TAILORING LINUX MINT

18.3 SYLVIA
FOR WINDOWS USERS
TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
Table of contents
Table of contents........................................................................................I
Warnings...................................................................................................1
1. Do NOT ERASE Cinnamon!!!...........................................................1
2. Do NOT CHANGE Software Sources!!!.............................................1
3. Do NOT EDIT The Start Menu!!!.......................................................1
Installing / Modifying Programs....................................................................2
1. Add Copy/Paste keyboard shortcuts to terminal.................................2
2. Some useful keyboard shortcuts.......................................................2
3. Using a Task Manager.....................................................................2
4. Installing a mail manager.................................................................2
5. Configuring Geary Mail....................................................................3
6. Update Geary Mail to the latest version.............................................3
7. Hint: Create Open / Close CD buttons...............................................3
8. Hint: Avoid using too many passwords in Terminal..............................4
9. Update your apps............................................................................5
10. Installing Prolific Usb-Serial driver...................................................5
11. Install Chirp software......................................................................6
12. Install Handbrake...........................................................................6
13. Install ClipGrab to get videos from YouTube.....................................6
14. How to remove ClipGrab................................................................6
15. Install Audacity from corrected repositories......................................7
16. How to speed up apps...................................................................7
17. Hint: add any language to WPS Write..............................................7
18. How to add extra plugins to Rhythmbox...........................................8
19. How to add Amazon Music.............................................................8
20. Install a Printshop program.............................................................8
21. How to play MIDI files....................................................................9
22. How to see a Device Manager........................................................9
23. Installing a Calendar in the desktop.................................................9
24. Installing K3B Burner......................................................................9
25. How to make K3B work with MP3 Files............................................9
26. How to make K3B normalize audio files.........................................10
27. How to make K3B rip DVD´s.........................................................10
28. How to make my settings default in K3B........................................10
29. The History command in Terminal.................................................10
30. Removing History from Terminal....................................................11
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
31. How to adjust mouse wheel speed................................................11
32. How to install programs using Flatpak...........................................11
33. How to update all Flatpack applications.........................................12
34. How to uninstall a Flatpack program..............................................12
Free Media Players For Linux...................................................................13
1. Install / Update VLC Player............................................................13
2. Install / Update Kodi.......................................................................13
3. Install / Update Miro Media Player...................................................13
4. Install / Update SMPlayer...............................................................13
5. Install / Update MPV Player............................................................14
6. Install / Update Bomi Media Player..................................................14
7. Install / Update Banshee Media Player............................................14
8. Install / Update Xine Media Player..................................................14
9. Install / Update Snappy Media Player..............................................14
10. Install Parole Media Player...........................................................15
Working With Fonts..................................................................................16
1. Where is the System Fonts´ directory?............................................16
2. Add Liberation fonts to the system..................................................16
3. How to install Wingding and other MS fonts.....................................16
4. Start Menu and Desktop have missing characters............................16
5. How to increase font size in Geary Mail...........................................17
6. Removing non English fonts...........................................................17
7. How to manage fonts.....................................................................17
8. How to change ruler to inches in WPS Write....................................17
9. How To Install BirdFont..................................................................18
10. How to add check-mark sign to a WPS worksheet..........................18
Solving Problems.....................................................................................19
1. Start Menu gets corrupted..............................................................19
2. PC have no sound.........................................................................19
3. How to remove old Linux kernels....................................................19
4. How to remove unnecessary packages...........................................20
5. Error ¨Could not apply changes! Fix broken packages first”...............20
6. How to Find / Remove duplicate files...............................................20
7. How to add auto start programs......................................................20
8. Add Blu Ray support to Video Lan player.........................................20
9. How to disable enter passwords while using the Login Keyring..........21
10. How to change splash screen.......................................................21
11. New splash screen doesn´t show..................................................21
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
12. Cannot resize a program window..................................................22
13. WPS Write show ruler in centimeters.............................................22
14. NEMO does not allow write to removable media.............................22
15. Cannot connect my smartphone to my PC.....................................22
16. After installing Hardinfo, cannot find it in Start Menu.......................23
17. Turn off the pc using Terminal.......................................................23
18. Menus display weird colors...........................................................23
19. My Desktop moved to other place.................................................24
20. How to remove a password from a .pdf file.....................................24
21. How to change spell checker to Spanish in WPS Office..................25
22. Error messages after installing Prolific USB cable...........................25
A. Error No 13 Permission Denied...............................................25
B. Error No 5 Input/Output error...................................................25
Appendix 1: Terminal Command Reference................................................26
1. System Info Commands.................................................................26
2. Keyboard Shortcuts.......................................................................26
3. Learn the Commands....................................................................27
4. Searching Commands...................................................................27
5. File Permissions Commands..........................................................28
6. File Commands.............................................................................28
7. Compression Commands...............................................................29
8. Printing Commands.......................................................................29
9. Network Commands......................................................................30
10. SSH Commands..........................................................................30
11. User Administration Commands....................................................30
12. Process Management Commands................................................30
13. Installing From Source.................................................................31
14. Stopping & Starting Commands....................................................31

