Need help for Mint, Debian, Ubuntu!

General Discussion
1

Hey. I am a Windows user and decided to try out some Linux distros on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, on Windows XP SP3. I’ve downloaded and installed Mint 13 Cinnamon, Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME, and Debian 7. All of them are 32-bit, FYI.

The problem is the display settings. In Debian 7, I got a notification ‘GNOME 3 failed to load’ - I looked up for help and people mainly said it was due to graphics cards/drivers etc. So I went and downloaded the drivers for my Intel G31 Express Chipset (from here: Open Ecosystem - I clicked on Ubuntu, 32-bit). It’s a .deb file. But the problem is I could not find the installer inside that .deb. There were several folders, checked all of them and the closest match I got was ‘intel-linux-graphics-installer’ in an unknown file type that no application can open! BTW, I’m also pretty sure that Mint didn’t load Cinnamon correctly, as the menu and UI don’t look like that at all - it looks more basic with a small menu.

Another problem is that in all three distros, the default resolution was 800x600, and I could not increase it - the only option was 800x600 in System Settings>Displays). In Mint’s and Ubuntu’s case, it also says that I’m on a laptop (which is wrong), and in Debian it says ‘Unknown’ - in all cases I can’t change this value too.

Please help!

Note: I’m a lifelong Windows user with very little Linux (PC) experience, so a dummy guide please if you feel some steps are too difficult for me.

2

it’s because you’re running them in a virtual machine (virtual hardware) … as far as I know Virtual PC 2007 presents a crappy virtual graphics card to the guest OS … I don’t know if it’s configurable (in VPC), but you might be better off using VirtualBox instead of VPC.

In any case this is a VPC issue, not a Linux one … linux wil just deal with the hardware presented to it, be that real or virtual :slight_smile:

3

Glad to hear that. Thanks. I have a question though - if I install Debian 7 on a real machine, won’t I get the same problem? I’m talking about the installation of the chipset drivers, .deb. In the virtual, I couldn’t locate the real installation, and my closest match was one with an unknown file type. What if the chipset drivers for my PC should be installed seperately and I end up with the problem stated above?

Also, how come Linux is presented crappy on Virtual PC? I’ve tried pretty much every Windows, finals and betas, old and new - never had a problem like this after I installed display drivers.

4

NO (or if you do it will be a different issue)

VPC (or Virtaulbox) doesn’t present the REAL hardware to the guest OS … it presents some generic VIRTUAL hardware.

it’s the VIRTUAL graphics card the guest OS sees.

in a REAL install, it would see the REAL hardware.

5

Would it not be a lot easier just to boot with the LiveCD and see if works with your (real) hardware? :slight_smile:
Only install if it works AND you like it. If not then (depending on your hardware) there is plenty other choice.

6

A LiveCD (and even a LiveUSB with persistence) can’t give a 100% accurate picture of if/how well graphics drivers are going to work on a REAL install … after all the LiveCD is going to be using generic drivers, but a proper install may have nvidia/ATI drivers available.
(specially Debian who ABSOLUTELY won’t be supplying the proprietary drivers by default)

If the OP mention the graphics card he has, it might be easier to advise :slight_smile:

7
A LiveCD (and even a LiveUSB with persistence) can't give a 100% accurate picture of if/how well graphics drivers are going to work on a REAL install ..

Hmm… So far every time I tried, if the LiveCD worked then the install worked too and the opposite if it did not ???
It might not be 100% certain but running it on real hardware is much more telling than on a virtual.

8

Oh yeh, sure … definitely better that a VM for graphics driver evaluation.

But there are times people run the LiveCD and all works … install properly and run into say the nomodeset problems with the proprietary drivers, etc.

and vice versa.

What I really meant was that a Debian in particular LiveCD may not give a 100% accurate picture of what CAN be achieved.

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9

That’s quite unlucky. My experience with Debian 7 today was much nicer than the others.

10

If Debian 7 (with only free drivers) works fine in the live session then all is well.
If not but you want to test it with non-free drivers then go to the unofficial non-free builds.

11

Hmm … I wonder if you’ve tried Pep… Oh no, I said I wouldn’t :slight_smile:

Sorry Homers if you don’t understand that … it’s a forum in joke (on me not you).

12
Hmm .. I wonder if you've tried Pep... Oh no, I said I wouldn't :)

Mark, the OP already stated that he is happier with WinXP. ;D

13

Ah, so quick, reliable, up-to-date, secure, and virus/malware free is out then ?

Hmm, let me think … got it, maybe try Windows Millennium Edition :o

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14

Funny enough, just the other day finally reclaimed the space on my machine by deleting the partition where (unused) WinXP resided on. Feel so much better ;D
I would say the OP did not give enough chance to see the benefit of the Linux distros.

Just 2 weeks ago I did lend a LiveCD with Ubuntu 12.04 (all flavors) to a coworker to try out. (as he was complaining about sloow running ageing laptop).
To my surprise he wiped WinXP and installed Ubuntu with Unity. When queried why he chosen that, he said that was the first one(only one) he tried and it is now soo much faster than his missuses Mac. So he is happy. Now he is looking for a book on command line as he is hooked. So there. ;D

15

Well done that man … new to Linux AND not scared of the CLI :slight_smile:

Maybe he should try Pep … damn.