AntiX 19 FAQ

Introduction

..

Instead of a heavy common Desktop Environment, antiX uses window managers to control what the end-user can see and do. We hope these FAQs will give you a basic orientation to antiX and its window managers, and provide the means to explore further on your own

antiX comes in four flavours for 32 and 64 bit boxes. antiX comes as a full distro (c1GB), a base distro (<700MB), a core distro (c310MB) and a net distro (c150MB) all with a kernel that will boot "antique" PII, PIII computers as well as the latest "modern" processors

The full flavour will not fit on a cd. The base version fits on a cd, but does not include LibreOffice as well as some other applications

By default, antiX loads into a Rox-IceWM desktop with a few icons on the desktop. Use F6 at the boot menu screen to choose your desktop. What you choose running live will automatically transfer if/when installed.

antiX is a very flexible linux distribution. You can run it live from a cd, live from a usb stick (with persistence i.e. changes are saved on reboot) as well as setting up a frugal-install from an internal or external hard drive. Of course, you can install to internal and external drives, sticks, cards etc. You can even run it live, add/remove applications, customize it, remaster it and then install. All your changes will carry over to install.

antiX is based on Debian but is totally free of systemd! It comes with a custom kernel, its own custom scripts and repository to enhance user experience. antiX can be used as a rolling release distro i.e. you should be able to keep your applications up to date by regularly upgrading. If you wish, you can enable the Debian testing or unstable repositories and live on the bleeding-edge! For those that prefer stability, keep to the Debian Stable/buster repositories.

A further feature of antiX is that you can install kernels from a variety of sources including Debian, siduction, aptosid and liquorix. This is especially useful if you have a new box as newer hardware is more likely to be detected and work with newer kernels.

Don't forget - antiX is systemd free.

System requirements

So what are the minimum and suggested requirements to run antiX?

antiX should run on most computers, ranging from 192MB old PII systems with pre-configured 128MB swap to the latest powerful boxes.

antiX-core and antiX-net will run with 128MB RAM plus swap, but don't expect miracles.

192MB RAM is the recommended minimum for antiX. 256MB RAM and above is preferred especially for antiX-full.

antiX-full needs a 5GB minimum hard disk size. antiX-base needs 3GB and antiX-core needs 1GB. antiX-net needs 0.7GB.

Which flavour should I use?

Most users will be happy to use antiX-full as it offers a full desktop experience on legacy and modern computers.

If you have a very old desktop/laptop with 512MB RAM or less (PII, PIII), or you want a desktop with "the basics", it is probably best to use antiX-base.

If you want complete control over what applications to install and know the Debian system fairly well, then use antiX-core or antiX-net since both these do not include X.

antiX-core includes non-free firmware, which means that most wireless is supported

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PAE or non-PAE?

PAE stands for Physical Address Extension, a way of allowing 32 bit operating systems to access ram beyond around 4GB. It is possible to use a non-PAE version on a PAE system, but not vice versa.

antiX Linux is available for two architectures: 32bit and 64bit.

The 32 bit version uses a non-pae kernel.

If unsure whether you need the PAE or non-PAE version, use the method below suitable for the OS you currently run.

Linux. Open a terminal and enter this command (install inxi first if necessary): inxi -f. If the CPU Flags entry does not include PAE in the list, then it needs the non pae version (32 bit).

Mac. Intel versions of OS X support PAE.

Windows2000 and earlier: non-PAE

Windows XP and Vista. Right click My Computer > Properties, General tab. If it says Physical Address Extension (=PAE) at the bottom, then PAE is the correct version to install.

Windows 7. Open the Command Prompt window by clicking the Start button > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. A terminal window will appear. Enter this code at the command prompt where the cursor is positioned:

If PAE is enabled, you will get a return like this: PAEEnabled. That return may or may not be followed by the word TRUE.

Windows 8 and later. PAE enabled by default.

32 or 64 bit?

What is the architecture of your cpu?

Follow the appropriate method below to find out whether your machine is 32- or 64-bit.*

• Linux. Open a terminal and enter the command lscpu, then examine the first few lines for architecture, number of cores, etc.
• Windows. Consult this Microsoft document.
• Apple. Consult this Apple document.

• If you want to know the architecture of the OS instead, the command uname -m will probably work on all platforms.

In general, if you have a 64-bit cpu and the required RAM for your particular machine and processor, you should use the 64-bit version. This is because 64-bit is generally faster, though you may not actually notice the difference in daily use. In the long run, moreover, an increasing number of larger applications will likely be restricted to 64-bit versions. Note that a 32-bit application or OS can run on a 64-bit cpu, but not the reverse.

MORE: here

How much memory (RAM) do you have?

• Linux. Open a terminal and enter the command free -h and look at the number in the Total column.
• Windows. Open the System window using whatever method is recommended for your version, and look for the entry “Installed memory (RAM).”
• Apple. Click the entry "About this Mac" in the Apple menu on Mac OS X and look for the RAM information.

I have an old laptop with very low RAM, what should I do?

If you have less than 512MB RAM, and want to test antiX live, choose one of the min- options at F6. To install to hard drive, at the live boot menu, type 3, login as root and type cli-installer

It is also a good idea to create a swap partition before installation.

Some Great Features in antiX

live-usb-maker

Install the downloaded or newly created iso file to a portable usb stick nd take your antiX with you in your pocket! Includes an option to encrypt the usb device for security. This tool includes a basic gui front end, but the cli version offers more options and is easy to use

package-installer

Located in Menu-→ Applications-→System Tools -→ package-installer You can install packages for Disk-Recovery, Web Browsers, Graphics, Kids, Language, LaTex, Network, Non-free, Office, Server, WindowManager . . . simply choose the package you want, and the installer will do the rest. (internet connection required

LuckyBackup

Can be found in Control Centre-→ Disks-→ Backup Your System or in Menu-→ Applications-→System Tools-→ luckyBacku

Repo Manage

This tool greatly simplifies the process of changing the package repositories that are used for updating/upgrading applications. The sources are set during installation depending on the selected timezone and language, and will generally work well. But there may be instances where a user might wish to change those selections

iso-snapshot

Want to make a live iso backup of what you have installed on your hard drive? Then, this is for you! Simple, but effective

Remaster and Persistence

Not only have we made it easy to set up antiX live with persistence, we also make it easy to create a remaster of the running live system

Customised gfxboot menu

Use the F keys to set up how you want antiX to boot in live mode and F8 to save the changes for future live boots

• F1 - Help

• F2 - Language

• F3 - Time zone

• F4 - Various hardware options

• F5 - Persistence options

• F6 - Desktop and font size options

• F7 - Console resolution options

• F8 - Save changes (only on writable media)

I don't like that splash image. It takes up too much of my small screen space. How do I boot without it?

Easy. Just press F7 console (F6 on core or net) and choose the default option

What do you mean by Safe Video Mode and Failsafe in the menu?

Safe Video Mode Disable KMS (kernel mode set) video drivers and force the use of the vesa video driver. Try this option of the system seems to boot but the screen is blank

Failsafe Boot In addition to forcing safe video, also load all drivers early in the boot process. Try this option if the system does not boot at all

---

antiX-19

So, what's new in antiX-19?

Lots! Explore!

