1. Chapter 1 Configuring a Desktop Environment

   1. I Want the Advantages of Both KDE and GNOME

   2. I Need a Custom Login Menu

   3. I Can't Configure a Standard Background

   4. I'd Like Desktop Icons for My Applications

   5. The Desktop Is Too Big for My Monitor

   6. My Mouse Doesn't Do What I Want

   7. My Users Mess Up Their Desktops

   8. My CD/DVD Is Locked

   9. I Can't Get to the GUI

   10. User Downloads Are Overloading Workstations

   11. I Need to Manage Sound Events

2. Chapter 2 Configuring User Workstations

   1. I'm Afraid of Losing Data

   2. My Boss Insists on Real-Time Backups

   3. I Lost Data When I Removed My Floppy/Memory Stick

   4. That Command Doesn't Write to My DVD

   5. I Don't Remember Where That File Is

   6. I Need to Search Within a Bunch of Files

   7. I Can't Copy from the Command Line

   8. How Do I Deal with Spaces and Odd Characters in Filenames?

   9. Users Are Complaining There's No ZIP

3. Chapter 3 Optimizing Internet Applications

   1. Firefox Isn't Working as It Should

   2. I'm Drowning in Good Email

   3. I'm Having Trouble Converting from Outlook

   4. I'm Having Trouble Chatting on AIM, Yahoo!, or MSN

   5. I Need a Simple Web Browser

   6. I Keep Having to Start an FTP Download from Scratch

   7. I Need to Connect via Modem (GUI Tools)

4. Chapter 4 Setting Up Local Applications

   1. So Many Options for Applications

   2. Microsoft Word Documents Don't Work on Linux

   3. I Need My Microsoft Office

   4. I Can't Read PDFs or PostScript Documents

   5. I Want My Quicken

   6. I Need a Screenshot

   7. Making GUI File Managers Work for You

   8. I Need a Movie Viewer

5. Chapter 5 Installation Annoyances

   1. Linux Won't Work with All My Hardware

   2. I'm Having Trouble with Microsoft-Dependent Hardware

   3. Making That Laptop Sing with Linux

   4. My Wireless Card Works on Another Operating System, but Not Linux

   5. So Many Distributions, So Little Time

   6. Downloading New Distributions Takes Too Long

   7. Too Many Computers on Which to Install Linux

   8. I Need Help and Am Afraid of Asking Online

6. Chapter 6 Basic Start Configuration

   1. It Takes Too Long to Boot

   2. Rooting Out the Bootloader

   3. Dual Boots Can Be Troublesome

   4. Dual-Boot Recovery

   5. My Computer Won't Stop Rebooting

   6. User Passwords Are Too Weak

   7. I Lost the Root Password

   8. My Server Is So Secure I Can't Log In as Root

   9. There Are Too Many Ways to Log In

   10. The Boss Told Me to Secure the Server Without Locking the Room

7. Chapter 7 Kernel Itches and Other Configuration Annoyances

   1. The Kernel Needs an Upgrade

   2. Recompiling the Kernel

   3. I Can't Boot Because of a Kernel Panic

   4. I Can't Boot Because of Some "File Not Found" Error

   5. I Need to Add a Custom Kernel Module

   6. My Files Are on That Other Computer

   7. Regular Users Can't Mount the CD/DVD Drive

   8. I'm Having Trouble Connecting to an Existing Network

   9. I Need to Work with Microsoft-Formatted Partitions

8. Chapter 8 System Maintenance

   1. I Can't Boot Because the Partition Is Corrupt

   2. My Hard Drive Is Failing and I Need a Backup—Fast

   3. A Windows User Reinstalled Windows on a Dual-Boot System

   4. My /home Directory Is Too Small

   5. My Hard Drive Is Too Slow

   6. Find the Right Update Repository

   7. Avoid Dependency Hell with yum

   8. Avoid Dependency Hell with apt

   9. I Need Those Microsoft Applications on Linux

   10. Keeping Up with Security

   11. My Firewall Blocks My Internet Access

9. Chapter 9 Servicing Servers

   1. Too Many Options for Services

   2. Users Need to Download Files

   3. Users Are Still Demanding Telnet

   4. I Can't Send out Email Because the ISP's Server Is Down

   5. I Need Multiple Web Sites but Have Only One IP Address

   6. I Can't Remember Which Printer to Use

   7. BIND Is Too Complex for My Growing Network

   8. The Windows Computers on My Network Don't Show Up

10. Chapter 10 User Management

    1. The Boss Wants to Set Up a Special Group of Users

    2. There Are Too Many Users Accessing the Internet from the Office

    3. Some User Is Taking Too Much Disk Space

    4. Too Many Tasks, Too Few Qualified Administrators

    5. Former Employees Keep Accessing the Server

    6. Securing by User

11. Chapter 11 Administration Tips

    1. Too Many Computers to Update over the Internet

    2. My Favorite Service Is Not Included with My Distribution

    3. Configuring a Linux Gateway

    4. My Other Computer Has No Monitor

    5. I Need to Run an X Application Remotely

    6. So Many Server Logs

    7. The Logs Are Overloading My Hard Drive

    8. Administration Is So Repetitive

    9. I Don't Want to Work Late to Do That Special Job

1. Colophon

The image on the cover of Linux Annoyances for Geeks is a man pulling a donkey. In 19th-century frontier America, the donkey was the pack animal of choice, owing to the species' longevity, endurance, agility, and low maintenance cost. During the Gold Rush, prospectors traversed the Old West terrain using burros to transport their supplies. Miners harnessed donkeys to haul water, wood, and rock, as well as to transport and grind ore.

By the turn of the century, the ascendance of the railroad had begun to render donkey labor obsolete, and prospecters and miners released their burros to the wild. To this day, a substantial population of donkeys roams free in the deserts of the American West.

The cover image and chapter opening images are from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed.