First Thing To Do with New AA1?

Absolute AA1 newbie here. What are the recommended FIRST things to do? Is live update the best thing for new machine? Will it "break" any loaded software?

Thanks for the help. I am learning alot on this forum.

 

Yes, connect to the internet (wirelessly or by cable), then do the updates.

After that, I suggest you familiarise youself with the machine. Get a spare SD card for data, and another for the left slot, so you can expand your space for programs.

Go to the Acer Aspire official website, and see if you want to download some of the additional programs they have there. I like Skype and Gimp in particular.

If you are experienced in using Linux, then get into "advanced mode" (do a search to find out how). You will then be able to alter more settings and download more programs from the Linpus server.

If you have a printer, you will need to attach that and install drivers. Actually, you may need to get into "advance mode" in order to download a suitable driver. That is what I had to do to use my Epson C66.

S.

 

Things that I have done so far:
Bought 16 GB memory card
Bought a case
Did the updates thing
Installed Firefox 3
Installed Skype
Installed Thunderbird
Installed VLC
Installed Amarok

That'll do me for now,

I'm tempted to get a cheap one in the new year just play around on, or a more expensive one and play around with this one.

 

Hi, Stoker98.

To install a printer, is it sufficient to attach the printer (USB port), then try "Add new printer" from the Printer Configuration? Would that prompt for the download of drivers?

I'm new to Linux, but have tried one or two things already...

 

UPDATE

OK, I managed to install a printer, simply by plugging it in to one of the USB ports, whereupon the computer offered to install it using a Generic driver - my printer is a Canon Pixma iP4300, and the usual repositories do not contain a specific driver for this printer. I thought I had read somewhere that the driver for the Canon BJC600 would run this printer, so I looked for the driver for that and installed it. The printer DID work, but printed everything at A5 size instead of A4 or Letter!

So I started searching with Google (or was it one of the Linux forums?) for drivers for Canon printers for Linux, and eventually came up with a Canon-Europe page that offered support for Linux, and by drilling down came to
http://www.canon-europe.com/Support/software/linux/
which then took me via the link "Pixma Linux compatibility" to
http://www.canon-europe.com/Support/Sof ... /index.asp
which shows that the driver version 2.7 is compatible with my printer. Clicking on the "Yes" in the table took me to
http://software.canon-europe.com/products/0010386.asp
and then the link "Canon Print Filter for Linux (2.70 rev 1)" took me to the Download page
http://software.canon-europe.com/softwa ... asp?model=
At the bottom of the page there are five files. I knew (must have read it somewhere) that I needed two:
cnijfilter-common-2.70-2.src.rpm (the common filter for all the listed printers), and
cnijfilter-ip4300-2.70-2.i386.rpm,
so proceeded to download and install them. This is where something very strange happened: my computer seemed to be downloading them with the "MPlayer plug-in" for Firefox! I don't know if they did actually download and isntall, as the second one simply stopped and froze. (Anyone else experienced this strange behaviour?)

So it was back to the searching for the same drivers (I can't remember whether it was with Google or in one of the Linux forums), and eventually came up with a Canon-Australia site that also offers the two files:
http://canon.com.au/products/printers/c ... pport.aspx
You click on "Driver Downloads" which takes you to
http://support-au.canon.com.au/EN/searc ... u=Download
This lists a lot of drivers for all kinds of OSes, but you can narrow it to Linux by clicking on "Expand all" in the left-hand menu, then "Linux", and you get to the same five files as before. I needed to get the two files:
cnijfilter-common-2.70-2.src.rpm (the common filter for all the listed printers), and
cnijfilter-ip4300-2.70-2.i386.rpm.
1 & 2 on this page are the rpm packages, and this time they downloaded and installed without any difficulty (I must download the Operation Guide file too, but have not done that yet).

My Canon Pixma iP4300 now works like a dream on the Aspire One! I haven't tried printing CDs with it from the AAO yet...

Perhaps this may help someone else.

 

take a full backup before you break it!