• Based on Debian Buster, but without systemd and libsystemd0.
• eudev 3.2.8 replaces udev
• Customised 4.9193 kernel with fbcondecor splash
• libreoffice 6.1.5-3
• firefox-esr 60.9.0esr-1
• claws-mail 3.17.3-2
• cups for printing
• xmms -for audio
• gnome-mplayer - for playing video
• smtube - play youtube videos without a using a browser
• streamlight-antix - stream videos with very low RAM usage.
• qpdfview - pdf reader
• arc-evopro2-theme-antix

File managers and desktop:

• spacefm
• rox-filer

Convert your video and audio files with:

• winff
• asunder

Connect to the net with:

• connman
• or gnome-ppp if you are still on dial-up

Editors:

• geany
• leafpad
• Midnight Commander

Tools for remastering and creating snapshots of installed system:

• iso-snapshot
• remaster tools

General tools:

• bootrepair
• codecs installer
• Network Assistant
• User Manager
• ddm-mx - install nvidia drivers

Others:

• hexchat - gui chat
• luckybackup - excellent backup tool. There's nothing lucky about it!
• simple-scan - for scanning documents
• transmission-gtk - torrent downloader
• wingrid-antix - turn the stacking window managers into tilers.
• Xfburn for burning cd/dvd
• connectshares-antix for network shares
• droopy-antix - an easy way to transfer files over the net.
• mirage - image viewer
• package-installer - install applications easily and safely
• antiX Control Centre - an easy way to do just about anything!
• streamtuner2 - listen to streaming radio
• cherrytree - note taking application

Why not try out our included cli apps

• Editors: nano and vim
• Newsreader: newsboat
• Chat: irssi
• Audio player: mocp
• Radio: pmrp
• Video player: mpv
• Youtube video: mps-youtube
• Audio ripper: abcde
• Torrent: rtorrent
• Cd burner: cdw
• Writer: Wordgrinder

NEW

• cli-aptiX
• live-kernel-updater
• lxkeymap
• fskbsetting
• backlight-brightness
• antiX-cli-cc

Cool in-house antiX apps available in the repos:

• 1-to-1-voice-antix - Voice chat between two pcs via encrypted mumble
• 1-to-1-assistance-antix - Remote access help application
• ssh-conduit - Remote resouces via an ssh encypted connection

What kernel is antiX-19 using?

A customised 4.9.193 version.

There are several other kernels available via the package-installer application. Such as:

• custom-4.19.73 for 32 and 64 bit processors, pae and non-pae for stable/buster, testing and sid.
• custom-5.2.15 for 32 and 64 bit processors, pae and non-pae for stable/buster, testing and sid.

Pre installation

The Live System

An antiX Linux LiveMedium (USB or DVD) boots your computer without accessing the hard disk. It copies a virtual file system into RAM that acts as the center of a temporary operating system for the computer. When you end your Live session, everything about your computer is back to the way it was, unchanged.

This provides a number of benefits:

• It enables you to run antiX Linux on your computer without installing it.
• It allows you to determine whether antiX Linux is compatible with your hardware.
• It helps you to get a feel for how antiX Linux works and to explore some of its features.
• You can decide whether antiX Linux is what you want without permanently affecting your current system.

Running from a LiveDVD also has some disadvantages:

• Because the entire system is operating from a combination of RAM and the medium, antiX Linux will require more RAM and run more slowly than if it were installed on the hard drive.
• Some unusual hardware that requires specialized drivers or custom configuration may not work in a LiveMedium session where permanent files can't be installed. Installing and removing software is also not possible because the DVD is a read-only medium.

Creating a bootable medium

Obtain the ISO

antiX Linux is distributed as an ISO, a disk image file in the ISO 9660 file system format.

Download

antiX Linux can be downloaded in two ways from the Download page.

• Direct. Click on the link to the ISO Download page. Select the mirror you want to use, then click on the correct link for your architecture and mode. Save the ISO to your Hard Disk. If one source seems slow, try the other one.
• Torrent. BitTorrent file sharing provides an internet protocol for efficient mass transfer of data. It decentralizes the transfer in such a way as to utilize good bandwidth connections and to minimize strain on low-bandwidth connections. An added benefit is all BitTorrent clients perform error checking during the download process, so there is no need to do a separate md5sum check after your download is complete. It has already been done! Links to the torrents will be on the Download page.

• Go to the torrent download page and click on the Torrent button that you want to use according to your architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Your browser should recognize that it is a torrent, so it will open a popup window asking you what you want to do with it (download or open it). Choose to download.
• A file with the ISO name and with the .torrent extension will be downloaded to your "Download" folder Clicking on the downloaded torrent will launch your torrent client (Transmission by default), showing the torrent in its list; highlight it and click Start to begin the download process.

Check validity of downloaded ISOs

After you have downloaded an ISO, the next step is to verify it. There are several methods available.

Md5sum

Each ISO is accompanied by a matching md5sum file in the source, and you should check its md5sum against the official one. It will be identical to the official md5sum if your copy is authentic. The following steps will let you verify the integrity of the downloaded ISO on any OS platform.

• Windows Users can check most easily with the Rufus bootable USB maker; a tool called WinMD5FREE is also available to download and use free of cost.
• Linux In antiX Linux, navigate to the folder where you have downloaded the ISO and the md5sum file. Right-click the md5sum file > Check data integrity. A dialog box will pop up saying “<name of ISO>: OK” if the numbers are identical. You can also right-click the ISO > Compute md5sum and compare it with another source. For situations where that option is not available, open a terminal in the location where you downloaded the ISO (in Thunar: File > Open Terminal Here), then type:

  
  

  Be sure to replace “filename” with the actual filename (type in the first couple of letters then hit Tab and it will be filled in automatically). Compare the number obtained by this calculation with the md5sum file downloaded from official site. If they are identical, your copy is identical to the official release.
• Mac Mac users need to open up a console/terminal and change into the directory with the ISO and md5sum files. Then issue this command:

  
  

  Be sure to replace filename with the actual filename.

sha256sum

antiX allows you to take advantage of the security system provided with sha256 and sha512 . Download the file to check the integrity of the ISO.

• Windows: the method varies by version. Do a web search on "windows <version> check sha256 sum"
• Linux: follow the directions for md5sum, above, substituting "sha256sum" or "sha512sum" for "md5sum."
• Mac: open a console, change to the directory with the ISO and sha256 files, and issue this command:

re class="western"> shasum -a 256 /path/to/file

GPG signature

antiX ISO files to be downloaded have been signed by their developers. This security method allows the user to be confident that the ISO is what is says it is: an official ISO from the developer. Detailed instructions about how to run this security check can be found in the MX/antiX Technical Wiki.

Create the LiveMedium

DVD

Burning an ISO to a DVD is easy, as long as you follow some important guidelines.

• Do not burn the ISO onto a blank CD/DVD as if it were a data file! An ISO is a formatted and bootable image of an OS. You need to choose Burn disk image or Burn ISO in the menu of your CD/DVD burning program. If you just drag and drop it into a file list and burn it as a regular file, you will not get a bootable LiveMedium.

USB

You can easily create a bootable USB that works on most systems. antiX Linux includes the tool Live USB Maker (gui) for this task.

• If you want to create a USB on a Windows base, we suggest you use Rufus, which supports our bootloader, or a recent Unetbootin version (post 625).
• If on a Linux base, be sure to reload your repos in Synaptic or antiX Updater in order to upgrade files such as syslinux and extlinux to the most recent versions.
• If your USB starts but leaves you with an error message: gfxboot.c32: not a COM32R image, you should still be able to boot by typing "live" at the prompt in the next line. Reformatting the USB and reinstalling the ISO should remove the error.
• If the graphic USB creators fail, it is possible to use the command "dd," an option now in Live-usb maker.
  • WARNING: be careful to identify your destination USB correctly in the dd command line string listed above, as the dd command will completely write over the destination.
  • To ascertain the correct device name/letter for your destination USB, open a terminal, type lsblk and press Enter. A list of all devices connected to your system will be listed. You should be able to identify your destination USB by its listed storage size.
• For details, see the MX/antiX Wiki.

typical output of the command lsblk, showing two harddisks each with two partitions

Installation

Hard drive FAQs

Where should I install antiX Linux?

Before starting the install, you need to decide where you are going to install antiX.

• Entire hard drive
• Existing partition on a hard drive
• New partition on a hard drive

You can simply select one of the first two during installation, but the third requires the creation of a new partition. You can do this during the antiX installation, but it is recommended that you do it before you start the installation. In Linux, you will usually be using GParted, a useful and very powerful tool.

A traditional installation format for Linux has three partitions, one each for root, home and Swap, as in the Figure below, and you should begin with this if you are new to Linux. Other partition arrangements are possible, for example some experienced users combine root and home, with a separate partition for data.

Gparted showing three partitions (sda1), (sda2) and swap (sda3)

Note that the drive shown here is also used for testing so that the partitions are larger than normally needed.

MORE: GParted Manual

Create a new partition with GParted

Partition a Multi-boot system

video: Partition a Multi-boot system [1]

How can I edit partitions?

A very handy tool for such actions is Control Centre > Disks > Manage Disks. This utility provides a graphical presentation of all the partitions on the machine (excluding swap) with a simple interface for quickly and easily mounting, unmounting and editing some properties of disk partitions. Changes are automatically and immediately written to /etc/fstab and are thus preserved for the next boot.

Disk Manager automatically allocates mount points in /media, using /media/LABEL (e.g., /media/HomeData) if the partition is labeled or /media/DEVICE (e.g., /media/cdrom) if not. These mount points are created by DM when a partition is mounted, and removed immediately when a partition is unmounted.

HELP: Disk Manager help.

What are those other partitions on my Windows installation?

Recent home computers with Windows are sold with a diagnostic partition and restore partition, in addition to the one that contains the OS installation. If you see multiple partitions showing up in GParted that you were not aware of, they are probably those and should be left alone.

Should I create a separate Home?

You do not have to create a separate home, since the Installer will create a /home partition within / (root). But having it separate makes upgrades easier and protects against problems caused by users filling up the drive with a lot of pictures, music, or video data.

Do I need to create a SWAP file?

The Installer will create a SWAP file for you. If you intend to hibernate (and not just suspend) the system here are the recommendations for the size of the swap space:

• For less then 1GB of physical memory (RAM), the swap space should at least be equal to the amount of RAM and a maximum twice the amount of RAM depending upon the amount of hard disk space available for the system.
• For more systems with larger amounts of RAM, your swap space should at least be equal to the memory size.

Users with an SSD often avoid setting up a SWAP file on the SSD to avoid slowing it down.

What do names like “sda” mean?

Before you begin installation, it is critical that you understand how Linux operating systems treat hard drives and their partitions.

• Drive names. Unlike Windows, which assigns a drive letter to each of your hard drive partitions, Linux assigns a short device name to each hard drive or other storage device on a system. The device names always start with sd plus a single letter. For instance, the first drive on your system will be sda, the second sdb, etc. There are also more advanced means of naming drives, the most common of which is the UUID (Universally Unique IDentifier), used to assign a permanent name that will not be changed by the addition or removal of equipment.
• Partition names. Within each drive every partition is referred to as a number appended to the device name. Thus, for instance, sda1 would be the first partition on the first hard drive, while sdb3 would be the third partition on the second drive.
• Extended partitions. PC hard disks were originally permitted only four partitions. These are called primary partitions in Linux and are numbered 1 to 4. You can increase the number by making one of the primary partitions into an extended partition, then dividing that into logical partitions (limit 15) that are numbered from 5 onward. Linux can be installed into a primary or logical partition.

 First look

        Live Medium login 


        In case you want to log out and back in, install new packages, etc.,
        here are the usernames and passwords:

        Regular user
        ** name: demo
        ** password: demo

        Superuser (Administrator)
        ** name: root
        ** password: root

Boot the LiveMedium

LiveCD/DVD

Simply place the DVD in the tray and reboot (it is assumed that the pc is already configured to boot from cd-rom).

LiveUSB

You may need to take a few steps to get your computer to boot correctly using the USB.

• To boot with the USB Drive, many computers have special keys you can press during booting to select that device. Typical Boot Device Menu keys are Esc, one of the Function keys (F2, F8, F12) or the Shift key. Look carefully at the first screen that shows up when rebooting to find the correct key.
• Alternatively, You may have to go into the BIOS to change the boot device order:
  • Boot the computer, and hit the required key (e.g., F2, F10 or Esc) at the beginning to get into the BIOS
  • Click on (or arrow over to) the Boot tab
  • Identify and highlight your USB device (usually, USB HDD), then move it to the top of the list (or enter, if your system is set for that). Save and exit
  • If unsure or uncomfortable about changing the BIOS, ask for assistance in the Forums.
• On older computers without USB support in the BIOS, you can use the Plop Linux LiveCD that will load USB drivers and present you with a menu. See the website for details.
• Once your system is set to recognize the USB Drive during the boot process, just plug in the Drive and reboot the machine.

UEFI

video: UEFI Boot Issues, and some settings to check!

If the machine already has Windows 8 or later installed, then special steps must be taken to deal with the presence of (U)EFI and Secure Boot.

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a new kind of system firmware used on recent machines. It represents the successor of old BIOS.

Many PCs (but not the most recent) that use UEFI have the so-called CSM ("Compatibility Support Module") in the firmware, which provides the same interfaces to an operating system as a classic PC BIOS, so that software written for classic BIOS can be used unchanged on UEFI PC.

BIOS and UEFI use different partitioning schemes:

Native UEFI uses a partitioning scheme called GPT ("GUID Partition Table").

BIOS and UEFI in CSM mode, use the Master Boot Record (MBR) partitioning scheme.

A UEFI - CSM computer will use the CSM mode and therefore the MBR partitioning scheme if the Legacy function is chosen, in the UEFI settings windows, at startup.

Another important difference between BIOS (or UEFI in CSM mode) and UEFI in native mode is the location where boot code is stored and in which format it has to be.

There will need to be a specific bootloader for UEFI and a different one for BIOS (or UEFI in CSM mode).

This is important to boot the MX installer on a UEFI system with CSM because the MX installer chooses whether to install the BIOS bootloader or the native UEFI bootloader depending on the way it is booted (UEFI or Legacy)

Another UEFI-related topic is the so-called “secure boot” mechanism. Secure boot is a function of UEFI implementations that allows the firmware to only load and execute code that is cryptographically signed with certain keys and thereby blocking any (potentially malicious) boot code that is unsigned or signed with unknown keys.

The indication that we give, valid for most users, is to disable Secure Boot by accessing the BIOS or Uefi settings when the computer starts. Once the Secure Boot is disabled, however, the correct procedure to booting the computer with UEFI may vary depending on the manufacturer and whether the CSM function is present or not.