III
TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA

Warnings

1. Do NOT ERASE Cinnamon!!!

Cinnamon is the Graphic User Interface (GUI) of Linux Mint. If Cinnamon is not
present in your system, Linux won´t boot at all. In the worst case, you will have to
re-install Linux, and start from scratch. If you install/remove an apk that erase
Cinnamon, Install Cinnamon INMEDIATELLY.

2. Do NOT CHANGE Software Sources!!!

Even if other sources are faster. DON´T DO IT. In the event you need to
download root packages to recover your system, it will not work. The other
sources does not have them. So you may need to re-install the system from
scratch.

3. Do NOT EDIT The Start Menu!!!

Linux Sylvia have a bug and every time you try to edit the menu, it gets corrupt.
Whatever you do, don´t do it. If you did it, go to: Start Menu Gets Corrupted page
17.

Installing / Modifying Programs

1. Add Copy/Paste keyboard shortcuts to terminal

a. Open Terminal
b. Go to Edit/Preferences
c. Go to the Shortcuts Tab
In the Edit Part
a. Select the Copy Command
b. Double click it
c. Put anything you want, usually [CTRL C]
d. Select the Paste Command
e. Double click it
f. Put anything you want, usually [CTRL V]
Done

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2. Some useful keyboard shortcuts
Shutdown Ctrl+Alt+End
Restart Cinnamon Ctrl+Alt+Escape

3. Using a Task Manager

Linux Mint have a task manager, like Microsoft Windows. It is called System
Monitor. You can make it start like its Windows counterpart. To do this:
a. Go to Start Menu
b. Select Preferences
c. Select Keyboard
d. In the Keyboard Panel, select the Shortcuts Tab
e. Select Custom Shortcuts
f. Press the Add Custom Shortcut button
g. Now type in Name, System Monitor
h. Type in Command, gnome-system-monitor
i. In keyboard bindings, click on the first unassigned slot to open it
j. Now press at the same time Ctrl+Alt+Del
k. Close

4. Installing a mail manager

A mail manager gets the mail from your mail accounts so you don´t have to login
to your accounts one by one. There are many programs like this, some are more
complex than others. I selected Geary Mail for its simplicity
a. Go to Start Menu
b. Select Administration
c. Click on Software Manager
d. Type Geary
e. Click on Geary
f. Install Geary

5. Configuring Geary Mail

a. Open Geary
b. Select left top icon
c. Click on Accounts
d. In the window add all the mail accounts you have
e. You will have to input the passwords of your mail accounts
f. Close the windows

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6. Update Geary Mail to the latest version
If the current version is not available in your repository, you can do this:
a. Open Terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:geary-team/releases
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get `geary 1

7. Hint: Create Open / Close CD buttons

To Open the CD Tray To Close the CD Tray
Right Click on desktop Right Click on desktop
Select Select
Create a new launcher here Create a new launcher here
In the new window In the new window
Name: Open CD Tray Name: Close CD Tray
Command: sudo eject /dev/sr02 Command: sudo eject -t /dev/sr0
Comment: Open CD Tray Comment: Close CD Tray

8. Hint: Avoid using too many passwords in Terminal

a. With Files (NEMO) go to
b. File System/etc/sudoers.d
c. Open as Root
d. Open Terminal
e. In Terminal type this:
sudo visudo

f. Type y
#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# Please consider adding local content in /etc/sudoers.d/ instead of
# directly modifying this file.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#
1
These commands are for Linux Mint. Check-for other distros:
https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Geary
2
There was a line without the Sudo (Super User) command, but sometimes it doesn´t work, so I changed
to this command. It works always.
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Defaults env_reset
Defaults mail_badpass
Defaults secure_path="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:$
# Host alias specification
# User alias specification
# Cmnd alias specification
# User privilege specification
root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
change to
root ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL
change to
%admin ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
%sudo ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
change to
%sudo ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
# See sudoers(5) for more information on "#include" directives:
#includedir /etc/sudoers.d

g. Save and close3

9. Update your apps

a. Open Terminal and write this:
sudo apt-get update

b. This command will update all apps and repositories.

