Please Help Me Develop My Laptop Into Something Better.

Hello

As a learning experience, I want to jump from Windows 7 to Linux full time on my laptop. This isn't because of some antiWindows bullshit or because its free or anything like that. I just want to learn the ins and outs of Linux like I pretty much know on Windows.

I plan to go with Ubuntu. LTS or latest stable version? Thoughts?

First off, compatibility. I do need that all my hardware on my laptop be compatible. From shortcut keys to wifi. This is not a brand new laptop so there shouldn't be any problems. Its a Dell Vostro 1510.

Next, software. Basically on this laptop software I use in and out: uTorrent, Teamviewer, WMP, mIRC, Skype, vSphere Client, Microsoft Office......That's pretty much it IMO. Also Facebook and YouTube (Flash) are a must. I will run all this software in WINE. I don't want (most) of the Linux ports. Im not looking to replace programs I like and use daily. Just looking to replace the operating system.

Next, virtualization. Due to some things (like Office) cannot be ran in Linux, I use a VM. VMWare with its unity feature pretty much gives me what I want.

Next, streaming. I need to be able to stream media from a WS2012R2 to this Linux installation. Special setup?

Anything that is blowing over me, please mention.

Thank you

I just got a new laptop with Windows 8.1 and I cannot figure out how to install Linux Mint by booting from a CD or USB drive. Previously, I had installed Linux Mint on my old desktop and netbook computers that were running Windows XP. I had no trouble booting from a CD. Now that the process has been complicated in Windows 8.1 I don't know what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would really like to get rid of Windows 8.1 ASAP. Thanks!

Hi,
I work with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on my laptop and desktops. I am facing two issues:
i) Even in LTS, every week there are upgrades, on one count or other. This is not a concern, but what is painful is that if the upgrade does some tweaking of the kernel, I lose the support for Gnome Desktop and Nvidia...To get the machine back to the desktop, I have to sometimes knock off Nvidia*, and then try repairing with the advanced choices...otherwise the system boots up but the X-Display is unaccessible...
2. Secondly, why does Ubuntu want me to use DHCP...? I conmfigure it always for static IP, and even write out a /etc/resolv.conf...but the NM deletes the entries... I want a solution to this issue...I am using a Vostro 3570, an Inspiron 530 and a Envy15 Laptop,,,

3. I find that the network is never a problem with the FC20, which I use with dual boot...what is wrong with Ubuntu Networking implementation please?

4. Finally, my most urgent question (to anyone who can help) is how to directly load Ubuntu or FC20 on to a desktop or laptop on a new disk...From where can I get the basic Linux drivers ...? There is no such problem with Win7!!! (IMHO which is a much poorer OS for professional computing...)
5. Dell though it supports Ubuntu 12.04, refuses to give the drivers even for their systems under warranty, ditto for HP...So Dear Sirs where does one go for a remedy...

Warm Regards

Hi there folks, first post and been using Linux for roughly a week, not an expert but getting the feel for it.

So....my question is: I am in the process of building a studio-rig for music, and previoulsy I used Windows, and managed to get the x64 drivers for my audio card the Delta 1010LT and got it working etc. It came with the control panel as well.

I tried googling for the drivers for Ubuntu Studio (64), but to be honest, like I said being a newbie, I'm not entirely sure I have to download them? Most things I can just request download and install from the terminal in Ubuntu. Does this apply for these drivers or if not does anyone know the location of these drivers?

Much help is appreciated

Hello Linux users. I'm described as a newbie (which i am) but you've never seen a newbie as new as I am I'll wager.

I installed Zorin 9 OS core as an alternative to Microsoft crap that I'm really tired of, (cost as well as never vending bugs). Yes I know I'll still have bugs with linux but at least the patches and fixes in any Linux distro is for the benefit of Linux users and not to sell more Microsoft crap.

I have evidently been reasonably successful to install the latest Zorin 9 with my desktop environment choice. However I'm used to (and like) the MS so called quick launch bar at the bottom of the XP desktop installation, from which I can place links of any app or web link to instantly go there. Correct me if I'm wrong but Linux has basically the same quick launch function which I can choose from the software center and I've tried to select and install at least 2 named Cairo-dock and Docky for example. I did choose and install those according to the Linux prompts but I notice no change in the "Avant Window Navigator" at the bottom of my desktop, and when i try to drag a web link or app to that bar it either flips back to the link spot i saved on the desktop, or there's no action at all. In other words I am not able to put a link or app on the AWN, which AWN does not serve as a dock launcher at all (except for my Firefox browser icon WHICH IS INSTALLED at the left bar location and does work to quick launch Firefox when I left click on it.

