. I have tried a few times since to stimulate some interest again but didn't get enough response to warrant taking the trip into town. Maybe now is a good time to try again? Seems like we're seeing quite a few new faces here of late.

Sent from my SlimKat OnePlus using Tapatalk

[JohnnyJazz]

^ I'm like you. A while ago I posted an offer in this forum to start a club where like minded people can meet and learn from each others. No reply so far.

I don't recall seeing this, but we had a Linux users group a few years ago that met monthly for a year or 2 until a number of members left the country and interest petered out. I have tried a few times since to stimulate some interest again but didn't get enough response to warrant taking the trip into town. Maybe now is a good time to try again? Seems like we're seeing quite a few new faces here of late.

Sent from my SlimKat OnePlus using Tapatalk

I'm in. I've a car so any meeting place as long as it is in Bangkok is ok with me.

[jpinx]

I used to be a linux user but I couldn't find an economical linux mobile phone or tablet after the Nokia n900 died, so now I'm all android

[JSixpack]

http://opensource.com/business/14/8/newbie-learns-linux

[Sailbad the sinner]

Hi guys,

I just installed Ubuntu as i hate Microsoft....

managing some basics OK but having a few issues probably too long to mention here...

I could really do with a couple of hours help if there is anyone living near me (Hua Hin - Cha Am area).

i would be happy to pay for your time.

Cheers,

Keith

[samuijimmy]

I just helped a Thai friend buy a new HP laptop the other day, which had Ubuntu, pre - installed .... I5 processor, 750 HD blah blah... 7 day return policy, so it was easy not to worry about trying it!

I helped set up and updated everything (I think!) but I have to say I was impressed .... it was not complicated!

I gave up on Windoze rubbish a few years ago, and now a Mac only user, but should / when I need to get a new computer I would consider switching too...

Some of the links provided here look good, so have some thing to refer too when needed ~!

[cooked]

I have a dummie's question. I recently started getting the blue screen of death randomly, I can generally restart the PC. However, having tried the various solutions proposed (roll back of restore point, uninstalling new drivers, etc) I come to the conclusion that Windows is Fuyuked as far as my machine is concerned. I also have XP which is something to worry about. I backed up all my stuff on the cloud and on a hard drive. I ran Ubuntu long ago but gave upon it when I got a free Mac, long since dead.

So (deep breath), before I get (I think Lubuntu or Debian) on to a RW-CD (is that correct?) I want to know if I can restore all my fotos and documents to Linux? I will be doing the reading, don't worry, I just need a few initial hints.

Secondly, I would prefer to buy a CD but don't know where to start.

My ultimate aim would be to get rid of XP altogether,is that a good idea?

[fester the benevolent]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I have a dummie's question. I recently started getting the blue screen of death randomly, I can generally restart the PC. However, having tried the various solutions proposed (roll back of restore point, uninstalling new drivers, etc) I come to the conclusion that Windows is Fuyuked as far as my machine is concerned. I also have XP which is something to worry about. I backed up all my stuff on the cloud and on a hard drive. I ran Ubuntu long ago but gave upon it when I got a free Mac, long since dead.

So (deep breath), before I get (I think Lubuntu or Debian) on to a RW-CD (is that correct?) I want to know if I can restore all my fotos and documents to Linux? I will be doing the reading, don't worry, I just need a few initial hints.

Secondly, I would prefer to buy a CD but don't know where to start.

My ultimate aim would be to get rid of XP altogether,is that a good idea?

The BSOD might be hardware related (overheating is a common cause) so changing OS won't necessarily help Is there any particular intensive task that causes the BSOD? Make sure all the dust is blown out of the fans, thermal grease is nice and fresh etc to combat overheating and make sure that any RAM sticks haven't become dislodged or wobbly to try and rule out hardware.

What cloud did you use to back up? If you can access it through a browser and you know the username and password then you're good to go to grab everything back when your computer is set up again, if you aren't sure set up a couple more clouds (dropbox has good Linux support) and back up to those also just to be on the safe side, it's free anyway!

If you don't want to burn a CD or can't for whatever reason (or better a DVD nowadays as all the distros are growing if you want to include the source code for the kernels an so on) then you can buy one from the distro websites or do a network install provided you have a decent net connection. If you are really stuck then send me a PM and a blank DVD and I'll burn whatever distro you want and toss it in the mail for you. There are easy ways to check the integrity of any disk before you try installing so you can be sure that I haven't slipped anything untoward into it.

Getting rid of XP is a good idea unless you have some software that will only run on it (unlikely, but there is still stuff about), not just because it is crap <*takes off evangelist hat*> but also because it is old and no longer supported or patched so it is time to just ditch it.

