anybody know a linux distro that works?!

[tiiim]

hi

i brought a new pc a few months back... however i have yet to find a linux distro that works fully!

I brought a packard bell imedia 2102 (http://packardbell.co.uk/products/node1601.asp?partNumber=pb14201601) yes i know it may not be the best make but im not asking you that.)

With Unbuntu it complains there is no cd-rom drive thus won't continue.
Fedora core 3 installs on the second dvd-rw drive (not the first dvd rom drive) but then it freezes on bootup!

freeBSD does not like the wireless mouse

Knoppix live cd works in safe mode

MEPIS works again prob in safe mode even though it dont make it as obvious but very nice distro.

centOS 3.4 loads the installer in a gui fine... but then when you restart it fails to load up X

centOS 4 fails to load the installer in the gui

Mandrake 10.1 does not like dvd drives like Ubuntu
Not to mention no sound in any!

I mean the list just goes on...

Today i tried atMission live cd! Very nice and slick and even though does not like sound again it gives the impression it works nice on the graphic side... this is based on fedora core 2 though and also you cant install the live cd to disk :(


So what do you guys reccomend? Im looking for a nice linux os that works. Im not too fussed on sound at the moment i like to at least have a gui though. I left my long Debian days many years ago and now i like to use a gui lol. at the moment i have to resort back to windows... but i do wana dual book!

As you can see im desperate for a linux distro that will work with my hardware, i want it well supported. Seems like its only the live cds that work... however ubuntu live cd freezes on the gui so that is annoying.


Tim :(

PS. very ironic since i want to use Linux and cant. any ideas, suggestions will be good!

I mean i even go as far to having a pure Debian distro if it mean i can config it to work. I just want a well establish linux distro...!

[StacyWebb]

I know I'll probably get fried for this but, If all of those others failed try XANDROS 2.5 or 3.0 it's pretty good for picking up on all types of hardware and that seems to be your main issues. Now after you install it change your sources.list files to add the Debian main Repos and the apt-get dist-upgrade and wallah you have a new Debian System, Hope this helps.

[bored2k]

I know I'll probably get fried for this but, If all of those others failed try XANDROS 2.5 or 3.0 it's pretty good for picking up on all types of hardware and that seems to be your main issues. Now after you install it change your sources.list files to add the Debian main Repos and the apt-get dist-upgrade and wallah you have a new Debian System, Hope this helps.
Yeah I have Xandros 1 , 2, 2.5, 3 deluxe and theyre very good at hardware recognition .

BTW, the debian thingy you say changing repositories, it works, but it will shatter your xandros to pieces. Installing gnome on 2.5 removes a lot of xandros propietary files, also in 3 [but in less amount]. Its not a good distro to try to build a debian out of it [just using gdm is a mess at times] .

[eldrich_rebello]

try suse.i'm running 9.1 fine.no probs at all.just keep your hardware documentation handy cause you may have to enter certain parameters.there are gui tools for most things.the installer is graphical and the overall experiencce can be slower compared to a debian box.but you gotta accept that.

[StacyWebb]

Yeah I have Xandros 1 , 2, 2.5, 3 deluxe and theyre very good at hardware recognition .

BTW, the debian thingy you say changing repositories, it works, but it will shatter your xandros to pieces. Installing gnome on 2.5 removes a lot of xandros propietary files, also in 3 [but in less amount]. Its not a good distro to try to build a debian out of it [just using gdm is a mess at times] .

The only real thing that broke when I did it was the Xandros Networks and their file manager, but I was running KDE 3.3 not Gnome so I wasn't aware if it broke any of those apps. I guess our main goal for Tiiim would be to get Linux to work regardless of Distro (but we all would prefer Ubuntu) .
To tell the truth I didn't even know that Packard Bell still existed :-)

[bored2k]

The only real thing that broke when I did it was the Xandros Networks and their file manager, but I was running KDE 3.3 not Gnome so I wasn't aware if it broke any of those apps. I guess our main goal for Tiiim would be to get Linux to work regardless of Distro (but we all would prefer Ubuntu) .
To tell the truth I didn't even know that Packard Bell still existed :-)
Lol .

