Getting started with Mandriva

Now that you have Mandriva installed on your computer there are some things that you need to do if you want to have the full desktop(or laptop) experience.
The first thing you need to do is update your system. Mandriva installs it's programs in packages using a system called urpmi. Since Mandriva packages are always being updated and new packages being  added you need to update your system on a regular basis. There are a couple of ways to update your system. The easiest way is to visit the Easy Urpmi website and add the media for your version of Mandriva. Adding media simply means that you are adding new and updated software programs for your version of Mandriva.  Select your version of Mandriva(for example Mandriva 2011) and your architecture(i586 0r x86_64). You only need to add the official media but if you want access to programs like the vlc player which are not included in the default install of Mandriva you must add the plf media as well.
Because of legal issues Mandriva does not include several programs like video codecs by default. But these can be added if you add the proper sources through your Mandriva Linux Control Center. The sources can be added if you select Configure Media Sources for Install and Update. Once you add the media from easy Urpmi go to the Mandriva Linux Control Center and select Update Your System. New programs will be added to the Software Center. The Software Center is where you add and remove programs for your computers. Adding the media added new and updated programs to the software center. If you added the plf media you can now add the vlc media player directly from the Software Center.
Another way to update your Mandriva is by using a terminal. Log into a terminal as root(log in as su) or use a root terminal and follow the instructions given here.
If you want to be able to play videos and dvds in Mandriva you need to add the codecs because they are not included by default. The instructions for adding the main codecs to play video are located here.  The main codecs you need are win32 or gstreamer. For dvds you must install libdvdcss2. All of the instructions are on this page.
You are not limited to the Software Center to add your desired programs. You can also add downloaded programs from the net. For beginners I suggest that you download the rpm versions not tar gz. For example you can add the Adobe Flash player from this page. Choose the rpm version to download. RPM files can be installed with one click. Just right click the rpm file and choose open with Software Center. Tar gz files need to be installed in a terminal and require much more work. Experienced linux users can also use the yum command to add programs in Mandriva. Again for beginners rpm files are the way to go if available.
You can use this website to search for the rpm files for your desired programs. For example if you have problems installing the dvd decoder libdvdcss2 in a terminal you can search for the rpm at this website. Just make sure you download the rpm for your version of Mandriva.
I forgot to mention that Mandriva offers a Powerpack version for sale which is supposed to include extra codecs but I have never tried it.  In fact I read in some forums that you still need to install some codecs in the Powerpack version. I installed all of the codecs in the free version of Mandriva 2011 and all of my videos seem to work.