John's questions

I was given a Turtle Beach XL1 headset for Christmas. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get it to work.

On the Windows machine I tried it on, you plug in the USB cable and it works. Not much setup required.

On my Ubuntu machine, not so lucky. Nothing happens. The LED on the headset turns on, so I know it's getting power at least, but lsusb doesn't show it:

john@john:~$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 046d:c03d Logitech, Inc. M-BT96a Pilot Optical Mouse
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 045e:0730 Microsoft Corp. Digital Media Keyboard 3000
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

and dmesg doesn't mention it either:

john@john:~$ dmesg | grep usb
[    0.177664] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbfs
[    0.177669] usbcore: registered new interface driver hub
[    0.177684] usbcore: registered new device driver usb
[    0.917391] usb usb1: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002
[    0.917392] usb usb1: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1
[    0.917393] usb usb1: Product: EHCI Host Controller
[    0.917395] usb usb1: Manufacturer: Linux 3.13.0-43-generic ehci_hcd
[    0.917396] usb usb1: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1a.0
[    0.933383] usb usb2: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002
[    0.933385] usb usb2: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1
[    0.933386] usb usb2: Product: EHCI Host Controller
[    0.933387] usb usb2: Manufacturer: Linux 3.13.0-43-generic ehci_hcd
[    0.933388] usb usb2: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.0
[    1.229472] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci-pci
[    1.361724] usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=8087, idProduct=0024
[    1.361726] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[    1.473458] usb 2-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci-pci
[    1.605716] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=8087, idProduct=0024
[    1.605721] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[    1.677457] usb 1-1.3: new low-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-pci
[    1.792231] usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=045e, idProduct=0730
[    1.792236] usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[    1.792239] usb 1-1.3: Product: Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000
[    1.792241] usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: Microsoft
[    1.861619] usb 1-1.4: new low-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
[    1.959226] usb 1-1.4: New USB device found, idVendor=046d, idProduct=c03d
[    1.959231] usb 1-1.4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[    1.959234] usb 1-1.4: Product: USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse
[    1.959236] usb 1-1.4: Manufacturer: Logitech
[    2.375748] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbhid
[    2.375750] usbhid: USB HID core driver
[    2.378882] input: Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.3/1-1.3:1.0/input/input5
[    2.378959] microsoft 0003:045E:0730.0001: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.3/input0
[    2.380363] input: Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.4/1-1.4:1.0/input/input6
[    2.380480] hid-generic 0003:046D:C03D.0003: input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.10 Mouse [Logitech USB-PS/2 Optical Mouse] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.4/input0
[    2.381368] input: Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.3/1-1.3:1.1/input/input7
[    2.381435] microsoft 0003:045E:0730.0002: input,hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Device [Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.3/input1
[ 7636.371416] usb 1-1.3: USB disconnect, device number 3
[ 7636.828529] usb 1-1.3: new low-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
[ 7636.943278] usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=045e, idProduct=0730
[ 7636.943284] usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[ 7636.943287] usb 1-1.3: Product: Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000
[ 7636.943290] usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: Microsoft
[ 7636.952307] input: Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.3/1-1.3:1.0/input/input15
[ 7636.952604] microsoft 0003:045E:0730.0004: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.3/input0
[ 7636.968068] input: Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.3/1-1.3:1.1/input/input16
[ 7636.968242] microsoft 0003:045E:0730.0005: input,hidraw2: USB HID v1.11 Device [Microsoft Microsoft\xffffffc2\xffffffae\xffffffae Digital Media Keyboard 3000] on usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.3/input1
[ 7637.160501] usb 2-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 3 using ehci-pci
[ 7637.254736] usb 2-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=22b8, idProduct=4366
[ 7637.254741] usb 2-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=4
[ 7637.254745] usb 2-1.2: Product: XT912
[ 7637.254747] usb 2-1.2: Manufacturer: Motorola
[ 7637.254750] usb 2-1.2: SerialNumber: 014F8B8213016004
[ 7637.284064] usb-storage 2-1.2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[ 7637.284113] scsi4 : usb-storage 2-1.2:1.0
[ 7637.284172] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[ 7640.473488] usb 2-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 3
[ 7640.672357] usb 2-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 4 using ehci-pci
[ 7640.765649] usb 2-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=22b8, idProduct=431d
[ 7640.765654] usb 2-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=4
[ 7640.765657] usb 2-1.2: Product: XT912
[ 7640.765660] usb 2-1.2: Manufacturer: Motorola
[ 7640.765662] usb 2-1.2: SerialNumber: 014F8B8213016004
[ 7640.808313] usbcore: registered new interface driver cdc_ether
[ 7640.812879] rndis_host 2-1.2:1.0 usb0: register 'rndis_host' at usb-0000:00:1d.0-1.2, RNDIS device, a6:06:37:ce:b4:d4
[ 7640.812902] usbcore: registered new interface driver rndis_host
[15709.587248] usb 2-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 4
[15709.589094] rndis_host 2-1.2:1.0 usb0: unregister 'rndis_host' usb-0000:00:1d.0-1.2, RNDIS device
[15709.809300] usb 2-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 5 using ehci-pci
[15709.903294] usb 2-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=22b8, idProduct=4366
[15709.903299] usb 2-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=4
[15709.903302] usb 2-1.2: Product: XT912
[15709.903305] usb 2-1.2: Manufacturer: Motorola
[15709.903308] usb 2-1.2: SerialNumber: 014F8B8213016004
[15709.904931] usb-storage 2-1.2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[15709.905161] scsi5 : usb-storage 2-1.2:1.0
[15760.688462] usb 2-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 5