It may be enough to simply disable the "secure boot" while in other cases you must then activate the "legacy support" function.

Disable "Secure Boot" function

On some systems, the option to disable secure boot is only made visible when a BIOS password has been set by the user, so if you have a system with secure boot enabled, but cannot find an option to disable it, try setting a BIOS password, powercycle the machine and look again for an appropriate option.

The Black Screen

Occasionally it may happen that you end up looking at an empty black screen that may have a blinking cursor in the corner. This represents a failure to start X, the windows system used by Linux, and is most often due to problems with the graphics driver being used. Solution: reboot and select Safe Video or Failsafe boot options in the menu (F6); details on these boot codes in the antiX-FAQ, section “Live Boot Parameters” or in the MX/antiX Wiki.

The boot menu does not call up the newly installed system or any other operating systems

On some UEFI systems with CSM the default boot mode used for removable devices may be different from what is actually used when booting from hard disk so when booting the installer from a USB stick in a different mode from what is used when booting another already installed operating system from the hard disk, the wrong bootloader might be installed and the system might be unbootable after finishing the installation.

Once the installation is complete, if at the next reboot in the boot menu you don't have the items to boot any other operating system installed on your computer, then you can use the tool: Boot Repair located in the antiX Control Centre.

In addition, if you are unable to call up any Windows system in the menu, you will sometimes need to open a terminal and type:

update-grub

Disabling the Windows “fast boot” feature

span style="background: #ffffcc">Windows 8 and later offer a feature called “fast boot” to cut down system startup time. Technically, when this feature is enabled, Windows does not do a real shutdown and a real cold boot afterwards when ordered to shut down, but instead does something resembling a partial suspend to disk to reduce the “boot” time. As long as Windows is the only operating system on the machine, this is unproblematic, but it can result in problems and data loss when you have a dual boot setup in which another operating system accesses the same filesystems as Windows does. In that case the real state of the filesystem can be different from what Windows believes it to be after the “boot” and this could cause filesystem corruption upon further write accesses to the filesystem. Therefore in a dual boot setup, to avoid filesystem corruption the “fast boot” feature has to be disabled within Windows.

It may also be necessary to disable “fast boot” to even allow access to UEFI setup to choose to boot another operating system or the antiX boot loader. On some UEFI systems, the firmware will reduce “boot” time by not initialising the keyboard controller or USB hardware; in these cases, it is necessary to boot into Windows and disable this feature to allow for a change of boot order.

For troubleshooting, please consult the MX/antiX Wiki, or ask on the Forum.

Figure: LiveMedium boot screen of x64 ISO

When the LiveMedium boots up, you will be presented with a screen similar to the Figure above; the installed screen looks quite different. Custom entries may also appear in the main menu. Detailed Help on this screen can be found in this document.

Main Menu entries

Table 1: Menu entries in Live boot

Entry	Comment
antiX-19 (<RELEASE DATE>)	This entry is selected by default, and is the standard way that most users will boot the Live system. Simply press Return to boot the system.
Safe Video Mode	Disable KMS (kernel mode set) video drivers and force the use of the vesa video driver. Try this option of the system seems to boot but the screen is blank.
Virtual Box Video	If, when starting the Live drive in Virtualbox, the default video doesn't work, try this option
Failsafe Boot	In addition to forcing safe video, also load all drivers early in the boot process. Try this option if the system does not boot at all.
Boot from Hard Disk	Allows for user to select a stored ISO to boot.
Memory Test	Runs a test to check RAM. If this test passes then there may still be a hardware problem or even a problem with RAM but if the test fails then you know something is wrong.
Switch to Grub Bootloader options	It allows you to view some advanced options and recovery options of the bootloader, if it has problems.

In the bottom row the screen displays a number of vertical entries, below which is a row of horizontal options; press F1 when looking at that screen for details.

Options

• F2 Language. Set the language for the bootloader and the antiX system. This will automatically transfer to the hard drive when you install.
• F3 Time Zone. Set the timezone for the system. This will automatically transfer to the hard drive when you install.
• F4 Options. Options for checking and booting the Live system. Most of these options do not transfer to the hard drive when you install.
• F5 Persist. Options for retaining changes to the LiveUSB when the machine shuts down.
• F6 Desktop. AntiX offers IceWM as the default installed Window Manager along with Rox File Manager, but the system has several other WM and FM installed. Here you can choose which combination you want to make the default.
• F7 Console. Set resolution of virtual consoles. May conflict with Kernel Mode Setting. Can be useful if you are booting into Command Line Install or if you are trying to debug the early boot process. This option will transfer when you install.
• F8 Save Bootloader Settings. On LiveUSBs and Frugal installs, the F8 Save menu should appear. A LiveUSB made with the "dd" command acts like a LiveCD and does not have the F8 Save menu. Save Save the current function key popup menu settings as the defaults and create/replace a custom main menu entry if needed for options that are typed if they don't exist in the popup menus. Reset Restore the original menu defaults. Does not affect the custom main menu entry (if one was created)

Other cheat codes for LiveUSB can be found in the antix-FAQ, section “Live Boot Parameters” or in the MX/antiX Wiki. The cheat codes for booting an installed system are different compared to a Live system, and can be found in the same location.

MORE:

antiX19-Boot-Menu

Linux startup process

 The UEFI opening screen

LiveMedium boot screen of x64 when UEFI detected

If the user is using a computer set for UEFI boot (see: "Boot the LiveMedium" paragraph), the opening screen for UEFI Live boot will appear instead with different choices.

• antiX-19_x64
• Customize boot (with menus)
• Advanced Options
• Memory Test
• Boot Rescue Menus

If you want localization (recommended for non-English speaking users) or other options, choose "Customize boot." That will bring up as second screen of extensive menu options; just select what you want and follow the prompts.

AntiX Live default desktop

antiX opens a default desktop consisting of IceWM as Wndows Manager associated with Rox as File Manager.

There are several other associations between Windows Manager and File manager. Each user can choose which association he prefers and set it as the default for his desktop.

The various possibilities are visible by going to Menu-start →Desktop →Other Desktops.

By choosing one of the presented combinations, the user can instantly see what one of the alternative desktops, to the default one, looks like. You do not need to exit the desktop and redo the Login.

We will review the various combinations in the Post-Installation paragraph.

In any case, it is not necessary to choose, before installation, the type of Windows/File Manager association you prefer. Even after installation the choice can be made, and changed, at any time.

Thanks to the "Other Desktops" option, you can choose the Desktop you prefer, and then when you log out, the system will remember your choice and then it will re-appear with the same Desktop that you had before leaving the session.

On the desktop of a Live system (with the exception of your Live Snapshot) there will be an "Installer" icon. Clicking on it will start the system installation process.

On an installed system this icon will no longer be present.

Before installation, it can be useful to open the antiX Control Center, which is very rich in system administration tools. In particular, it can help in checking the recognition by the system of the various peripherals. Keep in mind that, in some cases, some devices, such as the WiFi card, will only work after installation.

antiX menu shows several alternative desktops, on the right: the main window of the antiX Control Center

Can I install applications when running live?

'Yes you can and if you decide to install during that live session, they will carry over to installation.'

Will the language, keyboard settings I chose at boot menu carry over to install?

Yes, in fact this is the best way to install your localised antiX

In a GRUB system, on boot screen, set your options via the F2 and F3 keys and if you use a writable device, use F8 to save your choices

In a UEFI system, set "Customize Boot with menus".

