im a scared new linux user :)
 

hey,
i have been reading through some stuff here, and im still scared.

i just got redhat linux 7.3 and installed it as a workstation or desktop or whatever you call it (im lost already).

it's on a 3 gig hard drive dual booting with a 10 gig winxp hard drive(fat32).

i just wanna use this to do the following: look at the files on the fat32 hard drive, access my network with xp machines over tcpip, run a linux half life server and share out my cable internet that i will connect to the linux box when i learn how to :)

sooooo, when i wanna log in as the root user, what username do i use? the setup didnt ask me what username i wanted to use, just asked me for a password. i have my default username called james, but im guessing that doesnt have all the privilages.

well, if any of you could please help me with any of my :newbie: problems, i would be really greatful, thx

ps. i tried those help sites, but i am completely and utterly lost

-james

I am EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEMLY newbie :D :D :D the only thing that I can tell you is that you can log in with "root" as username. The pass is what the setup asked you for the root password

thanks! my first piece of knowledge on linux!

also, could someone please explain to me the linux filesystem? :) im used to my clean fat32, and now i have about 10 or so weird things, im soo soo lost

ext2
 

linux runs off its own, ext 2 filesystem "second extended filesystem" which does absolutly not get along w/ dos/ windows fat32 16 and Ntfs fSystems.

qouted from http://e2fsprogs.sourceforge.net/ext2intro.html

After the integration of the VFS in the kernel, a new filesystem, called the ``Extended File System'' was implemented in April 1992 and added to Linux 0.96c. This new filesystem removed the two big Minix limitations: its maximal size was 2 giga bytes and the maximal file name size was 255 characters. It was an improvement over the Minix filesystem but some problems were still present in it. There was no support for the separate access, inode modification, and data modification timestamps. The filesystem used linked lists to keep track of free blocks and inodes and this produced bad performances: as the filesystem was used, the lists became unsorted and the filesystem became fragmented.

thx for the info. so is there no way in which i can access my dos partition?

also, i have noticed that linux is very slow on my machine, everything it does is slow, and its a P3 256mb Sdram that runs xp really nicley... i have been told that linux runs on a Pentium 1, so i dont understand why it isnt amazing on mine.

I was afraid you would say that "that it runs slow on ur machine" probably because you did thee partitionless install>?. when you install. I would sugest reinstalling" you must first select custom install. so you can partition ur hd for linux. so when you get there you need to do as follows make a root partiotion "linux native" you will usually have the ooption to select partition type" set the root partition as a linux native probabily about 5 gigs "5000mb" or whatever u can afford. then you need to set a swap partition "set it as swap not linux native" you say you have 256 mb ram? set the swap to 256 mb of ram then. that is rule of thumb.
then "PAY ATTENTION" this part messes people up alot so not set a boot partition! "assuming ur running windows" if u are not running windows and want a fresh install of linux then set a boot partition of 5megs or so "wghatever it allows" for linux to write the lilo on. but if you are running windows..... which im assuming you are do not bother just pay attentiion to the prompts on install and when it asks if you want to format the mbr and install lilo or create a boot disk. "CREATE A BOOT DISK" brecause it will write over ur mbr and u will not be able to boot into windows without reformatting the mbr "master boot record".
but if you do happen to F*** up just boot into dos with a boot disk and "make sure u have fdisk on ur disk then type

fdisk /mbr
would look like ==== a:\fdisk /mbr
and u should be set
you will notice a tonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn of difference in ur performance trust me this goes back to me saying ext2 and fat32 16 - ntfs

Do not GET ALONG

thx for all that.

whats 'three partionless install'? i just did the auto install thing, let rh installed control it. and where did u find out all this? i thought u were a noob :)

also, i downloaded a few programs, and they end with, rpm, tgz and tar.gz, linux wont open any of them

the partitionless install or "auto install" is where it dosent give linux its own partition it just installs it on ur current active partition and if its a window/dos ur linux is gonna suck major cahone's use the kde or gnome package managers to install those progs it should be easy enough to find.
i highly sugest reinstalling. or you will regret it. highly

theres 2 hard drives in the computer
a 10 gig and a 3 gig, windows is on the 10 gig, and linux on the 3gig, there was nothing on the 3 gig when i installed linux on it.

right, but you still need to repartiotion the hard drive if you havent done so, i recommend disk druid

im nnot necessary saying linux is being installed on the same partition as windows but its gotta be installed on a dos/windows "fat16 32 -ntfs" if its running that slow

2 more questions and i may shut up :)

where can i get disk druid :) and how do i open tar.gz, tgz and rpm files?

i downloaded aladdin, but i couldnt extract it :)

hmmmmm ok i believe disk druid is included wih the redhat cd you are installing redhat right?.
if not just use the prog it provides.
heres what you should do
back up any lin stuff you have and wajnt 2 keep
then.
put ur install cd in and reboot go through all the junk until you reach the type of install
Do a CUSTOM INSTALL
then it will ask you if you wanna manually partition or something to that effect
choose the prog.
Use anything but FDISK so you dont mess up any other partitions
know once ur in the partitioning program "which ever one is provided"
delete all the partitions "on the 3 gig hard drive"
then set your swap partition to your amount of ram
after that set your root partitionto nopthing just make sure you set it to grow to fill the disk, this way it will use the whole 3 gigs.
"make sure you set your root partitions mount point as "/" without the "" "the 3 gig one"
and the swap partition as nothing.
if you set the swap right it will just say "swap partition" in quotes""
then once you have your partitions set it is really really easy from there
HAVE FUN!

thx alot

im actually just asking other ppl in the house if they really care what i do to that computer, so i can use the 10 gig :)