10. Installing Prolific Usb-Serial driver

a. Open Terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt install setserial

c. Plug Prolific usb-serial adapter

d. In Terminal type this:
dmesg

e. Unplug Prolific usb-serial adapter

3
Some lines may look different, ONLY make the changes noted
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
f. In Terminal type this:
lsusb

g. Plug the Prolific usb serial adapter

h. In Terminal type this:
lsusb

i. You will get some lines with addresses including this:

Bus 001 Device 012: ID 067b:2303 Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port

j. You will write this command in Terminal

sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=067b product=0x2303

k. Type this:
dmesg
[ 4027.140159] usb 1-2.1.3: new full-speed USB device number 48 using xhci_hcd
[ 4027.241624] usb 1-2.1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=067b, idProduct=2303
[ 4027.241631] usb 1-2.1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[ 4027.241635] usb 1-2.1.3: Product: USB-Serial Controller
[ 4027.241638] usb 1-2.1.3: Manufacturer: Prolific Technology Inc.
[ 4027.243088] pl2303 1-2.1.3:1.0: pl2303 converter detected
[ 4027.245387] usb 1-2.1.3: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0

l. Include the line

usbserial vendor=067b product=0x2303
Inside “/etc/modules” file
m. Now you have configured your cable4

11. Install Chirp software

a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:dansmith/chirp-snapshots 5
sudo apt-get update
4
If you cannot edit the file or the cable is not recognized after a machine restart, open terminal and type:
sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=067b product=0x2303
or similar
5
After installing a PPA the first time, you don´t need to repeat these steps to update the app.
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
sudo apt-get install chirp-daily

12. Install Handbrake

a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install handbrake-gtk

13. Install ClipGrab to get videos from YouTube

a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:clipgrab-team/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install clipgrab

14. How to remove ClipGrab

a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get remove clipgrab
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:clipgrab-team/ppa

15. Install Audacity6 from corrected repositories

a. Open Terminal
b. Remove old version of Audacity
c. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/audacity
sudo apt-get update

d. Re-install Audacity

16. How to speed up apps

6
Audacity support for MP3 files in Linux is built in.
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
One way is to install Prelink
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install prelink

c. Go to system/etc/default/prelink
d. In the folder right click and select Open as Root
e. In the new window open Prelink with a text editor
f. Change the line that says PRELINKING=unknown to PRELINKING=yes
g. Now open Terminal in that folder and run
sudo /etc/cron.daily/prelink

h. Be patient, this will take some minutes to complete

17. Hint: add any language to WPS Write7

a. Download language dictionaries here:
http://wps-community.org/download/dicts
b. Place the dictionaries on 
Home/.kingsoft/office6/dicts/
Or
/opt/kingsoft/wps-office/office6/dicts/

18. How to add extra plugins to Rhythmbox

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fossfreedom/rhythmbox-plugins
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install rhythmbox-plugin-complete

After that, open Rhythmbox, go to Tools / Plugins and install the plugins you
wanted.

19. How to add Amazon Music

Amazon does not support Linux for their apps. That does not mean you cannot

7
Not sure if have to unzip the file, so I put both the zip and the unziped file.
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
use it in your Linux PC.
a. If you are not using Google Chrome, install it
b. Login to Amazon Music, browse to the page:
https://music.amazon.com/songs.8
c. Go to Chrome settings, More Tools, Add to desktop, Leave Open as Window
checked, click the Add button.
d. Now a new icon launcher for Amazon Music Cloud Player appears on your
desktop. 
e. You will see the address bar one time – login and it will disappear once you
login. Now you have an Amazon Music Cloud Player in what feels like self-
contained application.

20. Install a Printshop program

Glabels is a program to create Labels, greeting cards like PrintShop
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install glabels
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt-get update

21. How to play MIDI files

a. Install this package from Software Manager
fluid-soundfont-gm

22. How to see a Device Manager

To see devices in a GUI, like Windows´ Device Manager, install Hardinfo
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install hardinfo

23. Installing a Calendar in the desktop

8
Also works with Amazon Video
https://www.amazon.com/s/browse/ref=nav_shopall-export_nav_mw_sbd_intl_video?
_encoding=UTF8&node=2858778011
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
Windows 10 and other versions of Windows put a calendar at your desktop. With
Rainlendar2, you can do the same in Linux Mint. Current Version is 2.15.3.
a. Go to: https://www.rainlendar.net/cms/index.php
b. Select Download
c. Choose the version you want, Lite (Free) or Pro (Paid)
d. Double click on the downloaded file
e. Install it9

24. Installing K3B Burner

Although Linux comes with Brasero CD Burner, it don´t include a meter to know
when to stop adding files to the disk. So I installed K3b burner.
a. Open Start Menu
b. Select Administration
c. Click on Software Manager
d. Write K3b
e. Install it.

