In an effort to remove my newbie status, and to make myself learn things i have decided to try the mandrake distro. A freind of mine gave me the iso's for mandrake 9.0, i want to install it alongside windows xp, im not to sure how to use the hdd config tool in the set up, so i stumbled through that, after i managed to get it installed, it kept giving me errors with my graphics card/monitor, here are my system specs if it will help...

AMD Athlon Xp 1800+
512 MB pc 2100 DDR Ram.
hdd1 - 6 gig (windows xp)
hdd2 - 20 gig (linux)
Nvidia geforce Fx 5200 128 mb graphics card.
and a Gateway 2000 Crystalscan 15" crt monitor.

Can someone help?

Thanks in advance,
Ross.

You need to configure your X Window System. I can't remember where exactly the X config file is in Mandrake or if Mandrake supports xf86config. Try running 'xf86config' as root (use su command to login as root) and setting up X there. If that command doesn't work boot up emacs or vi and edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf (if that is where your X config file is)

Try 'xf86config' as syggested above (the configuration file is /etc/X11/XF86Config-4, btw). Your graphic card driver is 'nv'. You'd also need monitor specs (horizontal and vertical refresh) - they're in your monitor's manual.

okay, im not used to running command line, been on windows since i can remember, so once i get all that entered in it should run okay?

i guess what i dont understand is why i can see a gui mode during installation but at boot, it wont get there.

When you configure it, GUI should start after reboot (or after you use the command 'startx').

okay, so now i got into gui mode to discover it is in kde 3.0 i would love to upgrade to 3.2, but when i move to download from kde's site, it gives me intel 586 rpms and srpms... im using an ampd proc, so which should i download, and also, when using kpp to connect to the net, i cant get passed the 'initalize modem' step, it just waits there, the modem works in windows, and i have all of my login info, and ideas on that?

586 RPMs will work well on Athlon/Duron processor. I don't think they provide AMD-specific (different than for AMD64) packages. If you'd really like to have tuned KDE you'd need to compile it yourself (recommended using Konstruct).

Are you sure you have the right modem driver? I understand you can't connect at all, right? Which modem do you have?

Chances are, that's a winmodem
You'll need the drivers for it. What kind?

i got the modem working, its an external modem, ive been through the whole winmodem thing, and learned my lesson there. and ive started the arguous process of downloading the 300+ megs on dial up for kde 3.2 but my big question is, how do i get the system updated? using the auto update it mentions that support for 9.0 is no longer available, or all of the servers might be down, this happens no matter what i click, i think i read somewhere that a certain kernel does not support via integrated sound, and thats what i have, and the sound will not work, i like mandrake alot more than suse, and im excited to use it, but really strapped for cash at the moment, so any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated, and i thank you all for your patience, and help.

Ross.

You can upgrade (but no new packages for 9.0 are produced, so it won't be really new). You need to add new software source to the list. Two mirrors I've found: ftp://mandrake.redbox.cz/Mandrake-ol...i586/Mandrake/ and ftp://mirror.fis.unb.br/pub/linux/Ma...-old/9.0/i586/