install and setup woes

[dougmack]

Have just installed pclos 2012.08 completely from scratch. It's quite a while since I did that before.

1. Went to Internet to find out how to change hostname, and it said to do "hostname newname" so I did "hostname Linux1" 
Now I have lost the Konsole altogether.  I cannot get to it at all. How do I get it back, and how do I change hostname once
I do have it back?

2. I need to install the NVidia driver for a GeForce 550Ti card. I downloaded the latest NVidia driver, but the filename, which is
supposed to be self-extracting, ends with .run and when I try and run it by just entering the filename, I get the complaint
that the system doesn't know the command run. (I tried it from root.)
Alternatively, I could use one of the NVidia drivers that synaptic has, but I don't know what kind of card the 550Ti is, to satisfy
the requirements of the available file--there are three!  I need to do something--I'm going blind trying to read the display
without the high resolution!

All help greatly appreciated--doug

[muungwana]

first problem,
reconfigure your network interface and there is an option somewhere in the configuration steps to set the host name.

Logging out and logging back in is necessary when you change a host name since X server is tied to a host name.

[pags]

I've always had better success editing the files in /etc/ directly (if you're having trouble with muungwana's approach).

Change the occurrence of "localhost" to whatever you want your hostname to be in:
/etc/hosts
/etc/sysconfig/network

As noted, you should restart X after this change.

For your second point, is there some reason you're not using the driver from Synaptic?

[dougmack]

First point: I did have to reboot.  It dfidn't change the hostname, but now the konsole is available.  I will follow the instructions you gave.

Second point: I would rather have the latest NVidia driver that is designed specifically for the 550Ti card, and dated October 2012.
However, as I mentioned, I will use the Synaptic driver if I have to, but I don't know which one. The choices are:
NVidia kernel module for (a) GeForce FX based cards (b) most GF2.3.4 class cards (c) GeForce 6 and later cards

I have a 550Ti, which is specifically listed against the driver I downloaded, so I'd like to use it.  the driver name is NVIDIA-Linux-x86-304.64.run*
(As you can see, I chmod'ed it to be executable, but that didn't help either.)

Thank you for your input.  I'll go look into the hostname deal now.

--doug

[TerryN]

2. I need to install the NVidia driver for a GeForce 550Ti card. I downloaded the latest NVidia driver, but the filename, which is
supposed to be self-extracting, ends with .run and when I try and run it by just entering the filename, I get the complaint
that the system doesn't know the command run. (I tried it from root.)
Alternatively, I could use one of the NVidia drivers that synaptic has, but I don't know what kind of card the 550Ti is, to satisfy
the requirements of the available file--there are three!  I need to do something--I'm going blind trying to read the display
without the high resolution!

That card should be supported by the  nvidia-current package we have in Synaptic.  We advise strongly against attempting to install proprietary drivers downloaded from the NVIDIA site as they make assumptions about the system which are not appropriate for PCLinuxOS.

You select the correct driver in PCC (a.k.a Configure Your Computer) under Hardware->Configure Video Card.
Select NVIDIA GeForce 400 series and later (or GeForce 6100 to GeForce 360) and say YES when it prompts to use proprietary driver.

Terry

[pags]

First point: I did have to reboot.  It dfidn't change the hostname, but now the konsole is available.  I will follow the instructions you gave.

Second point: I would rather have the latest NVidia driver that is designed specifically for the 550Ti card, and dated October 2012.
However, as I mentioned, I will use the Synaptic driver if I have to, but I don't know which one. The choices are:
NVidia kernel module for (a) GeForce FX based cards (b) most GF2.3.4 class cards (c) GeForce 6 and later cards

I have a 550Ti, which is specifically listed against the driver I downloaded, so I'd like to use it.  the driver name is NVIDIA-Linux-x86-304.64.run*
(As you can see, I chmod'ed it to be executable, but that didn't help either.)

Thank you for your input.  I'll go look into the hostname deal now.

--doug

Hmmm....

According to nVidia, the 550 Ti has been supported since the 270.41.06 driver, at least:
http://www.nvidia.ca/object/linux-display-ia32-270.41.06-driver.html

The version in Synaptic (nvidia-current) is 304.51.

