/r/linux4noobs
Linux introductions, tips and tutorials. Questions are encouraged. Any distro, any platform! Explicitly noob-friendly.
Linux introductions, tips and tutorials. Any distro, any platform! Explicitly noob-friendly.
If you're posting for help, please include the following details, so that we can help you more efficiently:
Questions are encouraged. If you fix the problem yourself, please post your solution, so that others can also learn.
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/r/linux4noobs
Considering using btrfs anymore on my external backup storage device
I think it only saves the space of the snapshots rather than saving the space of the device. I think it also has
sudo mount -vo compress-force=zstd:4
but I am not sure if I understand this. I assume this should make transfering files to the backup device faster
Distro: antiX 23 Kernel: 6.1.105 Device: Dell XFR E6420
I as in the middle of a session, not doing much besides talking on an ORC via HexChat, browsing some pages for nouveau in Firefox, and ran a couple commands in the terminal [lsmod | grep nouveau and nouveau --version], then suddenly the M key stopped working. Rebooted, updated, reattached the keyboard, nothing. Even plugged in a USB keyboard, and the issue is still present with that.
I'm beginning to get why people say nothing works. I "attached" my machine for Ubuntu pro, but the "Next" button is still greyed out and clicking and pressing Alt-F4 does not work and it is not the keys because I tried it with my browser it closed the window there.
Bug report time?
everything works except for brightness and i have a NVIDIA RTX 2050 with 4 gigabytes of vram
Noticing some audio issues and I have no Wi-Fi settings showing up in Settings or when I click the top right corner quick settings either. I think I need to update my drivers but not sure how to go about it using Fedora 40? Can I just download them from the producer site. I could really use some detailed step by step instructions on how to see my current drivers and how to update them.
I recently switched to fedora, because I need wayland for my monitor setup.
Sadly, Autokeys doesn't work with wayland.
Does someone know how I still can get my hotkeys?
Someone else posted a similar request a couple of months ago but didn't find a solution, so I wanted to ask again.
Thanks in advance!
I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting my Ralink MT7601U USB Wi-Fi adapter to work on Arch Linux. Here’s what I’ve tried so far, and I’d appreciate any help or suggestions!
System Information:
Adapter Model: Ralink MT7601U
Current Kernel Version: 6.11.5-arch1-1
Driver Compatibility: The driver I found mentions compatibility with kernel versions 2.x.
Commands and Steps Tried:
Command: lsmod | grep mt7601u
No output returned.
Command: sudo modprobe mt7601u
No output returned.
Command: dmesg | grep mt7601u
Response: "read kernel buffer failed: operation not permitted."
Command: rfkill list all
(Did not block Wi-Fi.)
Command: find /lib/modules/$(uname -r) -type f -name 'mt7601u*'
No output returned.
Cloned repository: git clone https://github.com/jeremyb31/mt7601u.git
Commands:
cd mt7601u make sudo make install
make failed, indicating compatibility issues.
Confirmed that I might need specific firmware files, but I’m unsure if they are available.
Attempted to install the LTS kernel:
sudo pacman -S linux-lts linux-lts-headers
Additional Notes:
I have tried various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu (18-23.3), Fedora, and Kali, but the adapter still doesn’t work.
I read in the README that the driver supports kernel versions 2.4 and 2.6 but does not mention support for newer versions.
I’ve been troubleshooting for several hours and feel stuck.
Request for Help:
Does anyone have suggestions for getting the MT7601U working on my Arch Linux setup? Are there any known workarounds, or should I consider switching to a different Wi-Fi adapter? should I switch back to windows
Well my pc Acer Aspire A315-21 comes with windows pre-installed. Since windows couldn't work on it anymore I opted to switch for Linux but my first Linux installation wasn't as I expected. Then after searching about some basics I understood that I have to look into my BIOS settings. Turned off secured boot. What's next?
Hello,
I have a remote server that contains some File that I want to automatically download at a schedule to my local machine.
The Download can be done via FTP or HTTPS no other options are possible.
If a Download failed / stopped it should continue downloading the file on the next run.
Only files not (or only partial) on the Local machine should be downloaded. No Files should ever be deleted.
Right now I’m using lftp for that
lftp ftp://"$host" << EOF
login XX XX
set sftp:auto-confirm yes
set ssl:verify-certificate no
set mirror:use-pget-n
$max_parallel mirror -c -P$max_parallel -L --use-cache --log="$local_root"/"$base_name.log" "$remote_root"/rem "$local_root"/loc
quit
EOF
The problem, on the local machine the files are automatically processed, right now this already happens while the files are still transferred.
