please help a dummy

[ihatesbillgates]

Hi all
Ive been having problems with windows latley and everytime I call support for the first 20 minutes or so all they do is try to ram windows 8 down my throat.
When I think they understand IDONT WANT 8 I just want to fix what I have they tell me "well your going to have to spend a couple hundred dollars on software so why dont you just upgrade to windows 8.
Well I ripped that crap out by the roots and Installed Mageia 2 32 bit gnome (disc from ebay) and Im not sorry I did it but Im having trouble.
disc came with a tutorial cd but it was for a different version (no help)sooooooooo
Here is what I need if you can help or at least tell me where to look
#1where can I find a list of terms and definitions?
#2 can I put folders on the desk top?
# 3 I need to hook up my printer but cant find an option to install new hardware
#4 I cant find a list of installed hardware(modem,dvd player ect)
#5 is there a spell check on this thing
#6 dvd player wont read any disc except Mageia install disc
#7 I cant down load anything from the internet. (i think I just cant figure out what to do in the download screen)
Other than that this os seems to be ok. I can download my camera and list things on ebay and bonanza (this is the main use for my pc.) read and send email ect.
Any help or advice would be appreicated.

[benmc]

Hi

Im not a gnome user but the place to start is mageia control centre. you can type it into the run command. from here you can check hardware and install software that has been checked as fully compatable with mageia. you will need broadband connection, if on dialup this could take a while.
go to mageia control centre , you will need to input admin password, then select software management. Configure media sources for install and update / select Full set of sources. when updated, uncheck dvd and select the sources you need "core, core updates ... " etc
ok when done.
back to mageia control centre. select update you system .

let us know how you go and then we can move on to other things in your list.

also, please make one request per post otherwise the post will lose clarity for other users who may look it up in the future

kind regards

Benmc

[djennings]

Welcome I hope you enjoy using Mageia

Many of your questions will be answered by the documentation in our wiki at
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Category:Documentation

The CD you installed from was a 'Live CD'. There is not enough space on the CD to include everything you need so the first thing you must do is enable the online software repositories so you can download other necessary software packages. This is described here
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Software_management#Configure_media_sources_for_install_and_updates
All configuration is done in the Mageia Control Centre which you can access from the menu at Tools>SystemTools>System Settings or via the blue and yellow icon in your quick start bar. (You will be asked to give the root admin password you defined when you installed)

You must enable the 'Core', 'Core Updates', 'Non free' and 'Non free Updates' software repositories (Non free does not mean you have to pay for it. It means it is proprietary non open source software)
If you want to be able to play DVDs and use video codecs which are covered by patents, then you should also enable the 'Tainted' and 'Tainted Updates' respositories.

Once your online repositories are enabled the second thing to do is to do your software updates. Mageia 2 has been out for around a year now, and there are plenty of updated packages to fix bugs. Either run the Update GUI in Mageia Control Centre, or click on the red circle you will see in the system tray to start the update process.

Now you can start using your system :-

In answer to your questions

1/ Sorry. Documentation in Linux could be better. No one gets paid so the less glamorous jobs like writing documentation gets neglected. Read the wiki and ask here if you are stuck. https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Category:Documentation

2/ Yes.

3/ In Mageia Control Centre Hardware>Printers When the GUI opens it will download the printing software and discover any printers you have connected. In Linux you do not have to mess about with driver CDs and rebooting. Almost all printers supported by Linux will work "out of the box". All HP printers are supported, and I think all Epsom. The worst manufacturer is Canon who do not cooperate with writing drivers.

4/ MageiaControlCentre>Hardware You should not need to do anything here. Linux discovers all attached hardware automatically and will install any required driver. If you have trouble with any hardware it is best to ask before messing about with drivers.

5/ Yes. Mageia includes Libre Office which has spell checkers in lots of languages.

6/ What sort of disc do you mean? If it is a DVD film then you will need to install a player from the tainted repository. To do that open MageiaControlCentre>Software>InstallSoftware and install the vlc player. It will download it from the tainted repository (so long as you have enabled tainted) (There are other media players, vlc is one of the most popular)

7/ Download what? If it is a document or pdf file just clicking on it should download and open it. If it is a movie clip you might need to install a codec. Tell us (in a separate post) what you cannot download. If it is software you are trying to download, then do not bother.
While it is true that Linux can run software written for Windows using a software emulator called 'wine', it is in most cases not worth the bother. We have native Linux software to do almost any function you need. We do not download Linux software from web sites. We (generally) get it from the online repositories which contain 100's of applications all compiled and ready for Mageia 2. If you need software and do not know which package to install ask here and we can advise you.

Hope that helps get you started.