for starters i must confess i am really a newbie, no below newbie on linux

i am getting really fed up with linux and so i have some really stupid questions to ask:

1. how can i get my SOT linux to connect to any of my two xp computers that are on the network, i have installed samba as i see it correctly and wroter on konqueror smb:/
it got me looking to my workgroup "salokas", so i clicked it, long delay and after that an annoying message "cant connect to host localhost" translated so may not be the original english message. what is wrong and how to fix it?

2. i also tryed to install this lisa thing and ended up facing an error message that was saying something about lisa not beeing active and that kind of crap. how is this?

3. how can i log into linux as root, i have tried like usetname: root password: xxxxxxxxx but it says that password is wrong or something and i know it is the right password. or is it? and how to log in??

4. about my mandrake 9.2 linux on the fourth computer, how can i install anything? rpmdrake gives me some list about different rpm's but how can i install anything i have downloaded? and how can i install those .tar.gz files?

it would be great it You could answer to any of these questions,
let me just say that i dont understand any of that programming language that some of you are using. please make your answers easy to understand

Fist time I have heard of SOT linux. Perhpas you could ask in their forums.

1) Use the swat utility that comes with samba to create
a configuration file. Can the XP machines see each other
in network neighbourhood. Does tcp/ip networking between
the machines work, can you ping or ftp between the linux
and xp machines?

2)Saying "and that kind of crap" is not helpfull.
Quote error messages exactly as they appear.

3) Saying "or somthing" is not helpfull.
Quote error messages exactly as they appear.
You can't log in as root over telnet.

4) I don't use mandrake. tar.gz files are compressed
archives like a zip file. You can look in them easily with
the midnight commander (command mc). If the tgz contains
sourcecode then follow the instructions in the readme and
compile it, you may need to install other stuff it depends on.

i apologize for the language.

yes, i can ping between them but ftp is restricted (can't connect).

eh, how do i use the swat utility? and i have read about these graphical user interfaces (GUI) for samba, how can the be installed and run when installed?

add this to your /etc/xinetd.conf file

service swat
{
port = 901
socket_type = stream
wait = no
only_from = localhost
user = root
server = /usr/sbin/swat
log_on_failure += USERID
disable = no
}

then make sure smb is running

ps -xa | grep smb

if it is not there then issue the command

service smb start

then in your browser type

localhost:901

this will bring up swat

as for chaning a root password, not logged in as root, I don't think you can do it. What you need to do is when it boots up is to go into a linux shell. I don't know how you do this in mandrake. Once in the shell you can go to the /etc/shadow file the first line should look like this

root:$1$QZN?.E??$VusmeBI00aAPJKhJb3bVr.:12511:0:99999:7:::

edit this line to look like this

root::12511:0:99999:7:::

save the file.

type in 'sync disk' to make

restart the computer, login as root with no password. Once your in as root then change the password

HTH

how can i edit it, i mean i have found the file and added the commandlines but then cant save it because i have no rights, how can i switch to root, it is not possible at login or in the terminal :/

nope, dot have permission (as root) to open /etc/shadow file
it sayed directly permission denied

like I said You need to find out how Mandrakle can boot into a shell with out any login prompts. this will be a limited mode and you will need how to use the command line to navigate to the file and a commandline editor like VI or pico (if you have pine installed). then after you edit the file sync the disk I do not know how you do it in mandrake. Sorry I can not help you with that part

now that i have changed the xinetd.conf and wrote on the address bar localhost:901 it sayed "connection was refused when attempting to contact localhost:901."

and when tryed to get inside my workgroup (wich can be seen when i wrote smb:/) it says "cant contact server localhost." (translated again so words may vary)

Is it possible that you have forgotten your root password? If so, it is simple to use a boot CD which gives you root access, mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/whatever and edit /etc/passwd to remove the root password. Then you can remove the boot disc and reboot and reset your password using the passwd command.

unfortunately you need to be root user to run swat. also you need to have services running, I thought this would have been done already in mandrake. in a terminal type

chkconfig --levels 35 services on

this will turn on your service to connect to swat buit you will need to be root user to use it

muzzy, nope i still remember my password
ToeShot, you have been very helpful, thank you and all the others, i will try that thing soon, in the next 14 hours

now it works on SOT Linux computer, i mean the smb, it works on any user account.

except, do i need to login as root to share any directory of any user or can i just share the home directory from any user account?
i have tryed to click on the file://home directory and click on share but it shows a text that only home directories can be shared so what is my home directory then??

and another problem with Mandrake Linux 9.2, i am cant access my cd- or floppy drive allthough i have setted the setting that mounted the cd drive to mnt/cdrom, how can i get them to work or do i just have to install the linux again?

now i figured out the sharing problem, i got distracted of what is actually home directory and what is directory in home directory

but still have problems with mandrake and its cd nad floppy drive...

and another trouble (surprise!) how can other computer see linux machine in their own network neighbourhood and access linux machine? i tryed to write the ip of linux machine to xp machines address bar but nothing happened