Arch help!

Discussion in 'all things UNIX' started by wat0114, Jan 19, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Alright, I'm trying to fast-track my way to Linux Geekdom...LOL, fat chance :D :p Anyway, I installed Arch 32 bit in VBox, went with ext 4 file system and basically all defaults in package install and configuration. The grub gave me grief (grub-grief :D ) but got it licked. So, I log in as root and greeted with the "#" prompt. No problem I figure because startx should get me to the graphics, but lo and behold it's not a recognized command. No other variation either. Even "ls" does nothing :'( Does anyone know where I could have gone wrong?? Thanks in advance! BTW, I will keep fighting the good fight until I get it beat :D This won't be easy I figure, but I'm game :) Heck, how else am I gonna learn linux properly (well, besides studying boring commands and all that stuff ;) ).
     
  2. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Posts:
    10,639
  3. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

    Joined:
    May 9, 2005
    Posts:
    10,215
    Serious question, why?

    Building an OS from scratch is a great exercise, but it won't teach you the right way of working. You should start top down and not bottom up. See the big picture, identify problematic areas and then dig in until you reach the intermixed assembly and C code. Not the other way around.

    Mrk
     
  4. Ocky

    Ocky Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,713
    Location:
    George, S.Africa
    Uh..erm.. I for one am happy to leave the C code and other goodies to the advanced cognoscenti and just enjoy what I can with the mainstream distros. Main thing for me is to be able to do all that I did in Windows in the past. I am pleased to report that I am practically there.
    What I do miss a little (only a little) in this forum is the lack of discussion on the actual applications that we beginners need to do things and how to fix stuff, Mrk's website being the exception of course.
    Having said that, hats off to wat0114 for having the guts to try Arch.:thumb:
     
  5. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2006
    Posts:
    9,065
    pacman -S Xorg
    then install a desktop environment

    I have sucessfully installed and setup arch linux on my laptop.
    I used Gnome as desktop environment.
     
  6. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Guts or maybe stupidity :D Seems to me I'm getting in over my head with Arch atm. I'm just starting to realize there's alot more to the setup than I initially thought. Anyway, thanks all for your help. Maybe it's something I'll go for a bit later when I have more experience with the finer aspects of Linux. The mainstream distros are excellent, Mint and Mepis in particular in my experience.

    BTW,WSFuser, good to see you back :) Didn't see a post from you for the longest time.

    Good point. I'm heading downward too quickly, I think ;)
     
  7. dan_maran

    dan_maran Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2004
    Posts:
    1,053
    Location:
    98031
    I don't think it was too fast, I mean look at those of us who started with Slackware in the 90's....

    Arch is a great distro which will, in my opinion, help you realize how the system works. Granted the 'Buntu's are making things great for new users to look at the GUI and use the internet, Office docs etc. But the real fun is at ~$
     
  8. andb

    andb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2008
    Posts:
    51
    I remember it took me 3 times before i got arch installed correctly and reached a desktop environment for the first time. But i have done a couple of reinstalls since then, and these days install is very trouble free and goes fast.
     
  9. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Say, is there a way to decrease the time it takes before the "Connection timed out" alert? It tries for such a long time (couple minutes) before the message occurs.

    Hmmm, maybe I just dump that mirror??

    BTW, things are looking up in my Arch adventure :) Managed to update pacman and get the sound working, added user account :)
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 24, 2010
  10. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Posts:
    10,639
    Yes I would switch mirrors. BTW you can uncomment multiple mirrors and if pacman cannot connect to the first, it will try the second one, etc.
     
  11. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Thanks WSFuser! I've got some servesr uncommented (Australia, Canada, USA, and a few others I can't remember) Will have to re-visit them and try some things, including getting rid of that pesky aarnet.edu.au mirror.
     
  12. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Attached Files:

  13. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Posts:
    10,639
    Congrats :)
     
  14. quintile

    quintile Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2008
    Posts:
    138
    :thumb: :thumb: :cool: Good for you, Wat!! :D
     
  15. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Thanks! Now all I need are some applications.

