ubuntu

[res0nat0r]

Re: ubuntu

just installed the newest release of ubuntu on my work pc, it is very nice and user friendly. each release gets better with drives, plugins, etc it is pretty nice now days since there is a driver out there for most stuff...

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

I might have to install the newest version then... my last complaints were driver-related issues

[res0nat0r]

Re: ubuntu

if you dont have really odd or super old hardware you shouldnt have too many probs, was it a laptop before? i dont remember, but those sometimes have issues, you have to hunt around to figure out how to get some of the special keys to work, etc..

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

here we are 2 years later and I want to make the switch again. I'd like to grab 9.04 and run a dual boot install, but there are a few big worries on my mind that are stopping me:

I've been trying to make the switch for a while to open-source apps... I want to be able to configure the cross-platform apps I'm using to pull their data from a separate partition, so I can run either OS and still be operational. For example, Firefox profile/bookmark/addon settings, or Filezilla option/server settings, Pidgin contact lists/settings, Thunderbird profile/email accounts/rss/archives/etc, and even possibly OS basics like Desktop and Document folder redirects.

I also have a Brother MFC-3360C printer/scanner that I'd like to be able to have working, but it use PaperPort (which I'm not a fan of) for scanning the pages. I assume it commuicates via TWAIN/32... are there any good TWAIN/scanner apps out there in case it works on twain? What alternatives would there be to communicate with a scanner on xUbunutu?

It would also be nice if I could find a cross-platform data backup app that will backup all my files to my ext hard drive daily, regardless of what OS I'm in. I currently use SyncBack but am not sure if it's cross-platform.

I guess I essentially want to be able to boot into either partition and be able to access all my data and core apps without any hangups. Am I being too unreasonable?

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

I just did a bit of quick searching and it seems it's definitely possible for Firefox, Thunderbird, and Pidgin... I expected it would, but I didn't expect to find a single article explaining how to do all three

http://lifehacker.com/348858/use-a-single-data-store-when-dual-booting

I still appreciate any comments you might have!

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

well... repartitioning my drive caused my MBR to get overwritten or something, because now it won't boot, I can't view the file system from a recovery console, and it only shows 10mb free. Looks like I'm re-installing Windows. YES!

[Kamal]

Re: ubuntu

you didnt try installing through wubi?

[res0nat0r]

Re: ubuntu

well... repartitioning my drive caused my MBR to get overwritten or something, because now it won't boot, I can't view the file system from a recovery console, and it only shows 10mb free. Looks like I'm re-installing Windows. YES!

i think that your mbr just isnt setup right to point to the correct place to load the OS. it is relatively easy to fix with a boot cd.

let me know if you havent switched back if you need help with this. i have had it happen to me many times and you just have to fix the bootsector to get access to your data back.

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

I tried to repair with the windows boot cd and had no luck... I just reinstalled fresh. I'm on the xubuntu partition now posting this, and am already seeing problems when trying to play an mp3. I double-clicked it and it went into Movie Player, asked me to download an mp3 codec, and now every time I try to play an mp3 from it (by either double-clicking the mp3 or by opening it directly from Movie Player) it just closes.

I'll get this thing set up one step at a time, but it looks like I'm going to be able to have all my data accessible from both partitions which is fn sweet

[res0nat0r]

Re: ubuntu

I tried to repair with the windows boot cd and had no luck...

windows is shit when it comes to this. it thinks it is the only os that is ever going to be installed on the disc and ignores everything else. a linux boot disc is smart enough to know this, the windows one prob cant do what you need.
tip: if you want to dual boot always install windows first, and then linux. so windows will do its mbr shit, and then the linux install will ask you if you want to dual boot etc and get you setup properly.

I double-clicked it and it went into Movie Player, asked me to download an mp3 codec, and now every time I try to play an mp3 from it (by either double-clicking the mp3 or by opening it directly from Movie Player) it just closes.

Use synaptic and download this: amarok

http://amarok.kde.org/

It looks like itunes, but is the shit. 10x better than itunes.

Also, you could be missing some codecs.

Check this site:

http://www.medibuntu.org/

It has a bunch of non-free codecs that cant be installed by default due to license issues.

Add this to your /etc/apt/sources.list file:

deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ hardy free non-free


Then update your package list, and install the w32codecs package.

I'll get this thing set up one step at a time, but it looks like I'm going to be able to have all my data accessible from both partitions which is fn sweet

Yeah you should be able to read any NTFS/FAT32 partition on your PC no problem. I do this all the time if i need to copy files over from my windows partition. Also i think NTFS write support finally became stable, so you can even write to your windows box from ubuntu if you like.

[ddr]

Re: ubuntu

@ reson,

what is your opinion on Banshee and Songbird?

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

regarding Amarok, I'm just looking for something that I can use to double-click an mp3 file and have it automatically play. I don't want a complete media organizer/etc... is this going to be too much for me?

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

ok... I finally got all my mounts set up with r/w access (took me forever), Thunderbird configured on both partitions and sharing all email/rss folders and settings, and FileZilla set up on both and sharing sites.

All the forums and blogs out there have really helped me accomplish much of what I've needed to do, though it has definitely been a little painful/frustrating trying to dig for answers to things I don't fully understand. I guess considering this is all mostly brand new to me and I've still been able to dig up my answers and learn a little bit along the way. I have some intermediate unix shell experience from work, and I think it has helped me quite a bit through this.

Not knowing anything about the interface or OS-specific install/config locations, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Google! I'd bet that anybody who knows how to use the Internet could get by, assuming they just wanted their computing experience to start from scratch without any of their data, no dual-boot system, no shared data across the two partitions,etc. So far I like it!

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

now that I got my initial reaction out of the way... I do stll have a problem with playing my mp3s that I need help with

I installed the whole medibuntu package but it hasn't done me any good. I've enabled the "Software restrictecd by copyright or legal issue" in the system administration, and have even installed VLC. Even after all this, I'm not able to play a mp3 in Movie Player or VLC! Any suggestions? It seems a fresh install is limited on media playback, but medibuntu was supposed to fix that?

I've tried everything here, including Steve's comments in the comments section. no luck! I think my problem is because I tried to open a mp3 before going through all this, which caused Movie Player to try installing the codecs before I had gone through the medibuntu steps.

[picklemonkey]

Re: ubuntu

anybody know of an ubuntu app that will host a windows-compatible RDP session that I can connect to from a Windows box? I want to use Remote Desktop to connect since I'm not allowed to install any external software on my work laptop