Thanks, I'll try as you suggest, I guess I'm too impatient though as I've since tried to install (again) serveral other Linux distro's...all of which have failed in one aspect or another..., so I will re-install and do as you suggest, thanks again. Cheers Thomas

Actually i redid the setup and i fixed the problem, but then when i tried to change the screen resolution the screen got all fuzzy and i had to shut down by pushing the power button on the computer case. Now its giving me the same problem, hopefully when i install the real nvidia drivers it wont do that again. Thanks again for your help

I have a Dell Wireless 1450 Wireless USB Adapter Does anyone know how i can get this to work in Linux? It detects that its plugged in but cant use it. The installtion CD does have drivers but only for Red Hat. I have wine could i use that to get it to work? If so how?

I have another problem, when i try to install the nvidia drivers it tells me my kernal wont work with them or something, but it fails to download a diff kernal from nvidia's site.

Well iv almost got nividia to work, Someone is helping me out by connecting to me through ssh to install everything.

Oh, sorry. The "penny didn't drop" with that. I think that you'll find that you'll have to get the kernel-sources from your install CD(s), it's not installed by default.

If you can open a terminal/konsole window (a bit like a dos prompt window), then do the command that will give you the kernel name/id and you _should_ find the kernel-sources for it on the CD.

The nvidia driver needs the sources to build the kernel module during the install. If you get the driver installed OK, you'll know because you get the nvidia splash screen during the boot sequence.

Again, sorry I'd forgotten about that - because when I upgrade the kernel for my gentoo install, it automatically gets the kernel sources.

hope things are progressing well.

regards

John

Thanks Big john, you're a wealth of information, I assumed (wrongly) that kernals would be installed during set up. I tried reinstalling Mandrake 10.1 to find it wouldn't load past an error message along the lines of "fsck ext2...".blah blah" error11"...so I reinstalled Ubuntu .I'm not sure which distro I should use on this laptop as none ..so far ..will provide net access or video drivers for dvd from install. I've ordered 5 Ubuntu discs from Shipit and they should arrive later this month, the CD I installed from came from a pc mag. I haven't tried Zandros (version2) yet or BSD (which I think may be too heavy on command line text for me to use), any suggestions on a distro are welcome. I tried to buy a Linux distro at the local pc stores here...none have any!....well this is the aussie bush...ha ha . Thanks again

thomas56,

If the Ubuntu discs are "freebies" and the laptop has nvidia based (or I suspect ATi based) device, then until you go for a "paid for" version, you probably won't get the video/graphics driver.

With nvidia based chips/cards, there is the option for the generic "nv" driver, but if you machine is anything like my desktop one, then the generic version is gonna be garbage.

Xandros is a paid for distro anyway (as far as I'm aware) so it may ship with the driver(s) that you need - as for any of the BSDs, Nah, I doubt it - I've never bother trying them, if you look at the forums, I suspect that you'll find that they're not heavy on CLI install, but completely CLI install - you'd have to check.

Laptops do, as I understand it, have a reputation for being harder to install to - you might want to look at the mobile devices forum to get a flavour about that!

As for being stuck out in the bush? I suppose the only snag is that you probably have to use dial up? so big downloads are out of the question??!!! Cos even when I used mandrake, I always went for paid for ones, and they came by post (sure only from France) - there maybe someone who is agent/dealer for mandrake somewhere in Aus!

Some of the blokes at my LUG are mega knowledgeable IT pros, who rave about Debian generally, but Ubuntu specifically - though you might also consider seeing if you can lay your hands on a recent Knoppix disc - Sure it's a live distro, but it can be installed to the hard drive, it's debian based (i.e. a good reputation) and it's hardware detection abilities seem to be just short of bloody marvellous.

That's my worth.

good luck

John

p.s. Oh, and with mandrake, the kernel is installed during setup, it's the kernel sources that aren't - they are different, and it's the sources that you have to get (download/mirror/install discs) to install the nvidia driver!

thanks bigjohn, I tried a zandros install...it locked up at the "intializing peripherals " stage after bootup, so I installed Knoppix from a live cd..again ...no access to the net and the dvd player will not play dvd's. You were right about the drivers , mine are Apti not nvida... I will try to access a paid type of CD the next time I visit Brisbane, that seems like my only option to get the net and dvd's on Linux . I haven't given up and will play with Knoppix for a while until then. Thanks again, you've been a great help.