Frequently Asked Questions for Xandros Desktop 4
• What support is included with the product?
• How do I contact Tech Support?
• Are there any newsgroups or forums to get
support from other Xandros users?
• Where can I get the source code?
• How is the Xandros Desktop product
licensed?
• How do I create the Tech Support file?
• How Do I enable my Xandros Networks
account?
• Is there a free version available?
• How Do I install the Windows drivers
for my wireless network card?
• How Do I disable 3D FX when I can't login?
• How Do I install VMware on Xandros?
• How Do I connect to my wireless network?
• Why does the install fail with "CD Image not found"?
• How do I ensure my system is ready for the change to Daylight Savings Time?
• Is Xandros compatible with Windows Vista?
• Does Xandros Provide Support for the Eee PC?
What support is included with the product?
Xandros provides free installation and basic configuration support via email for all registered users. For details, please visit: http://support.xandros.com/support_terms.php
How do I contact technical support?
You can use the following form from our web site to contact us:
http://support.xandros.com/contact.php?contactname=support
Are there any newsgroups or forums to get support from other Xandros users?
Yes, please see the following URL for details: http://www.xandros.com/support/forums.html
Where can I get the source code?
Click the link for information on obtaining source code for the freely
redistributable components of Xandros Desktop OS.
http://www.xandros.com/support/source_code.html
How is the Xandros Desktop product license?
The Home, Home Premium, and Professional (Business) versions of Xandros Desktop OS entitle you to use the product on unlimited home computers of yours for non-commercial use and on one commercial-use computer. The Open Circulation edition allows for personal, non-commercial use and for business purposes only if you are a Developer.
You can view the software licenses on the various Products pages of this Web site. Boxed versions of the product include a printed copy of the license. The license is also viewable during the installation process; you can start an installation, then cancel it at the software license page.
How Do I Create the Tech Support file?
In both Xandros Desktop Home, and Xandros Server there is a new feature to create a compressed file that include key information about your computers configuration and the log files that Xandros Technical Support requires to help troubleshoot most issues. You should include this file with any request for Technical Support to help expedite the support process. To create this file, please follow the instructions below.
1. Launch the Control Center by clicking "Control Centre"
from the Control Centre menu on the Launch menu.
2. Next expand the Hardware Information branch and select Hardware Detection
of the Left Hand Tree.
3. Click the "Tech Support" button on the bottom
of the right hand pane.
4. Click "OK" to create the file.
5. E-mail the xandros-config-report-x.tar.bz2 file that was placed on
your desktop to Xandros Technical Support as part of your support request.
How can I enable my Xandros Networks account?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following instructions now only apply to Xandros Server.
Activation has been removed from all Desktop products.If you purchased a copy of Xandros Desktop 4.0 and need to reinstall, you will need to launch the Xandros Networks Client by clicking Launch -> Xandros Networks. Next and install the Xandros Network Client Update from the available Critical Updates before you install anything else, to avoid being prompted to activate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can enable your account for Xandros Network access by registering online.
Then use the following steps from the First Run Wizard:
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Starting the Registration process.
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Click Launch > Click Applications > Click System > Click First Run Wizard
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Click Next until you reach the Registration page.
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Click Register Online Now..
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The next step is to sign in.
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Already have an Account on http://shop.xandros.com ?
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Enter your E-Mail address and Password and click Sign In.
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Proceed to Step 3 Below
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If you do not have a shop.xandros.com account, please create one
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Click Continue in the New Account square to the right of the screen and enter your registration details
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Proceed to Step 3 Below
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Select your point of purchased from the Product Purchased from field. If it is not listed, please choose other and enter the store/website which you purchased your Xandros software from.
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Enter the Serial Number which was included with your purchase and click Continue. The confirmation screen will be displayed. If you receive an error...
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Please check and retry your serial number.
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Products may only be registered once, if you've already registered it is no longer required.
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If you are still unable to register, please contact Xandros technical support via e-mail at support@support.xandros.com
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Check your account for e-mail from Xandros which includes your activation code.