[cooked]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I have a dummie's question. I recently started getting the blue screen of death randomly, I can generally restart the PC. However, having tried the various solutions proposed (roll back of restore point, uninstalling new drivers, etc) I come to the conclusion that Windows is Fuyuked as far as my machine is concerned. I also have XP which is something to worry about. I backed up all my stuff on the cloud and on a hard drive. I ran Ubuntu long ago but gave upon it when I got a free Mac, long since dead.

So (deep breath), before I get (I think Lubuntu or Debian) on to a RW-CD (is that correct?) I want to know if I can restore all my fotos and documents to Linux? I will be doing the reading, don't worry, I just need a few initial hints.

Secondly, I would prefer to buy a CD but don't know where to start.

My ultimate aim would be to get rid of XP altogether,is that a good idea?

The BSOD might be hardware related (overheating is a common cause) so changing OS won't necessarily help Is there any particular intensive task that causes the BSOD? Make sure all the dust is blown out of the fans, thermal grease is nice and fresh etc to combat overheating and make sure that any RAM sticks haven't become dislodged or wobbly to try and rule out hardware.

What cloud did you use to back up? If you can access it through a browser and you know the username and password then you're good to go to grab everything back when your computer is set up again, if you aren't sure set up a couple more clouds (dropbox has good Linux support) and back up to those also just to be on the safe side, it's free anyway!

If you don't want to burn a CD or can't for whatever reason (or better a DVD nowadays as all the distros are growing if you want to include the source code for the kernels an so on) then you can buy one from the distro websites or do a network install provided you have a decent net connection. If you are really stuck then send me a PM and a blank DVD and I'll burn whatever distro you want and toss it in the mail for you. There are easy ways to check the integrity of any disk before you try installing so you can be sure that I haven't slipped anything untoward into it.

Getting rid of XP is a good idea unless you have some software that will only run on it (unlikely, but there is still stuff about), not just because it is crap <*takes off evangelist hat*> but also because it is old and no longer supported or patched so it is time to just ditch it.

Thanks for the offer I will go into town this afternoon just for the fun of seeing people's eyes glaze over when I ask for a Linux disc. I shall then buy a blank DVD as you propose. One reason for thinking about Linux is that, I suppose, it may be a hardware problem. Just lately I have been getting a 0x06d007e message at internet start up however, that is supposed to be linked to a Blaster worm, which I can't find or get rid of. (I started in Safe Mode with networking, TSSD killer, all that stuff). Debian or Lubuntu I thought...

I backed up my stuff on Mozy and Picasa web albums, and an external hard drive, preparing for the day of doom and hope I can get it back onto Linux, I remember that being difficult last time.

[fester the benevolent]

The easiest way to be super double triple sure is to run your machine with a live distro. You can test your hardware and at the same time make sure that you can get to your backed up stuff before you commit to installing.

That said, having 2 clouds and an external disk should be sufficient unless you are really unlucky!

[jpinx]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I have a dummie's question. I recently started getting the blue screen of death randomly, I can generally restart the PC. However, having tried the various solutions proposed (roll back of restore point, uninstalling new drivers, etc) I come to the conclusion that Windows is Fuyuked as far as my machine is concerned. I also have XP which is something to worry about. I backed up all my stuff on the cloud and on a hard drive. I ran Ubuntu long ago but gave upon it when I got a free Mac, long since dead.

So (deep breath), before I get (I think Lubuntu or Debian) on to a RW-CD (is that correct?) I want to know if I can restore all my fotos and documents to Linux? I will be doing the reading, don't worry, I just need a few initial hints.

Secondly, I would prefer to buy a CD but don't know where to start.

My ultimate aim would be to get rid of XP altogether,is that a good idea?

The BSOD might be hardware related (overheating is a common cause) so changing OS won't necessarily help Is there any particular intensive task that causes the BSOD? Make sure all the dust is blown out of the fans, thermal grease is nice and fresh etc to combat overheating and make sure that any RAM sticks haven't become dislodged or wobbly to try and rule out hardware.

What cloud did you use to back up? If you can access it through a browser and you know the username and password then you're good to go to grab everything back when your computer is set up again, if you aren't sure set up a couple more clouds (dropbox has good Linux support) and back up to those also just to be on the safe side, it's free anyway!

If you don't want to burn a CD or can't for whatever reason (or better a DVD nowadays as all the distros are growing if you want to include the source code for the kernels an so on) then you can buy one from the distro websites or do a network install provided you have a decent net connection. If you are really stuck then send me a PM and a blank DVD and I'll burn whatever distro you want and toss it in the mail for you. There are easy ways to check the integrity of any disk before you try installing so you can be sure that I haven't slipped anything untoward into it.

Getting rid of XP is a good idea unless you have some software that will only run on it (unlikely, but there is still stuff about), not just because it is crap <*takes off evangelist hat*> but also because it is old and no longer supported or patched so it is time to just ditch it.

