How to list partition tables
fdisk -l
How to list filesystem disk space usage
df -T
- You can also use K Menu -> System -> Monitoring -> KDisk
How to list mounted devices
mount
How to list PCI devices
lspci
OR
lspcidrake -vv
How to list USB devices
lsusb
How to speed up CD/DVD-ROM
- This is assuming that /dev/cdrom is the location of CD/DVD-ROM
hdparm -d1 /dev/cdrom
kwrite /etc/hdparm.conf
- Insert the following lines in the new file
/dev/cdrom {
dma = on
}
- Save the edited file
How to mount/unmount CD/DVD-ROM manually, and show all hidden and associated files/folders
- These operations may only be necessary in older versions of Mandriva; in the latest versions CD/DVD's are mounted automatically, or it can be done via the menu when right clicking in the file manager (e.g. konqueror).
- This is assuming that /mnt/cdrom0/ is the location of CD/DVD-ROM
- To mount CD/DVD-ROM
mount /mnt/cdrom0/ -o unhide
- To unmount CD/DVD-ROM
umount /mnt/cdrom0/
How to forcefully unmount CD/DVD-ROM manually
- These operations may only be necessary in older versions of Mandriva; in the latest versions CD/DVD's are mounted automatically, or it can be done via the menu when right clicking in the file manager (e.g. konqueror).
- This is assuming that /mnt/cdrom0/ is the location of CD/DVD-ROM
umount /mnt/cdrom0/ -l
How to remount /etc/fstab without rebooting
mount -a
How to create Image (ISO) files from CD/DVD
- This is assuming that /dev/cdrom is the location of CD/DVD-ROM
umount /dev/cdrom
dd if=/dev/cdrom of=file.iso bs=1024
How to create Image (ISO) files from folders
mkisofs -o file.iso /location_of_folder/
How to mount/unmount Image (ISO) files without burning
- To mount Image (ISO) file
mkdir /home/uid/iso
modprobe loop
mount file.iso /home/uid/iso/ -t iso9660 -o loop
- To unmount Image (ISO) file
umount /home/uid/iso/
How to create an emergency boot disk
How to make a bootable CDRom - as an alternative to, or in addition to a bootable floppy disk.
As it is sometimes difficult to fit a modern kernel on a floppy, and because more and more machines do not have a floppy drive at all, it is usually a good idea to have a bootable CDRom if for any reason your machine does not seem to be able to complete the boot process by itself. The following describes the steps to make a bootable CDRom containing the kernel that is running at this time.
It should be borne in mind that when actually using the Boot CD in case of need, some operations require the presence on the system of files relative to the kernel that is on the CD. In other words, the best possible boot CD is one for a kernel that is actually installed on the system. When upgrading or adding another kernel to your system, it is advisable to make a new boot CD. When you are already satisfied that the newest kernel does everything it should with your hardware, you can use a CDRW and burn the bootable CD over an older kernel. If not, a separate disk is advisable.
Steps to take:
Start any console or terminal.
Give the commands shown:
su # to become root; enter root password when prompted
cd /tmp # some temporary files will be created here
Insert a blank, writable CDRom or a fresh, unformatted CDRW. In my experience it is best to check that the disk has not been automounted or 'supermounted':
umount /mnt/cdrom0 # change 'cdrom0' as needed ¹)
(Skip for cdrom): Blank any CDRW with the following command (or with your preferred burnware):
cdrecord blank=fast dev=/dev/hdc
in which '/dev/hdc' is the mount point of the CDwriter, change as needed ¹)
Create the ISO file or 'image' from the currently running kernel, that will be needed to burn to disk later
mkrescue --iso
Or: create an ISO file from any kernel on your system, other than the one currently running
mkrescue --image LABEL --iso
in which you must replace 'LABEL' with the label name as it appears in your /etc/lilo.conf . For example if your lilo.conf contains the line: label="linux-2.6.10-1.mm.18" in the paragraph describing the kernel that you want to make a bootable cd from, you should use the command:
mkrescue --image linux-2.6.10-1.mm.18 --iso
Burn the image to disk:
cdrecord speed=16 -eject dev=/dev/hdc rescue.iso
in which /dev/hdc is an example; change to same as above ¹); 'speed' may be changed to a proper number for your burner and -eject is not necessary, but I believe a burned disk can better cool off outside than inside the box :)
Remove the temporary files from your hard drive (not needed if your system is set to remove temp files).
rm rescue.iso
rm mkrescue-flp/boot.bin
rd mkrescue-flp
exit # to return to being user.
¹) Usually the easiest way to remind yourself which is which is to insert a finished CD in the drive and give the command: "df" and/or "grep cd /etc/fstab"