Well you can tweak Xandros as you please but once you try GNOME and GDM , it just gets "funny" .


But yeah Xandros is great for starters. You won't learn much but it is Linux.

[adun]

Sorry but that's not "ironic", it's ridiculous. Not long ago you had to work hard to build up a full functional Linux system. Now Distros like Suse or Ubuntu helps a lot with certain hardware. Besides this way, you still have to know many things. So in my opinion you have two choices. First is to learn setting up a Linux System, you will gain experience usefull your hole life handling computers or the other using an OS like OSX or XP. Sorry, but everytime i see a Linuxer not familiar with the shell, i got mad. :lol:

btw the Linux handbook is just one link away: http://www.google.com/linux :wink:

[bored2k]

Sorry but that's not "ironic", it's ridiculous. Not long ago you had to work hard to build up a full functional Linux system. Now Distros like Suse or Ubuntu helps a lot with certain hardware. Besides this way, you still have to know many things. So in my opinion you have two choices. First is to learn setting up a Linux System, you will gain experience usefull your hole life handling computers or the other using an OS like OSX or XP. Sorry, but everytime i see a Linuxer not familiar with the shell, i got mad. :lol:
Yeah my great great grandfather was also mad when he saw guys strolling dows the streets on vehicles him walking. Welcome to the 21st century.

How would you expect Linux to grow if you still need to know rocket science to use it ? c'est la vie.

[adun]

yeah 3-4 weeks 2 hours a day is really tough. 8)

i'm not talking about building up linux from scratch.

i just see the advantages. the "admin-thing" on win xp for example. user familiar with a strict logic right management won't use admin rights for internet browsing. only this fact would reduce damage done to society by worms.

[tiiim]

Sorry but that's not "ironic", it's ridiculous. Not long ago you had to work hard to build up a full functional Linux system. Now Distros like Suse or Ubuntu helps a lot with certain hardware. Besides this way, you still have to know many things. So in my opinion you have two choices. First is to learn setting up a Linux System, you will gain experience usefull your hole life handling computers or the other using an OS like OSX or XP. Sorry, but everytime i see a Linuxer not familiar with the shell, i got mad. :lol:

btw the Linux handbook is just one link away: http://www.google.com/linux :wink:
im sorry but before you think im some newbie trying to get a linux as friendly as windows. Well you don't know me. I have lived in the command prompt... i have manually configure X before etc with no hardware detecting tools i started on Linux before it got easier to install than windows.

Just at this stage as a student i dont have hours spare to put together a linux system at the moment!

Bored2k i equally agree with you... the sad fact is many people dont wana spend several hours in a command prompt. We expect Linux to compete with Windows right? Well the first thing is to have a distro that hides the promp as much as problem. Sure if ppl like adun and myself wana spend years in a prompt there one thing. But the average person dont wana spend hours in front of black screen. yes it is sad, and yes if there comp breaks it takes a linux geek like us to fix it but that is life...

I mean look at longhorn, its special effects rival mac os x, that what people want...! And linux is getting that with Xorg and things now. People want a lovely system that looks good.

i dont dislike the terminal i think its great, the thing you have to realise is most people dont wont it, it scares them. yes you could argue they need to learn it, well sorry to say, they dont wont too. Why type in a terminal when you can point and click with a mouse.

For those who want their terminals have it, but 90 percent of the market wants lovely GUI's etc.

At the moment all i want is a linux os on my comp, once i have one running then i will play. At the moment i have trouble installing one let alone removing all the ABC's gui usage of it!

thanks for ur help so far i keep you posted.

[ThePainter]

Hi,
Well I have been down the same road as you.
Mandrake 9.2, 10.1
Fedora Core 3
Ubuntu 4.10, 5.04(beta)
Mepis 3.3 (current OS)

And I have found problems with all of them, especially the first two.
I think Ubuntu 4.1 was the best once it is set up, but the Gnome apps are limited so I had to install some kde stuff and some windows stuff via crossover office and wine to make it a usable OS.
I am now in Mepis 3.3 and I dont need the windows stuff and it already has kde in so it is very usable but there are a lot of files that need editing for instance to run apps in root or to auto mount ntfs partitions etc. but like all linux it has its limitations.

