irlandes
04-30-2001, 11:07 PM
I don't want anyone to think this is a complete list of problems I have had with 7.2 in the last few days. Also, I had little problems, other than Newbie problems, with 6.5, which installed fairly well, and ran well also.
I bought, accidentally, 2 copies of 7.2 from CheapByte, several months ago. I had heard that Mandrake had shipped some bad stuff to Wal-mart, so went Cheap Bytes. I do not think there was any difference, to be honest with you. I did not have time to install, due to travels, until this week. Once I realized there was no Star Office or Acrobat, I went and bought the Wal-mart version. I have seen no difference, except the extra CD's with .rpm stuff, operates the same.
I have two computers: A laptop Presario 1236, 96MB ram; 4GB HD (2/1.3/.6)
Also, a Compaq 5441, 120 MB ram; 8 GB HD (4/2/2).
5441 first:
1. Wouldn't mount mouse during graphic install, 5 or ten tries, including complete restarts at times.
2. Got mouse to work, don't know why. Then, filesystems, including /mnt/windows, would not mount, not even manually. (Note I have done this before on other distros.)
3. In text install mode, wouldn't load from second CD, or else rejected CD without trying. This is consistent.
4. It seemed to install.
5. Tried to change default boot for Windows. Made error due to poor window design, had to start over, reloading Win 98 (first time I ever had to do this) and of course reinstall 7.2
6. Got a KDE screen, seemed good, decided to load my beloved laptop.
LAPTOP:
1. Loaded 7.2, looked fine. Tried to change default bootpoint, made same mistake, and lost windows. fdisk /mbr wiped out not only linux, but also screwed up partitions so the Win partition was totally unaccessible to normal programs. Norton's wouldn't touch it. Fdisk wouldn't touch it. I got the 7.2 Graphics installer to reset size and type of Win 98 partition. Grub still broke, but now Norton's Disk Doctor reset the MBR, so I was essentially able to save Win 98 stuff without reinstalling it. Reinstalled 7.2
2. Downloaded Caldera FAQ stuff recommended on LNO.
3. Tried to install Acrobat. RTFM??? Don't waste your time. Mandrake manuals are as bad as ever. I read, and tried to follow the gibberish on RPM and kpackage, with absolutely no luck at all. Terminal command supplied gave only an error message. I finally discovered by accident that clicking on the .rpm file in /mnt/cdrom, automatically brings up kpackage ready to install that .rpm file. Is that too complex to put in the F-manual???
4. On a reboot, X window wouldn't open.
5. Reinstalled, of course.
6. Some sort of wonderful utility called Aurora suddenly out of no where started working. It supplies a really pretty graphic boot up sequence, and shutdown sequence. No visible reason it started, and I saw nothing in manual to tell how to start it.
7. Since I was told there was this great configuration utility, and my printer was elsewhere, I did not configure printer during installs. After I loaded Star Office, I typed a recipe for my wife, but SO wouldn't print it. I brought up the Config utility, which detected and promised to install my Canon BJC250. Instead it loaded a HP laser printer. I tried to run a test, and it started scrolling a page after a line or two. I think I hit it with 50 or 60 pages, actually reusing the same pages as long as they were usable, since it was only printing gibberish, anyway. I tried to reboot, tried to shut down printer, when it restarted, it started scrolling more paper. No menu item to dump printer queue, as Win usually has. Gave up and typed her recipe in Win Works, which worked flawlessly.
8. This time, I configured printer during text install. It refused to recognize CD #2, at the 72% point. I have no idea what I am missing in CD #2, will try to look at files and see if it makes any sense. Aurora went away again.
9. Star Office still takes 30 seconds to show signs of life after you click on it. This is not how one runs Microsoft out of business.koffice still will not print; the printer feeds the paper, but nothing is printed on it. Koffice looks like a good idea, but if it won't print, it's pure junk.
10. I assume my 5441 will need to be reinstalled again, to get printer configured??
Remember, this is not a complete listing. It seems either graphic or text install are random in nature. I like the bells and whistles, or would if this sucker actually worked. 6.5 was stable, this isn't.
I will probably leave it as is, except to make sure anything important on CD#2 is installed via kpackage automatic setup. I do sometimes need SO, or a viewer for attachments that is not present in Win 98. Also, like dc. I would like to have 7.2 working like it's clearly supposed to work; it would be wonderful. There are some positives, such as a KDE which will work in Win partition without locking up, and a lot of exciting stuff was listed in install windows, if I can use them.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. In Star Office, the help windows are blank.