What should I do?

I recall an Edit Image button in 11.04 that would bring up a second window with a Crop button easily visible.

But now, in 11.10, I see no such button. In fact, I can't find a way to crop at all from the default image viewer.

How can I crop an image from the default image viewer?

Some are fairly obvious. Specifically, I am referring to:

  -h                          halt or power off after shutdown
  -H                          halt after shutdown (implies -h)
  -P                          power off after shutdown (implies -h)

Isn't halting or powering off kind of expected when you're shutting down? Aren't these redundant?

  -c                          cancel a running shutdown

How on earth would you use this? In my experience, once a shutdown has begun, you don't get much opportunity to enter more commands until the machine is off.

  -k                          only send warnings, don't shutdown

Why does shutdown have an option that makes it not shut down?

What's the deal here? Does "shutdown" mean more than simply turning the machine off?

I have a machine running 11.04. Last night, everything was working fine, but this morning when I booted it, the keyboard wouldn't work. Pressing every key on it resulted in only one letter of input, and I could not get any key to consistently work.

I have tried replacing the keyboard, I've tried multiple USB ports with each keyboard, not even the on-screen virtual keyboard will work.

What's going on here and how can I fix it?

I just booted to a console and the keyboard worked fine.

I'm experimenting with VPNs, so I wanted to install pptpd.

john@desktop:~$ sudo apt-get install pptpd
[sudo] password for john: 
<snip>
The following extra packages will be installed:
  bcrelay
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  bcrelay pptpd
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 11 not upgraded.
Need to get 90.5 kB of archives.
After this operation, 442 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y

And everything runs fine until I get down to here:

WARNING: The following packages cannot be authenticated!
  bcrelay pptpd
Install these packages without verification [y/N]? n
E: Some packages could not be authenticated

No authentication? I'm no security expert, but I'm fairly sure that's a bad thing. So I check to see where the packages are coming from.

john@desktop:~$ apt-cache policy pptpd
pptpd:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1.3.4-3ubuntu1
  Version table:
     1.3.4-3ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
john@desktop:~$ apt-cache policy bcrelay
bcrelay:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1.3.4-3ubuntu1
  Version table:
     1.3.4-3ubuntu1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages

They're coming from Ubuntu.com and not being properly authenticated? What's going on here?

Normally, I hit my "Print Screen" key, and this wonderful thing appears. However, I have no such luck in fullscreen programs. Nothing happens. No wonderful little screenshot helper, no clipboard content.

How can I take screenshots of fullscreen programs?

I have a desktop machine with 11.04. It has ATI/Radeon graphics:

john@john:~$ lspci | grep VGA
01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RS880 [Radeon HD 4250]

I was attempting to run some programs on Wine on it. It suggested using the proprietary driver if a had problems, which I did. I opened "Additional Drivers" and there it was: the FGLRX driver just waiting to be installed. I hit "Activate" and it installed, prompting me to reboot to complete the upgrade. I closed the window, opened the shutdown menu, and hit "Reboot to complete upgrade".

When it came back, it ran a disk check and froze on the purple screen with the word Ubuntu and the 5 dots. After about 15 minutes, I rebooted it. Same story. Thinking it was a fluke, I rebooted once more. This time, nothing. Zilch. Nada. I don't even see the BIOS. My monitor insists that there is no video coming from the computer. At all.