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Once you have received the Activation Code, return to the Registration page of the first run wizard (as documented in step 1). Enter the Activation code and click Activate Now.
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Your Xandros Networks account has been activated. You are now able to access new updates and other interesting software for free, as well as special Xandros Editions of popular commercial software. A Xandros Networks Premium Membership entitles you to even more free applications and discounts on third party software and additional Xandros items.
Is there a free version available? Yes.
For Xandros Desktop, you can request a download of the 30 trial version of V4 Xandros Desktop from here http://www.xandros.com/products/home/home_edition.html
How can I use the Windows drivers for my wireless network card?
Xandros Desktop already provides a lot of wireless network card support using native Linux drivers that are generally available. There are still cases that some manufacturers still do not provide a working Linux driver for your wireless network card. In this case, you can try using a tool called NDISWrapper to install the Windows driver for your wireless network card.
1: To install NDISWrapper drivers Launch the Control Center.
2: Expand the Hardware Information Tree and select the Hardware Detection
branch.
3: One the right side of the page expand the Network section of the Tree.
4: Select the device that corresponds to your wireless device.
5: Click the "Properties" button at the bottom of
the right side panel.
6: Select the Drivers tab on the Hardware Properties window.
7: From the drop-down menu select NDISWrapper and then click the "Windows
(NDIS) Wireless Drivers..." button.
8: Click the "Add" button and browse to where your
Windows Wireless Drivers are located. Select the inf file that corresponds
to your Network device and click "open".
9: If the device is then listed as "present", click "Close",
and then "Apply"
Please note you may have to reboot your Laptop to complete the installation. And with some Wireless devices it may be necessary to repeat the installation process a second time. Also, if your wireless interface still fails to work with the latest Windows Drivers, try an older version. It is possible that the drivers do not support your hardware revision.
How can I disable 3D FX when I can't log in?
Boot you system using the Safe Video Mode option, by selecting "Safe Video Mode" from the boot menu. Login as you normally would. Go to Launch -> Control Center -> Display -> Video Effects. Click on the Disable 3D Effects. Reboot your system You should be able to boot into your system normally.
Running VMware on Xandros
The following instructions will detail how to get your system ready to install and run VMware.
We are assuming you are running Xandros Desktop Home or Home Premium, with Service Pack 1 and all available updates installed, or Xandros Desktop 4 Professional.
Instructions for Installing VMware
If you are running Xandros Desktop V4 or later you just need to install the kernel header package. For SMP kernels (the default) and a c++ compiler, to do so:
Launch Xandros Networks.
From New Applications > Development select 2.6.18-smp Kernel Headers and C/C++ Development Tools.
Select File | Install Selected Application.
Download and install the VMware product you wish to use from VMware's website at http://www.VMware.com. Please follow VMware's instructions on how to install the application.
Wireless Networking - trouble connecting to an available access point.
If you are unable to connect to a wireless access point even though the NIC drivers are installed and you can see the access point listed as available.One of the issues with some wireless cards is that the device driver will not allow the wireless NIC to switch channels to find the correct one for the access point in question.
In these cases, it is necessary to set the network properties manually.
Create a new wireless connection:
- Click Finish.
- Click OK
Why does the install fail with "CD Image not found"?
Recently there have been a number of customers reporting that on their new PC's the installation of Xandros has failed and the error “CD Image not found” has been returned.
This appears to be happening mostly on
PC's with newer Intel based motherboards.
Recently Intel stopped including their
own PATA controller on their motherboards, replacing them with either
a PATA controller by J Micron and Marvell. While we have yet to hear
if there is a problem with the J Micron controllers we are aware that
the current build of Xandros Desktop does not include the drivers for
the Marvell controller.
Therefore Xandros has released an alternate boot image that will allow customers to install Xandros Desktop 4.x on systems with these PATA controllers.
You can find the image athttp://support.xandros.com/downloads/desktop_4.0/experimental/XD4_MARVELL.iso
Simply burn the image to CD by following the instructions at
http://www.xandros.com/products/howtoburn.html
Boot from the alternate boot image CD.
