Linux Format forums

[ggreaves]

I have a dodgy laptop. Every so often (6-9 months) it killed a hard drive. It blew up an internal fan the other day. Yet since changing to SUSE linux (currently 9.3) over a year ago (on this laptop) its been stable. It use to run that other proprietary OS...
Anyway during the weekend the hard drive was whirring away, GUI was not responding and I thought hard disk again, "Great! Another one bytes the dust (yeah alright its corny)". So I powered the laptop off, by holding down the power button.
Well it turns out that an online online update was running and I powered the laptop off smack dabb in the middle of the x.org install. So when I powered the laptop on, no KDE. Just the command line. Had this been that other proprietary OS, it would mean an immediate reinstall. But not Linux. I stop the file share, zipped up my home directory, started the file share and copied my zipped home directory to my network share (power to the command line!). I then whipped out my SUSE 9.3 DVD, reinstalled X server and while I was at it, after X was reinstalled, started YAST did an online update rebooted and WHALA! Up and running all my settings preserved and a backup too!
So Bill beat that! No text file editing, no kernel compiling, no hours waiting for every bug fix and its son to be installed to get a working GUI. Lessons learn;
1. The GUI should always be separate a separate server
2. Powering off during an online update is a no no!

[jjmac]

OK ... with all respects ggreaves... your not making any sense there . Your post reminds me of so many others, that really just don't make any sense. Ah .. i don't mean any offence either m8. But, sure it was really the other OS ! (did i say that )

>>
I thought hard disk again, "Great! Another one bytes the dust (yeah alright its corny)". So I powered the laptop off, by holding down the power button.
Well it turns out that an online online update was running and I powered the laptop off ...
>>

I quote that because of a couple of reasons ...

# It seems more than one thing was happening at the time !. At least some thing that you were not aware off !.

# That's always a thing to avoid. You must wittle it down before it's possible to even guess whats going on. Well, you don't have to if you don't wont to, but it does help (grin).

To isolate a problem down to its' source, it is very much so neccessary to wake off all the other inclusions,

ie; kill all your processess. Turn things off !, Then see what happens.

I do agree though ... Linux rocks . One of the few OSes that you can get into a spot with ... and still get out the other end in one pieace. Ah, why else do we bother

So == :microsoft: SUSE ---> you did actually say an auto update was occuring. What !!! Does SUSE do that too!, oh no !

ummmm ... turn it off ... do your own updates, ah


jm
_________________
http://counter.li.org
#313537

The FVWM wm -=- www.fvwm.org -=-

Somebody stole my air guitar, It happened just the other day,
But it's ok, 'cause i've got a spare ...

[ggreaves]

Sorry I was just so elated, I lost control! Some info was missed. The laptop was running w2k for 2 years and in that time it killed 4 hard drives. I've been running SUSE 9.2 and 9.3 on this laptop for just over a year now. Its the longest a hard drive has ever lasted on this machine. So when the GUI did not respond and the HD was spinning with a constant light and I couldn't get to the command line, I just assumed it was the laptop killing another HD. All the same problems when it was running w2k (minus trying to get to the command line, all hail the King!). Don't quite understand
"So Shocked == :microsoft: SUSE ---> you did actually say an auto update was occuring. What !!! Does SUSE do that too!, oh no ! "
I only found out that the online update was running after further investigation.

[jjmac]

A bit shocked that SUSE would auto it. I suppose if it was a configuration choice it would be ok, hmmmm. All the better to scan someones system at the time though..

Laptop -=- maybe it was heat ?, can't see how an OS could trash a drive though ... unless it relates to fs crashes ... that is; heaps of blue screen disk scans, or other things that just wake the head back to resting like a pin-ball machine...

Linux is really good on those levels though



jm
_________________
http://counter.li.org
#313537

The FVWM wm -=- www.fvwm.org -=-

Somebody stole my air guitar, It happened just the other day,
But it's ok, 'cause i've got a spare ...

[ggreaves]

The laptop has been on one fan for about 6 or 9 months now. I though it could have been a bad controller, but I'm now think its the driver/software for the controller on windows 2000.

[jjmac]

ok ... i/m just looking at my post abovr yours -=- hmmm ... good grief -=-- do i talk crap or what ??? -=- i can hardly make sense of it heat and lap tops and lcd screens have always been an issue ? -=- curiously enough.

The screen is easy to fix -=- it just seems to involve a specific X setup, heat though -=- hmmm, just coming into summer here in .au -=- new box -=- new cpu --- will see (grin) ...

Hay --- ggreaves --- if you actually narrow it down, or even -=- if some sought of magikal self fixing thing happens ... drop it in --- just for the heck --- good luck, a


jm
_________________
http://counter.li.org
#313537

The FVWM wm -=- www.fvwm.org -=-

Somebody stole my air guitar, It happened just the other day,
But it's ok, 'cause i've got a spare ...