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How to paste as root?


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Hi. I am new at Linux. Mandriva 2009 is my first experience.

 

I try to install skins for VLC and it tells me to copy/paste them in certain folder. But I can't. It tells me that I don't have permission. I have tried a lot of things without success. Can you tell me how to do this, preferably in a graphic way?

 

Besides I would oike to ask where can I find a complete and detailed USER MANUAL. I have been searching everywhere and I can't find it. The Help files in my Mandriva don't cover this subject of copy-pasting where root privileges are requiered. Where is the up-to-date and detailed and complete Manual?

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: One more qustion. Many times I find answers but for Ubuntu. The Ubuntu code is not the same as the one for Mandriva, right? You need to learn either one or another but they don't work for the other, correct? I think that this makes Linux even harder and more atomized for finding help.

 

 

[moved from Software by spinynorman]

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But I can't. It tells me that I don't have permission.
That's right, and although it might sound stupid it's important to realise that that's a good thing - it means you can't accidentally ruin your system, and it means when you run a program that tries to do something you don't want it to do, it can't ruin the system either.

 

In order to be able to modify the system files, you need to gain root permissions, and for this you need the root password. Go into a terminal (Start - Tools - Konsole) and type

su

It will ask for the root password, and if you get it right, then you have root permissions from this terminal. So be careful what you do! Now, type

konqueror

and you can run Konqueror with the root permissions. Then you can copy files to system folders, delete system files, anything. So be careful! When you've finished, close the Konqueror window and type

exit

in the terminal to go back to normal permissions again.

 

Besides I would oike to ask where can I find a complete and detailed USER MANUAL. I have been searching everywhere and I can't find it. The Help files in my Mandriva don't cover this subject of copy-pasting where root privileges are requiered. Where is the up-to-date and detailed and complete Manual?
The most complete ones are at doc.mandriva.com

 

The Ubuntu code is not the same as the one for Mandriva, right? You need to learn either one or another but they don't work for the other, correct?
Well, yes and no. The linux bits are the same, the file system bits are mostly the same, but by default Mandriva uses KDE and Ubuntu uses gnome, so a lot of the user interface things are different. And of course Mandriva has made some excellent system tools, so lots to do with configuring the system, software packages, installation, those kind of things are specific to each distribution.
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Thanks a lot!

 

But it didn't work. I think that you meant to type NAUTILUS instead of KONQUEROR because I use GNOME. Right?

 

Anyway I typed NAUTILUS, it opened, and tried to copy and paste the files navigating by inside Nautilus and again no permission...

 

I must be doing something wrong for sure then but I have tried a hundred times a hundred things.

 

Thanks again.

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But it didn't work. I think that you meant to type NAUTILUS instead of KONQUEROR because I use GNOME. Right.

You would be right, nautilus is the file manager in Gnome.

 

If you have started it up as root, you should be able to copy the files, provided that there isn't a weird permission preventing root from doing so.

 

I am not sure what the equivalent of kwrite is in Gnome, but try opening up your editor as root (su) and doing your copy and paste using that program.

I believe the issue is how to copy and paste files, not text (but since it was brought up, the equivalent is gedit).

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I try to install skins for VLC and it tells me to copy/paste them in certain folder. But I can't. It tells me that I don't have permission. I have tried a lot of things without success. Can you tell me how to do this, preferably in a graphic way?
These skins can also be placed in your hidden /home/<username>/.vlc/skins2 folder instead.
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Not normally, if you check by typing:

 

alias

 

you'll see:

 

alias su="su -"

 

which means su and su - are the same thing. Mandrake/Mandriva have been doing the alias thing for ages, hence no need to type su -.

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Mandrake/Mandriva have been doing the alias thing for ages, hence no need to type su -.

 

I don't think so. At least that alias has never existed on any recent Mandriva release that I've installed. Else why this:

 

https://qa.mandriva.com/show_bug.cgi?id=43701#c9

 

or this:

 

http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/2009.0_Errata#..._as_root_via_su

 

Jim

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Hmmm. Ok, so what I wrote was valid for 2008.1 and KDE3. Yes, if you're using gnome (which I didn't know) then use nautilus instead of konqueror. And that thing with the su - I didn't know, I haven't tried 2009.0 yet. But according to that link, the problem applies "for most KDE 4 applications in Mandriva Linux 2009" - maybe it doesn't affect gnome applications? Don't know. Try both.

 

Love the way that the bug report describes changes in behaviour for unexplained reasons, and the immediate response is "bug invalid. get used to it this way! (until we change our minds again)".

 

PPS/ And no, I don't have this alias either, and as far as I know never had. Maybe you introduced it yourself Ian? Maybe in your .bashrc?

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These skins can also be placed in your hidden /home/<username>/.vlc/skins2 folder instead.

 

Thanks to all.

 

That folder .VLC doesn't exist. I know how to display the hidden folders but .VLC is not there and VLC is installed and running well. Apparently the only folder of VLC is within /usr/share/vlc

 

Still doesn't work.

 

I created a folder named "skins2" in my Desktop and placed all the .VLT skins inside. Then I opened the Console and typed

su

 

password

 

cp /home/my user name/Desktop/skins2 /usr/share/vlc and doesn't work. I take care with the capital letters and so on, but no results...

 

Any other suggestion? Thanks a lot again. I can live without the skins but I'd like to learn how to do this anyway.

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I've always typed just su in the console since first installing Mandrake 10.0 and still do today. :unsure:

 

I'll take that back. To launch say kwrite as root Yes I now have to put a - after the su. Never had to do before. :blush:

Edited by SilverSurfer60
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I can't recall ever had to type "su -" in Mandriva, and have as Siversurfer60 used Mandriva/Mandrake since 10.0

 

And just a few moments ago, I types su before checking for updates, and I can fire up Kwrite without the - after su, if I try starting kwrite with su - nothing happens just says command not found, strange :wacko:

[orts@mandrivafaq ~]$ su -
Password:
[root@mandrivafaq ~]# kwrite
-bash: kwrite: command not found

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Nope, with Mandriva never added it manually. With RH/CentOS or other distros, yes, I added it manually to /etc/bashrc. But never in Mandriva - it was always there since started using Mandrake 10.0 all the way up to 2009.0.

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