How do I make YUM keep more than the default 2 kernels?
When you are updating your Fedora system via Yum and there is a kernel update involved, Yum will delete the oldest kernel on your system and keep the 2 newest. There are those who wish that this wasn't the default action. If you wish to keep more than the default 2 kernels, then open a terminal as root and type gedit /etc/yum.conf and under the [main] section add installonly_limit = N, where N is the number of kernels you wish to keep installed. Save and exit the editor.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
IPW3945 Wireless
Fedora 7 with the IPW3945 Wireless Adapter
When I install Fedora 7 on my laptop it's usually very simple to get wireless working. Since support for the IPW3945 is built in to the kernel all I need to do is to go to System > Administration > Services and restart NetworkManager and NetworkManagerDispatch. An icon appears in the top panel. Clicking that icon reveals all available wireless networks. I select my network and away I go. However, many many people, myself included, have had trouble getting wireless working on their laptops, regardless of the model of adapter. On my Toshiba laptop, I had trouble until I found this post, Keeler1's Amazing Wireless Help on Fedora Forum. I followed his steps for getting the IPW3945 drivers and was up and running in no time. Check out the link or read below. With his blessings I've copied most of that post here.
Getting ipw3945 isnt as hard as you first think.
1. Unpack the tar archive I included. This archive contains three files necessary to run it plus a shell script to update ipw3945 after a kernel update. The order in which the shell script removes the packages is crucial.
2. Use rpm -g to group install the three ipw3945 files included in the archive
3. modprobe ipw3945
4. Try to configure a network device and activate it.
5. If it works, great, but it probably wont. Should get an error saying it cant Set the Bit Rate
6. Open /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg- (replace network device name here with the name that it says in netwok manager) and change the last line which should say something like RATE='0 kbs' to RATE=Auto
7. Save the file and try to activate the device again. It should work.
That said, here's what I did to follow along. Download the attached (to his post) tar.gz file and move it to /opt
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/ipw3945wireless.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
Unpack the archive
tar xfvz ipw3945wireless.tar.gz
This leaves 4 new files in the /opt folder
dkms-ipw3945-1.2.0-1.noarch.rpm
ipw3945d-1.7.22-4.i386.rpm
ipw3945-firmware-1.13-1.noarch.rpm
update-3945
Before you proceed make sure you have the packages DKMS and GCC installed with this command
rpm -q dkms gcc
If they are not installed then install them like this
yum -y install dkms gcc
When that's done you can move forward with the wireless install. You are going to install the extracted packages with rpm's group install. Issue these commands.
rpm -i -g dkms-ipw3945*.rpm ipw3945-firmware*.rpm ipw3945d*.rpm
Then
modprobe ipw3945
Now try to configure a network device. At this point my wireless came to life. I was able to connect to my wireless router and the internet.
When I install Fedora 7 on my laptop it's usually very simple to get wireless working. Since support for the IPW3945 is built in to the kernel all I need to do is to go to System > Administration > Services and restart NetworkManager and NetworkManagerDispatch. An icon appears in the top panel. Clicking that icon reveals all available wireless networks. I select my network and away I go. However, many many people, myself included, have had trouble getting wireless working on their laptops, regardless of the model of adapter. On my Toshiba laptop, I had trouble until I found this post, Keeler1's Amazing Wireless Help on Fedora Forum. I followed his steps for getting the IPW3945 drivers and was up and running in no time. Check out the link or read below. With his blessings I've copied most of that post here.
Getting ipw3945 isnt as hard as you first think.
1. Unpack the tar archive I included. This archive contains three files necessary to run it plus a shell script to update ipw3945 after a kernel update. The order in which the shell script removes the packages is crucial.
2. Use rpm -g to group install the three ipw3945 files included in the archive
3. modprobe ipw3945
4. Try to configure a network device and activate it.
5. If it works, great, but it probably wont. Should get an error saying it cant Set the Bit Rate
6. Open /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-
7. Save the file and try to activate the device again. It should work.
That said, here's what I did to follow along. Download the attached (to his post) tar.gz file and move it to /opt
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/ipw3945wireless.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
Unpack the archive
tar xfvz ipw3945wireless.tar.gz
This leaves 4 new files in the /opt folder
dkms-ipw3945-1.2.0-1.noarch.rpm
ipw3945d-1.7.22-4.i386.rpm
ipw3945-firmware-1.13-1.noarch.rpm
update-3945
Before you proceed make sure you have the packages DKMS and GCC installed with this command
rpm -q dkms gcc
If they are not installed then install them like this
yum -y install dkms gcc
When that's done you can move forward with the wireless install. You are going to install the extracted packages with rpm's group install. Issue these commands.
rpm -i -g dkms-ipw3945*.rpm ipw3945-firmware*.rpm ipw3945d*.rpm
Then
modprobe ipw3945
Now try to configure a network device. At this point my wireless came to life. I was able to connect to my wireless router and the internet.
Install Fedora 7 to USB Stick
I installed Fedora 7 Live to my 4GB Sandisk Cruzer Micro USB stick. It was incredibly easy. First order of business was to backup my files on the stick, which really meant that I copied all of the files to a super secret location. Turns out that this wasn't necessary since when I was done with the install all of the files were still there. For the installation I followed the instructions at the [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FedoraLiveCD/USBHowTo Fedora Wiki]. The only steps I needed to execute were, in this order,
df -h
which showed my USB stick as /dev/sdb1,
rpm -q livecd-tools
which showed the livecd-tools was not installed, so I installed them with
su -c 'yum install livecd-tools'
I had already downloaded the Live iso file some time ago. It resided on a network folder so I copied it to my home folder making it more readily available for use. Then, in a terminal as root I issued the command
livecd-iso-to-disk Fedora-7-Live-i686.iso /dev/sdb1
and saw the following output
Copying live image to USB stick
Updating boot config file
Installing boot loader
USB stick set up as live image!
That's all I needed to do. There were no issues with the USB partition being not bootable and I didn't format the USB stick before installing the live ISO. The next step for me was simply to reboot and choose the USB stick as boot media. Fedora 7 booted like a champ.
df -h
which showed my USB stick as /dev/sdb1,
rpm -q livecd-tools
which showed the livecd-tools was not installed, so I installed them with
su -c 'yum install livecd-tools'
I had already downloaded the Live iso file some time ago. It resided on a network folder so I copied it to my home folder making it more readily available for use. Then, in a terminal as root I issued the command
livecd-iso-to-disk Fedora-7-Live-i686.iso /dev/sdb1
and saw the following output
Copying live image to USB stick
Updating boot config file
Installing boot loader
USB stick set up as live image!
That's all I needed to do. There were no issues with the USB partition being not bootable and I didn't format the USB stick before installing the live ISO. The next step for me was simply to reboot and choose the USB stick as boot media. Fedora 7 booted like a champ.
Pysol
Back when we were using Fedora Core 4 or so I played a card game called Pysol. Liked it a lot, but as time passed and Fedora was updated, so was Python. As of Python 2.5 Pysol would no longer work. Or so it seemed. A user at http://www.fedoraforum.org posted to a thread that I was following stating that he had the game working. I followed his lead and got Pysol working for me too. Here's what to do.
Assuming the link is still good, download Pysol from www.fedoraforum.orgpysol-4.82.1-5.1.noarch.rpm The file should save to your desktop. To install, open a terminal and type
sudo rpm -Uh /home/yourusername/Desktop/pysol-4.82.1-5.1.noarch
This installs Pysol in ''/usr/share/games/pysol''. Now you need to make an alias in your '''.bashrc''' file in your home directory. To do that, in a termial, as your regular user, type
gedit .bashrc
Add this line,
pysol='python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py'
to the bottom of the file, save and exit. Run the game as root the first time. Quoting the member who posted the fix, "run as root first time to ensure the .pyc modules are created correctly." For me, the game still wouldn't work. I tried everything that my particular level of Linux experience would allow me to think of. I remember from the Fedora Core 4 / "Pysol was working" days that the game seemed to depend on '''TCL''' and '''tk''', so I installed both of them,
yum install tcl tk
but that didn't help. They both installed OK but nothing changed. The game still would not work. No matter what I tried Pysol refused to run. After several attempts I got some error output that hinted that Pysol needed tkinter to function. Off to the terminal again
yum install tkinter
This time I met with success. The installation of tkinter was exactly what I needed to get the game working. From a terminal, launch Pysol with this command
python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py &
The game finally worked, so it was time to make a desktop launcher so I don't have to open a terminal and remember what the command was. To do that, right click the desktop and select '''create launcher'''. In the ensuing dialog box enter the name of the game, '''Pysol''', and the command to launch the game, '''python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py &'''.
[[Image:screenshot-create launcher.png]]
I also went to the trouble of getting the correct icon to display, but that isn't so straight forward. You can click the icon button in the launcher dialog but you probably won't be able to select the pysol icon. What I did was to just save the launcher without an icon, then right click the launcher and select '''properties'''. There you can click the icon button and make your way to '''/usr/share/games/pysol'''. There you can select the pysol icon and close the properties dialog. You will now have the lovely '''club''' icon for the game. Good luck.
Assuming the link is still good, download Pysol from www.fedoraforum.orgpysol-4.82.1-5.1.noarch.rpm The file should save to your desktop. To install, open a terminal and type
sudo rpm -Uh /home/yourusername/Desktop/pysol-4.82.1-5.1.noarch
This installs Pysol in ''/usr/share/games/pysol''. Now you need to make an alias in your '''.bashrc''' file in your home directory. To do that, in a termial, as your regular user, type
gedit .bashrc
Add this line,
pysol='python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py'
to the bottom of the file, save and exit. Run the game as root the first time. Quoting the member who posted the fix, "run as root first time to ensure the .pyc modules are created correctly." For me, the game still wouldn't work. I tried everything that my particular level of Linux experience would allow me to think of. I remember from the Fedora Core 4 / "Pysol was working" days that the game seemed to depend on '''TCL''' and '''tk''', so I installed both of them,
yum install tcl tk
but that didn't help. They both installed OK but nothing changed. The game still would not work. No matter what I tried Pysol refused to run. After several attempts I got some error output that hinted that Pysol needed tkinter to function. Off to the terminal again
yum install tkinter
This time I met with success. The installation of tkinter was exactly what I needed to get the game working. From a terminal, launch Pysol with this command
python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py &
The game finally worked, so it was time to make a desktop launcher so I don't have to open a terminal and remember what the command was. To do that, right click the desktop and select '''create launcher'''. In the ensuing dialog box enter the name of the game, '''Pysol''', and the command to launch the game, '''python /usr/share/games/pysol/pysol.py &'''.
