How to Boot at a Different Display Resolution

When booting from CD, the default display resolution is 1024x768. You may be required to change the resolution in order to successfully boot or you may just want to change it to your preferred resolution.

The resolution when running from CD will be used when you install MEPIS on a hard drive or when you fix your X configuration with the MEPIS Installation Center.

800x600

If your system only supports 800x600, you will need to change the resolution in order to successfully boot from CD.

In this case you can boot MEPIS at 800x600 resolution by typing the following at the CD boot screen:

linux vga=normal xres=800x600

1280x1024

If your preferred resolution is 1280x1024, you can boot by typing this at the CD boot screen:

lin1280

Higher Resolutions

For higher resolutions, you can specify the resolution at CD boot by typing, for example:

linux xres=1400x1050

linux vga=normal xres=800x600

lin1280

linux xres=1400x1050

How to Boot with a Different Keyboard

When booting from CD, the default keyboard and locale is for US English.

There is limited support for specifying a different keyboard and locale at boot by providing a two character code, which is usually, but not always, a country code.

For example the command for a default boot with French keyboard is:

linux fr

The following keyboard codes are explicitly supported.

be

fi

fr

de

hu

it

nl

no

es

tr

uk

us

How to Burn a CD from ISO

How to Resize an XP Partition

How to Use Boot Arguments to Fix Problems

Boot Commands

A boot command can be given when the CD help screen appears or when the Lilo boot screen appears.

If booting from Lilo on a hard drive, press <tab> to get a commandline.

Variations of these commands can be used to overcome boot problems.

Common MEPIS Boot Arguments

Boot arguments are used to modify what happens when a boot command is executed.  

To change your hard drive boot configuration see: How to Modify Boot Arguments for the LiLo Bootloader

Examples

A boot command is followed by the arguments.

Howto Rescue Data From an Unbootable Windows PC.

The aim of this document is to show you how to rescue data from a hard drive that will not boot up. This method can be used after trying the ???official Microsoft solutions??? of using the ERD etc.

If rescuing the data is the main objective, I'd use this before fooling around with the PC any more.

If a hard drive is having problems, you want to get access to it and get what you can from it before it refuses to spin up. So on with the Rescue.

You need the following:

1. Mepis CD.
2. External USB hard drive ( with a fat32 partition as this will avoid any problems with ntfs issues ) and the USB cable.
3. Patience. The OS is run from the CD, uncompressing software modules as needed.

Attach the USB HD to the PC. Turn on the USB HD.

Boot with the Mepis CD. You may have to go into the BIOS and change the settings to allow booting from the CD-ROM drive. If rescuing a laptop, make sure you are using the power supply and not the battery.

Read the info on the screen. Hit enter.

Login as root. The password is root. Username and passwords are case sensitive.

Left Click (once only) on the Mount Partitions icon. (Unlike Windows, you only need to click once)

Look for /dev/hda1 ntfs. (This is your hard drive. C:, if you were trying to rescue a Win 9x PC instead of ntfs it would read fat or fat32. )

Right Click, scroll down to Mount Device and Left Click.

Right Click and scroll down to Open in File Manager and Left Click. Wait a few seconds, a window will popup with the contents of /dev/hda1 ntfs. If you have multiple partitions, scroll down till you find the right one. Another way is to open each one in File manager.

I've found it helpful to change the view at this point to the Detailed List View. Next drill down to the User folder under Documents and Settings.

Move the window to the Left side of the screen.

Next you will mount the USB HD. Look for /dev/sda1. Depending on how many partitions you have on this HD, you may also find /dev/sda2 etc. (I've found having a fat32 partition makes things a lot simpler.)

Mount /dev/sda1 and open in file manager. Right Click in that window and Create New Directory. I prefer to name it username-todays date (tmarx-213004 for example).

Resize both windows so they are side by side (/dev/hda1 on the left and /dev/sda1 on the right)

Left Click and drag the files/folder you want to copy and drag it to the /dev/sda1 window and click on Copy Here. Thats how simple it is. I've found it helps to start by copying the most important stuff first (.doc, .xls, .pdf, .pst, .ppt, .mdb files). You can ask the customer for that info. I copy no more than 128mb at a time, if you try to copy more than ?? the amount of RAM in the PC, the process tends to stall.

