New to Knoppix (but I LIKE IT!)

[Cuddles]

As the subject states, Knoppix is by far the easiest, and possibly the simplest way to get away from the "MS monopoly" going on right now...

Before I make the "jump" to installing Knoppix to my hard drive, I have a few issues that need to be resolved before the system can be transformed to a permanent Knoppix system.

I have used the Live CD, and have found the issues of the "winmodem" a major problem - to resolve the issue, my new system will have a US Robotics (standard) modem, and not a WinModem.

With the current system I have, and the new system will inherit these hardware devices is: Knoppix does not recognize my CD-RW drive, or my Sony DVD drive. It recognizes these drives currently as only a standard CD-ROM drive.

I develop Windows programs through the use of Visual Basic (vs6) -=- and I guess that development will need to be scrubbed since Knoppix can only recognize Windows programs through its own version of windows.

I have been a serious user of Windows all the way back since Win3.x, then up the ranks to Win95, and now currently Win98 - with all the security leaks, security patches, downloads, virus', and such -=- I am so interested in changing to an OS that can drop some, if not all, of these issues.

I was EXTREMELY impressed with just the Live CD of Knoppix that I want to jump as fast as I can to it, but not without knowing that I won't "shoot myself in the foot" - so to speak - after the conversion.

Lastly, I have watched a few of the newsgroups on this server, and I am in the same boat as some of the posts - I have a motherboard with on-board Video, Sound, (maybe Network), USB (with a Flash read/write, and the US Robotics modem (new)) - the current system the video worked at a resolution of 1024x768 (which is fine), the Sound didn't work, my CD-RW and DVD were only detected as normal CD-ROM drives, and my modem was detected but was never NOT IN USE - or always BUSY (since it is a WinModem, I guessed that Knoppix couldn't use it)

All these issues need to be resolved before the "leap" is made - I don't want to stay with Windows, but it works with what I have - I want to move to Knoppix - but not if all the hardware I have and use, can't be used, work, or be detected.

Thanks in advance,
Cuddles (a newbie, and serious advocate of Knoppix)

[baldyeti]

I have a motherboard with on-board Video, Sound, (maybe Network), USB (with a Flash read/write, and the US Robotics modem (new)) - the current system the video worked at a resolution of 1024x768 (which is fine), the Sound didn't work, my CD-RW and DVD were only detected as normal CD-ROM drives

Did you actually try to read a dvd from your drive? Just because the icon is named cdrom does not mean it won't read dvd's. Give it a try.
Same for your cd-rw: have you tried it with k3b?
As for the modem: is your new USR an external (serial) one? They're the less troublesome with unix.
Sound: did you try the 'alsa' cheatcode (type "knoppix alsa" from the boot prompt).

[Cuddles]

BaldYeti Wrote:
Did you actually try to read a dvd from your drive? Just because the icon is named cdrom does not mean it won't read dvd's. Give it a try.
Same for your cd-rw: have you tried it with k3b?
As for the modem: is your new USR an external (serial) one? They're the less troublesome with unix.
Sound: did you try the 'alsa' cheatcode (type "knoppix alsa" from the boot prompt).

I am affraid that I haven't been able to install Knoppix on my system, the OLD system is the only one active at this time, the NEW system hasn't been purchased, or received, yet. Since the Knoppix on the OLD system is only running on the Live CD - It is running on my DVD currently, so, I can't remove the Knoppix CD from the DVD to test the theory yet.

Pardon my ignorance on Unix, Knoppix, and such, I come from a long many years of MS "domination", when a Icon, or drive, says something, it usually means that what it is - my fault on that one - but I did rummage around in, I think it was "services" or something like that, and it did report my drives as the name I find when I boot and the BIOS shows, same is true with my modem - Which shows in Knoppix as a "WinModem".

As for the Sound: it works. It just seems that in Knoppix the sound is very low compared to my Win setup.

As for the Modem: Yes, my new system will have a External US Robotics modem, actually, it will be off the USB port. When I went in to get the stuff for my new system picked out, that was a special consideration. I knew I didn't want the usual WinModem that comes standard on most systems, just so that Knoppix will be happy. So, I had them set aside a modem that I knew wouldn't be the WinModem type. But, I don't have the new system in hand yet, expect money/purchase/installation end of this year though.

I am sorry if my original post didn't make it as clear that I had not installed Knoppix to my hard drive yet, I have the documentation in hand to do this, but, the install is tied to the new system, when I get it, and that currently, I am only running the temporary Live CD of Knoppix at this time.

Cuddles

[Cuddles]

HELP !!!

First thing -=- I am running Knoppix on the Live CD.

If I use either a Floppy or HD to hold my configuration settings - i.e. Save Configuration under the KNOPPIX heading -=- Does this save also the PASSWORDS that I set, like the SU account? Or do I have to do a full HD install to retain passwords?

Second thing -=- as suggested by BaldYeti -=- I ran Knoppix and placed a blank CD-RW in my CR-RW drive, connected to my internal controller, non-SCSI -=- I forget the interface - shesh -=- and tried something called KWIK"something" - it started and then shutdown. Does these programs that allow rewriting on a cdrom need SU rights? Anyone have experience with using the Live CD and working with CD-RW media? I would like to create a partioned Knoppix area on the rewrite so that I can retain more of my settings inbetween shutdowns and boots. The CD-RW drive has the ability to write packet data, so it should react like a hard drive, only a little slower during the write phase.

