Need assistance with Mint Maya

Bikk | Bikk

[Bikkuri]

I have been having trouble for the last 2 weeks trying to resolve this issue..

[Bikkuri]

Ok, I am fairly new to Linux.. tried it about 10 years ago, but didn't like it then.. Am starting to like it now (Linux Mint, Maya 13; Cinnamon)..
BUT, when I activate my second monitor, I lose Cinnamon and it defaults (to Mate, I think) and I lose the gnome shell :(

Also, even more annoying is that it does this:

It seems that every time I activate/deactivate/then activate the second monitor again, it adds more to the actionbar :/

I prefer Cinammon, but can live without it so that both of my monitors can run at the same time.

I am sure there will be a 'fix' for it sometime soon (I've spent DAYS pouring over linux threads, and none helped at all :p)..


So, my question (for now), is HOW do I get rid of the extra 'trash' on the action bars(s, in this case.. since there are now 5 of them too)?



Here is my xorg.conf, if that helps:

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings # nvidia-settings: version 295.33 (buildd@allspice) Fri Mar 30 13:37:33 UTC 2012

Section "ServerLayout"

# Removed Option "Xinerama" "0" Identifier "Layout0" Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0 Screen 1 "Screen1" 1680 0 InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard" InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer" Option "Xinerama" "1" EndSection

Section "Files" EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default Identifier "Mouse0" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "auto" Option "Device" "/dev/psaux" Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no" Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5" EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default Identifier "Keyboard0" Driver "kbd" EndSection

Section "Monitor"

# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid Identifier "Monitor0" VendorName "Unknown" ModelName "Samsung SyncMaster" HorizSync 30.0 - 190.0 VertRefresh 56.0 - 125.0 Option "DPMS" EndSection

Section "Monitor"

# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid Identifier "Monitor1" VendorName "Unknown" ModelName "DELL E228WFP" HorizSync 30.0 - 83.0 VertRefresh 56.0 - 75.0 Option "DPMS" EndSection

Section "Device" Identifier "Device0" Driver "nvidia" VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation" BoardName "GeForce GTX 470" BusID "PCI:1:0:0" EndSection

Section "Device" Identifier "Device1" Driver "nvidia" VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation" BoardName "GeForce GTX 470" BusID "PCI:2:0:0" EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" # Removed Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_120 +0+0; 1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" # Removed Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_70 +0+0; 1680x1050_120 +0+0; 1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" # Removed Option "TwinView" "1" # Removed Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_120 +0+0; 1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" # Removed Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_70 +0+0; 1680x1050_120 +0+0; 1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Device0" Monitor "Monitor0" DefaultDepth 24 Option "TwinView" "0" Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-2" Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_120 +0+0; 1680x1050_60_0 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0" SubSection "Display" Depth 24 EndSubSection EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0" # Removed Option "TwinView" "1" Identifier "Screen1" Device "Device1" Monitor "Monitor1" DefaultDepth 24 Option "TwinView" "0" Option "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0" Option "metamodes" "1680x1050_60 +0+0" SubSection "Display" Depth 24 EndSubSection EndSection

Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Disable" EndSection

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Bikk


P.S. Am going to sleep now and will be working late.. will be back in about 16 or so hours :p

[Bikkuri]

BTW, sorry about the format.. didn’t come out very nice :/

[Bikkuri]

Tech Ping (LINUX)

[randita]

LOL. I opened this thread because I thought Mint Maya was some kind of a summer beverage and I wanted to read about it because it sounded good.

What do I know? I’m a hippie Mac person.

[Jaxter]

Yeah, I was going to get some for my Keurig.

[Jaxter]

Like your sign up date, by the way.

[reg45]

Like your sign up date, by the way.

Wow! Someone who has been hanging around here even longer than I have.

[PastorBooks]

“I opened this thread because I thought Mint Maya was some kind of a summer beverage ... I’m a hippie Mac person.”

So I see you’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid... LOL :)

[randita]

Yeah, I’ve been here since Drudge linked to FR. Shortly after I joined, Drudge stopped.

I recall the time when a whole day’s threads took only one page. I had so much more free time then - LOL.

[PastorBooks]

Ask here if you haven’t already:

http://forums.linuxmint.com/

For Mint questions most other forums won’t help all the time (sometimes they do).

Have you considered trying XFCE? The Mint Maya XFCE edition release candidate was just released today. Since it will be using a different display manager, maybe it wouldn’t be giving you so much trouble.

I’m using the last version of Mint/XFCE and will be upgrading to Maya when the XFCE version is stable.

