Linux A noob has fresh install questions

I just installed XBMCbuntu v11.0 Eden to what was previously a Dell Laptop
There are a few problems though

1. mouse is super sensitive making it very hard to navigate - have not been able to find a calibration setting

2. Will not connect to my wifi network - doesn't seem to detect the network at all. it only asks for connecting via a proxy server, which I know nothing about. When I told the installer to wipe the hard drive did it delete all the drivers thereby neutering my wifi card?

3. can't figure out how to import video files from a USB drive. the drive has some folders and some loose files - do they need to be better organized to import correctly? Drag and drop functionality would be nice

I'd appreciate any guidance you guys can give me.

thanks

Welcome to the XBMC forums.

1. Use a keyboard or remote control instead -- that's how XBMC was designed to be used. Indeed, some skins will pop-up a message telling you the mouse isn't supported whenever you move your mouse while in XBMC.
2. When you install XBMCbuntu, you have the opportunity to connect to your network via WiFi if it detects the absence of a hard-wire connection -- your WiFi log-in information is saved for future sessions. If you didn't setup WiFi during install, you could just boot to the XBMCbuntu desktop and (if memory serves me correctly) there's an icon on the bottom-right to select your WiFi network and provide your authentication information. Did you use Linux on this laptop previously? If not, there's a possibility that the WiFi adapter may not be supported "out-of-the-box". What is the model number of your Dell?
3. If you want to physically copy the files over from your USB drive to your laptop (rather than just defining the USB drive as a media source for XBMC), the easiest way to perform this is to switch over to the XBMCbuntu desktop, plug-in your USB drive, launch File Manager and drag-and-drop the files from the USB drive to your local hard drive. It would be wise to first create a new folder in the home directory of your local drive (call it "MyMedia" or something) and then copy the various directories and loose files over from your USB drive. This way, when you add a media source in XBMC, you can just specify this "MyMedia" folder and all your copied files will be included.
   

In items 2 & 3 above, I mention switching to the XBMCbuntu desktop. To do this:

1. Select the Exit option in XBMC, which will take you to the log-in screen
2. Enter/select your user ID (default is xbmc) and, on the drop-down menu just below the ID field, select XBMCbuntu
3. Click the button to proceed and you'll be prompted to enter your password as usual
4. After successfully logging-in, you will be presented with the XBMCbuntu desktop, where you can perform the tasks mentioned above
5. To return to XBMC, log-out from the XBMCbuntu desktop and, on the log-in screen, change the session type from XBMCbuntu back to XBMC
6. After logging-in, the XBMC menu will be displayed
   

thanks for the help.

when I go the desktop and mouse over the networking icon it says
"Wireless networks device not ready (firmware missing)"

It was a Dell xps m1330 running Vista home premium
this is my first foray into a non-windows OS
iirc, the wifi card is the 1395/1490

So it turns out that i have one of the dreaded Broadcom 43xx network adapters.

I'm trying to install the needed files as described here
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDo...net_access

Quote:b43 - No Internet access

If you do not have any other means of Internet access on your computer, you will have to install b43-fwcutter and patch packages from the install media. After that you will need to setup firmware manually (without the firmware automatically downloading and being set up).

Setp 1.

b43-fwcutter is located on the Ubuntu install media under ../pool/main/b/b43-fwcutter/ and patch is located under ../pool/main/p/patch/ or both in the official repositories online.

Note: In some versions (10.04 and 11.04 at least) there is not a /pool/main/p/patch/ If this file is missing then you don't need it. In this case you only need to install /pool/main/b/b43-fwcutter by following the instructions below.

Double click on the package to install or in a terminal (under the desktop menu Applications > Accessories > Terminal) navigate to the folder containing the package and issue the following command:

:/b43-fwcutter/$ sudo dpkg -i b43-fwcutter*

In case you couldn't find the folder, wubi keeps it as a hidden folder so you have to mount it. Follow these steps:

~$ sudo mount -o loop /host/ubuntu/install/.fuse_hidden0000000400000001 /mnt
~$ cd /mnt/pool/main/b/b43-fwcutter/
~$ sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter
~$ sudo dpkg -i b43-fwcutter*

however, i am trying to install directly from a USB that has only the files described in that article on it (FW Cutter and the two firmware files)

When I try sudo apt-get install it tells me that it cannot find the file for b43fwcutter
I opened the USB drive in terminal and entered the commands there as well but got the same result.

does anyone know how to get it to load the files from the USB drive?
Or should I just DL the .iso again burn it to the USB and then navigate to the necessary files using file manager?

thanks again

Looking at those instructions, it would be a lot easier if you could temporarily connect your laptop to your wired network to perform the installation. Is an Ethernet connection somehow not possible?

its possible but annoying. ill try getting it from the .iso file - i take that's what they mean when they say it is located on the install media, right?

if that doesn;t work then yeah ill go for a wired connection

(2012-06-27 20:05)vidro3 Wrote:  its possible but annoying. ill try getting it from the .iso file - i take that's what they mean when they say it is located on the install media, right?

The install media referenced in that document is the Ubuntu install disc (the full, standard version), not the XBMCbuntu install disc. So, you'll need download the .iso for the full Ubuntu 11.10 version and burn an installation CD in order to have access to the patch file.

Wouldn't it be less "annoying" to simply carry your laptop over to your router and plug one end of an Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port of your laptop and the other end into a port on your router? With Internet access, you could perform the installation simply by launching Synaptic Package Manager in XBMCbuntu and installing the b43-fwcutter package using a nice GUI interface rather than typing multiple commands manually.

if it were less annoying i would have done that to begin with but i dont have access to the modem/router set up all the time since it is not in a common area.
anyway, i did it that way and it is now working.
thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread.
(really, even though that might have sounded sarcastic)

now to get the audo working ....

same laptop, different issue:
Nvidia X-server wont let me run configuration to allow for video out.
says it doesnt support devices that dont allow dynamic twin view.

help ?

You know, its a lot easier to copy files with xbmc's built in file manager, rather than logging into lxde. Here are some screen shots to give you an idea.