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted world wide without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

*Formatting edited by Warren*

Installation Tips

Passwords
The root password is 'root' and the demo password is 'demo.'

Obviously, these passwords are public knowledge. When you install MEPIS on a hard drive, it is very important that you select new passwords, as soon as possible!

Installation
Start the MEPIS installer by clicking on its desktop icon and then follow the instructions provided.

You will need at least 2.5 GB of free space on the hard drive.

The installation usually takes between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on whether you are doing a fresh install or an upgrade. The speed is also affected by the performance of your system.

Troubleshooting CD Read Errors

How to Install, Upgrade, and Update Software

MEPIS Extras CDs HOWTO

Using and updating the NVIDIA Driver

• nvidia-kernel-common
• nvidia-glx

• nvidia-kernel-2.4.22

• meauto-2.4.22

Getting Software

Kpackage
Thousands of software packages are already compatible with MEPIS. First open KPackage (Kmenu -> System -> KPackage) and see if the software you need is available.

For further information about how to use KPackage, read the KPackage Handbook (KPackage menu -> Help -> KPackage Handbook).

Unofficial Packages
Other "unofficial" packages are available at: apt-get.org

How to install a "Visual Linux Basic" in Mepis Linux

Howto Configure KMail

Howto download Mepis Linux 2003.10.01 using Bit Torrent

Howto use Ksirc for getting Instant Help for Mepis

Since there is a Mepis help channel on irc.freenode.net, you can get help face to face from people in the #mepis chatroom. You can ask your questions and get an answer in realtime. It can happen that nobody answers though there are people in the room. This is most probably due to the fact that people have to sleep, eat , do things away from computer but stay logged in.

Software

Mepis Linux comes with many applications that allow IRC (Internet Relay Chat). Kopete, the KDE instant messenger is one of them but a dedicated IRC program is Ksirc. You find it in the K-Menu under Internet – More Programs.

KSirc Usage

When you start it, the connection management screen shows up:

In the Connections menu is the New Connection item. Choose it and you get the next screen presented.

In the Server/Quick connect textbox type irc.freenode.net (that's the server), Port stays at 6667. That's all for this dialog, click on the Connect button now and you reach the following screen:

You are connected to the chatserver now but didn't step into a room yet. Now you need to know some simple commands to get this working. IRC commands start with a Slash (/) as the first character of an input line, followed by the command itself without a whitespace between. Everything gets sent by hitting the enter key.

/join #roomname ... lets you step into a chatroom
/nick yourNewNickname ... let's you change your alias (nickname)
/quit ... quits (oh! how interesting ;o) a chat session
/help ... lists all commands available
/help command ... shows help information for a single command

In the above picture you see the command to join the #mepis chatroom. If you are there, you get the final screen for chatting and asking your questions or just saying hello.

First thing you maybe want to do is change your nickname. Example to to this is shown above. At the right part you see all currently connected chatusers with their nicknames. If one name is tagged with an "a" in front, the user is away. Type a nice "Hello all!" and hit enter and wait if people resond (which they usually do if they're not working on something.

Hope to meet you there!
STIBS

Manual Entries in fstab

Online Upgrade

Playing DVDs

Protected DVDs
To play protected DVDs you must install the libdvdcss2 package. This package is not included on the MEPIS CD or in the regular sources for legal reasons. It's available at: apt-get.org

After installing the package, you can insert a DVD, open Xine and click on the DVD control button. The DVD should begin to play.

Short Howto for Konqueror Interface Customization

MEPIS Traveller Disc How To

Please Note: The information and instructions that follow are for the MEPIS Traveller Disc.  We are currently working on documentation for the latest version of Desktop OnTheGo technology.

What is The MEPIS Traveller Disc?

The MEPIS Traveller Disc is a unique application that allows users to save their home directory to a USB key, which is then recognized on any computer running MEPIS. By saving the entire home directory on a USB jump drive, a user can easily transfer all of their personal settings, including Internet browser bookmarks and desktop configuration, plus any files, such as documents and pictures, from one computer to another. Also, the Traveller Disc lets multiple users share the same computer without ever saving any of their personal information to the hard drive. And, since the MEPIS operating system can run from CD, a person could run their home directory from the Traveller Disc with MEPIS on CD and never save anything to the computer's hard drive. The MEPIS Traveller Disc provides mobility and convenience for users without bringing along a laptop. Imagine going on vacation, carrying your Traveller Disc and MEPIS CD, and being able to use your own desktop in a cybercafe!

The MEPIS Traveller Disc is useful for keeping home directories on multiple computers in sync. You can also use it to create a back up of your home directory to keep around as an insurance policy. If your system crashes, and you have access to a second system that runs MEPIS, you can have your home directory available while your system is being repaired, and later you can easily merge that activity back into your main system.

Getting Started with the Traveller Disc

How to Select a USB Key

The Traveller Disc application works best with computers that support USB 2.0 and USB 2.0 keys. You can try to run it with USB 1.1, but it may be too slow to be practical for use.

When selecting a key, try to get the fastest key with the most memory that you can. We recommend using a key that is at least 512 MB. Depending on the work you do, you may need a key with more memory.

Upgrading MEPIS

In order to use the Traveller Disc, you must be running SimplyMEPIS 3.3.1-1 or MEPISLite or better. If you are running SimplyMEPIS 3.3 or 3.3.1, you will need to upgrade a few packages.

To do the upgrade, run Synaptic Package Manager by clicking K>System>Synaptic Package Manager. You will be prompted to enter your Root password. If necessary, Synaptic will prompt you to update your package list. Click OK. Then click on Installed (upgradeable) in the box on the left side of the screen. From the list of packages in the right hand box, select meauto, meauto-data, and mepis-oscenter. Click in the box beside the name and choose Mark for Upgrade. You may be prompted that rsync must also be installed, click OK. Once you have selected these packages, click Apply. A window will appear showing the status of the upgrade. When the upgrade is complete, close the window and exit Synaptic. Your computer should now be ready to use the Traveller Disc.

Formatting a USB Key as Traveller Disc Media

Boot up your computer with MEPIS installed or running from CD. Once it has loaded, plug in the USB key. Open MEPIS OS Control Center by clicking the icon on the desktop or click K>MEPIS OS Center. You will be prompted for your Root password. Under System Maintenance, choose Format Partitions. Make sure you select the correct disk (usually sda), then choose the partition, and select Traveller. Click Format. It will prompt you to verify the action. Click Yes.

NOTE: Be certain that you have selected the proper disk BEFORE you format. Some hard drives may also appear as sda. You should be able to determine the name of your USB key by looking for the icon on the desktop. If you format the wrong disk, you will lose whatever data is on that disk!

Once the USB key is formatted, exit the program and reboot your computer. Leave the USB key plugged in until the computer has reached the MEPIS boot screen (this is the screen where you can select how you want the computer to boot). At this point, unplug the USB key for a second and then plug it back in before the computer timed out at the boot screen. This will allow the computer to recognize the USB key as the Traveller Disc. The USB key is not unplugged, your computer may not recognize it when you first reboot.

NOTE: If you are using the Traveller Disc as your home directory, NEVER unplug it unless the computer is turned off or at the MEPIS Boot Screen! The best time to plug in the USB key is during the MEPIS boot screen. We do not recommend having the USB key plugged in before you power on the computer, as the initial power spike could be damaging to the key. Additionally, some computers may try to boot from the USB key if it is plugged in when the computer is first turned on.

During the boot, MEPIS will detect your Traveller Disc and check it for errors. If any errors are detected, MEPIS will automatically repair them. These messages will appear in the dialog during the boot.

The Traveller Disc will serve as the home directory for the default user only! Therefore, you must login as the default user. When MEPIS is installed, it is preconfiguered for two users: root and default. During installation setup, the first user will be recognized as the default (User ID 1000). Additional user accounts will not be recognized as the default user and therefore the Traveller Disc will not be recognized as their home directory. If you are running MEPIS from CD, the default user is “demo.”

NOTE: When using the Traveller Disc as your home directory, additional icons may appear on the desktop regarding the mounting of the USB key, home, and loop0. Please disregard them!

Using the MEPIS Traveller Disc

You can copy your existing local home directory to your MEPIS Traveller Disc using the MEPIS OS Control Center. Boot your computer without the USB key inserted. Insert the USB key. Then open MEPIS OS Control Center, enter your Root password, and under System Maintenance, select Sync Traveller. First, select the source (where you are copying from) and the destination (where you are copying to). Next, choose which parts of the source home directory you want to copy. Then select whether you would like to perform a “copy” or a “sync.” If you choose copy, files in the destination will be copied or updated from the source, but files that exist in the destination and not the source will not be affected. If you choose sync, the destination will be an exact duplication of the source, and any files that exist in the destination and not in the source will be removed. Once you have made the selections, click the Sync button. You will be asked to verify the action. Make sure there are no other applications running, then click Yes.

In order to make the Traveller Disc run faster, it is set up differently than most disks. Usually, to view the files contained on a disk, you can click the disk's icon to view the files/folders. The Traveller Disc works in another way. When you are not using the Traveller Disc as your home directory, but would like to view the files in it, follow these easy steps. Click the icon for the USB key on the desktop. A window will open with an icon named travel_home.iso. Right-click on this icon, and then click Actions>Mount (as Root) iso to /mnt/temp. You will be prompted to enter your Root password. A new icon will appear on the desktop called Hard Disc (travel_home). Click on this icon and your home directory is now viewable. You can use this to copy files manually between the local home directory and the Traveller Disc home directory. Once you are finished, the travel_home icon must be unmounted. Close the window you were using to view the files in the Traveller Disc home directory, right click on the travel_home icon and select Unmount (as Root). You will be prompted for the Root password. The icon will then disappear from the desktop. Before you remove the USB key, you must unmount it as well! Right-click on the icon, choose Unmount. Once the green arrow at the right corner of the icon disappears, you can safely remove the USB key. In some cases, the green arrow may stay on the icon after it has been unmounted, as certain video cards do not update icons properly. If this happens, try to unmount the device again. An error message will appear if the device is unmounted.

NOTE: Never unplug a USB device without unmounting it first! However, should you accidentally remove a device without unmounting it, you can correct the icon by unmounting as root. Also, if a device is mounted as root, it must be unmounted as root.

Reformatting the MEPIS Traveller Disc

If you would like to convert your Traveller Disc back to a regular USB key, this can be done easily by using the OS Control Center. Choose Format and select DOS. Then click Format. You will be asked to verify the action. Click Yes. This will convert your USB key back to "factory condition" and allow it to be compatible with Windows.

Note: If you choose to reformat your USB key, all files on the key will be removed. You can copy from your Traveller Disc to the local home directory using Sync Traveller.

CD does not spinup

If the CD does not spinup (it makes no sound and the light does not come on), then your system does not try to boot from CD.

In this case, you will have to tell the computer how to boot from CD. This varies from computer to computer but your computer's initial boot screen should contain a message that tells you how to do this.

Forcing Boot from CD
To force your system to boot from CD, you may be required to press a special key, like F1 or F12 and then you will be presented with a list of boot options. Or you may be expected to press the right or left arrow key to select from icons that represent the options. Or you may have to press F1 or F2 or Del to enter your BIOS setup to change your boot options to enable an automatic boot from CD.

In some rare instances, you may be unable to tell the computer how to boot the CD. In this case, the system will ignore the CD or it will freeze before the Boot Screen appears.

If you have a computer with a floppy drive, read "Boot Floppies."

