BAD kubuntu

[Trent Shipley]

Dazed_75 wrote:
> 
> 
> On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Trent Shipley <tshipley at deru.com
> <mailto:tshipley at deru.com>> wrote:
> 
>     Dazed_75 wrote:
>     >
>     >
>     > On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Trent Shipley <tshipley at deru.com
>     <mailto:tshipley at deru.com>
>     > <mailto:tshipley at deru.com <mailto:tshipley at deru.com>>> wrote:
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     >     Memtest86 passed.
>     >
>     >     So far people have also suggested the cause as hardware
>     >     incompatibility, hard drive issues, BIOS (Dell's site does
>     recommend
>     >     updating the BIOS for my motherboard but their program won't
>     run from
>     >     a CD and I couldn't figure out how to make a bootable DOS flash
>     >     drive), usb drive/video card/other card/any peripheral, acpi
>     (I think
>     >     this issue is fixed in newer versions of Ubuntu), and my personal
>     >     theory that the problem is fundamentally caused by an incompatible
>     >     combination of software and hardware.  Software-hardware problems
>     >     would explain why over several kernel iterations some are
>     stable and
>     >     run beautifully while others won't boot.   Without the boot
>     log it's
>     >     all superstitious guess work.  If I had another Linux machine
>     I'd do
>     >     surgery and mount the problem system's drive to read the log.
>     >
>     >     I think RedSeven is going to get some of my money.
>     >
>     > Trent,
>     >
>     > I read back through your posts and two things I have not seen from
>     you are:
>     >
>     > 1) any details about your hardware other than it being a Dell (model,
>     > memory, disk space, etc)
>     > 2) do you need to retain any files/data from the system for which you
>     > don't have backups
>     >
>     > Please provide that information.
>     >
>     > Depending on the answers and how quickly you need to get this
>     resolved,
>     > you might not have to go to the expense of a professional repair shop.
>     > If necessary we might be able to get together to work on this.
>      Too bad
>     > we did not have it to work on at the installfest.  You said near ASU
>     > West.  Are you a student?
>     >
>     > --
>     > Dazed_75 a.k.a. Larry
>     >
> 
>     I wound up taking the computer to Red7.  The guy at the desk said the
>     problem was related to file corruption.  They fixed the files, problem
>     solved.  Some other things were also solved, like now it goes to sleep
>     and the screen saver runs.  It hasn't done that since I upgraded from
>     the Ubuntu 7.04 that came with the system.
> 
>     Unfortunately, when I got it home, it behaved just like before.  It quit
>     partway through the boot sequence.  One participant in this thread
>     suggested minimizing the system peripherals to see if I could get a
>     boot.  It worked.  The culprit was the keyboard.  It was an old style
>     PS2 keyboard connected by a PS2 to USB dongle.  You could toggle it
>     between QWERTY and Dvorak.
> 
>     I'm gonna miss that keyboard.
>     ---------------------------------------------------
> 
> Intriguing.  So the problems are now gone and things are working
> properly again and continue to do so.  Glad to hear it!
> 
> Two questions about RedSeven though:
> 1) Did they give any indication of whether files might get corrupted
> again (like a failing drive or ...)?
> 2) Was their service expensive?
> 
> -- 
> Dazed_75 a.k.a. Larry

I got no indication of how likely I was to experience the problem again.
 I have the perhaps unfair suspicion that the machine booted just fine
for them since I had to change keyboards to get rid of the problem.  My
main gripe about the experience was that the explanation of the problem
and it's solution were woefully lacking in detail, even for someone like
me who really doesn't like sysadmin chores.

Their stated rate is $95 per hour, which seems to be about the market
rate for in-shop repair.  I was charged an even $50 and I am satisfied
with that.