====== Install Release 201403 ====== A new version, or should we say an evolution, of LMDE has been available since April 2015, please consult the [[install:base-lmde2|LMDE 2 (Betsy) installation page]]. In case you didn't do that already, you are invited to read the following sections before you launch the installation: * [[install:start|Base Installation]] * [[install:preparation|Preparing the Machine (and USB Key)]] * [[install:disk-partition|Disk Partitioning]] Then simply follow the [[install:base-up6|Base Installation wiki page.]] Once the process completed, after a first system update, you'll have a shiny new 3.11 kernel based LMDE install. ===== A Brave New World ===== This wiki initiated as a way for me to remember the various steps I took to setup my working environment. As you might have read before, I initially installed LMDE on my (old) MacBook 5,1 unibody. Although I've been totally satisfied with the performances I got from this little horse (Core2 Duo 2.4GHz - 4MB RAM - 256GB SSD) an unfortunate error burned it's USB ports and WiFi. This situation rendered the machine barely usable as a working tool and I had to make the difficult decision to separate myself from my faithful work machine... Chance brought me the opportunity to acquire a Clevo H150RW Laptop (Intel Core i7-2720QM quad-core 2.20-3.30GHz - 8GB RAM - 512GB 5200RPM HD) on which I decided to install a brand new LMDE 201403 Cinnamon operating system. As one can expect, this brought me new challenges, starting with the WiFi not working "out of the box". To identify the problem my first will was to delve a little deeper in the hardware configuration of the machine. I was surprised not to find the usual "System Profiler" application in Cinnamon. ===== Software sources ===== First off, it's always best to update the software sources so to get speedier updates and packages installation. In Menu > Administration > Software Sources, click on the firts popup menu "Main (debian)", wait a few seconds and you'll see the list updated with the average speed you're getting from each source. Select the one that offers the best speed for your location, then click the "Update the cache" button (top right), to update your APT cache with the newly selected sources. ===== Basic System Update ===== Debian, and specifically LMDE with it's "rolling release" principal, updates often. The system is taking charge of looking at possible updates in the background and signals whenever there is one (or many) available. Keep an eye on the "shield" icon on the main panel. If it shows you an exclamation point, click on it to manage your updates... Simple as that. ===== Hardware Info ===== So, back to my "System Profiler" problem, it turns out that the original software lying behind LinuxMint's System Profiler is called "Hardinfo". Unfortunately again, it doesn't seem to be available directly under the "Software Manager" application. Digging a little deeper lead to the finding of "sysinfo" which seemed to be what I was looking for. So I installed it using the "Software Manager", and got it available under the "Administration" application menu. This informed me that the WiFi Adapter was well accessible by the system and that it is a Realtek RTL8188CE 802.11b/g/n (rev 01). Damn... of course not the same one I used to find a working solution for when using the MacBook. to my surprise, digging our Google friend for info about this RTL8188CE, I found out that "the source for the rtl8188ce, as well as rtl8192ce, are included in the 2.6.38 kernel... Huh ? And here to re-learn a long known rule in computing: **check the hardware first**.\\ Indeed, being new to the Clevo laptop, I didn't noticed I now have a **physical button to activate the WiFi adapter**, turning this on brought me the WiFi connection quite immediately. ===== A Complete Virtual Environment ===== As a previous wiki page reminded me, I once thought about having a completely virtualized environment. Isn't it the perfect time to set it up? But how to configure it? It may well be time for another wiki: Let's call it "[[http://wiki.strategicz.com/vhyper/|VHyper]]"