New to Linux and in using command prompts

rsmith23 · 09-28-2016, 04:52 PM

:Please forbear with me as I recently decided to make the change to Ubuntu 16.04. I was a Microsoft user for many years and took courses in the Microsoft Professional series. That was with Windows NT4 in the nineties. You'll also see that my spelling is not always correct. I never was an English major. With the recent attempts to commandeer people's computer by the (I call them thugs) at Microsoft, they wiped out my hard drive by placing an unrecognizable partition on it and I cannot get either Windows 7 or 8 to load on it now.

However, that being said, I acquired Ubuntu 16.04.1 recently and loaded it on my computer. Then as luck would have it I purchased the book Linux Pocket Guide by Daniel Barrett. I've been attempting to learn it but some of the commands are apparently not usable for 16.04. But that is something that I'll learn to do in time. SO please bear with me as I am new to the Linux systems. I do like what I've seen of Ubuntu however;.

My big question is that I have had to purchase a new printer, and I researched which one to use. HP printers have linux capability but I cannot get it to work after loading the driver on my computer. The printer is an HP M127fw printer combo. It was on sale. I have attempted to download packets that are supposed to make it compatable but so far nothing has worked. Can you help me with this?

Until I learn the command line functions well I am without a printer or until I learn what I am doing.

Any recommendations on which books to get to learn Ubuntu? It isn't Windows 7 or 8 for sure.

Thank you for your time and patience reading this.

Ron Smith
rsmith23@rittermai.com

ferrari · 09-28-2016, 05:59 PM

Hi Ron

Welcome to LXQ! You're on a steep learning curve (adventure) here, but your technical background will stand you in good stead. I'm sure you'll get familiar with commands as you find the need. It does take time and effort.

Anyway, since you're using Ubuntu, check out the following guides to get started
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UsingTheTerminal
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CommandlineHowto

Now, on to the printer...the HP M127fw is supported by HPLIP. Is the printer on the network, or are you connected via USB cable?

Try configuring using hp-setup utility. You can launch it from a terminal using

Code:

sudo hp-setup

Enter your root password when prompted. With any luck it will be detected and configured without further prompting.

http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web.../hp_setup.html

Keith Hedger · 09-28-2016, 06:05 PM

for hp printers you would be best off installing the hplip package, ubuntu should have it in the repos, you canuse apt-get to install it or syanpatics if you prefer gui, failing that just do a google search for installing hplip on ubuntu.

Welcome to the wonderful world of linux!

Keith Hedger · 09-28-2016, 06:05 PM

ferrari u type like your name and beat me to it

rsmith23 · 09-28-2016, 06:30 PM

Thanks guys for all the input. I appreciate it very much. I am sure that you know what FNG means. We used it in SE Asia quite a bit.
I will try the command line and the GUI connections to HP as someone suggested.

Again thanks.

Ron
rsmith23@rittermail.com

jefro · 09-28-2016, 07:49 PM

Hello!

I think you are ahead of the game. If you know some OS you can almost always be sure the same process is used. For example to copy a file. That concept is the same, command name is different.

I will say this. If you don't do some sort of backup, you may end up again at some point you can't recover from. Linux is not immune to data issues. Learn and use as many best practices as you can. Avoid bad practices.

As for printer, it usually works. Guess you could boot to some live cd/dvd/usb drive and see what a gui might offer. You need to learn about live media as it can save your behind.

Since you say used, be sure you test from menu on printer and be sure it is set for defaults. Do you know if it does work?

ferrari · 09-28-2016, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Since you says used, be sure you test from menu on printer and be sure it is set for defaults. Do you know if it does work?

@jefro: The OP didn't say it was used, but it was on sale, so hopefully it will prove itself worthy of purchase

jamison20000e · 09-28-2016, 09:52 PM

Hi.

Here's a link or twenty-five thousand five hundred (+9

) that may help from DuckDuckGoing: HP M127fw Linux; http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web...fp_m127fw.html Ubuntu, Mint and many are built on Debian as a side note... have fun.

Edit: whoops, I missed Ferrari already posted that top one.

ondoho · 09-29-2016, 01:24 AM

rsmith23, please do not publicly post your email address, for your own sake.
you are attracting spam like stale beer attracts flies.

jefro · 09-29-2016, 05:21 PM

I read sentences out of order sometimes.

"new printer, and I researched which one to use."

Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful.

Back to menu. Some printers can emulate other models so consider that too. It may not be configured new out of box default.

plasmonics · 09-29-2016, 07:51 PM

I happen to own this printer. It works perfectly in Fedora. I am not a fan of *buntu, but I do have Xubuntu 16.04 on my hard drive, and it works there as well as in Debian 8.

With a lot of the hp all-in-one printers, the standard hplip driver you install using the dnf or apt-get command don't always work. In addition, some of them require proprietary hp plugins. With Fedora being strictly GPL, dnf does not give you the plugin.

The way I installed it for the various distros, including Xubuntu, is to download and execute the hplip run file. Post #8 gives the link. It will download and install the necessary dependencies and then compile hplip from source. This is a WiFi printer, so I assume you have already hooked it up to the router via WPS or whatever method you chose. Towards the end, it will look for the printer on your network. I chose the Avahi discovery method, because I did not want to open a port for Bonjour. It will also download the proprietary plugin, without which it will never work. Good luck.

ziphem · 09-29-2016, 07:54 PM

Hi Ron, it depends what level of understanding is with the command line. If you're very new and just getting the basics, there's always the option of having a quick reference guide as your desktop wallpaper background!

https://itsfoss.com/download-linux-w...-cheat-sheets/