(LinuxWorld) -- As a Linux consultant and programmer, I find many newcomers to Linux have preconceived ideas of how Linux should work, which leads to confusion and problems.

Whether they are former Macintosh or Windows users, Linux newbies are accustomed to frequent crashes and rebooting. PC users often sport a worldview where the expression of a computer's power is limited to the software loaded on a local hard disk. Some believe all computers should work the way their last computer worked.

Of course, the more technically inclined understand this is simply not the case. Tasks don't, and probably won't, always work on Linux the same way they do in Windows.

Linux newbies may be...

• confused by not needing to reboot their machines daily,
• awed by the ability to format a floppy and access other programs at the same time,
• surprised to find they are denied access to their Linux computer because they forgot their password,
• shocked at some of the e-mail responses they receive when they ask naive questions publicly.

Here are answers to common questions I hear.

1. How do I recover my root password? The problem with this question is usually two-fold. On one hand, the person could be a new Linux user who has become accustomed to just hitting cancel at the login screen and having Microsoft Windows let them access their computer. On the other hand, it could be a regular Linux user who for whatever reason forgot the root password. Either way, the root of the problem (no pun intended) is the user is not reading the documentation.

   If you find yourself without the root password of a Linux machine you can recover the machine without trouble. This is done by passing a couple of parameters to Lilo. Lilo is the Linux boot loader and is the most commonly used loader among all Linux distributions. These are the steps you will have to follow to recover your password.

   At the Lilo prompt type: (image name) init=/bin/sh rw

   The image name is typically linux. If you wish to find what images are available you press the TAB key.

   This command will drop you to a single-user mode. One the system has completed the boot process you will be presented with a # prompt. At this prompt you have complete access to the system. The first thing you will want to do is make sure that all file systems are mounted. (This eases some pain later.) You can do this by typing: mount -a. Once the filesystems have been mounted you can change the root password by using the following command: /sbin/passwd root. Once you have changed your password you should unmount all the filesystems with the umount -a command and then reboot.

   When the Linux machine reboots you should be able to log in as root using the new password you chose.

2. What is RTFM, and how do I do it?

   RTFM stands for Read The Fine Manual. (There is another version of the acronym.) This is probably the most oft overlooked aspect of Linux. The majority of new Linux users are constantly asking questions. As most of the Linux community will tell you, the questions are not the problem. The problem is asking questions that have been answered.

   Read The Fine Manual before firing off your question to a forum, fellow user, or webmaster at LinuxWorld. Of course, you have to know where to find the answers first. The following are a good start:

   • Linux Documentation Project. This is the largest single repository of Linux documentation in the world. Your humble narrator contributes to this effort, so please forgive his bias.
   • Red Hat. The No. 1 version of Linux, based on estimates of users and installations.
   • KDE. A popular desktop environment for Linux.
   • Gnome. A popular desktop environment for Linux.
3. Every time I use a command with a \, the command doesn't execute. Instead I get a > and nothing happens. What's wrong?

   Unix is a forward-thinking operating system, as such it requires the use of the forward slash (pun intended), instead of the backslash. For example, in a DOS or Windows command prompt, you type cd \ to get to the root of a directory. In Linux you type cd /

4. How do I configure networking on my Linux machine?

   This answer to this question is huge. Take a look at my Linux Networking HOWTO.

5. How do I connect to my ISP using Linux?

Read my Linux PPP HOWTO and the Linux Modem HOWTO.

6. How do I avoid looking like a newbie?

Seasoned Linux users know there are certain things you just don't say. Here are topics to avoid and questions not to ask.

Do not ask:

• Which is better, KDE or Gnome?
• Emacs is better than vi, right?
• Should I use Linux or (input favorite anything here)?
• Why not Microsoft NT?

Do not say:

• GNU is Open Source Software
• KDE is better than Gnome
• Gnome is better than KDE
• Open Source Software is better than Free Software
• Free Software is better than Open Source Software
Last but not least, the worst question that any Linux person wants to hear, "I deleted Linux off my machine so I could run Windows again but I still get the Lilo prompt. How do I get rid of the Lilo prompt?" That said...
7. How do I remove the Lilo prompt?

   Before proceeding with the following instructions, make sure that you have a Windows Emergency Boot Disk. If you do not have a Windows Emergency Boot Disk, STOP NOW. Do not scroll down. Do not follow the proceeding instructions. If you do have a Windows Emergency Boot Disk, make a copy of it and test both of them. Misuse of the following command may cause your machine to stop booting properly.

   If you are in Windows, you will need to enter a command prompt. Press Start and select Run. In the Run box type command and hit the enter key. This will bring up a command window or screen depending on your configuration.

   To remove Lilo from your computer you must erase the master boot record of your boot drive. To do this, at the command line, type the following: fdisk /mbr. Once you have done this, place the Windows Emergency Boot Disk (You did create one, right?) in your floppy drive and reboot.

   When the machine boots up off the Emergency Boot Disk you will be presented with a command line again. From the command line type: sys c:. This will place the Windows system back on the master boot record and allow you to boot without fanfare.

8. How do I add a printer to a Linux computer?

   See my four-part series Linux printing made easy, including part 2, part 3, and part 4.

9. Can I make my Linux computer a router so that several machines may share a single Internet connection?

   Yes. This is called "IP Masquerade." Learn more about it at the Linux IP Masquerade Web site. Here's a link to the IP-MASQ HOWTO at Linuxdoc.

10. How do I make my Linux computer secure? Again, Linux Documentation Project is waiting to help you. See the Linux Security HOWTO.

In upcoming articles we will cover a variety of topics from how to get commercial support for Linux, to an introduction to Python.

• A talk with Bob Toxen about Linux security & more
• Linux Documentation Project