[[Image:screenshot-create launcher.png]]
I also went to the trouble of getting the correct icon to display, but that isn't so straight forward. You can click the icon button in the launcher dialog but you probably won't be able to select the pysol icon. What I did was to just save the launcher without an icon, then right click the launcher and select '''properties'''. There you can click the icon button and make your way to '''/usr/share/games/pysol'''. There you can select the pysol icon and close the properties dialog. You will now have the lovely '''club''' icon for the game. Good luck.
Printer Setup
=====Printer Setup=====
I have an Epson Stylus C88+ printer attached to a networked Windows XP computer. These are the steps I take to install this printer under Fedora 7.
On the top panel select System > Administration > Printing. You will see the Printer Configuration screen.
[[Image:screenshot-printer1a.png]]
Click the '''New Printer''' icon and you see the '''New Printer''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter.png]]
Enter a printer name, in my case '''Epson'''. Optionally you can enter a description and a location for the printer, but it's not necessary.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter2.png]]
Click the '''forward''' icon. The next dialog is where you choose the connection type for your printer.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter3.png]]
Since my printer is connected to a Windows XP box I select '''Windows Printer via SAMBA'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter4.png]]
Now I should be able to click on the arrow that is next to the name of my workgroup, '''johnson''', but that never seems to work so I add the printer location info manually, in the box just above the workgroup name. I know that the printer is attached to a computer called '''shrek''' in the workgroup '''johnson''', and the printer is actually named '''epson88''', so here's what I add, folowing the example that is provided by the utility.
smb://johnson/shrek:631/epson88
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter6.png]]
Click the '''verify''' icon and you should see a confirmation dialog informing you that the printer share is available.
[[Image:screenshot-printer-verified.png]]
Click the '''forward''' icon and select you printer make from the list. I choose '''Epson''' of course and click the '''forward''' icon.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter7.png]]
Select the printer model from the list. In my case, '''Stylus C88'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter8.png]]
I leave the default printer driver as is and click the '''forward''' icon. The next dialog informs you that the system is going to create a new printer using the information that we entered. In my case, a new printer, '''Epson''', at '''smb://johnson/shrek/epson88'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter9.png]]
Click the '''apply''' icon to create the new printer.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter10.png]]
Now we're back at the original dialog, the one we saw when we first invoked the printing utility from the top panel. This time our new printer is shown as installed. Just a few more details and we're done. Simply set the printer as default by selecting the '''make default printer''' button and print a test page to make sure that our new printer is functioning as we expect it to.
I have an Epson Stylus C88+ printer attached to a networked Windows XP computer. These are the steps I take to install this printer under Fedora 7.
On the top panel select System > Administration > Printing. You will see the Printer Configuration screen.
[[Image:screenshot-printer1a.png]]
Click the '''New Printer''' icon and you see the '''New Printer''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter.png]]
Enter a printer name, in my case '''Epson'''. Optionally you can enter a description and a location for the printer, but it's not necessary.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter2.png]]
Click the '''forward''' icon. The next dialog is where you choose the connection type for your printer.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter3.png]]
Since my printer is connected to a Windows XP box I select '''Windows Printer via SAMBA'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter4.png]]
Now I should be able to click on the arrow that is next to the name of my workgroup, '''johnson''', but that never seems to work so I add the printer location info manually, in the box just above the workgroup name. I know that the printer is attached to a computer called '''shrek''' in the workgroup '''johnson''', and the printer is actually named '''epson88''', so here's what I add, folowing the example that is provided by the utility.
smb://johnson/shrek:631/epson88
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter6.png]]
Click the '''verify''' icon and you should see a confirmation dialog informing you that the printer share is available.
[[Image:screenshot-printer-verified.png]]
Click the '''forward''' icon and select you printer make from the list. I choose '''Epson''' of course and click the '''forward''' icon.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter7.png]]
Select the printer model from the list. In my case, '''Stylus C88'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter8.png]]
I leave the default printer driver as is and click the '''forward''' icon. The next dialog informs you that the system is going to create a new printer using the information that we entered. In my case, a new printer, '''Epson''', at '''smb://johnson/shrek/epson88'''.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter9.png]]
Click the '''apply''' icon to create the new printer.
[[Image:screenshot-newprinter10.png]]
Now we're back at the original dialog, the one we saw when we first invoked the printing utility from the top panel. This time our new printer is shown as installed. Just a few more details and we're done. Simply set the printer as default by selecting the '''make default printer''' button and print a test page to make sure that our new printer is functioning as we expect it to.
Passphrase Required
=====Passphrase Required by Wireless Network=====
An annoyance that many Fedora users seem to encounter. Every time you boot your computer it tries to connect to your wireless network. It always asks for a passphrase but you
would like it to be seamless and not ask for a password. Here's what I did using info gathered from [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum].
First off, when setting up the pam_keyring, the user login password and the '"default-keyring"' name must be the same. Also you need to edit the '''/etc/pam.d/gdm''' and add a couple entries. Also, if you are using '''auto login''' the automating of the keyring will not work, as the password needs to be read from the login screen. To change your keyring password, open a terminal window and type:
/usr/libexec/pam-keyring-tool -c
Change the password to the same as your user login password and change your '''/etc/pam.d/gdm''' to look like this:
#%PAM-1.0
auth required pam_env.so
auth optional pam_keyring.so try_first_pass
auth include system-auth
account required pam_nologin.so
account include system-auth
password include system-auth
session optional pam_keyinit.so force revoke
session include system-auth
session required pam_loginuid.so
session optional pam_console.so
session optional pam_keyring.so
Make sure you have '''pam_keyring''' and '''gnome-keyring''' installed.
yum install pam_keyring gnome-keyring
Using '''Nautilus''' or your favorite file browser open '''.gnome2/keyrings''' in your home folder. You may need to have your file browser show hidden files to see the '''.gnome2/keyrings''' folder. Delete the file '''default.keyring''' and reboot. When the system is up It should ask for the default keyring password, which should be the same as your user login password, and then ask for the key.
An annoyance that many Fedora users seem to encounter. Every time you boot your computer it tries to connect to your wireless network. It always asks for a passphrase but you
would like it to be seamless and not ask for a password. Here's what I did using info gathered from [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum].
First off, when setting up the pam_keyring, the user login password and the '"default-keyring"' name must be the same. Also you need to edit the '''/etc/pam.d/gdm''' and add a couple entries. Also, if you are using '''auto login''' the automating of the keyring will not work, as the password needs to be read from the login screen. To change your keyring password, open a terminal window and type:
/usr/libexec/pam-keyring-tool -c
Change the password to the same as your user login password and change your '''/etc/pam.d/gdm''' to look like this:
#%PAM-1.0
auth required pam_env.so
auth optional pam_keyring.so try_first_pass
auth include system-auth
account required pam_nologin.so
account include system-auth
password include system-auth
session optional pam_keyinit.so force revoke
session include system-auth
session required pam_loginuid.so
session optional pam_console.so
session optional pam_keyring.so
Make sure you have '''pam_keyring''' and '''gnome-keyring''' installed.
yum install pam_keyring gnome-keyring
Using '''Nautilus''' or your favorite file browser open '''.gnome2/keyrings''' in your home folder. You may need to have your file browser show hidden files to see the '''.gnome2/keyrings''' folder. Delete the file '''default.keyring''' and reboot. When the system is up It should ask for the default keyring password, which should be the same as your user login password, and then ask for the key.
Opera Web Browser
=====Opera Web Browser=====
[[#Install|Install]]
[[#Java|Java]]
=====Install=====
I downloaded the Opera web browser from [http://www.opera.com/download/?platform=linux Opera's download page]. The file saves to my desktop. Since I install from my /opt folder the first order of business is to move the archive to that folder. Open a terminal and type
sudo mv /home/glenn/Desktop/opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and unpack the archive with this command
sudo tar xfvz opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en.tar.gz
This unpacks the files into their own folder beneath /opt, '''/opt/opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en-660'''. Change to that folder with the command
cd opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en-660/
and install Opera by typing
sudo sh install.sh
When the install script starts you see
Files will be installed as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Wrapper Script : /usr/bin
Binaries : /usr/lib/opera/9.23-20070809.6
Plugins : /usr/lib/opera/plugins
Shared files : /usr/share/opera
Documentation : /usr/share/doc/opera
Manual page : /usr/share/man
-----------------------------------------------------------
Is this correct [ y,n,c | yes,no,cancel ] ?
Type '''yes''' and press enter. This brings you to the next prompt.
System wide configuration files:
/etc/opera6rc
/etc/opera6rc.fixed
would be ignored if installed with the prefix "/usr".
Do you want to install them in /etc [ y,n | yes,no ] ?
Type '''yes''' and press enter again. The installation is complete. There will now be a menu entry under Applications > Internet > Opera. I want a desktop shortcut, so I'm going to access Opera from the menu, right click the menu entry and select '''add this launcher to desktop'''. Done. I have successfully installed the latest Opera web browser and have created a nice desktop shortcut for it.
=====Java=====
Enabling Java in Opera for Linux
These instructions were last updated for Opera 9.1.
Opera uses the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE) directly, rather than through the use of a Web browser plug-in. Before proceeding, you may wish to test Java to see if Opera has been able to auto-detect your Java installation using our [http://opera.com/applets/clock/ test applet]. If Opera does not show this applet (an animated analog clock), you can try adding the correct Java path for your system in Opera's preferences:
Go to Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Content.
Click the "Java options" button. If this button is dimmed, first check the "Enable Java" option.
Click the "Choose" button for the "Java path" field.
Navigate to the Java directory and click "OK". The path you are looking for is the directory of your Java installation containing the files libjava.so and libawt.so. On the command line, type: find / -name libjava.so 2> /dev/null
For example, on a Debian system, the path is: /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun/jre/lib/i386
Click the "Validate Java path" button. If you get an error message, try again with a different path.
Click "OK" to save your changes and exit the Java dialog.
Click "OK" to save your changes and exit the Preferences dialog.
[[#Install|Install]]
[[#Java|Java]]
=====Install=====
I downloaded the Opera web browser from [http://www.opera.com/download/?platform=linux Opera's download page]. The file saves to my desktop. Since I install from my /opt folder the first order of business is to move the archive to that folder. Open a terminal and type
sudo mv /home/glenn/Desktop/opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and unpack the archive with this command
sudo tar xfvz opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en.tar.gz
This unpacks the files into their own folder beneath /opt, '''/opt/opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en-660'''. Change to that folder with the command
cd opera-9.23-20070809.6-shared-qt.i386-en-660/
and install Opera by typing
sudo sh install.sh
When the install script starts you see
Files will be installed as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Wrapper Script : /usr/bin
Binaries : /usr/lib/opera/9.23-20070809.6
Plugins : /usr/lib/opera/plugins
Shared files : /usr/share/opera
Documentation : /usr/share/doc/opera
Manual page : /usr/share/man
-----------------------------------------------------------
Is this correct [ y,n,c | yes,no,cancel ] ?
Type '''yes''' and press enter. This brings you to the next prompt.
System wide configuration files:
/etc/opera6rc
/etc/opera6rc.fixed
would be ignored if installed with the prefix "/usr".
Do you want to install them in /etc [ y,n | yes,no ] ?
Type '''yes''' and press enter again. The installation is complete. There will now be a menu entry under Applications > Internet > Opera. I want a desktop shortcut, so I'm going to access Opera from the menu, right click the menu entry and select '''add this launcher to desktop'''. Done. I have successfully installed the latest Opera web browser and have created a nice desktop shortcut for it.
=====Java=====
Enabling Java in Opera for Linux
These instructions were last updated for Opera 9.1.
Opera uses the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE) directly, rather than through the use of a Web browser plug-in. Before proceeding, you may wish to test Java to see if Opera has been able to auto-detect your Java installation using our [http://opera.com/applets/clock/ test applet]. If Opera does not show this applet (an animated analog clock), you can try adding the correct Java path for your system in Opera's preferences:
Go to Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Content.
Click the "Java options" button. If this button is dimmed, first check the "Enable Java" option.
Click the "Choose" button for the "Java path" field.
Navigate to the Java directory and click "OK". The path you are looking for is the directory of your Java installation containing the files libjava.so and libawt.so. On the command line, type: find / -name libjava.so 2> /dev/null
For example, on a Debian system, the path is: /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun/jre/lib/i386
Click the "Validate Java path" button. If you get an error message, try again with a different path.
Click "OK" to save your changes and exit the Java dialog.
Click "OK" to save your changes and exit the Preferences dialog.
Nautilus
=====Nautilus Oddities=====
Or, how can I get Nautilus to do this or that?
Open a .txt file for viewing by clicking on the file.
Open Nautilus and select Edit > Preferences and click the '''behaviour''' tab. Under the heading '''Executable Text Files''' select view executable text files when they are clicked. Now any time you click on a text file it will be displayed in the text editor.
Or, how can I get Nautilus to do this or that?
Open a .txt file for viewing by clicking on the file.
Open Nautilus and select Edit > Preferences and click the '''behaviour''' tab. Under the heading '''Executable Text Files''' select view executable text files when they are clicked. Now any time you click on a text file it will be displayed in the text editor.
Multimedia Codecs
=====MultiMedia Codecs=====
cd /tmp
wget http://www1.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/releases/codecs/all-20061022.tar.bz2
tar -jxvf all-20061022.tar.bz2
su -c 'mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/codecs'
su -c 'cp all-20061022/* /usr/local/lib/codecs'
rm -rf /tmp/all-20061022*
=====Optional Step=====
This step is not required. There are some other applications that may need these codecs.
su -c 'ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/lib/codecs && ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/local/lib/win32 && ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/lib/win32'
cd /tmp
wget http://www1.mplayerhq.hu/MPlayer/releases/codecs/all-20061022.tar.bz2
tar -jxvf all-20061022.tar.bz2
su -c 'mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/codecs'
su -c 'cp all-20061022/* /usr/local/lib/codecs'
rm -rf /tmp/all-20061022*
=====Optional Step=====
This step is not required. There are some other applications that may need these codecs.
su -c 'ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/lib/codecs && ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/local/lib/win32 && ln -sf /usr/local/lib/codecs /usr/lib/win32'
Mounting Partitions
===Mounting Other Partitions===
=====EXT3, FAT32 and NTFS=====
[[#NTFS|NTFS]]
[[#FAT32|FAT32]]
[[#EXT3|EXT3]]
===NTFS===
Mounting NTFS Partitions in Fedora 7
Fedora 7 ships with NTFS-3g. Quoting from the NTFS-3G web site [http://www.ntfs-3g.org NTFS-3G]
The NTFS-3G driver is an open source, freely available read/write NTFS driver for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, NetBSD, and Haiku. It provides safe and fast handling of the
Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista file systems. Most POSIX file system operations are supported, with the exception of full file
ownership and access right support.
To mount your NTFS partitions you need to
a. know what partitions you want to use
b. create a place to mount them to
c. mount them manually
d. mount them automatically
We'll start by listing the partitions on my laptop hard disk, a 160GB SATA with 4 partitions. Open a terminal as root and type
fdisk -l /dev/sda
Here's the output I get. Your's will be different.
[root@toshiba /]# fdisk -l /dev/sda
Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 192 1536000 27 Unknown
/dev/sda2 * 192 16586 131684352 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 16587 19457 23061307+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 16587 17891 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 17892 19196 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 19197 19457 2096451 82 Linux swap / Solaris
As I stated, I have 4 partitions on this disk. /dev/sda1 is the Toshiba Recovery partition, /dev/sda2 is the Windows Vista partition, /dev/sda5 holds my Debian install, /dev/sda6 holds my Fedora 7 install and /dev/sda7 is the swap partition shared by Fedora and Debian. The one I'm after is the NTFS partition, /dev/sda2. Now that I know what partition is my Windows partition I need to go ahead and create a '''mount point''' for it. This will be where I mount the partition '''to'''. In the terminal, as root, type
mkdir /media/windows (you don't have to use ''windows'', you can call it anything you like)
So far we've determined what partition is the NTFS / Windows partition and created a '''mount point'''. Now all we need to do is to go ahead and mount it. In the terminal, as root, type
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda2 /media/windows
Loosely translated, that's telling the file system to mount the partition /dev/sda3 to the folder /media/windows using the NTFS drivers. If there are no error messages, as there shouldn't be, you can open Nautlius and browse to the /media/windows folder and you should see all of your Windows files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda2 /media/windows ntfs-3g defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
=====FAT32=====
Mounting FAT32 Partitions
To mount a FAT32 partition, we follow the same steps that we used for the NTFS partitions. The difference here is the use of VFAT for mounting instead of NTFS-3G. If my NTFS partition, /dev/sda2, was FAT32 this is how we would set it up. Open a terminal as root and create a '''mount point'''.
mkdir /media/windows
Mount the partition.
mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /media/windows
That's all there is to it. Using Nautilus you should be able to browse to /media/windows and see all of your files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda2 /media/windows vfat defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
=====EXT3=====
Mounting EXT3 Partitions
To mount an EXT3 partition, we follow the same steps that we used for the NTFS partitions. The difference here is the use of EXT3 for mounting instead of NTFS-3G. Using the Debian partition, /dev/sda5 as an example, here's how we would mount it. Open a terminal as root and create a '''mount point'''.
mkdir /media/debian
Mount the partition.
mount -t ext3 /dev/sda5 /media/debian
That's all there is to it. Using Nautilus you should be able to browse to /media/debian and see all of your files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda5 /media/debian ext3 defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
=====EXT3, FAT32 and NTFS=====
[[#NTFS|NTFS]]
[[#FAT32|FAT32]]
[[#EXT3|EXT3]]
===NTFS===
Mounting NTFS Partitions in Fedora 7
Fedora 7 ships with NTFS-3g. Quoting from the NTFS-3G web site [http://www.ntfs-3g.org NTFS-3G]
The NTFS-3G driver is an open source, freely available read/write NTFS driver for Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, NetBSD, and Haiku. It provides safe and fast handling of the
Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista file systems. Most POSIX file system operations are supported, with the exception of full file
ownership and access right support.
To mount your NTFS partitions you need to
a. know what partitions you want to use
b. create a place to mount them to
c. mount them manually
d. mount them automatically
We'll start by listing the partitions on my laptop hard disk, a 160GB SATA with 4 partitions. Open a terminal as root and type
fdisk -l /dev/sda
Here's the output I get. Your's will be different.
[root@toshiba /]# fdisk -l /dev/sda
Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 192 1536000 27 Unknown
/dev/sda2 * 192 16586 131684352 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda3 16587 19457 23061307+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 16587 17891 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 17892 19196 10482381 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 19197 19457 2096451 82 Linux swap / Solaris
As I stated, I have 4 partitions on this disk. /dev/sda1 is the Toshiba Recovery partition, /dev/sda2 is the Windows Vista partition, /dev/sda5 holds my Debian install, /dev/sda6 holds my Fedora 7 install and /dev/sda7 is the swap partition shared by Fedora and Debian. The one I'm after is the NTFS partition, /dev/sda2. Now that I know what partition is my Windows partition I need to go ahead and create a '''mount point''' for it. This will be where I mount the partition '''to'''. In the terminal, as root, type
mkdir /media/windows (you don't have to use ''windows'', you can call it anything you like)
So far we've determined what partition is the NTFS / Windows partition and created a '''mount point'''. Now all we need to do is to go ahead and mount it. In the terminal, as root, type
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda2 /media/windows
Loosely translated, that's telling the file system to mount the partition /dev/sda3 to the folder /media/windows using the NTFS drivers. If there are no error messages, as there shouldn't be, you can open Nautlius and browse to the /media/windows folder and you should see all of your Windows files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda2 /media/windows ntfs-3g defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
=====FAT32=====
Mounting FAT32 Partitions
To mount a FAT32 partition, we follow the same steps that we used for the NTFS partitions. The difference here is the use of VFAT for mounting instead of NTFS-3G. If my NTFS partition, /dev/sda2, was FAT32 this is how we would set it up. Open a terminal as root and create a '''mount point'''.
mkdir /media/windows
Mount the partition.
mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /media/windows
That's all there is to it. Using Nautilus you should be able to browse to /media/windows and see all of your files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda2 /media/windows vfat defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
=====EXT3=====
Mounting EXT3 Partitions
To mount an EXT3 partition, we follow the same steps that we used for the NTFS partitions. The difference here is the use of EXT3 for mounting instead of NTFS-3G. Using the Debian partition, /dev/sda5 as an example, here's how we would mount it. Open a terminal as root and create a '''mount point'''.
mkdir /media/debian
Mount the partition.
mount -t ext3 /dev/sda5 /media/debian
That's all there is to it. Using Nautilus you should be able to browse to /media/debian and see all of your files. To make the partition mount at boot time we need to add a line to the /etc/fstab file. In the terminal as root type
gedit /etc/fstab
Add a line at the bottom of the file
/dev/sda5 /media/debian ext3 defaults 0 0
Save the file and close the editor. Your partition will now mount automatically at boot time.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Laptop Sound II
=====Laptop Sound II=====
Well, as Fedora 7 has progressed I've gone from no sound to getting sound working for only one kernel. Now I'm back at stage one. No sound again. I firmly believe that the issue is sound '''volume''' and not whether sound works or doesn't. I can play an MP3 and it works fine. None of the audio players complain about anything so that part is all good. I just can't hear anything. I've kept notes on what I've done to try to fix this problem and thought that I'd dump those notes here. Here they are:
Kernel version:
[glenn@toshiba modprobe.d]$ uname -ra
Linux toshiba 2.6.22.9-91.fc7 #1 SMP Thu Sep 27 23:10:59 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
To set up sound I've done the following:
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ sudo lspci | grep Audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ lsmod | grep snd
snd_hda_intel 243545 1
snd_seq_dummy 7877 0
snd_seq_oss 33473 0
snd_seq_midi_event 11073 1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq 50609 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_seq_device 11981 3 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq
snd_pcm_oss 43457 0
snd_mixer_oss 19521 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 74949 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer 24901 2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd 53317 10 snd_hda_intel,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore 11681 1 snd
snd_page_alloc 14281 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
Installed gstreamer plugins
sudo yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly
Rebooted.
Music plays but there is no sound. Like it's muted. Followed instructions for installing newest alsa drivers. During that process modprobe snd-hda-intel failed.
Rebooted.
Now, the sound volume icon is muted. If I click it it will probably tell me that there is no audio device detected. Here's the output of '''dmesg | grep hda'''
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
I'm going to try changing the '''3stack''' option to '''auto''' and '''toshiba''' to see what happens and if the '''dmesg''' output is different.
Changed option to '''auto''' and rebooted and here's the output of '''dmesg | grep snd'''
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x006f0d00
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
Tried '''modprobe snd-hda-intel''' again and this time the system accepted the command. Does this mean that sound will worK? I doubt it. But let's move forward, shall we?
At least with '''system-config-soundcard''' I'm able to select '''ALC268 Digital''' now. That option wasn't available previously. Only options
available were '''ALC268 Analog''' and '''Si3054''' Modem. This must be a giant step forward.
Rebooted.
Music will once again play but there is no volume, again as if it's muted.
Rebooting again.
Here's '''dmesg''' this time. Volume is not muted.
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x10a90000
Music still plays but there is still no volume. Edited '''/etc/modprobe.conf'''. Originally there was a line that read '''options snd-hda-intel index=0'''. Changed that to read
'''options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack'''.
Rebooted.
Edited '''/etc/rc.local''' to add these 2 lines to the bottom of the file:
modprobe -r snd_hda_intel
modprobe snd_hda_intel
Rebooted.
Dinna do nuthin'.
After a multi hour break from fighting with sound here's the current relevant output from '''dmesg'''.
[root@toshiba ~]# dmesg | grep alsa
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x015b8000
Still using '''3stack'''. '''3stack''' is part of /'''etc/modprobe.conf''' so I'm going to play around with that file for a bit.
Changed /etc/modprobe.conf - line reads:
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack
Changed to
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=toshiba
and if that doesn't work will try
options snd-hda-intel index= model=auto
Rebooting between each change.
OK, back from reboot using '''toshiba'''. Here's relevant output from '''dmesg''', which now says '''toshiba'''.
[root@toshiba ~]# dmesg | grep alsa
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model 'toshiba' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x002b8000
Sound now works. I'm listening to an MP3 file now using Rhythmbox and am able to listen to streaming audio. I guess the last change is the one that made the difference for me, but I can't be sure.
For future reference this is the contents of /etc/modprobe.conf:
alias eth0 sky2
alias scsi_hostadapter ata_piix
alias wlan0 iwl3945
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-card-0 index=0
#options snd-hda-intel index=0
#options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=toshiba
#options snd -hda-intel index= model=auto
Well, as Fedora 7 has progressed I've gone from no sound to getting sound working for only one kernel. Now I'm back at stage one. No sound again. I firmly believe that the issue is sound '''volume''' and not whether sound works or doesn't. I can play an MP3 and it works fine. None of the audio players complain about anything so that part is all good. I just can't hear anything. I've kept notes on what I've done to try to fix this problem and thought that I'd dump those notes here. Here they are:
Kernel version:
[glenn@toshiba modprobe.d]$ uname -ra
Linux toshiba 2.6.22.9-91.fc7 #1 SMP Thu Sep 27 23:10:59 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
To set up sound I've done the following:
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ sudo lspci | grep Audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ lsmod | grep snd
snd_hda_intel 243545 1
snd_seq_dummy 7877 0
snd_seq_oss 33473 0
snd_seq_midi_event 11073 1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq 50609 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_seq_device 11981 3 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq
snd_pcm_oss 43457 0
snd_mixer_oss 19521 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 74949 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer 24901 2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd 53317 10 snd_hda_intel,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore 11681 1 snd
snd_page_alloc 14281 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
Installed gstreamer plugins
sudo yum install gstreamer-plugins-ugly
Rebooted.
Music plays but there is no sound. Like it's muted. Followed instructions for installing newest alsa drivers. During that process modprobe snd-hda-intel failed.
Rebooted.
Now, the sound volume icon is muted. If I click it it will probably tell me that there is no audio device detected. Here's the output of '''dmesg | grep hda'''
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
I'm going to try changing the '''3stack''' option to '''auto''' and '''toshiba''' to see what happens and if the '''dmesg''' output is different.
Changed option to '''auto''' and rebooted and here's the output of '''dmesg | grep snd'''
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x006f0d00
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
Tried '''modprobe snd-hda-intel''' again and this time the system accepted the command. Does this mean that sound will worK? I doubt it. But let's move forward, shall we?
At least with '''system-config-soundcard''' I'm able to select '''ALC268 Digital''' now. That option wasn't available previously. Only options
available were '''ALC268 Analog''' and '''Si3054''' Modem. This must be a giant step forward.
Rebooted.
Music will once again play but there is no volume, again as if it's muted.
Rebooting again.
Here's '''dmesg''' this time. Volume is not muted.
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ dmesg | grep hda
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x10a90000
Music still plays but there is still no volume. Edited '''/etc/modprobe.conf'''. Originally there was a line that read '''options snd-hda-intel index=0'''. Changed that to read
'''options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack'''.
Rebooted.
Edited '''/etc/rc.local''' to add these 2 lines to the bottom of the file:
modprobe -r snd_hda_intel
modprobe snd_hda_intel
Rebooted.
Dinna do nuthin'.
After a multi hour break from fighting with sound here's the current relevant output from '''dmesg'''.
[root@toshiba ~]# dmesg | grep alsa
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model '3stack' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x015b8000
Still using '''3stack'''. '''3stack''' is part of /'''etc/modprobe.conf''' so I'm going to play around with that file for a bit.
Changed /etc/modprobe.conf - line reads:
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack
Changed to
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=toshiba
and if that doesn't work will try
options snd-hda-intel index= model=auto
Rebooting between each change.
OK, back from reboot using '''toshiba'''. Here's relevant output from '''dmesg''', which now says '''toshiba'''.
[root@toshiba ~]# dmesg | grep alsa
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/hda_codec.c:2132: hda_codec: model 'toshiba' is selected
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:238: si3054: cannot initialize. EXT MID = 0000
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/patch_si3054.c:250: Link Frame Detect(FDT) is not ready (line status: 0000)
ALSA /usr/src/alsa/alsa-driver/pci/hda/../../alsa-kernel/pci/hda/hda_intel.c:576: hda_intel: azx_get_response timeout, switching to polling mode: last cmd=0x002b8000
Sound now works. I'm listening to an MP3 file now using Rhythmbox and am able to listen to streaming audio. I guess the last change is the one that made the difference for me, but I can't be sure.
For future reference this is the contents of /etc/modprobe.conf:
alias eth0 sky2
alias scsi_hostadapter ata_piix
alias wlan0 iwl3945
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-card-0 index=0
#options snd-hda-intel index=0
#options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=3stack
options snd-hda-intel index=0 model=toshiba
#options snd -hda-intel index= model=auto
Laptop Sound I
=====Laptop Sound=====
After months of trying to get sound out of my Toshiba Satellite A205-S4577 I finally win! The sound 'card' on the laptop is
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ lspci | grep Audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
I've tried every tutorial I could find and even played around over at ALSA's web site. Nothing. Then I was reading a post at the [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum], followed a link here: http://blog.justinconover.com/ and my sound now works. Here's what Justin says to do.
1. yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
2. yum install mercurial
3. cd /usr/src
4. mkdir alsa && cd alsa
5. hg clone http://hg-mirror.alsa-project.org/alsa-driver alsa-driver
6. cd alsa-driver
7. hg clone http://hg-mirror.alsa-project.org/alsa-kernel alsa-kernel
8. ./hgcompile && make install - Failed here for lack of kernel source. Side trip to install source
yum install kernel-devel (rerun step 8 after kernel-devel is installed)
9. echo options snd-hda-intel model=3stack > /etc/modprobe.d/sound
10. modprobe snd-hda-intel
11. system-config-soundcard - This failed
12. reboot Sound works!
I posted the fact that sound now works on a few Linux related web forums hoping that other users with the 82801G sound card could get their sound working also. I also mentioned
that I wondered what would happen when there was a kernel update. A member of one of those sites replied:
just do step 8, 10, and 12 when you update your kernel.
you shouldn't have to reboot though, try just restarting X, log out and back in. if you don't restart X when you logout, you can disable that, you will
have to go to runlevel3 and then back to runlevel5.
Currently I'm using Linux toshiba 2.6.22.4-65.fc7 #1 SMP Tue Aug 21 22:36:56 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
I'll have to see what happens when the next kernel update is available for Fedora 7.
The next kernel update is complete, as shown below
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ uname -ra
Linux toshiba 2.6.22.5-76.fc7 #1 SMP Thu Aug 30 13:47:21 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
I followed the advice above, repeating steps 8,10 and 12. No sound, so I rebooted the system and sound works again. This is good.
After months of trying to get sound out of my Toshiba Satellite A205-S4577 I finally win! The sound 'card' on the laptop is
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ lspci | grep Audio
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
I've tried every tutorial I could find and even played around over at ALSA's web site. Nothing. Then I was reading a post at the [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum], followed a link here: http://blog.justinconover.com/ and my sound now works. Here's what Justin says to do.
1. yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
2. yum install mercurial
3. cd /usr/src
4. mkdir alsa && cd alsa
5. hg clone http://hg-mirror.alsa-project.org/alsa-driver alsa-driver
6. cd alsa-driver
7. hg clone http://hg-mirror.alsa-project.org/alsa-kernel alsa-kernel
8. ./hgcompile && make install - Failed here for lack of kernel source. Side trip to install source
yum install kernel-devel (rerun step 8 after kernel-devel is installed)
9. echo options snd-hda-intel model=3stack > /etc/modprobe.d/sound
10. modprobe snd-hda-intel
11. system-config-soundcard - This failed
12. reboot Sound works!
