Try the following commands

sudo mkdir directorylocation

now it will prompt for password enter your administrator user password it should create without any problem

or you could just use mplayer, or vlc with the right encoder, or any other linux media player with wma support. it’s really not that hard. infact if it was any easier you would have someone come over and do it for you. dont assume it cannot be done at any rate, assuming these codecs arent illegal in your country, assuming your version of winblows isn’t cracked anyway, and even if it is it doesn’t matter, you are still supporting Micros**t by converting your media files into biased tools of propaganda. if there is no other option, then delete all the .wma’s and record your music as .ogg’s, unless of course you didn’t actually rip them from your own personally brought independent cd’s from the struggling independent “underground” society. I doubt it! I bet you ripped those wma’s from your brother’s windows computer or from some jerk on limewire so you can listen to commercial gangster, hip hop or something so that you can then convert it into a “licenced” (edit: COMMERCIAL PROPAGANDA.wma) file format so that you can play them on your commercial proprietary operating system, then come here and complain when the one FREE (as in free as a bird, free speech and open source) thing in this entire episode fails to automatically solve all the obstacles that have been put in it’s way after so many years of capitalistic monopoly and then expect it to somehow, magically and unconditionally load every single format JUST FOR YOU, with no strings attached, no questions asked. OK!? Then of course you can come here and moan because things arent going your way! Of course! Why complain about something when you are contributing to the problem, without offering anything to solve the issues? When all these hardworking developers are competing with all these obstacles, file formats, filesystem formats, closed source drivers and hardware schematics, you people fail to see how far they have come and the brilliance which they have created! Instead of trying to find or create solutions or reasons, some people are content to sit back and try to ruin everything that has been done for them and the saddest thing is that they think it makes them look cool to say “well this doesnt do this and this for me”, well, vanilla ubuntu 8.04 is one thing, but to say all of linux is the same based on a ubuntu release? maybe a few dozen tests of various distros even, so that you can say that everybody in the world; everybody who is a part of the open source initiative in the entire world has not done enough for you, and you are disappointed in the entire effort because of some crummy micros oft shiest, overlooking the bigger picture, the mission… and you’re not prepared to do anything about it? instead maybe, try a different distro or continue suckling on the teat of weakness but either way trust me that your attitude and lack of contribution does not make you look cool in the eyes of people who give a dam(tm) the lack of realization is appalling, it’s just blind servitude really, not really the author of this post, not really the commetie’s, just the entire population of sheeple and now they decide to start contaminating the shrine of unix with their filth, well from me personally, no thanks, you’re either part of the solution, or not. If you’re not, then you come here and complain, then you’re your own worst enemy. If you’re smart then you can read between the lines and see the forest from the trees, the .elf’s from the exe’s. Constructive criticism is one thing but how many of you people realize that it is NOT linux’s goal to become some kind of hardcore Windows spinoff? Or an iPod regurgitator for that matter!? some people just don’t care about the real deal going on in the shadows but the important few DO and they are MAKING IT HAPPEN! the least you can do is CUT THEM SOME SLACK!!
Maybe we are all destined to lowly servitude to the corporate giants of the world but for now in the virtual space of the internet there is a meeting place for people with ethics, morals and standards, you either support them… or not… so are you a part of the solution, or just another sheep?

I use Linux a lot at work and I’m pretty comfortable navigating and building software and installing packages and understanding how things work, but I’ve just spent the better part of 5 hours trying to get .WMA files to work.

I understand this is a stupid Microsoft Licensing issue, but holy crap, has it been difficult to deal with.

I’m about ready to fire up a Windows Virtual Machine just to play my music. Lame!

I find it funny that people are talking up windows when it seems to me that they try to compare a fesh install of Windows with one of Ubuntu. windows needs drivers and software installed….. while Ubuntu is good to go out of the box. (Yes there are some kinks with Video and Wireless, but there has been great progress from 7.10 to 8.04.. just in one release cycle!)

Ubuntu is not difficult to use, but just like windows, it needs someone with a bit of know how to use… do you see linux shops on evey corner? I’d have to assume most of these negative comments are comming from people who have had minimal exposure to ubuntu/GNU/Linux compared to the life-time spent with Windows.

I too was introduced to GNU/Linux first using Ubuntu 6.06. Have loved the challenge of learning it and being able to share it.

The problems everyone runs into, can easily be fixed finding how-to’s to follow.

I’d gladly take the few configuration problems over the necessity of anti-viral software and headache of spyware and viruses (whether dealing with it on your own PC or someone else’s…)

Any suggestion to overcome this problem of Ubuntu ?

Thanks

Mario G.

Please give me a step by step. I am a Ubuntu user, not a programmer. Thanks.

I have been using ubuntu for more then a year now (it was dual-boot then), last summer i went with my friends on a vacation, took my HP Compaq NX7400 with us, and at that time for i dont know what reason my XP was dead, so i had Ubuntu on. When my friends saw it, they got scared of it, but they had no choice, then to use it. 2 weeks later when we got home, one by one came to me and asked me an ubuntu installer CD. People are scared of linux, because it`s LINUX, they think that only those understand it, who are techs, but no, people fear from the new, and that`s normal, but they have to learn how to try the new.

About Ubuntu 8.04. Second day it got released, i said okay, let`s upgrade. Was a mess, i upgraded, nothing was working, NOTHING, i thought my laptop had some hardware problems, but no, it was Hardy. I got to reinstall XP, worked fine, for 1 month, then after that registry errors, machine slowing down, i was simply mad at it, so i said, okay let`s get back to good old UBUNTU, and now i`m on 7.10. and i`m enjoying it, i don`t really know when will i upgrade to 8.04, but who knows. Anyway, feels much better to know that i can`t have registry errors, PC wont slow down, doesnt matter if i have like 5 applications open. Ubuntu has changed the linux world, it`s a big leap for those who wanted linux before, but didnt have the knowledge, now with a little bit of documentation all is done, and all is easy to use.

And one more thing, which maybe is the most important : IT`S FREE! If you don`t like it, then go get something else, and pay for it (:

Clean install of Hardy everything is looking fine until I try to OpenArena and start having frequent screen freezes, repeating sounds, no cursor movement, etc. Freezes last 5 - 30 seconds.
Started hitting the Google searches, and made sure compiz was off (compiz.real) and downloaded fusion.icon to change to metacity with no happiness. OpenArena, AlienArena, heck even TuxKart would freeze for 5 - 30 seconds or more.
I tried downloading envy, and changing the nvidia driver and again happiness eluded me.
Then, thinking I was being smart, muttering my secret mantra of “This is linux, there’s more than one way to skin a cat” (Sorry PETA folks, just an expression) Went to NVidia’s site, downloaded the drivers, installed them, did a gdm restart, ran the nvidia xconfig configurator, and WHAM-BAM!!! Got no joy, didn’t recognize anything, wanted to give me 640X480 instead of 1440X900.
Since this is a PG site, I won’t tell you all the interesting words I muttered not quite under-my-breath, but I *WILL* tell you that for the time being, I have gone back to 7.10, using BVidia driver 100.14.19 with the 2.6.22 generic kernel (after the clean-install upgrade) and everything is again hunky-dory, all is right with the world.
I’ll wait just a bit before attempting Hardy again….