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FAQ TR-02 (Installing Mandrake)


dave_hallett
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Hi, total Linux newbie here, please be patient :o)

 

I'm not sure whether the problem I've experienced is as described in TR-02 or not - it seems more severe.

 

New install of 9.2 yesterday, using KDE as desktop. Didn't take all the options on software packages on install, but most of the workstation ones (no server required). A bit later, came to the conclusion that kppp and kscd would be useful additions. Used the Control Center to install them. Went fine, except that once they were installed, not only are most of my menu options gone, but seems like most of KDE is gone (no Konqueror I think, because double-clicking Home does nothing) and no Control Center anymore, etc. Open the Welcome thing, double-clicking help does nothing, choosing the Computer thing throws an error complaining that it can't find the appropriate file. Totally hosed, in short.

 

Something v. similar happened before, too, again after using the Control Center's software packages utility.

 

So I boot into the Mandrake CD, and reinstall as an Upgrade, and everything is back to normal, and what's more kppp and kscd are there too. Which is great. But what on earth is going on?

 

All advice gratefully received!

 

dave

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If you have a download release with none of the updates, you need to install all new utility rpm's immediately. That is, anything containing "drake" in the name of the file.

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Thanks! The CDs were supplied to me, so I can't be too sure of their history. Is there an easy way to tell by version/date or something else which versions I have, and what needs to be replaced?

 

Edit: And does this mean I can't use the Mandrake Control Center to do the updating? Do I need to do this from a command line prompt? Makes me wonder how they managed to release something this broken without noticing, but I guess I have a lot to learn...

Edited by dave_hallett
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Welcome to the board.

Im guessing your first install, though it appeared to go OK, in fact didn't.

Now you have everything back to normal, look in the mandrake control centre for "mandrake update" This will connect to a mirror site containing updates, download and install them for you.

Im moving this post to the "Installing Mandrake" forum for you.

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OK, thanks.

 

I did what was suggested. I used Mandrake Update, and installed the bug fix versions for all the utility rpm's, all the kde stuff and some gnome stuff too, also the bug-fixed version of the rpm code. This took quite some time on dialup. Now I am back to the situation I described before, with no apps, and now nothing on the menu besides Recent Documents and Logout. I'm posting this from my Win2000 system.

 

So, should I use the Update reinstall I described before to get my system back? If I do this, will I lose the stuff I updated, or will it remain?? Does anyone have the faintest idea why all this is happening?

 

I'm willing to read manuals, figure stuff out, and so on. But this is just insane, and very disheartening.

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This seems more like a menu problem, rather than the apps aren't there.

Is the menu missing from KDE and Gnome?

Open a console and type

update-menus -v

See if that does the trick. Or you can use the menu editor in Mandrake control centre.

To launch the control centre from console type su

enter your root password.

then type mcc

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Before I go and try this, can I just confirm what you're saying.

 

double-clicking Home does nothing... Open the Welcome thing, double-clicking help does nothing, choosing the Computer thing throws an error complaining that it can't find the appropriate file.

 

This sounds to you like the menus need rebuilding? Really? Because this is the state of affairs I was looking at before I shut Linux down.

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I'm sorry, but we seem to be on different planets here. How do I open the Control Center when there's nothing on any menu? Come to that, how do I open a console? Previously I would have gone to Terminals - Konsole, but that's not there. If I select any of the documents listed in Recent Documents, the system doesn't know what app to open it with, and and there are no apps in its list of well-known apps either, if I recall correctly. I guess I could restart Linux in text only mode. But then what?

 

It seems to me that reinstalling as update is most likely to work, because that's what saved me the last two times this happened. But I would like to know whether I'm going to have redo all the Update stuff. My personal guess is not, because last time the apps I asked it to install were still installed when I got back to a working desktop. But updated apps might be different - I really don't know much. So I come here for advice :)

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You can open a console with the key board, if your unsure about using the console, here's another way to open the control centre.

 

Hold the ALT key down, and press F2

Then type mcc

Your asked for your root password, enter it, and the control centre will open.

Then check for installed apps in software manager, and also the menu in menudrake.

 

If none of those get your menu back, then yes upgrading again will not remove your updates.

Hope were on the same planet now. ;)

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I think I see your problem; you have no menu or icon for starting a console. If that's the case, hit Ctrl-Alt-F1. That will take you to a new screen with a command line login. Login with your regular user name and password and then at the command prompt, run:

 

$ update-menus -v

 

To return to your graphical screen hit Alt-F7 and see if the menu has returned.

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anon (and patrick), you were both completely right, and I'm sorry if I ever seemed to doubt you. I reset the menus in menudrake, and everything is now fine. Well, This Computer in the Welcome thing still can't find its file, but I can't say I really care about that. :D

 

I will learn from this that just because my Mandrake appears to be utterly hosed, doesn't mean it really is. Thanks again,

 

Dave (typing this post from Galeon, running under Mandrake 9.2 :thumbs:)

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