LinuxQuestions.org - Rar problem

Right, uninstall it completely. We're going to install the one from Debian.

From our other thread you now have a working Etch system. You can install packages using apt or aptitude (or possible synaptic if that's your choice). But you can only install stuff from the main Debian archive and to be in that archive software must be 100% open and free.

So what you want to do it add in a couple of extra archives that allow some stuff that Debian packages but isn't entirely Debian compliant. Rar is a good example of that as it's actually closed shareware

Once again you need to change your /etc/apt/sources.list to the one below.

Code:

# Main sources for Etch

deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free

deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free



# Security updates for Etch

deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib

deb-src http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib

The difference is you're now making the contents of the contrib and non-free available to you.

Now to install rar do the following as root.

First update your package list with the new stuff that's available to you with;

Code:

aptitude update

Then install the version of rar from the non-free section of the Debian archive with;

Code:

aptitude install rar

And now you should be able to rar away to your hearts content.

For future reference and to make life a lot easier for yourself, I'd recommend reading the Debian reference manual.

http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#quick-reference

You don't have to sit down and read it cover to cover. But you'll make your life a lot easier if you dip into it from time to time and understand how your system works.

Good luck.