Adjusting the brightness (Mepis 7.0)

Install kgamma using Synaptic. Then right click on desktop, choose "Configure Desktop>Display and click "Monitor Gamma" tab.

Enabling num lock on startup (Mepis 7.0)

Open Control Centre>Peripherals> Keyboard then click the button for Number Lock on at Startup.

Click Apply

Installing Beryl (Mepis 7.0)

Firstly, add the following lines to your repo's by going to /etc/apt/sources.list and opening with "Kate".

deb http://debian.beryl-project.org/ etch main
deb-src http://debian.beryl-project.org/ etch main

Then download the gpg key by typing into a console.

wget -O - http://debian.beryl-project.org/root@lupine.me.uk.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Reload Synaptic or apt-get, then choose all Beryl packages, apart from beryl-dev, and install.

N.B. See link on fixing graphical glitches in Beryl after installation.

http://my-linux-installation-files.blogspot.com/search/label/Beryl

Playing DVD's (Mepis 7.0)

First you need to install the "libdvdcss2" software. To do so type into a console (as su).....

kate /etc/apt/sources.list

and unhash the line which reads.....

# deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org stable main

so that it reads......

deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org stable main

Reload your sources, either via Apt with the "update" command, or via Synaptic with the "reload" button. Then search for and install the libdvdcss2 package. DVD's will now play in Kaffeine, KM Player etc.

Beryl - Fixing Graphical Dropouts After Installation

Add the following line to /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"

The edited file should read.....

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nvidia"
BoardName "unknown"
Option "XAANoOffscreenPixmaps"

ANOTHER SOLUTION:

Now you need to edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and do the following changes...

kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf

... then add these two lines under the “Screen” section....

Option “XAANoOffscreenPixmaps”
Option “AddARGBGLXVisuals” “true”

... then add these lines under “Device”...

Option “AllowGLXWithComposite” “true”

Option “RenderAccel” “true”

...then add this line under “Server Layout”...

Option “AIGLX” “on”

Finally at the end of the file add these lines...

Section “Extensions”
Option “Composite” “Enable”
EndSection

Now save the file and exit.

You need to reboot Mepis and now Beryl and nVidia with work.

nVidia Issues on Boot (Mepis 7.0)

Choose the VESA driver option, altering the string from

init=/etc/init vga=normal quiet drvr=vesa

to...

init=/etc/init vga=791 quiet drvr=vesa

Screen Resolution and Refresh Rate

On installing Linux, often the screen resolution displays incorrectly, as does the screen refresh rate. The first step is to install the correct drivers. This is done in Mepis by using the "MEPIS X-Window Assistant". Under nVidia, choose "nVidia (new)" before clicking "apply". The software should automatically download and install. Restart the x-server.

To set the correct resolution simply boot to the Live CD, choose 1280x1024 from the GRUB menu (by pressing f3) and let it install. Once it has booted, go again to "X-Window Assistant" and under the "repair" tab choose "copy the current xorg" configuration, altering the destination as applicable. Restart your computer.

To set the resolution correctly simply define the parameters of your monitor in the "X-Windows Assistant". For the "Neovo F-417" Monitor the refresh rate is 75Hz vertical and 80kHz horizontal (vertical 50Hz - 75Hz/horizontal 24kHz - 80kHz). Click on "apply" and restart the x-server.

NOTE: Although the refresh rate still shows as 50 to 60Hz in the Control Center>Peripherals> Display>Size and Orientation section, checking out the on screen refresh rate will show that all is as it should be, and that this is a just a false reading.

Mount Error In mtab

On boot, after a clean install of Mepis 7.0, Linux will throw up a error message of....

mount: according to mtab, sysfs is already mounted on /sys

To remedy, remove the sections in the fstab text file that are prefixed with "none", replacing them with the duplicate, complete entries from mtab. Save and reboot.

For example:

After a clean install, /etc/fstab will read as.....

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda5 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda6 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0622 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home auto defaults,noatime 1 2
# Dynamic entries below
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs-3g noauto,users 0 0
/dev/sda2 /mnt/sda2 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0

Remove the values preceded with the word "none" and replace them with their mtab equivalents, as found in the /etc/mtab text file.

