I just got Linux installed! Finally! ... but .. uh ... help!

[RSI]

OK, I found an IDE cable lying right here, and I realized that I could use it... So now I am using two Quantums (LM and some 4.3GB mofo), and the CD-ROM has a cable to itself. So I decided to see if the CD-ROM would function better.

Well, I was able to successfully install Mandrake 6 off my CD, before I was unable to. w00t.

So anyway, I formatted the 4.3 gigger and slapped linux on there... Well, I have the boot thingy working, which explains why I'm still here, and sane. It doesnt' seem to want to boot Linux properly... It stops at "starting sendmail".. everything else before that gets an "OK", but it just stays at starting sendmail and doesn't do anything! I pressed alt-ctrl-del, and it shut everything down and rebooted properly...

Any ideas?! PLEASE help me out, I've been dying to get my Linux setup running for so long!

Thanks,

-RSI

 

[Wangel]

Linux, wasn't he the best friend of Charlie Brown?

 

[rahvin]

Let is sit for awhile, it's probably probing for something and not finding it, I've had it stall on bootup looking for something up to like 10-15min before.

As a side note, unless you are running a mail server you really should be running sendmail, once you get booted, jump into the script dir and disable those that you don't need.

 

[Bakwetu]

If I were you I'd ask away in the os forum. I can't help, sorry

 

[RSI]

I must remind and warn you, I am a complete and utter Linux newbie, thus not knowing how to do the slightest thing! I know how to start x (I made it not start defaultly), and I MIGHT remember how to install my Banshee driver... I'm not sure though

oh well, i'll let it hang for a while... brb/bbl
I'll be back asking how exactly to disable sendmail (no I don't want it running)

-RSI

 

[RSI]

OK it boots fine, but I can't start X (hangs - THAT never took long, so uh...)

I need to know how to install my banshee drivers located in an RPM file (I forget how to use that rpm thingy.. argh).

i'll look around on the net, but I'd appreciate some user input

-RSI

 

[Russ]

RSI,

If you want to fix your Mandrake 6 install, format it and install Mandrake 7.1.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Shuxclams]

rpm -ivf <filename.rpm> <enter>

or type &quot;man rpm&quot; for a complete reference

Also make sure you get the correct drivers from 3dfxgamers for the banshee, I compiled the DRI for the Voodoo3's and its sweet, don't give up on it.

Also to start and stop services that you don't want to have running use &quot;ksysv&quot; when your in X, you can also edit the /etc/rc.d/rc.x files and change the K's or S's to small letters and that will stop them from loading. This is an excellent NHF for tightening your linux box and stopping all the &quot;bad&quot; services...http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/security/armorlin.html This really does belong in the OS forums BTW..






SHUX

 

[Russ]

Shux,

Maybe you missed the part where he said he was a &quot;complete and utter Linux newbie&quot;?

Russ, NCNE

 

[Soybomb]

so tell me how it hangs when you start x, any errors when it hangs?
I see shux just told you how to use rpm too

 

[denali]

It sounds like you may have told the machine to use a DHCP server to get it's network info a boot time.

 

[Shuxclams]

http://linux.3dfx.com/ Most current &quot;drivers&quot; for Linux and 3DFX cards. install and then configue X with XF86config at the CLI.








SHUX

 

[RSI]

Thanks - I'm tackling it all right now...
Got my logitech set up, got sound working but it seems to conflict with something, we'll see... hds and cdrom work nicely, trying to get my banshee set up ... network works and I ahve it setup to 192.168.0.1 like usual...

startx <- does nothing - WTF!!! well, if it IS doing something, it takes an AWFULLY long time compared to last time I did this...

 

[RSI]

&quot;RSI,

If you want to fix your Mandrake 6 install, format it and install Mandrake 7.1.

Russ, NCNE&quot;

Russ,

Good attitude you have there... <- I don't have Mandrake 7.1, I know it's better, but I don't have it, don't have the time to download it on 56k right now, and am extremely lazy, so I won't be ordering a CD either.

6 will do for now, I just need to get the hang of things.

-RSI

 

[Russ]

RSI,

If you run startx at the command line and nothing happens, it means you don't have it installed. I discovered this the hard way. I have no idea how to install it once the OS is up, so I just re-installed Mandrake several times playing with different options and selections until I got the packages I wanted.

Russ, NCNE

 

[bigben]

ops......my windowes has carashed, waht wil i do?

 

[RSI]

Russ,

I don't know if &quot;nothing&quot; happens, but last time I installed Linux it started up in a few seconds, and I waited a bit this time with nothing happening.

If I type &quot;xinit&quot;, somethin' happens. Then, I figured out I could type startkde. Well, there I was, I was in KDE..

BUT, I was still in the bloated res, could hardly do anything... And my net connection wouldn't get passed &quot;logging onto network..&quot;.. argh.

I hope I don't have to reinstall it... g'damnit!

-RSI

 

[rahvin]

nah, you just need to edit files from the command line. Evil of all evils... BTW the command to startx is amazingly startx. If you are missing packages and need to install more you can do it using gnorpm in x-windows or if you are feeling brave you can mount your cdrom (mandrake actually automounts) and cd into the /mnt/cdrom/<blah> directory on your mandrake cdrom (that contains RPMS) and just do an rpm -ihv <foo>.rpm and it will install it. Remember to get the dependent rpms when installing though. The command line file to configure X is Xconfigurator or if you want easier try Xconfig (the redhat util) and it should walk you through setting it up. And remember, unix's are case specific so when I type the capital X in Xconfigurator you need it to be a capital.