# Sticky  Please Read Here Before Posting



## hal8000

*How to ask a Smart Question*
Welcome to the Alternate Computing Forum. OK, so you've installed linux on your computer and have taken your first step into a bigger world of computing. Now you have a problem and require some assistance.

Quite often we will find ourselves answering your question with another question, usually asking for info that should have been provided. The summary below will help us to answer your question better:

The minimum we need to know
When posting always quote your computer/laptop/netbook make and model. 
Distribution and Version Number e.g. Linux Mint 17.3
Desktop e.g. Cinnamon

There are over 300 graphical desktops in linux, just stating your distribution is not enough.
For example Linux Mint is available to download with Cinnamon, Mate or KDE desktop versions. However there is nothing to stop you downloading another desktop e.g. Openbox 
As all desktops work slightly different this is why we need to know what you are using.
Extra hardware details like CPU, amount of memory, graphics card and hard drive size
are also helpful.


Always quote your distribution
Always quote your distribution and version number. The version number is important because over time, many changes are made. For example early versions of Ubuntu, used Gnome2, grub legacy, non scsi emulation etc. The current Ubuntu 12.04 now uses grub2 as a bootloader, the Unity desktop and a host of other changes.
If you use a different window manager, also quote this with your question, otherwise we will assume you use the default desktop with the distribution.



Has your question been answered before?
Before asking use the [search] function in the menu bar of TechSupportForum (TSF). We may have answered your question. Alternatively searching on google may find you an answer and google has a copy of all questions asked on TSF as well.



General Questions
If your question is about software quote the version number you are using.

If your question relates to a hardware problem, tell us as much information about if as you can. For example if its a hard drive, state whether its, IDE, SATA or a SSD, its size and number of partitions.

Should your question be about graphics. Tell us the make and model of your graphics card, amount of on board video memory, and the screen you are using, whether its an LCD monitor, or laptop panel and the resolution you are working in.

Questions about Hardware
Suppose you have some new hardware and cannot get it to work. The first step is to consult the  Linux Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

Scroll through the hardware categories to see if your device is listed. If it is not listed then is means that the vendor has not provided any details about their product for someone to create the required kernel module (module) or perhaps it does work but no one has supplied details to the HCL.

If no support is available then you should take it back to the shop and demand a refund, if this is not possible, then in the future always check the HCL and research on google that your hardware is supported.

*Do I Need Anti Virus Software for Linux ?*
The short answer is no. There are no known viruses for linux and all its
derivitives:- Unix, FreeBSD and Solaris.
Viruses have been created in a lab as proof of concept but none exist
in the wild. The only time you need to consider anti virus software is
if you have a heterogeneous (network containing mixed windows/linux clients) home or office network.
The linux anti virus looks solely for email attachements that could be passed
on to the windows clients. A windows virus does not work in a linux environment. Even if it could run (with wine) it would be unlikely to work as most exploit vulnerabilities in microsioft software. It is for these reasons that
no mainstream linux distribution includes anti virus software as standard.
A quick "google" will find all the information you are likely to need for your distribution. For example Avast on Ubuntu:

How to Install and Update avast! Antivirus in Ubuntu *·* How to Ubuntu


Questions about Software
If you have added some new software to your distribution and can't get it to work, provide the link where you downloaded it from and the version of the software. In addition try starting the package from the terminal and copy and paste the error message from the terminal if you can.

When you don't know what to ask.
Sometimes it can be difficult to articulate your question. You may not know how to express yourself. If you receive an error message then copy and paste it with your question. If you cant copy and paste, write down the exact message and then quote it with your post.

Finally, sometimes you may be unsure just what hardware you have or what the problem is. In these cases, just tell us the linux distribution and version number and make/model of your computer/laptop and we will progress from there.

*Learning Linux*
Learning something new can be difficult, especially if you come from a windows world
where everything was a mouse click away. The best advice is a trip to the library. Every library has a computing section and there will be books on Linux, some now in full colour.
As Linux is constantly evolving it can be difficult to keep up. Some older books do not
necessarily reflect all the changes in the current operating system, however chapters on
the shell (command line) will be fairly standard. It is probably best to get a book closest to
the distribution you are using, for example, if you use Ubuntu, then a book based on Debian will be suitable. If you use Fedora or CentOS or Redhat then a book based on
RedHat will be suitable, although you may well find something wrote about your specific
distribution.
There are also magazines available such as "Linux Voice", Linux Magazine, and Linux Format, though not all may be available in some countries.
Search google for free Ebooks, for example:
10 Useful Free Linux eBooks for Newbies and Administrators

Online Linux Course

Virtualization
You can sometimes run linux on a a virtual machine. Vmware, Xen, Virtual box are all
examples of emulators that allow you to load a different operating system on your
current platform.
However, emulation is not perfect, its not guranteed to work or recognise every type
of hardware and will not perform as well as an installed system on dedicated hardware.
Emulation is ok if you want to try out a few linux commands, but dont expect it to work
with the latest wifi adapter or graphics card. If linux does not install on vmware then
this is just as likely to be a vmware problem so you should ask on the vmware
forum instead,

If we solve your problem...
If we have found a solution to your question please could you append [Solved] to the title on your first post, as it saves time reading your question again.

Thanks for reading.


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