Help me i'm really a newbie in linux mint

[windrift]

Hi im really a newbie here in Linux mint can someone help me how to get around using Linux. Im somewhat really confused switching from Xp to Linux.... Like im having trouble installing my games and applications from Windows xp to Linux. I really dont know what to do tnx

[Mattd4AX3]

Hey, welcome, and since you've made it as far as installation you're doing great .

Linux, to put it lightly is a different operating system. EXE files do not work in Linux because they were coded for Windows.
Mint is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian Linux, so it use .deb files instead of .exe.

There are several different types of Linux, because Linux itself is just the core coding, Debian for instance takes the code, packages it up with a GUI(graphical user interface) and makes it usuable, Ubuntu customized Debian and made it even easier, and now Mint makes Ubuntu Linux almost as easy to the windows crossover.

Linux has a ton of choices, for instance, for a GUI microsoft uses windows explorer, Linux can have; KDE,Gnome, and more.

Simply put, Linux is not Windows, none of your programs will work unless they are available for Linux, being .60% of the market share kinda puts Linux on the shelf for lazy developers .

However, there is a program called WINE, it emulates Windows code inside Linux. http://appdb.winehq.org/

If you really need your windows programs, and are willing to pay for something to emulate them that works almost every time(wheras wine doesn't ALWAYS work). You should try buying http://www.transgaming.com/, http://www.win4lin.com/, and there is another but I can't remember the name.

Linux requires you to be hands-on with your computer, which can be really simple if you just google your problem, fallow the instructions to the letter and usually that problem will go away.

At the cost of being FREE, Linux doesn't have the giant market share that Microsoft has, if you ever find yourself saying, "Everything just works in Windows, why can't it in Linux", the simple answer is Linux does "just work" but the .60% market share forces developers to save time by not making programs for Linux, even though Linux alreayd has a plethora of free programs available over the internet.

As for your current problem, can you give us a list of games and applications that you need? We may be able to link you to places that will show you how to get them emulated under wine.


If things are still too difficult for you but you don't want to go back to windows, http://www.xandros.com/ is available for around 30 dollars, aswell as the programs I linked you to above.

[windrift]

tnx for the help i really appreciate it

well im very fond on online gaming like gunz audition and dota. And for other application i have this program autocad can you help me make it work on linux?

and one more thing can i transfer my windows document files to linux? can linux be able to open it?

tnx for the help slowly but surely im getting to it

[miket]

Hi,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint !

There is another option open to you to run your windows programs.
It is possible under Linux Mint to create what is called a "VirtualMachine" ... it is very easy to do and will give you
the ability to run windows in your Linux Mint environment.

If you take a look at http://www.virtualbox.org you will see what I am talking about.

Basically you can create a "VirtualMachine" and install Windows into the machine as if it were a normal PC,
then use this to run your windows programs.

This is how I do it as I have to support my customers who use the windows environment.
You can run almost any version of windows in this fashion, I am now running both XP and Vista in two
separate "VirtualMachines".

If you have any more questions or need help installing VirtualBox then please post here and I will try my best
to answer your questions directly.

As for your documents, if they are standard MS Office documents then you can continue to edit them under Open Office
which is installed by default under Linux Mint.

Mike.
http://www.avanceit.co.uk

Hi im really a newbie here in Linux mint can someone help me how to get around using Linux. Im somewhat really confused switching from Xp to Linux.... Like im having trouble installing my games and applications from Windows xp to Linux. I really dont know what to do tnx

[Ferdil]

Just remeber that, if your program is not compatible with linux, there will probably be another similar for linux that offers the same functionalities.

Just some examples:

Microsoft Office (or OpenOffice.org) in Windows => OpenOffice.org in Linux

Internet Explorer (or Firefox or Opera) in Windows => Firefox (or Opera or Epiphany or Konqueror) in Linux

Windows Live Messenger in Windows => eMeSeNe (or Pidgin or Gaim) in Linux


As far as I know AutoCAD has very few correspondants in Linux and none of them works very well, so I suggest you to use a Virtual Machine for that.

[Mattd4AX3]

tnx for the help i really appreciate it

well im very fond on online gaming like gunz audition and dota. And for other application i have this program autocad can you help me make it work on linux?

and one more thing can i transfer my windows document files to linux? can linux be able to open it?

tnx for the help slowly but surely im getting to it

If your talking about just getting access to the drive I believe if you go in computer>media>sda1 it should be the windows driver, you can read/copy files off NTFS but you can't write them to it, if you want to exchange files between windows and linux I'd suggest making a fat32 partition.

[windrift]

tnx for the much added info guys really really appreciate it

[linuxviolin]

you can read/copy files off NTFS but you can't write them to it

Hmm sorry but "can't write" to NTFS? Do you know ntfs-3g? This allows you to write on your NTFS partitions...

[Mattd4AX3]

you can read/copy files off NTFS but you can't write them to it

Hmm sorry but "can't write" to NTFS? Do you know ntfs-3g? This allows you to write on your NTFS partitions...

Never heard of it, is it a program?

[ed@Mint]

NTFS reading and writing works with Linux Mint out of the box
Fat32 partitions are a bad advice. It tends to get quickly very fragmented and can't hold file bigger than 4Gb (thus, no dvd allowed).
It actually *was* a nice advice but isn't anymore... If you need a partition to share between Linux and Windows, make it NTFS

cheers
ed

[gigga]

I have one question about that...

If I want to have a partition that is only going to be used in linux, where I want to store my music and movies etc, what partition-type should I use?

Thx for ur time

[ed@Mint]

If you want to be able to use it with windows -> NTFS
If it is only for Linux -> ext3

[gigga]

Thx for the answer..

Its only for linux.

But I have one further question.

The harddrive Im currently using is NTFS. And the new harddrive is going to be ext3. How can I transfer my files from the NTFS-disk to the new ext3-disk?
cos Windows cant see the ext3 right? Can I do the transfer in linux in some way?

[ed@Mint]

Yes you can.
If you want to see ext3 in windows, read this : http://www.linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=11323

[gigga]

thx for the help

[windrift]

Hi its been a while since i last posted here........ and by the way i did my research and tested all your suggestions like wine and i made it ...... but on virtual box i can't really make it work i just tested dual boot xp and linux... I've used linux for few days and I enjoyed it...... well anyway direct to the point i've installed virtualbox on linux but how can i make it work ) and how does it work if i've set up my pc on dual boot?

tnx

[windrift]

Sorry one more thing how can i make a voice and web cam to work on pidgin? tnx

[ed@Mint]

Concerning Virtual box, you have to create a virtual machine and install windows into it.
Thus, it won't be same same windows as the one you're currently dual-booting on your PC.

To know how exactly to proceed, i guess the best choice is to read the user manual provided on VirtualBox's own website : http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

I won't be able to help you with Pidgin since i don't use it.

[newW2]

Take a look at the post below, starting at: MACHINE CREATION. Also, make sure you add all users who wish to use it to the 'vboxusers' group.

To do this run :
sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers YOUR_LOGIN_NAME

[windrift]

hi guys tnx for those wonderful help on vbox its working now...... but i have one more question can vbox install a directx9 or higher ? most of my games won't work..... do i have to install some additions on vbox? tnx