i just got ubuntu and im trying to install any mp3 codec so i can play mp3s...but apt-get doesnt seem to have much...some forums suggested gstreamer0.8-plugins...but it doesnt accept it...it says the package has been moved or is obsolete etc...
and not much else works...help

You may want to update your /apt/sources.list
http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/05/13/...-repositories/

ok...i followed the instructions on the site(thank you ) you gave and made slight changes...i had nost of the dapper ones....and i got gstreamer0.10-plugins-good from apt-get...but i still cant play mp3s....it still says that the codecs are missing...

and by the way...i have 'gb' for great britain infront of all the extra repositories...i guess it takes a shorter time...but is there a disadv to it?

Look at post #5 it may help;
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/deb...wont-play.html

i added the sarge repository...but it still wont install libdvdcss and i still cant play mp3s...even after getting liblame0

Go to This Site and download the very small app. Follow the instructions to install and run it and in under 5 mins you will have mp3 and all sorts of other stuff up and running - no bother...


HTH

Mark

actually...i installed kaffeine...and it works fine on that...the problem is with totem player....but its al good...thanks for all your help..
and i do have easy ubuntu...thank you...
but i still dont get why i cant get a lot of the stuff from apt-get...o well..

aaaaaargh...its not working again...even in kaffeine player...no mp3s..this is just annoying...

Try following the steps described here : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats

P.S. what version of ubuntu are you using?

i have 6.06 ubuntu..
these are the errors when trying to install the multimedia stuff using easyubuntu...

W: GPG error: http://www.debian-multimedia.org sarge Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 07DC563D1F41B907

W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/universe Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_dapper_universe_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://packages.freecontrib.org dapper/free Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/packages.freecontrib.org_plf_dists_dapper_free_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://packages.freecontrib.org dapper/non-free Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/packages.freecontrib.org_plf_dists_dapper_non-free_binary-i386_Packages)

Try adding the sources using synaptic, or modify the sources.list file manually, then run sudo apt-get update or just click the reload button in synaptic.

It's normal Totem doesn't read MP3s with this, what you need is either totem-xine or the gstreamer ugly plugin set. For kaffeine and totem-xine, you'll need to install libxine extracodecs.

P.S. tried easyubuntu just now : messed things up pretty bad for me...

ok..thanks...makes a lotta sense...
got it to work...
need a dvd ripper too... tried installing the dvd::rip one...but when i test it (make test) it gives these errors which i cant find anything on after googling...

"make test
cd src && make
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/me/Downloads/dvdrip-0.98.1/src'
cc -o dvdrip-splitpipe dvdrip-splitpipe.c && mv dvdrip-splitpipe ../bin
/bin/sh: cc: command not found
make[1]: *** [../bin/dvdrip-splitpipe] Error 127
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/me/Downloads/dvdrip-0.98.1/src'
make: *** [bin/dvdrip-progress] Error 2 "

any ideas?