Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Intro

If you have an old PC or laptop and are looking for a light weight OS to extend its service life then there are many offerings from Linux based around xcfe desktop. These distros such as mint linux or lubuntu, run beautifully on 15 year old PCs and laptops, and come with a whole host of easily installable free software for fun and or productivity (office type software).

Brocken Ubuntu

Unfortunately there are various obstacles that make a permanent migration from windows rather tricky, and in my case unsuccessful. I have high-lighted some problems I encountered below:

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Network Connectivity

This was the single insurmountable obstacle for me. If Linux (lubuntu) in this case will not automatically connect to the internet upon start up then its is a non starter. I experience connectivity problems with Puppy Linux also.

Setting a gateway IP address in windows, is typically done automatically. If it can't be done automatically, it can be easily set by typing a default gateway IP address (you router's address) in to a box, and it will stay there until you change it to something else.

With the two Linux distros I tried prior to writing this (puppy and lubuntu) I could not establish a automated connection to the internet, this was after around 4 hours of googling the $h1t out of the subject and trying all sorts of  command line (console in linux) options.

The default gateway would not stay where I put it. I found the correct value to change but it would change back to the default every time I rebooted.

It is very rare that I find myself beaten, but I just couldn't fix this very basic problem, despite trying a dozen or so methods listed on linux forums.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Console

Use of the command line in windows is saved for special occasions. This is not the case with linux. Some of the most basic and certainly all of the moderately details OS edits take place using text instructions.

For example, setting up multiple monitors in linux, involves the use of xserver, this is not so challenging to do, but it is difficult compared to installing ultramon on windows. And will involve some work through the console.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Printers

I have documented by experience with getting printers to print. (Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux) and it is a depressing and fruitless experience.

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Forums

Much of the advice you will search for come from forums. This is fine in principal and reflects the open source / community effort that is linux. However. forums are often packed with opinion, and very often multiple opinions (solutions perhaps) for the same problem.

So this results in one (me) making numerous command line code edits with no clue as to whether they will work or not, and 90% of the time they do not work.

 

Why I Would Love to Switch to Linux But Can't - Conclusion

In order to use a computer I need 2 things:

1. Connection to Internet
2. Ability to Print

Any thing else I can learn to provide at my leisure, but the with the several linux distros I have tried, including linspire, lubuntu, ubuntu, xubuntu and puppy I have not been able to reliably to provide these very basic of necessities on a small group of PC over a simple home network. 

Context

I run 5 PCs over a mixed wired and wireless network. Some are windows PCs some are linux. I have a typically router that handles DHCP requests, and a networked (IP) canon printer. Two of the PCs run multiple monitors. 

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Fixing Boot Problems - After GRUB, Linux or Partition

Fixing Boot Problems - After GRUB, Linux or Partition - Intro

If you have been using some kind of multi OS boot loader on you computer and then decide to go back to a single OS you could run in to problems with booting your computer.

If you are migrating from a Linux type boot loader then start at step 1. If you have only been using windows then skip to Step 2.

Fixing Boot Problems - After GRUB, Linux or Partition - Step 1

The first thing to check is that your your disk is "flagged" a a boot drive. The easiest way to do this is to boot a copy of puppy linux from a live CD, and run "gparted". Once you are at the puppy linux desktop choose:

Menu > System > GParted Partition Manager

1. Select the Drive with Windows (sda internal drive for example)
2. Click OKAY button.
3. Right Click on the Windows Partition
4. Select "Manage Flags"
5. Check the "Boot" check box.
6. "Close" the check box screen
7. Shutdown system

At this point remove the puppy linux live CD and try to reboot. This may work on its own. If not proceed to Step 2

Fixing Boot Problems - After GRUB, Linux or Partition - Step2

Next we need to fire up the recovery console, which is done by booting from your relavnet operating system CD / DVD.

For XP

1. Boot from CD
2. Choose to Repair Console. At command prompt. . .
3. Type "fixmbr" press enter, confirm prompts.
4. Type "fixboot" press enter.
5.  Type "exit"

For Windows 7, 8 and 10

1. Boot From CD
2. Run Start Up Repair

or . . .  .

1. Boot from CD
2. Run Reocvery from Command Prompt
3. Type "cd\" to change directory to hard drive. Enter
4. Type "bootrec"
5. Choose a switch such as /fixboot or /fixmbr e.g. bootrec /fixmbr
6. You can also "rebuidlbcd"

After try all of the aaove if you still can't boot properly . . .

Fixing Boot Problems - After GRUB, Linux or Partition - Step 3

A full repair i.e. copying over you windows install. 

For XP this is:

1. Boot from CD
2. Press Enter to "Setup XP"
3. Press "r" to repair.

This will look like you are doing a fresh install, but really you will be re-installing over the existing OS so much should be the same.

 Please post any comments below. .  .

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Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux

Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux (Debian) - Intro

Whilst I am in love with the idea of a free OS, and a bundle of apps to go with it, I do require an OS to function fully. I have found that if you have Canon printers, you can spend hours (8 or 9 hours) trying to get the printers configured, with no success.

This is no doubt the fault of Canon, but in short if you intend to use Linux with a Canon Network Printer you are in for a battle. Particularly if you are new to linux.

I have tried to get things to work using Lubuntu (Ubuntu light)  & Puppy Linux (Slacko). I found the OS's to be feature rich, and snappy (especially puppy), but I will be reverting to windows owing to lack of print ability.

Linux Versions Tried

• Puppy Linux - Slacko
• Lubuntu - Version 14

Printers

• LBP6300n
• LBP7100n

Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux (Debian) -What is Involved

I did not get my printer to work. Here is a list of the things I tried. In order to start the install process you will need the IP address of the printer, which is hopefully static. You can get this by logging in to your router and looking under attached devices or similar.

• Installing a large variety of "generic" print drivers included in the driver data base included within each OS.
• Downloading Drivers from HP and try both auto and manual install procedures.
• Adding in numerous services / packages at the console (similar to command prompt in windows).
• Copy and paste missing files in to root directory using root privileges at command prompt.

So in short you are looking at copy and paste of quite a bit of code, hours of web research, and likely no success.

Like I say most things I can do computer wise but I have fallen flat on this one.

Setting Up a Canon Network Printer on Linux - Process as Tested

So first download and extract (right click on downloaded driver file), and put the files in a new directory to keep things tidy. Then you can look for ppd files, which are buried 7 levels down in a single folder. Or search from within console (Ctrl+Alt+T).


Press "/" and enter to get the ">" sign up and then type or copy in:

locate *.ppd

You can then use this ppd, when prompted for in the printer install utility. After you have done this, in may case I was told I needed to find a missing file:

"Printer 'Canon-LBP6300-CAPT' requires the '/usr/lib/cups/filter/pstocapt3' program but it is not currently installed.  Please install it before using this printer."

So back in console. . .  .

locate pstocapt3

it will tell you where the file is and the copy it in too the director that the printer package tells you to

for example:

Idle - File "/usr/lib/cups/filter/pstocapt3" not available: No such file or directory.





You can not just paste a file in to the OS section, you will need "root" privalages, so you need to type.

sudo pcmanfm 





In order to open the file manager with root privileges to copy files over. In Ubuntu (rather than Lubuntu) I believe Nautilus is the file manager.

So then the problem persists and nothing prints still, and this was where I bowed out.

I hope you have better luck, or Canon make things easier somehow, I have heard that HP printers set up a lot easier.






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