kde, startx on debian

[johnyjj2]

Hello !

I installed Debian (I downloaded it on may 2009 so it is new version) from CD. I run it and see only text console. I try to type "kde" or "startx" but it doens't recognize those commands. That's difficult for me to believe that Linux from CD doesn't contain graphical interface so I guess it simply must be other command than what I typed. How to enter graphincal interface?

What I see at startup of console:
Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 debian tty1
Linux debian 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP ...
mainacc [I cannot write at symbol here because forum thinks it is URL ] debian:~$

And yes, I know that Ubuntu is easier in use.

By the way (this is minor question), after installing this Debian I decided that I am in a hurry and I run Mandriva LiveDVD. However, I cannot copy any files from pendrive to already existing partition with Debian. Is there any way to enable access from LiveDVD Mandriva to Debian ext3 partition? I don't want to delete Debian and I cannot download any other distribution because my internet is terribly slow :-/ and I need to do something rather soon .

Greetings [and again, it looks like forum thinks this emoticon, even if written as text, is image and I cannot have more than four images]!

[reed9]

Been awhile since I installed Debian, but I believe the first disc has GNOME available, but not KDE. During the installation procedure there should have been an option to "Install Desktop Environment" or something along those lines, which would have installed GNOME by default. Did you select that option?

What is the output of

dpkg -l | grep gnome
dpkg -l | grep kde

From the Mandriva live disc, you should be able to your debian partition and access your data. Are you not able to find the parition?

[reed9]

This is the part of of the installation process where you choose to install a desktop environment.

[johnyjj2]

Thanks for your answer!

MY LINUX CONFIGURATION - LACK OF GNOME AND KDE
The following is the result of using those commands (it is only my translation because I've got other language version than English):

Choice=U=Unknown/I=Installing/R-Remove/P-Clear/H-stop|Start=N=None/I=Install/C=Config/U=Unpack/F=NotConfigured/H=HalfInstalled/W=Wyzw-czek/T-Wyzw-zp/I/Errors?=(none)/H=Stopped/R=ToBeReinsalled/X=Both(State,Errors:capital letters=bad)
||/Name Version Description
+++-===
ii grep 2.5.3~dfsg-6
GNU grep/egrep and fgrep
Packet to template gnome not found.

(And the same for kde).

MY CONCLUSIONS
It looks like, surprisingly, I have installed neither gnome nor kde. This is surprise for me because I followed ordinary installation of Debian, withouth changing anything (except partitions, of course, because I've got now both Windows and Linux).

WHY I NEED LINUX - TO COMPILE CODE AND EXECUTE PERL SCRIPTS
I need to have Linux because I've got some problems with compiling CMU Sphinx from Windows. (It is described here: ht tps:/ /sourceforge.net/projects/cmusphinx/forums/forum/382337/topic/3439692 (remove two spacebars from URL) so if you can help me, I would be very greatful). Installing requires compiling some source codes, running some Perl scripts and so on. It didn't work in Windows (as explained in the link) so I decided to check it in Linux.

PRIVILIDGES OF LINUX PARTITIONS IN DEBIAN AND KNOPPIX
I found DVD with Debian and CD with Knoppix. But it looks link I need to download Ubuntu DVD because neither of them is helpful for me - Debian because of not having graphical interface (it is minor issue) and not having automatic mounting pendrive (major issue). And Knoppix because it cannot unpack anything to Debian ext3 partition (because only owner of ext3 partition, i.e. root of Debian, have got all privilidges, "others" have got right only to read. I guess I can somehow change it under Debian, i.e. create group of Knoppix users, add it to groups connected with this partition, change privilidges or something like this). Unfortunately I'm rather used to Windows, than Linux . I guess I need to improve my knowledge about Linux soon .

MOUNTING LINUX PARTITIONS UNDER WINDOWS AND FORMATTING PENDRIVE FOR EXT3
I also tried something else, i.e. access to Linux partitions on my disk under both Windows and Mandriva. Unfortunately, under Windows my attempts didn't help. I installed Total Commander with plugin wfx_ex2fs_1.3. It has got one additional field in "Network places", i.e. Linux-drives but it opens only hda6 and hda8 which are, surprisingly, empty. The other way was to format pendrive with the use of Partition Magic 7.0 and it can see only my disk (all Windows and Linux partitions) but it doesn't see pendrive. The third approach was to format pendrive for ext3 with the use of other programs than PM7. I installed SP27608. It is "HP USB Disk Storagte Format Tool, V2.1.8 and it should enable me formatting pendrive for ext3 - it doesn't. The fourth approach was to access ext3 from Windows in other way than TC7 with plugin. I installed Ext2IFS_1_11a.exe and it sees three additional disks in My Computer but it cannot open any of them - it wants me to format those.

SUMMARY OF MY PROBLEMS
So please help me :
1. first of all with this (if you can): ht tps:/ /sourceforge.net/projects/cmusphinx/forums/forum/382337/topic/3439692 (remove two spacebars from URL)
2. how to mount pendrive (which is FAT32) under Debian / how to format pendrive to ext3 under Debian

Thanks in advance for your help!
Greetings !

[reed9]

Ubuntu might be a good choice to install, just because it's a little more new person friendly to begin with.

Basic way to manually mount a drive

su -
mkdir /mnt/pendrive
mount /dev/sdb  /mnt/pendrive

Replace /dev/sdb with whatever it is for your pendrive. Check using

fdisk -l

Debian will automount drives, but that's generally setup through the desktop environment.

If you have an internet connection on the debian box, it's easy to install a GUI.

su -
apt-get install xorg gnome-desktop

[johnyjj2]

Thanks!

Unfortunately neither "apt-get install xserver-xorg" nor "aptitude install xserver-xorg kde" works. It looks like Debian doesn't automatically run drivers for my wireless card in laptop.

And about mouting pendrive in Debian, in my case it is sdb1. I write "mkdir /mnt/pendrive" and then "mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/pendrive" but it says "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".

Do you have any ideas what may be the problem with that CMU Sphinx?

Greetings !

[reed9]

I take it you don't have an ethernet connection?

It may not work with your wireless out of the box, since many wireless cards require non-free software, which debian will not provide. But then again, it may and you just need to connect to your network. Depends on the card.

What is the output of

lspci -vnn | grep -i net

[yancek]

And about mouting pendrive in Debian, in my case it is sdb1. I write "mkdir /mnt/pendrive" and then "mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/pendrive" but it says "mount: you must specify the filesystem type".

Your problem is explained in the error, you didn't specifiy a filesystem type. Don't use Debian so I'm not sure what it uses. Most common are ext2, ext3, ext4, reiserfs so pupt that in your command run as root.

mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/pendrive

should work if filesystem is ext3.

[johnyjj2]

Thanks to both of you for help
I thought there is no need to specyfy filesystem of pendrive because it properly recognized it in "fdisk -l". However pendrive is not ext3 but fat32. I couldn't format it because of the problems explained in post #4. I also cannot access ext3 from Windows (what I tried to do also explained in #4).
Greetings !

PS I've got Acer Aspire 5100. However to install it I need (after downloading, I hope it is available on Acer website for Linux too) to copy it in Windows to ext3 or to pendrive - so again things in #4.

[reed9]

I've never had to specify the filesystem for a fat32 flash drive, or in fact, almost any external drive or cd. But try it

mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/pendrive -t vfat -o defaults

Even without the internet up, you should be able install gnome from the CD. APT HOWTO - Basic Configuration

Or if you post the info from my previous post, we can try and get the network connection up.