BigDummy needs big help
OK, as pathetic as this sounds, I work
as a systems administrator. I know windows like the back of my hand, but I know absolutely NOTHING about Linux. I downloaded the Ark Linux ISO and tried installing it on 2 different machines. One is a crappy old Gateway GP6-333c and the other is a Compaq 1700T notebook. Being so used to Windows, I'm confused by this whole install procedure and haven't found any kind of step-by-step instructions. My main goal is just to get it running on one of the two machines so I can become familiar with it. One annoying thing is that you can't create a linux partition and then install to it, you have to install to unpartitioned free space. On the Gateway, if I use the crappy integrated graphics, all I get at startup is 4 blurry desktops. I tried putting in an ATI Radeon vid card, and it's so blurry I couldn't see anything. How do you configure the video if you can't even get to the desktop? On the Compaq, it works fine, but the touchpad doesn't work. It doesn't have a ps/2 or serial port, would it recognize a USB mouse? Is there a distribution that's better suited for a moron like myself than Ark Linux? I know these are some pretty lame questions, but I'm sick of microsoft and if I could get one system working, I'd learn it and quit using windows (at least at home). |
Mornin!
As for "is there a distro better suited for a beginner like myself?" probably. Beginner distros include Mandrake and Fedora (as well as many others, and of course this is a subjective question requiring a subjective answer ;) ). From there, things will probably make a bit more sense, rendering most of your questions no longer necessary to answer. However, for information, I'll take a stab at the mouse for ya: Yeah, it's likely going to have a better time with the USB mouse than a touchpad, at least until things are a go, and then you can figure out how to get it working afterwards. Cool |
You could have a look on Mandrake. It has an easier installation procedure, and a lot of user-friendly configuration utilities. http://www.mandrakesoft.com
|
Quote:
Now this is the good thing about Linux, you can configure the 'video' by editing the XF86Config(-4) file found in the /etc/X11/ directory. You can do this from a command line using a text editor of your choice (vi, nano, pico, emacs) and correct the settings to what works. rberry88 |
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:54 PM. |