Boot floppies

If you have a computer with a floppy drive, you can create a set of Boot Floppies and use them to boot the CD. The floppies can be made from Windows or Linux. The floppy images are on the SimplyMEPIS CD in the /floppies directory. You will need 3 floppy disks. In Windows, go to the /floppies folder on the CD and run mkflop.bat then insert the floppies when prompted. In Linux, as root, run mkflop.sh

To boot from floppy, insert both the Boot Floppy #1 and the CD, then reboot your system. From the floppy's menu, select to boot from CD for the version of MEPIS you are booting, and follow the instructions.

If you have an older copy of SImplyMEPIS that does not include the /floppies directory, you can download the files in this zip: floppies.zip Then unzip the zip and follow the instructions in README.txt

/dev/dsp does not exist

If the correct driver is not loaded for your sound card, this error will be reported when the KDE desktop starts.

Often, this will be fixed if you update meauto and meauto-data

To report this problem, please submit the following form:

Can't play a sound or video file

Most sound files are played with the KStartMenu > Multimedia > XMMS application. These files should play automatically when you click on a file or on a web link to such a file.

Real audio and video files and streams play using the KStartMenu > Multimedia > RealPlayer.

Most video files and streams can be played with the KStartMenu > Multimedia > xine application.

Windows Media Player 9 files can not be played by MEPIS because the Windows EULA prevents redistribution of the WMA 9 codecs. If you have MS-Windows you could copy the WMA 9 codecs from C:\windows\system32 to the /usr/lib/win32 directory, btu that would be wrong.

DVD movies can be played with xine. To play an encrypted DVD, you need the libdvdcss package. This package is not included with MEPIS because in some jurisdictions it may be illegal to watch DVDs on a computer running Linux. You can download this tiny package for yourself with Synaptic, KPackage or apt-get.

Find if a card is supported

Most PCI and ISA sound cards and chips are supported.

A comprehensive database is at: www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/

If you card is not listed, it is not supported.

No error message, yet no sound

If your mixer settings are turned down, you will hear no sound.

MEPIS attempts to preset the mixer controls, but in some cases this does not work.

To correct your settings, open Kmix (the speaker icon in the tray at the bottom right of the desktop). Then click on the Mixer button.

In the Output tab, make sure the Master volume (on the far left) is turned up. Also, make sure PCM is turned up (the control with the blue squiggly line above it. Also if there are little round buttons (green lights) above these slider controls, make sure they are on (lighted).

Of course, you should also make sure your speakers are plugged in and powered on.

Can't play an audio CD

The KsCD application (in Kmenu > Multimedia) is provided for playing CDs. You can not play an audio CD by clicking on the CD-ROM icon on the desktop.

If the CD appears to be playing but you hear no sound, then you need to make sure the CD audio is turned up in the mixer.

If your system products no sound, read "No error message, yet no sound" in this Guide. If other sound plays ok, read on.

To correct your CD audio setting, open Kmix (the speaker icon in the tray at the bottom right of the desktop). Then click on the Mixer button.

Make sure the CD volume (the control with the CD icon) is turned up. Also if there is a little round button (green light) above the slider control, make sure it is on (lighted). The CD control is usually in the Input tab but in some cases it is in the Output tab.

Donate Hardware

Translation Volunteers

Documentation Volunteers

About MEPIS and MEPIS Linux

Support Questions

MEPIS support is contributed by the entire community. You can get help from other MEPIS users at either the MEPIS Forum or our community run site, MEPISLovers.org.

You can also download the MEPIS User Guide, visit the Trouleshooting page, or check the HowTos section for more information.

If you need additional assistance, please use this form to contact MEPIS Support.

Ways to Help MEPIS

Are you interested in how you can help MEPIS? Visit the How To Help MEPIS page.

Buying from MEPIS

Shipping Information By Country

MEPIS will ship by the method listed to the following countries only!

USPS Priority Mail (2-3 Business Days):

American Somoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, United States, and United States Virgin Islands.

USPS Global Priority Mail (4-7 Business Days):

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo ONLY!), Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand,Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Kingdom.

Airmail (4-9 Business Days):

Bermuda, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Malta, Netherlands Antilles, and Vatican City.

Please Note: Shipping times are estimates only!