I just recently installed mandrake linux 9.1 and Im having a few problems that after searching I don't know how to modify. Im am dual booting with xp just to let you kow. WhenI choose linux to boot and I get to the login screen there is no shutdown button. So whenever I want to shut the computer down I have to su to root and use the shutdown command. Is there a way to fix that? Also I thought it was strange that I don't have a .xsession file. Also how do you mount cdroms and cdrw's in linux? I created a shortcut to the dvdrom and when I click it it says input/output error. Any help would be appreciated.

Hmm... can't help you with the shutdown -- I don't boot directly into X.

mandrake does something called "supermount" (I think) which automatically mounts removable discs.


to manually mount/unmount a disc, provided you have an entry for the drive in your /etc/fstab file, use:

mount mounpoint
umount mountpoint (note that there is no "n" in umount)

for example, my cdrom is mounted at /mnt/cdrom, so I use

mount /mnt/cdrom
umount /mnt/cdrom



note you don't need to mount music cds.

is your link to the actual dvdrom device (/dev/whatever) or to the mountpoint? You need to link to the mountpoint.
Mandrake has icons to discs that show the current mount status, I don't know how to do that... yet:)


hope this helps...
~psi42

I need a help

I was trying to install Mandrake Linux 9.1 from original 3CDs.

At the end of the installation on the summary I get message telling me that “Graphical user interface was not installed.

Will you please tell me what I can do?
I have installed the same OS on the same system before, but decided to remove after 6 months.

My computer is a laptop Pentium iii

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name IWACU
System Manufacturer Compaq
System Model Armada M700
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~497 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Compaq 1.35, 11/23/1999
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\System32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.1106 (xpsp1.020828-1920)"
User Name IWACU\jean
Time Zone Central Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 256.50 MB
Available Physical Memory 45.98 MB
Total Virtual Memory 874.09 MB
Available Virtual Memory 414.66 MB
Page File Space 618.60 MB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
:confused: