Oh, I get it! 

Thanks PhiX and atolboo!  I was still in a Windows mindset about admin, users with admin rights, and users with no rights.  The way I was doing it, made no sense after I realized switching between two users for different reasons was unecessary.  So, what I did was put the stuff I had in my non-admin user into my admin user home folder and then deleted the user, so now I have just one log in choice.  And, per operation, I see that Pardus asks if you want to remember the authentication settings for the processes for the user with admin rights.  That is handy/helpful!  Thanks again, fellas for the time you took to explain it to me.  I was really confused. 

Regards,
Lisa Marie

Hi PhiX and Mhmrcs,

That was what I was wondering, does it matter.  The small drop down menu allows for both in the PiSi GUI. 

It took me a half hour to figure out how to resize the screenshots, though they probably aren't needed now for reference, but, since I spent that time working on it    I just know they'll be too tiny to read.  Here goes...

This is what I wrote before I resized the images:
"I've never messed with System>User Manager as I don't mind typing in passwords, and prefer to instead of it being automated.

So I'm not messing up the system using either, or?  At first I was just typing in the Super User password, but have now started using root passoword.  I could edit the User Manager actions for this user (ID 1000) that already has administrative rights when I first created it during installation.  Should I give it more rights?  I mentioned before I also have a non-administrative user, which sessions I use for surfing, multimedia stuff, and office stuff.

I am a bit confused as to how to install packages through PiSi, whether to use super user password or root password?

For example, if I click on a package in PiSi and click "install package(s), it will tell me I have "x" amount of  packages or package to install...do I want to continue?"  I select, continue.  Then it brings up an Authentication Required pop up.  "Authentication as Super user is required..."

It has this same pop up for Kernel updates as well. 

In the pop up, I can click on a drop down menu in User: and have the option to select "root".

I found out it does matter with kernel updates as you need to use "root" or it will not install, at least it didn't for me in the last kernel update from 16 to 19.  So, how do you know which authentication password to use.  Lately, I have been selecting root for all updates, but I wonder if this is right to do.

Sorry, as I am coming from the world of Ubuntu that has no root, but only su.  I need some clarification on this. 

Regards,
Lisa Marie

Someday, Mhmrcs! 

Some would dislike living here - too many bugs, no city noises, no sidewalks, owls hooting, coyotes howling at night, cicadas and katydids droning in the summer...

Thank you, atolboo for the added information!  I appreciate it!  I am back to where I was.  Last night I used the handy/helpful GUI system tool HIstory Manager, which I will say, I have never used before, but a tool that is very helpful to put you back in a place before you arrived at a messy spot. 

I first went back to before I added the two utilities, nv-settings and x-config, to see if I could still use the 177 driver.  But, when I logged out, I had to hit restart button as as the screen was black with a floating "autoconfig, please wait" from my monitor appeared.  So, I logged back in, and the log in page wasn't in the right layout size, a bit stretched, so I went to History Manager and went back another history step to prior to installing the 177 drivers.  I was able to restart with no problems then, but the login and desktop fonts were still a bit odd, and I noticed in Display Manager that the resolution was at 1200x768 or something like that.  I ended up having to set my monitor to "plug and play" to get it right (Acer AL1716) and select the correct resolution.

My latest xconfig file was not as it should be, even though the display resolution was correct, so I did a silly thing, and installed Pardus 2008.1 on another partition so I could compare the original xconfig file and then manually changed some of the settings as root  such as depth from 16 to 24 and from VGA1 to VGA2 and I removed those extra back up files.  Picky picky picky. 

Again, thanks for the added input.  My complaint is that newcomers will end up frustrated, as many of the  LINUX distros have a, what shall I call it, nag screen, that says, "you are not using the proprietary drivers for your card, you won't be able to fully use its 3D effects."  Most newcomers will think, Okay! and go about the install process, just to find they have lost their xsession.  It needs to be easier so as not to put off these newcomers, or maybe no nag screen, as human nature tends to want to follow the suggestions from the OS.  So far, I am still perplexed.  I still do not understand how to install it.  So, I marked this solved, but solved, sort of.   

Warm regards,
Lisa Marie

Hi,

And a big thanks to the both of you...now, get some sleep! 

I will try the suggestions, and will inquire at a later date as all newbs do,

"Then why are nvidia-settings and nvidia-xconfig available as packages if they cause problems?" 

I am also wondering if one should be compeletely out of the xsession to install these extra configuration utilities?  You know, like reboot, and go into console and run the nvidia-xconfig as root from there.

I must say, at this larger font size, I can easily read things without my reading glasses. 

Thanks again, fellas!

Lisa Marie

 

Hi,

I wanted to give this another try, since obviously some of you have successfully installed nvidia drivers for your computer.  My install failed again, but at least I can give more clues:

Geforce 8500, and I recently updated the kernel, as well as Display Manager.

I have two users: one with admin rights. 

I was in my super admin session. I opened up Display Manager> which suggested I use Nvidia-drivers177.  I typed in Root password and it took me to package manager, I downloaded the suggested package (as root), as well as Nvidia-settings and nVidia-xconfig additonal packages for would think these are needed to configure the driver.
In Display manager, I have three options, nv driver, the nVidia driver. and I can't remember the third.  I ticked nVidia that was just installed. I was previously using the Linux nv driver.  I then restarted the system, and my layout was large.  I logged in to my super admin. user desktop, and went to Tasma>System>Display Manager, and it said I wasn't using the nvidia drivers and would I like to install them.  ?  > The driver was now  set to Vesa.  Resolution was set to 800x600, but at least I had a choice to select my 1280x1024 resolution, but I decided to quit there, and try the nVidia Settings GUI.  It said that I wasn't using the nvidia driver and to run nvidia-xconfig as root, and restart xserver.  Okay, I did this in another Linux distro and ran into trouble, but I'm all for breaking the system to work out bugs.  So, I did as root in terminal, the output for nvidia-xconfig:

Both nvidia-xconfig and nvidia-settings executables are located in /usr/bin ownership is root/root.

After running this command, I then went to System>Display Manager and I get the error:

"Display manager cannot get configuration information. Configuration file may be corrupted or modified by another tool. If you want to use display manager to configure your video hardware, you must create a new configuration file.
Would you like to create a new configuration at the next boot?"

I dare not reboot the system for not wanting to lose the xserver.  So, where did I go wrong?  I am almost convinced that I am not able to use this third party driver as such, and will happily go back to using the Linux nv driver instead.  I was curious to try this again, and this time take notes of the sequence and errors I received so I could share the output, in case you notice I am doing something wrong.  The only other thing I can think of is that I should have typed in my super admin password instead of my root password, otherwise, I'm confused as to how to get this working correctly.  Or, maybe I did something in the wrong order.  Maybe I should have run the nvidia-xconfig after installing the driver before I rebooted.

Do I need to manually edit the xconfg file, the one created by nvidia? 

Sorry to throw this out there on a late Sunday.  I can wait a day for any suggestions.

Second file:
Third file:

Thanks for having a look.  Oh, just after downloading these, I went ahead and downloaded cmake, in case it would help smooth the integration.

Regards,
Lisa Marie

@atolboo, Well, then, I'll have another cup.  Thank  you!

@MitraMai, yes it is peaceful and secluded.   

Mornings have been a bit different of late, as cold weather has arrived, so I usually get up when our cat, Cloe wants out, which is very early in the morning, and put another log in the woodstove, and then back to bed.

This morning, a change: let the girls out of the pen, and since I made English muffins yesterday, I had a toasted buttered muffin sprinkled with Parmesan, and hot cocoa with cinnamon, whisked to a froth. (take a whisk and spin it between your hands).  Delicious combination. 

Lisa Marie

  
 

Option other: go outside to let Cora (our adopted Germ. Sherpherd) off porch, let the three hens out of the pen, feed six cats, make coffee, (no sugar or milk, please), boot up Pardus, eat cereal or enjoy a fry up, go sit down at computer and have a giggle over some of the posts here.   

Lisa Marie

eh, 36 is so young!  It is when you get to 39 that you start noticing that you have to tilt your head towards the speaker to hear them better, and hold your arms away further to read the newspaper print more clearly.    

Happy Birthday, Willem!

Warmest regards,
Lisa Marie

Hello Northern Frog,

what multimedia format are you trying to play?  Does it matter if it is DVD, AVI, Divx?

Try a different xine engine in Kaffene:

xine engine paremeters>video> and change "auto" to some of the other selections to see if it works. 

Still, it shouldn't just stop showing video for you if it worked previously.   Oftentimes updates will mess up video.  What is your video card specs?

You can also play in MPlayer that will usually give good information output.  I think VLC does this too, to use as a diagnostic tool of this particular medium you are trying to play. 

Lisa Marie

I can confirm that it was necessary to be root to download these system updates.

If you will notice, while PiSi is fetching, when it gets the entire file of whatever system application, it will say
downloading...
configuring...
installing...

and where it stalled was it just after it finished fetching the kernel file, which was about 17.1 mb in size, and since it didn't have root authorization, it failed to configure and install.  Makes sense.

So, I would concur that to install system updates, one needs to use root (su) and not use administrative user (super user)  Correct?  That's how it is in my system, anyway.

Lisa Marie

Alan, with vintage in mind, it is, "Forty-Seven Ginger-Headed Sailors" .   

http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn2278409

Lisa Marie

Me, too, Mourningdove (oh, and thanks for spelling Joe's name correctly )  I've never heard of any of these musicians or songs. 

Listening to some muzzleloader guns in the distance.  Yes, I live in the country and it is the beginning of deer hunting season.  Our small property (ten acres) is a safe haven for the deer. 

I'm also listening to a movie, The Thomas Crown Affair.  My back is out after doing too much straightening up to ready our house to put up for sale.  So, on the sofa with the heating pad. 

Lisa Marie

Hi Bahri,

I've always used K 9 copy.  The only thing it doesn't do is remove the region code, which from what I hear, has some lawsuits against its legality - region codes - that is.  When you think of it, it is a silly thing, especially when you think of transcontinental air flights going from one country to another.  While watching an in flight movie, is the movie going to melt while traveling  from one region code to another?   

Give the above app a try, and make sure you have libdvdcss installed. 

Lisa Marie