I installed Slackware on my Toshiba laptop from a USB, I downloaded the dvd ISO and then partitioned my drive. I went through the setup program butthough I'm very lost what Source, Target, and Select are. I then a password for root. I did adduser my name, though after it said that home=/ . How do I create a home file? How do I get x to run and get internet set up? I tried startx. It's been about 4 years since I had Linux so I still have a lot to learn. If anyone could please help me to get going in the right direction I would appreciate it.

Hi & Welcome to Linux Questions.

In order to create a Home file you would run:
After a full install you should already have a Home folder but if you don't use the above command to create one.

To get X to start you will have to edit the /etc/inittab/ file with Vi or Nano.
Change the default runlevel from a 3 to a 4.
The next time you boot you will have a GUI where you can log in.

It will look like this:
Change it to:
During the installation you should of been prompted to be able to choose Network Manager, Configure the Network with DHCP or you could set up wicd.
http://docs.slackware.com/slackbook:wifi

Take a look at this wiki page to assure that you completed all installation steps correctly:

http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:install

Do not run X as root. On first boot you need to create a user account before you start Xorg.

I suggest you read this documentation that covers the post installation process on a Slackware system.

http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:beginners_guide

I did some tinkering to figure out what was happening. When I booted there were two choices to load from, huge.s and another choice. The default was for pentium 3 or more, though i instead of the default I chose the one for the older operating system. I then did a new full reinstall, and I've been able to get x started.

What I'm currently trying to figure out is login. I set a passwd for root and for my user account though everytime I try to login it says 'incorrect login' even though I'm sure the passwd I typed is the same as what I set it at ...

Your root user password will not work for the user account. Unless you made the root password and the user accounts password the same.

Did you run 'adduser' create a new user account and create a password for the user account?

I made two different passwords,
one with 'passwd root' and the other with 'passwd username' . I wrote my passwords and double checked my typing and can't login with 'login'. When I made my user account it was with 'useradd'.

Since you have done that you should be able to login.
You should be using adduser not useradd.Useradd is less friendly and much faster for creating users in batches.
The cmd adduser has always worked for me.

Is the screen that your trying to login to a all black background with white letters? And looks like a konsole?
<OR> do you have a colored screen with a GUI?

As a last resort you could change your password.
http://docs.slackware.com/slackbook:users

I'm trying to log on in an xterm in window maker. Could you explain how useradd and adduser are different in function? I've had some experience with Linux , though its been 4 years since.

Is the xterm in window maker a terminal or a GUI application?
Please give as much detail as possible.

Is this what you are using?
http://windowmaker.org/FAQ.php

When I installed Slackware I used 'adduser'. It allowed me to set up a regular user account and create a password for just one user.
When you use 'useradd' there are more options and groups that can be added. Useradd has lot's of options that I couldn't explain as there are too many options to list. Useradd does not do any prompting like adduser. Unless you want to accept the defaults for everything, you'll need to tell useradd what to do.

The xterm is a terminal. Its a command line interface that I open by clicking in the GUI environment. That is the same window maker that is the version of X that is my graphical interface.

I added another user account with adduser , it did seem more straight forward and had more groups. I'm still learning about the differences. How do I see a log file of all commands that I have entered since installing ? I remember there is a way though I forget what it is.

My main goal currently is to update my drivers and to get the system connected to internet. Since it is a laptop, I would be connecting via wireless.

I have so far attempted pppconfig and netconfig though it seems as though I'm missing some essential steps.

After you install slack, what are the neccessary steps to get the system 'seaworthy' ? My purposes for installing linux are mainly to develop my computer knowledge and to have a system that is clean (safe from viruses) and to learn through the command line environment.

Thanks so much for the help!!

If you want to see the history of all of the commands that you recently ran use the arrow key that points up and it will show in the terminal.

Did you configure the network during your installation?
Do you see your network in the upper right hand corner of your desktop?
(provided your using the XFCE DE)
I'm not sure where the network manager is in KDE.

This page is for wireless setup in Slackware.
http://docs.slackware.com/slackbook:wifi
http://alien.slackbook.org/dokuwiki/...ckware:network

I am not good with the wireless setup. During my Slackware I choose Network Manager to set up the wireless for me.

Keep it up-to-date. To do so run slackpkg update as 'root'
Read all of the online documentation about Slackware so you can understand the package management system and other important information.

You can also use the history command.

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