I posted the fact that sound now works on a few Linux related web forums hoping that other users with the 82801G sound card could get their sound working also. I also mentioned
that I wondered what would happen when there was a kernel update. A member of one of those sites replied:
just do step 8, 10, and 12 when you update your kernel.
you shouldn't have to reboot though, try just restarting X, log out and back in. if you don't restart X when you logout, you can disable that, you will
have to go to runlevel3 and then back to runlevel5.
Currently I'm using Linux toshiba 2.6.22.4-65.fc7 #1 SMP Tue Aug 21 22:36:56 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
I'll have to see what happens when the next kernel update is available for Fedora 7.
The next kernel update is complete, as shown below
[glenn@toshiba ~]$ uname -ra
Linux toshiba 2.6.22.5-76.fc7 #1 SMP Thu Aug 30 13:47:21 EDT 2007 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
I followed the advice above, repeating steps 8,10 and 12. No sound, so I rebooted the system and sound works again. This is good.
Java
=====Java=====
I downloaded Java from http://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp?locale=en&host=www.java.com:80. I use the self extracting file which is the second one listed. When the download finishes I move the file to /opt.
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin /opt/ The reason I move the file to /opt is that this is where I tend to install from.
Now I change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and run the binary installer.
sh jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin
The install creates a new folder under /opt called jre1.6.0_02. Now I need to link '''libjavaplugin_oji.so''' to my browser plugins folders.
ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /usr/lib/firefox-2.0.0.5/plugins/
and
ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/
Done. Restart Firefox. Type '''about:plugins''' in the url bar and you will see that the java plugins are now installed. I usually google the term ''test java'' and hit the first link that is displayed to test Java's operation. If the java plugin is still not working you may need to install '''compat-libstdc++-33'''. To do that, open a terminal as root and type
yum install compat-libstdc++-33
Restart Firefox and test Java again.
I downloaded Java from http://www.java.com/en/download/linux_manual.jsp?locale=en&host=www.java.com:80. I use the self extracting file which is the second one listed. When the download finishes I move the file to /opt.
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin /opt/ The reason I move the file to /opt is that this is where I tend to install from.
Now I change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and run the binary installer.
sh jre-6u2-linux-i586.bin
The install creates a new folder under /opt called jre1.6.0_02. Now I need to link '''libjavaplugin_oji.so''' to my browser plugins folders.
ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /usr/lib/firefox-2.0.0.5/plugins/
and
ln -s /opt/jre1.6.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/
Done. Restart Firefox. Type '''about:plugins''' in the url bar and you will see that the java plugins are now installed. I usually google the term ''test java'' and hit the first link that is displayed to test Java's operation. If the java plugin is still not working you may need to install '''compat-libstdc++-33'''. To do that, open a terminal as root and type
yum install compat-libstdc++-33
Restart Firefox and test Java again.
How Do I ?
=====How Do I ??=====
=====Fix My Display=====
I see a lot of posts in the Linux forums about users who have just installed Linux and upon the first boot they get a blank screen and no GUI. The problem is often a misconfigured /etc/X11/xorg.conf file There are three areas that could be causing your display troubles. They are the '''Device''' section, the '''Monitor''' section and the '''Screen''' section. Following these steps will get you a basic GUI that you can work with.
The '''Display''' section.
Boot the computer and log in as root. At the command prompt type
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Once the '''vi''' editor opens you will need to press the '''INS''' key to get into edit mode. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "intel"
EndSection
Change the driver to 'vesa'. Save the file with the following keystrokes: '''ESC : wq! ENTER'''. Back at the command prompt type
startx
and press enter. After a short delay while the system is working you should be presented with the graphical display that is at least ''close'' to what you expected. From there you can work to fine tune things like the proper video driver and screen resolution.
The '''Monitor''' section.
To get the correct refresh rates for ''your'' monitor you need to edit the '''monitor''' section. Often times the screen refresh rates are incorrect and my cause an off center display or some other malady. Before you change the refresh rates make sure you know what the proper rates are for your particular monitor. These can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or most certainly from [http://www.google.com Google]. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 30-107
VertRefresh 48-120
EndSection
Changing the HorizSync and VertRefresh numbers to ones that accurately reflect your monitor will have a drastic effect on the quality of the display. Save the file and exit the editor. That will bring you back to the command prompt. Again, as we did in the '''Device''' section, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI display.
The '''Screen''' section.
To further improve upon the quality of the display and to get the correct or desired screen resolution you need to edit the '''screen''' section in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Before you change anything here you need to know the limitations of your monitor. What is the maximum resolution that it will display? Trying to set a resolution higher than the monitor is capable of providing can and probably will cause undesired results. The maximum resolution for your monitor can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or by searching [http://www.google.com Google]. Once you know what your monitor is capable of then you can go ahead and try to configure the display for the resolution that you prefer. Most of today's monitors are capable of a resolution of at least 1280x1024. I'll use this resolution in this example. In the xorg.conf file look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection
The part we're interested in is the Modes line(s). In the above sample the computer is configured to show a display of 1024x768 only. This will usually work well, but we want to use 1280x1024 because that is what our monitor will do and it's what we prefer. Change the Modes line so that it looks like this:
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768"
Save the file and exit the editor. This leaves you back at the command prompt. As we did above, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI at the desired screen resolution.
=====Fix My Display=====
I see a lot of posts in the Linux forums about users who have just installed Linux and upon the first boot they get a blank screen and no GUI. The problem is often a misconfigured /etc/X11/xorg.conf file There are three areas that could be causing your display troubles. They are the '''Device''' section, the '''Monitor''' section and the '''Screen''' section. Following these steps will get you a basic GUI that you can work with.
The '''Display''' section.
Boot the computer and log in as root. At the command prompt type
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Once the '''vi''' editor opens you will need to press the '''INS''' key to get into edit mode. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "intel"
EndSection
Change the driver to 'vesa'. Save the file with the following keystrokes: '''ESC : wq! ENTER'''. Back at the command prompt type
startx
and press enter. After a short delay while the system is working you should be presented with the graphical display that is at least ''close'' to what you expected. From there you can work to fine tune things like the proper video driver and screen resolution.
The '''Monitor''' section.
To get the correct refresh rates for ''your'' monitor you need to edit the '''monitor''' section. Often times the screen refresh rates are incorrect and my cause an off center display or some other malady. Before you change the refresh rates make sure you know what the proper rates are for your particular monitor. These can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or most certainly from [http://www.google.com Google]. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 30-107
VertRefresh 48-120
EndSection
Changing the HorizSync and VertRefresh numbers to ones that accurately reflect your monitor will have a drastic effect on the quality of the display. Save the file and exit the editor. That will bring you back to the command prompt. Again, as we did in the '''Device''' section, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI display.
The '''Screen''' section.
To further improve upon the quality of the display and to get the correct or desired screen resolution you need to edit the '''screen''' section in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Before you change anything here you need to know the limitations of your monitor. What is the maximum resolution that it will display? Trying to set a resolution higher than the monitor is capable of providing can and probably will cause undesired results. The maximum resolution for your monitor can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or by searching [http://www.google.com Google]. Once you know what your monitor is capable of then you can go ahead and try to configure the display for the resolution that you prefer. Most of today's monitors are capable of a resolution of at least 1280x1024. I'll use this resolution in this example. In the xorg.conf file look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection
The part we're interested in is the Modes line(s). In the above sample the computer is configured to show a display of 1024x768 only. This will usually work well, but we want to use 1280x1024 because that is what our monitor will do and it's what we prefer. Change the Modes line so that it looks like this:
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768"
Save the file and exit the editor. This leaves you back at the command prompt. As we did above, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI at the desired screen resolution.
Hostname
=====Changing the system host name=====
Open a terminal as root or use sudo and type
gedit /etc/sysconfig/network
The text file displays
NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=localhost.localdomain
Change '''localhost.localdomain''' to the desired host name. On my Toshiba laptop I use the hostname '''Toshiba'''. My edited file looks like this:
NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=toshiba
Save and exit the editor. The next time you boot your Fedora system your hostname will reflect this change.
Open a terminal as root or use sudo and type
gedit /etc/sysconfig/network
The text file displays
NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=localhost.localdomain
Change '''localhost.localdomain''' to the desired host name. On my Toshiba laptop I use the hostname '''Toshiba'''. My edited file looks like this:
NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=toshiba
Save and exit the editor. The next time you boot your Fedora system your hostname will reflect this change.
Editing GRUB
===GRUB===
[[#Default OS|Default OS]]
[[#Timeout|Timeout]]
[[#HiddenMenu|HiddenMenu]]
[[#Title|Tiitle]]
[[#Graphical Boot|Graphical Boot]]
=====Default OS=====
The default GRUB boot loader configuration gives a timeout of 5 seconds and hides the menu from the user, booting the default operating system. If you need to make changes to this configuration you need to edit the file /boot/grub/menu.lst. To do that, open a terminal as root and type
gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
The first line
default=0
is the line that determines the default operating system that will be loaded if there is no user interaction. If you boot more than one operation system, as I do, you may want to change this behavior. Here's an example of one of my GRUB menus.
default=2
timeout=30
splashimage=(hd0,5)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora7
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7 ro root=LABEL=/1 vga=788
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7.img
title Fedora Core 6
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-1.2962.fc6 ro root=LABEL=/ vga=788
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.20-1.2962.fc6.img
title Windows Vista Home Premium
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
I changed the default to 2 since this is my laptop and it's a family machine. I'm not the only one using it and the others prefer Windows. If I wanted to boot the newest Fedora 7 kernel that is installed I would simple change default=2 to default=0. Changyoue this to suit your needs.
=====Timeout=====
The second line in the /boot/grub/menu.lst file is timeout=x, where x is a number that corresponds to the time in seconds that the menu will wait for user interaction before booting the default operating system. I prefer a timeout of 30 seconds. To change the timeout open a termial as root and type
gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
Change the line
timeout=5
to
timeout=30 (or whatever you like)
Save the file and close the editor. Then next time you boot your system the timeout will be set to 30 seconds instead of 5 seconds.
=====HiddenMenu=====
HiddenMenu is just that. It's a function that hides the boot menu and counts down the timeout to boot the default operating system. You can press the key during this timeout and the menu will be revealed. This also stops the timeout. The menu will now wait infinitely. If you don't want this feature simply delete the hiddenmenu line completely or comment it out, like this
#hiddenmenu
=====Title=====
The title is what the operating system will be seen as. In my above example, title Fedora 7, means that GRUB will display Fedora 7 as the title of the operating system. I could call it anything I like. It has no effect on the operation of GRUB itself.
