Things to do after installing elementary OS – luna

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Introducing the “Terminal”

Update your system

Enabling Canonical/partner software repositories

Display hidden auto-start entries

Install elementary tweaks and 3rd party community applications

Installing file archiving resources

Install multimedia codecs

Apple iTunes compatibility codec

Enable DVD Support

Install Microsoft core fonts

Check your video graphics card is supported

Learn some common keyboard shortcuts

After installing elementary OS luna and you have familiarized yourself with its out of the box features , you might be wondering what to do next. That is what this article is all about. The elementarynow guide to “Things to do after installing elementary OS” is a series of “how to” instructions, some of them essential some of them optional. We view these articles as a “one stop shop” that enable you to enjoy your elementary experience and avoid certain frustration, especially if you are fresh from a Windows or OSx background.

Lets get started…..

Some of the “how to” guides we share at elementarynow require the use of a small but powerful application called “ Terminal “. This application can be accessed from your applications menu (Slingshot) or by using the keyboard shortcut [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T]. You will be sometimes asked to copy lines of code from our tutorials and paste or type them into the terminal.

Some commands take a second to run, others can vary depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of the software package you are installing

Be aware that when typing into the Terminal – commands are always case sensitive. Make sure you type in the case we present.

When required to enter your password you type it on one character space, the cursor does not move – (this is for security reasons, so other people don’t see your password or its length).

Most commands we share require some attention when you run them, you might be asked to press the enter key to continue or “Do you wish to continue? Y or N”.

Strange as in may seem after completing the installation of a new operating system that the first thing you do is to update your system.

How to

Go to your applications menu selects System Tools > Update Manager (when in category mode) or just Update Manager when in grid mode. Select the Check button then when ready Install Updates . On a few occasions you will be asked reboot your computer.

…or by using the terminal

To do this – open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste the follow line(s) then press enter

If you are planning to install additional 3rd Party software from the Ubuntu Software Center (recommended) you must enable access to their repositories. To do this….

Open Software Center from the Applications menu (“Slingshot”) and select “Edit” and then select “Software Sources” Make sure the following options are checked

Canonical Partners

Canonical Partners (Source Code)

Independent

Independent (Source Code)

then repeat the “ Update Your System” instruction” above

Using and understanding software repositories and PPA’s

Popular 3rd party software applications to get you started

Each time you start elementary OS there are applications and processes that auto-start in the background. You can manage and find these by navigating to System Settings (Switchboard) >> Start-up Applications .

When you first install elementary OS these entries are hidden. To reveal them run the following command in the terminal

How to install and use elementary tweaks is explained in detail in our Customizing your elementary desktop article. elementary tweaks is only one of many applications hosted in the community software repository designed specifically for elementary OS.

You can review a list of other available packages by clicking this link . To install any of these application simply type:

before installing any application from this source you must add and update the community repository. Do this by running the following line in the terminal

File archives come in many forms in Linux and entering the command below will cover all your bases for archive extraction/decompression

open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste (all one line) then press enter

Cover all your bases by installing these (“probably more that you need”) codecs for your multimedia.

Open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste (all one line) then hit enter

Conditional: If you have a big Apple iTunes music library, you will need a codec called libavcodec-extra-53 in order to play your music files. In order for this to work, your music files must not be DRM protected. You also must have access to these from that same machine.

Open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste the following line

Open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste the following lines.

Installs Microsoft Core Fonts (Arial,Times New Roman and many more). This is proprietary software and you will be asked to accept the EULA license. To do this when it is presented hit your tab key once and and hit enter to accept.

Sometimes open source software for video graphics cards can cause some issues and this is worth checking. Follow the steps below Check and install any available drivers for your computer. (only install with labelled recommended)

open the Terminal [CTRL]-[ALT]-[T] and paste

If there are no available drivers you need to check if your driver is supported. If you do not know which video card your machine uses check by using this command

Check your card is supported

Intel : check here AMD/ATI: check here Nvidia: click here

If you are not sure what to do from here, go to the elementarynow forum and someone will guide you through the process.

Give as much information about your video card as possible for a quicker resolution

Some keyboard shortcuts are important to learn and master.

Ctrl + T – Open a new tab in Files

Ctrl + Alt + T – Starts terminal

Alt + Tab – Switch between apps that are opened

Superkay + A – Show all windows on every desktop

Superkey + W – Show all windows on the current desktop

Superkey + Tab – Switch between desktops (in order they are used)

Superkey + directional arrows – Switch between desktops

Superkey + 1,2,3,4,5 … – Switch between desktops

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