Lots of Questions - SUSE 10.1

Right,
I have been using Linux for about a month now, so I'm still pretty new.
I use Suse 10.1 with Gnome.

I'v got a few questions :-

1. In Firefox I get no sound from flash videos; e.g. YouTube and Google Videos. I have installed flashplayer, originally on my userarea then as root.
All the video works fine, just no sound, it's the same for any video.

2. Is there any where I can check up on what loads up at start-up? Like in windows it was msconfig, is there something like this for linux?

3. I have 5 Games that I want to play, I don't want to setup a dual boot, I only have linux on my system now, how can I setup a virtual machine to install XP on and play these games?
I have tried Xen, but it appears to only support other linux distros.

4. I have now got amaroK to play MP3's with the Xine engine, but I cannot rip into MP3 only into Flac and ogg, I use Sound Juicer CD Extractor to rip, is there anything better than this around?

5. I have got 6.1 surround sound, but I am only getting 2.0 output, Xine's output is set to 6.1 and all of the channels are turned up in volume control.

6. What is the best FTP program for linux? At the moment I am just using the FireFTP plugin in Firefox.

7. How can I map the extra buttons on my logitech Keyboard and Mouse?

8. How can I update programs? e.g Firefox, there is a newer version available do I have to download and installed it or are there any update options available? Also in Yast when I tell a program to update not a lot seems to happen, I have told it to update Firefox yet it is still only v1.5.

Thanks for any help

I can help you with 8). Follow the link below to download the latest version of Firefox and install with YaST.

ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/mozi....0.5/10.1-i386

Thanks pilotgi

Number 6 is sorted, I am using gFTP.

***Gnome, hummm, you mite want to think about KDE....
(1) try typing "aboutlugins" and "about:config" in the address bar, check whats on your machine
(2) As machine boots up press Esc key. tea-he
(3) mite try -wine- -WineX- (hell I dual-boot just for games, 2 hard drives)
(4) mite try -Grip-, you should have K3B intergraded into Konquror........
(5) Sounds like a Gnome internal setting to me
(7) Personal settings,Regional &, Keyboard layout
(8) Try using -smart- goggle/linux smart

Im going to try a manual install of Flashplayer now.

althought

application/x-shockwave-flash Shockwave Flash swf Yes application/futuresplash FutureSplash Player spl Yes

Did showup in about plugins.

I have got 3 hard drives 250-Linux and 2x 200 which are just sitting there.
Don't you have to install windows first then linux?
If I install windows now it will kill my grub.
I really don't want to loose all my data I did a few weeks ago when I tried to add Vista to my XP/Liunx boot and I lost both OS.
So then I went back to just linux, but im bored and need games lol

I have tryed grip but I get the message
Invalid Encoder Executable...

Thanks I will try the other stuff out now

Still no luck with the flash, I just tryed to play a flash music video and there was no audio and when it stopped to buffer the browser crashed.
I asked about it on an other forum ages ago and they said that its beacuse im using flash player 7 and all new stuff is flash 8.
Is the true?

Flash= http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/downl...sion=Netscape4
think theres a updated version coming soon.......
Do you use mplayer?

For ripping MP3s you need to have LAME installed, it's arguably the best mp3 encoder I actually prefer ogg. Unfortunately i know little of Gnome as i use KDE and the default install has KaudioCreator which is a nice, simple and flexible ripper.

Do you have other sound problems or just the Flash and 6.2 prob.s? if so what card do you have as that might help us.

as for games. WineX, or go to cadega and see if your games work under the programme. that would be easier than dualboot.

as for dualboot, I've only done it the otherway way around. so i'm not a good source for that. however, in past experiences windows won't,doesn't see a drive with linux on it. so if your extra drive is not formatted with a linux file sys. it will see that as its first drive and install there and then reinstall GRUB (which will) andthere you go. But i would do an extensive search here on dual boot (i think there is a howto somewhere here)before trying it.

ther is also a mouse howto for mapping extra buttons, pretty easy, a simple edit of your xconfig. Keboard mapping look up Xmodmap and xev. very easy.

I too reccomend Smart even being a previous yast lover. smart is just too good and EASY. http://spinink.net/2006/05/20/instal...ckage-manager/

lsmod is a commandline tool that shows what modules have been loaded or in YasT System-> System sevices (runlevel editor) tells your what when and if mods are loaded and the ability too change it.

hope that helps.

Originally Posted by BROse Flash= http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/downl...sion=Netscape4 think theres a updated version coming soon....... Do you use mplayer?

I have flash installed fine, but I still have the audio problem.
No I do not use Mplayer. Should I? lol

I am prepared to just use OGG as I don't really like mp3 any way, but is there any way to change bit rate etc like you can with mp3?

The sounds abit screwy when I play audio throught amaroK, but it works.
The cards a Internal Creative Live! 24bit

lineak was recomended to me for mapping buttons I am going to try it in a second.

THanks for that, are there any that can be disabled with no harm done? It takes about 5x longer to boot Linux than XP, but then again I only have about 20/40 services loading in XP, just want to get it quicker in Linux.

Im going to check out wineX etc thanks

Right Mplayer is great that for recomending that
Right is Cedega worth the money?
Will it let me play Age of Empires 3 or Oblivion etc?
And whats wineX like would that do the same? Is it free?

im pretty sure that the sourcefor cedega is free, so all u pay for is support and binary packages. winex is good and free i think. wine is free. it doesnt matter what way you install l;inux and windows. either way grub and be recovered, and added to if u need to. i had slack, suse, xp, 2k, and suse beta on 3 dif hd's and grub booted them all.
ogg is jst as customizable as mp3, plus the compression is suposed to be better.

Ryan