So how do I not only properly install that notorious quck launch app in linux Zorin 9 OS and finally drag or otherwise install my links there?

thanks for any advice or replies.

hi guys,

im new here and new to linux, im currently running windows 8.1 but ive heard that linux is better than windows, and i want to drop windows forever, ive been using windows my entire life, it worked well enough but now windows 8.1 sucks and i want to use linux, its free and awesome.


im running debian wheezy 7.8 on a virtual machine i want to get to know it in the virtual machine and eventually move over to debian entirerly.

i was wondering if you guys knew some places where i could educate myself about debian and how it works?

i cant seems to play videos on debian, how can i into videos?

Want to format a 1 TB Western Digital drive in an old dell 32 bit machine. Machine has Lubuntu installed and a Virtual machine on which which is loaded Windows 7 (32 bit).

Machine does not "see" the new 1 TB (SATA) drive after I physically install it in the machine.

I have other windows and Linux machines. I have some drive cradles in which I can connect to (windows) USB ports.

Is it possible to use the old Dell machine to format the new drive?

(It appears that this question has been answered before. So I will check those materials as well.)

Thanks for any assistance.

Geoffrey Wolfe

I have installed a new Debian OS to try out the xfce desktop.
My radeon hdmi sound card needs non-free drivers and so I have no sound.
On my previous debian install with gnome desktop, I found a number of changes I had to make to get the sound working.

I have done all this with this new install with xfce.
However, one thing I haven't done yet is to change the System settings-Sound settings to use the hdmi sound card.
The problem is the xfce desktop doesn't have an icon for sound settings under System settings.

This is a bit weird. So I'm wondering if xfce has installed correctly or if it's missing a package so the System sound settings will show up.
Does anyone know what's going on?

OK this is kinda long, so I will shorten it as much as I can, as to not be long-winded.

My current network at home:
1 - CentOS 7 desktop (server)
1 - Ubuntu 14.04 desktop
1 - Fedora 21 laptop
2 - Windows 7 desktops
some other various windows boxes also that don't get used regularly, but are on the network.

My 2 Linux desktops (which I use as servers, but they really aren't) have shared folders on them, which I share to the network via Samba (CIFS). I use Samba because Linux is smarter than Windows and Windows won't read NFS, so I share them as Samba so all devices can see them.

Generally speaking, if I share the folders on each box as 0777, I have no issues. But lately I have been wanting to implement some better security, so I wanted to SETGID and chown the shared folders from the local machine to a specific group, then change the folders to 2774.

My problem is that I keep getting permissions errors when trying to connect from the other Linux machines, and sometimes the Windows machines also. My main question is: do I CHMOD 2774 the local mount-point before mounting it? Or so I CHMOD 2774 the shared folder on the other server, then mount it locally to a folder whose permissions are different? Or do I CHMOD both of them the same?

basically the uis and gid ownerships change on a local folder when I mount a shared drive to that folder, so when I try to write or sometimes read that local folder, I get permissions errors.

I can provide any additional info needed.

Hi all,

I'm once more trying my hand at Linux, but it's been so long that I've forgotten everything I learned last time and going back in again as a total newbie.

I tried out SteamOS first, but found it much too clunky for my tastes and, despite being based on Debian, seemed to have had a lot of functionality removed and inability to install some packages even after adding in Debian repos to the sources.list, so I ended up switching to vanilla 64-bit Debian 8 using KDE as my desktop. At first things were going good, managed to install the AMD Graphics Drivers and get Steam itself installed, along with downloading/installing a few games.
I then downloaded a game from gog.com but was getting an error message, which on looking it up appeared to be due to my only having 64-bit libraries for my graphics drivers and no 32-bit ones. I did some more Googling, ran some commands and did some apt-get installs (though sadly I can't recall exactly what they were) and eventually, the game launched fine and all appeared well.

The next time I started up my laptop though, Debian just boots straight to a full screen command line, not the desktop GUI that I want, and I have absolutely no idea how to either switch back to the GUI, or make it the default again. I'm not sure if I've somehow removed KDE, the xserver (I think?), somehow disabled one of them or just changed the startup preferences.
I'd really rather not have to reinstall the whole system again, so any suggestions will be very much appreciated!