screen resolution
 

Ok, first oif all I am a COLPLEAT :newbie: I am using Linux Mandrake 8.1 and the Gnome desktop. I need to change the screen resolution, bot I don't know how. Also, I have my HDD partitoned and i'm runing linux on one partition and windows on the other. All my MP3's and other files are on the windows partition, but how do I access them using linux? Thanks for any help!!!!!

Problem 1:

You might have X-Windows (the GUI layer to Linux), usually called by its project name: XFree86, preconfigured for you by Mandrake to switch resolutions really easily. Try:

CTRL ALT +/-

That should toggle your monitor through the various resolutions... If that doesn't work post back and I can walk you through hand hacking it.

Mounting a windows partition is going to be a little more messy. The filesystems for Win95/98/Me was Fat32, incredibly well supported in Linux, so fell in fact that Mandy 8.1 usually creates a mounted directory for you, /etc/fstab entry and all. Since I'm guessing it didn't, you're probably running Win2k or XP. Try this, yeah, from the command line, just open a terminal, xterm, gnome terminal, whatever:

su (enter root's passwrd)
mkdir /mnt/windows (That'll make a place to put all of the windows goop)
mount -t ntfs /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows

This is unfortunately going to mount the windows part a) Read-Only, and B) accesible by root only.

The reasoning is that whereas the old FAT32 system was mostly ripped off anyway and based on standards that the Linux geeks could get to and emulate, the NTFS system is utterly closed, and makes supporting it guesswork.

It is possible to mount the partition read-write, but I wouldn't recommend ever doing that as you might toast the partition. Also, there is a way to do that and have a user be able to access it... search here around the forums and you'll find it.

Luck,

Finegan

Thanks for your help! when I try to change the screen resolution, it like zooms in. I can't see the whole screen at the same time, I have to move my cursor to the edge of the screen to scroll around.


As for the second question.

The folder I created, and set as the directory for my NTFS is now locked, and doesn't even ask for the root password.I looked at the properties and the size is correct so i'm fairly certian that it worked, but I still cannot even look at the files.



Thank you soooooooooo much for your help:)

OK, I'm now using KMD instead of gnome. I restarted my comp and went into the windows folder, and nothing id there. I checked the size of the folder and it just shows its empty. what could have happend?