I still run a dual boot XP so I have a usable OS and I consider Linux to be like a game or a puzzle that I play with in attempt to see how many jobs it can do or to find its limitations where as XP is the only fully usable OS Ive found.

If you want to use Linux full time then you must accept its limitations but Im sure some people might only need to do what Linux is capable of.

Good luck in your quest.

[BWF89]

Try Ubuntu or SuSE.

[dillweed]

im sorry but before you think im some newbie trying to get a linux as friendly as windows. Well you don't know me. I have lived in the command prompt... i have manually configure X before etc with no hardware detecting tools i started on Linux before it got easier to install than windows.
Not to argue, however, if you have been using linux for so long, I would think you would know to buy the proper hardware. There are lots of resources out there that indicate what works and doesn't work so well with linux. I understand the time it takes to setup a linux box and some of us just don't have that time. But spending a few minutes before buying may of saved you time in the end.

To answer your question, I would think that Ubuntu or any distro for that matter would work on any system, but you have to plan on spending some time getting it running or be patient for drivers and support to come about. I've found that for the most part linux isn't always plug-n-play, it's plug-n-pray, if you know what I mean. I wish you luck and don't get frustrated, make lemonade out of the lemons that you bought. :p

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[TravisNewman]

I won't go into whether Linux shoudl be competing with Windows, whether anyone here is a linux noob, whether Linux should get rid of the necessity of a command line. What I will do is try to actually help you with your problem, since you've only gotten a very few posts about that, and more and more posts bashing you because you may or may not know what you're doing.

First off, it's important to realize the question you're asking, or rather, SHOULD be asking.
This is not an issue of a "distro that works." It's an issue of a distro that supports YOUR hardware. The appropriate question would be "does anyone know a linux distro that will support my hardware." This may seem unimportant, but think about the differences in the questions. If you blame the distribution, you'll give up on each one that won't work out of the box. If you blame your computer, you'll try harder to get past your hardware's restrictions.

Basically, first thing, you can do is search the linux hardware databases (google it, there are a few of them), and see if and how you can get them all working on your pc.
Second, if you can't get that working on your own, post in the forums of the distro you're trying to install with a list of your hardware, or a link to the specific model you have.
Third, well, there is no third, yet. But doing those two things may give you, and a lot of other forum goers an idea of what your core problem is and how to fix it or get around it.

[bored2k]

This is not an issue of a "distro that works." It's an issue of a distro that supports YOUR hardware. The appropriate question would be "does anyone know a linux distro that will support my hardware."

Basically all you can do is search the linux hardware databases (google it, there are a few of them), and see if and how you can get it installed on your pc.
"So, there you have it, I'm Nancy O' Dell, see you next time !".

[TravisNewman]

I'm not exactly sure what that means or who Nancy O'Dell is, but I updated my post with more info.

[dillweed]

Basically, first thing, you can do is search the linux hardware databases (google it, there are a few of them), and see if and how you can get them all working on your pc.
Second, if you can't get that working on your own, post in the forums of the distro you're trying to install with a list of your hardware, or a link to the specific model you have.
Third, well, there is no third, yet. But doing those two things may give you, and a lot of other forum goers an idea of what your core problem is and how to fix it or get around it.
Once again at the risk of starting a flame. I think the third point should be to RTFM and then RTFM again and then RTFM one last time.

The more I use linux and learn about it, the more I find out that it doesn't really hold your hand. Some distros try to do that, but in the end it's up to the person running the computer to know what is wrong and how to fix it. Even Windows doesn't hold your hand in the end. Try fixing a boot problem in windows and all you get is the Recovery terminal program thingie. Does that hold your hand, um can we all say, NOOO.

So let this be a leason to everyone. Do your homework before you go to school.

[carlc]

Have you tried copying Ubuntu to your hd and installing from there ? :-k

[TravisNewman]

Once again at the risk of starting a flame. I think the third point should be to RTFM and then RTFM again and then RTFM one last time.

