Ubuntu new user FAQ

How do I get started?

The first time you use your Free Geek Computer, it will come up to a login screen for the oem account. The username for this account is oem and the password is freegeek. While this account will work, and is the one we use to test the machine, it is not very secure to have an account for which hundreds of people know the password, so one of the first jobs you will want to do is to create a new account and delete the oem account. Fortunately, there is a simple way of doing that. From the oem account, go to System">"Administration">"Prepare for Shipping to end user". Then restart your computer. As it boots up, it will prompt you to create a new account. Be aware that usernames should not have any capital letters or spaces, and that some users (like "admin") are already used by the operating system.

If you have one of the older boxes based on Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake), the process is a little more complicated. When the box boots, after it does the POST (Power On Self Test), it will say “Grub loading” and then present you with a menu. Press a key at this point to stop the boot process, because otherwise the menu will disappear after a couple of seconds. Then use the arrow keys to highlight the last line “Reset users for first boot” and press “Enter”. The computer will boot into an account creation process.

My monitor is blank (or the wrong size)

There is a utility built into the boxes to probe for the video card and monitor and produce the correct settings. In the newer Hardy Heron boxes, reboot the computer. When you reach the point that you see a message about GRUB, press the "Esc" key. This will bring up the GRUB menu. Choose the highest "Recovery" option, then "xfix" when you get to the recovery menu.

On Dapper boxes, the Grub menu is visible by default. Use the down arrow key to select "Reconfigure video card and monitor" and hit enter.

How do I create additional user accounts?

New users are created by going to System>Administration>Users and Groups

The first user is set to have administrative privileges. This will not be true of additional accounts unless "Executing System Administration Tasks" is specifically set under User Privileges.

What software is included?

The Free Geek Ubuntu box has a full complement of useful software. The list below is not exhaustive.

• The Gimp - Image processing software roughly equivalent to Adobe Photoshop
• OpenOffice - Word Processing, Database, Spreadsheet, Drawing, Presentation Manager
• Firefox - Internet browser
• Evolution - Email, Calendar, Personal Information Manager
• Nautilus - File Manager and CD/DVD creator
• gThumb - Photo archive and Camera reader
• XSane - Scanner Software
• Lots of games
• Many utilities such as a calculator, screenshot taker, dictionary

How do I change my password?

Your password can be changed in System>Preferences>About Me.

Alternatively, all user passwords can be changed in System>Administration>Users and Groups

How do I change the name of my computer from "freekbox"?

Go to System>Administration>Networking and click on the General tab. After changing the computer name, many functions will not work correctly until you reboot, so reboot as soon as possible.

How do I add a printer?

USB printers should be automatically detected and configured. For printers that are not detected, or are on a network rather than attached to your computer, the configuration utility is in System>Administration>Printing.

How do I connect to the internet?

Dialup

Dialup connections can be made using the Network Manager (System>Administration>Network). You will need to click the "Unlock" button and sign in with an administrative account in order to access the Network manager. Then click on Point to point connection and then Properties. Put a check in Enable this connection. Connection type is "serial modem". For Internet Service Provider data and Account data put in the information provided by your ISP. On the Options tab make sure "Set modem as default route to internet" and "Use the internet service provider nameservers" are both checked.

The modem will need to be enterd into the modem tab, but to get the right value, the modem will need to be detected. This can be done by opening the terminal window (Applications>Accessories>Terminal) and typing wvdialconf.

Broadband (cable or dsl)

For most cable and dsl modems, once the broadband modem is configured, your ubuntu box will be able to connect without any extra configuration. If you are not able to connect, then check the following:

• The ethernet connection may need to be enabled. Go to System>Administration>Networking, highlight the ethernet connection and then click on properties. There should be a check mark in "Enable this connection". The Configuration should be DHCP unless you know it should be otherwise.
• The modem may need to be rebooted or reset.
• If the modem has not been configured, try browsing to the web interface of the modem. This can be found by checking System>Administration>Network tools. Change the network device to show the ethernet connection. If the IPV4 IP address starts with 169, or is absent, you are not connected. Otherwise, click on the Netstat tab. and check the routing information. The gateway address is the address of the modem. Just put that address in to firefox and you should see the administrative interface for the modem.

My menu and icons are messed up. How can I fix it?

The gnome panels (the strips containing menus, icons and buttons on the top and bottom of the screen) are very easy to customize, and so are very easy to mess up. The following tips can help you recover them.

missing panel

It is easy to delete one of the panels. To replace it, right-click on the remaining panel, and choose "New Panel" from the menu. This will give you a new blank panel. You will need to replace the menus and other features of the panel.

missing menu or other feature

You can add most features of the panels by right-clicking on the panel and choosing "Add to Panel". You will be presented with a large list of features to be added. Try them out. You can always delete them by right-clicking on the feature and selecting "Remove from Panel". Note that the Menu which was there originally is "Menu Bar", not "Main Menu".

Application icons are added by clicking on the menu and then right-clicking on the application icon in the menu and selecting "Add this launcher to panel"

panel in the wrong place

Panels can be moved to different sides of the screen by clicking and dragging.

Adding Software

The first place to look for software to add is in the Add/Remove utility (Applications>Add/Remove). This gives you access to the Ubuntu supported applications plus many others. More packages, and finer control over them, can be found by going to System>Administration>Synaptic Package Manager.

Media and online games

For various reasons, the Free Geek boxen do not come preinstalled with software to play some types of media. Some "Store Specials" may come with DVD players physically installed, but again do not have the software installed. For more information on configuring your box to play various forms of multimedia, go to http://medibuntu.org

Adding Hardware

Not all hardware works with all operating systems. This is especially true for wireless cards, graphics cards, and modems. To ensure that the hardware that you would like to add to your computer will work, please make sure the device that you wish to add is on a list here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport