Whatever Ubuntu did - it was freaking major. Someone on the Ubuntu forum finally
gave me a command that worked, but it took 10 minutes to do so.
I finally have control over Synaptic, etc. again. I'll wait until the file gets
analyzed before fixing anything else.

I've looked into some of the books. Tech writing just annoys me. Most of the
writers are horrible with antecedants and it seems like a lot of extra verbiage.

I learned how Windows functioned by being able to read the properties, etc of
each file. Can't do that in Ubuntu.

I did start with DOS, so a command line is not unfamiliar - which command and
syntax is.

I've finally got the DVD players sorted out. It was the recorded baseball game.
It was recorded over the air - no cable or satellite. No converter box either.

I think the format is DIVX, but the manual for the recorder doesn't even have a
usable index as far as I'm concerned.

It's not so much I want to copy DVDs from recorded shows, I have an old Sony
Handicam and my daughter still has tapes of all the pets she has lost over the
years. The original download was IEEE1394 which required a pci card. The Toshiba
recorder does use IEEE1394, and I want to make sure that whatever I record from
the handicam can be used anywhere. So I just figured I'd get the
recording/editing, copying down pat before I attempted the tapes.

I'll keep plugging away at Ubuntu. I am not buying any more copies of Windows
since XP does Embroidery software and Photoshop. (I've tried Gimp, but prefer
PS.) I am not interested in any Apple products either. I'd sooner swear at Linux
and learn something rather than be cossetted.