Xandros Question Answer Sarah's Dad

[woodsmoke]

Hi Sarah's dad....thought I'd give your questions a try....gotta remember that I'm a relative new person....7 months with Xandros...so here we go...

I just bought Xandros 3.0 Standard edition and with rebate it will be free, so i figured I had nothing to lose.

I have a Brother MFC 5440CN printer/scanner/fax. I have not got around to installing Xandros yet, but will I be able to get this printer working without too many command line forays? I am looking to avoid command line all I can.

Let me put your mind at ease......three command line entries and you can cut and paste them...THANKS to Brother....after the install PLEASE e-mail the president of Brother and thank him for supporting Linux....All of the distros are supported there, as you will see...

I'm only now getting into command line, I really don't/didn't have the time for it...I've had too many irons in the fire for too many years....But, now that I have a stable, well mannered distro I can sit back and take baby steps and then some bigger ones.....

THESE were my first baby steps.....

First, click the ArchLug link, it is a WIKI, a KDE Wiki...NOT a website...go about 2/3 of the way down and you will see Xandros KWikis(in blue)..click it...go down about 2/3 of the way and you will see XandrosandBrotherMFC(in blue)

http://www.archlug.org/kwiki/ArchLUGKwiki

It will give you step by step instructions on how to download the drivers. You will go to the Brother site from there, or on your own. I suggest you print the instructions and open a tab to hold the page while you are at Brother.

Brother WANTS to support Xandros....and ALL of the distros........as you will see by the very well laid out site...

I was so eager for the thing to get going that I installed the scanner first...it is one click download and one command line....and you can cut and paste it....

Just to test....I put a business card on the scanner, pushed scan and the scan came up in the Xandros scanner.....slick!

The samo, samo for the printer, although it is two downloads and two command lines....but again, easy....

UHHHHH except that I typed the same command........uhhhh twice....in my excitement....had to post a log at the forum and ....uhhhh it will be a while for me to live that one down!

And....then it just goes...

it really is that easy...

I have 2 desktops pc and one laptop. one pc nad the laptop are using wireless, how is Xandros on wireless?

Depends on the wireless....try asking here first, if no joy then there are several threads at the forum you can check...the LinkSys tends to run ok....Microsoft is ......less than playful...but...some have made it work..as I remember...

The way to do it is to ...oh....you haven't installed yet!

OH, Well.....here's the easy part...installing!!....I would recommend a dual boot....pick a desktop that has a large drive that has at least 5 or 6 gig available and let Xandros do it's thing...

I've installed Xandros in as small as 2.9 gig but it plays happily in 3.2, that is my default size, CHEAP, for the computers I donate...dollar parts and all that....

But Windoze needs some breathing room for swap files and etc. and etc. so pick one that you think they can both play happily in...

Here is my first piece of advice to anybody going to install Xandros...hook up everything you want before you install it..including the wireless......NOT the Brother printer....you'll do it later. However, if you have another printer, just about anything except Lexmark on a parallel cable, stick it on there!

Now.....you are going to install but don't assume that Xandros hasn't found every thing on the first go around....after the install I'm going to have you go to Xandros networks to get updates...

If you are going to dual boot....I recommend that you defrag the HD before the install, because Xandros will want to defrag the HD and that can take a while...quicker to do it yourself ahead of time...

To install: put the cd in while the computer is on, and then turn it off.

When you turn it on, you will see a nice light blue screen,

if it is a clean install or you are going to delete the windoze partition then pick that option...

If it is a dual boot say yes and Xandros will ask you if you want to set the size or do it automatically and I would recommend automatically..

You now get to watch quite a few pretty light blue and white screens while the install commences....if it is a really fast machine and the HD is not too big....Linuxs have "issues" with really huge drives....then it could go relatively fast. On my P4 1.3 gighz 20 gig drive a dual boot took about 29 minutes. But on the older machines I donate...it never has taken more than 52 minutes(on the button)...

It will then say that it needs to shut down yada yada.....

A BLACK screen comes up with four red options....1 Xandros...2 expert 3 another expert 4 Windoze...if you have a dual boot....

Pick Xandros....you will see some white sentences and it is telling you what it is finding.....

If you see Eth(0) pending then the wireless didn't work(but don't get frustrated, we'll come back to it later.
If you see Eth(0) ok then the wireless worked

The first time I saw that screen I had the heebies.....

After it restarted it said that it needed to ask some questions.....

BIG HEEBIE JEEBIES....

