Driver install for total Linux Newbie

[conehead66]

Just installed Mandrake 9.2 this morning , been rooting around between winxp and mandrake trying to work out how to install my Minitar wireless pci card in Linux , I downloaded 2 .tgz files from Minitar (one is a small update) but have no idea what to do with them , the mandrake help system has left me lost and unable to work it out , I think Im looking at it too much from a Windows user point of view ? Can someone send me roughly in the right direction .

[Steve Scrimpshire]

Ok. I'm not sure how much you know, so I'm going to be very basic (I hope I don't insult your intelligence....I don't mean to). Open a console/terminal. It's the little TV icon in the taskbar or in the menu under Terminals...any one will do. Navigate to where you downloaded it to. (Anything you see inside <<>> in my instructions are comments or actions and you should actually type actual file names or perform the actual) If you downloaded it in windows, it'll be in /mnt/windows/wherever-it-is so type

 

cd /mnt/windows/<<wherever-it-is>>

 

Now extract it like this:

 

tar -zxvf whateveritis.tgz

 

It'll create a new directory and you'll see what it is called if you watch the output. Type

 

cd <<name of new directory>>

 

Now in there you'll probably see a file called README or INSTALL or both. Read them by

 

cat README | more

 

Hit enter to scroll down and the up arrow to read back. Hit q when you are finished reading. Now the typical steps to install sources are (it'll probably tell you this in the README):

 

./configure

make

 

then to install you have to be root, so you do this:

 

su <<hit enter>>

<<type in your root password....you won't see it being typed>><<hit enter>>

 

now you run this:

 

make install

 

Hope this helps some.

Edited December 24, 2003 by Steve Scrimpshire

[conehead66]

thanks , I'll print this then boot to Mandrake so I can try it , I know nothing of Linux so you definitely were not insulting my intelligence !

[Steve Scrimpshire]

Oops. If you are using ntfs for windows, it might not have enabled write access to windows partition so you might get an error when you try to extract it. You can move or copy it to linux. Like if it were me, I would do this:

 

mv /mnt/windows/downloads/file-i-want-to-move.tgz /home/omar/

 

To copy instead of move:

cp /mnt/windows/downloads/file-i-want-to-move.tgz /home/omar/

 

cd /home/omar

tar -zxvf file-i-want-to-move.tgz

[conehead66]

ah cheers , was just coming back to say about that error , so move/copy instead , ok . I'd already extracted it manually through the .. hmm , explorer I suppose you would call it (and included archive program) , needed to find out how to navigate to the extracted files , I'll switch OS's again and try .

[conehead66]

well after running the make install command I got this error and being a Windows person have no idea why , or what it means ...

 

[barry@localhost barry]$ cd /home/barry/Download/rt2400_linux

[barry@localhost rt2400_linux]$ su

[root@localhost rt2400_linux]# make install

========= Install RT2400 device driver and utility =========

make[1]: Entering directory `/home/barry/Download/rt2400_linux/rt2400_rh73'

install rt2400.o /lib/modules/2.4.18-3

make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/barry/Download/rt2400_linux/rt2400_rh73'

alias ra0 rt2400

install: `./xwlan/' is a directory

chmod: failed to get attributes of `/usr/local/bin/RaConfig': No such file or directory

./script/setupui: line 14: [: =: unary operator expected

 

Configuration utility install to

/usr/local/bin/RaConfig

Install done!

Edited December 24, 2003 by conehead66

[conehead66]

anyone here can make a diagnosis from the small amount of info provided ?

[conehead66]

well , after heaps more searching and pissing about I've come to the conclusion I'm not meant for linux , I was only trying to set it up because the satellite decoder I was thinking of buying uses Linux OS for firmware .

Linux seems to be for people who want to spend more time learning about the OS than actually using the PC so I'm sticking with the old Mr reliable , XP Pro . (I guss I can take back that 5gb I partitioned away for linux too !)

I will say one thing for Mandrake 9.2 , it did install easily , just a pity it doesn't pick up much of my hardware , strange considering nothing new about my setup (it didn't like my Phillips Psc706 sound card , didn't really like the Geforce4 , didn't like my Minitar wireless PCI card , only likes my A4 Tech mouse if I call it an MSintellimouse , doesn't like my 6in1 USb memory card reader , didn't like my USB gamepad)

oh well , it was just an experiment !

[AussieJohn]

Wow. Do you give up that easily? Are you trying to tell me that setting up Windows for hardware is easier than Mandrake? I am wondering if I am on a different planet and we are talking about something totally unrelated to this planet.