But, if you're insistent, then in a konsole
su to root.
Change to the directory where the file was downloaded.
Run the command as:

Code: [Select]

./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-304.64.run

Note the period "." and slash "/" in front of the file name.  That tells the computer to run this from the current directory...otherwise it will search your path (which the current dir probably isn't part of) only.

<EDIT>
I'm slow...dougmack TerryN answered...

[muungwana]

about the .run file.

It is an executable file,you are supposed to run it from the terminal.

It extract itself and then it will auto run the installer.

The installer will expect you run it with root's privileges and it will expect X server not to be running.

You will hence have to run it from root's account and without X server running,meaning you will have to run it when you at run level 3.Things could get quiet complicated

If you install it,as per forum policy,you wont be able to post problems with it since its an out of repository install

[Just17]

I am using a 550Ti .........  there is no need for anything from outside the repository.

Geforce 6100 to Geforce 360 .......  it should select it automatically.

[dougmack]

I have never ever had so much trouble setting up PCLOS.  I found instructions on this forum on how to change the hostname and I followed them.
As a result, I cannot open a Konsole.  I have rebooted the machine and it still doesn't work.  It puts a little konsole window on the panel, but it never opens.
I had done this once before without a problem. I cannot  get my Epson printer to print on both sides. It used to, before I  reinstalled.  Now the option is grayed out.  Every time I reboot, I lose my selected "wallpaper" and it comes up in bright gray with shades of gray radiating from the lower right corner.
After futzing with the Konsole window that doesn't work, I lose the cursor altogether.

Unless someone can suggest something better, i may reinstall a 2011 version, and if that doesn't work, there is always Mepis and Mint.

Please guys, what must I do to solve this mess?

Desperate in Long Island--doug

[muungwana]

why where you trying to change your hostname in the first place?

or use go look for a driver whose description match exactly the video card you have instead of going with what pclinuxos chose for you?

It sounds like you are trying to do too much too soon and you are beginning to be overwhelmed.

[Just17]

Check the KDE settings ..... are they set to restore previous session rather than start with an empty session?

System Admin - Startup & Shutdown - Session Management

[dougmack]

I think I have most things working at present.  There are a few glitches I still need help with.

1. Configure Your Desktop: It was working--I found System Admin - Startup & Shutdown - Session Management and fixed it so the "wallpaper" stays from boot to boot.
Now it's effectively gone. Snap on it and a box comes up in a window and says "No views found-Configure Your Desktop" followed by "System Settings was unable to
find any views and hence has nothing to display" with an OK check-box that closes it.

2. While I could still get to Configure Your Desktop, I set the number of monitors at 1, but the mouse-cursor still runs off the screen to the right, as if I had another
monitor for super wide-screen use.  that needs to be fixed, but I don't know how.

3. I have a network printer installed that I want to delete, but I can't. The "delete" check line is grayed out. I think I'll need to find the file that calls for it and erase it
using an editor.  Can anyone tell me what file it is?

4.Not a PCLOS problem (I don't think) but how do you get a "forum" listing on the top in Firefox? It always seemed to appear magically, but this time it hasn't.

Thanx for your help and your patience!  --doug

[dougmack]

Item 4, above:  Get the Forum shortcut on the Bookmarks toolbar in Firefox. View>Toolbars>Bookmarks Toolbar.  Check that. How it knows to call this forum, I don't know.
It dowsn't work in the Windows version.

--doug

[Grandpa]

Some time back I needed to change the hostname.  YouCanToo gave these directions:  Try adding the following to your /etc/sysconfig/network file

DHCP_HOSTNAME=<yourhostname>
It worked great for me.  I fact I used then again just yesterday on another computer.  Hope this helps.

[dougmack]

Thank you, Grandpa.  But the whole system just crashed. I upgraded Firefox and Thunderbird via Synaptic.  Then found that Thunderbird didn't work anymore.
Tried rebooting machine. the "wallpaper" was gone again, and so was the panel.  Right clicking the desktop screen allows you to add a pane, but this panel
has a batch of Xs on a red circle, and no PC menu--IOW, useless.
It's now 2:30 in the morning.
Tomorrow, if I'm not doing something else, I will load an earlier version of PCLOS and not upgrade anything at all!  If that turns out to be a problem, I may have
to go to a different distro.  This has been an unmitigated disaster, and I'm ready to throw in the towel!

--doug