The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

[Joelgp83]

Yeah, I know, I'm just providing an alternative. Also, any flaws ubuntu would have would naturally carry downstream into mint.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I'm so out of the loop! All this EFI and rEFInd talk is foreign to me.

You'll probably learn the next time you buy a new PC...

I suppose. But! It's completely removable or work-around-able, right? Obviously, Linux will be the only OS on it--after I get my hot little hands on it and wipe the drive of all things micro$oft. :evil: :laugh:

 

[palmtree5]

FWIW I have Arch as my only OS and have had no issues with EFI

 

[palmtree5]

How do I launch an EFI shell?


I installed kernel 3.10_am64 and got my drivers that way... tried 3.10.6 initially, but ended up breaking things, so I uninstalled and went for 3.10 instead and I am running on wifi now. DHCP (automatic didn't work out too well... setting a manual IP did, and that is fine by me.

For the record, I went to the repository Index of /~kernel-ppa/mainline, surfed to the folder I wanted, and downloaded to a folder (labeled /kernel 3.10) the following files:

linux-headers-3.10.0-031000_3.10.0-031000.201306301935_all.deb
linux-headers-3.10.0-031000-generic_3.10.0-031000.201306301935_amd64.deb
linux-image-3.10.0-031000-generic_3.10.0-031000.201306301935_amd64.deb

I then opened a terminal, typed in the following:

cd Downloads
cd "kernel 3.10"
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

After rebooting, I got a notification telling me wifi was available.

Just had an idea. Can you post the output of "ls -R /boot" (preferably in code tags)?

 

[Dngrsone]

I have my wireless drivers by installing kernel 3.10 into Mint 15.

The UEFI booting issue is painfully complex, and it seems like Toshiba is breaking a lot of rules (likely in the name of compliance).

If in Secure Boot, the machine boots Windows 8.

If Secure Boot is disabled, it will boot into Windows 8, unless I have manually registered rEFInd as the primary boot loader.

If I move anything around in the EFI folder from within Mint (using GUI, because I am lazy and somewhat impatient), then the system reverts back to previous behavior.

I cannot seem to be able to find any setting that will allow me to boot an EFI shell. There's supposed to be an advanced settings thing here in Windows with more UEFI options, but Toshiba has hidden it away from the menus where they even say it's supposed to be. I know it exists, because I accidentally called it up once, but I have idea what arcane key-combination I used at the time.

***EDIT: I found it; holding down the Shift key when selecting Restart in Windows 8 will get me to that Advanced menu. Now all I need to do is restart my laptop a few times to figure out which menu item I need to get to... ***

I will keep plugging away, as I find time to do so... I have bicycle maintenance to do, the school year is starting, and all those other IRL things that interfere (not to mention trying to set a new computer from scratch to be able to do my daily tasks).

 

[palmtree5]

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UEFI#Launching_UEFI_Shell

There's another method there for being able to launch a shell

 

[Dngrsone]

There does not seem to be a way to launch an EFI shell... I may be missing something, but I just don't see anything that would allow me to do it.

I guess I will dig up a thumb drive and get a bootable utility on it.

 

[Dngrsone]

Okay, I made a bootable USB drive.com am now in shell.

Option 00 is the SUB device I am running from. Variable: Boot2001

I won't list the whole thing because I am swyping on a tablet at the moment.

The rEFInd boot manager has Variable: Boot0000, Mint is Boot0004 and Windows is Boot0005.

So why will rEFInd not come up? Is there a configuration I have to do?

 

[palmtree5]

So it sounds like rEFInd was definitely listed so I'd try doing
[HIGH]bcfg boot mv n 0[/HIGH]
where n is the value representing rEFInd's option

 

[Dngrsone]

Well, I got rEFInd to boot up by running the setup script from within Mint. It's ugly right now, showing two Windows boot options, a Mint option, and two other Linux boot options.

I installed the shim stuff, but I am unsure how to create the keys or whatever, so I am booting unsecure right now.

 

[zuben el genub]

I finally found a book locally. Don't know how old it is, but it did mention the old Palm and Windows PDAs. Also Photoshop CS. It's called Ubuntu Hacks and at least it explains some of the commands. It's an O'reilly book.

The freaking shelves were full of how to use MS Office, etc. Macs and Windows for seniors - JC, how much fluff can they write?

Couldn't find a book on Curiosity Rover.

Found this website listed, any use for?: Anubis: Analyzing Unknown Binaries

 

[Dngrsone]

I finally found a book locally. Don't know how old it is, but it did mention the old Palm and Windows PDAs. Also Photoshop CS. It's called Ubuntu Hacks and at least it explains some of the commands. It's an O'reilly book.

The freaking shelves were full of how to use MS Office, etc. Macs and Windows for seniors - JC, how much fluff can they write?

Couldn't find a book on Curiosity Rover.

Found this website listed, any use for?: Anubis: Analyzing Unknown Binaries

... did I miss a piece of the conversation somewhere?

