Alright it's been about a month since I installed linux for the first time and so far i've been able to break out of the windows mindset pretty good. I've even successfully compiled some programs However there are two things keeping me from fully accepting linux:

1. File and printer sharing with samba STILL doesn't work.... I've tried everything, posted to this forum, spend endless hours searching through threads and websites. No matter what I do I cannot get linux to read the drives on my windows computer. I see them but can't read them.

2. My ethernet card seems to crap out every 15 minutes or so and not come back for about 5 minutes. This creates endless problems, like I can't download anything over a few megabytes before it stops. When it stops working I can't even ping my other computer and if I try to logout it says something along the lines of "eth0 timeout!"

These are two critical problems and if I can't get them working I fear I may have to abandon linux. If you have any idea why this is happening please let me know.

I'm using Mandrake Linux 9.1 on the one computer and Windows 98se on the other.

Thanks,
Marq

I hate it when stuff like Wine and Samba are presented to new users as easy. They aren't.
Folks are going to need more info on your ethernet cards to post further sugestions.

Yeah i'm not even going to attempt wine for a while, I'd probably have a heart attack based on what i've heard.

The ethernet card is built into an intel motherboard. I believe its an Intel VM/100. I bought a compaq so that's what I got :P

If all else fails, buy a (now cheap) Xbox and have some FUN!! http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/

The funny thing is based on the stats for the xbox, my computer is only slightly better than it but cost about $150 more. If only I could have known...

I found it easier to get 2 linux boxes to share files with NFS, and then get Samba set up between linux-windows.......somewhat easier that is. Once
you get the permissions set right and editing the fstab, then samba just falls into place.?!?!?! sometimes

I don't even know was NFS is actually. I don't have two linux boxes though so would that work?

First of all, I'm an IT student.
The reason(s) I can't switch to Linux 100%:

- Compatibility issues with MS Office
- Compatibility issues with school's IE only web site
- Compatibility issues with the Internet (60% IE only)
- Compatibility issues with my friends (anti-Linux)
- Compatibility issues with my studies (internet)
- Compatibility issues with IT economy (Microsoft dependant)

Conclusion:
- Compatibility issues with the IT world

Regards,
Bamse

Quote:

- Compatibility issues with MS Office - Compatibility issues with school's IE only web site - Compatibility issues with the Internet (60% IE only) - Compatibility issues with my friends (anti-Linux) - Compatibility issues with my studies (internet) - Compatibility issues with IT economy (Microsoft dependant)

- OpenOffice and StarOffice offer excellent compatibility with MS Office
- Sounds like your school's website is non-standards compliant (post the url and I'll try it in Windows/Mozilla)
- Peer pressure is a pest - load it, show them how much better it is. Better to be a leader than a follower
- Again - what are these compatibility issues. The only sites I have had problems with are poorly written ones.
- Pressure is being put on companies and as the user base grows, so will the drivers. If all Linux users sit to one side and wait for the drivers without using the OS, the drivers will never be written.

Yeah so back to my questions... any ideas?

We still don't even know which version
of winDOHs you're talking about.

Same with the network card, or how it's
hooked up to the network. And if you don't
mind having a look at your log-files ...

/var/log

It might be quite enlightening as to what's
going on. Preferably look just after it
"crap out".


Cheers,
Tink

I said what version of windows I am using in my first post and what my ethernet card is in the second post

I'll have a look at that /var/log thing

Thanks,
Marq

As far as the onboard intel card even i am having some problem , added a new card and disabled the intel card

k thanks, I have an extra one so it may come to that