Linux Questions

LennonCook · 05-18-2004, 08:29 AM

Ok, two major questions relating to the fact that I have just recently (read: about 7 hours ago) installed Mandrake Linux 9.0 onto my laptop.

1) The LCD display has a setting in BIOS which stretches the display onto the full physical dimensions of the screen (or close to). Without this, the display area is a tiny little box in the centre that I have trouble working in (even at the highest supported resolution). The problem is, that when I load X it turns this setting off. Always. Is there any easy way to fix this?

2) I want to test my thumbdrive under Linux to see if it will work. Thing is, I don't know how to look at it. In Windows, I would go to 'My Computer', and it would be there. In DOS, I would type E: (which it always has been on the laptop). How do I do something like this in Linux? I cannot find any way to get a drive listing in the GUI, nor can I figure out how to change drives in the command line. I do have one Unix/Linux book here, but it mentions them to support multiple partitions, but not how the user would switch between them, aside from booting.

Vaskez · 05-18-2004, 08:40 AM

I'm not sure what a thumbdrive is, but Linux should support most file systems. Have you mounted it? I can't remember where, but somewhere (I think in the dev directory) there is a list of all the detected devices and you should be able to mount your thumbdrive - problem is figuring out which device to mount.

This could be it, I don't really know much about Linux.

LennonCook · 05-18-2004, 08:43 AM

A thumbdrive is a USB storage thingy - I've also known them to be called Flash Disks, and Flash Drives.

[ 05-18-2004, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: LennonCook ]

andrewas · 05-18-2004, 09:26 AM

Logical drives are a M$ism, Linux just mounts them all into one big transparent filesystem. ls the /dev/ directory, it should be in there. With any luck, it will already be mounted. Alternately, go there in your faveorite GUI browser.

As for the display, I dont know. Search the mandrake forums, someones bound to have installed it on a very similar machine to yours, and very likely has posted much more than you want to know about their experiences.

LennonCook · 05-19-2004, 03:45 AM

Ok, as far as I can tell, the thumbdrive isn't mounted... I did a search (or, what the only UNIX reference book I can find says should search) for a file I know to be on it, and there is no output.

Night Stalker · 05-19-2004, 06:24 AM

I don't believe that Linux has support for mounting a file system over USB yet, at least not natively. I'm sure that a driver exists out there somewhere though. How confident are you at recompiling and reinstalling?

LennonCook · 05-20-2004, 02:41 AM

I'm not, considering that the person who gave me Linux hasn't given me a copy yet... even though I gave him enough blanks to burn it. Recompiling is easy... Linux is written in C, isn't it? Reinstalling shouldn't be too hard, the installer auto detected everything properly which made it quite easy.

05-18-2004, 08:40 AM	#2
Vaskez Takhisis Follower Join Date: April 30, 2001 Location: szép Magyarország (well not right now) Posts: 5,089	I'm not sure what a thumbdrive is, but Linux should support most file systems. Have you mounted it? I can't remember where, but somewhere (I think in the dev directory) there is a list of all the detected devices and you should be able to mount your thumbdrive - problem is figuring out which device to mount. This could be it, I don't really know much about Linux. __________________ Too set in his ways to ever relate If he could set that aside, there'd be heaven to pay But weathered and aged, time swept him to grave Love conquers all? Damn, I'd say that area's gray

05-18-2004, 09:26 AM	#4
andrewas Harper Join Date: October 2, 2001 Location: Aberdeen, Scotland Age: 42 Posts: 4,774	Logical drives are a M$ism, Linux just mounts them all into one big transparent filesystem. ls the /dev/ directory, it should be in there. With any luck, it will already be mounted. Alternately, go there in your faveorite GUI browser. As for the display, I dont know. Search the mandrake forums, someones bound to have installed it on a very similar machine to yours, and very likely has posted much more than you want to know about their experiences. __________________ [img]\"http://www.sighost.us/members/Zvijer/andrewas.gif\" alt=\" - \" />

05-19-2004, 06:24 AM	#6
Night Stalker Lord Ao Join Date: June 24, 2002 Location: Nevernever Land Age: 49 Posts: 2,002	I don't believe that Linux has support for mounting a file system over USB yet, at least not natively. I'm sure that a driver exists out there somewhere though. How confident are you at recompiling and reinstalling? __________________ [url]\"http://www.duryea.org/pinky/gurkin.wav\" target=\"_blank\">AYPWIP?</a> .... <img border=\"0\" alt=\"[1ponder]\" title=\"\" src=\"graemlins/1ponder.gif\" /> <br />\"I think so Brain, but isn\'t a cucumber that small called a gherkin?\"<br /><br />Shut UP! Pinky!

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05-18-2004, 08:29 AM	#1
LennonCook Jack Burton Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Bathurst & Orange, in constant flux Age: 37 Posts: 5,452	Ok, two major questions relating to the fact that I have just recently (read: about 7 hours ago) installed Mandrake Linux 9.0 onto my laptop. 1) The LCD display has a setting in BIOS which stretches the display onto the full physical dimensions of the screen (or close to). Without this, the display area is a tiny little box in the centre that I have trouble working in (even at the highest supported resolution). The problem is, that when I load X it turns this setting off. Always. Is there any easy way to fix this? 2) I want to test my thumbdrive under Linux to see if it will work. Thing is, I don't know how to look at it. In Windows, I would go to 'My Computer', and it would be there. In DOS, I would type E: (which it always has been on the laptop). How do I do something like this in Linux? I cannot find any way to get a drive listing in the GUI, nor can I figure out how to change drives in the command line. I do have one Unix/Linux book here, but it mentions them to support multiple partitions, but not how the user would switch between them, aside from booting.

05-18-2004, 08:43 AM	#3
LennonCook Jack Burton Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Bathurst & Orange, in constant flux Age: 37 Posts: 5,452	A thumbdrive is a USB storage thingy - I've also known them to be called Flash Disks, and Flash Drives. [ 05-18-2004, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: LennonCook ]

05-19-2004, 03:45 AM	#5
LennonCook Jack Burton Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Bathurst & Orange, in constant flux Age: 37 Posts: 5,452	Ok, as far as I can tell, the thumbdrive isn't mounted... I did a search (or, what the only UNIX reference book I can find says should search) for a file I know to be on it, and there is no output.

05-20-2004, 02:41 AM	#7
LennonCook Jack Burton Join Date: November 10, 2001 Location: Bathurst & Orange, in constant flux Age: 37 Posts: 5,452	I'm not, considering that the person who gave me Linux hasn't given me a copy yet... even though I gave him enough blanks to burn it. Recompiling is easy... Linux is written in C, isn't it? Reinstalling shouldn't be too hard, the installer auto detected everything properly which made it quite easy.

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