Gaming on Linux [howtos / hints and tips]

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

What exactly fails (what step) and what were your choices there? I'm not familiar with Mint setup itself, but looking at the documentation, there should be "Installation Type" screen where you can choose default dual boot option, or even manual partitioning.

https://sites.google.com/site/mintwiki/main#TOC-Dual-boot

For some deeper Mint specifics, you might want to refer to their forum: http://forums.linuxmint.com

It's good to hang around there in general, if you plan to use Mint distribution.

 

[80maxwell08]

I can't even get it to boot from the disc drive. I've tried changing the boot priorities around and have got nothing. Here are the 8 boot options. I'm hoping someone can make sense of them.

USB CD/DVD
BEV
USB Hard Disc
Network
Hard Disc: ST32000641AS
USB Floppy
CD/DVD: HL-DT-ST BD-RE WH12LS30
UEFI: Built-in EFI Shell

I tried setting USB CD/DVD and CD/DVD: HL-DT-ST BD-RE WH12LS30 to boot priority 1 and 2 and got nothing. Now I'm completely lost.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

It seems to be UEFI based motherboard. This can be an issue. Try going into UEFI setup screen (similar to BIOS setup) and find an option to disable "UEFI secure boot" or something the like. It'll make the machine normally bootable. This can be an issue with Windows 8 though which requires UEFI secure boot machines which come with Windows logo certifications. If that's what you use, you need to figure out how to enable Mint to boot with UEFI.

In general, if you plan to use Windows 8, it's better to get a retail copy (which is not bound to any machine certification) which will allow you to disable all that UEFI mess altogether for both Linux and Windows.

Here are some related topics I found:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=111836
http://forum.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=103275

At this point I recommend you to ping folks from the Mint forum, since handling this UEFI mess can be tricky.

 

[80maxwell08]

Well I found an option under the boot setup that apparently disables UEFI. Still won't work. Doesn't even say anything about DVDs just boots to windows like always. I'll try again and edit this post afterward so I'll edit this in a few minutes when I get back.
EDIT: I have absolutely no idea what to do. I tried setting those 2 dvd options as the only ones in the list and tried disabling that UEFI stuff and the only thing that happened was it wouldn't boot at all so I had to hope that hitting ctrl-alt-delete would do something. Thankfully it apparently rebooted the computer and allowed me to put default settings back. So now I'm back at square 1.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Are you sure that you wrote the DVD properly? I.e. can you test it on another computer to see if it boots as expected? DVDs can be written incorrectly. If you make sure that DVD is bootable, it'll narrow the scope of the problem to your particular computer.

 

[80maxwell08]

I have a laptop I can try it on but the problem is the laptop is 32 bit where my desktop is 64 bit. Will that be an issue? I just hope getting it to boot from a dvd will be easier.
EDIT: Oh you have got to be kidding. I still have no freaking idea how to boot from a freaking disc.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

There are some key combinations which can interrupt regular boot. Try F2 or something the like. Lenovo laptops have a special button for that. You should be able to get to a menu where you can choose a device to boot from. On older computers however such thing can be absent.

Running with different bitness I think you should be able to see some initial info and then it won't boot further. Not like nothing at all.

 

[80maxwell08]

That's actually what I've been doing all along. I wish I knew which one was the right option.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Well, in your primary computer case that's obviously CD/DVD: HL-DT-ST BD-RE WH12LS30

But for the 32 bit laptop - I'm not sure, you didn't say if you managed to interrupt the boot.

 

[80maxwell08]

I thought I was clear when I said I was doing that all along but I guess not. Yes I managed to interrupt the boot to change the settings on both computers. I guess I'll be trying the desktop again.
EDIT: Ok I tried setting the first boot to that and it didn't work. Apparently there was an option to boot directly from there and that didn't work. I have absolutely no idea what the hell to do.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

So I suspect there is something wrong with the DVD. Is it even readable under Windows? Try burning another one if you need to.