=====Graphical Boot=====
At the end of the kernel line
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7 ro root=LABEL=/1 rhgb
the rhgb option allows for the graphical boot screen. Some people, myself included, prefer to see what's going on throughout the boot sequence. You can safely remove this part of the kernel line and you will see the boot sequence in all it's glory. You can also replace it with something like vga=788. This gives the same effect as removing the rhgb statement but with a slightly higher resolution.
The G.R.U.B. manual can be found [http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/ here].
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
[[#Default OS|Default OS]]
[[#Timeout|Timeout]]
[[#HiddenMenu|HiddenMenu]]
[[#Title|Tiitle]]
[[#Graphical Boot|Graphical Boot]]
=====Default OS=====
The default GRUB boot loader configuration gives a timeout of 5 seconds and hides the menu from the user, booting the default operating system. If you need to make changes to this configuration you need to edit the file /boot/grub/menu.lst. To do that, open a terminal as root and type
gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
The first line
default=0
is the line that determines the default operating system that will be loaded if there is no user interaction. If you boot more than one operation system, as I do, you may want to change this behavior. Here's an example of one of my GRUB menus.
default=2
timeout=30
splashimage=(hd0,5)/boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz
title Fedora7
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7 ro root=LABEL=/1 vga=788
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7.img
title Fedora Core 6
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-1.2962.fc6 ro root=LABEL=/ vga=788
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.20-1.2962.fc6.img
title Windows Vista Home Premium
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1
I changed the default to 2 since this is my laptop and it's a family machine. I'm not the only one using it and the others prefer Windows. If I wanted to boot the newest Fedora 7 kernel that is installed I would simple change default=2 to default=0. Changyoue this to suit your needs.
=====Timeout=====
The second line in the /boot/grub/menu.lst file is timeout=x, where x is a number that corresponds to the time in seconds that the menu will wait for user interaction before booting the default operating system. I prefer a timeout of 30 seconds. To change the timeout open a termial as root and type
gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
Change the line
timeout=5
to
timeout=30 (or whatever you like)
Save the file and close the editor. Then next time you boot your system the timeout will be set to 30 seconds instead of 5 seconds.
=====HiddenMenu=====
HiddenMenu is just that. It's a function that hides the boot menu and counts down the timeout to boot the default operating system. You can press the
#hiddenmenu
=====Title=====
The title is what the operating system will be seen as. In my above example, title Fedora 7, means that GRUB will display Fedora 7 as the title of the operating system. I could call it anything I like. It has no effect on the operation of GRUB itself.
=====Graphical Boot=====
At the end of the kernel line
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.21-1.3228.fc7 ro root=LABEL=/1 rhgb
the rhgb option allows for the graphical boot screen. Some people, myself included, prefer to see what's going on throughout the boot sequence. You can safely remove this part of the kernel line and you will see the boot sequence in all it's glory. You can also replace it with something like vga=788. This gives the same effect as removing the rhgb statement but with a slightly higher resolution.
The G.R.U.B. manual can be found [http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/ here].
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Greeter Face Icon
===Your Face in Gnome Greeter===
If you would like to see your face displayed as the icon for the Gnome Greeter, follow these steps. Create an icon to use and size it down to about 115K. Select System > Preferences > Personal > About Me
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me1.png]]
Click on the icon at the top left of the selector window and a browser opens.
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me2.png]]
Select your image from the list.
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me3.png]]
Click '''Open''' at the bottom right, just below your beautiful face and close out everything else. Your lovely image will now replace the default icon when you see the Gnome Desktop Greeter.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
If you would like to see your face displayed as the icon for the Gnome Greeter, follow these steps. Create an icon to use and size it down to about 115K. Select System > Preferences > Personal > About Me
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me1.png]]
Click on the icon at the top left of the selector window and a browser opens.
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me2.png]]
Select your image from the list.
[[Image:ScreenShot - About Me3.png]]
Click '''Open''' at the bottom right, just below your beautiful face and close out everything else. Your lovely image will now replace the default icon when you see the Gnome Desktop Greeter.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Google Earth
===Google Earth===
[[#Installing Google Earth|Installing Google Earth]]
[[#Small Problem|Small Problem]]
=====Installing Google Earth=====
Download Google Earth from [http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html here]. My downloads save to my desktop, but I usually install from the /opt folder. To move the installer to opt open a terminal and as root type
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/GoogleEarthLinux.bin /opt/
Change to the /opt folder by typing
cd /opt
and run the installer by typing
sh GoogleEarthLinux.bin
The first thing you will see is the license agreement.
[[Image:gglearth1.png]]
Click '''I Agree'''. The next screen gives you a chance to change a few destination folders.
[[Image:gglearth2.png]]
I leave these at the default and click 'Begin Install'. Next screen is just the actual install progress
[[Image:gglearth3.png]]
When that process completes you will see this screen
[[Image:gglearth4.png]]
Informing you that Google Earth was successfully installed. Here's a screen shot of Google Earth running for the first time on my laptop.
[[Image:gglearth5.png]]
=====Small Problem=====
Note that on my laptop with Intel video and drivers that once I zoomed in closer than 700 miles the image seemed to 'white out', It got worse as I got closer, and eventually became a totally white image. I found help on [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum] where it was suggested that you disable ''atmosphere'' through Google Earth's menu under '''view > atmosphere'''. I did just that and restarted Google Earth. The problem was solved.
[[#Installing Google Earth|Installing Google Earth]]
[[#Small Problem|Small Problem]]
=====Installing Google Earth=====
Download Google Earth from [http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html here]. My downloads save to my desktop, but I usually install from the /opt folder. To move the installer to opt open a terminal and as root type
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/GoogleEarthLinux.bin /opt/
Change to the /opt folder by typing
cd /opt
and run the installer by typing
sh GoogleEarthLinux.bin
The first thing you will see is the license agreement.
[[Image:gglearth1.png]]
Click '''I Agree'''. The next screen gives you a chance to change a few destination folders.
[[Image:gglearth2.png]]
I leave these at the default and click 'Begin Install'. Next screen is just the actual install progress
[[Image:gglearth3.png]]
When that process completes you will see this screen
[[Image:gglearth4.png]]
Informing you that Google Earth was successfully installed. Here's a screen shot of Google Earth running for the first time on my laptop.
[[Image:gglearth5.png]]
=====Small Problem=====
Note that on my laptop with Intel video and drivers that once I zoomed in closer than 700 miles the image seemed to 'white out', It got worse as I got closer, and eventually became a totally white image. I found help on [http://www.fedoraforum.org Fedora Forum] where it was suggested that you disable ''atmosphere'' through Google Earth's menu under '''view > atmosphere'''. I did just that and restarted Google Earth. The problem was solved.
FrostWire
=====FrostWire=====
I saw FrostWire mentioned in one of the Linux forums and thought that I'd give it a try. I downloaded FrostWire from [http://www.frostwire.com/ The FrostWire Site]. It saved to my desktop by default. To install the program I opened a terminal and installed the .rpm package.
sudo rpm -ivh /home/glenn/Desktop/frostwire-4.13.2.noarch.rpm
Once installed there will be a new menu item, Applications > Internet > FrostWire. Alas, clicking on FrostWire in the menu did nothing. FrostWire appears to be non-functional. But wait, a little digging for a solution got me some help. A thread at [http://forum.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=163529&highlight=frostwire Fedora Forum] shows that one needs to install something called '''libXp'''. To do that I opened a terminal and typed
sudo yum install libXp
A few seconds later '''libXp''' was installed. Now clicking the menu item runs FrostWire and I see the '''Language Options screen.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog.png]]
Clicking '''Next''' advances to the welcome screen.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-1.png]]
Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Save Folder''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-2.png]]
I'll leave the save folder as it is. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Connection Speed''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-3.png]]
I have cable so I'll leave the default. Adjust this to your own preference. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Chat Nickname''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-4.png]]
At this point I was unable to type anything in the box. Looking in the FrostWire forums I found that there seems to be a bug in the installer related to language selection. Nothing I tried worked so I cancelled the setup and started it again. This time I was able to type in a chat nickname and move forward with the setup. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Scan For Files''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-5.png]]
I didn't want FrostWire to scan my system so I selected '''No''' and clicked '''Next''', advancing to the '''Finish Setup''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-6.png]]
FrostWire launches and I'm outa here!
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire.png]]
I saw FrostWire mentioned in one of the Linux forums and thought that I'd give it a try. I downloaded FrostWire from [http://www.frostwire.com/ The FrostWire Site]. It saved to my desktop by default. To install the program I opened a terminal and installed the .rpm package.
sudo rpm -ivh /home/glenn/Desktop/frostwire-4.13.2.noarch.rpm
Once installed there will be a new menu item, Applications > Internet > FrostWire. Alas, clicking on FrostWire in the menu did nothing. FrostWire appears to be non-functional. But wait, a little digging for a solution got me some help. A thread at [http://forum.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=163529&highlight=frostwire Fedora Forum] shows that one needs to install something called '''libXp'''. To do that I opened a terminal and typed
sudo yum install libXp
A few seconds later '''libXp''' was installed. Now clicking the menu item runs FrostWire and I see the '''Language Options screen.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog.png]]
Clicking '''Next''' advances to the welcome screen.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-1.png]]
Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Save Folder''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-2.png]]
I'll leave the save folder as it is. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Connection Speed''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-3.png]]
I have cable so I'll leave the default. Adjust this to your own preference. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Chat Nickname''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-4.png]]
At this point I was unable to type anything in the box. Looking in the FrostWire forums I found that there seems to be a bug in the installer related to language selection. Nothing I tried worked so I cancelled the setup and started it again. This time I was able to type in a chat nickname and move forward with the setup. Clicking '''Next''' advances to the '''Scan For Files''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-5.png]]
I didn't want FrostWire to scan my system so I selected '''No''' and clicked '''Next''', advancing to the '''Finish Setup''' dialog.
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire setup dialog-6.png]]
FrostWire launches and I'm outa here!
[[Image:screenshot-frostwire.png]]
Flash
===Flash Player===
There's more than one way to install Adobe FlashPlayer on your Fedora 7 system, and as many opinions as to which was is the right way. Here's what works for me. I download the .tar.gz version from [http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash Adobe's download site]. The file saves to my desktop, so I move it to the /opt folder. To do that I open a terminal as root and type
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and unpack the archive
tar xfvz install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz
This command extracts all the files from the archive and puts them into a newly created folder, /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux. Now I need to copy the file libflashplayer.so to the Firefox and Mozila plugins folders. In a terminal type
cp /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/firefox-2.0.0.4/plugins
and
cp /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
Close and restart Firefox. In the url bar type '''about:plugins'''. You should see '''Shockwave Flash''' listed.