First, it needed to check the time...be sure to set to your time zone....
Second, it asked me if I wanted to install the printer it saw(a HP 512 deskjet) I said yes....it asked if I wanted a test page....yessss....and it printed! Now, you might, depending on your printer have to go through a menu, but by and large it has found everything except Lexmark..
Third...Which hand do you use for your mouse?!? ) What!? I guess that someone at Xandros figured they had to ask SOMETHING or people wouldn't think it was Linux....
Fourth....do you want to register....go ahead and do this, after you do Xandros Networks will then check your machine, and your version and download all the updates....n

Ok.......what? no list of keyboards a mile long....taking out your ethernet card , waving a bag of Fritos over it and saying some mumbo jumbo to get on the net? Nope....it just does it...no asking you the color of your monitor case? nope...just does it.....however....ATI cards can be iffy, but if it is an OLDER one then it should go ok..i've had them install...maybe not the greatest 3D graphics but enough to get you up and doing stuff and come back to it later....nVidia works best, as with all Linux...

And then you have a nice metallic dark blue screen and can get to work...

If you didn't get on the net.....try unplugging the wireless and go direct...that will get you to XN and get you the latest stuff and then shut things back down...hook the wireless back up and try again.....don't be frustrated if it doesn't find it again.....on a laptop, I had to boot and reboot twice before it got everything straight...if still no go then your best bet is an expert either here or over at the forum...try here first...

I am a linux noob, I have played around with many livecd distros but have not installed any to HD yet. Any help you can give me to get Xan up and running will be great. I am wanting to get my wife and daughter of the windows and Xan looks to be a good way to do it. I have seen you over at the Xandros forum as I was just browsing. Thanks.

Xandros gives the "noob" the calmness of mind to be USEING the distro so that then one can learn all those wonderful apt-get things..and, having used Xandros for 7 months for WORK....the last month I started taking baby steps and am on my way....

It will work great for school, OO saves in Windoze(second one down) so she can put stuff on a pen drive and take it back and forth...cameras tend to be easy installs....it found a really WEIRD one I got of home shopping networks four years ago....I really did not think that Linux in general was "up" to the task of being something that you can just "use"....and to a large extent "Linux" is not FOR THE JUNK THAT I INSTALL on....I tried many other distros...on my older junk....nada....no ethernet...no printer...no monitor...etc. etc.

It'll see a Palm(not a hand held pc, except for the HP..)

It has some really .....different packages tweaked...GRAMPS....for family history stuff...I was using family tree maker...but have converted to it...

Now..as to other distros....once you get to PIII and above....I've installed Fedora Core 3....Knoppix....Simply Mepis....and Mandrake(forgot which one) and Ubuntu(I really wanted it for the language support(I donate to Hispanics once in a while)) and they are all just fine.....but....for me...Xandros just works quickest, best...AND....these forums right here gave me the nod to ATomix Linux....I'm into moving all my old LP records to CD...and it is apparently good at multimedia...so.....since I have become "comfortable" with Xandros...I can now give Atomix a try with some confidence...

So.....rather loooooooonnnnnnggg post, but I hope I've helped!

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

[SarahsDad]

Thanks Woodsmoke. I have my Brother MFC hooked up to my wireless router and my desktop pc and laptop print to it via the wireless network. Will this present a problem for Xandros or will the drivers take care of it all? The wireless card on my daughters pc is a Zonet pci card which has the Ralink RT2500 chipset. So far only PCLinuxOS has worked right out of the box with it. So far on my Toshiba laptop which has a Atheros wireless card, every Linux distro I have tried with it has worked right out of the box. I have just bought a spare hard drive to install on one of my desktop pc and will see about giving Xandros a whirl after I get that spare drive ready. Thanks again.

[woodsmoke]

Hi,
Although the wireless might wor, and I have not heard of that one....BUT you said that the others worked so if it is even halfway supported in other distros, Xandros will, as far as I know, support it. However, the Brother printer AND scanner will have to be set up as above....however, on the wireless router I don't know....I think that the default setup is out of the usb port....

As for the spare hd let Windoze format it for you, if it will...XP sometimes gets cranky if it sees new hardware like drives, but then again, if it acts right it will say what do you want to do and format it to FAT 32.....

If you do not, and install xandros on it "cold" then the computer, without going into the bios will either lock up or just show you the first hd that was seen before. You can unplug the Windoze hd and then the hardware will see the Xandros hd.....but you don't want to do that...so, like I said, format it to FAT with Windoze....then when you put in the Xandros cd it will say i see two HDS both are windoze what do you want me to do.. pick the new one...and it will install on it and the hardware will see both. When you turn the computer on, if it is like the one I did that way as an experiment, depending on your computer you may see a hardware screen asking which HD(it will refer to Windoze and Xandros. you pick one and it does it's thing....However, my gaming machine has two physical drives also and it APPEARS to be showing you two OS on one drive but actually isn't...you will be able to see into the other drive with the Xandros File manager on Win2K or 98 but sometimes XP gets snooty and won't let you see in....you can actually RUN you windoze programs(MS office stuff) using crossover office....no kidding!....now there will be a "lag time" because it is having to work through the hardware, but MS everything just runs, except Publisher...I think...Publisher may be supported now also...

