Author Topic: a few linux questions (installed fedora 2) (Read 399 times)

Krusty · « **on:** July 04, 2006, 03:46:51 PM »

I had a secondary 20GB drive that wasn't being used, so I pulled out the fedora install discs that I intended for my old P3 650MHz, back before I learned that this is too weak to even boot fedora.

So now I've got this second drive with FC2. This is new ground for me.

It recognized my SB Audigy but I think it's in analog mode. Is there a switch/toggle to go to digital mode? This is how I have my speakers set up.

It won't recognize my USB printer. Is this a USB problem or a printer compatibility problem?

How do I find a "device manager" ? I don't know if it recognizes things like my joystick, my zip driver, my smart card reader, or anything else.

Auger · « **Reply #1 on:** July 04, 2006, 07:33:18 PM »

Krusty,

The SB Audigy is supported by the 2.6 series of kernel. You will likely have to mess with the mixer to get the digital output to work. If there isn't a mixer in your destop environment, look for alsamixer or alsamixergui.

USB printing in Linux is not for the faint of heart. It can be absolutely miserable or a non-event. Hopefully the destop GUI has an admin function for printing. Otherwise, look for cupsys. It is the best of the abysmal choices for Linux printing.

I don't really do RedHat if I can help it. Kudzu used to be the hardware installation/configuration tool for RedHat, but that may have changed. Both Gnome and KDE have management tools for configuring printers and such, and they should be able to tell you what is recognized. The zip drive should work, although the difference between getting the parallel port version working and the IDE/floppy/USB is night and day. The parallel port version can be a bear. The smart card reader should also work.

Your best bet to make sure all of those things work is to have a 2.6 series kernel. You may have to do an update to get the latest kernel. Try this as root from a command line:

yum update

Then say Yes to everything. It could take a while if it hasn't been updated before.

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** July 04, 2006, 10:09:20 PM »

up2date says I have 2.6.5-1.358, and kernel-utils is 2.4-9.1.131. It also says that 2.6.10-1.771_FC2 is available. I updated everything except the kernel, 120+ different things, but didn't do the kernel. I can update that and see what it gives me.

Fedora was a full install, a HD install, and it was free, and I didn't have to compile anything myself. Some linux versions required you to compile your own kernel before you can install it, some are just CD-ROM memory resident systems, and I wanted a full disk-based system.

At the time (approx 6 months ago) it was the best free option.

Right now I'm not sure how to do quite a few things -- like switch between x-windows, gnome, and KDE. I know I installed all 3 so I could try them out, but it's not easy to find an interface option to change to any.

Krusty · « **Reply #3 on:** July 04, 2006, 10:38:41 PM »

Updated the kernel. Got the printer working (helps if it's plugged in, eh?). Also found a tip to use the kmix audio panel to toggle the digital option. Sound works now. Not sure how to make it my default sound control panel, though.

Still no response with "jstest /dev/js0" or "js1" (I have 2 gameports, one on mobo one on sound card, not sure which is 0 and which is 1)

Auger · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:49:33 AM »

Joystick support is usually done with a kernel module. Try running 'lsmod' and look for joydev and analog. Those two will provide basic joystick support. If they aren't loaded, you can load them as root with 'modprobe joydev; modprobe analog'.

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2006, 01:02:41 AM »

if I load them once, will they stay? Or do I have to do it every time?

Krusty · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2006, 12:57:08 PM »

Okay, I loaded the modules you said, and it still wouldn't do anything when I did jstest /dev/js0 or js1. I downloaded a joystick driver package but it's definitely NOT for newbies, and they say "do this, do that, do that, do that" -- but I can't do any of it because when I try to make the modules for the joystick, I just get errors (screen after screen) from the compiler.

One file did run properly, but it only did this:

rm -f /dev/js0 /dev/js1 /dev/js2 /dev/js3
mknod /dev/js0 c 15 0
mknod /dev/js1 c 15 1
mknod /dev/js2 c 15 2
mknod /dev/js3 c 15 3

Without the rest of the steps I don't know what good it will do. It didn't fix the problem, now when I run jstest, it says "jstest: No such file or directory". I don't remember exactly what it said before, but it wasn't "no such file".

EDIT: I'm starting to think maybe fedora wasn't the best choice for me. I'm open to suggestions for other (free) versions.

artik · « **Reply #7 on:** July 06, 2006, 02:18:38 PM »

Krusty,
Fedora Core 2 is legacy system (like 98 in terms of windows). The latest one is Fedora Core 5. I'd recommend you to upgrade.

Second... In order to install joystick drivers you only need to run as root

yum install joystick (If I remember the package correctly)

or to go to Add Remove Programs and in section of Games mark Joystick. You do not need to download the package by yourself! You have a package manager for this!

Also, IMHO Fedora is not the best one - it's little bit hard for beginners.

I'd suggest you one of: Ubuntu, Mandriva, Suse...

Krusty · « **Reply #8 on:** July 06, 2006, 02:39:02 PM »

Well I had core 2 from before, already on 5 CDs (and it took a while to DL as well). So I used it. I got the FTP and instructions on how to upgrade to FC5, but it crashes during the install process every time. It crashes before it starts installing, that is.

yum install joystick doesn't work. It's already installed. I checked the add/remove packages window and it's already there (I checked it off when I first installed).

*sigh* Oh well. Guess I'll shop around for a newer version. A free one, that is

artik · « **Reply #9 on:** July 06, 2006, 02:48:36 PM »

Ubuntu - one CD only,
Installation+live in one! If you don't have CD burner you can order it for free and it will take a few weeks utill you get the CD.

(Yeah, now I understand why Ubuntu is so popular)

Krusty · « **Reply #10 on:** July 06, 2006, 03:05:12 PM »

Well, that begs the question -- what did they take out of it to fit it onto one CD? Any drawbacks, etc? I might look into suse eventually. First I'm going to try upgrading FC2 (it's already installed).

artik · « **Reply #11 on:** July 07, 2006, 04:34:13 AM »

Quote

Well, that begs the question -- what did they take out of it to fit it onto one CD?

A lot...
You get quite a full system ready for use with Gnome Desktop, Open Office, Gimp and lots of useful tools (or if you want KDE as default then kubuntu).

The rest you just install from internet using Add/Remove Programs or Synaptic. You do not need 5 CDs with programs the 3/4 of them you do not need at all. It is good to have several CDs when you do not have an instant intenet connection or you on dial up.

Anyway: Mandriva, Suse, Fedora are good distros.

If you do not know I'd suggest you this forum for Fedora:

http://www.fedoraforum.org

x0847Marine · « **Reply #12 on:** July 07, 2006, 07:16:06 PM »

I think you might need to update the kernel if its an older version, but dont quote me on that.. I use Xandros Linux, which installed fast & easy.

Krusty · « **Reply #13 on:** July 08, 2006, 03:05:32 PM »

Bah, I just DLed a new ISO, burned a DVD, and upped to Fedora Core 5.

This instantly detected my proper sound card settings, as opposed to FC2, and did some other things better as well. The joystick works, and KDE even has a joystick interface (quite handy, that!) but I have to type "modprobe sidewinder" every time before it registers properly. I tried adding "sidewinder" inside the modprobe.conf file, but it didn't work (had to remove it).

I don't know where to put commands that I want to load instantly on start-up.

Auger · « **Reply #14 on:** July 08, 2006, 04:59:02 PM »

Well, on Debian it's /etc/modules. Check if you have that file. If so, just add a line that says

sidewinder

That should do it. That file only works for kernel modules.

If you want to run programs at startup, look in /etc/rc (I think that's the directory on Fedora).