FAQ / Support

Welcome

Welcome to the Peppermint OS Common Questions and FAQ page. What we have to offer here directly on the site is just to cover some basics of Peppermint.

Peppermint Community Forums @ PeppermintOS.Net

For any questions that you have about Peppermint you can find it here. You can find How-To’s, Tutorials, FAQ’s and if you can’t find a topic to assist you, please feel free to post your own questions. All are welcome here, there is no such thing as a Stupid Question on our official Peppermint Forum. Click Here to Get Started >>

Bug Tracking

For General Questions regarding Peppermint please visit our Community Forums. However, if you need to report a Bug in the Peppermint System please visit the Peppermint Support Page at Get Satisfaction

Also, at any time on our web site you may click on the “Feeback” tab on the right side of all pages….

Twitter: You can also utilize our Support Feed on Twitter. Follow @AskPeppermint Here >>>

How do I Download and install Peppermint OS?

There are a couple of options to install Peppermint OS: You may purchase an official Peppermint OS CD, which helps support our project or you may follow the instructions for creating an installation CD or USB of your own. To perform a CD or USB installation: The first thing that you need to do is to go to the Peppermint OS Download Page and choose your method for downloading an ISO image. Once the ISO image has been saved to your machine you will need to burn this ISO image to a CD, DVD or USB Stick. Prior to burning or using this ISO Image of Peppermint we highly recommend that you check the MD5SUM of the ISO Image that you have just downloaded. To verify the data integrity of this file we have found the best resource to be here >>

How do I Burn an ISO to CD or DVD ?

The best method we have used is by following this tutorial here. It uses a free ISO Burning software called InfraRecorder. All you need is a blank CD or DVD. Click here to get started >>>

How do I create a Live and/or Bootable USB drive?

You will just need a blank USB stick that is at least 512 MB and the best documentation to get the job done can be found by Clicking Right Here >>>

Peppermint OS / Ice Quick Start Guide

Welcome to Peppermint | Linux OS

For those of you visiting that want to get a quick tour and simple briefing of what Peppermint is and its common functions then this quick start guide is made with you in mind. Peppermint was designed to be a super light-weight, fast and efficient desktop environment. Not only can Peppermint run as your main desktop environment, Peppermint is extremely sleek as a mobile operating system with the ability to run web and cloud based applications unlike most others.

In order to keep things in order, and there are subtle differences between Peppermint One and Ice, we have these sections clearly marked as:

Items specific to Peppermint One

Items Specific to Peppermint Ice

What is a Cloud Based Application?

Wikipedia says it best “Cloud Application services or “Software as a Service (SaaS)” deliver software as a service over the Internet, eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer’s own computers and simplifying maintenance and support”. You are probably already using Cloud Applications without being aware of what they are. Some of the most popular Cloud Applications right now are provided by Google. Google’s G-Mail is a perfect example and one of my favorites, the one I am using to compose this guide, is Google Docs.

Launching Web & Cloud Applications with Prism

If this is your first time using Prism please let me simply explain what it does. Prism allows you to launch and operate web and cloud based applications as if they were actually installed as desktop programs. When you first log into Peppermint you can access the Main Menu on the bottom left of the desktop by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon. If you browse to the Sound & Video section, take a glimpse of the applications listed. There’s several pre-loaded Prism ‘Launchers’ in this menu including Pandora, Hulu and YouTube. By selecting any one of these, Prism will launch each service, instead of in your web browser, in its own application window. Go ahead and try one…

Launching Web & Cloud Applications with Ice

If this is your first time using Ice please let me simply explain what it does. Ice allows you to launch and operate web and cloud based applications as if they were actually installed as desktop programs. When you first log into Peppermint you can access the Main Menu on the bottom left of the desktop by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon. If you browse to the Sound & Video section, take a glimpse of the applications listed. There’s several pre-loaded Ice ‘Launchers’ in this menu including Pandora, Hulu and YouTube. By selecting any one of these, Ice will launch each service, instead of in your web browser, in its own application window. Go ahead and try one…

How to Remove Default Cloud and Web Applications

The following procedure[s] will remove All the default configured Cloud Applications in Peppermint OS One. And we mean, literally, All of them. However, you can always easily add each one back individually using Prism or re-install all the defaults….