So, to cut to the chase, I would install the HD....format to FAT...install Xandros with everything hooked up and see what happens...

And on the wireless thing again....If the wireless works with the printer on it it will SEE the printer/scanner but may not be able to DO anything, if it sees it then you SHOULD be able to download the drivers etfc. and see what happens, if nothing happend then go the USB route...

You are probably letting everyone print off it right? If Xandros can see it on the router and the drivers require USB connection then just pick a computer to install the drivers on hook the printer to it and Xandros WILL see the printer throught the computer.....

When XP and 2K would argue with each other, XP peek into 2K and not the other way around....when Xandros was online with them they both sat up and saluted....

You have NO setup problems on a network of computers with Xandros....they just see each other , you do NO work.....now the wireless?....if noone else comes back here, and offers advice...then I would search at the forums...I will do that later, but I've got a lecture to give....

But you cannot break the distro doing this...

have fun!

woodsmoke

[SarahsDad]

Arrrgh, bad luck with the second drive i was going to install for Xandros. I set it as slave but Windows will not recognize it and assign it a drive letter. When I open device manager it shows a second physical hard drive and says this device is working properly, but no drive letter. This is a 10gb Maxtor, I bought used from a computer shop and the guy says it worked when he pulled it out of a old unit. Am I doing something wrong? I would try and format it, but if windows does not see the disk, how can you format it? Well, he said if there was a problem to bring it back within 3 days and he would make it good. That is what I get for trying to cheap out and buy used.

[woodsmoke]

I set it as slave but Windows will not recognize it and assign it a drive letter.

Hi,
I assume you mean you jumpered it. Sometimes folks get crosseyed, jumpering those little things, I remember I misjumpered a drive once and it took a buddy to point it out to me....I just KNEW I had jumpered it right.....

quick test is to jumper it for master, unplug the other hd and plug this one in, and see if it sees the drive....if no then it might there is a physical problem with the pins...

here's a link for the maxtor A settings

http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/...s/style_a1.htm

And, how about cable select....you might try the cable select also...

here's a link for seagate but the idea is the same and you can use the maxtor cable select jumpers.

http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/di...le_select.html

So, if it's jumpered right and still no joy then take it back and get another...In the 40 odd drives I bought at discount stores I've had some that failed a couple of hours into burn in...that's just the chances...

And, as bad as my old eyes are I often just ask the whippersnapper to jumper it for me!

Anyhow....try that....once it is set...Xandros should just install...no problem...

hope this helps!

woodsmoke

[woodsmoke]

Hi,
today was the 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm day.....loooonnnngg day dissecting doing photosynthesis experiments with freshmen!

anyhow....thought I would check in and see how things are going...

woodsmoke

[SarahsDad]

Still working on getting the hard drive up and running. I think I figured out the problem, but too busy to do anything, I am off this weekend, so maybe I can get something done. BTW, have you installed Xandros on a laptop yet? I have a Toshiba Satelite A-65, I was thinking about trying to install on also. How is Xandros with laptops. thanks for all your help.

[woodsmoke]

Hi,
I'm glad that you think you are making headway.

I spend weeks trying to get Xandros to install on a Dell Latitude Cpi. The problem was that it was used and removeable cdrom bay was a billionth of a nanometer out of alignment, I installed Win2K with it fine. When i called a laptop guy and he said he had a removeable cdrom for it still in the antistatic and that I could to try to install Xandros and pay him for it if it worked I drove over that very minute....about an hour and a half later, 15 minute drive time...xandros was on and I paid the guy fifteen bucks....

the dual boot works fine. to get on the net, i bought a second hand pcmica card and stuck it and W2K found it only AFTER I used the cdrom that FORTUNATELY came with it.

Xandros.......saw it first time I booted but couldn't do any thing...I shut it down, rebotted and was on my way.....

But, I ran into a problem on my game machine a few days ago....Xandros just stopped seeing the net through the ethernet card....the card works fine...it runs on the Windoze side....have to have my games! but xandros just stopped...I can't find anything at the forums and nobody has replied to a post...I don't want to go through a reinstall....but...fortunately I always back up to a cdrom so that is no hassel....

but...it did fine for 6 months and just quit!...course Windoze has done that MANY times...

good luck, and holler back
woodsmoke

[woodsmoke]

Hi,
just thought I'd check back in to see hwo things were going.

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

[woodsmoke]

just checking in again....

woodsmoke