25. How to make K3B work with MP3 Files

a. Open Terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt-get install libk3b6-extracodec

c. Restart K3b

26. How to make K3B normalize audio files

a. Open Terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt-get install normalize-audio

c. Restart K3b

27. How to make K3B rip DVD´s

K3b uses transcode to rip Video DVD s. Please make sure it is installed.
To solve this:
a. Open terminal

9
If appears a warning message like the program may harm your computer, select [Keep}
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt-get install transcode

28. How to make my settings default in K3B

a. First, make your adjustments and save
b. Go to Settings / Miscellaneous
c. In Default Action Dialog Settings select Saved Settings
d. Restart K3b

29. The History command in Terminal

History keeps a list of all the other commands that have been run from the
Terminal. Open the Terminal program on your Linux installation and type:
$ history

The history shows a list of the commands entered. With history you can now
replay any of those by using a command such as:
$ !3

The !3 command at the prompt tells the shell to rerun the command on line 3 of
the history list.

30. Removing History from Terminal

There may come a time that you want to remove some or all the commands in
your history file. If you want to delete a particular command, enter history -d <line
number>. To clear the entire contents of the history file
a. Open terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
history -c

The history file is stored in a file that you can modify, as well. Bash shell users
will find it in their Home directory as .bash_history.

31. How to adjust mouse wheel speed

To adjust the mouse wheel speed, this is a two part procedure
a. Open terminal

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt install imwheel
sudo apt autoremove

c. After that you download & save this

http://www.nicknorton.net/mousewheel.sh
d. Right click on the file, go to properties, next permission and tick the box
allow executing file

32. How to install programs using Flatpak

Flatpak is a Linux framework. In this framework the developer only has to
maintain the software in one place without worrying about cross-distribution
(distro) compatibility. Users install software from one place, on all the supported
Linux distros.
For example, let’s install the new Version of Geary Mail from Flathub
a. Click on install. This will download a “flatpakref” file on your system
b. Open Terminal where the downloaded file is
c. Type this in terminal
flatpak install --from org.gnome.Geary.flatpakref

d. Press enter
e. Answer any question with ¨y¨

33. How to update all Flatpack applications

a. Open Terminal
flatpak update or sudo flatpak update

b. Press enter

34. How to uninstall a Flatpack program

Although you can remove a program from a command line with something like this:
flatpak uninstall org.gnome.Geary.flatpakref

But sometimes the command it didn´t work. Instead you can do this:
a. Open Start

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
b. Enter Administration
c. Select Software Manager
d. Search and select the program you want to remove
e. Press the Uninstall button

Free Media Players For Linux

A media player can help you enjoy your experience using your files. Here are some of
the most used and how to install them.

1. Install / Update VLC Player

The VLC player is a very powerful player, but it doesn´t update by itself.
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:videolan/stable-daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vlc

2. Install / Update Kodi

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kodi

3. Install / Update Miro Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:pcf/miro-releases
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install miro

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4. Install / Update SMPlayer

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rvm/smplayer
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install smplayer smplayer-themes smplayer-skins
5. Install / Update MPV Player
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mc3man/mpv-tests
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mpv

6. Install / Update Bomi Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:darklin20/bomi
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bomi

7. Install / Update Banshee Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:banshee-team/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install banshee

8. Install / Update Xine Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install xine-ui -y
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9. Install / Update Snappy Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install snappy

10. Install Parole Media Player

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt install parole

Working With Fonts

1. Where is the System Fonts´ directory?

The System Fonts Directory is:
Home/usr/share/fonts
Hint: You can add this folder to favorites to get access all time

2. Add Liberation fonts to the system

Some Windows Fonts does not work in Linux. So, the liberation fonts were
created. Usually these font are installed by default, but not always.In this case
you open the Synaptic Package Manager. You can find and install the fonts here.
These fonts are similar to Arial and Times New Roman in Windows.

3. How to install Wingding and other MS fonts

You cannot directly download some ttf fonts from the internet. The WPS
Compatible fonts are more reliable in Linux

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a. Search for the file ttf-wps-fonts-master.zip using Google or other search
engine
b. A the moment the file is found here:
https://github.com/IamDH4/ttf-wps-fonts
c. Download the file and install all the fonts manually
d. Restart Linux or clear the cache in terminal with:
sudo fc-cache -f -v

4. Start Menu and Desktop have missing characters

This is a problem common on the Cinnamon Shell and some video cards.
a. Go to System Settings
b. Open Fonts
These are some workarounds10
a. Change Fonts - Worked for me some time, but returned after a while.
b. Change Text Scaling Factor - Again, worked for some time and returned.
c. Change Anti aliasing - At the moment I´m testing this option

5. How to increase font size in Geary Mail

Press [Control] key and with the scroll wheel adjust the size to the desire size.

6. Removing non English fonts

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
International Fonts:
sudo apt-get purge fonts-beng-extra fonts-deva fonts-deva-extra fonts-gubbi fonts-gujr-
extra fonts-guru-extra fonts-kacst fonts-kacst-one fonts-kalapi fonts-knda fonts-lao
fonts-lklug-sinhala fonts-lohit-beng-assamese fonts-lohit-beng-bengali fonts-lohit-deva
fonts-lohit-gujr fonts-lohit-guru fonts-lohit-knda fonts-lohit-mlym fonts-lohit-orya fonts-
lohit-taml fonts-lohit-taml-classical fonts-lohit-telu fonts-nakula fonts-nanum fonts-
navilu fonts-orya-extra fonts-pagul fonts-sahadeva fonts-samyak-deva fonts-samyak-
gujr fonts-samyak-mlym fonts-samyak-taml fonts-sil-abyssinica fonts-sil-padauk fonts-
smc fonts-telu-extra fonts-thai-tlwg fonts-tibetan-machine fonts-tlwg-garuda fonts-tlwg-
kinnari fonts-tlwg-laksaman fonts-tlwg-loma fonts-tlwg-mono fonts-tlwg-norasi fonts-
tlwg-purisa fonts-tlwg-sawasdee fonts-tlwg-typewriter fonts-tlwg-typist fonts-tlwg-typo

10
It seems this problem is tied to the Intel Family of Graphics Video Cards.
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fonts-tlwg-umpush fonts-tlwg-waree

c. After this, is a good idea to update the "fonts.config" list:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig

7. How to manage fonts

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:font-manager/staging
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install font-manager

8. How to change ruler to inches in WPS Write

a. Open Write
b. Open a new Document
c. Go to Menu and press the V at the right side of the button
d. Go to Tools
e. Go to Options
f. In the Options Menu go to General And Save
g. In measurement units select Inches
h. Uncheck the box Use Character Units
i. Save
j. Now the WPS Ruler is in Inches

9. How To Install BirdFont

BirdFont is an open source and cross-platform Font creator and editor. BirdFont
has both free and paid versions. If you design fonts then you should give
BirdFont a try. It’s easy to install and use in Linux distributions.
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install birdfont

10. How to add check-mark sign to a WPS worksheet

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The easier way to do this is to add Wingdings Font to your system. See Number
3 above in this Chapter. When you have Wingding font installed you only type
this: ü and you will see this ü.

Solving Problems

1. Start Menu gets corrupted11

a. Open the File Explorer (NEMO)
b. Open the Home folder
c. Open the folder .config
d. Create a folder named Menu back
e. Move the contents of the menus folder inside dconf back
f. Reboot

2. PC have no sound
a. Open Terminal
b. In Terminal type this:12
sudo apt-get install alsa-utils
sudo apt-get install alsamixer13

c. Open the mixer and select the sound source and the speakers
d. Done

3. How to remove old Linux kernels

For best results install the utility purge-old-kernels
a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get install -y bikeshed byobu
sudo purge-old-kernels

c. If there is no older kernels in your system, this utility will display the following
message:
No kernels are eligible for removal

11
This is a complex solution, took me some days to find it.
12
For best results, copy/paste the commands
13
Don´t forget to press [Enter] after every command
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
d. This utility will never remove the last installed kernel, only purge old kernels,
except for the last TWO

4. How to remove unnecessary packages

a. Open Terminal
b. Type this command followed by [Enter]
sudo apt autoremove

5. Error ¨Could not apply changes! Fix broken packages first”

a. Open Terminal
b. Type each of these commands followed by [Enter]
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt autoremove
apt list --upgradable
apt install mintdesktop

6. How to Find / Remove duplicate files

Install fslint. This program is designed to remove duplicate files in a given
directory.
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this followed by [Enter]
sudo apt install fslint

7. How to add auto start programs

a. Go to menu
b. All Applications
c. Select System Settings
d. Select Startup Applications
e. Add the needed applications
f. You are done

8. Add Blu Ray support to Video Lan player

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
Download the Keys database (keys.cfg)14 and copy to Home/.config/aacs/15
Install  libaacs package using Synaptic Package Manager.

9. How to disable enter passwords while using the Login Keyring.

a. Open Applications --> Accessories -->Password and Encryption Keys
b. Right-click on the "login" keyring
c. Select "Change Password"
d. Enter your old password and leave the new password blank
e. Press OK, read the security warning16

10. How to change splash screen

a. Download a Plymouth theme
Example: WindozeXP.Plymouth (A windows XP look alike)
b. Open terminal where the downloaded file is.
c. Type this followed by [Enter]
ar xf WindozeXP.Plymouth.tar.gz
sudo cp -r WindozeXP.Plymouth/ /usr/share/plymouth/themes/
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/share/plymouth/themes/default.plymouth
default.plymouth
/usr/share/plymouth/themes/WindozeXP.Plymouth/WindozeXP/WindozeXP.plymouth 100

d. Now switch default.plymouth by running update-alternatives

sudo update-alternatives --config default.plymouth

e. Choose the appropriate alternative

f. Finally, re-generate an initramfs image:
sudo update-initramfs -u

g. Now reboot to look at the changes in your boot splash screen.

11. New splash screen doesn´t show

If you cannot see the splash screen after doing the changes above, maybe you
have to modify the paths to the WindozeXP.plymouth.

14
15
If the folder does not exist, create it
16
Think about it and if you still want to get rid of the Unlock Login Keyring dialog, choose "OK"
PAGE 19
TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
Go to
/usr/share/plymouth/themes/WindozeXP.Plymouth/WindozeXP
a. Open the dir as root and edit the file WindozeXP.plymouth script.
b. Change lines to look like these below
[script]
ImageDir=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/WindozeXP.Plymouth/WindozeXP
ScriptFile=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/WindozeXP.Plymouth/WindozeXP/Wind
ozeXP.script

12. Cannot resize a program window

When you cannot reach the top border to access the menu of the program, do
this:
Press <ALT> button and then <Left Click>
Now You can re-position the window so you can reach the menu bar.

13. WPS Write show ruler in centimeters

a. Go to Menu
b. Select Options
c. Select General and Save
d. In Measurement Units Select Inches
e. Uncheck Use Characters Units

14. NEMO does not allow write to removable media

Problem not solved yet / Partial Solution
a. Open drive as Root
b. At this moment you can copy delete files to the media
But if you want a more permanent solution try this:
a. Go to properties
a. Go to permissions
b. Grant permission to all users
c. A warning message tells you need to add Samba. Do so.
d. Finish
You can now add/delete files to the removable media.

15. Cannot connect my smartphone to my PC

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
This is a known issue with Linux Mint.
In Windows, you connect your phone via an USB cable, and windows recognized
as an external storage device and you can transfer files to it. This does not
happen with Linux Mint.
Maybe due to the security scheme designed in Linux. The only known
workaround this is to put a ftp server app in your Smartphone, and then access
your phone with NEMO file explorer.
a. In your phone open Play Store
b. Search for “FTP Server”
c. You can use any of the options given by Play Store
d. I choose Ftp Server by The Olive Tree
e. When you start the program, it gives you an ftp address.
f. Open Nemo File Explorer in Cinnamon Mint
g. Go to File
h. Connect To Server
i. Input the ftp address given by your phone´s program
j. Now you can transfer files to your phone without problems

16. After installing Hardinfo, cannot find it in Start Menu

a. Open Start Menu
b. Go to Administration
c. Look for ¨System Profiler And Benchmark” in the menu

17. Turn off the pc using Terminal

Sometimes when you try to turn off your PC, the start menu seems to lock and
doesn´t work as intended. In this case you can turn off the PC using the Terminal.
a. Open terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo poweroff

Your PC will shut down in a matter of seconds.

18. Menus display weird colors

If for any reason the menus display weird colors and aren't visible do this:
a. Go to System Settings
b. Select Effects
c. Select Windows Effects
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
d. Un-select Effects on Dialog boxes
e. Un-select Effects on menus

19. My Desktop moved to other place

My Desktop directory inside my home folder has somehow been moved into a
place other than ${HOME}/Desktop. Another Desktop directory exists inside my
home directory but placing files inside of it does not make them show up on the
actual graphical desktop.
Below is the structure of the home directory:
${HOME}
├── Desktop (Used to be the "actual" desktop)
├── Documents
│ └── Friend´s Folder
│ └── Desktop (this one is the actual desktop)
├── Downloads
├── Music
└── (and so on)
To solve this:
a. Open the file manager
b. Make hidden files visible (ctrl-h).
c. Go in your home into the folder .config.
d. Open the file user-dirs.dirs in a text editor and show us the content of the file.
e. Change the line
XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Documents/Friend Folder/Desktop"
To this:
XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/User/Desktop/"17
f. Save changes to the file
g. Restart

20. How to remove a password from a .pdf file

If you need to remove a password from a .pdf file do this:
a. Open terminal
b. In Terminal type this:
sudo apt-get install pdftk

17
If you wrote the line properly, after restart you will find the real Desktop working again. Don´t forget the
last /, or after restart, your desktop will display a lot of folders, including the Desktop folder.
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
sudo apt autoremove

c. After installation and cleanup you can write this in terminal

pdftk /home/alberto/Desktop/alc.PDF input_pw 1214 output
/home/alberto/Desktop/alcdone.pdf

Command Meaning
This part activate the command pdftk, and
pdftk /home/alberto/Desktop/alc.PDF 18
searches for the archive alc.pdf
input_pw 1214 This part input the file´s password
output /home/alberto/Desktop/alcdone.pdf This part creates a new file without password

21. How to change spell checker to Spanish in WPS Office

Some versions of Kingsoft WPS Office for Linux only came in English and didn´t
include Spell Checkers for other languages.
To fix this:
a. Go to https://geekland.eu/instalar-y-configurar-wps-office/
b. Download the file wps-full-fix-es_1.0-2019_all.deb
c. Install the file.
d. This will fix the lack of Spanish language spell checker.