Click on the Main Menu icon, and browse up to open “Software Manager”
Type “Peppermint” into the search bar and then select the “Enter” Key
Scroll down and click on “peppemint-webapps” or “peppermint-webapps-google”
Then click on the “Remove” Button

How to Remove User Added Cloud Applications with Prism

Click on the Main Menu icon, and browse up to ‘Accessories’ > ‘File Manager’
In the location bar type in ‘ /usr/share/applications/prism ‘ and hit the ‘Enter’ key
Right Click on the file for any Cloud Application you wish to remove and select ‘Delete’
Choose “Yes” for the removal confirmation dialogue

How to Remove Ice Default & User Added Applications

Click on the Main Menu icon, and browse up to ‘Accessories’ > ‘File Manager’ or on the ‘File Cabinet’ icon to the right of the Chromium web browser icon.
With the File Manager window open key in “Ctrl” > “H” which will expose the Hidden Files
Double-Click on the folder called ” .local” then > “share” then > “applications”
Inside this folder you will see all the icons for the default applications. Simply ‘Right Click’ and ‘Delete’ the icon and this will remove the Ice launcher from the Main Menu

Now I get it !! Can I configure Prism or Ice to launch a Web or Cloud App?

Yes you can! The best way to experience Prism or Ice is to jump right in and use it. It’s so easy to configure you might chuckle after I demonstrate.

Create a Prism App Launcher In Peppermint OS:

Image #1

[Image #1] Go to the Main Menu by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon. Now browse up to the Internet Section and then down to ‘Prism’. Its as simple as adding in the URL / Internet Address of the application you want to run [example: http://twitter.com], key in the name of the application like “Twitter”.

Image #2

[Image #2] If you would like to assign an icon to the Peppermint Menu either assign one of your own or click on the “Download Site Icon” button. If the application has one available it will install automatically.

Now. Go to the Peppermint Main Menu. Browse to the ‘Internet’ section and *Presto* your freshly made Prism Launcher will be in that list!!

Create an Ice App Launcher in Peppermint Ice

Go to the Main Menu by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon. Now browse up to the Internet Section and then down to ‘Ice’. Its as simple as adding in the URL / Internet Address of the application you want to run [example: http://twitter.com], key in the name of the application like “Twitter”.

You can also select where in the Main Menu system to place your new Ice Application Launcher. Also, you can either select your own icon to represent the App or click on “Try to us the Site Icon” which most times will apply the “Favicon” of the web site….

Other Programs

Image #3

Image #4

Just because Peppermint was built stripped down and sleek for mobility by utilizing the cloud doesn’t mean you shouldn’t install programs or tweak out Peppermint into a great desktop for your home or office. There are so many software packages that you can install on your Peppermint system in just a couple of clicks. If you go to the Main Menu by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon in the lower left corner of the task bar, go up two options to the “Software Manager” [Image #3] . There before you are Thousands of free programs ready to be utilized and organized into a neat and tidy menu . Click on Games. Pick one from the list. See that green “Install” button…. yup, that’s how you do it. Click it, wait a couple of seconds and get your Game On !!

Does Peppermint have Automatic Updates?

Yes, Peppermint has Automatic Updates!! Right beside the System Time Clock there is the Mint Update shield ready to let you know when updates are available and that pretty green check-mark that lets you know all is well. You can even edit the preferences to check for updates not so often or every 15 minutes.

Final Note:

These are the basics of Peppermint. Please take it for a spin, explore, and get your system tweaked out the way you like it. Drag that older model laptop out of the closet, install Peppermint and see if you can get a few more years out of your investment! We hope we have built Peppermint easy to use yet powerful enough and expandable enough to meet a wide variety of needs. Again – if you need specific issues addressed with Peppermint OS, please visit our Community Support Site at Get Satisfaction >>>

Thanks again for choosing Peppermint OS !! – Team Peppermint