'Alernatively, you can do this manually by setting a variety of cheats. For example: lang=en kbd=gb,gr tz=Europe/Athens will give a US English desktop, a toggled Greek, British English keyboard and the timezone set to Athens, Greece.'

'You may decide to enter these codes at boot time if no other system works, but remember that the system and keyboard localization can be very easy after opening the desktop using the specific localization functions contained within the antiX Control Center.'

 The Installation process

Detailed installation steps

video: Installing antix17

video: Installing antiX16

video: Make a live from Windows

To begin, boot to the LiveMedium, then click on the Installer icon in the upper left corner. If the icon is missing (e.g. on an ISO remastered with ISO Snapshot), click F4 and enter: sudo minstall ' (user and password, on LiveMedium: demo).

Installer Screen Home

• The right side of the Installer screen presents user choices as the installation proceeds; the left side provides clarification of the content of the right side.
• Keyboard Settings permits changing the keyboard for the installation process.

Installer set to Auto-install, with Encryption activated

Rearrange disk partitions (optional)

• Modify partitions. This option starts Gparted and allows you to modify existing partitions on the disk, however many users have concluded that if you need to, it is best to create or modify them before starting the installation process to avoid possible problems - for instance newly created partitions may not show up in the drop-down menus under "Choose Partitions". So it is better to create them either on MSWindows using specific applications for this task, or on a Cd/dvd/Usb-Live using the Gparted application. Once the partitioning is complete, you should shutdown the Live and reboot it, and then proceed with the installation. Note. Clicking the "Run Partition Tool" button will start Gparted, as we said. It might be useful to open it even if you don't want to partition, just to see how the disk partitions are organized, if there was any doubt about it. Closing Gparted, this first installation screen that we are describing will reappear.

Select type of installation

• Use disk. If unsure which is the partition you want, use the names you see in GParted. The disk you select will be examined cursorily for reliability by SMART. If problems are detected, you will see a warning screen. You will need to decide whether to accept that risk and continue, select another disk or terminate the installation. For more information, click Start menu > System > GSmartControl and “Perform tests” on the drive.

SMART warning of risk of failure

• Auto-install using entire disk. Select this option if you plan to use the entire hard drive for antiX and you aren't particular about how the partitions are set up. You can optionally specify an amount of space to leave unused, if you plan to create more partitions afterward. Make sure you understand that selecting this option will delete all existing partitions and data. Only choose this if you are not going to keep anything on the selected hard drive.
  • A pop-up message asks you to confirm using the entire disk.

Note. By default, the installer chooses "Auto-install using entire disk" if it detects only one partition, but if it detects multiple partitions, it will be presented as the default choice "Custom install on existing partitions" allowing you to choose any other partition you wish to install on.

• Encrypt. Full disk encryption is available for the first time with antiX-19. You can fine-tune your encryption cipher settings with the "Advanced Encryption Settings” button or just keep the defaults.

Installer set to “Custom install on existing partitions”

• Custom install on existing partitions. If you are installing antiX Linux to a dual-boot with another operating system, or you wish to define the sizes of your partitions manually, you need to select this option. If you have not previously set up your partitions,you may click “Run partition tool” button to run Gparted at this point and create them. Obviously, the above mentioned contra-indications must be considered, however in most cases there are no problems and eventually you can stop the installation, exit Live, reboot and try again with the modified partitions. However, whether you created the partitions clicking “Run partition tool” button or launching Gparted (or other suitable tools) before starting the installer, in any case select this option and click the "Next" button only after you have prepared the partitions you will need in the next step.

Installer looking for partition choice

Choose partitions

(If you chose Auto-install using entire disk in the previous steps, you will not see this screen.)

• Specify the root and swap partitions you want to use. If you set up a separate partition for your home directory, specify it here, otherwise leave /home set to root.
  • Note that the user's /home folder will be inside the same (root) partition where antiX is being installed.
  • Many users prefer to locate their home directory in a different partition that that of / (root), so that any problem with — or even total replacement of — the installation partition will leave all the user's individual settings untouched.
• You can change the label of the partition where you want to install (e.g., to “antiX-19 Testing Installation”)
• Finally, you can optionally select the type of file system you want to use on the hard drive. The default ext4 is recommended in antiX if you have no particular choice.
• Encryption. The various partitions can be encrypted.
• Unless you are using encrpytion or know what you are doing, leave boot set to root.

Preferences

• Check Preserve data in /home if you are doing an upgrade and already have data in an existing home partition. This option is not generally recommended because of the risk that old configurations will not match the new installation, but can be useful in specific situations, e.g. repairing an installation.

• Select Check for bad blocks if you want to do a scan for physical defects on the hard drive during formatting. This is recommended for users with older drives.

Installer asking about boot method

Select boot method

• While the main linux OS is being copied to hard drive, you will be asked about some additional configuration information. Figure shows the GRUB bootloader installation options.
• Most average users will accept the default settings on this screen, which will install the bootloader into the very beginning of the disk. This is the usual location and will cause no harm.
• If you install antiX as the only system on your hard disk, or in dual boot with Windows, or together with several other operating systems, you should install grub in the MBR or ESP (for UEFI system) These are the default choices. The installer will automatically select MBR or ESP depending on whether UEFI is present or not. Instead, if you want to keep the bootloader of another distribution already present , be it grub-legacy, grub2 or anything else, then you can decide to install grub on the root partition (PBR) or not install it at all. In this case, after installation, you will need to make changes to the existing grub. This choice is for advanced users.
• When you click Next, a pop-up message will check to see that you accept the location of the bootloader GRUB. Installing GRUB can take a few minutes in some situations.
• Note that the partition shown (sda) is just an example; your particular selection of partition may well differ.

Computer Network Names Setup

Computer Network Names

• Many users choose a unique name for their computer: laptop1, MyBox, StudyDesktop, UTRA, etc. You may also just leave the default name as it is.
• You can just click Next here if you have no computer network.
• If you are not going to host shared network folders on your PC, then you can disable samba. This will not affect your PC's ability to access shares hosted elsewhere on your network.

Locale, Timezone, and Service Settings Localization Defaults

• The default settings will usually be correct here, as long as you were careful to enter any exceptions at the LiveMedium boot screen. If the boot is done via GRUB, the localization will be chosen by pressing the F2 key, if it is done via UEFI you will have to choose the item: "Customize Boot with menus".
• If you are not english speaking, then the correct localization is important, the other settings: clock, timezone, keyboard, can also be changed later, when the Window Manager is started, using the antiX Control Centre. You can also change the localization later (using the command: dpkg-reconfigure locales), but having already defined it before starting the installer will allow you to display the choice options and help dialogues in your language with less risk of confusion.

Figure: Enable/Disable Services

Common services to Enable

• This screen only shows if “View” was clicked on the Locale, Timezone & Services Setting screen.
• Services are applications and functions associated with the kernel that provide capabilities for upper-level processes. If you are not familiar with a service, you should leave it alone.
• These applications and functions require time and memory, so if you are concerned about the capacity of your computer, you can look at this list for items that you are sure you do not need.
• If you later want to change or adjust the startup services you have some choices.
  • a command-line tool called sysv-rc-conf is installed by default and must be run as root.
  • A grafic tool in the Control Centre: Choose Startup Services
  • a graphical tool called Boot-Up Manager (BUM) can be installed from the repos.