    Can't also forget to credit 'Fuser for the beginners guide link and to all who encouraged :thumb:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 25, 2010
  16. Beavenburt

    Beavenburt Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2006
    Posts:
    566
    Glad I could be of assistance Wat. You'll have fun with Arch, it's a fun, nerdy distro. You will learn a lot from it. It has a tendancy to break occasionally after an update due to being so bleeding edge but you will learn how to fix things. If you're in the mood for playing don't use kde but build you're own customised desktop. The worlds you're oyster with Arch.
     
  17. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    Thanks Beavenburt. Overnight I had the complete desktop downloading but one of the packages was corrupted, so no upgrade took place. Maybe I'll try again except this time on the real system. At least now I've got a reasonable comfort level after the VBox install.
     
  18. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    I also got a successful Gnome install in Vbox a couple days ago, including the desktop extras, so I decided to try on the real system on my extra h/drive. Spent most of yesterday, mostly all went well except more struggles - not surprisingly - with the dreaded video drivers (not an issue in the VBox). Nothing worked for the x64 disk, so I went with the 32 bit and found success with the xf86-video-nv driver. Unfortunately the nVidia 173xx drivers which work so well in Mint don't work at all, even after experimenting with different horiz/vert refresh settings by lowering the maximums. Strange that the vesa driver didn't work?? Also found the solution to get python and powerpill installed. Basically the packages needed upgrading first (pacman -Syu) and the order of install is actually different than that of the guide. Pacman download speeds are pretty good once the troublesome mirrors are identified and commented out and phenomenal package install speeds. The rankmirror test screwed up for some reason the default mirrorlist (wiped out all entries??) but luckily it's backed up beforehand!

    So, finally got it all installed but without fail shortly, usually within a couple minutes, after logging into desktop the mouse freezes and there's total loss of keyboard input. Only a hard re-boot to resolve :( I don't know what's causing this; maybe the video drivers still not quite right or maybe because I went with default input device drivers (xf86-input-keyboard/mouse?) Will have to get to the logs for clues.

    However, in spite of problems this has been a gratifying learning experience discovering what goes on under the hood, with no regrets over the time and effort spent :) the beginners guide is great for those like myself who have little knowledge about Linux but just enough to take on the challenge. I found that I understood very little about what I was doing the first install, a bit better on the second and by the 3rd it's making far more sense to me now.
     
  19. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2006
    Posts:
    9,065
    Hey,
    I have video driver issues on my laptop with arch as well.
    I have a mobile radeon HD cant remember what model atm. if i switch to tty using ctrl and F keys and then back to X all the colour is messed up.
     
  20. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    It's too bad, though I'm not sure if it's mostly isolated cases for those using Arch and other distros. Mint/Ubuntu no problems for me at all, and Mepis, even x64, not bad except the screen size shrinks on enabling compiz & special effects using proprietary driver.
     
  21. Beavenburt

    Beavenburt Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2006
    Posts:
    566
    I have an nvidia card, when there's an update to X you'll get problems all over again. It's the main reason I dropped arch as my main distro. Pacman -Syu is like playing russian roulette. Far too bleeding edge to be usefull long term is arch. Great for playing but not great for a stable working environment. Keep having fun and learning with it but I suspect you will move on in time.
     
  22. wat0114

    wat0114 Guest

    You're right, it does not seem to be very stable. Actually I'm quite surprised it ranks so high in Distrowatch.It has been great for me as a "learning" distro, but I've pretty much already concluded I'd rather choose something else as a long-term production environment.
     
  23. L815

    L815 Guest

    How cumbersome is it to install nvidia drivers on debian? (assumption from avatar)

    I use arch atm because:
    1) It's easy to install nvidia drivers
    2) Rolling release

    I've haven't been with arch long enough to experience what you have, and I'd like to avoid it if there are other good options.
     
  24. WSFuser

    WSFuser Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2004
    Posts:
    10,639
  25. Beavenburt

    Beavenburt Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2006
    Posts:
    566
    There are many ways but I like a relatively easy life nowdays so I just use the sgfxi script. It does all the hard work for you.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.