When prompted, remove the alternate boot image and insert the original Xandros Installation CD and hit <enter>
The installation will now continue.
How do I ensure my system is ready for the change to Daylight Savings Time?
In
some regions, Daylight Saving Time has been extended as of March
2007. The US congress and several Canadian provinces have passed
bills that extend Daylight Saving time by four weeks effective March
11th 2007.
What does this mean to you the Xandros user? It
means that without applying a patch, your system clocks will not
adjust for daylight savings time on the correct date. This will not
affect the overall functionality of the Xandros operating system, but
it will affect time sensitive applications such as your calendar and
e-mail. As of March 11th, you could find your system clock is one
hour behind. This means that calendar entries and meeting requests
could be set for the wrong time, and time sensitive e-mail could be
sent with the wrong time stamp.
Scalix is the e-mail and
calendaring server software shipped with Xandros Server. Scalix Corp,
has released a detailed press release that explains how this change
to Daylight Saving Time could affect the Scalix server. You can find
the full document at
http://www.scalix.com/wiki/index.php?title=TB/TB-2007-01-DST2007
There is a patch now available through Xandros Networks for
Xandros Server. Xandros recommends all customers running Xandros
Server apply this patch, by following these instructions:
Select Launch | Xandros Networks.
Select the Application Updates tree node.
Click the Critical Updates tab.
Click the Update Now button for "libc6 Update".
lick OK to install this patch.
Please
Note: Anyone running any editions of Xandros Desktop 4.0 with Service
Pack 1 or version 4.1 already has the patch installed, and is not
vulnerable. Xandros recommends that all customer running Xandros
Desktop Home or Home Premium 4.0 without service pack 1 should
install it immediately from Xandros Network, by following these
instructions:
Select Launch | Xandros Networks.
Select the Application Updates tree node.
Click on the Service Pack tab.
Click the Install button for service pack.
Follow the prompts to complete the install.
For Xandros Desktop Version 3. There is no official patch provided by Xandros, but there is a workaround that has been tested.
Download the following Debian package, tzdata_2007b-1_all.deb from
http://support.xandros.com/downloads/desktop_3.0/experimental/tzdata_2007b-1_all.deb
Select Launch | Xandros Networks
Select File | “Install DEB file” from the menu.
Browse to where you saved the file and select it.
Click the <Open> button
Enter your Administrator password if prompted. The installation should now commence.
Close Xandros Networks when installation has reported as “Done”
You can test the the patch by changing your time and date settings to just before 2:00am on March 11 2007 and letting the clock roll over. Your taskbar clock should go from 1:59am to 3:00am as it rolls over.
If
you are using a Windows desktop as the client to connect to the
Xandros Server, you need to ensure you have applied any patches
Microsoft has published for your desktop operating system. You can
visit Microsoft's Website at
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_topissues
to see what you will have to do for your Windows machine.
Is Xandros compatible with Windows Vista?
Yes, Xandros can coexist on a system with Window Vista. However, there are a couple of steps that need to be followed to make this happen. Unlike with previous versions of Windows, Xandros Desktop can not resize the Windows Vista partition during installation. You must follow these steps to ensure you do not damage your Windows data.
Prior to installing Xandros OS, users should use Vista's Disk Management tool to re-size the Windows partition:
Boot into Windows Vista
Select Start | Control Panel | System and Maintenance
Click "Create and format hard disk partitions" under the Administrative Tools section
Click Continue
Right click a Windows partition and select Shrink Volume
Follow the prompts to re-size the partition
Reboot the PC with the Xandros Installation CD in the CD drive.
Install Xandros Desktop OS
Does Xandros Provide Support for the Eee PC?
No. The Eee PC is an ASUS product and is solely supported by them, including Operating system issues. The Operating System on the Eee PC is not a Xandros Product. While Xandros may have aided in the development of the Eee PC OS, it is owned and supported by ASUS.Please contact ASUS support at http://support.asus.com/ for all Eee PC related questions.