How To Keep Your System In Good Order

[jaydot]

If you get a question like this,   "Some packages could not be retrieved" - "Continue ignoring these programs ?",  NEVER EVER answer Yes!!!  If you get this message answer NO and then click APPLY again to restart the download.


You've downloaded the PCLinuxOS Livecd, along with the md5sum file, burned the image slowly and verified it with your burner

All your hardware works, and you install.

Everything works sweetly and you want to keep it that way.

First, do a full update of the system.  Open Synaptic, click Reload, Mark All Updates, Apply, Apply.

Wait for it to completely finish.

Now you can install your video driver if you need one.  It's a good idea to do this on its own and before installing anything else as you need to follow any instructions given after the install, usually logging out and back in.

With the video driver installed, and you logged back in, open PCLinuxOS Control Centre/Hardware and set up your Monitor.  Next set up your Graphical Server.  Test before accepting.  Log out if asked to.

Now you can go to synaptic and install any applications that take your fancy.

Every few days open Synaptic, click Reload, Mark All Updates to see if there are any.  If the Apply Tick remains inactive, there is none.

Only ever have ONE repository enabled.  If the current repo is sluggish, uncheck that and choose another.  Click Reload afterwards to get the correct package lists from that mirror.

edit:  after you've read the above, read about:

The Philosophy of PCLinuxOS

Many people ask the questions:

'Why are packages so late arriving in the repo?'

'Why can't i install outside packages?'

'Why must i always fully update?'

PCLinuxOS is a 'meta' distro, or 'rolling release', that is, it is built in such a way that the user installs and then fully updates periodically over an indefinite period, so far as much as four years, rather than fully reinstalling from the next release as with most distros.

This means that a certain discipline is required of the user.  It must adhere to program of fully updating from time to time and never installing outside packages in order to preserve the stability, thus reliability, of the system.

Packages often appear much later in thePCLinuxOS than in other distros because the development and packaging teams together comprise few people and all packages are rigorously tested by them and an additional group of testers before it is permitted to grace the repo.

The strict adherence to the principles of stability has gained for PCLinuxOS a reputation for quality and usability that the developers and users are proud of, knowing that the os is reliable for an indefinite period.

[Redeemed-05]

Only ever have ONE repository enabled.  If the current repo is sluggish, uncheck that and choose another.

I've seen this before, and curiosity has gotten the better of me. Why only one repository?

[jaydot]

because they are all mirrors of the one central repository and don't get updated at the same times.  the mirrors are in different parts of the world and some are administered by volunteers who have to fit in maintenance with their jobs.

with more than one repo enabled, your packages list can become scrambled with incorrect entries, leading to mis-installation.

[Zane]

Thank you Jaydot.
Excellent, great advice for All.

[Redeemed-05]

I see your point, but the last time I updated, Synaptic reported that it could not find all the rpm's. This lead me to select a second repository, to complete the update. But it would be no problem to go back to one. Thanks Jaydot.

[davecs]

Jaydot was clearly too modest to "sticky" this thread, so I will!

[NibiruET]

May I also suggest one retains a list of all installed packages for future reference particularly in the case of multiple SW packages being installed.

This would make such a list in a text file.

rpm -q -a --qf '%10{SIZE}\t%{NAME}\n' | sort -k1,1n > SW_List.txt

Sometimes trying to remember all the small bits and pieces you installed to tweak the system to your tastes can be quite a chore particularly if doing a fresh re-install without a backup copy. That is when the list will be invaluable.

[zapjb]

Thanks for the CL.

[ANTONY]

Hi,

Another new user here I'm afraid... Thanks for the tips so far, but i was just wondering, when you say updates in synaptic.. like windows has automatic updates when I click apply will this basically apply all updates? or do i have to mark what i want.. If that is the case how do i go about finding the neccessary updates i should use.. Please corect me if i am talking a load of rubbish, I have only been useing PClinux for about a week and it totally replaces my windows!!! 

Thanks in advance...

Antony...

[putz]

Anthony,  Welcome!!

When you click on Reload, then Mark All Upgrades, Synaptic checks all the programs installed on your computer, then checks the packages list from the server to see if there are upgrades for your installed programs.  When you click apply, Synaptic gets everything for you and installs them.  It's not "Automatic" vis-a-vis Windows, but it is all handled for you by Synaptic.

putz

[tuxalish]

Hello Antony, and welcome!
After you open synaptic, the first thing you do is click the "Reload" button at the top left. After it reloads, go back up-top and click the "Mark All Upgrades" box; a box will pop up and ask if you want to mark all upgrades...answer yes. Now click the "Apply" button at the top (green checkmark), you will get another pop-up box to confirm what you are are upgrading, at the bottom of this box, click 'apply'.....synaptic will now download and install all the packages that were checked. It may take some time, depending on how many packages are being upgraded, so please be patient.
This is a thousand times more efficient than WinUpdates, and you don't have to wait until "second Tues. of the month" to get them. Have fun!

[ANTONY]

Hi putz and tuxalish,

Thanks for your help i have managed to update the way you said.. Very impressed by the speed of your reply's.. Looks like the end of windows for me!! If only i knew about this OS before... 

[freddyp]

Why is there not a "read me" file explaining this in full detail, stuck to the default desktop?

Seems to me this is by far the single most important thing for a new user to do.

Heck, I wish there were more "slap ya in the face obvious" instructions the first time I used a linux distro.

[NibiruET]

Why is there not a "read me" file explaining this in full detail, stuck to the default desktop?

Seems to me this is by far the single most important thing for a new user to do.

I think that is a capital idea and I am sure would involve no trouble at all in incorporating into the PCLOS release.

[fraxinus]

I agree strongly. An excellent feature of Kanotix is that the live CD desktop opens a browser window with indexed tips, tricks and howtos.