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Welcome to the bleeding edge of the Linux world. Fedora Rawhide and the latest Ubuntu development also allow you to experience the brokenness of the bleeding edge.
Perhaps apt-get is keeping all of your downloaded updates. If this is the case, running apt-get clean will get rid of the (now unneeded) deb files.

 

Thanks RockDoctor, but doing apt-clean didn't work either, perhaps because I already used all the cleaning tools that seemed safe to use in smxi.

The hangup on the disti-upgrade is that it wants to install libuniconf4.6, but /etc/uniconf.conf is not letting it. So I'm thinking about deleting uniconf.conf so that the upgrade can proceed. Is that suicidal or safe?

I suspect that all the Sidux fans have HDs, not SSDs.

I see you've played with many OSes. Which do you recommend for a newbie who simply wants the wifi, card readers, webcam, mic and stuff to all work with minimal tweaking, have OpenOffice 3.1 with minimal fuss, and doesn't want to spend his life playing with an OS.

I'm a writer who uses the email and a browser. That's all I need.

 

This is what happens:

Code:

The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libuniconf4.6
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 26 not upgraded.
35 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 179kB of archives.
After this operation, 467kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 [url]http://ftp.fr.debian.org[/url] sid/main libuniconf4.6 4.6-1 [179kB]
Fetched 179kB in 0s (281kB/s)
(Reading database ... 109652 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking libuniconf4.6 (from .../libuniconf4.6_4.6-1_i386.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libuniconf4.6_4.6-1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite `/etc/uniconf.conf', which is also in package libuniconf4.4
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libuniconf4.6_4.6-1_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

QUESTION: Can I safely delete /etc/uniconf.conf, which apparently is impeding the install? :?:

Thanks!

 

Just tried a dist-upgrade and got the same message the fix is on sidux.com which is your freind in all things sidux related also have a click on sidux irc chat icon for any questions for an extremelly fast reply, the sidux support is exceptionally quick! have a look at this for the fix

http://sidux.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-17462.html

There you go two lines typed in a terminal and your system is good as new again! always have a look at the update warnings on the sidux forum before you dist-upgrade but when all said and done sidux seem to sort out most problems so damn quick thats one of the main features I like about it.

You are using smxi which is a great script for dist-upgrades but it is now not supported by the sidux system, many many people use it still my self included for the convenience of placing your repositories and installing openoffice flash player other window managers if nothing else. This is not however why the dist-upgrade returned an error ! Once you have run smxi and allowed it to install non-free repos, along with open-office flash player etc you can go along with using the command apt-get update then apt-get dist-upgrade to conduct your upgrades from the terminal as root instead of running smxi.

By the way the lirc is not configured message at boot is nothing to be concerned bout it is regarding infra red devices which the acer has none of unlike laptops that do! its just a standard message.

 

djtilko as usual saves the day! :ugeek:

Thanks for the tips! I'll spend more time on the sidux site for more solutions.

Although the update installed without a hitch, I still have one problem. I'll search for a solution in Sidux.com, but someone happens to know the solution, please post. If I find a solution, I'll post.

The logon screen appears without a hitch, but then I run into a problem immediately after logging in: the screen is dark and the only thing that appears is the mouse cursor (which responds to movement).

What's curious is that when I press <Alt+Tab> there is a message that appears "NO WINDOWS". Pressing any key combination doesn't work. Pressing the right mouse button doesn't do anything either. The only thing that seems to produce a response is Alt+Tab. I would get that message in KDE whenever there are no windows open and I did alt+tab. Therefore, it's as if KDE has loaded, but perhaps it's set at the wrong resolution (but it is set at 788, as far as I can tell at the boot up screen).

Any suggestions? I will look too, but I hope someone else has already had such an experience. Thank you!

 

Blank screen + movable mouse problem SOLVED

The Sidux ICQ guys saved the day with a simple solution:

apt-get install kde-minimal

After rebooting, the desktop rebuilt itself. Now I'm afraid of changing anything because everything works (it seems).

Thank you for your help!

 

Not sure that I'm qualified to answer - I like to play with my OS. Fedora 11 works for me out of the box; Ubuntu 9.04 does also but with one minor tweak. I keep both on my HDD, for when my distro-of-the-day self-destructs. What you probably need is a netbook-friendly distros with long-term support; unfortunately, I dont know of any.

