Computers: Ubuntu Linux problems

I've just installed Ubuntu Linux 11.04, because Windows kept crashing, and we didn't get a backup disc with our PC.

There are two problems so far: the 'Time and Date' dialogue box will not appear, Ubuntu's website is useless as it says you need to get the box up first to enable time setting... obviously they're staffed by a typical incompetence of engineers, telling you their product does something when it plainly doesn't.

Also only USB mice will work, ones that use the proper mouse port will only move the cursor vertically... how incompetent can you get?

Reply to
alexander.keys1
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When you click on the clock you get an option for Time & Date settings just below the calendar. Click on that. Making system-wide changes like this requires an admin account to unlock the settings. You can either make manual changes to the time or let Ubuntu synchronise with Internet time-servers. If the clock is out by a whole number of hours then the problem is likely to be the time-zone setting.

That's not a problem I've seen. I suspect a hardware fault in the mouse. It's unlikely to be in the computer but I could be wrong.

Reply to
Bernard Peek

Some computers expect you to make your own recovery discs rather than supplying them for you. For instance, a Dell desktop computer that a friend has and an Acer laptop that a different friend has, both had the option to do this from the Start > All Programs > Dell (Acer) menu. Some computers only give you a one-time opportunity to do this and once done, I think that program uninstalls itself.

Other computers, like an HP desktop that another friend has, give you the option to do a factory reset at boot time, eg, Press Del for BIOS, Press F10 for boot options, Press F12 for recovery.

Are you sure you haven't got any of those options?

Reply to
John

Top RHS of screen (on standard set up) is the date and time box. Right click om it and play away.

No problem here. Have you checked and degunged your mouse's internals?

Reply to
David P

Did you keep the Windows installation ?

I would advise anyone trying Linux out to do it on a dual-boot PC. That way you can eliminate hardware issues. IME, raising issues like yours would just result in a "Linux is perfect, it's *your* hardware"

- dual boot can shut them up.

Reply to
Jethro

Which box would that be?

Should be on NNTP anway.

Thats the gnome way, for sure.

Since by the time the signal gets to Ubuntu, its doesn't know the difference between up/down/left/right that is a mouse, not a ubuntu, problem..................

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Linux ain't perfect, but if the mouse driver sees vertical signals but not horizontal, you can be sure that's because no horizontal signals are being sent.

Unless you are on weird wifi chipsets or some custom laptop mouse, linux does just work with almost all hardware.

That doesn't mean the installation process is quite as seamless as the actual code, however.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

NTP.

NNTP is something quite different.

Reply to
Huge

Just tried it on my Ubuntu 10.10 machine, works fine. Left click brings up calendar, right click brings up other options.

Agree that this issue is highly *unlikely* to be an OS problem, and more likely a faulty mouse.

Reply to
AlanD

Would be better on NTP...

Reply to
Bob Eager

Muy bad :-)

Only just woken up after an all nighter..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

All the main OSes work on nearly 100% of hardware, but not 100%. Far more likely is errors on teh installation CD, Ubuntu is certainly a very capable OS. I'd recommend Linux Mint though, its Ubuntu with its main shortcoings sorted. Mint 7 beats later versions.

NT

Reply to
NT

Troll or some one with only half a plank?

Two semi off topic posts, both complaining about failures that no one here can do much about rather than getting off their arse and getting the people who can do something, to do it.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

From the tone of that, I'd suggest you visit a computer shop and simply buy a PC that has the operating system already installed, or just *pay* someone to find the PCs original windows software (or Linux if you are keen) and install properly it for you. Wasting your time otherwise.

Distributions of Linux are made for technical fiddlers who enjoy and share their experiences of experimenting at the (b)leading edge of tech. Ubuntu 11.04 has a new desktop to it and unavoidably new bugs. It is not an out of the box experience that can be compared to switching on a computer that has been bought from a shop. Maybe Ubuntu 10.04 LTS could be for you but the coders of that work for free, calling them "incompetant" from your perspective of a spoilt spoon fed windows consumer is not nice ...

Last line of Dirty Harry,

A man's got to know his limitations....

Reply to
Adrian C

I'm not risking 11.04 and the Unity phone interface which almost everyone hates, i'm sticking to 10.04 LTS.

formatting link
an ubuntu group

[g]
Reply to
george [dicegeorge]

FWIW..

Older daughters notebook developed a nasty virus botnet thing and nothing it seem shifted it so decided to wipe the hard drive and do a re-install. Couldn't find the original Windows 7 installer might have been via the USB as its not got a CD drive;!

She managed to download Ubuntu onto a USB stick and did the install after flatting the hard drive. No problems at all apart from the wireless driver which was noted and fixed on the Ubuntu website support.

Libre office suite installed c/w Firefox and Thunderbird and some odd media player and she reckons its fine, and does everything that Windows did and in a way she seems to like better;!..

Reply to
tony sayer

Except that the Ubuntu installer is so dumb it will quite happily let you install itself on a different disk to the existing windows and make no changes whatsover to the boot process so that when you reboot the PC all you get is Windows.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

ux 11.04, because Windows kept crashing,

Seems to depend on the hardware you install it on, and it's easy enough to get rid of.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

Doesn't help if the HDD is trashed. You still need to make backup media.

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

I've got Unity and Gnome on this machine. I swapped backwards and forwards a few times but now I use Unity full-time.

Reply to
Bernard Peek

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