Important things to do after install?

[Devr]

Hello,

A while back I asked which distro I should use. I got told to try a few out and see what I liked.

So I've decided to go with Kubuntu because of the newbie-friendlyness of ubuntu but with all the glitzy effects of KDE.

I just want to know if there are any important things I should do after the install?

For example, do I need to set up any security features, or install any packages to get certain things working. Or does it all just work out of the box?

Thanks,

Z.

[devils casper]

Kubuntu and most of other distros do not support Proprietary Media formats ( mp3, avi etc. ) and you have to install codecs for those. Open Amarok and try to play MP3 file. It will ask you for Codecs installation and suggest you a few packages. Install those packages.

Kubuntu doesn't come with any Firewall. Check this Security Guide. There is no need to install one though.

If you have Nvidia or ATI driver, you have to install Proprietary Graphics Card driver too.

[Devr]

Aha, thanks dc.

Would installing a Nvidia driver be as easy as going to their site and downloading the driver and "running" it? Or would I need to do some command line buisness for that?

Also, might be a stupid question, but if I back up all my current files to DVD will Kubuntu be able to read the filesystem on the DVD?

Cheers,

Z.

[devils casper]

Would installing a Nvidia driver be as easy as going to their site and downloading the driver and "running" it? Or would I need to do some command line buisness for that?

Which version of Kubuntu are you using?

cat /etc/lsb-release

Also, might be a stupid question, but if I back up all my current files to DVD will Kubuntu be able to read the filesystem on the DVD?

Yes. Kubuntu will read data DVD without any problem. For other DVDs, install VLC Player.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vlc

[Devr]

I have not installed it yet, but I will be using Kubuntu 8.04.

Thanks again,

Z.

[devils casper]

Ok ! You can use EnvyNG to install Nvidia Proprietary Driver. It works fine for most of users.

[Devr]

Excellent, thank you for all your help. I will be making the switch in the next day or two!

Z.

[oz]

I just want to know if there are any important things I should do after the install?

Yes, you should use the cloning/imaging application of your choice to make images of your newly installed system partitions. That way, if you should make a big blunder with your system you can restore it to its pristine state in a matter of minutes.

[devils casper]

Yes, you should use the cloning/imaging application of your choice to make images of your newly installed system partitions. That way, if you should make a big blunder with your system you can restore it to its pristine state in a matter of minutes.

Yes. Thats a good point. Create an image of installed system after configuring everything. You can use PartImage for that. Its available in PartedMagic LiveCD.

[Jonathan183]

I agree with the advice except IMHO
1. I'd consider using a firewall.
2. backup of fresh installed system is a waste of a CD ... it is much better to make sure your user data is backed up.

If you have the install media then you can do a fresh install quite quickly for most distros, and it will take you less time to do the install second time around.

Takes deep breath ... and waits to catch hell ... the only Linux install I have backed-up is Gentoo (and then only on a machine that takes more than a day to compile). I might consider a different approach if I were still on dial-up though. It's worth having a copy of PartedMagic anyway

One other thing ... if your intending passing files to/from Windows users you might want to consider a virus scanner - you don't need something that runs all the time like in Windows ... but its worth scanning the data files every so often to make sure you are not passing stuff on to others if you get sent an infected file.