 

There is a great top 10 list of things to do with your new AA1. Go here:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/09/05 ... _one_tips/

Personally, I've done Skype, Gimp, and the SSD drive thing.

I'm just starting to look at putting Thunderbird on.

 

Short story: Received my neat little AA1 (8gb512mbLinpus) on Wed. Did those things suggested here including the 'Ten Tweaks'. Working great, learning a little Linux following all the helpful guides and suggestions found on this great forum. Decided I needed a solitaire game so I right clicked the advance desktop and went to a repository for PySolFC. Installed it and rebooted. Well, I lost my desktop. I only had black screen with a "broken" faded HOME icon in lower left along with wifi & vol icons on bottom right and the desktop/internet search bar at the top. Wifi connected to my network according to the icon. Volume could be adjusted. Nothing else. So I searched desktop for Terminal and could bring up the terminal screen and enter commands. I didn't know what to do to bring back my desktop. Frustrated, I just did a complete re-install from the USB. Working again but needed all the tweaks...

That is when I said if Linpus is so easily "broken", and so hard for a Windows guy to add programs, what am I doing in Linpus. Thought about moving to Ubuntu but decided to go Windows following again the excellent guides here. In less than an hour I had a nice "new" Nlited Windows Home SP3 desktop greeting me. I never felt so relieved to see that familiar "Bliss" pastoral scene on my little AA1! Installed Chipset/Audio/Video/LAN/WLAN/CardReader drivers (left the others out as they seemed unnecessary - touchpad and webcam all worked with internal XP drivers). Turned off paging, and a few other tweaks suggested, Installed all my favorite familar software, and finally made an Acronis True Image backup.

The basic AA1 with SSD seems pretty "snappy" speedwise: surfing in FF3 is fine, writing in Abiword, spreadsheeting in Gnumeric all seem just fine. Watching avi movie files with VLC. Everything seems very workable speedwise. It's never gonna be even close to my desktop quad core but then...it's a mini-laptop. It's portable. It's light. It's small. And at $250 delivered from Newegg last week, fits the bill perfectly. So much better than the $400 Asus EEE 4G with tiny 7inch screen tiny keyboard 900mhz celeron model I tried in Jan and sold two weeks later.

I am now back in M$ camp. I know I probably should have been more patient, tried Linpus or another Linux version... but Windows XP is just "easy". I am not looking back. Just gonna use my nice netbook and on my next trip, I plan on leaving my big laptop home. I got a nifty 3 prong adaptor that plugs directly into the power pack, so I can leave that long heavy power cord home. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0247389467 is where I got it.

 

Normally you don't want the source code (src.rpm) but either i386.rpm or noarch.rpm. Mplayer tried to (download and) play the file becausr the rpm suffix is also used for RealAudio files, and mplayer was set up to play all of your audio files. Just right-click on an rpm file and select Save file to disk

 

Hi
New boy here.
Having probs with my Canon PIXMA iP4200 printer on my new Linux AA1.
As my printer is not on the Canon list, I set it to BJC-4200, thinking they might be similar (well the "4200" bit is the same).
It gave the same A5 size printout on A4 paper when all settings were for A4. (both the doc settings and printer settings in the Settings area were A4).
Have followed pablo2340's notes and have downloaded the 2 cnijfilter files mentioned (but for the iP4200).

How do I reset the printer in Settings. The BJC4200 is still listed as "Make & Model" in the Printer Configuration and if I try to change it, I am offered the Canon list again which excludes the iP4200, or talks about PPD files.

How do I "activate" the cnijfilter-common-2.60.3-i386.rpm and cnijfilter-ip4200-260-4.i386.rpm I have downloaded to the Download area?
Many thanks in advance.

Cheers
Steve

 

Hi steve48

Go to add/remove software, then select search and enter gutenprint You will see a list of items starting with the word gutenprint and the package you want to install is Printer Drivers Package.
When the softwre is installed connect your printer to the AA1 and under settings select Printing. Then New Printer and on the next screen click Forward. You should see a list of manufacturers containing Canon, select that and scroll for your printer.
If you google gutenprint you will find out more about the package.

