From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux


A separate thread just for an update.

I have installed Linux 3 times today so am gaining some expertise. The
multi install was because it didn't look or feel anything like the install
on my existing Linux box and some things were impossible e.g. changing the desktop background colour, Googling threw up instructions that had no relationship to what I could see on my screen.

Googling also showed up some dissatisfaction with Linux Mint 22.3 so I
went back to 21.3.

It was better but still looked alien and I couldn't get the screen
resolution right. I then had another look at the old box and found there
is no easy way to find what version of Linux is installed but it was
probably xfce and not Mate so I installed 21.3 xfce, looks like the old
box with a better menu layout, easily change background colour so will
stick with it.

Graphics problem in that the new box has a Xeon E3 1220L V2 and the driver hadn't installed. Lots more Googling and it seems it's supposed to be in
the kernel but may not be??? In the end I put in a low profile NVidia
graphics card and that just worked. For some reason I can't fathom the
BIOS start up screen now looks completely different with a big HP logo, no idea why.

Anyway I think I'm there. I have installed samba as even though there is
an smb.conf file in the base install samba isn't installed, weird.

I have also discovered my text editor is called xed so I can now edit
smb.conf using sudo etc.

The Iron Wolf is due in the next couple of hours so I will leave it
loading up overnight.

Thanks for all the input :-)
--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On 11/03/2026 16.26, Jeff Gaines wrote:

It was better but still looked alien and I couldn't get the screen resolution right. I then had another look at the old box and found there
is no easy way to find what version of Linux is installed but it was probably xfce and not Mate

This should tell you what version, even if it may not tell what desktop environment you are running:
cat /etc/os-releas

for figuring out (should at least work if you use X11) what desktop you
run you can try:
cat ~/.dmrc

Graphics problem in that the new box has a Xeon E3 1220L V2 and the
driver hadn't installed. Lots more Googling and it seems it's supposed
to be in the kernel but may not be??? In the end I put in a low profile NVidia graphics card and that just worked. For some reason I can't
fathom the BIOS start up screen now looks completely different with a
big HP logo, no idea why.

I guess the builtin graphics in the CPU not activated early enough to
display the logo, or you happen to just enable it in your BIOS.

Anyway I think I'm there. I have installed samba as even though there is
an smb.conf file in the base install samba isn't installed, weird.

The service may not have been auto enabled, but this only necessary if
you want to share the files you have on that computer, mounting samba
shares don't require a service.

The Iron Wolf is due in the next couple of hours so I will leave it
loading up overnight.

I have two of those in my NAS, they do click a lot and no you can't
change the acoustic :(
--
//Aho

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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On 2026-03-11 16:03, J.O. Aho wrote:

On 11/03/2026 16.26, Jeff Gaines wrote:

The Iron Wolf is due in the next couple of hours so I will leave it
loading up overnight.

I have two of those in my NAS, they do click a lot and no you can't
change the acoustic :(

Yes, mine are bloody noisy too, even when they were brand new they
sounded like an old drive on its last legs. Eventually I decided it
would be wise to remove them from the primary NASs and put them in the
old secondary NASs, so if they went down it wouldn't be so bad.
--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website: www.macfh.co.uk

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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On 11 Mar 2026 15:26:00 GMT, Jeff Gaines wrote:

It was better but still looked alien and I couldn't get the screen
resolution right. I then had another look at the old box and found there
is no easy way to find what version of Linux is installed but it was
probably xfce and not Mate so I installed 21.3 xfce, looks like the old
box with a better menu layout, easily change background colour so will
stick with it.

inxi -b

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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On 11 Mar 2026 15:26:00 GMT, Jeff Gaines wrote:

The multi install was because it didn't look or feel anything like
the install on my existing Linux box and some things were impossible
e.g. changing the desktop background colour, Googling threw up
instructions that had no relationship to what I could see on my
screen.

Things like desktop background are a function of the GUI desktop
environment you are running. Remember that you have a choice of these.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On Wed, 3/11/2026 5:44 PM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

On 11 Mar 2026 15:26:00 GMT, Jeff Gaines wrote:

The multi install was because it didn't look or feel anything like
the install on my existing Linux box and some things were impossible
e.g. changing the desktop background colour, Googling threw up
instructions that had no relationship to what I could see on my
screen.

Things like desktop background are a function of the GUI desktop
environment you are running. Remember that you have a choice of these.

While an OS can have a "themes" panel, the file manager
can have a menu entry to make a picture be the background.

I use a picture with only one colour in it, as background.

Paul
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:17:12 -0400, Paul wrote:

On Wed, 3/11/2026 5:44 PM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

Things like desktop background are a function of the GUI desktop
environment you are running. Remember that you have a choice of
these.

While an OS can have a "themes" panel ...

That, too, is a function of the GUI desktop environment you’re
running.

... the file manager can have a menu entry to make a picture be the background.

That’s a function of the file manager. Not sure there is any standard
for how such a folder background is specified.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux

On 11/03/2026 18.41, Java Jive wrote:

On 2026-03-11 16:03, J.O. Aho wrote:

On 11/03/2026 16.26, Jeff Gaines wrote:

The Iron Wolf is due in the next couple of hours so I will leave it
loading up overnight.

I have two of those in my NAS, they do click a lot and no you can't
change the acoustic :(

Yes, mine are bloody noisy too, even when they were brand new they
sounded like an old drive on its last legs.  Eventually I decided it
would be wise to remove them from the primary NASs and put them in the
old secondary NASs, so if they went down it wouldn't be so bad.

Had large sized HDD been cheaper, then I would have replaced them with
another brand, I don't think they break more often than other drives,
they just made for a datacenter and not for home use and those they are allowed to be noisy and do strange sounds, as no one will hear those
when there are thousands of servers running.
--
//Aho
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