Installing Debian Squeeze (OEM)? Get the Wireless Microcode HERE:

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/all/firmware-iwlwifi/download

[HOWTO] Add/Change plymouth theme in SalineOS (Squeeze)

If you are using Debian Squeeze, you can install plymouth and it will install some plymouth themes by default. You can list the installed themes by running the following command in the terminal:

 /usr/sbin/plymouth-set-default-theme --list 

If you wish to install a new theme and if the theme is meant for Ubuntu, you can’t directly install it in Debian testing. If you get a deb, you will either get a failed dependency error like the following or it will not work even if you manage to install it:

 Error: Cannot install ‘plymouth-label’

 Plymouth is in the repo, but if you have a deb, open it up with file-roller (archive manager) and extract the directory which is inside ./lib/plymouth/themes in the deb archive. If you have a tarball (or some other archive) with instructions, just extract the directory. Then, just copy the directory to /usr/share/plymouth/themes If the directory name contains any capital letters, get rid of them and change the name such that the directory name is in all-lower-case. Also, get rid of spaces and such in the directory name. Inside the theme directory, you will see a .plymouth file. Open it up in a text editor and change the paths in it to /usr/share/plymouth/themes instead of /lib/plymouth/themes. Save the file and the theme is installed. 

Now, run the following to list the themes:

 /usr/sbin/plymouth-set-default-theme --list 

You should see the newly installed theme listed. To change the theme, just run the following as root:

 /usr/sbin/plymouth-set-default-theme theme-name 

To test it, use the plymouth-preview tool. To commit changes and rebuild initrd, use the following command as root:

 update-initramfs -u 

If everything goes well, the theme should be changed.

Change GDM 3 Login Background

I am using SalineOS (Debian Squeeze) and I have gdm3 installed.  I wanted to change the default gdm background to match my desktop wallpaper and this is how I did it:

Go to /usr/share/images/desktop-base/ and change the name of the image you want to:

login-background.svg

Of course the image you want needs to be there already so put it there if not as root.  Rename the original to login-backgroundOLD.svg or some such.

HTH

Replacing Slim with GDM as the Default Display Manager

I'm changing my DE from Xfce to Gnome for several reasons, and want GDM to start up instead of SLIM.  To do this, Go to /etc/X11/default-display-manager

and change:

/usr/bin/slim

TO:

/usr/bin/gdm3

Compiz/Emerald AutoStart In Xfce 4 --SalineOS

Add the following to autostarted applications:

compiz --replace


Go to Compiz Settings Manager and click on 'window decorations'.  Change window manager from:


usr/bin/xfwm4


TO:


usr/bin/emerald


EDIT:  I'm researching a better way at the system level to start Compiz in the first place where xfwm4 never loads.  Please check back, but the above is generally recommended.

Xfce Menu: Patching it for Crossover Office

CrossOver Office 9.x doesn't play well with the Xfce menu'ing system (Xfce =< 4.6) therefore it is necessary until Xfce 4.8 to patch the menu.  Here is how to do it:

Patch the following in /etc/xdg/menus/xfce-applications.menu under "Accessories".  Following the format you see there:


    <Menu>
      <Name>CrossOver</Name>
      <Directory>.directory</Directory>
      <DirectoryDir>/opt/cxoffice/support/desktopdata/cxoffice-0/cxmenu/xdg-applications/CrossOver</DirectoryDir>
      <AppDir>/opt/cxoffice/support/desktopdata/cxoffice-0/cxmenu/xdg-applications/CrossOver</AppDir>
      <Include>
        <Filename>Install+Windows+Software.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>Manage+Bottles.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>User+Documentation.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>Terminate+Windows+Applications.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>Run+a+Windows+Command.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>Register+and+unlock+this+demo.desktop</Filename>
        <Filename>Uninstall.desktop</Filename>
      </Include>
    </Menu>


The main CrossOver Office Menu will now show up after refreshing the Xfce Menu.  Adding Windows Apps can easily be done by examing the Menu'ing options in CrossOver Office and making links.  I launch MS Office 2007 apps from my AWN Dock for example.

Emerald Install for 64 Bit SalineOS Xfce or Gnome

install the key and repo, go into Synaptic and install Emerald. I comment out the repo after install:

CODE: SELECT ALL

deb http://download.tuxfamily.org/shames/debian-sid/desktopfx/unstable/ ./
wget http://download.tuxfamily.org/shames/A42A6CF5.gpg -O- | apt-key add -

To make it stick at every login: Go into Compiz Settings|Window Decoration and set the window manager to /usr/bin/emerald. Log out, log back in and you'll be greeted with a gorgeous default Emerald windowed desktop.

XFCE4 - Enable Multimedia Keys

If your mulitmedia keys are not working on  your laptop, go into Synaptic Package Manager and install:

xfce4-volumed

This is a volume keys daemon that watches the key inputs and your keys 'should' start working.

LMDE x64, latest Liquorix Kernel & Suspend/Hibernate

I use LMDE 64 bits on a Dell Precision M6500 Laptop with the following specs:

i7-820QM w/USB 3.0, 8.0GB DDR3-1333, Intel x-25M 160 G2 + 500GB 7200.3, nVidia Quadro FX 3800M 1.0GB DDR3, RGBLED, Intel 6300

The Liquorix Kernel fixed my internal microphone and suspend/hibernate problems.  The following grub boot option also enables suspend/hibernate with my laptop:

 GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="intel_iommu=on"

This is an experimental linux kernel option that enables dma remapping per the developer of the Liquorix Kernel.  It goes under the other grub boot cmds in /etc/default/grub.  If you are having problems with suspend/hibernate and have a similar laptop, give it a try!

