Got Linux installed! Now what?

[robo555]

Found myself a spare 2GB HD, so I decided to install Linux. I jumped into the deep end of the pool and got myself Slackware. I sort of didn't want to use Mandrake since I'm familar with DOS. The installation was actually OK, accept for the part where it asks you a whole bunch of questions on what to install.

Then I managed to figue out how to dual boot, ripped the bootrecord, put it in C:\ and now the Win2000 boot menu can take me to Slackware Linux.

Now what? What should I do with it now? Can't access my CD-ROM and floppy 'cos they won't mount for some reason, I decided to go to a GUI to do that. I remember saying I wanted X and KDE. I typed in startx and it said Config file now found...

And in Linux, I went to view a ASCII file by typing "view filename", how to I quit that after viewing the file? I only found the Alt+F5 (or was it F6?) to work, which brings me back to a login screen.

Basically right now I have a working installation of Linux (i think it's working) but I'm not sure how to use it, going to a GUI might help if I know how.

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

I went to view a ASCII file by typing "view filename", how to I quit that after viewing the file?

/usr/bin/view -> vim

it's a symbolic link to vim....the easy answer is hit escape to make sure you're not in edit mode(accessed by hitting the "i" key), then type:

:q

to exit if you haven't changed anything,

:q!

ro exit if you have changed something,

:wq

to save changes and quit

:st

to stop vi....you can return, by returning it to the foreground from the bash(or other) prompt:

fg

you could also exit vi(m) by typing

ZZ

it will save changes, though.

here's some links to vi tutorials http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Vim-HOWTO-9.html

I only found the Alt+F5 (or was it F6?) to work, which brings me back to a login screen.

you've switched virtual terminals...you have 6 "virtual terminals" by default, and X will run on the 7th. I never use all 6, so I've disabled agetty from loading on four of the terminals...to slim things down a bit.

put it in C:\ and now the Win2000 boot menu can take me to Slackware Linux.

I've always loved that trick.

Can't access my CD-ROM and floppy 'cos they won't mount for some reason, I decided to go to a GUI to do that.

show me the commands you're using and make sure your mount points exist. the default cdrom mount point for Slack is /cdrom , but you could move it anywhere.... /mnt is always a good choice.

I remember saying I wanted X and KDE. I typed in startx and it said Config file now found...

which version of Slackware?

in 7.1, you need to run :

XF86Setup

or:

xf86config

XF86Setup is graphical...if you have problems with that, use xf86config or xf98config.

in 8.0:

xf86cfg

for craphical configuration, or:

xf86cfg -textmode


did you not install the framebuffer X server? if you had, X would have most likely worked without configuration, if your card is VESA 2.0 compliant.

The installation was actually OK, accept for the part where it asks you a whole bunch of questions on what to install.

I always recommend newbie mode for package selection the first time....it's supposed to make you understand what you're installing and give you an understanding about what each package does.

do the menu based package selection from now on, until you understand exactly what packages you need....then you can get lazy, like me. 8)

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

one thing I forgot to mention. when you just want to view a file, use cat, less or more. cat throws the whole file at you, more allows you to read a page at a time, less does that, too...but it also allows you to scroll up and down:

more /etc/XF86Config

less /etc/XF86Config


I suppose you could use head and tail, too...but forget about that for now.

[robo555]

Wow, thanks for the help, was afraid that no one would answer all my stupid questions...

OK, I'll boot to Linux tonight and try some of the stuff out, thanks!

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

ok, post back with any porblems you have. don't forget to post those mount commands.


I didn't really elaborate on the terminals, but you can use &lt ALT &gt + &lt F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 or F6 &gt to move back and forth between them.

[robo555]

Just waiting for the Kernel 2.4.6 to finish download on my 56k before I boot to Linux...although I'll probably wait before I try installing the kernel.

That "newbie" installation was just plain torture...I was sitting there going up arrow, down arrow, enter, up arrow, down arrow, enter...the worse thing is I think I didn't install most of the stuff I was suppose to, eg Printer support, and it's a pain to install them again since I forgot what they're call...and when I type in pkgconfig (think that was it), I didn't know how to install the missing packages, I choose install from other directorys, and it asked for a path, and I kinda didn't know what to put, I tried /dev/hdd, maybe it's 'cos all the packages are in the CD-ROM and my CD-ROM isn't working...

I saw that /cdrom in /, I typed in cd /cdrom and it didn't work, I also tried /dev/hdd (CD-ROM's in secondary slave) and didn't seem to work either, but I was pretty tired so I'll try again, think I tried something like mount dev/hdd as well.

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

yeah, I just saw that it's out...whoo hoo(said in a depressed, sarcastic tone). I'm still running 2.2.16. I built 2.4.5, but it didn't offer me anything that my current kernel didn't. of course, I'm running at least a year back, as far as my hardware goes.

That "newbie" installation was just plain torture

hehehe...it does require user input. I also recommend the first kernel compile be with a "make config"....that's real torture.

try something like:

mount /dev/hdd /cdrom

it should detect the ISO 9660 filesystem and mount it...if not, send the "-t iso9660" arguement. then cd to the package series directory....

cd /cdrom/slakware

then cd to the package series a1-y1 that you want to install from.....I wouldn't suggest installing much from a1 on a running system, that's the base system.

when you get there, use installpkg to install a single package, or use "pkgtool" and choose the from the current directory.

[robo555]

Thanks for the help once more, the CD-ROM's working now, I remember seeing a file that sets what drives to mount automatically, but I forgot where it was...would be nice to mount the CD-ROM and floppy on startup. And learn how to make a new folder...

Had a go with configuring the new kernel 2.4, using make config...did what the readme said, in Slackware, they have a folder/shortcut at /usr/src/linux that goes to /usr/src/linux-2.2.14, and I tar my 25MB .tar.gz kernel file as told, the file list flashed by, and thought that it would overwrite the linux symbolic link, and went into /usr/src/linux and opened up the README just to make sure, surely enough the readme mentioned 2.4

So I've made the symbolic links as told, got rid of the .o files, make config, make dep, etc, and then typed in the magical make zImage, and gcc flashed by, but it seems to be compiling files from the /usr/src/linux-2.2.14 folder! Have I spent all that time configuring the old kernel? And after some long minutes I got a compiling error, which was kinda annoying...

So with the default tar zxpvf linux-2.4.6.tar.gz over write the symbolic linux folder? Those files had got to decompressed somewhere right? Why did gcc started compiling the 2.2 files, think I might have just screwed something up. gcc never finished compiling the image anyway with that error.

I'm soo not going through make config again, gonna use menuconfig next time.

Oh yeah, I did managed to get startx to work, got me into KDE, unfortunately I don't think I selected yes when the install asked me about a "mouse server", and I'm not sure where the mouse package is located ont the CD...

I'm getting there...slowly

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

the file that automagically mounts filesystems is /etc/fstab , but I would not recommend you let it automount your cdrom....use the noauto option.


nope, you're going to have to delete the old sym link and create a new one. run "ls -l" in the /usr/src/ directory and see where the link's pointing.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the "mouse server"....when you set up X, what device file did you use for the mouse? check your XF86Config in the "pointer" section and make sure the "Device" is pointing to /dev/mouse or /dev/psaux....maybe you have it set up to use /dev/gpmdata.

I don't know, that's just a shot in the dark.

[WickedLittleSlaveBoy]

err, I was just joking about the "make config" command.....do yourself a favour and "make xconfig" from an xterm, when you get it up and running.

[robo555]

This is kinda annoyinig, got Slackware 7.1 installed two days ago, and what do I hear? Slackware 8.0's out!

Downloaded all those isos with my 56k.