I couldn’t find an option in lftp to add some suffix like .part while the file is still being transferred.
Is there a tool that would match my requirements?
Or is there an option in lftp to add a suffix wile still transferring that I missed?
echo "This is the message body" | mailx -v \
-r "xxx@outlook.com" \
-s "hey, this is test" \
-S smtp="smtp.office365.com:25" \
-S smtp-use-starttls \
-S smtp-auth=login \
-S smtp-auth-user="xxx@outlook.com" \
-S smtp-auth-password="xxxXXXxxx" \
-S ssl-verify=ignore \
-S nss-config-dir=/etc/pki/nssdb/ \
yyy@yyy.com
Produces
mailx: invalid option -- 'S'
usage: mailx [-dEIinv] [-a header] [-b bcc-addr] [-c cc-addr] [-r from-addr] [-s subject] [--] to-addr ...
mailx [-dEIiNnv] -f [name]
mailx [-dEIiNnv] [-u user]
As we all know, most people never look at the pinned posts or really do any research at all before posting a question like “which distro?” or “what happens to my data?” or “how do I switch?"
It strikes me as strange that the first questions are never centered around what outcomes you require - like... what programs do you rely on now, and what are you going to use to accomplish the same things under Linux (or whatever)?
There seems to be several factors at work.
First, in my opinion, Win 11 has gone a step too far and is unreasonably obnoxious. This alone is giving people a reason to migrate "somewhere." People want to bail, they know there is a thing called "Mac" but that's not an option for whatever reason.
Second, even though there is an understanding that there is a thing called "Macintosh," there still isn't a solid understanding that there are various (1,100+) operating systems around. Few are really viable for the purposes of this conversation, but it's important to know. To illustrate, what would you think of a person that considered themselves knowledgable about cars, but was unaware of diesel or electric vehicles (there are even more obscure examples) for instance?
So, to my point - the first thing to consider when choosing any operating system is:
Will the OS support software in order to do what I need, or want, or aspire to?
This may include closed source, proprietary and even custom software (for a corporate environment, for instance). In short, can I get work I have to do, done here? Or can I play the games I want to play? Or can I even develop software in this environment to get something done? Because unless you just want to play with the OS and tinker around, you're presumably wanting to use an Operating System to Run Programs.
The second thing might just be:
Will the OS be reliable?
Will it be stable, secure and supported, over a reasonable length of time? These are things we all need and (hopefully) want, although each one is on a sliding scale. What's stable (or secure, or supported) enough for you may be a train wreck for me. Long term, what's the game plan? Is there even a long term to talk about? Am I OK erasing or recycling the platform when I'm "done" in a year or two, or if the platform is obsolete (and I get a new laptop, desktop, server etc.)?
Another important factor is hardware:
Will the OS support my hardware?
I rehabilitate older hardware to make it available to people and Not For Profits who need or want computers. I like the idea that it keeps the stuff out of landfills. People and NFP have very individual requirements that define what's viable. Because I use whatever I can get, I see a wide range of laptops, desktops, servers (even Chrome and iOS) hardware. There is almost always a need for proprietary drivers. Will I be able to get the webcam working? The DVD drive? The graphics and sound? Will all the special keys on the keyboard work? All the ports? Unfortunately this is a time consuming process, so if I can stick to a known platform that's a big help.
My Bottom Line:
I think Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition on X86, 64 bit hardware is the go-to at this time. Use 32 bit if you must (old hardware). Downgrade Cinnamon to MATE or XFCE if hardware requires. I try to triage parts from nonviable units or old stock. RAM upgrades are invaluable. Old laptops may have 2 or 4 gig. More is better! SSD drive upgrades are an absolute miracle for old hardware - if the unit had a rotational 2.5" HD, an SSD is available in the same form factor. This is unfortunately a cost factor if you can't salvage drives. For my own personal use I have found a drive upgrade to be more than worth it.
A (Typical) Success Story:
I have rehabilitated more than a few "obsolete" laptops of the brand that rhymes with Snapple. While the manufacturer no longer offers a secure operating system, patches are no longer offered and the software (even the browsers) can't be updated, the hardware is robust and in great shape. I open them up, blow them out (even laptops get dirty inside), upgrade the RAM and HD (in the models that allow) and there's a very good laptop, zippier than some Win 11 beasts, loaded down with crapware™ that are brand new. DVD works, wireless driver gets found by Driver Manager, keyboard works as marked (not like using a Windows keyboard on a Mac), all the special keys (vol, brightness, keyboard backlight) work. Need to run a Windows program? I recommend VirtualBox, if WINE doesn't float your boat.
