[Scottish] time spent on Linux stuff...

[Kevin McDermott]

Hi Paul,
>  Dear Mr. Ben and all, I think my problems have just been a series of unfortunate events...When I've tried to use the <tab> key to complete a file name in order to find/install it, the computer simply beeps at me - this may be a key mapping issue, I realise...
>   
I would doubt this, unless you're using a weird keyboard.  tab-complete 
only works on things in the path.
> Even when using Synaptic last night to download & install back ports to Breezy, it downloaded them all right, but when it came to installing them I got an error message that another program like apt-get was also running (it wasn't) - I closed my terminal window, tried again and still got the same message...
>   
Why install back-ports to breezy?
> I suspect that I just got a duff copy of Breezy (but the price was right! ) -  and I can't change the boot sequence in my BIOS to allow it to go from CD-ROM first - the options are there but there doesn't seem to be any way to enable them - so I can't load a new OS/distro....
>   
I'd doubt it'd a "duff copy of Breezy", but on the upside, boot from the 
CD and there's a CD tester.
> Since I *could* boot from CD-ROM when I loaded Breezy, I suspect that something in Breezy has disabled or frozen my BIOS settings, meaning I must simply donate my computer to the Electron Club in Glasgow and find another.......
>   
Again, having been using Linux for close to 13 years, I've never seen 
any Linux distro disable or freeze BIOS settings, so I find this very, 
very unlikely.  Hold onto your computer, and tell us more about it, what 
model is it? Is it home-built? If so what Motherboard/Chipset/CPU - 
these usually appear on the first screen after you power on.  I wouldn't 
worry too much, it's almost certainly fixable.
> Once again, thank you all for your cogent, patient help. I appreciate it!
>   
We'll continue trying 'til you get bored, or you slip back to the stream 
of conciousness stuff ;-)

Kevin