New Linux user help

[squiffy]

OK I've managed to install Ubuntu, and run the update.
Detected all the hard drives (SATA & USB) but for the 320GB it says I don't have permissions Gone into Administration, Disks, partition and browse. I can browse the USB 2 hard drive. Both are NTFS.

I have a few .RPM install files but when I double click on them nothing happens

What is Automatix and how do I install that?
I also have Alsa drivers which have been recommended by M-Audio.

All this Kernal/scripting/re-compiling is too confusing. basically have to learn DOS like commands?

I can't install Linux ATI GFX drivers, or playback AVI (need codecs?)

 

[squiffy]

Trying to edit the sources.list file in ect\act but it says read only, I am not the owner. What the...I install it with single user, logged in as this

 

[squiffy]

ok thanks that's done. Installed another HD, no partition. I can't create a partition and format it

So any progs with RPM I can't use? What about Slim Devices Slim Server? (very important)

Automatix has done this. What do I do now? ah found it in "System Tools"



nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo geedit /etc/apt/sources.list
Password:
sudo: geedit: command not found
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ wget http://www.getautomatix.com/apt/key.gpg.asc
--04:49:50-- http://www.getautomatix.com/apt/key.gpg.asc
=> `key.gpg.asc'
Resolving www.getautomatix.com... 82.165.193.29
Connecting to www.getautomatix.com|82.165.193.29|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 1,730 (1.7K) [text/plain]

100%[====================================>] 1,730 --.--K/s

04:49:50 (419.32 KB/s) - `key.gpg.asc' saved [1730/1730]

nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ gpg --import key.gpg.asc
gpg: directory `/home/nathan/.gnupg' created
gpg: new configuration file `/home/nathan/.gnupg/gpg.conf' created
gpg: WARNING: options in `/home/nathan/.gnupg/gpg.conf' are not yet active during this run
gpg: keyring `/home/nathan/.gnupg/secring.gpg' created
gpg: keyring `/home/nathan/.gnupg/pubring.gpg' created
gpg: /home/nathan/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key 521A9C7C: public key "Justin Hayes (Automatix Repository Master) <[email protected]>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ gpg --export --armor 521A9C7C | sudo apt-key add -
OK
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo apt-get update
Get: 1 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper Release.gpg [189B]
Get: 2 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release.gpg [189B]
Get: 3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release.gpg [191B]
Get: 4 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release.gpg [191B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release
Get: 5 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper Release [5161B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Sources
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Sources
Get: 6 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Packages [14B]
Get: 7 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper/main Packages [435B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Sources
Get: 8 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Sources [14B]
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Sources
Fetched 5816B in 0s (7608B/s)
Reading package lists... Done
nathan@nathan-htpc:~$ sudo apt-get install automatix2
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed
automatix2
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 154kB of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Get: 1 http://www.getautomatix.com dapper/main automatix2 1.0-1.15-6.06dapper_amd64 [154kB]
Fetched 154kB in 1s (89.7kB/s)
Selecting previously deselected package automatix2.
(Reading database ... 72105 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking automatix2 (from .../automatix2_1.0-1.15-6.06dapper%5famd64_amd64.deb) ...
Setting up automatix2 (1.0-1.15-6.06dapper_amd64) ...

 

[squiffy]

yeah done it, thanks. Found it in system tools. Now to try and get Slimserver and Myth TV installed.

Getting around Linux isn't as easy as Windows. Can't figure out synatec package installer, imported the file and loads and loads of entries.

 

[squiffy]

What about it can't you figure out? Check the boxes next to the packages you want to install and press "Install"

I don't see a near-universal repository system for Windows that downloads, installs, and configures software for you so I fail to see how it is comparable.

There are dozens and dozens of entries

I still need to use Slimserver
http://www.slimdevices.com/su_downloads.html

Is FFDSHOW available for Linux? (scaling software)

 

[squiffy]

I have no idea how to do that, I'm having enough problems as it is. Managed to get the 60GB to be seen and activated, but 320GB cannot be mounted/browsed. It has a lot of data I need to access, I can recover it from DVD-R but talking couple of hours reading them in (would otherwise just format it)

SPDIF soundcard isn't working, can't find any soundcard settings
Also can't change videocard settings (refresh)

 

[squiffy]

All of it.

It's saying something about i386 "wrong archietucture" for the NTFS apps. Doing the same for ATI drivers.

I don't care about Linux configurability, aren't there utilties which just do what I want it to do? Messing around with terminal, command line.

Also how can I get it to auto login with username and password? Since this'll be a htpc I would rarely use the keyboard


aaahh sod this going back to MC

 

[squiffy]

Well digital out doesn't work, so linux is pretty much useless OS. M-Audio is seen under system devices, enabled ac-3 passthrough in media player thing, still nothing. Went into package and installed alsa things, still nothing.

 

[squiffy]

Gone back to MC. Until Linux is easier to use I'll stick to Windows.
I grew up from MS-DOS 3.11, and gladly waved farewell to command line. I do have a 20GB so I'll try it out on that, hopefully once that's configured and working I'll consider that for the main OS.