[Bikkuri]

Thank you :) Yeah, I have been reading LOTS of forums.. and found the Mint forums.. sadly, anyone (up until the last couple of days) that had a problem close to this one went unanswered :/
The problem about the 2 monitors has been partially answered.. and I have found only 1 post that has the same problem with the task bars and no answer for that at all :p

I will check up on the XFCE, thank you for bringing that to my attention :) (I don’t know anything about it yet though :p)

Take care :)
Bikk

[Bikkuri]

Lol :)

Really sorry about that, I should have put Linux in the title too :p

Needed a chuckle though ;)

[PastorBooks]

“I will check up on the XFCE, thank you for bringing that to my attention :) (I don’t know anything about it yet though :p)”

XFCE is somewhat like Gnome 2 without some of the bells and whistles. It’s fast, uncomplicated and gets out of your way so you can work. Your machine will feel noticeably faster.

If you try out Mint Maya/XFCE be sure to take a look at all the xfce4 plugins in the repository using Synaptic or whatever package manager you use. XFCE is modular and the default install is pretty minimal; it holds a lot of features back. There are many plugins you might want in the tray, like a system clock/calendar, system monitors, calculator, clipboard viewer, volume controls, etc. that are left out of the initial installation.

Take a look at the packages at http://goodies.xfce.org/ to find what you want. I think there is an xfce4 package called “goodies” in the repository that includes a lot of them.

[Bikkuri]

You are actually helping a lot here...

I don't really need all of the gadgets (Windows).. most important to me are system monitors (temp (CPU, but no worries there, it is liquid cooled..) mainly about GPU temp.. fan speed)..
but, I DID look at some XFCE pics.... ..

Back in the day, it would have been a nice challenge for me.. now, I just want to find what I need (don't need eye candy :P)
..
If this was DOS, I would be SO happy I knew what other people don't.. and feel real smart.. sadly.. I am on the side of the 'unknowledged' people now :/


Anyway, I finally registered.. and here is the first only only post I have made so far: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=106506&p=600541#p600541 ...

I honestly don't expect this to get much help/assistance; ]
I feel the same way I did 12 years ago about Linux tech-supp.. the creators have to be behind my back (physically) to tell me what to type in :/

[PastorBooks]

I’ll have more time to help this evening, right now I’m getting ready for company and the floor doesn’t vacuum itself.

In the meantime, you might go ahead and install the XFCE4 desktop. You can run XFCE concurrently with your current setup; you don’t have to uninstall Gnome3 or Cinnamon or reinstall Mint. Go into your package manager and install:

xfce4
xfce4-goodies
xfce4-panel — is probably already going to automatically install along with xfce4

Or you can go into your terminal and type:
sudo apt-get install xfce4 xfce4-panel xfce4-goodies

Next logout and log back into the startup screen. You can choose what desktop you want to run by clicking the little gears icon on the login box. Choose XFCE and you’re good to go.

XFCE is the new favorite with people who want a minimal environment. You can have different widgets or not, and even running every feature will still leave your system much faster than under Gnome3/Cinnamon.

“If this was DOS, I would be SO happy I knew what other people don’t.. and feel real smart.. sadly.. I am on the side of the ‘unknowledged’ people now :/ “

If you want a true, bare-to-the-bones lightning-speed System of Coolness, take a look at:

Awesome Window Manager
http://awesome.naquadah.org/

Xmonad
http://xmonad.org/

Awesome-WM and Xmonad are designed to be 100% Pure Coolness for people who run multiple monitors. They don’t have moveable windows that you drag, instead they are keyboard-based. Programmers who use these are so much more productive than using graphical managers. You still have a mouse, but you don’t use the mouse to switch windows... it is a real time-saver.

Benefits:

* Completely customizable — Search http://images.google.com for ‘Awesome WM’ and Xmonad and you’ll get a sense of the power and flexibility of these managers. You can have all the settings just like you like them.

* Unbelievably fast — Their tiny size means your computer runs lightning fast. They are on almost as you hit the return button to login.

* Very stable — Since their codebases are so small and rarely change, you don’t have the graphical hiccups like what you are facing now. They JUST WORK.

Cons:

* Pretty steep learning curve — They are very different from a graphical environment. If you’re used to clicking windows and dragging, it’s a big step.

* You customize by making changes to a settings file — This is a good thing. They let you make whatever changes you want, and those changes will rarely have to be changed when you upgrade.

Xmonad reads a file in Haskell, and Awesome-Wm reads a file in Lua. Lua is said to be the easier of the two for a beginner to understand, but Xmonad has many fans. Supposedly a beginner doesn’t have to know Lua or Haskell to make changes, you just copy and paste code into the file to make your customizations.

I wanted to get into one of them a few months ago, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance. I’d like to adopt one of the two within the next few months, but right now my XFCE is running nice and I have other things to do. And I have only one monitor so it isn’t that big of a deal.

These lightweight window managers really shine when you have multiple monitors. They are capable of having not only two monitors, you can have as many as you want and you will have no problems with them. You can have 8 or more monitors and assign certain programs to run on specific monitors in just the right part of the screen.

