Your First Login

The first time you log in to your system after installation, Linux may require some post-installation setup. For example, Fedora creates a user account when you first log in to your new system. Mandrake and SuSE create user accounts during installation, but Fedora only creates a root account, waiting until now to create a user account.

The first time you log in to Mandrake, it runs a procedure called Mandrakefirsttime Wizard. The first screen introduces the wizard, stating that it will help you:

• Configure the basic setup of your desktop in a very few steps.

• Register your product in order to easily open a Mandrakeclub account and to benefit rapidly from all its products and services.

The next screen in the wizard displays a Choose Desktop button. When you click it, a list of possible desktops drops down. KDE is the default, but you can select another. After you select a desktop, a screen allows you to select one of several themes. A theme is a unified set of colors and images that integrate all parts of the desktop into a single look and feel, including the window borders, fonts, icons, etc. A demo screen shows the appearance of the default Galaxy 2 theme. If you check a different theme, the appearance of the demo screen will change, showing the new theme. When the demo shows the appearance you like best, click Next.

The Mandrakefirsttime Wizard also helps you set up and configure a Mandrakeclub account. Mandrakeclub offers software downloads, forums, special discounts, and other benefits for a small monthly fee. The first month is free so you can try it out.

When the wizard finishes, the desktop displays with a welcoming message. Click Close to close the welcome message without closing the desktop. Uncheck "Open this window on startup" at the bottom of the welcome message when you no longer want to see this screen every time your computer starts.

During your first login, SuSE also displays a welcome message with links to the SuSE home page.