 

[9to5cynic]

I finally found a book locally. Don't know how old it is, but it did mention the old Palm and Windows PDAs. Also Photoshop CS. It's called Ubuntu Hacks and at least it explains some of the commands. It's an O'reilly book.

The freaking shelves were full of how to use MS Office, etc. Macs and Windows for seniors - JC, how much fluff can they write?

Couldn't find a book on Curiosity Rover.

Found this website listed, any use for?: Anubis: Analyzing Unknown Binaries

I've used Anubis before, really cool. Probably only useful if you are doing some malware research though. Not something everyone needs. Still cool though.

 

[zuben el genub]

I complained about a book I bought on Ubuntu when I first installed it. It was nothing but how to use the damn social programs, and other utilities. I can use those, usually with NO help. Any help with terminal commands was missing. It wasn't a For Dummies book.

The only other books available were for those who wished to code.

This one was written in 2006, but at least they explain which command does what and why. Commands aren't strange to me, I started with DOS. The terms are different, and some work differently.

 

[Dngrsone]

Unfortunately, programmers are pretty bad at writing instructions that are useful for anyone other than fellow programmers.

And publishers seem to think that the only people wanting technical reference books are either programmers or complete idiots.

 

[zuben el genub]

Just in this field. Deke McClelland had very good Photoshop books out around Photoshop 3 which was the first you could cross platform with Mac.
I had to laugh at one comment about Windows users. He warned about looking in some directories as "windows users are nosy" I know I am.

XDA has this problem. Most are very bright but they have no idea how to communicate in standard English anyway.

For some senior citizens they still need to start with "make sure the computer, monitor, etc are PLUGGED IN or the Surge protector switched ON.

 

[Dngrsone]

Well, managed to sign my Mint loader, but now I get a grub error...

 error: Secure Boot forbids loading module from (hd0, gpt7)/boot/grub/normal.mod

Seems like progress... I don't know.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I complained about a book I bought on Ubuntu when I first installed it. It was nothing but how to use the damn social programs, and other utilities. I can use those, usually with NO help. Any help with terminal commands was missing. It wasn't a For Dummies book.

The only other books available were for those who wished to code.

I was going to say that there are a ton of great books available...but then I realized that what *I* consider perfectly usable may not strike a non-coder that way.

This one was written in 2006, but at least they explain which command does what and why. Commands aren't strange to me, I started with DOS. The terms are different, and some work differently.

Keep in mind that DOS basically copied UNIX, but did it badly. :laugh: For example, they used the same concept of a root directory, from which all other directories sprang, so DOS had the same tree-like file structure *nix did. And a lot of DOS commands, such as cd, had the same basic purpose of their *nix counterparts but, again, imitated *nix badly. What I'm talking about is the vast difference in functionality between any DOS command and its UNIX lookalike. In *nix, that command might have 20, 30, 40 or more options, while the DOS version might have none or 3. With the *nix command, mixed with other *nix commands, and the ability to chain output (by piping, by using sed or grep, by redirecting, etc.), the *nix version would actually have infinite possibilities while the DOS version didn't. Also, the sheer difference in number of commands and their options was shocking--just compare an old DOS manual to a same-year UNIX manual and note the difference in thickness!

Back to books. Unless you're really intent on having *buntu specific books, I actually recommend just buying generic Linux books. This one, for example, does a good job of covering a lot of essential stuff, A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, by Mark G Sobell. Again, I'm saying that from the only perspective I have--mine!--but I think a non-coder could plunge in and find it very useful. Ubuntu specific books would be good if you're more interested in Ubuntu specific features, but when it comes to commands, Linux is Linux is Linux (for the most part!).

 

[zuben el genub]

I prefer printed. I can bookmark, dogear, or otherwise mark up the page and still find my content. I usually print out any instructions.

The book I just bought was written in 2006. You will be getting questions as I work through it.
I just happen to be working on a couple of wedding gifts and helping a friend out with her daughter's wedding. Then start on XMAS. When the weather starts getting lousy is usually when I mess with computers that need tweaking.

I have to see if Skype works on 12.04. It certainly didn't in Mint 14.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I prefer printed. I can bookmark, dogear, or otherwise mark up the page and still find my content.

Oh, I hear you! I *SO* prefer a real book to any of those newfangled e-book things. There's nothing like holding a real book, thumbing through its pages, stopping here and there to read a little, and referring back to the same pages so often the book falls open effortlessly to those exact spots.

The book I just bought was written in 2006. You will be getting questions as I work through it.

Let 'em rip! Your fellow Linux users are ready.

When the weather starts getting lousy is usually when I mess with computers that need tweaking.

When I was living in Dallas, I'd wait for the lousy [winter] weather to start and then I'd work on crocheting things. Now that I'm back home in SoCal...well, let's just say there isn't a lot of lousy weather!

I have to see if Skype works on 12.04.

It did for me the last time I tried. Note that I'm using Kubuntu 12.04, but still.