Best wishes

 

Hi solpuerto
Thanks for your reply.
Two problems:
1) THe PIXMA iP4200 is not on the list of Canon printers that are presented when I try to introduce my printer via Settings and then Printer.
2) I can't find the add/remove software screen so can't follow your suggestions.
I am new to all this so please forgive me!!!
Thanks again
Steve

 

Hi steve48,

For add and remove programs enable the extended right click option if you have not already done so.
.
1.Click My Documents then when the window opens select >file.

2.From the drop down menu select terminal.

3.Now enter this xfce-setting-show and press enter.

4.A new window will open so select and click the desktop Icon.

5.Click the behaviour tab here you will see two boxes.

6.Check the box next to Show desktop menu on right click.

Now close all windows and return to the desktop then right click somewhere, this should now give you an extended desktop menu which you will see contains more options that the interface you have at present, now reboot.
Once done right click the desktop and look for system in the new drop down menu hover the mouse over it and you will see add and remove programs, I hope this will enable you to follow solpuerto`s hints .

 

hi barrie

Thanks for the assist, it is a while since I had the standard Acer desk top and forget (probably old age) what is available on it. Hope between us we can get steve48's printer working.

 

Hi solpuerto,

I to use a customised xfce desktop but have only had my box a few months so the old grey cells remember that far back, any further and I'm in trouble. :?

 

Hi gents
Thanks a lot for your suggestions.
Am not at home at the moment and am using a friends Mac (!!!) so can't try it out.
Will let you know how it goes when I get back.
Many thanks
Steve

 

Hi
Back on the job!!!
Followed Barrie's helpful steps and got as far as Add/Remove Software.
Here I encountered a screen saying
<<You are attempting to run "pirut" which requires administrative priviledges but more info is needed in order to do so>>.
<<Authenticating as "root">>
followed by a password box.
Tried just entering nothing a few times but got nowhere.
Have I now exceeded the number of attempts allowed.
Have seen password requests elsewhere on other explorations but again was allowed to change a password but only if I knew the original. Is the initial password set as 0000 or 1111 or similar. The AA1 Application Manual makes no reference to the original passwords.
I'm again now a bit stuck.
Did a few password searches and saw lots of references to "pu " various things.
Not sure at all about that and don't want to break anything!!!
Any idiots guides to my probs, or shall I just buy a pad of A5 paper for the printer?
Many thanks for your time and effort so far.
Regards
Steve

 

to change your password

open terminal with alt+f2 wrote terminal and clic on "run"

Code:

sudo bash
passwd

go for a new password!

(sorry for my english)

 

Hi kapinouwi.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
I started up and when prompt came (not much time to do it, is there), I entered alt F2. (screen said F2 - tried both F2 and Alt F2 on start up - same result.
Was presented with a screen called INSYDEH2O Set Up Utilities with about 5 tabs. One tab allowed me to enter Supervisor and User passwords.
Still same problem when I try to run the add/remove programs - all this business about "pirot" and "root" with it still not accepting my password created in the Set Up Utilities screen. (restarted machine after passwords set and saved each time.
I saw nowhere where I would be able to write terminal" and a run option.
I'm doing something wrong obviously.
Should I be holding Alt F2 when the machine is powering up or do I wait for the quick screen with F2 and F12 (?) options?
Cheers
Steve

 

Hi steve48

I am a bit confused. Are you trying to hit Alt and F2 during boot? If so that is not what is meant in previous instructions.
What kapinoui meant was, when the Netbook has finished booting i.e. the normal desktop is visible, holding Alt and F2 together will open the Run program and show "terminal".
You can then follow his instructions to create a new password if you have forgotten the one you first set up on the Netbook when you were asked to input a password. That password gives you access to "Root" activities, a bit like Administrator in Windows.

That will be the password you require when you "Add/Remove Software". When you enter the correct password you will see a screen saying something like "Retrieving software", after that is complete follow my initial instruction.