My first try with Mint 12

[Nicram]

Hello!
I'm user of Linux Mint start with version 3 i think Quiet long time
At first i was using it at home side by side with Windows.
I work at school where i installed it and i use it as main router/firewall/dhcpd computer at one classroom with computers.
Few days ago i saw Cinnamon desktop, and news that it needs some translations. I want to help, so i made some translations, and wanna prepare environment to test it when localization files will be released. I didn't use Mint at my home machine for very long time, so my idea was to install fresh new Mint 12! (i had version 8 installed).
My config is simple, Compal FL90 laptop, and external USB disk (ADATA SH93).
I was always use Mint on external HDD (windows on my main disk). It was always problem to get it to work, i had too always, every time configure grub manually after install to make it work (i even made article about it at some notebooks forum, so other people could try it, it was for Mint 3).
What a surprise was for me, that installer didn't even ask me where to install grub, i was completely sure that after so many years, no problems with that.
I couldn't be wrong more :S After reboot i Hit F12, choose ADATA to start from and... Nothing, silence, only GRUB text in the top left corner, i was sure, that as usual problem with GRUB config. Well, nothing new, time to tweak it. So i start computer again and forgot to hit F12 to choose boot from DVD (and edit grub config). System started from master disk with... GRUB. I must say, iw as very, very angry and disappointed that it has been installed without even notice about it.
It just shouldn't happen at all. If i would be typical new user, without computer knowledge what would i think?
But it is not end of the nightmare...
If i unplugged ADATA from USB, and reboot, GRUB even didn't start itself leaving only "grub rescue" where is no help, man or anything like that, so user will know what to do next, why there is problem, and how to fix it. I mean, c'mon, it is 2012, Mint grow up up to so high version, why after soooooo many years it still can't do such things, and it's even worse than with version 3 (that did ask me where to install grub, and didn't broke my mine disk mbr without any notice).
Well, at least i know how to fix the situation, but i'm sure many people will not. Please, fix this!
Second thing is, that after finally start Mint i installed two things: nvidia drivers (using tool inside system) and Cinnamon. The first thing didn't work, and even after restart it was still working slow with wrong resolution. Cinnamon install nice, i installed even some applet, extension and theme. After system reboot, Cinnamon stopped to work at all (even when it is choosen in the login menu). So now i got more things to fix, than before install.
I know it is wrong category, but will cinnamon work on other Linux distro to check localizations in future?

And help for other people like me:
Start Windows Vista/7 from DVD (installation disk), then choose Your keyboard settings and "Repair you computer".
After that, inside "System Recovery Options " window choose "Command Prompt".
command prompt will appear, type there those 2 commands:
bootrec.exe /FixBoot
bootrec.exe /FixMbr

[xenopeek]

Moved here by moderator

I can imagine this not being what you expected IIRC, if during installation you use the manual partitioning, instead of using the automatic one, you get to choose where to install Grub (in which case, you would have installed it to your new / or /boot partition).

It can be some work to get proprietary graphics cards working with Cinnamon, as it needs working 3D acceleration. Hopefully later this year the improvements being made to Gnome will roll to Cinnamon, making it also work fine with graphics cards that lack working 3D acceleration.

Cinnamon works on various other distros, so you should be able to test translations there also. Other distros may take some work to get Cinnamon running. See: http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/?page_id=61 for links to instructions for other distros.

Cinnamon is translated in Launchpad, here https://translations.launchpad.net/linu ... s/cinnamon. Join the translation team to be able to work on the translations

[Nicram]

Thank You for reply. Well, i didn't noticed any "manual installation" button, i just use icon on the desktop for that.
Can You tell me where to click to choose where to install Grub? I cannot find this option in documentation.
With the graphic, if it worked once for me, it should also work more right? so it means, after one restart it did work (so i can use Cinnamon), and second one it didn't. Even more strange to me :S But i'm sure there was (Recommend) near the driver in the addon devices.

Yes, i use Launchpad for translations It's cool way of helping to the community, easy to work with this (this is what elive really needs, i remember their methodology of making translations wasn't so nice).

Well thanks for reply.

[xenopeek]

It's the below step of the installation, you will have to choose "Something else". You can also run the installer with instruction to not install Grub. To do so, press Alt+F2 and type:

Code: Select all

ubiquity --no-bootloader

[Nicram]

Yes, thank You. I used something else, but didn't notice that line to install grub, well i made it finally, and it works; But the problem with grub not working when disk is plugged out from usb should be somehow fixed, grub should always work then

Well i tried package from nvidia website, and it needed to install without X11, but couldn;t find any nice button or something to do that, also thing that i think should be more visible for simple user. but after doing everything it works for me now. But i think, all that things are too hard for typical computer user, too bad

Thank You for help again