The more I use linux and learn about it, the more I find out that it doesn't really hold your hand. Some distros try to do that, but in the end it's up to the person running the computer to know what is wrong and how to fix it. Even Windows doesn't hold your hand in the end. Try fixing a boot problem in windows and all you get is the Recovery terminal program thingie. Does that hold your hand, um can we all say, NOOO.

So let this be a leason to everyone. Do your homework before you go to school.
Yes, you are running the risk of starting a flame.

You can't "RTFM" for every single issue, because there aren't M's for every single issue. You don't know any history about this guy, yet he's coming to a Linux support forum for support and you're telling him to go elsewhere. He may have "rtf"ed every "m" in existence, you don't know.

And besides, even if you've read everything about it, it doens't mean squat until you do it. He may not have experience in this part of it, so he's here for help. You can't just instantly gain experience. Heck, I bet at one time, YOU wouldn't have known what to do in this situation either.

Also, telling someone "welp, you shoulda bought better hardware" isn't an excuse either. People have whatever hardware they have for whatever reason. His question is about that hardware. Most people don't have the funds to just go and buy a new pc.

SO please people, let's be nice. This is a support forum, and someone is asking for support. Don't ostracize him for not having the wealth of knowledge about everything you do.

[defkewl]

Try SuSE or Xandros or RedHat Enterprise Linux

[tiiim]

hey


ok i think there is nuff flaming going on now. At the end the day my hardware is too new to be supported fully at the moment. But i know in a few months time Linux will advance enough and my hardware will be old hat so thats the good news.

Done researching on net found my graphics card does have a linux driver just been released so if i got time i manually install it. And i guess within a few months time it will sitting nicely in the kernel and people wondering what the problem was about.

I installed Xandros... i must say very impressive and if you are a linux newbie thats a great start, i never seen a distro as easy to install as that one! It did have problems with graphics, but again i hacked aroung in the console on the xorg file and sorted it out.

However, how great it is, i personally find it too restricting. That one of the reasons i dumped OS X and went back to windows. Nice OS, yes built on UNIX but to put it frank it is soooooooooooooooooooooooooo restricting... but that what attacts me... and i guess us to Linux... the power to do what to your comp how you want it...

As for why didnt i check my hardware in first place comment. Your right its true. But to tell you the truth i was not thinking of putting linux on that box when i brought it, it was an after thought. I have used Linux solely in the past so i decided yeh why not dual boot. Obviously that dream want be fullfilled until a couple of months down the line now.


I know distro's like suse and RHEL prob will support it better because you are paying for the drivers, if i can find a way of testing before i went that way that would be good. Im concered that the downloadable Suse will be missing those ever important drivers so i dont know if i want to download 3 gig to find it was a waste of time. I may just order it from a cheap linux shop and see.

If not i prob buy a debian disk or something and use it as a random hobby until linux likes my hardware fully. I like to dual boot with windows just because it has apps i need. I will return to full linux again in the near future.

cheers for your help guys. And nuff flaming, we all have our woo's and nuggets of what a OS should be etc. But as we have seen we all have different ideas and things so that is why Linux NEEDS to be as diverse at is is...to suit our own little minds.

[jwb]

Wait a minute....

A linux distro that ***works***?

Now that's just crazy talk mister. Whoever heard of that?

You oughta feel lucky for having calculators and remote controls.

Back when I was a kid, all we had were wood-burning operating systems that didn't really work, you just had to use your imagination.

Just stare at the screen and be thankful they have electrical thingies now. Not that steam powered stuff we used to have in school.

[mikeymouse]

If you want a Linux that works try Xandros 3.0.
I have tried a lot of other distributions and none compare to Xandros, easy install and great for updates.
Good luck mikeymouse

[bored2k]

If you want a Linux that works try Xandros 3.0.
I have tried a lot of other distributions and none compare to Xandros, easy install and great for updates.
Good luck mikeymouse
Objection your honor!

I have Xandros 1, 2 Business, 2.5 Business, 3 Deluxe and I will tell you: it may be easy but for newbies it is one of the worst distributions to start on. First of all you can't even change Desktop Environments without producing mayhem [should you decide to apt-get install gnome, like 30 xandros files get erased], should you change to gdm, 2 out of 10 loads will produce an error . Its KDE layout is one of the ugliest ever. Not because its KDE, but because it tries to look so much like Windows that it actually surpasses it in uglyness.

