alright 1st off im not bashing linux, i think its awesome
but because im not getting it i think that, that sux

alright i really dont think im worth your peoples time 2 argue over and what not....

if you would like 2 help me outta my struggle w/ linux
it would be greatly appreciated...

ok. im runnin slackware 7.1
ive got a gateway computer
its a pentium 3 450mhz
matshita dvd-rom
im not sure about my audio or video
but i know its pretty good

i think i have fully installed my linux now
its runnin and ive got the winx workin 2
but when i log in it says crap about me being logged in as root

( right now im not on my computer )

cuz on my computer nothin works because of linux
i have none of my drivers installed and i dont know how 2 mount my cd and floppy drives i dont know any commands

im pretty much in the dark
i cant get online cuz i dunno how 2 setup my cable modem
ive got a router connected 2 another computer 4 my internet access

so i pretty much dont know how 2 do anything on my computer now
even my desktop config sux
cuz i gess its usin gnome and i wanna use kde but it dosnt work................

boy is this a mess


well if any 1 knows somthing that'll help me get goin
please lemme know
thanx

You're probably just getting the usual warning abouts 'doing things are root can trash your system'.

If you answered the question about where your CD-ROM is at installation then you should be able to do something along the lines of to mount your CD-ROM under the /cdrom directory, you then just access your files by going to the /cdrom directory.

Its a similar effort for your floppy, you use where someDir is a directory of your choice. On my systems I have created a /floppy directory but I can't really remember it thats there by default on Slackware, I think it may well be.

It sounds like you will need to configure your network card first, then your inet connection. How does your router give IP addresses to your other machines? Via DHCP?? What type of network card you using?

The best things you can do is decide which thing you want to sort out next and post specific questions about what you're trying to do. Have a read of any relevant documents on http://www.linuxdoc.org for a good starting point.

As for 'drivers' - the linux equivilent of installing drivers is to either load a module (if its present) or recompile your kernel to add support for the piece of hardware/to create the needed module. There a good howto on this one. I feel I should comment that you've chosen on of the least newbie-friendly distros you could of to start with! Slackware doesn't really do anything for you, but it means you'll learn a lot and you'll learn it fast if you want to get stuff up and running.

HTH

Jamie...

Ok, I am not trying to dis on you or anything, and I give you much props for just diving in and trying to install Linux. But why did you install Linux without reading up on some of it first off?

That would be like me knowing nothing of flying an airplane and then pushing the pilot over and tried to fly the airplane.

Before I jumped in on it, I read up a little on what the hell I was going to be doing when I do install it so I would have some indication on how to operate my system.

It does suck when things don't work, but I find that the beauty of Linux, cause you learn so much and feel so good when you get it working.

I would advise you to read up on the HowTo's, you don't have to read them throughly, but scan thru them. Another thing about Linux is a famous line a Linux guru told me " Know your Hardware "

You did pick a tough distro to start with, and if you hang in there you will learn quickly.
Linux is a very complicated OS and should be taken seriously.
Try to find exactly what you need and then post a question when needed. And try to stick to the forums as well, you will get better responses if asked separately than rather all together.

Come back and ask as much as you want when needed. There is always someone usually here to help you out.

Read the Documentation at:

http://ctdp.tripod.com/os/linux/index.html

Read the User's Guide (Section on X use to see how to set up to use GNOME or KDE), Files and Command Reference, and the beginning of How Linux Works.

Also checkout the Weblinks section and go to the Linux Documentation Project at:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/

Checkout the various how tos, and documents to learn more. If you don't want to do that much reading, use Windows, otherwise, enjoy the experience.