I have managed to get slackware safely installed and dual-booting with Windows XP *phew*, however, I am a total linux-newbie. I have used MSDOS a lot, but I haven ever used a Unix type OS, I have managed to poke around enough to get StartX or whatever to crash, and get really fed up with Xf86config. I cannot get it to recognize my mouse(usb logitech laser mouse), can't find a way for my vid card drivers to be put into linux. I am a total idiot, can someone help me, umm, a lot!

I have windoze XP installed on my main 40Gig, and slackware 8.1 ISO full installed on my 8Gig, with a 1 gig swap partition, and full install with bare.i(sp?) kernal.

Hardware:

AMD Athlon XP 1800
256 MB DDR (2x 128 Dual-channel)
nForce 420D Mobo + nic + audio (why does it seem like getting this set up in slackware is going to be hell?)
Visiontek GeForce Ti 4600 128MB
Logitech laser mouse thingie, 4 buttons, wheeled, USB.

Can someone help a newbie who is very excited, but very lost?

I don't even know how to recompile the kernal I have programmed C++ a bit under windows, so I know what compiling IS, I just don't know how to initiate it under Linux.

Using Slackware 8.1 Install ISO I d/loaded about 28 hours ago

When you enter (in lower case): startx
What happens?
If it doesn't work than enter (as shown): Xconfigurator
You might have to lie and say you have a PS2 mouse. Sometimes the mouse can screw up everything.
Then enter again: startx

It gives me a critical I/O error?? something like that, and tells me to check a log. How do I check that log from command line? Is there an Edit type command, or some kind of text viewer?

*** Thank you+ rant/explanation ***

I really, really appreciate any help I can get, as Linux always seemed cool and I just new got the urge to do it. I'm not looking back until slackware is configured on my system!! Basically, I had been thinking about it for a long time, but after mopping up a million instances of NIMDA that had been sent into Windoze XP through outlook express (which I can't seem to permanently disable) I was fed up. A lot of games don't work under linux, but a lot do, and screw this overpriced M$ operating system. I am determined to learn enough linux that I can live without windows.

Try it again and lie. Say your mouse is a PS2 generic 2 button mouse. See if it works than.

Xstart isn't working regardless, but I am testing xf86cfg to see if I can get it to work there(my vidcard and integrated sound/nic are likely going to have to be dealt with next befre X Windows starts.) Anyhow, someone mentioned a USB supporting kernal, and I seem to have installed the bare kernal. Is there any way I can go back and add USB to the kernal?!

EDIT:
Ok, now we're getting somewhere. It's spitting out a litany of errors, and it ISN'T EVEN CHANGING the mouse setting to begin with. I really screwed something up

This is why I like Mandrake so much. It takes care of all this for you automatically. When you installed did you use the graphical install? Was everthing working during the install? I had a similar problem once and the only problem was my mouse. I ended up lying about the mouse than it all worked. Other than that I can't say much except that if you can download Mandrake 9.0 you probably won't have any troubles. I hope that someone else can help you out. Someone who knows Slackware. Good luck.

Maybe I should wuss out and use Mandrake until I am more linux-versed.

EDIT

How many of the ISOS do I need, just 1 or all 3?

No way Grins... once you get slack to work you'll have a much deeper understanding of linux, and you'll be PROUD of your box.

ok, to read that log file, use the utility called "cat" ex:

cat /var/log/XFree86.log

now, the output of that will be more than a screenfull, so put a " | less" behind it:

cat /var/log/XFree86.log | less

The kernel you have supports usb, but you just have to enable it. You might have to enable your video card there too.Do you know how to configure the kernel? write back if not, and i'll explain.

I don't think that "Xconfigurator" comes with slack, but you can try to use "XFree86 -configure" from root's home (/root). That will make a file called XFree86(maybe a .new or something at the end... i don't remember). You migh have to edit that file by hand.... do you know how to use vi or emacs? again, e-mail back if not.

I know alot of people will say "no, dont wuss out" but I think you should too. And for one reason.

Having X able to be used helps so much its scary! Think about it. You are in linux, and you dont know what to do, so you reboot into windows? that sucks.

get mandrake, have it configure everything for you. then get into X, and start learning WHILE YOU ARE IN LINUX. when you learn something, do it. when you find a guide on compiling your kernel, compile one.

i think thats the absolute best way to get started. X is neeeded for a newbie without a linux friend or a new book.

i say you use

A.) mandrake
B.) lycoris
C.) red hat

use one of those 3, and then graduate to slackware if you want. linux is linux.

I put up my cry for help in the slackware forum.

Meet me there... I will reboot real fast and try that CAT thing. I'll get back to ya real, real quick.

EDIT: I appreciate the concern Joe, I really do. But the other dude is right, I really wanna LEARN linux, so I want to be exposed to the chaos and overcome it

I just read that you don't know how to recompile the kernel. ok, go to /usr/src/linux, and type "make menuconfig" you can then go into all of the different options and enable stuff "m" is for modules, and "y" to build them into the kernel. I don't know too much about module stuff... i don't really use them.

then do this:

make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules install

*** ok, I don't know what "arch" you go into for amd... look around, but I'll show you what i do for my intel... everything except the "i386" directory will be the same ***

cp /arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/new_kernel
cp System.map /boot

you can replace "new_kernel" with whatever you want to call it, but you must tell lilo what it is. edit this line:

image=/boot/<name of kernel>

Now you have to load that kernel into the boot loader with

/sbin/lilo -v

now, when you restart, the new kernel will be loaded

Good Luck!!!

I didn't mean to ignore the hard stuff! I meant, have the distro do it for you once. You will still experience the chaos. It's impossible not to. You can still compile a kernel if you let Mandrake do it for you. Its easier if you dont have to reboot.

Ok I am to the CP point, and the DIRS are alpha, arm, cris, i386, ia64, m68k, mips, mips64, parsic, ppc, s390, s390x, sh, sparc, sparc64. Which one for an athlon XP 1800?

Ok, NM, I spotted my mistake and went back to the configurator, and changed it to K7 arch.

Edit that IMAGE = line? Which file is that in and how do I edit it?

do you know if you are using LILO as a boot loader? if you are, you need to edit /etc/lilo.conf as specified before... then run /sbin/lilo -v

get back if you have any problems

ooh you need to know how to use vi to edit i guess. ok... do this:

open the file with "vi /etc/lilo.conf"

now, you start out in a mode where you can't edit anything... press
"i" to go to insert mode

edit as needed, then press <esc> to get back to the normal mode, and press ":wq" ... that's colon -w -q to write and quit

THEN run /sbin/lilo -v

by the way... that "cp" command is for "copy" the syntax is "cp <from> <to>" when you copy the kernel to /boot, the lilo command then puts that into the boot loader, and the lilo.conf file also points to the kernel in boot to load