I'm very new to Linux so please excuse the stupidity of my questions:

Q1: I believe I configured everything correctly durring the installation, but I'm not getting sound when I play CDs. I do get basic sounds such as the one you here when you logon. The CD is definately playing. Sound is up 100%, Speakers are on and turned up, Kmix is set correctly. Any suggestions?

Q2: I have been downloading programs that stated they were compatible with linux, but I can never open anything. (Sorry, but it's really hard to find answers to simple questions like this. I don't usually come to message boards unless I have to. Google is my primary guide.)

I can't answer Question 1, for some reason Fedora nd Mandrake have this problem. As I don't use either I know nothing about it.

As far as question 2 though. Very few linux programs have wizards like windows.

The easiest way is to set up yum or apt. These are programs that install programs for you. (Mainly they resolve dependancies).

You could manually install stuff with rpm -Uv [package].rpm

Or you could manually compile from source. But you'll have to read install documentation on that.

Also use http://www.google.com/linux

It is common with a new install of MDK. Sound by default is off for the CD player. If you are certain that you set everything in KMIX then go to cdplayer software configuration tab and look at the driver it is using ex: OSS, also does your cdrom have the sound wire connected to the motherboard (It happen before)...

Im sorry, you're talking to a stupid linux noob. I'm not sure how to get to the software configuration tab of the CD player. /etc ?

hello,

common problem this..

what sort of machine are you using (desktop or laptop)?

if it's a desktop, take the lid off and check that there is an audio cable fitted between the cd drive (or one of the drives) and the soundcard - ie, there should be three cables in total: power, IDE and audio.

KsCD needs this audio cable.

Alternatively, you could use Xine or XMMS to play your CDs - these don't need the cable because they both extract the audio data over the IDE bus. Both programs are available for installation using Mandrake Control Center and should be on your CD set. Once installed, they can be found under 'multimedia' on the main menu (xine will be in 'video' - it's primarily a video player). In all cases, if you have more than one CD drive, you'll want to make sure that you put the disk in the drive that the software is expecting to use - it can be set in program options, but as a first go, try both drives and see if one of them works!

Regarding installation of programs, hopefully you should find everything you require on the Mandrake CD set, easily installable from within Mandrake Control Center. I'd advise this approach to start with. Linux being 'open source', you can also download the programs as 'source code' which then needs to be compiled and installed manually. It isn't necessarily difficult, but can be off-putting at first; so while you find your feet, go for the easier option...

XMMS didn't work too well for me, but Xine will do just fine. Also, I got the installing problem down. This is ALOT different than windows. I feel like a little kid and its my first time on a computer. Thanks guys.