Various problems with Suze on HP mininote

[DaveyS]

I have a new HP mini notebook 2133 with Suze Linux pre-installed.
I must admit I am not familiar with Linux. Always used windows in the past (I know, hang my head in shame!).

I have a few problems:
I want to load a printer driver for a HP deskjet 610c. I have downloaded, via the HP site the driver offered: HPlip-3.9.2.run
When I try to run it (as I assume I should) I get the message:
"Could not open the file "/root/Desktop/hplip.3.9.2.run"
Gedit was not able to automatically detect the file coding.
It does not seem to matter what directory I put the file in.
I have also tried using Drive Detective and get the error:
Couldn't display "/root/documents/downloads/DriverDetective.exe"

The sound card driver does not seem to be loaded but I cannot find any listing of one for Linux.

The Webcam driver does not seem to be loaded but I cannot find any listing of one for Linux. I cannot even find the hardware in the device list.

When I try to set a wireless password I get the dialogue box:
"Enter password for default keyring to unlock" . I am not aware of setting a password for this, but have tried all the passwords I can think it might be but none work.
Is there anyway I can check what PW has been set?
Sometimes I am able to get a wireless connection to the same access point without setting a PW.

Any advice anyone can offer would be appreciated.
Baffled
Dave

[D-cat]

You say it came pre-installed without functioning sound or camera? Factory or hobbiest? I find this most odd, a factory install usually comes with at least all internal hardware set up out of the box.

The tool in SuSE to configure the system is Yast (Yet Another Setup Tool), also labeled Administrator Settings. It is the equivalent of Control Panel, but only the system admin functions.

Installed Programs are managed in Yast -> Software -> Install Software. Linux doesn't natively execute EXE files, hence Driver Detective will not launch. Linux has built in ways of determining what drivers (or "modules" as they're called in Linux) are loaded. See this page to search for software that runs on SuSE.

Most hardware is configured in Yast -> Hardware -> ... (such as Printers, sound cards, etc). After you plug in your printer, it should be automatically detected. Run Yast - Hardware - Printers to set up and configure the printer for your system. SuSE usually has hplip already installed by default, so a few mouse clicks should have your printer running. Same thing with your sound card.

gedit is a text editor, it can't open a binary (such as executable) file. It's the equivalent of notepad.

Wireless is something I've found, if requires a key, works better in Command Line with SuSE, at least then you can script it (like a batch file) so you don't have to keep entering the key. Otherwise, I can't comment much on Network Manager as I don't use it (when roaming, I prefer kInternet).

---

If you can't access Yast because you don't know what the root password is, see the following page:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...-password.html

[gogalthorp]

In the menu find the program called Yast. This is where most hardware is configured

Where you got the drivers there should be instructions. But first see if you can use Yast to configure the printer.

I assume this machine came with Suse on it. If so all drivers should have been installed and configured by HP just like you would expect if Windows was the OS. There is no excuse for HP not to have this machine properly configured for the supplied hardware.

[DaveyS]

Thanks to you both for the info.

You are right it was supplied with Linux pre-installed but it is very unfamiliar to me and I suspected it was something to do with the way I set up the accounts. I wanted to run it as single user but it still asks me to logon with username and password, so I am using root.

The printer is not recognised by the OS. The HP610c printer has only serial port so, as the notebook does not, I was using a usb to RS232 converter. I assumed that is why it is not recognised. I tried two other printers. In both cases they were recognised when connected. I do not have any drivers for them but when I go thought the set-up process and click apply I then get the message that printer cannot be found even though still connected.

When it comes to using the DOS level of Linux I completely fail.

I have tried using the Yast function before but the webcam does not appear anywhere in the lists.

As for the wireless set-up it seems just hit & miss whether it asks for a key or not.

[gogalthorp]

Don't use root!!!!!

We can help have it auto log you in but do not run as root normally!!!

What GUI is on this machine. KDE or Gnome?

[DaveyS]

I believe it is Gnome.
How do I auto login?
It always asks for a username, so I enter "root".
Before I ordered this the supplier forums were saying it was a great LT but they all scrapped linux & loaded XP. I hope not to do that.

[D-cat]

Yeah, running as root, you might as well be running Windows 95 with no security. There is no such thing as a single user system when you are connected to the Internet. I made the same mistake when I first tried Mandrake, so I understand your thinking. You have to accept that other people will be trying to hack you from remote, running as a regular user mitigates the effectiveness of attacks.

Set up a user account in Yast - Users and Groups - Manage Users. Add a regular user account with a username and password you like, then set that account to log in at startup with no password (I think it's a check box).

[rsshawn]

The Webcam driver does not seem to be loaded but I cannot find any listing of one for Linux. I cannot even find the hardware in the device list.

When I try to set a wireless password I get the dialogue box:
"Enter password for default keyring to unlock" . I am not aware of setting a password for this, but have tried all the passwords I can think it might be but none work.

Hi Dave. I've had the same system for about a month and learning all the time.
From the searches I've done the webcam is not installed.
I d/l some software through here:
HP 2133 WebCam & Microphone on Linux | Front Masters
and tried the video function through you-tube after installing. However it said there was no webcam installed

For the wireless I haven't had the password box crop up, it just connected automatically, although it was free wi-fi and I thought that was why. I do use evolution-mail to access my emails and that brings up the dialogue box you mentioned. I use the same password as my 'user' log-on so perhaps try that(?)

Would be interested to know if you get your webcam working through that software