Linux Woes!!

[lufbra]

I don't know what it is with me, but I don't seem to have any luck installing ANY kinda Linux OS!! I've tried Mint, Ubuntu, and am now trying PCLinux 2010. Each time the installs seem to work fine, but when booting up I ALWAYS get a list of errors, and after a week or three the OS craps out! The problem is, the "list of errors show and go so fast, I can't get chance to even read what they are!.....Very frustrating since I like Linux a lot even though I'm basically a point and click guy on the computer!

Amy help would be appreciated.

[Dodge]

Can you give us more of an idea of what it does/doesn't do exactly?

[craisin]

well i think chopping and changing distros is most likely to result in RAM issues
Ive given up other distros as I always end up back on Ubuntu

[Jaytee]

Originally Posted by craisin

well i think chopping and changing distros is most likely to result in RAM issues
Ive given up other distros as I always end up back on Ubuntu

I do not believe that changing distros has a great effect on ram!

[sladden]

Originally Posted by craisin

well i think chopping and changing distros is most likely to result in RAM issues
Ive given up other distros as I always end up back on Ubuntu

Well, I know PCLinux is different. But, I thought Mint was Ubuntu. Just like most of the others.
Even Enlightenment is (so far) all built on Ubuntu.

I went through a period similar to that.
My problem was that nothing seemed able to install.

I finally fixed it by switching HDD's. I made one of the HDD's that I use for files into the distro one. But, before I installed anything onto it I gave it a 'Long' burn by winXP twice. Then installed Ubuntu onto it.

I know that doesn't seem to make much sense, but, it worked and everything is now running fine.

[Jaytee]

Hi Dave,
Is it possible that you are experiencing some hardware fail problem? An unknown device?
That's two bobs worth for now.

[Jaytee]

Another thing that comes to mind is that grub2 (the boot loader ) has caused a number of problems of late with dual boot Linux/Windows distros maybe that is part of the problem?

[lufbra]

Thanks for the replies.

Well so far the set up has been fine this time, but whenever I boot up or shut down there appears to be a long list of errors that show on the screen, the boot up process shows what I can only say is one and a half pages, the shut down shows maybe half a page (by pages I mean amount covering the screen). But it happens so fast I can't get chance to read any of it!

As for the installing, they've all been fresh installs, there's no Windows partition at all, in fact I don't even use anything like Wine, everything is Linux. I don't believe there's any hardware issues or at least everything in that sense works fine. I do all the upgrades once the OS is installed, and usually keep on top of the upgrades.

I will say that the last upgrade has given problems with "Dolphin", this was a large upgrade in terms of amount of files being upgraded. The "Dolphin" problem is that sometimes when I try opening a folder it closes quickly with an error, it offers the chance to report the error, but if I try to go through with that it eventually tells me it can't report the error!

Oh, I also remember a couple of weeks ago when trying to boot up, it just 'hung" on one screen (during the boot up process), and i had to shut down the computer, then re-boot before it worked properly.

As much as I like PCLinux 2010, I'd happily give Mint another try especially since that OS is a newer version to the one I used (Mint 6). I don't have many important files on this computer, so it'd be no biggie to back up anything I need to keep.

[sladden]

Originally Posted by Jaytee

Hi Dave,
Is it possible that you are experiencing some hardware fail problem? An unknown device?
That's two bobs worth for now.

Well, all is possible but I think that the hardware is all OK.
My real problem is 'fiddling'.

I know it isn't there, but I keep looking for perfection.

I think the motherboards can become confused.

I had one old laptop that should have worked, but didn't. So I put it away for 3 months then took it out and tried again (after formatting the HDD as external from a different computer).

It accepted 'Linux Mint 8' with no trouble and my grandson is still happily using it continuously.

[Jaytee]

Originally Posted by lufbra

Thanks for the replies.

Well so far the set up has been fine this time, but whenever I boot up or shut down there appears to be a long list of errors that show on the screen, .

Sometimes the "long list of errors" is the same error repeating many many times. Any chance of giving some idea what the error(s) are?

[craisin]

Originally Posted by Jaytee

I do not believe that changing distros has a great effect on ram!

I only say that as I have had problems before when chopping and changing and using XP as well
And Ive done a mem test and there is red in the test results so I replace the modules with ones that test and come out with blue test results
And I use second hand RAM and its possible the RAM has faults before I get it maybe from graphics cards of different brands

[craisin]

Sometimes it pays to disable the Quick Boot option in the BIOS to give you time to read the errors
It is possible that you dont have that option in the BIOS

[lufbra]

Well Jaytee, the computer acted up yesterday, giving a huge list of errors (again too fast to even read). I re-booted the computer and it "stuck" on boot up, asking for a password, then asking for a #. It didn't give any idea of what this number was, but without it I couldn't go any further!

So I then tried to install Windows Vista (which came with the computer) but was told the computer needs to be NTFS, so this meant that couldn't be installed! I now have PClinux 2010 on it again bit it looks like upon booting the computer, there's a "half page" of errors. Again they go by so quickly (I'm talking a split second or so) that I canna read a darned thing, let alone write down any of it! Is there any way of getting this "error list" viewable? I haven't done any upgrades as yet, but may run them overnight tonight simply because there'll be so many!

I also do have the latest Mint downloaded, for just in case I need it...LOL!!

[craisin]

cant you disable quick boot in the BIOS?

[Jaytee]

Dave
I am going to a lug meeting Monday night I will check with some of the geeks and get back to you.......
Did you try hitting any keys?? pause or scroll lock?