For now give XFCE a try. This multiple panel problem you’re having sounds like a bug.

Wait, I just searched Google for: Ubuntu multiple panels — and I found something:

[gnome] Multiple empty top panels - Ubuntu Forums — http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1873528

They are having the same problem you are, multiple panels when a second monitor is active. The responder says “You can remove them with Alt+Rt Click”.

I’ll check back in tonight; right now I need to get back to house cleaning...

[ShadowAce]

[Bikkuri]

Ok..

I gave up on Cinnamon.. downloaded and redid (reformatted) my USB 'thumbdrive' to Mint Maya Mate..

Tried to install 5 different times, making sure to partition the HD (btw, don't think I originally mentioned this.. but it is on a separate HD, but the same separate HD as the original install)..

Install would hang on final, and when I would force reboot.. it would send me to 'File not found' .. screen (or something like that).. :/


SO, I finally got the idea, since I can control the PC from the Live 'DISK' itself (actually USB thumbdrive), I would format the 1 TB HD (and wipe out all previous installs of Linux before I start to manually partition again).. ..
It worked :)


SO.. now I have installed MATE instead of Cinnamon. It is MUCH better/easier than I imagined.. not as sweet as Cinnamon, but good enough for me.

I DID check out your suggestions.. did lots of reading and viewing.. The learning curve is too steep for me :/ The help on the forums is pathetic.. about 50% of assistance are either smart-ass remarks or ignored completely :(


Good news;
MATE recognized my second monitor immediately :D All I had to do was to go into settings and 'UNmirror' them :)


and the 'Fallback' I was seeing from Cinnamon is NOT the same as MATE.. It was a fallback to Gnome.


I am going to back-up this setting I have now so that if I screw something up, I can just delete and copy over to start again.. seems, from what I have read, that it is much easier to restore linux than WinBlows.. (I personally still think WinBlows is much better than MacinSuck though ;))



As soon as I learn Linux better, I am hoping to evolve and to move to the Linux you have suggested.. but I have a way to go until I understand the terminal commands/structure.


I really appreciate your assistance and the reason I asked here first is because I saw crappy help/assistance on the Linux forums :p There were many that helped with easy to answer problems (on the linux forums), but few to assist with serious ones...




BTW.. my laptop is doing well with Cinnamon (probably until I connect a second monitor :/).. BUT, hopefully by that time, I will have a good general idea of how this all works.. and will install MATE (or some other user friendly version)

[Bikkuri]

This is so weird to me.. just hover over a music file, and it starts playing... (Mint Mate)..

[PastorBooks]

I’m glad you got it working!

“I DID check out your suggestions.. did lots of reading and viewing.. The learning curve is too steep for me :/”

So true. I’ve been using Linux since 2005 and I found the AwesomeWm and Xmonad were too steep a learning curve without some significant study. Once I have more time to spend on it I’m hoping to move over to one of them... I have read that they really can increase productivity.

“I have a way to go until I understand the terminal commands/structure.”

That takes time, but it will come. Here are some good ways to find out about commands.

http://www.unix.com/ — Excellent forum

Type the command you are finding out about and add —help to it, like:
wget —help
(For some reason typing in a double dash turns into a “—”... it should be the command, a space, and then two minus signs, and then ‘help’)

Or access the manual:
man wget

or:
info wget

Wikipedia has a page on every Linux command. You can find the master list at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Unix_utilities

“The help on the forums is pathetic.. about 50% of assistance are either smart-ass remarks or ignored completely :( “

Then as a Freerepublic member you should feel right at home! :)

[PastorBooks]

“This is so weird to me.. just hover over a music file, and it starts playing... (Mint Mate)..”

Ewww... If that’s the default someone really messed up. There must be a way to disable that behavior. (That’s not a bug, that’s a feature! LOL)

Look into the Krusader file manager — http://www.krusader.org/ . It is a two-column manager in the vein of the first generation file managers. It is VERY powerful. Krusader is a KDE app so installing it will also install quite a few KDE dependencies, but they will stay out of your way since you’re not using a KDE frontend. I love it, nothing comes close.

Stay away from “Gnome Commander” — I found it to be buggy and nearly lost some files copying from one directory to another. It also is less featured than Krusader.

Now, if you’re feeling like the 1980s and you want some DOS nostalgia, take a look at Midnight Commander (sudo apt-get install mc). Midnight Commander runs in the terminal. I don’t use it because I’m not sure there is an undo or a trash, but I might be wrong. Some truly hardcore users will run mc or Emac’s Dired file managers in a dedicated window in a multi-monitor AwesomeWM or Xmonad setup; that way their file manager is always available and uses minimal resources.

The good thing about any of these file managers is that none of them are going to start playing music just by hovering! :)