 

RockDoctor:Although I'm sticking with Sidux (till it breaks) because i like it, I was curious to hear about your experience with Crunchbang and Kuki (both which sound promising). I also want an OS with a small footprint because my internal SDD has only 8GB and Sidux almost fills it up.

By the way, I was pretty sure I had already installed Adobe Flash, but just in case, I did this:

Code:

root@siduxbox:/home/ftapon# apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
flashplugin-nonfree is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

However, when I go to YouTube, for example, I get this instead of a video:

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.

My JavaScript is definitely checked on.

What am I doing wrong?

 

Not sure why flash is giving you problems. It works for me on both Ubuntu and Fedora. Does the flash plugin show up when you enter aboutlugins in the address bar of firefox?

As for Crunchbang and Kuki, both work well enough, and I still have Crunchbang installed. By the time I'm done customizing my desktop, not only do most most distros look alike, but they also tend to take up the same amount of space on my hard drive if I include Java and OpenOffice.org.

Code:

   
Filesystem  1K-blocks    Used   Mounted
/dev/sda10  8254240  2822712 /mnt/Leonidas
/dev/sda11  8254240  2658108 /mnt/Karmic-ext4
/dev/sda12  8254240  2358964 /mnt/Crunchbang
/dev/sda13  8254240  3213220 /
/dev/sda2  19944692 7563996 /mnt/winxp
/dev/sda3     505636     26766 /mnt/Boot
/dev/sda5   8254240  4236232 /mnt/Home
/dev/sda6   8254240  2317032 /mnt/Jaunty
/dev/sda7   8254240  2374592 /mnt/Cambridge
/dev/sda8   8254240  3284512 /mnt/Rawhide
/dev/sda9   8254240  3035376 /mnt/Karmic
tmpfs         499552            168 /dev/shm

 

It tells me that there are no plugins installed, which is, of course, true. :|

I tried this:

Code:

root@siduxbox:/home/ftapon# dpkg --install install_flash_player_10_linux.deb
Selecting previously deselected package adobe-flashplugin.
(Reading database ... 109883 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking adobe-flashplugin (from install_flash_player_10_linux.deb) ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of adobe-flashplugin:
 adobe-flashplugin depends on libnspr4-dev; however:
  Package libnspr4-dev is not installed.
 adobe-flashplugin depends on libnss3-dev; however:
  Package libnss3-dev is not installed.
 adobe-flashplugin depends on libcurl3; however:
  Package libcurl3 is not installed.
dpkg: error processing adobe-flashplugin (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 adobe-flashplugin

I've tried using SMXI to install Flash, and it says it's installed already.

Do I need to install Java too? (It's 130MB, which I'd like to avoid.)

It's frustrating not to have Flash, so does anyone have any other ideas? I don't understand why it just worked out of the box for everyone else, but no luck for me. :cry:

 

Try running smxi to remove flash then re-install it again dont know what has gone wrong with your setup works fine here!

 

I did that and did one better: I purged flash to make sure it's completely uninstalled.

Then I reinstalled using SMXI. The download took a couple of minutes.

RESULT? Nothing.

Iceweasel is still asking for a plugin if it seems a flash page.

Trying to install via Iceweasel also fails.

I've also tried to install without SMXI. No luck either. My webpage uses flash (videos), so it's important that I have it. I welcome any other ideas. Thanks.

 

You don't need Java to view Flash animations. However, you do seem to be missing a few packages:

Perhaps

Code:

sudo apt-get remove adobe-flashplugin
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install adobe-flashplugin

One big advantage of using only your distro's repositories is that missing dependencies like the above shouldn't occur very often.

 

Solved Flash Programs with Iceweasel in Sidux

After wasting many hours on this I solved it with a simple solution: install and use Opera.

Flash worked immediately in Opera.

I may uninstall and reinstall Iceweasel just to see if that helps. It might. But for now, I'll use Opera. At least until Chrome comes to break my system. :lol:

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

The latest disti update of Sidux put KDE 4.3 and caused two problems:

1. I had to redo all my system tweaks and preferences. It was as if all the apps had a new install. My toolbar on OpenOffice had to be recustomized, same with Opera, and IceDove. I wonder if I'm still using KDE mini, or if this is something else. I've noticed that much disk space is being used than before, which makes me think that Sidux has created a new desktop/system/profile and left the old one somewhere. I'd like to clean it up to save space, but I'm not sure where to find the old.

