Building a Media Server / HTPC

[TheShaner]

I know this subject has been discussed at least once before here (http://codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=157336), but I'd like to build upon that.

I'm looking at basically setting up a media server box to store and play my movies and music, browse the web, stream internet radio and video, but also allow the ability to still use a DVD player for movie and music content I cannot (or rather don't have time to) burn to hard disk. I'm using this guide as my basis: http://havetheknowhow.com/default.htm.

Now, in traditional home theater setups, the receiver is the central box from which all devices (DVD player, speakers, amp, subwoofer, and TV) connect. The new setup, as I see it now, would be the main TV, audio system (speakers, amp, subwoofer), and DVD player plugged into this new HTPC box (or possibly the DVD player video going straight to the TV, while audio going through the HTPC that would then push it through my speakers). A good, wireless mouse and remote would operate the entire system (keyboard only used for internet or other computer-specific tasks). MythTV would be used to record the free digital programs, but cable/satellite would be out of the picture for now. I would use a media streamer in other rooms with CAT6 cabling to each room. For audio in other rooms, I'm not sure if I want to go the squeezebox route or not. Are there any other audio solutions for playing music from your media server in other parts of the house? If I want to play music in another room and I have a media streamer and a TV in that room, can the media streamer pick up music off the media server and push to speakers? Would the TV need to be on for this and it'd utilize the TV's speakers and/or speakers connected to the TV?

I don't want all this costing an arm and a leg, and I believe it can be done. I'm guessing I may do it slightly different than the article where I'd have a media storage box and then another box acting more like an HTPC with all the software I want (so more of a frontend). The media storage box could be put anywhere in the house of course, while the HTPC/frontend box would be located with my main TV. What OS would be best for just a storage server (NAS)? The big difference between my setup and the articles would be that I would want to access my HTPC's frontend to do internet- and computer- related work on my main TV, so it would not be headless.

Thanks,

Shane

[oracleguy]

All your audio/video stuff doesn't have to go to the HTPC, the HTPC can just just plug into your home theater receiver like a DVD player.

You can browse the web or do any regular computer tasks on your HTPC, that isn't a big deal. You should look into the mythbuntu distro too.

As for your NAS, Linux is a good choice for operating system. I actually just built in a new server/NAS for my network and using Linux software RAID 5 (4x1TB) I can get around 300-ish mbps throughput on writes on it over the network. It works surprisingly well.

And then my HTPC accesses the video and music stored on it and I also can get to it on my desktop and laptop obviously.

I am actually going to be building a new HTPC at the end of this month. Without a case or power supply (since I already have those), it is going to be about $430. I can dig up the specs if you'd like. You can of course go cheaper with a HTPC but I wanted to get something that would last for 4-5 years like my current one has.

And if you don't need 720p (or higher) video playback, you can go even cheaper, you can use an old P4 system without any issue.

[TheShaner]

All your audio/video stuff doesn't have to go to the HTPC, the HTPC can just just plug into your home theater receiver like a DVD player.
Very true. With or without a receiver, the HTPC box would need a surround sound card and a video card capable of supporting HD, correct? Do you recommend utilizing a receiver? Or is there a way I can reduce my footprint?

You can browse the web or do any regular computer tasks on your HTPC, that isn't a big deal. You should look into the mythbuntu distro too.
I figured as much. I'll definitely check out Mythbuntu.

As for your NAS, Linux is a good choice for operating system. I actually just built in a new server/NAS for my network and using Linux software RAID 5 (4x1TB) I can get around 300-ish mbps throughput on writes on it over the network. It works surprisingly well.
I was definitely going to go Linux. Free and stable is good. I was thinking possibly Debian or Ubuntu. Any thoughts?

I am actually going to be building a new HTPC at the end of this month. Without a case or power supply (since I already have those), it is going to be about $430. I can dig up the specs if you'd like. You can of course go cheaper with a HTPC but I wanted to get something that would last for 4-5 years like my current one has.