22. Error messages after installing Prolific USB cable

When you try to upload your Radio Files to your PC you get this message

A. Error No 13 Permission Denied

[Errno 13] could not open port /dev/ttyUSB0: [Errno 13] Permission denied:
'/dev/ttyUSB0'
a. Open Terminal
b. Type this command followed by [Enter]
sudo gpasswd --add ${USER} dialout

c. Restart

B. Error No 5 Input/Output error

Could Not configure port: (5, 'Input/output error')
18
I prefer putting files in the Desktop, because there are easy to find,
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
a. Be sure port read like this: /dev/ttyUSB0
b. If not, see all ports until find one ending in USB0

Appendix 1: Terminal Command Reference19

1. System Info Commands

a. date – Show the current date and time
b. cal – Show this month's calendar
c. uptime – Show current uptime
d. w – Display who is online
e. whoami – Who you are logged in as
f. finger user – Display information about user
g. uname -a – Show kernel information
h. cat /proc/cpuinfo – CPU information
i. cat /proc/meminfo – Memory information
j. df -h – Show disk usage
k. du – Show directory space usage
l. free – Show memory and swap usage

2. Keyboard Shortcuts
a. Enter – Run the command
b. Up Arrow – Show the previous command
c. Ctrl + R – Allows you to type a part of the command
you're looking for and finds it
d. Ctrl + Z – Stops the current command, resume with fg in
the foreground or bg in the background
e. Ctrl + C – Halts the current command, cancel the current
operation and/or start with a fresh new line
f. Ctrl + L – Clear the screen
g. command | less – Allows the scrolling of the bash command
window using Shift + Up Arrow and Shift +
Down Arrow
h. !! – Repeats the last command
i. command !$ – Repeats the last argument of the previous
command

19
You can find these commands and more info here:
https://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/244
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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
j. Esc + . (a period) – Insert the last argument of the previous
command on the fly, which enables you to edit
it before executing the command
k. Ctrl + A – Return to the start of the command you're
typing
l. Ctrl + E – Go to the end of the command you're typing
m. Ctrl + U – Cut everything before the cursor to a special
clipboard, erases the whole line
n. Ctrl + K – Cut everything after the cursor to a special
clipboard
o. Ctrl + Y – Paste from the special clipboard that Ctrl + U
and Ctrl + K save their data to
p. Ctrl + T – Swap the two characters before the cursor
(you can actually use this to transport a
character from the left to the right, try it!)
q. Ctrl + W – Delete the word / argument left of the cursor in
the current line
r. Ctrl + D – Log out of current session, similar to exit

3. Learn the Commands

a. apropos subject – List manual pages for subject
b. man -k keyword – Display man pages containing keyword
c. man command – Show the manual for command
d. man -t man | ps2pdf - > man.pdf – Make a pdf of a manual page
e. which command – Show full path name of command
f. time command – See how long a command takes
g. whereis app – Show possible locations of app
h. which app – Show which app will be run by default; it
shows the full path

4. Searching Commands
i. grep pattern files – Search for pattern in files
j. grep -r pattern dir – Search recursively for pattern in dir
k. command | grep pattern – Search for pattern in the output of command
l. locate file – Find all instances of file
m. find / -name filename – Starting with the root directory, look for the file
called filename
n. find / -name ”*filename*” – Starting with the root directory, look for the file
containing the string filename

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
o. locate filename – Find a file called filename using the locate
command; this assumes you have already
used the command updatedb (see next)
p. updatedb – Create or update the database of files on all
file systems attached to the Linux root
directory
q. which filename – Show the subdirectory containing the
executable file called filename
r. grep TextStringToFind /dir – Starting with the directory called dir, look for
and list all files containing TextStringToFind

5. File Permissions Commands

a. chmod octal file – Change the permissions of file to octal, which
can be found separately for user, group, and
world by adding: 4 – read (r), 2 – write (w), 1 –
execute (x)
b. Examples:
1) chmod 777 – read, write, execute for all
2) chmod 755 – rwx for owner, rx for group and world
c. For more options, see man chmod.