 

[MrGlowy]

I'm on Ubuntu 12.04 and Skype works for me

 

[dkl1]

Hey Guys and Gals! Kind of a newbie with the Linux thing but I definitely like what I've experienced thus far! I'm running Ubuntu 12.x or is it 13.x - sorry can't remember at the moment...

At any rate, I'm in need of a .jar launcher that I can use with a file needed for the one-click root method I will be doing shortly. I have searched the web but can't find anything readily avail for Linux, rather links showing one how to CREATE one. That's all well and good, however, I'm not confident yet with how to work with commands etc. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated

Thanks...

EDIT: I posted this same topic over in the S3-All thing Root forum but a moderator moved it here for me....sorry!

 

[zuben el genub]

Skype pulled the same nonsense on Ubuntu as it did on Mint. No freaking sound. I spent the whole damn day reading and finally checked the physical speakers. I have a very good set, but they are circa 2000 and I guess newer Linux doesn't like them. I grabbed an el cheapo pair from another computer, messed with a few more things, and Skype works. I did the test call, got sound and my recording back.
The damn speakers work in XP on the same cards.

I also managed to get the Epson V300 perfection working. That took even more of the day.

I even got the old Gnome desktop.

What I can't do is install FX and TB ESR. They are tar.bz files. Used sudo and it tells me I don't have permission to do anything with the files. This desktop has the root terminal, can I use that?

Once I get the system the way I want it, it's staying that way.

I did see Iron Browser in Software center somewhere.

I finally got some sympathy from the Vulcan. I told him I wanted to use Ubuntu for online banking and some shopping as it was more secure. The last time he said that since Linux was free, it was probably no good.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Skype pulled the same nonsense on Ubuntu as it did on Mint. No freaking sound. I spent the whole damn day reading and finally checked the physical speakers. I have a very good set, but they are circa 2000 and I guess newer Linux doesn't like them. I grabbed an el cheapo pair from another computer, messed with a few more things, and Skype works. I did the test call, got sound and my recording back.
The damn speakers work in XP on the same cards.

I also managed to get the Epson V300 perfection working. That took even more of the day.

I even got the old Gnome desktop.

I'm sitting here nodding my head, laughing in a knowing sort of way, not a laughing at you sort of way. You know--been there, done that. (Not your specific issues, but tweaking, reading, trying, failing, that sort of stuff.)

But I'm happy to hear you do have all those things working now.

What I can't do is install FX and TB ESR. They are tar.bz files. Used sudo and it tells me I don't have permission to do anything with the files. This desktop has the root terminal, can I use that?

Let's break things down a bit, okay?

You don't need a 'root terminal' per se. What you need is true root access. That does not mean sudo. From a prompt, any prompt, in any terminal application, do this:

su -[enter]

(that's su space minus sign[enter]. You'll be prompted for root's password. Unlike sudo, YOUR password isn't going to work here, it must be root's password. (If you don't have a root password, post again.)

Now you'll have a root prompt. You can do anything--and I do mean anything, including wiping out the entire hard disk--while working with this power. So go slowly, pay attention to what you're doing, and if you're ever in doubt, PULL YOUR HAND AWAY before it presses the [enter] key! Better safe than sorry.

Okay, so, where are the tar files you want to install? And where do you want them to be installed? If they look like the Firefox file I looked at recently, just un-compress them (anywhere) and then move them to their end destination.

I'm making this all up as an example: Let's say you downloaded ABC.tar.bz2 into your /data/downloads directory. Uncompress it via whatever method suits you--GUI, command line, whatever. It should recreate its compressed files' directory/subdirectory structure. Once it's done that, you can simply move its main directory to the location you want it in. As in my earlier example, let's say that's /usr/local:

mv ABC /usr/local

That SHOULD be the end of it. It will most likely have root ownership and group, but if it's readable and executable by all then you're good to go.

To review (and please note I'm being this verbose because I assume others, who may have no Linux knowledge, may learn from it too), the reason you can't move files to the root filesystem (which is where /usr/local is located) is because that's part of the ROOT FILESYSTEM! *nix will always want to protect its system files. So regular users can't do this, but logging in as root solves the problem.

If anything's unclear, let me know.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Hey Guys and Gals! Kind of a newbie with the Linux thing but I definitely like what I've experienced thus far!

Hi there, dkl1! Welcome to the club of happy Linux users.

I'm running Ubuntu 12.x or is it 13.x - sorry can't remember at the moment...

Since I'm heavily biased--and make no bones about it!--I'd like to recommend giving Kubuntu a try. It's Ubuntu with KDE as its desktop environment. It's beautiful, and infinitely customizable. If you need more info just let us know.

At any rate, I'm in need of a .jar launcher that I can use with a file needed for the one-click root method I will be doing shortly.

I'm not familiar with this. Sorry.

I have searched the web but can't find anything readily avail for Linux, rather links showing one how to CREATE one. That's all well and good, however, I'm not confident yet with how to work with commands etc. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated

If no one responds with instructions/help, we can move on to plan B, which would be posting the links describing how to create one. Then we can put our heads together and figure it out!