The only high point is the good File Manager, and that is because the Burning wizard is really good, nothing else. Plus, you dont get half of the half of the updates Debian gets, they only release "xandros service pack" like every 2 months or 3, with printing drivers update in the middle, thats all.

Plus, the Open Circulation .iso sucks, and the Deluxe version is not really good. Your hearing this from a user that installed Xandros 3 D-lux to try it, loved it the 1st 2days, and after trying to tweak it, it just broke, got mad, looked for a distro, gave Ubuntu another shot after months, and here I am :d .

*They're only knock-out punch was its VPN Gui and its Windows integration [file sharing and stuff], but that's not such a high point now that apps are coming out of the dark. *

edit - http://distrocenter.linux.com/comments.pl?sid=34239&cid=83519

[poofyhairguy]

With Unbuntu it complains there is no cd-rom drive thus won't continue.


Try the preview release of Hoary...

[ThePainter]

Hi,
JWB:
When I were a lad, all I had was Sinclair ZX Spectrum, it was so advanced it had colours and a beep command and 64 KB of ram =D>

Ive just returned to Ubuntu after a few days testing Mepis 3.3.
It installs great and sets up ok and theres plenty of advice at "mepislovers" forum and everything works great like DVD playback and all your browser plugins are already installed (flash, Java, Adobe) and it supports my camera pics where as Ubuntu cant handle the exif and it has a good version of KDE as default.
Sadly there were problems, one is that similar to Hoary Gnome you cant edit the app menu, there is an online fix for it but it didnt work for me and the biggest problem for me was that Wine wouldnt work properly so I couldnt use my favorite 3D app (Anim8or) and I couldnt get Crossover Office to work either so for the jobs I do it was no good for me ?

So Im back to Warty cause during the several attempts I have had to get Hoary working properly I have found different errors with each update that stop me from using it.

I am starting to think that Linux isnt really a viable operating system, every distro has different problems, its a shame they couldnt band together and make a decent alternitive to Windows.

Im sure each one will be perfect for someone because of the use they have for their computer but it is time consuming to test the many alternitives in search of a usable one that suits you.

I have found workarounds for most of the things I need to do in Warty but a few things I am still having to return to XP to do.

[node]

<edit>making fun of packard bell</edit>

[nocturn]

hi

i brought a new pc a few months back... however i have yet to find a linux distro that works fully!

I brought a packard bell imedia 2102 (http://packardbell.co.uk/products/node1601.asp?partNumber=pb14201601) yes i know it may not be the best make but im not asking you that.)

With Unbuntu it complains there is no cd-rom drive thus won't continue.
Fedora core 3 installs on the second dvd-rw drive (not the first dvd rom drive) but then it freezes on bootup!

freeBSD does not like the wireless mouse

Knoppix live cd works in safe mode

MEPIS works again prob in safe mode even though it dont make it as obvious but very nice distro.

centOS 3.4 loads the installer in a gui fine... but then when you restart it fails to load up X

centOS 4 fails to load the installer in the gui

Mandrake 10.1 does not like dvd drives like Ubuntu
Not to mention no sound in any!

I mean the list just goes on...

Today i tried atMission live cd! Very nice and slick and even though does not like sound again it gives the impression it works nice on the graphic side... this is based on fedora core 2 though and also you cant install the live cd to disk :(


So what do you guys reccomend? Im looking for a nice linux os that works. Im not too fussed on sound at the moment i like to at least have a gui though. I left my long Debian days many years ago and now i like to use a gui lol. at the moment i have to resort back to windows... but i do wana dual book!

As you can see im desperate for a linux distro that will work with my hardware, i want it well supported. Seems like its only the live cds that work... however ubuntu live cd freezes on the gui so that is annoying.


Tim :(

PS. very ironic since i want to use Linux and cant. any ideas, suggestions will be good!

I mean i even go as far to having a pure Debian distro if it mean i can config it to work. I just want a well establish linux distro...!


Ok, getting practical.

Ubuntu complains about no CD-ROM? That means you booted from CD already right?

Can you boot with the LiveCD?

[nocturn]

If you get to the boot prompt of the install CD, try this boot option

'linux noapic acpi=off'

[Domecq]

This whole discussion was very funny so far...

How can we spend time babbling about hardware that "complains" or "does not like"? These are not real elements to start.

And this whole issue about Linux catching up Windows, what kind of non-sense is this? The programming philosophy behind Windows is to value the fancy GUIs rather than the core engine that takes care of the job.

If you want an OS that recognizes, better saying pretends that recognize, everything then keep the ones that value the fancy GUIs and reinstall it when you experience the blue screens that no one wants to know the meaning.

And the comparison that one mentioned here about cars, in the turning of the century was very funny too, but if someone insists to stick with this comparison, OK, there we go... cars are a means of transportation and if one does not know the very basics to maintain them, like keeping tires under appropriate pressure, changing engine oil regularly, warming up and cooling down the engine and keep it fueled, it is not possible to have them operating well and, watch this, we do not see the old Ford Ts or similar old cars running around and along with these fancy super power BMWs-like of nowadays. We only see this old type of cars on some parade of old cars collectors and, watch this again please, their owners know more about car mechanics than the owners of nowadays cars who, for example, believe that cars are not supposed to be warmed up...

Anyways, it was fun to see you all spending time discussing if angels are male or female.

Cheers,

Domecq

[davahmet]

This is an uncomfortably familiar problem I have sen as well.

For hristmas, I built a new computer system for my wife. It had all the cool new hardware so she could enjoy her games without any problems for a while. Now she is a diehard Windows user, but she had enough exposure to Linux from me to enjoy it as well. Since I built the system, and I have been buiding personal computers for about 12 years and using Linux for about 8 years, I knew enough to check the hardware lists before buying. Even though there was no intent on putting Linux on her system, you never know, right? All of her hardware was on the OK list for Linux. That whiz-bang new SATA drive might be iffy, but was high in the probably works fine category. Sweet!

After building it and installing Win XP, she decided that she'd like to have a dual-boot system with Linux afterall. Being the doting husband that I am, I tried to install Gentoo, and was surprised to find that the boot CD I had was not recognized as bootable. I then tried Suse 9.0 with the same results. Ubuntu Warthog, Knoppix LiveCD and Ubuntu Warty LiveCD as well all failed to be recognized as bootable cds. How very strange, I thought. Sound familiar, Tim?

Now we have Ubuntu Hedgehog and Hedgehog LiveCD, again with the same results. Now honestly, I haven't thought much about why her system refuses to boot from any Linux bootable CDs because well....(1) It's not my computer which runs Hedgehog just fine, thank you. (2) She thinks Linux is pretty cool but has no burning desire to run it, so the priority isn't there. (3) I've been just too busy with the many other projects to worry much about why her system refuses Linux.

Now that I see someone else with what sounds like the same issue, perhaps I will investigate it more. I suspect it may be the BIOS settings in her system, although it seems strange that it will load software from a Windows bootable CD just fine but not recognize a Linux bootable. If I figure this out, I'll report back here.

Cheers

[poofyhairguy]

I suspect it may be the BIOS settings in her system, although it seems strange that it will load software from a Windows bootable CD just fine but not recognize a Linux bootable.

There may be a button to push or something....

[DoubleHelix]

Once again at the risk of starting a flame. I think the third point should be to RTFM and then RTFM again and then RTFM one last time.

I have read a great many posts in these forums over various topics, and this is the first one that I have been prompted to respond to. People have given many different reasons for why people have come to Unbutu, and from what I have seen (and the reason that I came to it) was because of the direct lack of people that respond in that manner. Gone are the days of the elitist basement dwellers that reserve Linux in all it's varied flavors for their "uber" collective. RTFM is and has always been a method used in an attempt to discourage people from actually getting into Linux, and while it was once a popular trend, it has fallen into antiquity. While the specific question the progenitor of this thread was poorly stated and perhaps offensive to many, it help no one and goes against the very spirit of Ubuntu to throw out combative "RTFM" replies to honest questions for help.