Grub 2: General Information Linked

Here is a link that is generally:

Pertinent to SalineOS/Debian for general information only.

Worst Hardware for your Linux Desktop !

Courtesy of Madpenguin.org 5/14/2008, and I fully agree!

(Column) – I have been asked this over and again – which hardware should be avoided before installing Linux? The list is actually smaller than you might expect, but it is helpful if you would like to remain in a headache-free zone. Broadcom Wireless Products: Despite efforts by well-intentioned developers, seeing successful wireless with anything based on these chipsets is not an easy task, despite the hogwash you will read elsewhere. Linux wireless is doable, and generally speaking, you are best off to ask what those not using these chipsets are having success with. In general, you will likely find this is the best path, although you can also check your distro’s HCL (hardware compatibility list) for more information. ATI Video Cards: Despite recent improvements, I cannot see a single reason to use their products for desktop Linux. Unless you already own an ATI card, you will find NVIDIA or Intel graphics to be more than adequate for daily use. To be fair, I have found that most problems with ATI cards are only becoming apparent with restricted drivers to power the cards. So sticking with open drivers will generally not lead to issues. Seagate: This hard drive company has made their point-of-view very clear. Not as much with words, as with their FreeAgent drives. It is truly sad when something OS independent like a hard drive force users to consider an alternative to the otherwise well designed Seagate hard drive. I would snub Seagate in response to this. Unfortunately, most people will settle for workarounds, instead. Winmodems: To be clear, I’m not saying that the software modem cannot work with Linux, rather that Linux users should not use them. Despite fantastic efforts like the Linmodem project, I prefer using other options if I’m bound to a dial-up only connection. I have long since been a fan of external modems myself, but that was a long time ago. These days most people are on broadband connections, so I guess this is a non-issue now. Final Considerations. As a rule, I recommend being careful and proactive when looking to turn any built-for-Windows computer into a Linux box. Use a LiveCD whenever possible to make sure the distro and the computer you plan on using are a good match. - Check to see if you are seeing the kind of resolution support you need (widescreen users) and that the sound is working properly. I’m not saying either of these cannot be overcome, but there is little reason to buy a new computer that will translate into a weekend tweaking project. - Consider buying from vendors that support your preferred distro. It may cost a little more, but it is always refreshing to put your money where your passion is. This covers our list of compatibility problems that face Linux users who are just starting out. Hopefully, by avoiding this hardware products, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble early in the process.

Bitdefender AntiVirus in SalineOS x64

Bitdefender is my choice in Windows and Linux….here is a screenshot of it running in Ubuntu 9.04 x64:

Flashing a DELL BIOS in Ubuntu (or Debian)

This is a guide designed for Dell laptops, netbooks, desktop and workstation machines running Debian GNU/Linux and also Ubuntu. I have tested it on a machine running Debian Lenny i386. There are three logical steps: get all the necessary tools in place, extract the actual BIOS image, and apply the image. For Dell servers, the BIOS images provided by Dell are ready to flash from Linux directly, so the method described here should not be needed.
Before starting
The Dell BIOS updates itself by loading the BIOS ROM image into RAM and warm-booting directly into the flashing program. It keeps the BIOS image to be flashed in RAM. Therefore it is important to reboot the machine instead of powering it off when updating the BIOS so as to not lose the contents of RAM.
First things first
Download the BIOS update .EXE file from Dell’s website. Save it somewhere.
Prerequisites
Get a few packages installed: WINE, smbios-utils/libsmbios-bin, and firmware-addon-dell.
For Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install wine smbios-utils firmware-addon-dell
For Debian:
sudo apt-get install wine libsmbios-bin
Also for Debian, download the firmware-addon-dell package manually from here: http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/all/firmware-addon-dell/download and install manually (the version may change and the file name may be different than in the example):
sudo dpkg -i firmware-addon-dell_2.1.0-0ubuntu2_all.deb
Prepare the system
Load the required kernel module:
sudo modprobe dell_rbu
If you haven’t run WINE before, run winecfg and just exit immediately, it will set up your .wine directory and profile:
winecfg
Extract the actual BIOS image from the .EXE with WINE
Where DELLBIOSUPDATE.EXE is the .EXE file downloaded from Dell’s website:
wine DELLBIOSUPDATE.EXE -writehdrfile -nopause
This will leave a .hdr file with the same name as the .EXE file.
Check the BIOS image and flash it
First check the BIOS image to make sure it is good:
dellBiosUpdate -t -f DELLBIOSUPDATE.hdr
Assuming all is well, apply the update:
dellBiosUpdate -u -f DELLBIOSUPDATE.hdr
Finally, reboot, and the BIOS will be flashed to the new version.

Courtesy of: www.allurgroceries.com

Printing from MS Office via CrossOver Office 9.0

Install the following or you won’t be able to print from MS Office (as of this date with LMDE)

apt install libwine-print

this will also install “cups-bsd”. Hope this saves you from banging your head on your desk

Wicd asking for password to access network card?

Try this:

sudo update-rc.d -f wicd remove; sudo update-rc.d wicd start 06 2 3 4 5 . stop 20 0 1 6 .

don’t miss the trailing “dot”..enter password, press enter….reboot

Replace gnome-panel with AWN, and replace gnone-wm with Compiz

AWN: If you have “Configuration Editor” (AKA gconf-editor) installed, run it and navigate to the key folder /desktop/gnome/session/required_components. Double-click on the key panel in the right-hand pane to edit it, and change the value to “avant-window-navigator” followed by the “OK” button.

COMPIZ: While on the above key, replace gnome-wm with Compiz

Speed up responsiveness in Debian

Get some good tips here

Disregard the section on “Concurrency=SHELL” as this is deprecated since May of 2010.