New Linux user help

Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
OK I've managed to install Ubuntu, and run the update.
Detected all the hard drives (SATA & USB) but for the 320GB it says I don't have permissions :confused: Gone into Administration, Disks, partition and browse. I can browse the USB 2 hard drive. Both are NTFS.

I have a few .RPM install files but when I double click on them nothing happens :confused:

What is Automatix and how do I install that?
I also have Alsa drivers which have been recommended by M-Audio.

All this Kernal/scripting/re-compiling is too confusing. :confused: basically have to learn DOS like commands? :confused:

I can't install Linux ATI GFX drivers, or playback AVI (need codecs?)
 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2005
Posts
8,721
Location
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
squiffy said:
I have a few .RPM install files but when I double click on them nothing happens :confused:
RPM files are packages for some other systems, not Ubuntu. Ubuntu is based on Debian and, as such, you'll be looking for packages that are .deb files. Get familiar with synaptic as it is able to download, install, and configure most software automatically.

squiffy said:
What is Automatix and how do I install that?
http://www.getautomatix.com/wiki/index.php?title=Installation&Itemid=38 See the part called "Installing Automatix2 with Apt" You'll want the part for Dapper, not Edgy.

squiffy said:
All this Kernal/scripting/re-compiling is too confusing. :confused: basically have to learn DOS like commands?
It certainly doesn't hurt to learn the commands used at the command line. Linux, as a UNIX-like system, has an extremely powerful command line. Most tasks can be performed at the command line if you want to do so. It's important, IMO, to learn basic navigation and file manipulation with commands like cd, ls, pwd, etc.

squiffy said:
I can't install Linux ATI GFX drivers, or playback AVI (need codecs?)
Use automatix to do that once you've followed the instructions linked above. It'll do all the dirty work in a matter of minutes.
 
Last edited:
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
Trying to edit the sources.list file in ect\act but it says read only, I am not the owner. What the...I install it with single user, logged in as this :confused:
 
Man of Honour
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2005
Posts
8,721
Location
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
are you using "sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list" as the command as the instructions direct you to do?

EDIT: I'll explain why you need to. To modify system files like your sources.list file, you'll need to be a superuser. The username you use to log in is not a superuser by default. This is meant to protect you from accidentally breaking anything. To modify these files you'll need to become the superuser, or su. In order to execute a command as su, use sudo. Think of it as "Super User DO."
 
Last edited:
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
ok thanks that's done. Installed another HD, no partition. I can't create a partition and format it :confused:

So any progs with RPM I can't use? What about Slim Devices Slim Server? (very important)

Automatix has done this. What do I do now? ah found it in "System Tools"



nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo geedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Password:
sudo: geedit: command not found
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ wget http://www.getautomatix.com/apt/key.gpg.asc
--04:49:50-- http://www.getautomatix.com/apt/key.gpg.asc
=> `key.gpg.asc'
Resolving www.getautomatix.com... 82.165.193.29
Connecting to www.getautomatix.com|82.165.193.29|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 1,730 (1.7K) [text/plain]

100%[====================================>] 1,730 --.--K/s

04:49:50 (419.32 KB/s) - `key.gpg.asc' saved [1730/1730]

nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ gpg --import key.gpg.asc
gpg: directory `/home/nathan/.gnupg' created
gpg: new configuration file `/home/nathan/.gnupg/gpg.conf' created
gpg: WARNING: options in `/home/nathan/.gnupg/gpg.conf' are not yet active during this run
gpg: keyring `/home/nathan/.gnupg/secring.gpg' created
gpg: keyring `/home/nathan/.gnupg/pubring.gpg' created
gpg: /home/nathan/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key 521A9C7C: public key "Justin Hayes (Automatix Repository Master) <[email protected]>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ gpg --export --armor 521A9C7C | sudo apt-key add -
OK
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo apt-get update
Get: 1 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper Release.gpg [189B]
Get: 2 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release.gpg [189B]
Get: 3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release.gpg [191B]
Get: 4 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release.gpg [191B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release
Get: 5 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper Release [5161B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Sources
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Sources
Get: 6 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Packages [14B]
Get: 7 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper/main Packages [435B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Sources
Get: 8 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Sources [14B]
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Sources
Fetched 5816B in 0s (7608B/s)
Reading package lists... Done
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo apt-get install automatix2
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed
automatix2
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 154kB of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Get: 1 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper/main automatix2 1.0-1.15-6.06dapper_amd64 [154kB]
Fetched 154kB in 1s (89.7kB/s)
Selecting previously deselected package automatix2.
(Reading database ... 72105 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking automatix2 (from .../automatix2_1.0-1.15-6.06dapper%5famd64_amd64.deb) ...
Setting up automatix2 (1.0-1.15-6.06dapper_amd64) ...
 