Thanks for the offer I will go into town this afternoon just for the fun of seeing people's eyes glaze over when I ask for a Linux disc. I shall then buy a blank DVD as you propose. One reason for thinking about Linux is that, I suppose, it may be a hardware problem. Just lately I have been getting a 0x06d007e message at internet start up however, that is supposed to be linked to a Blaster worm, which I can't find or get rid of. (I started in Safe Mode with networking, TSSD killer, all that stuff). Debian or Lubuntu I thought...

I backed up my stuff on Mozy and Picasa web albums, and an external hard drive, preparing for the day of doom and hope I can get it back onto Linux, I remember that being difficult last time.

Backing up everything is always a good thing unfortunately when you back up from any MS product the chances are that you back up your viruses too

[cooked]

Thanks, I thought of that this morning. I don't think that MS viri will work on Linux, will they?

[jpinx]

Thanks, I thought of that this morning. I don't think that MS viri will work on Linux, will they?

==================

True, but they will sit on your drive and jump out at - for example - a VM you start up in some version of windows

I have taken the trouble to overwrite a SSD in order to get rid of all viruses, including those in the boot sector. That's not simple over write - it's a dd overwrite.

[Blackfish64]

Minimalist distro geek here...

If the entire operating system is over 300 MB, it's too big. Get yourself a new puppy today! www.puppylinux.org

Puppy is based on Arch. Solid as a rock. Easy to use. Everything works right out of the box.

[jpinx]

The operating system is usually not the problem, it's the Browser that munches RAM and CPU cycles. Also cumbersome DE's of course. I run debian with lxde and it's pretty good on old hardware, but difficult to keep a system down to less than 1GB by the time you add X and a browser with media/flash players. I do have a vm of debian without X and that's about 300MBs

[Blackfish64]

That's true. Even my LxPup Precise Retro has a few issues between the Internet in the browser. It comes with SeaMonkey installed. SeaMonkey is a serious resource hog. The install Opera with the operating system too, to make up for it.

But even so, Puppy has everything I need and I don't really do anything to or add anything to the operating system except Libre Office. I just plug it in and use it the way it is.

[jpinx]

Actually the real root of the problem is the seriously bad design of many web resources that rely heavily on massive scripting and flash - to name just 2 major culprits. I had a long running battle with a bank at one time because their online banking would *only* work in IE -- for which I just changed my browser to tell porkie-pies . After getting contact with their techies and telling them how blindingly stupid they were and how easy it is to bypass, they relented and even reduced the scripting.

This website is a good example of a problem resource -- lots of it's scripts are on lots of different cloud servers and getting a whole page down involves multiple DNS lookups both by the user and the intermediate servers. Meantime the users browser is slowed down while it waits for the incoming.

Minimalist is great when the things you're connecting to are minimalist too

[RichCor]

Actually the real root of the problem is the seriously bad design of many web resources that rely heavily on massive scripting ...

Hey, you leave ThaiVisa alone!

It's the 300lb big culturally obnoxious 2nd mama we never knew we had.

[aarn]

howto asked:

<<Guy's,

got a list for the 10 most used command line stuff?>>

Have a look at: http://www.tecmint.com/useful-linux-commands-for-newbies/ (20 commands)

http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/778 (15 Commands)

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-linux-commands.html (30+ commands)

If you want something more comprehensive, [The linux command line.pdf] is a free download (google it).

The best way to familiarize yourself with this stuff is to practice! Cheers, AA

[jpinx]

howto asked:

<<Guy's,

got a list for the 10 most used command line stuff?>>

Have a look at: http://www.tecmint.com/useful-linux-commands-for-newbies/ (20 commands)

http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/778 (15 Commands)

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-linux-commands.html (30+ commands)

If you want something more comprehensive, [The linux command line.pdf] is a free download (google it).

The best way to familiarize yourself with this stuff is to practice! Cheers, AA

My ten most used commands -- with multiple options

tmux

df

rsync

ls

ps

top

ssh

mosh

sh

date

anyone like to add

[fester the benevolent]

Off the top of my head (no particular order):

curl

grep/sed

ls

less

mv

cat

echo

ipset

ssh

ps

Bonus quickie if you want to look busy while you have a coffee:

cat /dev/urandom | hexdump -C | grep "ca fe"

This version is easier on the cpu and has colour:

export GREP_COLOR='05;31'; while [ true ]; do head -n 100 /dev/urandom; sleep .1; done | hexdump -C | grep --color=auto "ca fe"

If you want to know if the new thermal paste you applied is working ( or if it is time for some new paste) do

yes > /dev/null &

(repeat for as many cores as you have) and you will see CPU usage spike to 100% (and yes, I know it's not a proper stress test but it works well enough) and the temp start to climb fast, you'll probably also hear the fans ramping up if everything is working properly.

Stop the madness with: killall yes

[dharmabm]

just came across this and thought it might be of use to some

http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/20090405061458383/20oftheBestFreeLinuxBooks-Part1.html