I put Slackware 10.0 on my new laptop and the install went smoothly. I just have a couple configuration questions that I haven't figured out yet.

1) How do I get it to make use of the wide-screen display? (I may have the answer to this I just need to try it.)


2) Is there a way to get it to give a selection of desktops before login like Mandrake does?


3) Can the task bar be modified to work like I have it in this XP screenshot? Meaning with the quick launch on the front of the bar and open apps behind it?


4) Will CDs ever play directly from the drive like Windows can or do I have to rip them first?


5) How do I get it to let me shutdown from the desktop without logging out first? (I may have the answer to this too I just need to try it.)



All help is greatly appreciated. If you have an answer to 1 or 5 post it just the same in case what I have doesn't work. I will not be able to try it until I wake up tomorrow. It is sleepy time now.

Originally posted by yakko
2) Is there a way to get it to give a selection of desktops before login like Mandrake does?
What login manager are you using? XDM, WDM, GDM or KDM? I would guess you're not running GDM or KDM since these normally allow you to select your Window Manager/Desktop Environment.

4) Will CDs ever play directly from the drive like Windows can or do I have to rip them first?
If you use XMMS then there is a plugin you can download that allows you to do digital audio extraction. It is basically the same as ripping the CD, but rather than saving the rip to a file it plays it directly. Very intensive, but very useful if you haven't got any other option.

5) How do I get it to let me shutdown from the desktop without logging out first? (I may have the answer to this too I just need to try it.)
If you use the KDM login manager and you're running KDE then it should be an option in the logout dialogue box.

Thanks. Three answers in one shot. I bow before your might.


/makes sacrificial beer offering

1) This has to do with /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
You will need to edit the file and enter your monitors horizontal / vertical syncs, and then the correct screen resolution.

Huh? You just have to do Play Directory in XMMS and add /mnt/cdrom or whatever, mounted or not. Plays just like in Windows.

I assume right now, you're booting to text mode. Type "telinit 4" and you should get a selection. Slackware, by default, uses GDM; if you want KDM like in Mandrake, you have to comment out a few lines in /etc/rc.d/rc.4.

How would I find out the refresh rates for my monitor?





Thymox,

Got home from work and now the KDM thing is working great. Thanks once again.

The values should be listed in a manual you hopefully received, or google it

The manual for this thing sucks. I guess they don't expect anyone to ever try to learn about their machine. I figured out the information I needed but it appears that the nVidia drivers didn't install properly so I have to figure that out first. My xorg.conf states that I am using vesa.

How do you know they didn't?
Did it give you an error message? If so, what was it?

After installing the nvidia driver, you have to manually edit xorg.conf & change it from vesa to nvidia.
The driver doesn't start being used until after you do that. example:

Section "Device"

# Driver "vesa"
Driver "nvidia"

Just to add slightly to what everyone has already mentioned regarding question 2, if you want to change your desktop environment, just run: "xwmconfig" (no quotes) from the command line. This will let you choose from KDE, Gnome, etc. If you don't like a particular option, just rerun it and return to whatever you were using before. (Note: this is the same exact option that you would have seen during the installation). Good luck with it -- J.W.