2. More serious problem: My right hand card reader is no longer plug and play. It only recognizes it when I boot with it on. I've heard that this is a problem with several other distros. It wasn't a problem with Sidux unti this most recent upgrade.

Have others had these problems and have any advice?

Thanks!

 

Will adding pciehp.pciehp_force=1 to the kernel line in /boot/grub/menu.lst take care of the card reader problem?

 

I'm not sure where the kernel line is on the file. There are many lines that mention "kernel". Will the real Kernel please stand up?

Code:

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default saved

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout		5

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue
gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/message

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# 
kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=false

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=vga=788

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(single-user) single
# altoptions=(single-user mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686 root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet vga=788
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686 root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet vga=788
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel memtest86+
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/memtest86+.bin

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

Where and how do I slip that line in? Sorry for the novice question!

 

Not an unreasonable question. The actual lines to be modified are near the bottom of the file, after the line ## ## End Default Options ##. As you can see, I've done the actual modification. You should be able to replace your menu.lst file with the file below (but be sure to back yours up first just in case there's a problem)

Code:

    # menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
    #            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
    #            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
    #            and /usr/share/doc/grub-legacy-doc/.

    ## default num
    # Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
    # the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
    #
    # You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
    # is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
    # WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
    # array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
    default saved

    ## timeout sec
    # Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
    # (normally the first entry defined).
    timeout      5

    # Pretty colours
    color cyan/blue white/blue
    gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/message

    ## password ['--md5'] passwd
    # If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
    # control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
    # command 'lock'
    # e.g. password topsecret
    #      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
    # password topsecret

    #
    # examples
    #
    # title      Windows 95/98/NT/2000
    # root      (hd0,0)
    # makeactive
    # chainloader   +1
    #
    # title      Linux
    # root      (hd0,1)
    #
    kernel   /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
    #

    #
    # Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

    ### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
    ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
    ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

    ## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

    ## ## Start Default Options ##
    ## default kernel options
    ## default kernel options for automagic boot options
    ## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
    ## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
    ## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
    ##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
    ##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
    # kopt=root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet

    ## default grub root device
    ## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
    # groot=(hd0,0)

    ## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
    ## e.g. alternative=true
    ##      alternative=false
    # alternative=false

    ## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
    ## e.g. lockalternative=true
    ##      lockalternative=false
    # lockalternative=false

    ## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
    ## alternatives
    ## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
    # defoptions=vga=788

    ## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
    ## e.g. lockold=false
    ##      lockold=true
    # lockold=false

    ## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
    # xenhopt=

    ## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
    # xenkopt=console=tty0

    ## altoption boot targets option
    ## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
    ## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
    ##      altoptions=(single-user) single
    # altoptions=(single-user mode) single

    ## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
    ## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
    ## alternative kernel options
    ## e.g. howmany=all
    ##      howmany=7
    # howmany=all

    ## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
    ## e.g. memtest86=true
    ##      memtest86=false
    # memtest86=true

    ## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
    ## can be true or false
    # updatedefaultentry=false

    ## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
    ## can be true or false
    # savedefault=false

    ## ## End Default Options ##

    title      Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686
    root      (hd0,0)
    kernel      /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686 root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet vga=788 pciehp.pciehp.force=1
    initrd      /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30-4.slh.3-sidux-686

    title      Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686
    root      (hd0,0)
    kernel      /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686 root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet vga=788 pciehp.pciehp.force=1
    initrd      /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30-4.slh.2-sidux-686

    title      Debian GNU/Linux, kernel memtest86+
    root      (hd0,0)
    kernel      /boot/memtest86+.bin

    ### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

 

I didn't copy it because our configs are a bit different, but I added the line here:

Code:

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.30-4.slh.4-sidux-686
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.30-4.slh.4-sidux-686 root=UUID=34ddd013-2136-4e7c-a73a-97d34f915bc2 ro quiet vga=788 pciehp.pciehp_force=1
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.30-4.slh.4-sidux-686

Unfortunately, still no success, even after a reboot.

I stick the media in the right hand slot and the AAO doesn't recognize it's there.

Plan B?

 

• Plan B: Find someone who's both encountered and solved this problem with sidux, and implement their solution
  Plan C: Revert to a working kernel (since I don't use Sidux, I don't know if this is practical or even possible)
  Plan D: Install a kernel from another debian-based distro that's known to give a working right slot.
  Plan E: Switch distros

I'm afraid I'm not being very helpful here