Is 8.0 available in stable form?? Let us hope it isn't, and in the future there will be a version like 6.5 in stability with the bells and whistles. Then, Microsoft will have something to worry about.
I bought, accidentally, 2 copies of 7.2 from CheapByte, several months ago. I had heard that Mandrake had shipped some bad stuff to Wal-mart, so went Cheap Bytes. I do not think there was any difference, to be honest with you. I did not have time to install, due to travels, until this week. Once I realized there was no Star Office or Acrobat, I went and bought the Wal-mart version. I have seen no difference, except the extra CD's with .rpm stuff, operates the same.
I have two computers: A laptop Presario 1236, 96MB ram; 4GB HD (2/1.3/.6)
Also, a Compaq 5441, 120 MB ram; 8 GB HD (4/2/2).
5441 first:
1. Wouldn't mount mouse during graphic install, 5 or ten tries, including complete restarts at times.
2. Got mouse to work, don't know why. Then, filesystems, including /mnt/windows, would not mount, not even manually. (Note I have done this before on other distros.)
3. In text install mode, wouldn't load from second CD, or else rejected CD without trying. This is consistent.
4. It seemed to install.
5. Tried to change default boot for Windows. Made error due to poor window design, had to start over, reloading Win 98 (first time I ever had to do this) and of course reinstall 7.2
6. Got a KDE screen, seemed good, decided to load my beloved laptop.
LAPTOP:
1. Loaded 7.2, looked fine. Tried to change default bootpoint, made same mistake, and lost windows. fdisk /mbr wiped out not only linux, but also screwed up partitions so the Win partition was totally unaccessible to normal programs. Norton's wouldn't touch it. Fdisk wouldn't touch it. I got the 7.2 Graphics installer to reset size and type of Win 98 partition. Grub still broke, but now Norton's Disk Doctor reset the MBR, so I was essentially able to save Win 98 stuff without reinstalling it. Reinstalled 7.2
2. Downloaded Caldera FAQ stuff recommended on LNO.
3. Tried to install Acrobat. RTFM??? Don't waste your time. Mandrake manuals are as bad as ever. I read, and tried to follow the gibberish on RPM and kpackage, with absolutely no luck at all. Terminal command supplied gave only an error message. I finally discovered by accident that clicking on the .rpm file in /mnt/cdrom, automatically brings up kpackage ready to install that .rpm file. Is that too complex to put in the F-manual???
4. On a reboot, X window wouldn't open.
5. Reinstalled, of course.
6. Some sort of wonderful utility called Aurora suddenly out of no where started working. It supplies a really pretty graphic boot up sequence, and shutdown sequence. No visible reason it started, and I saw nothing in manual to tell how to start it.
7. Since I was told there was this great configuration utility, and my printer was elsewhere, I did not configure printer during installs. After I loaded Star Office, I typed a recipe for my wife, but SO wouldn't print it. I brought up the Config utility, which detected and promised to install my Canon BJC250. Instead it loaded a HP laser printer. I tried to run a test, and it started scrolling a page after a line or two. I think I hit it with 50 or 60 pages, actually reusing the same pages as long as they were usable, since it was only printing gibberish, anyway. I tried to reboot, tried to shut down printer, when it restarted, it started scrolling more paper. No menu item to dump printer queue, as Win usually has. Gave up and typed her recipe in Win Works, which worked flawlessly.
8. This time, I configured printer during text install. It refused to recognize CD #2, at the 72% point. I have no idea what I am missing in CD #2, will try to look at files and see if it makes any sense. Aurora went away again.
9. Star Office still takes 30 seconds to show signs of life after you click on it. This is not how one runs Microsoft out of business.koffice still will not print; the printer feeds the paper, but nothing is printed on it. Koffice looks like a good idea, but if it won't print, it's pure junk.
10. I assume my 5441 will need to be reinstalled again, to get printer configured??
Remember, this is not a complete listing. It seems either graphic or text install are random in nature. I like the bells and whistles, or would if this sucker actually worked. 6.5 was stable, this isn't.
I will probably leave it as is, except to make sure anything important on CD#2 is installed via kpackage automatic setup. I do sometimes need SO, or a viewer for attachments that is not present in Win 98. Also, like dc. I would like to have 7.2 working like it's clearly supposed to work; it would be wonderful. There are some positives, such as a KDE which will work in Win partition without locking up, and a lot of exciting stuff was listed in install windows, if I can use them.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. In Star Office, the help windows are blank.
Is 8.0 available in stable form?? Let us hope it isn't, and in the future there will be a version like 6.5 in stability with the bells and whistles. Then, Microsoft will have something to worry about.