And if you don't need 720p (or higher) video playback, you can go even cheaper, you can use an old P4 system without any issue.
If you could get specs or even just roundabout figures to search for so that I have a cool, quiet system that'll perform for about 5 years and run the software I need, I'll be eternally grateful. I definitely want higher than 720p as I'm looking to the future here. I may not have an immediate need, but I'm sure it'll come. So I would definitely like at least a dual-core processor, quad-core depending on the prices out there.

I've tinkered enough with computers, OSes, software, etc. to feel confident I can put it all together and get it running well, but being a visual person, I like to be able to visualize the end result of the setup and know that my hardware and software can support my needs.

As a side question, has anyone bought a touch screen monitor for the home? I've got some ideas on how they might be useful with certain applications (esp. media) and in certain areas of the house (say accessing your HTPC's music from the back room), but not sure how well the lower end models work and what price range I should search for to ensure decent quality.

Thanks!

-Shane

[oracleguy]

Very true. With or without a receiver, the HTPC box would need a surround sound card and a video card capable of supporting HD, correct? Do you recommend utilizing a receiver? Or is there a way I can reduce my footprint?

I currently don't have a receiver, I just have the HTPC connected to my TV directly over HDMI. My TV also has a stereo audio in that is for the VGA input or one of the HDMI ports. So I use that to get audio (I don't have a surround sound system currently).

I am just using a DVI -> HDMI cable, however one thing I have learned about that is that HDMI cannot display 640x400 or 640x480 which is what the BIOS and post screens run at. I have heard though if you get a video card that has a native HDMI out port on it, that gets around that problem. I will be able to tell you for sure in 2-3 weeks when I build my new HTPC since I am going to try that.

And with a native HDMI port some video cards let you connect the sound to it so you can actually get the video and audio into the one cable.


I was definitely going to go Linux. Free and stable is good. I was thinking possibly Debian or Ubuntu. Any thoughts?


I used Gentoo since as you know, I'm a fan of that. However I was also considering Ubuntu Server which looked pretty good and supports setting up software RAID during the install should you go that route.


If you could get specs or even just roundabout figures to search for so that I have a cool, quiet system that'll perform for about 5 years and run the software I need, I'll be eternally grateful. I definitely want higher than 720p as I'm looking to the future here. I may not have an immediate need, but I'm sure it'll come. So I would definitely like at least a dual-core processor, quad-core depending on the prices out there.


My new HTPC is going be:
Core 2 Duo E8400 (3GHz, 45nm, 6MB cache)
2GB DDR2 1066
Geforce 9000 series card (Because they support hardware offloading of HD decoding, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VDPAU)
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard

As for cases, my current HTPC is in an Antec Sonata case. It is quite good, extremely quiet.

[ohgod]

in no way does this have to be expensive. i had some spare parts around and put a box together. i just run the video to the tv as another input and the audio to the receiver. change source and you're off.

i run windows, it does fine. i was considering dropping myth on there, but i wanted games to be available on there.

it's the same as hooking up a wii or ps3... i see some of these guys spending hours and hours and hundreds of dollars. well shoot... all i wanted to do was watch some south park or have my music on the surround sound. seems like a simple build will sort it.

in mine i have:
amd 5000+ x2
ati x1950 pro
2 gig ram

nothing costly... again: simple does it.

[oracleguy]

in mine i have:
amd 5000+ x2
ati x1950 pro
2 gig ram

nothing costly... again: simple does it.

Well where it can start to get more expensive is when you want it to be quiet. But as you said, it doesn't have be super expensive.

Mine is quiet enough where when the TV is off and nothing else is on in my living room it is silent. You can't tell the thing is on except for the power LED on it.

Did you use a HTPC case for yours or just some random one? I thought about getting one of those HTPC cases there are designed to look like another piece of home theater equipment but never got around to it.

[ohgod]

well, i suppose you can hear the cpu fan... but it's stock and quiet. it's just an old school steel case i had around. the metal is pretty thick and it seems to keep the noise down. since i'm not running a lot of high demand stuff heat management is nominal. the case is large enough that the heat that is generated in general can dissipate on its own. i have an exhaust fan for negative pressure sucking anything the vid card and cpu does create out the back.

the power supply is new so it's pretty good on heat.

again, most of what we're talking is low demand. playing video\audio or surfing the internet won't exactly fry an egg.

the times i have had games running there has been some heat buildup, but nothing terrible. i consider it acceptable because it's not the primary role of the box.

the case itself is black like the tv stand (just a 37" samsung lcd, corner stand unit) so whereas it doesn't look as sexy as one of those htpc boxes, it is better on heat due to size and more importantly it was free. and it's off to the side\behind anyway. mouse and keyboard are bluetooth so they can be wherever.

[TheShaner]

Thanks guys! I'm looking at building something very similar, OG, so I'm curious as to the PSU you're looking at. What is the best way of figuring out wattage and amperage needs? How high is too high where I don't reap the benefits any longer?

If I end up going with a ROM that can play Blu-Ray, are there any technologies I need to consider with regards to my video card, CPU, and Mobo?

Does anyone have experience with sounds cards, surround sound, and DD / DTS? What should I look for in sound cards? Anything my mobo needs to support for DD and/or DTS?

So far, I'm looking at this list (the first two come in a combo deal on newegg):

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (includes a native HDMI port)


I'll update as I continue searching. I still haven't decided on whether I'm going to do an enclosure case or a tower case. For cooling, towers are looking better. Noise-reduction seem to be even between the two designs. For space, towers are much better. For looks, I like both, but an enclosure case would solidify the look of a theater system better. So if I could find an enclosure case that has enough room, is cool, and is quiet, I'll be set.

-Shane

[ohgod]

when i get home i'll look at what ps i have in there... i don't remember.

just don't go bigger than you have to. why have more heat?

as to what size you need... that depends what else you'll have in there. the vid card will be a bit hungry, but if you're not planning on dropping the second one in there for sli (and lord knows why you'd want to... that would be power and heat suicide in a htpc case) then you can get away with less.

the other consideration is hd's. keep as few as possible in that box. if you have large data storage needs consider one of those cheap lil san enclosures. you'll have the benefit of a super easy raid setup for redundancy if you care, and even if not you'll have the power needs and heat generation somewhere else. if you have it local to your htpc you can run esata and you'll have plenty of speed. if not, make sure you're running as big of a connection as possible if you're hoping to stream. i've streamed hd over crappy wireless before. it's hit and miss as to whether or not it'll keep up, but it can be done. so, if you've got 100Mb between data and htpc it should suffice (although 1000 would be nice, right?).

anyway, it looks like you're going for a fairly beefy setup for a plain old htpc. you could rock an old school P4 and watch videos. is it safe to assume you'll want to be able to do more?

in a htpc case, heat is your enemy. remember that you won't be fitting a big aftermarket cpu heat sink on there. i'd advise keeping it simple in there so cables don't go mucking up what air flow there is...

[oracleguy]

I am going to re-use the power supply in the Antec Sonata case I'm currently using. I believe it is an Antec 500W Smartpower power supply.

Since your HTPC is going to be on pretty much all the time, you may consider wanting to get a 80 Plus Bronze rated power supply. "80 Plus" if you aren't familiar with it, is a rating system for power supplies based on their efficiencies. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_plus

As for blu-ray, keep in mind that blu-ray movie playback in Linux is at current, very limited and hit and miss. (Thanks to the DRM) It has been a couple months since I really looked into it though.

As for surround sound output, the ideal solution I believe is to use the S/PDIF output on the card to connect to your home theater. Which is how your video card should let you connect it to the sound card (if it supports that for the HDMI port).

[TheShaner]

I'm thinking of setting up a SAN so that storage is separate from the HTPC box. So the HTPC will most likely only have one HDD.

I've beefed up the HTPC because I'll want to stream HD through it for recording HD programs one day; I don't want to have to upgrade for about 5 years; since I don't own a game system, I may want to use my HTPC to play the occasional game on my TV; I want it to stream/play high quality audio; and I would like DD / DTS for movies. This will replace my DVD player in the main room, so it needs to play DVDs and possibly Blu-Ray later.

Since your HTPC is going to be on pretty much all the time, you may consider wanting to get a 80 Plus Bronze rated power supply.
As you'll see in my updated list below, I'm looking at getting the Antec Sonata III 500, which comes with an EarthWatts 500W PSU, which is 80 Plus certified.

As for blu-ray, keep in mind that blu-ray movie playback in Linux is at current, very limited and hit and miss. (Thanks to the DRM) It has been a couple months since I really looked into it though.
I figure that if I can get a cheap price on a Blu-Ray drive, I'll at least have it for DVDs and CDs, and then later down the road, as support for Blu-Ray ports to Linux, I'll be set up... hopefully :D

As for surround sound output, the ideal solution I believe is to use the S/PDIF output on the card to connect to your home theater. Which is how your video card should let you connect it to the sound card (if it supports that for the HDMI port).
So I'd have make sure the sound card has S/PDIF output for the video card to connect to. Since the video card I'm looking at has a native HDMI port, I should be good then?

Updated HW list:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (includes a native HDMI port)
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (OEM)
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA Model BC-06B1ST (OEM)

Note: Although I'm aiming for an enclosure case, the Sonata series cases are very sleek and simple, which would still fulfill the goal of fitting in with the home theater system. Without hardly anything visible on the front, I almost want to turn it on its side (although that may create a problem for disc reading and writing).

-Shane

[oracleguy]

So I'd have make sure the sound card has S/PDIF output for the video card to connect to. Since the video card I'm looking at has a native HDMI port, I should be good then?


Yeah, I looked up the card on NewEgg, in the pictures of the box and cables and such, see that small little cable with 2 wires? Thats for connecting the audio to the video card.

If you are going to use the sound on the motherboard, see if it has a S/PDIF output header on the board so you can connect it internally. Like the board I am using has an actual output port on the back and the output header on the inside.

If you are going to use a separate sound card, same deal see if it has the header pins for it. If not I believe you could (with the right connector) connect it to the output port on the outside.


Updated HW list:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (includes a native HDMI port)
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (OEM)
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA Model BC-06B1ST (OEM)



That looks pretty good. What about RAM?


Without hardly anything visible on the front, I almost want to turn it on its side (although that may create a problem for disc reading and writing).

Reminds me of optical drives back in the day, they used to have little clips on the disc tray so you could use the drive on its side if you wanted.

[TheShaner]

Yeah, I looked up the card on NewEgg, in the pictures of the box and cables and such, see that small little cable with 2 wires? Thats for connecting the audio to the video card.

If you are going to use the sound on the motherboard, see if it has a S/PDIF output header on the board so you can connect it internally. Like the board I am using has an actual output port on the back and the output header on the inside.
The mobo I've speced does indeed have both an S/PDIF output header and S/PDIF output port. One less thing to worry about! So if I have this correct, that 2-wire cable will connect from my video card to the S/PDIF header on the mobo, allowing surround sound capabilities through my HDMI port on my video card, right?

What about RAM?
I hadn't speced anything yet, but I have now. See below (seems like a real nice deal on newegg also).

Reminds me of optical drives back in the day, they used to have little clips on the disc tray so you could use the drive on its side if you wanted.
I remember those. Wish there was a good way of using the drive vertically :(

Updated HW List (looking at about a $750 build so far)

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (includes a native HDMI port)
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (OEM)
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA Model BC-06B1ST (OEM)


Thanks again, OG, for all your help. Your knowledge of computer HW is really making this much easier for me. Unfortunately, I have a hard time conceding performance for a little more cash in my pocket; so in the same respect, your help is also ripping a hole in my wallet, haha.

-Shane

[oracleguy]

The mobo I've speced does indeed have both an S/PDIF output header and S/PDIF output port. One less thing to worry about! So if I have this correct, that 2-wire cable will connect from my video card to the S/PDIF header on the mobo, allowing surround sound capabilities through my HDMI port on my video card, right?

Correct. At least as far as I've understood it. Like I said earlier, I haven't gotten the chance to actually try it yet. But I am planning on it when I build my new HTPC.


Updated HW List (looking at about a $750 build so far)

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
SPARKLE SXS2501024D3-NM GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (includes a native HDMI port)
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (OEM)
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA Model BC-06B1ST (OEM)



That looks like a pretty solid machine.


Thanks again, OG, for all your help. Your knowledge of computer HW is really making this much easier for me. Unfortunately, I have a hard time conceding performance for a little more cash in my pocket; so in the same respect, your help is also ripping a hole in my wallet, haha.

Haha, happy to help. That machine should last for quite a while.

[TheShaner]

Well, I've cleaned up my list to lower costs (by $200) without losing too much performance:


Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
ASUS EN9500GT/DI/1G GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA


-Shane

[oracleguy]

For your server you might want to look at this: http://www.openfiler.com/

I haven't used it myself but it looks pretty cool.

[oracleguy]

Shane:

I wanted to report back, I built my new HTPC yesterday. The native HDMI port does indeed solve the DVI->HDMI problem with low resolutions like the BIOS screen.

Have you built yours yet?

[TheShaner]

Sorry, OG, but I forgot to subscribe to this thread, so I never saw your posts. I just happened to be looking for this thread to post my updates again.

I have indeed built my HTPC. To save costs for now, I did not order the HDD and Blu-Ray ROM and opted to use my old ones. Luckily no DOA items and I POSTed the first time with complete success. All hardware and memory recognized. My Power LED cable was reversed and so no light, but that was quickly sorted, haha.

However, I ran into the issue of switching a Windows XP-loaded HDD into the new build. It of course asked me to activate XP and I currently do not have internet connection at home. I have downloaded the Ubuntu AMD64 ISO (at work) and just need to burn it onto a DVD. I'm opting for Ubuntu, rather than Mythbuntu, because I may feel the urge to game again and/or do work-related projects. I know Mythbuntu has the option of installing a desktop, but I felt I would need more than what it has to offer, esp. since the box will not only be used by me, but my g/f and her little one also.

Of course, with Ubuntu, I will have more memory and CPU usage bloat than with something like Mythbuntu. To combat that, I plan on writing a few scripts to start/stop certain processes depending on what the HTPC is being used for. For example, when program watching/recording is desired, the script will end any unnecessary processes and start MythTV so that it performs optimally. At least that's the plan anyway, ha.

In regards to the HDMI issue, that's great! For now, I'm just hooked up to a regular CRT monitor for testing. My current TV only has an S-Video input, so I can't test HDMI just yet. A new TV is another future expenditure, but it was important to ensure my HTPC would be ready for it.

Openfiler looks like a nice solution for a SAN. I plan on taking my old box, purchasing an additional HDD, and setting it up as a NAS. That is unfortunately a little more down the road for now as money is a bit tight currently (if you haven't noticed by now, haha).

Maybe I'll find some time one day to clean up the cables and post a couple pics of the final build. If you have a few of your box, I wouldn't mind seeing a few to see what you've built.

-Shane

[TheShaner]

I now have Ubuntu 9.04 64-bit successfully installed on my HTPC (way too easy). I have it set up for dual boot with Windows XP 32-bit.

Currently, my TV supports component cables and S-video (no HDMI). My Geforce 9500GT has HDMI, DVI, and VGA ports. I'm guessing it's best to get a DVI-to-component cables converter. S-Video, as far as I've read, doesn't really support high definition, so that port shouldn't even be used. With the S/PDIF cable running from my graphics card to the mobo, the audio coming from the component cables should pass through the graphics card, to the mobo, out my audio ports, and to my surround sound hopefully (or at least that's the idea).

I read that the ASUS P5QL Pro mobo that I have uses Realtek ALC2100 for audio, but I cannot confirm this. Anyone else know? Also, where can I get this audio driver for Linux 64-bit? I've only seen WinXP and Vista drivers. Doing a Driver search on ASUS's website, I found that in the Others category there was 1 file called LinuxDrivers. After downloading it, I found that it contained drivers for Audio and LAN, which is exactly what I needed (although I doubt they're 64-bit).

Thanks,

Shane

[oracleguy]

The drivers for the sound might already be in the kernel or apart of the alsa drivers package. What network card is in the motherboard? I would be really surprised if the drivers weren't apart of the Linux kernel already.

In case you don't know, as root (or using sudo) you can run lspci it will give you detailed information about what devices are connected to your computer.

[TheShaner]

The drivers for the sound might already be in the kernel or apart of the alsa drivers package. What network card is in the motherboard? I would be really surprised if the drivers weren't apart of the Linux kernel already.
I did a little research and it does seem Ubuntu 9.04 is using the kernel with the LAN and audio fixes. I had read somewhere that Ubuntu 8 needed a kernel recompile for a few fixes that weren't in the baseline yet. However, I do need to run the nVidia 64-bit driver install, because I don't see any options to configure the graphics card, can't go higher than 1280 by 1024 resolution, and cannot enable desktop effects (not that I want them on anyway). I should be able to tune the card from Ubuntu.

I'll be picking up a few cables and converters soon, and so should be able to report back later this week with an update on my setup.

-Shane

[oracleguy]

I did a little research and it does seem Ubuntu 9.04 is using the kernel with the LAN and audio fixes. I had read somewhere that Ubuntu 8 needed a kernel recompile for a few fixes that weren't in the baseline yet. However, I do need to run the nVidia 64-bit driver install, because I don't see any options to configure the graphics card, can't go higher than 1280 by 1024 resolution, and cannot enable desktop effects (not that I want them on anyway). I should be able to tune the card from Ubuntu.

I don't remember the exact name of the packages but the drivers should be in the the package manager and nVidia has a Linux app called nvidia-settings that lets you easily change your video card configuration. You can tell if you already have the nvidia drivers installed and running pretty easily: lsmod|grep nvidia

[TheShaner]

I don't remember the exact name of the packages but the drivers should be in the the package manager and nVidia has a Linux app called nvidia-settings that lets you easily change your video card configuration. You can tell if you already have the nvidia drivers installed and running pretty easily: lsmod|grep nvidia
nvidia-settings did not come with Ubuntu, nor was it in Synaptic (lsmod came up empty when grepping for nvidia). Remember, I don't have internet right now, haha. But I was able to get the nvidia driver installed from a download I found while at work, which gave me nvidia-settings. So I'm good with the video card now. I purchased a tiny bluetooth adapter which works well for my bluetooth keyboard and mouse that I already had for my laptop. Unfortunately, CompUSA didn't sell DVI-to-Component converter at their store, so I'll just have to order it online.

One great thing about Ubuntu is that it utilizes NTFS, so I'm able to mount the Windows XP partition in order to access my files I still have on that partition. It's great!

-Shane

[oracleguy]

nvidia-settings did not come with Ubuntu, nor was it in Synaptic (lsmod came up empty when grepping for nvidia). Remember, I don't have internet right now, haha. But I was able to get the nvidia driver installed from a download I found while at work, which gave me nvidia-settings. So I'm good with the video card now. I purchased a tiny bluetooth adapter which works well for my bluetooth keyboard and mouse that I already had for my laptop. Unfortunately, CompUSA didn't sell DVI-to-Component converter at their store, so I'll just have to order it online.

One great thing about Ubuntu is that it utilizes NTFS, so I'm able to mount the Windows XP partition in order to access my files I still have on that partition. It's great!

-Shane

Glad to hear you got it working.

Yeah, NTFS support is provided through FUSE (Filesystem In Userspace) support in the kernel and then with NTFS-3G, it works quite well as you found. NTFS support used a be pretty terrible in Linux.