Last edited:
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
yeah done it, thanks. Found it in system tools. Now to try and get Slimserver and Myth TV installed.

Getting around Linux isn't as easy as Windows. Can't figure out synatec package installer, imported the file and loads and loads of entries. :confused:
 
Man of Honour
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2005
Posts
8,721
Location
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
What about it can't you figure out? Check the boxes next to the packages you want to install and press "Install" :confused:

I don't see a near-universal repository system for Windows that downloads, installs, and configures software for you so I fail to see how it is comparable.
 
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
BillytheImpaler said:
What about it can't you figure out? Check the boxes next to the packages you want to install and press "Install" :confused:

I don't see a near-universal repository system for Windows that downloads, installs, and configures software for you so I fail to see how it is comparable.

There are dozens and dozens of entries :confused:

I still need to use Slimserver
http://www.slimdevices.com/su_downloads.html

Is FFDSHOW available for Linux? (scaling software)
 
Man of Honour
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2005
Posts
8,721
Location
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
squiffy said:
There are dozens and dozens of entries :confused:
Just start typing the name of the package you want and it'll sort it and take you to that entry.

I don't know much about the software you're looking to use do somebody else might have to help you there.

EDIT: I've had a quick look at the slim server. It seems you could go at this from two ways. You could use a command-line tool called alien to convert the .rpm onto a .deb that you could then install, or you could compile the perl source yourself.

I'd start out with alien. First install alien via synaptic. Then type man alien to see the manual page for the alien command to see how to use it.

EDIT2: FFDSHOW seems to only be available as a binary for Windows 32-bit. You could try to run that in WINE (install WINE with automatix) or else you will have to compile it yourself from source.
 
Last edited:
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
I have no idea how to do that, I'm having enough problems as it is. Managed to get the 60GB to be seen and activated, but 320GB cannot be mounted/browsed. It has a lot of data I need to access, I can recover it from DVD-R but talking couple of hours reading them in (would otherwise just format it)

SPDIF soundcard isn't working, can't find any soundcard settings
Also can't change videocard settings (refresh)
 
Last edited:
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
All of it.

It's saying something about i386 "wrong archietucture" for the NTFS apps. Doing the same for ATI drivers.

I don't care about Linux configurability, aren't there utilties which just do what I want it to do? Messing around with terminal, command line.

Also how can I get it to auto login with username and password? Since this'll be a htpc I would rarely use the keyboard


aaahh sod this going back to MC :rolleyes:
 
Man of Honour
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2005
Posts
8,721
Location
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
I assume the wring architecture errors have something to do with the fact you're using a 64-bit system.

If you don't feel like learning a new way of operating, go back to the platform you've used for probably 10+ years. It's understandable that you're more comfortable in Windows because you've probably got tens of thousands of hours experience with it and now you're probably getting close to having a half dozen hours experience with Ubuntu/Linux.

Don't be afraid of the command line. It's the fastest and most efficient way of getting the vast majority of tasks done.
 
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
Well digital out doesn't work, so linux is pretty much useless OS. M-Audio is seen under system devices, enabled ac-3 passthrough in media player thing, still nothing. Went into package and installed alsa things, still nothing.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Nov 2003
Posts
313
Location
Aberdeen
If it's an M-Audio Audiophile (or something similar, like one of the Delta cards), install alsa-tools-gui (from synaptic, which really isn't complicated in the slightest). Once that's done, press ALT-F2 and type "envy24control" in the box and press "Run". This brings up something which looks exactly like the windows mixer for the card. Set up your SPDIF from there.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
7,175
Location
Sussex
you can install RPMs on a Ubuntu machine with "alien"

Code:
sudo apt-get install alien

this should hopefully convert the rpm into a deb for you.
 
Suspended
OP
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
Gone back to MC. :) Until Linux is easier to use I'll stick to Windows.
I grew up from MS-DOS 3.11, and gladly waved farewell to command line. I do have a 20GB so I'll try it out on that, hopefully once that's configured and working I'll consider that for the main OS.
 
Back
Top Bottom