6. File Commands
a. ls – Directory listing
b. ls -l – List files in current directory using long format
c. ls -laC – List all files in current directory in long format
and display in columns
d. ls -F – List files in current directory and indicate the
file type
e. ls -al – Formatted listing with hidden files
f. cd dir – Change directory to dir
g. cd – Change to home
h. mkdir dir – Create a directory dir
i. pwd – Show current directory
j. rm name – Remove a file or directory called name
k. rm -r dir – Delete directory dir
l. rm -f file – Force remove file
m. rm -rf dir – Force remove an entire directory dir and all
it’s included files and subdirectories (use with
extreme caution)
n. cp file1 file2 – Copy file1 to file2

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
o. cp -r dir1 dir2 – Copy dir1 to dir2; create dir2 if it doesn't exist
p. cp file /home/dirname – Copy the filename called file to the
/home/dirname directory
q. mv file /home/dirname – Move the file called filename to the
/home/dirname directory
r. mv file1 file2 – Rename or move file1 to file2; if file2 is an
existing directory, moves file1 into directory
file2
s. ln -s file link – Create symbolic link link to file
t. touch file – Create or update file
u. cat > file – Places standard input into file
v. cat file – Display the file called file
w. more file – Display the file called file one page at a time,
proceed to next page using the spacebar
x. head file – Output the first 10 lines of file
y. head -20 file – Display the first 20 lines of the file called file
z. tail file – Output the last 10 lines of file
aa. tail -20 file – Display the last 20 lines of the file called file
bb. tail -f file – Output the contents of file as it grows, starting
with the last 10 lines

7. Compression Commands
a. tar cf file.tar files – Create a tar named file.tar containing files
b. tar xf file.tar – Extract the files from file.tar
c. tar czf file.tar.gz files – Create a tar with Gzip compression
d. tar xzf file.tar.gz – Extract a tar using Gzip
e. tar cjf file.tar.bz2 – Create a tar with Bzip2 compression
f. tar xjf file.tar.bz2 – Extract a tar using Bzip2
g. gzip file – Compresses file and renames it to file.gz
h. gzip -d file.gz – Decompresses file.gz back to file

8. Printing Commands
a. /etc/rc.d/init.d/lpd start – Start the print daemon
b. /etc/rc.d/init.d/lpd stop – Stop the print daemon
c. /etc/rc.d/init.d/lpd status – Display status of the print daemon
d. lpq – Display jobs in print queue
e. lprm – Remove jobs from queue
f. lpr – Print a file
g. lpc – Printer control tool

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
h. man subject | lpr – Print the manual page called subject as plain
text
i. man -t subject | lpr – Print the manual page called subject as
Postscript output
j. printtool – Start X printer setup interface

9. Network Commands
a. ifconfig – List IP addresses for all devices on the local
machine
b. iwconfig – Used to set the parameters of the network
interface which are specific to the wireless
operation (for example: the frequency)
c. iwlist – used to display some additional information
from a wireless network interface that is not
displayed by iwconfig
d. ping host – Ping host and output results
e. whois domain – Get whois information for domain
f. dig domain – Get DNS information for domain
g. dig -x host – Reverse lookup host
h. wget file – Download file
i. wget -c file – Continue a stopped download

10. SSH Commands

a. ssh user@host – Connect to host as user
b. ssh -p port user@host – Connect to host on port port as user
c. ssh-copy-id user@host – Add your key to host for user to enable a
keyed or passwordless login

11. User Administration Commands

a. adduser accountname – Create a new user call accountname
b. passwd accountname – Give accountname a new password
c. su – Log in as superuser from current login
d. exit – Stop being superuser and revert to normal
user

12. Process Management Commands

a. ps – Display your currently active processes
b. top – Display all running processes
c. kill pid – Kill process id pid

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TAILORING LINUX MINT SYLVIA
d. killall proc – Kill all processes named proc (use with
extreme caution)
e. bg – Lists stopped or background jobs; resume a
stopped job in the background
f. fg – Brings the most recent job to foreground
g. fg n – Brings job n to the foreground
13. Installing From Source
a. ./configure
b. make
c. make install
d. dpkg -i pkg.deb – install a DEB package (Debian / Ubuntu /
Linux Mint)
e. rpm -Uvh pkg.rpm – install a RPM package (Red Hat / Fedora)

14. Stopping & Starting Commands

f. shutdown -h now – Shutdown the system now and do not reboot
g. halt – Stop all processes - same as above
h. shutdown -r 5 – Shutdown the system in 5 minutes and reboot
i. shutdown -r now – Shutdown the system now and reboot
j. reboot – Stop all processes and then reboot - same as
above
k. startx – Start the X system

PAGE 29