i have downloaded slacware linux 9 on two cds and installed it on my pc
865gbf motherboard from intel
80gb hdd with 4gb partiotion for linux formatted as reiserfs with 500 mb swap file
512mb ram
the installation went on smoothly and it asked me for the root password which i gave
then it said "you have mail"
then the following appeared
root@darkstar:^#
what does the above mean. why cant i go directly into either kde or gnome

i had choosen a full install. no network selected.
lilo written on /dev/hda4 (the linux partition, primary)
i never had this kind of problem with other distros. i want to try my hands on slackware once.
i tried the live cd of slackware 9. still the same problem.
i dont understand it at all. i read the slackbook but still couldnt find what to do next if i have to go into gui mode. kindly help me.
thanks for your time
chittico

startx

Yo must first configure your graphics hardware by typing xf86config at the prompt you are getting. Then type startx to start X-Windows. Then, only if you have X working, you can change the default runlevel in /etc/inittab to 4 so that Slack boots to a graphical login.

i tried the xf86config, its not able to identify my monitor (lg E700s 17" flatron)
my graphics card is intel 865 gbf integrated graphics
i tried super probe , it says no such command exists but the slackbook has given it in x config chapter.
it always says fatal error and hence it wont go into the gui mode.
shall i do a reinstall and do it all over again.
or shall i try other permutations and combinations till it works

if you want gnome... use dropline gnome...

www.dropline.net

grab the installer... let it download.... fire it up!

A reinstall will not help.
You need to setup a version of /etc/X11/XF86Config that is right for your system.
For the monitor you will need to know the range of the horizontal and vertical refresh rates.
Your video card does not appear in the list offerred by xf86config, so you should try a card that uses the same chipset.
At this point you should aim to get a basic working setup. You can always fine tune things later.