Thanks to everyone - amazing how much Unix I am learning - and how many forum discussions I have read here - the help has been fantastic - I tried to find the password setting commands in the HELP screens using a SU/Root window, and had no luck - thanks to the person who posted the FAQ on Unix Commands in the General Support Forum - had an idea what the command was - now I KNOW - PASSWD - saved my sanity

Again, thanks for any assistance on these issues,
Cuddles

[MrMustard]

Cuddles: Please keep me posted on your hurdles and successes. I'm attempting to do the same thing with similar hardware. Is it true that I will have to replace my winmodem? Did you find a good program to run proprietary windows only software with? I have a lot of these on my present system and is the only reason I haven't switched over years ago.

[Cuddles]

Hello MrMustard,

I am running Knoppix 3.3 on the HDD now, on my new system - It couldn't be anymore perfect.

Knoppix 3.3, during the knx-hdinstall process, setup both my DVD and CD-RW on the fly - After logging in, either as the default user, or with Root, I had not only the standard links to my two devices, but it also detected that one of them was a DVD and setup a link for the DVD, as for the CD-RW, it "knows" its a rewrite, but set up a link as cdaudio device as well.

I have not only played cd audio discs on both devices, but have also played DVD's on the dvd device, all without any problems. As for the WinModem, this was on the old system, It would work, but only if I was logged in as Root. This has been resolved in the new system by purchasing a "hardware" modem that hangs off the serial port instead.

As for my old Windows software, the old computer went back to being a Win98 OS system, since the family is used to it, the new system doesn't have any Win OS software on it, so, I can't really test some of the issues on that subject. I would suggest you try Knoppix and WINE to test out the programs you are concerned with.

As for me, most, if not all, of my "created" software, under VB6, was utility and add-on programs that Windows seemed to be lacking. Some front-end, some back-end, and some report generator software. With Knoppix, I have been put out of business, so to speak. Knoppix has a lot of the stuff I had to create for Windoze, right out of the box.

As for stability - hmmmmm, you tell me -=- I have been running Knoppix 3.3 from a cold-boot, since Friday. Not once have I had to shutdown, nor reboot, since that time. I have only 256meg of RAM, and a 40 gig HDD, with a 2.0gig Swap on that drive. With all these settings, my INFO on memory reports 1.89 GB free of total memory, 48.64 MB free of physical memory, and 1.84 GB free of swap. Not bad for running constantly, and may I add, heavily taxed, for more than 3 days now.

As for disk usage, Knoppix installed in only around 2.x gig of space, nothing more. Add into this the 2.0 gig of Swap, which I forced to that much, so, Knoppix is rounding 4.0 gig. Windoze, shesh, installed around 1 gig, and with just the SECURITY UPDATES and PATCHES that "had" to be done, it came pretty close to this already. Considering that Knoppix already comes full of software, and Windoze, you have to either buy, or download it all, I think Knoppix wins this one too.

As for security - I did apt-get install a firewall - about 386k of space, and thats it - With Windoze, you not only need that, which is around 500meg for the windows versions, but I would have also had to get ahold of a virus program as well. I think Knoppix wins this as well.

Crash Proof - no contest. Knoppix has installed, all LIVE, kernel updates, software and driver updates and upgrades, all without having to reboot, or restart. Looking at Windoze, you got to reboot everytime you do anything to it, if not because "it" has too, but mostly to figure out if you can "still" boot.

Multi-tasking/Multi-threading - no contest again - Knoppix has run more than 15, intensive in either video or device specific, programs, all at the same time. No hick-ups, no crashes, no blue-screens, no nothing. Just programs running as they should. Hmmm, Windoze, yeah right, sure, it could do that, but if you could manage to get the "bloated" OS to even start them, and this many, your system would be so un-responsive, it would deam it useless.

I am sure the newer OS's of "that other company" can be different than using Win98 as my test, but that is the OS I had, and thereby, I can attest to the findings I have here with that OS. I am sure WinXP is fine, no complaints, but, I have also heard "hell" storied from die-hard Windows users that report, many times, that this OS is faulty, and has crashed severely, many times. With damage to partition, or data, to extreme levels of "bad".

I am happy with Knoppix, you got a "LIFE'er" here
Cuddles

[gyro]

hi cuddles, it seems everyone loves knx ,I noticed that you have given yourself a 2 gig swap file, I hink you wil find that if you set it to 500 meg or double your ram
eveything willl work just fine . 2 gig imho is overly large and in reality is simply a wast of space, and can have a detrimental effect on performance
overall. I havent been using knx very long but i have been using several other linux distros and have found this to be the case.

[MrMustard]

Thank you for the great reply! Have I got horror stories! Enough to fill a small library. Will programs written for w2k work with wine? Are there other emulators also? I've got both types of software, and it would sure be nice to be able to run everything on one system without having to waste more money on solutions that don't work.
MrMustard