I've installed this driver before on an identical machine with no trouble at all.

I'm aware of this question, but that asker gets a black screen, I get no screen at all. I'm fairly sure I could fix this if I could just make it to a terminal, but no amount of keypresses (CTRL + ALT + F1, ALT + F2, holding SHIFT during boot) brought me anything.

What can I do?

I'm running 11.04. I walked away from my computer for a few minutes while I had a terminal open. When I came back, the terminal was white. I tried to open Chrome, and it's screen was white too. Everything I tried to open was white. Even the shutdown menu.

What causes this and how can I fix it?

I copied my 3 cds into one directory and ran the installer from there with Wine. It installed perfectly fine. I was even able to watch the intro, navigate all the menus and start a game. However, about 1-30 seconds after starting the game, I get the infamous "Age of Empires 3 has encountered a problem and needs to close" pop-up with the "send/don't send" buttons. I was unable to determine any error from that.

I ran it from a terminal and I believe the important part of the output is:

err:eventlog:ReportEventW L"age3.exe"
err:eventlog:ReportEventW L"4.105.919.3236"
err:eventlog:ReportEventW L"deformerdll.dll"
err:eventlog:ReportEventW L"0.0.0.0"
err:eventlog:ReportEventW L"00001363"

Can someone tell me what this means and what I need to do to get AoE3 working?

I looked on the cd for deformerdll.dll and also checked Winetricks for it. I didn't find it.

Note: I have already tried the methods suggested at WineHQ and it still doesn't work.

For anyone interested in the whole several page output of terminal, here it is.

I'm finally upgrading. I just reached the "Remove Obsolete Packages" screen and, while glancing through, noticed a few packages that I installed and do not want removed. It lists about 150 so I'd rather not keep 145 packages I don't need.

Is there any way I can say "Keep these 2 packages but get rid of the rest"?

I'm more of a visual person. I prefer scanning a list of icons to being presented with a search box and being forced to remember the name of the thing I want.

Is there any way to view a list of installed apps similar to the "Applications" menu in previous versions?

I'm in the process of migrating a computer from Windows To Ubuntu. I followed these instructions to move my Thunderbird emails over. The emails that I moved show up, but when I try to check for new emails I get this message:

Sending of password did not succeed. Mail server pop.windstream.net responded:

[IN-USE] account is locked by another session or for maintenance, try again.

I click OK and another box pops up saying:

Login to server pop.windstream.net failed.

With 3 options:

• "Enter new password" (I'm SURE the one I'm typing is correct)
• "Cancel"
• "Retry"

I've tried all 3. Retyping my password, clicking "Retry", same result.

While I was typing this, I got a toast that said:

Thunderbird's attempt to connect to pop.windstream.net has timed out.

What is causing this and how can I fix it?

I hear and read the term all the time, but what does it mean?

I just accidentally mounted a shared folder hosted on a remote computer. The only difference I see is the presence of a desktop shortcut. I was able to access the folder before I mounted it with no problems.

So What does it mean to mount something?

Is there any way I can see what programs were running at a specific time? Is there a way to see the last time a program was run? I'm trying to see if a certain program was running yesterday because I suspect it may have been affecting the program I was using. Any suggestions?

If my computer is on without an network connection(e.g. the router is rebooted, the network cable is unplugged, etc), it won't connect at all until I fix the connection then reboot the computer. How can I make the network manager automatically connect to a new network?

EDIT: Here is the log file edited to only show Network Manager. It only show a couple hours as the file is somewhat repetitive.

It seems every Linux machine I've ever worked on, when the router was restarted, the computer required a reboot too. All the Windows machines rejoined the network just fine. Why won't my Linux computers recognize a restarted router without a reboot themselves?

EDIT: I run 10.04, it's a desktop, wired connection, the router is Windstream 2Wire I'm not sure what model but I did find "2701HG" on it. I'm not sure what PC hardware is relevant here, the motherboard?

Currently, when I type "python" at the terminal I get v2.6 which is all fine and dandy but how can I set it to use v3.1 instead? Is there a "path" variable out there somewhere that I can change like windows?

EDIT: I already have python3 installed and up and running. I just want to know how to set it as the shells default python version.

Previous research suggests that I need an LVM. However, I can't find anything for what to do about data being on both drives. I took the hard drive of an existing, running 10.04 computer and put it into another existing, running, machine. I want to be able to access the files like they were on the local(booting) hard drive. For example, having the applications that were previously installed on the "foreign" drive accessible through the "Applications" button. Any suggestions?