 

Continue to try to understand Linux and the way it does things (faster, accurately and reliably) Linux just uses a different approach to doing things.

 

Mandrake is not just for people to learn about Linux the OS, it is fundamentally to enable you to do all the work processes that you can do in Windows and more that Windows cannot without milking you of hundreds of dollars more at a time.

 

You have an odd mixture of hardware but other people using Linux have the same hardware (often deliberately designed to work to Microsoft) have set their gear up AOK.

 

That is why MandrakeUsersBoard exists, to help others have an easier path to solutions to problems such as yours. I think you would find if you did some research that out of the box, Mandrake has hundreds more drivers for hardware, both old and especially new, than you will ever find in any version of Windows.

 

Feel free to cease trying to use Mandrake but remember your decision says more about you than it does about Mandrake or Linux.

 

Cheers. John (69yrs young)

[Pzatch]

s for the nvidia card. If you didn't install the nvidia driver fot it it would opnly work in a basic mode. I'm sure you installed a driver for XP also.

AS for the mouse, it works doesn't it?

I don't recall you asking about the sound card or gamepad or card reader.

 

You have to remember something. Linux drivers for the most part are not writen by the manufacturers. Some do, but most only write them months after a product is out.

 

Usb probucts are even scetchy in windows. And thats with the manufacturers writing the drivers.

[Darkelve]

I wonder what the (dis)advantages would be if conehead66 would have used a 'Live distro' instead?

 

Even if just to get the feeling going, and see what hardware works without fiddling and what other requires it.

Edited December 29, 2003 by Darkelve

[conehead66]

I know it sounds like I'm giving up too easy - but from my point of view (once again a windows user point of view , so a little different than you guys I guess) but ...

 

I first tried Mandrake 6 , too old for my pc apparently , then I tried Lindows 4.0 but had no idea how to even attempt the install (wasn't a bootable cd that I have) , so I downloaded Knoppix 3.2 to try something different , again it was a little old for my hardware so I then d/l and try knoppix 3.3 , again it runs but I can't get enough hardware working , I then get Lycoris desktop lx 3 off of a mate , it installs , seems too old for my hardware again and afterwards won't reboot . Finally I move to Mandrake 9.2 , install nice and easy , seems cool , but I can't set the hardware up even after I d/l some drivers (my lack of knowledge , not blaming anyone else) . With windows I'm no newbie , but even for newbies most drivers and the like are click and install or very little harder than that . I guess I've become too accustomed to the click and go convenience winblows provides .

[Pzatch]

lindows. Its all point and click.

[Ixthusdan]

When I administrated a small nt network (25 workstations, one server, one net link), 90% of the daily problems was the drivers not functioning correctly. The ms answer? reinstall!

 

You are mistaken when you think that the people here know nothing about windex. For most, it's because of what we know about windex that we use linux.

 

My points? Auto configuration is nice but it doesn't work like it is advertised. Besides, all the autoconfiguration is why windex is so insecure. I have a paper-weight that used to be a scanner (visioneer 6100usb) because XP Pro has no drivers for it, and visioneer isn't writing any drivers for it. There are many linux hardware drivers that were written by users. In the linux world, the os does not try to lock you into itself. In fact, the reasons some hardware has no drivers is the lack of cooperation from the manufacturer. I'm glad you can at least use your computer with windex, but thoses of us who have had experience with variable hardware and lots of different users know that the easy windex thing is simply a pr myth. ;)

[conehead66]

Ixthusdan ,

where did I say the people here know nothing about windows ? - I just said I know nothing about linux . by the way , linux isn't the only OS where individuals make or modify drivers - there were no XP drivers for my old Mustek scanner but after some googling I found someone had modded some to work . Anyway , I was neither trying to put linux down or give Bill Gates a blowjob , just mentioned my personal experience so far .

 

Pzatch

- Lindows , downloaded it , burnt the cd , couldn't do squat with it

 

Darkelve - what do you mean by a live distro ? I kinda thought the ones that ran from a cd like Knoppix was a live distro - again a lack of knowledge of linux on my part !

 

anyway , like I said , I didn't just try one distro ! and couldn't get online without getting that soppy wireless card working with Mdk9.2 . which I still have the odd puzzled look at ! Everything looks like you've installed a sweet lil OS but bugger all seems to work , worse still , no mp3's in the background while I toy since there is no sound .

 

I feel kinda like Homer Simpson in that episode , "Doh , where's the any key ?"