 

[80maxwell08]

No I can open the disc fine. Nothing says it's corrupted or anything. It can be read fine once something to read iso files is installed. I can't seem to find the right option to actually boot from the freaking drive.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Sometimes the disk is readable, but boot sector is still not properly written. Try booting on your friends computer or something to clarify this.

 

[80maxwell08]

I'll try the laptop again but if it was reading it and there was a problem would it actually say that or would it just ignore it and jump back to windows? Also it didn't work on the laptop.
EDIT: Well I have to go to sleep now so I guess I might try again tomorrow.

 

[freakie1one]

I'll try the laptop again but if it was reading it and there was a problem would it actually say that or would it just ignore it and jump back to windows? Also it didn't work on the laptop.
EDIT: Well I have to go to sleep now so I guess I might try again tomorrow.

Maxwell, did you get it working? If not open the disc in Windows and check to make sure it has a list of folders on it and not just an .iso file. If there is only an .iso file you burned the disc incorrectly (it won't be bootable). If you are using Windows 7 you can right click on an image file and select the option to "Burn Disc Image" which will properly burn it to the the DVD.

 

[freakie1one]

I've been thinking about installing Mint Linux 14 that has just been released and had a few questions. Does anyone know if there is a good solution to getting Logitech products to work in Linux? Since Logitech doesn't officially support Linux with proper driver support (I use a G13 keypad and G700 mouse) I was curious if there are any user created drivers to get Logitech products to function properly. I've used other distros in the past (Mandrake, SUSE, Ubuntu, etc.) and I always end up going back to Windows since I can't get the hardware working which I prefer to use. I much prefer Linux as an overall OS though. Especially when it comes to programming/scripting. It's also annoying how sites like Netflix use Silverlight with Microsoft DRM and so Moonlight in Linux won't play Netflix shows

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Many Logitech devices work pretty well on Linux out of the box. Just search for your particular models:

http://lmddgtfy.net/?q=Logitech%20G700%20%2BLinux
http://lmddgtfy.net/?q=Logitech%20G13%20%2BLinux

I don't use Netflix, since it's all DRMed. No point to encourage such distribution.

 

[freakie1one]

Thanks for the help, Gilrond! Found some useful info and it seems users have figured out ways to get both my Logitech devices working. I still can't believe Logitech doesn't officially support Linux since many people who buy their products use Linux. Hopefully with gaming becoming a more viable option on Linux Logitech's attitude toward Linux will change.

Yes, it's a shame that Netflix chose such a horrible way to go about their service. I can see why they'd be obligated to protect the content on their site (since it's licensed and not owned by them), but choosing a DRM option like Silverlight, which other operating systems can't use, is just a bad choice (why limit your potential customers based upon what OS they choose to use?).

 

[volsung]

Thanks for the help, Gilrond! /> Found some useful info and it seems users have figured out ways to get both my Logitech devices working. I still can't believe Logitech doesn't officially support Linux since many people who buy their products use Linux. Hopefully with gaming becoming a more viable option on Linux Logitech's attitude toward Linux will change.

Yes, it's a shame that Netflix chose such a horrible way to go about their service. I can see why they'd be obligated to protect the content on their site (since it's licensed and not owned by them), but choosing a DRM option like Silverlight, which other operating systems can't use, is just a bad choice (why limit your potential customers based upon what OS they choose to use?).

Sad thing is Netflix works on Android and (probably) Mac OS X. Why they choose to ignore desktop Linux users is beyond me. You are right, Silverlight is simply a terrible option.

I think maybe Hulu Plus could work in Linux, since normal Hulu does. Unless the payed subscription changes you to a DRM'ed frontend, which would suck.

I think it is sad and unfair that a lot of people turn away from using GNU/Linux because of others, who don't offer even minimum support. At least releasing specification sheets would enable the community to develop open drivers/provide support.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Some managed to set it up with Wine though, but I never tested it: http://www.iheartubuntu.com/2012/11/ppa-for-netflix-desktop-app.html
DRMed services irritate me in general, so I simply avoid them (unless DRM there is easily removable).