gob wrote:
I am an absolute beginner (hadn't touched Linux two weeks ago). My brother has installed Debian (kernel 2.2.19) on a partition of my laptop. I am trying to get X going, and through some research found that I need XFree86 4.1 for it to work with my LCD screen. He gave me a CD with xfree86-common_4.1.0-14pre15v3_all.deb on it. I have tried to install this package with no success:
X is composed of more than just the one xfree86-common package. You'll also need things like xfree86-server and xbase-clients and xbase-fonts, etc etc. Whereas you can manually install each package that is needed, that defeats the whole purpose of the apt system, which makes installation of packages a breeze.
#apt-setup cdrom'Bad CD, Your CD drive was detected but it does not seem to have a Debian CD in it.'(I presume this is a Debian CD as he made it on a Linux machine)
This program sets up your /etc/apt/sources.list so that it "knows" about different sources for a Debian distribution (or subset thereof). Since it didn't recognize your CD as a "Debian CD", I would assume your CD is simply a home-burned CD with the one xfree86-common package on it (seems like overkill to use a CD for one file).
#apt-cdrom add'Scanning disc for index files..Found 0 package indexes & 0 source indexes E. Unable to locate any package files, perhaps this is not a Debian Disc'
This does the same as apt-setup, only it's limited to "learning" about CDs, instead of additional sources such as http and ftp.
I also copied the file to the partition (actually into /usr/X11R6/bin) and did the following:
A .deb file is an installer package, and doesn't need to be in the final destination place of the finished install. It knows where to put its contained files. In this situation, I would've probably just put it in my home directory, installed it from there, and then deleted the .deb file if I was sure I was finished with it (once a .deb file is installed, it's not needed any more, unless you want to install it on another machine, etc). But by default, when you use the apt (or dselect) system, the .deb files are placed in /var/cache/apt/archives.
#dpkg --install xfree86-common....deb 'Preparing to replace xfree86-common...' 'Unpacking' 'Setting up' 'Installing new version of config file' (seems alright but:) #XFree86 -version 'XFree86 Version 4.0a / X Window System'(indicating to me that the previous 4.0a version is still in place)(Is there a difference between XFree86 and XFree86-common?)(X still won't work after this)
As mentioned above, you need additional packages.
I also tried dselect, choosing APT Acquisition, accidentally overwriting the sources list I already had (sort that out another day), and putfile:/etc/X11R6/bin/xfree....deb stable non-free onto the list. On update, it responded with 'Err file:stable/non-free Packages File not found' (followed by a full screen of errors, ending in) 'Information about 0 packages was updated'SO. I have come to the end of the limited number of options I can find in the FAQs, HOWTOs and Google searches. I subscribed to the Debian-user group, but saw nothing there (or in the archives) that might help me. I don't have a dialup going in Linux (still stuck with M$) so can't use any ftp sites. Can someone please enlighten me? I'm an absolute beginner and know nothing of the OS, apart from what I've struggled with trying to get this going in the last few weeks. Forgive me if this is a FAQ. I hope its something simple. Thank you in anticipation. Tim
Since I've never installed X by manually installing the various packages, I'm not sure what all you need, but you can start with the ones I mentioned above.
Better yet, either get a real Debian CD (Woody- or Sid-flavoured for X 4.1.x), or get your network (modem) connection working. I would *highly* recommend getting your net connection working. Then you can install what you want, when you want, easily (but speed is limited to download speed, so a DSL line is much better than a 56K connection, but I've done it over 2400 before; just takes a while), and you can also keep your system updated security-wise easily.
Getting your modem working is probably as easy as running "pppconfig" *IF* you don't have a win-modem. If you have a win-modem, if it has a Lucent chipset, you can probably use it in Linux, but you'll have to download a driver (I found it in .deb format some months ago (don't remember where; just google for it), and it was easy to install). If not, borrow your brother's old external 36.6 modem that he has tucked away in the back of his closet and use it. It'll be slow, but it'll beat trying to install the needed X packages manually.
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