pain in the ass is an understatement.. i have been trying for2 days to get something to work at all.. have i given up? NO..

ill just keep downloading...

attemtping installation.. and then crying and asking for help here when it doesnt work :-)

To the original poster. Please dont throw out your Installation Cds.

Mail them to me! : )

If you're satisfied with Win.x why did you try Linux?
Linux needs more time and motivation from your side...
I'm having trouble with Linux myself, too..
But I'm trying my best and searching for answers...
Most of my problems I have solved with some patience and help from Linux community...
It is not always as easy, click the button and everything is done for you...
You'll learn a lot and get awesomely much out of your system...
Keep on trying, Godspeed!!

A lot of stuff on Linux may work for one guy and not work for another guy. The nVidia drivers are one example. You can also try diferent flavors to see which one tastes best. I used to like Mandrake, but after trying to install programs and then trying to do some development, I found that Mandrake blew. Now I use RedHat. I was always told that RedHat sucked, but my latest experience has proven that it actually works, though my former two installations of RedHat on another machine did not. That machine works fairly well with Mandrake though. It takes a lot of time to experiment and find what works and what you like.

As far as using Linux when you like Windows, that's how I started--Mandrake 7.2. I liked my Win98 installation fairly well but I was wanting to try Linux. Since then, I have found that Windows exploits your information and sells it and Linux gives you privacy. Any question what I like now?

10 times tryng to install linux ????

But where do you want to install it?

Into a flowerpot? or a cellular phone?
Are you sure you have a PC?

What's the trouble to install v.g Mandrake?
You don't find the CD ?

Alright NightJar, We don't need everyone bashing our Linux rookies.

What flavor are you running? I have found that Mandrake sucks, though it can often fake functionality. That's why I changed to RedHat. Moral: if one flavor don't work, try another. Also feel free to play with FreeBSD. I'd like to know how that Daemon's doing.

ya know-it's not really that hard. i mean, personaly, figuring all that stuff out is the fun part. like last week-i was having trouble getting my digital camera to work on linux. i didn't know how to mount (still can't remember how i did it-i had a bit of help :-p). anyways, i spent i think an hour and a half to two hours figuring it out. well, i did it-i had some help from someone on another forum (we were all ready talking about something-figured it'd be easy just to ask him the question than to post it on here)-anyways, he helped me out and i did it. that's what linux is about. helping each other out.

honestly, linux wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for that idea-linus made the kernal and people decided they wanted to help him out so they made patches and sent to him. and after he applied them, the people would go through and find other bugs that needed patching then patch. and then would send to linus who would in turn apply it to linux-etc etc etc. just ask, people are willing to give answers.

Hmmm. I've read a few posts that Mandrake sucks. I've had the oppasite. I tried Red Hat about a year ago and it was daunting to a noob. Then I went to Mandrake 9 and the install went smooth. Mandrake 9.1 was even better. My sound worked in this release and my internet was up. SuSu 8.2 (or is it 8.3?) professional couldn't even detect my internet.

The readme that comes with the video drivers tells you exactly what to do. Print a copy and get to work. Linux is a challange and I'm just at the beginning of the road. But going back to Windows won't fix it. Take charge of your computing. Don't be a sheep and wait for M$ to stop supporting your OS or try and sell you a new one.

Wouldn't that be:

"Don't be a sheep and wait for M$ to stop supporting your OS AND try and sell you
a new one."

Because monopoly's a 2 pronged strategy! Heh heh

He actually ask everyone to beg him not to leave linux
i actually a newbie (see.. - 4 posts), but i'm not lazy to googling all day just reading even silly article about linux.

even idiots could run linux, so many manual, how-to out there.
just
read; try; ask; and try again

Yes you are right x4n0b1 in the respect that anyone can use/learn linux but the problem is when someone has been spoon fed and hand held through everything they have done on windows, linux is a big step. I do believe linux to be a mindset, some people may say hobby but to me it is all about something else. For me it was the fact that I am tired of being pushed around by MS and I am no longer giving money for system crashes. So thinking that way gave me the ambition to learn linux and refuse to give it up as my desktop os.

Whatever your reasons linux can be a real pain, but the feeling of self accomplishment when you do figure out what is wrong is great. Some people come here to try something new and that is great for the people who want to actually learn something, and then there are those where linux holds no importance it's just a toy to play with when you have time and those people just want to turn on there computer and have it work and of course linux in most cases is not like that.

I am a newbie direct switch no dual boot but again it was in my mindset to learn it. Of course I am in no way speaking for everyone but I do believe I bring up a valid point.

Just my 2 cents!

two days? even the most advanced people have problems.

<-- not advanced

I guess jabbermancy hasnt read most of this stuff, he first posted back in May. <grin>

I got the feeling he was actually asking for help, but like so many people, had no idea how to.. ah well...

This has been an interesting post for me.

I tried Linux (Mandrake I think) about 6 years ago and had so much trouble that I reverted back to the evil empires money machine. Then about 3 years ago I bought a new PC and thought I'd try Red hat - again with very little success.

I've recently successfully installed Mandrake 9.1 onto the same machine and it's working well. I can get an Internet connection, and am learning the linux commands to navigate around the console - and I'm now having to unlearn a lot of DOS commands

Gotta confess I still use XP on the main machine at the moment, and it'll probably stay like that for some time, because it IS easy to use and I don’t have to think too much when installing new software or figuring some things out. But using Linux does make you learn, it even makes you WANT to learn about your computer!

Its now about 6 months since jabbermacy posted their message! I don't know whether he's using windows or Linux now, but if he's been bitten by the same bug that bit my 6 years ago, he'll be trying Linux again soon. I’m sure hardware support will have improved, and I'm certain forums like this one will still be here to support him.

why do people always go on about linux not supporting loads of hardware and windows being better than linux for hardware ???

after installing linux everything just works, printer graphics sound network digital cam, webcam everything

after installing windows NOTHING works,, you cant even print you have to go through thousnands of cd's installing drviers, and re-booting.... agh !

i have windows and linux installed on my pc, linus for me, windows for little sister..
and now, on the very rare occasion i use windows, i get soo im-patient at it, im so used to linux that waiting decades for windows to boot, re-dial the net, download, install whaever feels like a LIFE TIME !!

plus, lets say one day you feel like rippig a cd, you just do it, there's no downloading trial versions of shareware and applying patches / getting codes... you just do it.

easy.