I have been less successful getting the proprietary in-built speaker system sounding good (still works) and getting the FaceTime camera to work. That's been a bummer but I'll keep plugging away. Also, some Pro models have 2 video cards but only 1 display, and which one gets used as primary is still a bit of a mystery. I have not tested multiple monitors yet.
Thanks for reading. Hope it's helpful. YMMV.
I have a storeroom with q bunch of old computers ranging from 1998 to 2007, and I found a decent pc with 1gb ram and Intel pentuim core 2 dou cpu with 2.5ghz for each core.
I installed linux mint 19.3 cinnamon 4.4.5.
Thing is that it is really slow and is taking 95% of cpu, I did some research and I found out that it is because Imy video drivers are not installed and is using cpu for graphixlql stuf. Thing is that I have no idea on how to install drivers or if my video card is even supported by linux.
The video card is a S3 Graphics prosavage VT8375.
The reason I am doing all of this is because I want to learn linux, please help and thanks.
can i install linux without complete wipe of the drive so I can just yeet windows out and not loose any files in the process
Has anyone tired this distro? Is it safe? Is it stable? Does it make sense to use it as a daily driver or is it just for fun?
distro: fedora workstation 40
issue:
hardware audio devices occasionally disappear after suspend, it only happens if i unplug my earphones after suspend, after that my earphones can no longer be detected neither in the volume control nor by listing my sinks using pactl(meaning it's an issue with pulseaudio?).
i've been having this issue for about a month so around the release of kernel version 6.11
temporary solution:
a temporary fix to this issue that i found is restarting pipewire which makes volume works normally untill the recreation steps are repeated, however i'm looking for a permanent solution that isn't waiting for the next kernel version if possible.
what didn't work:
i tried adding myself to the audio group as someone suggested in a forum post but that didn't fix my issue.
Hello,
I'm about to buy a laptop on which I'd like to install Arch Linux. I have already been using Linux for several years with X11 and an NVIDIA GPU without problems.
However I know that AMD is better supported especially with Wayland. I therefore have the problem of choosing between an NVIDIA GPU that is more efficient with CUDA for AI and 3D tasks or an AMD GPU that is better supported by Linux.
Put the following idea : Take an AMD CPU and use the integrated GPU to render Wayland and use a dedicated NVIDIA GPU for heavier tasks. Is this technically possible and a good idea?
Repost, since I accidentally deleted the last one
I was (and still am) running an Oracle VM with an Ubuntu operating system on a Windows machine but since I'm running LOW on resources (I have an old AMD processor, but the system is 64-bit) I need to replace it with something lighter, and before you ask, YES I was running in on minimal resources (a 32gb disk image)
I need a Linux distro that's easy to use, good for developers (I'm not doing anything TOO extreme so far so like, Arch Linux is not needed) and that's not taking a lot of resources (or at least less than Ubuntu). I've been looking at Linux Mint which requires a 20 GB disk image and I'm currently looking into Debian
Unfortunately, running it as a main system instead of Windows 10 is not an option, but I've also been wondering about using WSL instead of a VM. Is it worth it?
Another random side question, could a shared Windows-Linux shared folder make a problem during the destruction of the old disk image. I haven't still looked into destroying a disk image but I hope moving it into the Recycle Bin will be enough 😭
I have a two monitor setup and when i try to setup my main display display which is a 1440p 144hz as my primary display the display flichers and doesn't stop until i restart the system and set my secondary display as the primary is the settings and the same thing happens when i try to drag the display to match the setup i can't figure out how to fix it i just recently decided to dual boot Linux so i am a beginner
Is the default 'drop' or 'public' more appropriate as a base to work with? As far as I understand, 'public' zone has target of 'default' which means rules not matched will rejected. From my understanding, drop is preferred over reject in general. If this is the case, would it be preferred to set the default zone to 'drop'? I guess that would include ICMP which is problematic, so whitelisting ICMP as described would make this an overall good default then?
How to set good rate-limiting ICMP rules? I think a suggestion was that it might be based on speed of network. I''m working with a 50 MBps plan for now.
Is blocking outgoing connections except those ports/connections from allowed incoming just to be safe a good idea? An example would be useful.
Any other tips are much appreciated.
I use Forge Tiling Window Manager (with Ubuntu) and really like it, but on both my computers it doesn't seem to recognize firefox at all. My Firefox uses Wayland as the window protocol, so it should work, but it doesn't, so Firefox acts like I don't have a window manager.
This also results in me not being able to switch from Firefox to other programs with [Alt]+[Tab].
Any ideas how to fix that?
Is it a known problem? - all the resuls I found just said you got to set firefox window manager to wayland, which was mine already.