/dev/sda5 / ext3 rw,noatime 0 0
tmpfs /lib/init/rw tmpfs rw,nosuid,mode=0755 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
procbususb /proc/bus/usb usbfs rw 0 0
udev /dev tmpfs rw,mode=0755 0 0
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs rw,nosuid,nodev 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620 0 0
shmfs /lib/init/rw/splashy tmpfs rw 0 0
fusectl /sys/fs/fuse/connections fusectl rw 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home ext3 rw,noatime 0 0
binfmt_misc /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc binfmt_misc rw 0 0

The resulting file should read as:

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda5 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda6 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
procbususb /proc/bus/usb usbfs rw 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home auto defaults,noatime 1 2
# Dynamic entries below
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs-3g noauto,users 0 0
/dev/sda2 /mnt/sda2 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0

Altering the Screen Resolution

Often, after a clean installation, the screen resolution is wrong. To rectify the problem, boot up the Mepis LiveCD. At the GRUB menu screen hit F3 and choose the screen resolution you want. Boot up Mepis and go to system/Mepis/Mepis X-Window Assistant. Under the repair tab choose "destination" and "root partition" information. "Apply", "Ok" and then restart your machine

SATA ONLY fstab - Mounting Fat32/NTFS Partitions (Mepis 6.5)

Original fstab after clean install of Simply Mepis 6.5:

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda5 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda6 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0622 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home ext3 defaults,noatime 1 2
# Dynamic entries below
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs-3g noauto,users 0 0
/dev/sda2 /mnt/sda2 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/hda /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy vfat,ext2 noauto,users,exec,rw 0 0

To auto-mount the other drive partitions, allowing read/write privileges on the fat32 partitions, alter the fstab entry by doing the following::

su
kate /etc/fstab

Change the fstab entry until it looks like the following:

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda5 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda6 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0622 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
/dev/sda7 /home ext3 defaults,noatime 1 2
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs-3g auto,users 0 0
# Dynamic entries below
/dev/sda2 /mnt/sda2 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda3 /mnt/sda3 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/hda /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy vfat,ext2 noauto,users,exec,rw 0 0

Then add the following to your /etc/rc.local file before "exit":


if [ -e /usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh ]; then
/usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh
fi

Create a folder named "bin within the /usr/local folder. Then inside that folder create a text called mountVFAT.sh. That text file should contain the following information:

#!/bin/bash

sudo -u melchizedek mount /mnt/sda2
sudo -u melchizedek mount /mnt/sda3

Change the file permissions using the following command:

chmod ug+x /usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh


Reboot

Getting Synaptic/D-Link DSL-G624T Router To Work (Mepis 6.5)

First, type in this:

su
kate /etc/resolv.conf

Then hash out the entry that's there and add two new nameservers, so it looks like below:

nameserver 208.67.222.222
nameserver 208.67.220.220
#nameserver 192.168.1.1

Save and then retry Synaptic. If the fix works, when you reboot it'll reset, so you need to edit your dhclient.con file to make the fix permanent.

su
cp /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf.bak
kate /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf

Find this line in the code.....

#prepend domain-name-servers 127.0.0.1;

and replace it with......

prepend domain-name-servers 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220;

(notice I've removed the hash symbol as well as changing the servers).

Next, look for the "domain-name-servers" line, and remove it. The text will look something like this........

request domain-name-servers, subnet-mask, broadcast-address, time-offset, routers, domain-name, host-name, netbios-name-servers, netbios-scope;

Remove the bit that says "domain name servers," making sure you remove the comma too. Save the file and then restart your network. The changes should then hold on reboot.

SATA/PATA - Mounting Fat32/NTFS Partitions (Mepis 6.5)

Original fstab after clean install of Simply Mepis 6.5:

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda3 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda2 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0622 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
# Dynamic entries below, identified by 'users' option
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs noauto,users,exec,ro,umask=0222 0 0
/dev/hdc1 /mnt/hdc1 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/hdc5 /mnt/hdc5 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda4 /mnt/sda4 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom iso9660,udf noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0

To auto-mount the other drive partitions, allowing read/write privileges on the fat32 partitions, alter the fstab entry by doing the following:

su
kate /etc/fstab

Change the fstab entry until it looks like the following:

# Pluggable devices are handled by uDev, they are not in fstab
/dev/sda3 / ext3 defaults,noatime 1 1
/dev/sda2 swap swap sw,pri=1 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /proc/bus/usb usbfs devmode=0666 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0622 0 0
none /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
/dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1 ntfs-3g auto,users 0 0
# Dynamic entries below
/dev/hdc1 /mnt/hdc1 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/hdc5 /mnt/hdc5 vfat,ext3,ext2,reiserfs noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/sda4 /mnt/sda4 auto noauto,users,exec 0 0
/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0
/dev/hda /media/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,users,exec,ro 0 0

Then add the following to your /etc/rc.local file before "exit":

if [ -e /usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh ]; then
/usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh
fi

Create a folder named "bin within the /usr/local folder. Then inside that folder create a text called mountVFAT.sh. That text file should contain the following information:

#!/bin/bash

sudo -u melchizedek mount /mnt/hdc1
sudo -u melchizedek mount /mnt/hdc5
sudo -u melchizedek mount /mnt/sda4

Change the file permissions using the following command:

chmod ug+x /usr/local/bin/mountVFAT.sh

Reboot