User Configuration

Account

• The level of security on the passwords you choose here will depend greatly on the setting of the actual computer. A home desktop is generally less likely to be broken into.
• If you check Autologin, you will be able to bypass the login screen and speed up the boot process. The downside of that choice is that anyone with some kind of access to your computer would be able to log directly into your account. You can later change your autologin preferences using the antiX Control Centre, “Options” tab, “Set Auto-Login” button.
• You can transfer any changes you make to your Live desktop to the HD installation by checking the last box. A small amount of critical information (e.g., the name of your wireless Access Point) will be translated automatically.

Installation Complete

Comments

• After the system copy is finished and the configuration steps are complete, an "Installation Complete” screen will be presented and you are ready to go!
• If you don't want to reboot after finishing installation, uncheck the automatic reboot option before clicking Finish.

 Troubleshooting

No operating system found

When rebooting after an installation, it sometimes happens that your computer reports that no operating system or bootable disc was found. It also may not show another installed OS such as Windows. Usually, these problems mean that GRUB did not install properly, but that is easy to correct.

• If you can boot into at least one partition, open there a root terminal and run this command: update-grub
• Otherwise, proceed with the “Boot Repair” tool:
  • Boot to the LiveMedium.
  • Launch Control Centre > Maintenance tab > Boot Repair.
  • Make sure that “Reinstall GRUB Bootloader” is selected, then click OK.
  • If this still does not fix it, you may have a faulty hard drive. Usually, you will have seen a SMART warning screen about it when you began your installation.

Data or other partition not accessible

Partitions and drives other than the one designated as boot may not be booted or require root access after installation. There are a couple of ways to change this.

• GUI. Click on Control Centre > Disks tab > Manage Disks. Check anything you want mounted at boot and save; when you reboot it should be mounted and you will have access in your file manager. See HELP: Disk Manager for details.
• CLI. Open your file manager (Rox or SpaceFM) as root (SpaceFM: Menu-Bar > File > Root Window; Rox: open a terminal as root, and type rox) and navigate to the file /etc/fstab; click on it to open it in a text editor. Look for the line containing the partition or drive to which you want access (you may need to type blkid in a terminal to identify the UUID). Change it following this example for a data partition.

This entry will cause the partition to be automatically mounted at boot time, and also allow you to mount it and umount it as a normal user. This entry will also cause the file system to be checked periodically at boot time. If you don't want it mounted automatically at boot time then change the options field from "user" to "user,noauto".

• If you don't want it checked regularly then change the final "2" to a "0". Since you have an ext4 filesystem it is suggested that you enable the automated checking.
• If the item is mounted but not showing in Thunar, add an additional "comment=x-gvfs-show" to the line in your fstab file, which will force the mount to be visible. In the example above, the change would look like this:

NOTE: neither of these procedures will change Linux permissions, which are enforced on the folder and file level. See Section 7.3.

Locking up

If antiX Linux is locking up during installation, it is usually due to a problem with faulty computer hardware, or a bad DVD. If you have determined that the DVD is not the problem, it may be due to faulty RAM, a faulty hard drive, or some other piece of faulty or incompatible hardware.

• Add one of the Boot Options using F4 at boot or consulting the “Live Boot Parameters” chapter in this guide or the MX/antiX Wiki. The most common problem arises from the graphic driver .
• Your DVD drive may be having problems. If your system supports it, create an antiX bootable USB flash drive and install from that.
• Systems often lock up due to overheating. Open the computer's case and ensure that all the system's fans are running when it is turned on. If your BIOS supports it, check the CPU and Motherboard temperatures (enter sensors in a root terminal if possible) and compare them to the temperature specifications for your system.
• Shut down your computer and remove any non-essential hardware, then attempt the installation again. Non-essential hardware may include USB, serial, and parallel-port devices; removable PCI, AGP, PCIE, modem slot, or ISA expansion cards (excluding video, if you do not have onboard video); SCSI devices (unless you are installing to or from one); IDE or SATA devices that you are not installing to or from; joysticks, MIDI cables, audio cables, and any other external multimedia devices.

Post-installation

What window managers are available in antiX?

These window manager options come installed and ready to use in antiX-full and antiX-base

• the lightweight Rox-IceWM (default)
• the lightweight IceWM
• the lightweight SpaceFM-IceWM
• the minimalist manager Rox-Fluxbox
• the minimalist manager Fluxbox
• the minimalist manager SpaceFM-Fluxbox
• the very minimalist manager Rox-JWM
• the very minimalist manager JWM.
• the very minimalist manager SpaceFM-JWM.

All window managers can be run with or without the ROX or SpaceFM Desktop environment

ROX and SpaceFM provide drag-and-drop functionality and allow the presence of icons or the Conky system monitor that displays real-time information.

antiX also comes with herbstluftwm, a manual tiling window manager

What are the min- options?

If you want to keep RAM usage as low as possible, you can choose one of the min- options. There is no wallpaper, no desktop icons, no conky and no applications running in the panel

How do I change from one WM to another?

In IceWM and JWM you can switch by clicking on the menu → Desktop→ Other Desktops, or for IceWM, Fluxbox and JWM by right clicking anywhere on the desktop → Desktop → Other Desktop

It is possible to change the Window Manager also at the login screen.

The default desktop of antiX-Full is IceWM-Rox, but in the login screen you can switch from IceWM to another WM predisposed simply pressing the F1 key.

And how to set the default one?

Whichever one you have running before reboot, will be the default.

Where are my files?

As in all Linux versions, personal files are located in antiX by default in the /home directory of the Linux file system

How are files managed?

antiX has two graphical file managers, one of them is Rox-Filer which can be opened clicking on the Home Folder icon in IceWM's taskbar or from Menu -→ Home. Rox-Filer is a graphical file manager that is at the heart of the ROX desktop (see ROX FAQ section). It opens to your home directory, where you can change the view to include hidden system files by clicking on the eye icon up on the menu bar. Right-click a file to see management options. Among them is Options…, which manages ROX's settings

The other one is SpaceFM, found under Menu -→Applications -→ System Tools -→ SpaceFM. SpaceFM is a multi-panel tabbed file manager for Linux with built-in VFS, udev-based device manager, customizable menu system, and bash integration

For a command-line file manager, click Menu -→ Terminal -→ and type mc, which brings up Midnight Commander, whose main interface consists of two panels displaying the file system with numbered commands on the bottom. Press F1 for help

Can I synchronize files/folders?

Go to antiX CC -→ Disks -→ Synchronize Directories or to Menu -→ Applications -→ System tools -→ Grsync

What application should I use for system setup?

antiX comes with two applications to make system configuration or managing users easier. They can be found in the antiX CC -→ System-→ Configure System or Manage Users

Are there any other antiX Assistants I should know about?

The antiX user-management script unites a number of tools having to do with user management. Found in antiX CC -→ Syste

How do I install nvidia/ATI driver for antiX?

About Nvidia, the best way to do this is via the included app available in the control centre, alternatively, use the smxi script. About ATI use the smxi script. See smxi section.

How to autologin?

The installer gives you the option to set auto-login. Control Centre →Session →Set auto-login. You will need to reboot for changes to take effect

What other system tools are provided?

Click Menu -→Applications -→ System Tools to get to System Profiler and Benchmark, and Htop, an interactive process viewer

How to set the correct date and time?

The best way is to do so at first boot when running live. F4 has these options

• hwclock=ask
• hwclock=utc
• hwclock=local

Default is set to UTC

You are also given an option during installation to set the hwclock

If you missed the above, then there are 3 possible issues

1) wrong timezon

2) wrong selection of UTC versus local tim

3) BIOS clock set wron

The first issue is addressed with sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata. Do this first. You should also be able to just check the current value with cat /etc/timezone.

Once you are sure the timezone is correct, you can work on setting your BIOS clock. Do this with the hwclock command. First do a man hwclock and then run hwclock --show to see what it is set to. It always reports in localtime which is why you need to first make sure your timezone is set correctly

Use hwclock --localtime or hwclock --utc depending on whether you want your hardware clock to be set to localtime or utc. Most pure Linux systems use utc. Most dual boot systems use localtime

Then, after you get your date command working via the sudo command you posted, you can use hwclock --systohc to set the hardware clock so it matches your system time. Again, you need the timezone and localtime/utc choice set correctly first (although if you want to assume they are set correctly already then this is the only command you need to run to get your changes to the date command to stick. If you assumed incorrectly then you will likely get mysteriously screwed by DST a few times per year)

Finally, if you are having problems with hwclock drift or if you are a perfectionist then you can install the ntp package which will use time servers on the net to keep your clock exactly on time. But you have to first go through the steps above before ntp will work correctly

How to edit sources list?

Either via synaptic (for antiX-full) Control Centre→ System→ Manage Packages→ Settings→ Repositories or edit individual files in /etc/apt/sources.d/ (for antiX-base and antiX-core)

How to enable the Firewall?

Gufw is installed, but not enabled. Open Control Centre→ Network→ Manage Firewal

How do I find which applications to install?

Both antiX-full and antiX-base come with package-installer, which makes it easy to install popular applications. See below for more information

antiX-full also comes with synaptic so searching for applications is easy

To search for applications in antiX-net, antiX-core and antiX-base use our tool cli-aptiX or use apt-cache search in a termina

For example: apt-cache search video player

How do I keep the system up-to-date?

antiX is set up using Debian Stable repositories by default. This allows users to keep their system up to date with regular upgrades. antiX recommends using apt-get update followed by apt-get dist-upgrade in a terminal. Synaptic is also available for those that prefer a gui tool

DVD videos don't play. How come?

You will need to install libdvdcss2 and maybe some codecs by enabling the deb-multimedia repository (see above how to do this) and then either search for libdvdcss2 in synaptic and then install or use the command line

• apt-get update
• apt-get install libdvdcss2

The easiest way is to use the package-installer application as it automatically does the above for you

antiX strongly advises users not to keep the deb-multimedia repository enabled as there may be conflicts

Toggling Conky on/off

Right click on Desktop → Desktop→ Conky on/off

How do I get out of antiX?

Right click on the Desktop→Logout there are several options including shutdown.

I don't like that splash image. It takes up too much of my small screen space. How do I boot without it?

Easy. Just press F7 console (F6 on core or net) and choose the default option

Tell me more about the Desktop Settings

Since antiX is designed to work on older boxes, we have attempted to make the desktop session more robust. Also, we have tried to make it as easy as possible for new users and highlight its features. However, depending on your hardware and tastes, you may wish/need to make some changes. For example, increasing/decreasing the desktop startup delay. The configuration files are found in Control Centre→Session→User Desktop Sessio

Can you give me an example?

Ok, I want to use IceWM without desktop icons, choose a colour background, and only have the volume icon on the taskbar. My box is new, so I want to reduce the startup delay and keep conky on the desktop

1.Boot using IceWM option or change to it via Menu-→Desktop-→Other Desktop

2.Control Centre-→Session-→User Desktop Session click on startup tab and comment # entries you do not want to us

3.Control Centre-→Session-→User Desktop Session click on desktop-session.conf and make the following changes Startup delay "0" Notification dialog "false&quot

4.Use the Wallpaper application in Control Centre-→Desktop to set No wallpaper and a background colour

5.Logout and log back in to your customised desktop. They will be saved on reboot

Does flash work?

If you still need to use flash, use the package-installer to do so

How do I set up a wireless connection?

There are 4 options, all found in the antiX Control Centre: Connman (full only), wpa_supplicant, GRPS/UMTS and ceni. antiX developers recommend ceni.

• In Control Centre -→ Network -→ you will find the wireless frontend Connman that antiX uses to make its wireless connection.
• The command-line (CLI) tool Ceni from the aptosid developers is a wrapper that is very efficient for setting up a connection: Choose under Hardware interfaces either your wired or wireless connection, click on your choice and you can then configure that choice, it is an intuitive application.
• For those with GRPS/UMTS use the application in the antiX CC.
• Configure Dial-Up Connection using Gnome PPP in the antiXCC.
• wpa_gui is also included in the antiX Control Centre.

What about dial-up?

Control Centre -→ Network-→Configure Dial-Up Connection. This brings up Gnome PPP, a graphical frontend for the excellent WvDial tool. Intuitive interface makes it easy to use

How do I set up printing?

Unless you have an HP printer (see next entry), do one of the following

• In antiX CC -→ Hardware -→ Setup a Printer. A screen will open showing you the printers that have been found, with an icon to click for an assistant to add a new printer.
• Open up a browser (Menu -→ Browser), and enter: http://localhost:631/ This will take you to the CUPS interface, where you can set up your printer. For help on particular printers and drivers, check the OpenPrinting database.

How do I set up an HP printer?

The easiest method is to use the Package-Installer, located in the antiX CC -→System-→ Package-installer, then click on the arrow for Office and tick the check box for HP_printing, then Install

If you prefer to do it yourself, then do the following, (Warning! This may be incomplete due to subsequent changes in packages —use at your own risk!

You may need to install some additional packages

re class="western">hpijs hpijs-ppd hplip-data hplip hplip-gui cups-pdf cupsys-client cupsys-driver-gutenprint gs-gpl lpr magicfilter gv

xprint-utils

You should then be able to set up your printer by opening up a browser (Menu -→ Browser), and entering: http://localhost:631

What about a scanner?

This one should be easy. Connect your scanner to the computer, and click Menu -→ Applications -→ Graphics -→ Simple Scan (xsane) or you can dl via synaptic Xscanimage where, after installing and updating the menu, launch Xscanimage, then selecting from the scanners it has found (it may have multiple entries for your one scanner, so try them all until one works), you will see a very basic screen which is pretty self-evident. To adjust the values of your scanner, click Menu -→ Run and type xcam

You can then edit the scan in Mirage (Menu -→ Applications -→ Graphics). For details on using Mirage, check its User Manual

I want to configure my monitor - how do I do that?

The easiest method is to use the Set Screen Resolution in antiX CC -→ Session-→ Set Screen Resolution

This will launch the application grandr

Can I use a MP3 player such as an iPod with antiX?

You can play MP3 files with xmms, and you can view and edit ID3 tags by installing the program EasyTAG. But there is no simple way to synchronize your player with your host computer without installing Amarok and the KDE files it depends on

Is there a way to interact with a digital camera?

The easiest method is to just treat it as a storage device by using a USB card reader. Then when you connect it to the computer, it will be mounted and available as an entry in the directory /media. You can either click Menu -→ Files to examine and move or delete the contents, or click Menu -→ Applications -→ Graphics and choose to bring up Gtkam or Mirage to manipulate your images with the program of your choice

Can I use a webcam?

Many web cams will work with antiX

guvcview webcam application is located Applications-→Sound & Video-→guvcvie

What if I need to edit a text file?

You have five good options in antiX, from the lightest, to the simplest, up to a full-featured one. Two are available by clicking Menu -→ Tools -→ Editors

• Nano is a command-line application run by control keys listed at the bottom of the screen. Press Ctrl-G to access the help file.
• To get to Leafpad simply click Menu -→ Editor . It's a simple graphical application that includes essential features and uses familiar pull-down menus.
• Geany (Menu -→ Applications -→ Programming -→ Geany) is a small and fast editor with basic features of an integrated development environment like syntax highlighting etc.
• LibreOffice (Menu -→Applications -→ Office -→ LibreOffice Writer) LibreOffice is a power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux. antiX comes with five of its feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Math.

You can open any text for editing in the file managers Rox-filer, SpaceFM and MC

What if a file is compressed in some format such as tar, etc?

Click Menu -→ Applications -→ Accessories-→ Archive Manager to bring up File-Roller, migrate to the file location, highlight the file and click Extract on the icon bar

How do I install and manage software?

There are a number of methods of managing software in antiX, the most common of which are the command-line application Apt and the graphical user interface for it known as Synaptic

• To get to Apt just click Menu -→ Terminal and become root (type su followed by root's password).
• To get to Synaptic, which is sometimes easier than Apt, open a root terminal as just described, then just type in the word synaptic. It is also found in the antiX CC -→ System, called Manage Packages.
• Package Installer, even easier to use for a newbie than Synaptic. It facilitates the installation of popular packages. To start it: open the Control Center -> System and click on the "Package Installer" button.

How do I keep the system up-to-date?

Before either updating the system or installing software for the first time, it's necessary to update the package database. Do this by opening Synaptic (see above) and clicking on the Reload button or opening a root terminal (Menu -→ Applications -→ Accessories -→ Root Terminal) and type: apt-get updat

Do not use Synaptic for a system upgrade! To upgrade software you will have to use the terminal, either with Apt, Aptitude (needs installing) or smxi

antiX is based on the Debian Stable repositories. So to update the system (in a root terminal) type: apt-get update (followed by) apt-get dist-upgrad

If you receive any kind of error messages during the update, check antiX forums at https://www.antixforum.com to see if someone already posted a solution for it. If not, please don't be shy and ask for help

For an off-line overview of Apt usage and resources open the terminal and type man apt. Feel free to explore its subsections: man apt-get, man apt-cache, man sources.list etc

After installing new programs do they appear in the menu?

• Yes. This is a new feature included originally in antiX-15. Menus are automatically updated.

How can I get my email?

Clicking Menu -→Applications-→ Internet -→Claws Mail You enter setup by following the wizard that pops up the first time you use the application and filling in the blanks with the information for your email account(s)

How can I get my email?

Clicking Menu -→Applications-→ Internet -→Claws Mail You enter setup by following the wizard that pops up the first time you use the application and filling in the blanks with the information for your email account(s)

What does antiX offer for web browsing?

The default browser is the full-featured Firefox-esr. Click Menu -→Web Browser or the taskbar icon to launch it. It's compatible with many Firefox extensions

Three other lightweight browsers are also included under Menu -→ Applications -→ Internet. Dillo is a fast, minimalistic multi-platform web browser that is highly secure, while the links2 browser is a graphics and text mode web browser that is also very fast and safe and has pull-down menus available by clicking on the top bar. Finally elinks is a text mode browser

There are many other browsers available for download. Just have a look in the package-installer

If you have low RAM (1GB and less), antiX users recommend one of the following for a lighter and faster experience than that offerred by the default browser Firefox-esr

• Palemoon
• Seamonkey
• Slimjet

Can I chat with antiX?

There are two chat programs that come installed with antiX, the first two are located under Menu -→ Applications -→ Internet -

• Hexchat - an IRC client based on XChat.
• Finally, clicking Menu-→Terminal-→ and typing irssi -→ brings up a speedy and very capable command-line IRC client. Setup and use is not obvious, so be sure to check the Irssi documentation.

What can I use to burn a CD/DVD?

• For a GUI app: click Menu -→Applications-→ Sound & Video -→ Xfburn
• For a CLI app: Click Menu -→Terminal-→ and type cdw this will launch the CLI app cdw

What do I use for a news (RSS) reader?

You have a few good options

• Install a desktop aggregator from the repositories (use Synaptic and search on RSS feed).
• RSS/Atom Reader -→Menu-→Terminal-→ and type newsbeuter-→ a CLI app called newsbeuter.

How do I play music?

To play an audio CD, pop it in your CD player, then (there is no autoplay) click Menu -→Applications-→Sound and Video-→xmms. This brings up xmms, a multimedia player for Unix systems. Click on the forward button (second from left) to start the CD. It may be necessary to point the player to the correct device, i.e. /media/cdrom. (note: This “ ../ ” means “move up one directory level”.

You can select a different source of the audio files to play in xmms. To do this, right-click on the xmms player top bar, and from the pop-up menu select Play File to select the audio file to play. To play an audio mp3 or ogg vorbis file, simply left-click on it and xmms opens automatically and starts playing the file

There is also a mixer available by clicking Menu -→ Control Centre-→Hardware Tab -→ Adjust Mixer. The application is AlsaMixer and it is pretty evident how to use it

If you want to use a CLI console music player for your music on hard drive: Menu-→ Terminal-→and type mocp-→ will launch moc

What about playing music from an internet source?

If you want to be able to play an audio file from the Internet, open xmms and select Play Location, then enter the Internet location (URL) of the file

Alternatively, you can use Menu -→ Applications-→ Sound & Video -→ Streamruner2, which offers hundreds of thousands of music resources in a fast and clean common interface

Can I rip music with antiX?

• For a GUI app use Menu-→ Applications-→ Sound & Video-→ Asunder CD Ripper This application can save tracks from an Audio CD as WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, and/or Wavpack.
• There is also a cli ripping app in antiX called abcde.

The movie DVD I put in did not work. How can I watch movies?

There is no autoplay feature, so after you put in your DVD you can play it with either gxine, or GNOME MPlayer. Menu -→ Applications -→ Sound & Video -→ GNOME MPlayer: navigate to File -→ Disc to start playback

To play a video file (e.g., avi, mpeg etc.), simply left-click on it and GNOME MPlayer will open automatically and start playing the file

How do I change the desktop wallpaper?

Via antiX CC -→ Desktop -→ Choose Wallpaper. Note you can set a different wallpaper for each WM

Is there a screensaver?

Yes, it defaults to a black screen, with or without locking. Alternatively, use the lock option in Exit. If you want you can add xscreensaver from synaptic, or of course the CLI

What applications are available for standard office use?

All office applications are found by clicking Menu -→ Applications-→Office. antiX comes with LibreOffice

Other office apps include a gui PDF reader, a cli PDF reader and a calculator

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Links

• [antiX Home].
• [antiX forum].

Users really should have a look at the absolutely wonderful videos made by dev team member dolphin_oracle

• [antiX 19]
• [An Installation And First Look At AntiX 19.3]
• [antix mx 19 live usb configuration]
• [antiX-17 - What's new]
• [antiX 16 - UEFI install (with partitioning)]
• [Introducing antiX-16]
• [What's new in antiX-16]
• [Installing antiX-16]
• [antiX Videos]