[[Image:flash-plug-in.png]]
=====The .rpm way=====
Download the .rpm repo file from the same web site. Install by right clicking on the desktop file and choose '''open with archive manager'''. Now that the adobe repo is added to your system you can open a terminal and install flash by typing yum install flash-plugin.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
There's more than one way to install Adobe FlashPlayer on your Fedora 7 system, and as many opinions as to which was is the right way. Here's what works for me. I download the .tar.gz version from [http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash Adobe's download site]. The file saves to my desktop, so I move it to the /opt folder. To do that I open a terminal as root and type
mv /home/glenn/Desktop/install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and unpack the archive
tar xfvz install_flash_player_9_linux.tar.gz
This command extracts all the files from the archive and puts them into a newly created folder, /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux. Now I need to copy the file libflashplayer.so to the Firefox and Mozila plugins folders. In a terminal type
cp /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/firefox-2.0.0.4/plugins
and
cp /opt/install_flash_player_9_linux/libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
Close and restart Firefox. In the url bar type '''about:plugins'''. You should see '''Shockwave Flash''' listed.
[[Image:flash-plug-in.png]]
=====The .rpm way=====
Download the .rpm repo file from the same web site. Install by right clicking on the desktop file and choose '''open with archive manager'''. Now that the adobe repo is added to your system you can open a terminal and install flash by typing yum install flash-plugin.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Extra Repositories
===Adding Extra Repositories to Fedora 7===
[[#Livna|Livna]]
[[#FreshRPMS|FreshRPMS]]
There are several third party repositories available to Fedora 7 users. Some of them work well together while others don't. Use caution when choosing your
repositories so that you don't end up with dependency errors. The one's that I use are [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] and [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS.]
=====Livna=====
To add the [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository simply follow this link [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] and click on the Fedora 7 Repository RPM hyperlink. You can choose to '''open with archive manager''' or '''save to desktop'''. If you '''save to desktop''' you will need to right click on the file to install it.
An alternative method for installing the [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository. Open a terminal as root and type
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/*
rpm -ivh http://rpm.livna.org/livna-release-7.rpm
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-livna
The [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository is now installed and active, making a greater selection of software available to you. The repository will also be included during system updates.
=====FreshRPMS=====
To add the [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS] repository follow this link to the [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS] web page. About 1/2 way down the page there's a line starting with '''The easiest way to install freshrpms.net packages is to click here from within firefox, '''. Click the link and choose to '''open with software installer''' or '''save to desktop'''. If you '''save to desktop''' you will need to right click on the file to install it. After the installation you need to edit the freshrpms.repo file to make it disabled by default. This is to avoid possible dependency errors or conflicts between repositories. Open a terminal as root and type
gedit /etc/yum.repos.d/freshrpms.repo
Find the line near the top of the file that says
enabled = 1
Change it to read
enabled = 0
This will disable the repository. Save the file and close the editor. You can temporarily enable it using yum by typing
yum --enablerepo=freshrpms install thepackageicantlivewithout
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
[[#Livna|Livna]]
[[#FreshRPMS|FreshRPMS]]
There are several third party repositories available to Fedora 7 users. Some of them work well together while others don't. Use caution when choosing your
repositories so that you don't end up with dependency errors. The one's that I use are [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] and [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS.]
=====Livna=====
To add the [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository simply follow this link [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] and click on the Fedora 7 Repository RPM hyperlink. You can choose to '''open with archive manager''' or '''save to desktop'''. If you '''save to desktop''' you will need to right click on the file to install it.
An alternative method for installing the [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository. Open a terminal as root and type
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/*
rpm -ivh http://rpm.livna.org/livna-release-7.rpm
rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-livna
The [http://rpm.livna.org/rlowiki/ Livna] repository is now installed and active, making a greater selection of software available to you. The repository will also be included during system updates.
=====FreshRPMS=====
To add the [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS] repository follow this link to the [http://www.freshrpms.net FreshRPMS] web page. About 1/2 way down the page there's a line starting with '''The easiest way to install freshrpms.net packages is to click here from within firefox, '''. Click the link and choose to '''open with software installer''' or '''save to desktop'''. If you '''save to desktop''' you will need to right click on the file to install it. After the installation you need to edit the freshrpms.repo file to make it disabled by default. This is to avoid possible dependency errors or conflicts between repositories. Open a terminal as root and type
gedit /etc/yum.repos.d/freshrpms.repo
Find the line near the top of the file that says
enabled = 1
Change it to read
enabled = 0
This will disable the repository. Save the file and close the editor. You can temporarily enable it using yum by typing
yum --enablerepo=freshrpms install thepackageicantlivewithout
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Edit Default Path
===Changing the default search path===
I always make a small change to my default $PATH because when I work with sudo I still can't use some of the system commands without typing the path to the command and then the command. A good number of the commands reside under /sbin, so I add /sbin to my $PATH. Here's what I do. Open a terminal as your regular user and edit the file .bash_profile in your home folder.
gedit .bash_profile
This is what the default file looks like.
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
export PATH
I change the file to look like this, adding :/sbin to the end of the $PATH line.
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/sbin
export PATH
Save the file and exit the editor. Log out and back in to the desktop and you will now have access to the commands in /sbin by default.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
I always make a small change to my default $PATH because when I work with sudo I still can't use some of the system commands without typing the path to the command and then the command. A good number of the commands reside under /sbin, so I add /sbin to my $PATH. Here's what I do. Open a terminal as your regular user and edit the file .bash_profile in your home folder.
gedit .bash_profile
This is what the default file looks like.
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
export PATH
I change the file to look like this, adding :/sbin to the end of the $PATH line.
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/sbin
export PATH
Save the file and exit the editor. Log out and back in to the desktop and you will now have access to the commands in /sbin by default.
Return to [[Fedora 7]]
Color Bash Prompt
===Color Bash Prompt===
I like to colorize my bash prompt. It's an easy way to see if you are working as your regular user or as root.
Open a terminal as your regular user, making sure you are in your home directory, and type
gedit .bashrc
Move to the bottom of the file and add this line
PS1="[\[\033[1;34m\]\u\[\033[0m\]@\h \W]\\$ "
The number 34 seen in that line gives you a blue prompt.
Save and exit the editor. Now log in as root in the terminal and make sure you are in root's home folder. Again type
gedit .bashrc
Move to the bottom of the file and add the same line that we added for regular user
PS1="[\[\033[1;31m\]\u\[\033[0m\]@\h \W]\\$ "
Left as it is, this line will give you a red prompt. Save and exit the editor.
The actual color code is "1;31" inside the PS1 variable. The 1 says make it '''bold''' and the 31 says the color red.
1;30 Black
1;31 Red
1;32 Green
1;33 Yellow
1;34 Blue
1;35 Magenta
1;36 Cyan
1;37 White (Don't think white would show up too well on this page)
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
I like to colorize my bash prompt. It's an easy way to see if you are working as your regular user or as root.
Open a terminal as your regular user, making sure you are in your home directory, and type
gedit .bashrc
Move to the bottom of the file and add this line
PS1="[\[\033[1;34m\]\u\[\033[0m\]@\h \W]\\$ "
The number 34 seen in that line gives you a blue prompt.
Save and exit the editor. Now log in as root in the terminal and make sure you are in root's home folder. Again type
gedit .bashrc
Move to the bottom of the file and add the same line that we added for regular user
PS1="[\[\033[1;31m\]\u\[\033[0m\]@\h \W]\\$ "
Left as it is, this line will give you a red prompt. Save and exit the editor.
The actual color code is "1;31" inside the PS1 variable. The 1 says make it '''bold''' and the 31 says the color red.
1;30 Black
1;31 Red
1;32 Green
1;33 Yellow
1;34 Blue
1;35 Magenta
1;36 Cyan
1;37 White (Don't think white would show up too well on this page)
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
Beryl
[[#Installing Beryl|Installing Beryl]]
[[#Auto Starting Beryl|Auto Starting Beryl]]
[[#Beryl Performance Tweak|Beryl Performance Tweak]]
===Installing Beryl===
Open a terminal and as root or using sudo type
yum install beryl beryl-manager emerald
This will install everything you need to get Beryl up and running on your Gnome desktop. Once everything is installed there will be a menu entry under
'''Applications > System Tools > Beryl Manager'''. Click on that item and the Beryl icon will appear on the top panel. From there you can configure Beryl to your liking.
=====Auto Starting Beryl=====
If you want Beryl to start automatically when you log in to your Gnome desktop add it to the sessions manager. Click on '''System > Preferences > Personal > Sessions'''. The sessions manager opens.
[[Image:sessions1.png]]
Click the '''new''' tab and the '''New Startup Program''' window opens.
[[Image:sessions2.png]]
Under '''name''' enter a name for the program. Beryl would be the logical choice, although you can call it whatever you like. Under '''Command''' enter '''beryl-manager'''. Click '''OK''' and click '''Close'''. Now whenever you log in to your '''Gnome''' desktop Beryl will start automatically.
=====Beryl Performance Tweak=====
It's been suggested that you can improve Beryl's performance with a few changes to the settings. Right click the Beryl icon on the top panel and select '''Beryl Settings Manager'''.
[[Image:berylmanager1.png]]
Uncheck '''Detect Refresh Rate''', set '''Refresh Rate''' to '''200''' and unckeck '''Sync To VBlank'''. I did this on one of my systems but the performance gains were not too noticeable , at least in my case. Your results may vary and you can always undo the changes.
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
[[#Auto Starting Beryl|Auto Starting Beryl]]
[[#Beryl Performance Tweak|Beryl Performance Tweak]]
===Installing Beryl===
Open a terminal and as root or using sudo type
yum install beryl beryl-manager emerald
This will install everything you need to get Beryl up and running on your Gnome desktop. Once everything is installed there will be a menu entry under
'''Applications > System Tools > Beryl Manager'''. Click on that item and the Beryl icon will appear on the top panel. From there you can configure Beryl to your liking.
=====Auto Starting Beryl=====
If you want Beryl to start automatically when you log in to your Gnome desktop add it to the sessions manager. Click on '''System > Preferences > Personal > Sessions'''. The sessions manager opens.
[[Image:sessions1.png]]
Click the '''new''' tab and the '''New Startup Program''' window opens.
[[Image:sessions2.png]]
Under '''name''' enter a name for the program. Beryl would be the logical choice, although you can call it whatever you like. Under '''Command''' enter '''beryl-manager'''. Click '''OK''' and click '''Close'''. Now whenever you log in to your '''Gnome''' desktop Beryl will start automatically.
=====Beryl Performance Tweak=====
It's been suggested that you can improve Beryl's performance with a few changes to the settings. Right click the Beryl icon on the top panel and select '''Beryl Settings Manager'''.
[[Image:berylmanager1.png]]
Uncheck '''Detect Refresh Rate''', set '''Refresh Rate''' to '''200''' and unckeck '''Sync To VBlank'''. I did this on one of my systems but the performance gains were not too noticeable , at least in my case. Your results may vary and you can always undo the changes.
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
Basic Display
====Fix My Display====
I see a lot of posts in the Linux forums about users who have just installed Linux and upon the first boot they get a blank screen and no GUI. The problem is often a misconfigured /etc/X11/xorg.conf file or a misconfigured default runlevel. Check your default runlevel first. There are three other areas that could be causing your display troubles. They are the '''Device''' section, the '''Monitor''' section and the '''Screen''' section. Following these steps will get you a basic GUI that you can work with.
[[#Runlevel|Runlevel]]
[[#Display|Display]]
[[#Monitor|Monitor]]
[[#Screen|Screen]]
=====Runlevel=====
If you boot your Fedora system and it doesn't go into GUI mode, it could be that you need to edit the '''default runlevel'''. If the '''default runlevel''' is incorrect you will be left at a command prompt with no error messages. This is runlevel 3. To boot to the GUI mode the system needs to boot to runlevel 5. To correct this malady login as root at the command prompt and type '''vi /etc/inittab'''. There will be a section that looks like this:
id:3:initdefault:
Change the line so that it looks like this
id:5:initdefault:
Save the file, exit the editor and reboot. Your Fedora system will boot to the GUI this time.
=====Display=====
Boot the computer and log in as root. At the command prompt type
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Once the '''vi''' editor opens you will need to press the '''INS''' key to get into edit mode. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "intel"
EndSection
Change the driver to 'vesa'. Save the file with the following keystrokes: '''ESC : wq! ENTER'''. Back at the command prompt type
startx
and press enter. After a short delay while the system is working you should be presented with the graphical display that is at least ''close'' to what you expected. From there you can work to fine tune things like the proper video driver and screen resolution.
=====Monitor=====
To get the correct refresh rates for ''your'' monitor you need to edit the '''monitor''' section. Often times the screen refresh rates are incorrect and my cause an off center display or some other malady. Before you change the refresh rates make sure you know what the proper rates are for your particular monitor. These can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or most certainly from [http://www.google.com Google]. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 30-107
VertRefresh 48-120
EndSection
Changing the HorizSync and VertRefresh numbers to ones that accurately reflect your monitor will have a drastic effect on the quality of the display. Save the file and exit the editor. That will bring you back to the command prompt. Again, as we did in the '''Device''' section, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI display.
=====Screen=====
To further improve upon the quality of the display and to get the correct or desired screen resolution you need to edit the '''screen''' section in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Before you change anything here you need to know the limitations of your monitor. What is the maximum resolution that it will display? Trying to set a resolution higher than the monitor is capable of providing can and probably will cause undesired results. The maximum resolution for your monitor can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or by searching [http://www.google.com Google]. Once you know what your monitor is capable of then you can go ahead and try to configure the display for the resolution that you prefer. Most of today's monitors are capable of a resolution of at least 1280x1024. I'll use this resolution in this example. In the xorg.conf file look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection
The part we're interested in is the Modes line(s). In the above sample the computer is configured to show a display of 1024x768 only. This will usually work well, but we want to use 1280x1024 because that is what our monitor will do and it's what we prefer. Change the Modes line so that it looks like this:
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768"
Save the file and exit the editor. This leaves you back at the command prompt. As we did above, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI at the desired screen resolution.
This is just a basic writeup on editing the xorg.conf file to resolve some of the issues that I see mentioned on a daily basis in the Linux forums.
I see a lot of posts in the Linux forums about users who have just installed Linux and upon the first boot they get a blank screen and no GUI. The problem is often a misconfigured /etc/X11/xorg.conf file or a misconfigured default runlevel. Check your default runlevel first. There are three other areas that could be causing your display troubles. They are the '''Device''' section, the '''Monitor''' section and the '''Screen''' section. Following these steps will get you a basic GUI that you can work with.
[[#Runlevel|Runlevel]]
[[#Display|Display]]
[[#Monitor|Monitor]]
[[#Screen|Screen]]
=====Runlevel=====
If you boot your Fedora system and it doesn't go into GUI mode, it could be that you need to edit the '''default runlevel'''. If the '''default runlevel''' is incorrect you will be left at a command prompt with no error messages. This is runlevel 3. To boot to the GUI mode the system needs to boot to runlevel 5. To correct this malady login as root at the command prompt and type '''vi /etc/inittab'''. There will be a section that looks like this:
id:3:initdefault:
Change the line so that it looks like this
id:5:initdefault:
Save the file, exit the editor and reboot. Your Fedora system will boot to the GUI this time.
=====Display=====
Boot the computer and log in as root. At the command prompt type
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Once the '''vi''' editor opens you will need to press the '''INS''' key to get into edit mode. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "intel"
EndSection
Change the driver to 'vesa'. Save the file with the following keystrokes: '''ESC : wq! ENTER'''. Back at the command prompt type
startx
and press enter. After a short delay while the system is working you should be presented with the graphical display that is at least ''close'' to what you expected. From there you can work to fine tune things like the proper video driver and screen resolution.
=====Monitor=====
To get the correct refresh rates for ''your'' monitor you need to edit the '''monitor''' section. Often times the screen refresh rates are incorrect and my cause an off center display or some other malady. Before you change the refresh rates make sure you know what the proper rates are for your particular monitor. These can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or most certainly from [http://www.google.com Google]. Look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 30-107
VertRefresh 48-120
EndSection
Changing the HorizSync and VertRefresh numbers to ones that accurately reflect your monitor will have a drastic effect on the quality of the display. Save the file and exit the editor. That will bring you back to the command prompt. Again, as we did in the '''Device''' section, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI display.
=====Screen=====
To further improve upon the quality of the display and to get the correct or desired screen resolution you need to edit the '''screen''' section in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file: Before you change anything here you need to know the limitations of your monitor. What is the maximum resolution that it will display? Trying to set a resolution higher than the monitor is capable of providing can and probably will cause undesired results. The maximum resolution for your monitor can be found on the back of the monitor, in the manual that came with the monitor or by searching [http://www.google.com Google]. Once you know what your monitor is capable of then you can go ahead and try to configure the display for the resolution that you prefer. Most of today's monitors are capable of a resolution of at least 1280x1024. I'll use this resolution in this example. In the xorg.conf file look for the section that is similar to this:
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection
The part we're interested in is the Modes line(s). In the above sample the computer is configured to show a display of 1024x768 only. This will usually work well, but we want to use 1280x1024 because that is what our monitor will do and it's what we prefer. Change the Modes line so that it looks like this:
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768"
Save the file and exit the editor. This leaves you back at the command prompt. As we did above, type
startx
and press enter. Again after a short delay you should see a much improved GUI at the desired screen resolution.
This is just a basic writeup on editing the xorg.conf file to resolve some of the issues that I see mentioned on a daily basis in the Linux forums.
Auto Login
If you use wireless to connect to the network and internet you may not want to use the auto login feature.
My preference is to be automatically logged in when I reach my Gnome desktop. Here's how to enable auto login for your user. On the top panel, select System > Administration > Login Screen. Enter the root password and the login window appears.
[[Image:login window1.png]]
Click on the '''users''' tab.
[[Image:login window2.png]]
and click the '''add''' button.
[[Image:login window3.png]]
Add your user name
[[Image:login window4.png]]
Click '''add''' once more. Now click on the '''security''' tab.
[[Image:login window5.png]]
On this screen you want to click the drop down boxes for '''Enable Automatic Login''' and '''Enable Timed Login''' and add yourself to the lists. Click the '''close''' icon and you are done. Now, every time you boot to your Gnome desktop you will be automatically logged in. No need to enter your user name and password.
Some people feel that auto login is a security risk. I'm sure it is on a multi-user system. My computers are all home machines. All the Linux boxes
are used by me and me alone except for the rare occasion where another family member might use the computer for a few minutes. No security issues here.
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
My preference is to be automatically logged in when I reach my Gnome desktop. Here's how to enable auto login for your user. On the top panel, select System > Administration > Login Screen. Enter the root password and the login window appears.
[[Image:login window1.png]]
Click on the '''users''' tab.
[[Image:login window2.png]]
and click the '''add''' button.
[[Image:login window3.png]]
Add your user name
[[Image:login window4.png]]
Click '''add''' once more. Now click on the '''security''' tab.
[[Image:login window5.png]]
On this screen you want to click the drop down boxes for '''Enable Automatic Login''' and '''Enable Timed Login''' and add yourself to the lists. Click the '''close''' icon and you are done. Now, every time you boot to your Gnome desktop you will be automatically logged in. No need to enter your user name and password.
Some people feel that auto login is a security risk. I'm sure it is on a multi-user system. My computers are all home machines. All the Linux boxes
are used by me and me alone except for the rare occasion where another family member might use the computer for a few minutes. No security issues here.
Back to [[Fedora 7]]
Adobe Reader
=====Adobe Reader 8.1.1=====
Download the Adobe Reader '''rpm''' file from [http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html Adobe Download]. I install from the /opt folder so I move the file there.
sudo mv /home/glenn/Desktop/AdobeReader_enu-8.1.1-1.i486.rpm /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and install Adobe
sudo rpm -ivh AdobeReader_enu-8.1.1-1.i486.rpm
After these steps were taken I opened a '''.pdf''' file in Firefox without a problem. There were no additional steps that I needed to take to get Acrobat Reader to work.
--[[User:Glenn|Glenn]] 05:18, 21 September 2007 (EDT)
Download the Adobe Reader '''rpm''' file from [http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html Adobe Download]. I install from the /opt folder so I move the file there.
sudo mv /home/glenn/Desktop/AdobeReader_enu-8.1.1-1.i486.rpm /opt/
Change to the /opt folder
cd /opt
and install Adobe
sudo rpm -ivh AdobeReader_enu-8.1.1-1.i486.rpm
After these steps were taken I opened a '''.pdf''' file in Firefox without a problem. There were no additional steps that I needed to take to get Acrobat Reader to work.
--[[User:Glenn|Glenn]] 05:18, 21 September 2007 (EDT)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
