Occasionally, you may find that you have accidentally created a file that contains
a character not normally found in a filename. Examples of this could include
a space, a leading hyphen, or maybe a quotation mark. You may find that accessing,
removing, or renaming these files can be difficult.
Here are some tips to help you:
Try enclosing the filename in single quotation marks, like this:
less 'File With Spaces.txt'
Insert a ./ before the filename:
less './-a strange file.txt'
Use wildcards:
less File?With?Spaces.txt
Use a backslash before each unusual character:
less File\ With\ Spaces.txt
Printing
One common source of trouble is the printing system in Debian. Traditionally,
printing has been a powerful but complex aspect of Unix. However, Debian makes
it easier. An easy way to print is with the package called magicfilter.
magicfilter will ask you a few questions about your printer and then
configure it for you. If you are having troubles printing, give magicfilter
a try.
X Problems
Many questions revolve around X. Here are some general tips for things to try
if you are having difficulties setting up the X Window system:
For mouse problems, run XF86Setup and try the PS/2, Microsoft, MouseSystems,
and Logitech options. Most mice will fit under one of these. Also, the device
for your mouse is /dev/psaux for PS/2 mice and a serial port such as
/dev/ttyS0 for serial mice.
If you don't know what video chipset you have, try running
SuperProbe;
it can often figure this out for you.
If your screen doesn't have a lot of color, try selecting a different video
card or tell X how much video RAM you have.
If your screen goes blank or has unreadable text when you start X, you probably
selected an incorrect refresh rate. Go back to XF86Setup or xf86config
and double-check those settings.
xvidtune can help if the image on the screen is shifted too far to
the left or right, is too high or low, or is too narrow or wide.
xdpyinfo can give information about a running X session.
XF86Setup can set your default color depth.
You can select your default window manager by editing
/etc/X11/window-managers.
/var/log/xdm-errors can contain useful information if you are having
trouble getting xdm to start properly.
As a final reminder, try the XF86Setup or xf86config tools
for configuring or reconfiguring X for your hardware.
