I finally did it !!!!

[Dhave_Malloc]

Yes, 4, count 'em, 4 exclamation points up there. *That* means I am excited!

What did I do? I finally installed Gentoo the correct way, and it works!
Well, mostly ... but it works!

Name is Dhave. Yeah, I know ... "Hi, Dhave! Welcome to therapy!"
Thanks.

I'm 71 years old and had a brain issue on September 10, 2024 that has hindered me in some ways of life since then.
I had installed Gentoo way back in the mid 2000's and did OK with it for about 4 months. Never able to figure out why the sound or the printer never worked, and I needed the printer to help me learn Linux.
Then something new and shiny took its place in the Linux world until 2 months ago when I started researching Gentoo again.

I downloaded the latest, wrote it to cd and booted up to install it on my computer. No install menu. Happened twice more, No install menu. I have been running KDE ever since it came out and that is what I am comfortable with so I looked at the DVD version of KDE Gentoo and downloaded it. No install menu. Then I did my research. Oh, ok.

I don't like to read (the Handbook) but I watched a few youtube videos on installing Gentoo. I tried installing Gentoo ... 3 times! All failed.

The videos I was watching were all for EUFI motherboards and I have a Legacy BIOS motherboard, so I was typing in all the wrong commands.
Finally came across a person on youtube who explained it all, so with "the Handbook" beside me to help lead the way, he and I was finally able to install Gentoo in portions over the last 3 days.
Gotta remember, I'm old. And the issue with my mind.

I finished up early this morning and rebooted, into dwm. I'm going to try dwm for awhile before I try and install KDE.

I have been in many forums over the last 26 years that I have been using Linux just as an observer to look why something doesn't work and how to fix it. I don't really like to bother people with my 'silly' questions, so I will look it up and go. I have only asked 2 questions in all those years and it will prolly be the same way here, so this will prolly be my first and last post UNLESS I run into 'real' problems!
From all my reading in this forum over the last month, I'm sure I will find friendly folks to answer any questions I have! Most other forums are rowdy, but this group with all the different categories and friendlies, make it something for the maintainers to be proud of.

Take care, Folks!

[pingtoo]

Dhave_Malloc,

Welcome to Gentoo forums.

Please feel free to ask your question, any questions. There is no silly question. Only question that never asked.

[Zucca]

I have only asked 2 questions in all those years and it will prolly be the same way here, so this will prolly be my first and last post UNLESS I run into 'real' problems!

Go on. Break your record here. ;)
Here are many people ready to answer questions.

And welcome to Gentoo!

[pietinger]

[...] I'm going to try dwm for awhile before I try and install KDE. [...]

Do you have an OpenRC or a systemd system?

Did you choose a desktop profile?

Installing Plasma/KDE is really easy (I love it) ... if you have a systemd system it is almost the same as described here - just switch the adding to the runlevels:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Pieti ... nRC_System

[NeddySeagoon]

Dhave_Malloc,

Welcome to Gentoo.

You can install as many desktops as you have space for on your HDD.
You choose which one to start by setting the startup file.
There is no need to wait to install KDE. You don't have to use it, and if it doesn't work, your old desktop/window manager is still there.

I'll leave you with the thought that there is only one silly question. That's the question you don't ask.

[Dhave_Malloc]

[...] I'm going to try dwm for awhile before I try and install KDE. [...]

Do you have an OpenRC or a systemd system?

Did you choose a desktop profile?

Installing Plasma/KDE is really easy (I love it) ... if you have a systemd system it is almost the same as described here - just switch the adding to the runlevels:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/User:Pieti ... nRC_System

I have an OpenRC system. I refuse to have a systemd operating system. And yes, I did choose the KDE Plasma desktop profile because I do want to install KDE after I try out dwm. I'm sure it will go fine after having read thru the help page you included in your post. I also have it bookmarked, also the 'New To Gentoo' help page you included.
My motherboard in this computer is old. Produced in about 2010. This is my main computer. Have my everyday go to OS on a hard drive that I switch out and install one of my many other hard drives to test other OS's on. I'm just an old fart set in my ways ... but willing to learn.
Funny story about me finishing up my install Friday nite-Saturday morning. I learned to emerge with the -q (for 'quiet', as you all know). Friday night, I was 'emerge -q xorg-server' and about 6 other files(?) and after about 20 minutes, the red light on the front of the computer stopped blinking as fast as it had been and the hard drive became quieter so I assumed the computer went into sleep mode or something, so I'm moving the mouse, pushing keys on the keyboard, I see a red light blink about every 20 seconds where before it was on most the time. So I shut it down after about 40 minutes and wanting to finish Saturday morning. Saturday morning I started in with just the one file 'emerge xorg-server' without the -q. THEN, I could see where in the process of compiling that file where everything slowed down, but the page kept rolling and rolling along. Took an hour and 40 minutes for that one file to compile! And about 4 1/2 hours later, I booted up into dwm and neofetch came up to signal for me, my success.
Now, I'm off to dwm tuts to learn whether or not I want to continue dwm. But I will continue Gentoo.

Take care, Folks

[NeddySeagoon]

Dhave_Malloc,

You may want to use the binhost for large packages, if you can.
That's a source of precompiled things.

Try the -G option to emerge to use the binhost or fail.
The -g option says to use the binhost if possible and build locally if not.

You can still follow the traditional build it all yourself too.
The choice is yours.