The VectorLinux v5.9 Frequently Asked Questions |
Installation FAQs
Question: What is an MD5SUM
check, and how do I perform one?
If they do not match exactly then something went wrong with the download and all sorts of problems could arise if you try to use this ISO. Try downloading the ISO again, and, if you used a web browser to download the ISO in your previous attempt, consider using an application designed for handling large downloads (e.g., a download manager or FTP client). Question: How
much harddrive space do I need to install VectorLinux?
Question: What is swap space? How much swap space do I need? Answer: Swap space is the Linux way of implementing virtual memory. The system uses a small, dedicated partition on your hard drive. How much space to allocate to this swap partition is not clearly defined, but a common rule suggests doubling the amount of physical RAM you have (e.g., 256 MB of RAM = 512 MB Swap), up to a maximium of 512MB for most situations. Question: How do I resize my NTFS/WinXP partition (without buying Partition Magic)? Answer: You can download/burn a system rescue CD from here http://www.sysresccd.org/ . It includes several useful programs, including QtParted, a free Partition Magic clone capable of creating/resizing NTFS partitions (as well as many other filesystem types). Another suggestion is the GParted Live CD, which has updated NTFS reading and writing capabilities. Question: How
do I install Vector Linux on a machine with no CD drive?
Question: Why do I get a "file not found" error during the install? Answer: If you are using your secondary CD drive, try using your primary CD drive instead. VectorLinux will only install from the first CD detected on the IDE/SCSI channels. Question: Why does my system keep freezing during/after the install? Answer: This could be a power management problem. Try booting with the "noacpi" or "noapm" options (e.g., at the LILO prompt type "optionname noacpi" where optionname is the name of your Linux installation in the LILO menu). The other possibility is that you have a faulty RAM chip. You can run "memtest" from the System Rescue CD (see above) in order to check your computer's RAM. Question: Why
does the screen start filling up with numbers when I reboot? Where did
my LILO menu go?!
Question: What is VASM? Question: How do I launch VASM? Answer: VASM is the same in both CLI and GUI mode (the script checks whether you are running in GUI mode and uses the appropriate dialog or Xdialog to display the boxes). If you are in CLI mode, type "vasm" to start it. In GUI mode you can look for an icon on your desktop or open a terminal and type "vasm". You will be prompted for the root password when accessing those VASM features found within the 'SUPER' menu.
Answer: The 'sudo' command is a user-feature which the system-admin controls by editing /etc/sudoers. Regular users can be given escalated privileges with regards to certain commands using the 'sudo' command in collaboration with the /etc/sudoers configuration file. The recommended editor for editing /etc/sudoers is the 'visudo' command. If you have problems editing with "vi", look for a vi tutorial online. To disable the sudo rights for your username, comment the line containing your username out with a #. Linux users who come from the "Ubuntu" world will find VectorLinux's use of the root account and limited use of sudo disconcerting at first but the VL method is the same method used by all Unixes and all Linuxes except Ubuntu! Answer: There is an entire section in the VectorLinux documentation devoted to the VL packaging system. Have a look!
Question: Where can I learn more about using the Command line/Terminal ? Answer: There is a CLI section included in the VL Manuals. You might also consider visiting the Linux Command website.
X
Configuration - Video X Configuration - Sound Question: Why does my soundcard not work? Answer:Often, your sound card is working but the sound mixer is not set properly for your sound card. Run "alsamixer" from a console and try unmuting some of the channels while you are playing a music CD with xmms. This often works. X Configuration - Mouse Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"Change it to: Option "Protocol" "PS/2" X Configuration - Keyboard Question: Why does the keymap I selected during the install not work in X? Answer: The keymap set during installation applies only outside of X. To get your keymap working in X, you will need to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf as the super-user. Look for the section about the keyboard and add a line saying: Option "XkbLayout" "uk"Where "uk" can be replaced with the country code that your keymap uses. When you're done you end up with a section like this: Section "InputDevice" X Configuration
- Booting to text mode optionname 3Where optionname is the name of your Linux system in the LILO menu. This will boot you into runlevel 3, a console login.
Virtual Screen/Changing Resolution.
Answer: Use the following key combination to cycle through available resolutions (as configured in /etc/X11/xorg.conf) until you find one you're happy with: Control+Alt+Keypad-PlusThe 'Keypad-Plus' button is the addition/plus sign (+) on the far right of the keyboard, not the '+' with the '=' sign on it! Device Administration Hard Drive Info. Answer: The "df" command at terminal displays all mounted partitions. Using the '-h' option (e.g., "df -h") outputs the information in GB/MB, which is often more easily understood. To see unmounted partitions also you can use the "fdisk -l" command, but only as root. Sharing files between Linux and Windows Question: How
can I share my files between Linux and Windows? Networking Issues with PPP or Internet. Answer: I would
only setup ppp in vasm with pppset, and the important thing when setting
it up is to enter the dns settings. Once you set it up through vasm you
can open a console and log in as root with the su comand. Then type ppp-
go and the ppp script will run and log you in. Firewall. Question: Is there a firewall included in VectorLinux? Answer: Yes, you can configure it through VASM, manually via iptables, or by using our new "vleasytables" utility.
Using XMMS, the X Media Player. Answer: To play a cd in XMMS, do not mount it. XMMS reads the CD as a raw audio CD. If you mount it, it can't directly access the device. To point XMMS to your audio CD:
Question:
Can I access my Windows files with Linux, how? WINE. Answer: Wine is an open source project that allows you to run windows applications within Linux. Find more information on the WINE website. You can also install WINE from the VL software repositories using slapt-get or gslapt.
Copying and Pasting Text in Linux. Answer: In Linux you can copy and paste by selecting/highlighting text and then clicking the middle-mouse-button at the destination location. For a 2 button mouse, click both buttons simulatenously to emulate a middle-mouse-button. Within many applications you can also use the 'Ctrl+C' and 'Ctrl+V' method. Searching for
files. Answer: If you don't want to use the command line try the search function of Midnight Commander - it's like the one of Windows (you specify where it starts etc). If you use KDE try "kfind". If you use xfce try "catfish". |