Ubuntu Ate My Laptop!
Ubuntu Linux uses an interesting distribution system. They give away 2-CD sets. One of these is an install CD, which allows you to input the operating system and several utilities on your computer. That's not really news. The other CD is called a "Live CD". This bootable disc allows you to test drive Ubuntu without erasing anything from your computer. It runs a little slower, but it gives you a pretty good feel how a specific computer will run under Linux (instead or Window$).
Unfortunately, I've not had a great deal of luck with Ubuntu. I tried to install Ubuntu on my old computer after it crashed, only to find that the installations couldn't partition the installed hard drive correctly to make it work. And on trying the Live CD version on my current computer, I couldn't figure out how to make it find my second hard drive, where I've got ~30 gig of music stored. So in both cases, I've stuck with Micro$oft, even buying Windows XP for the current machine. (And no, I have no plans to buy Vi$$ta, so don't even ask.)
Well, I recently tried the Ubuntu Live CD on my laptop. Everything seemed to be going fine, as it identified all the hardware and so forth. Then it moved on to the welcome screen. But it never quite go there. Yep, it locked up the system. And that presented a problem. When that sort of thing's happened to me before, I'd just reset the system. Alas, my laptop has no provision for a hard reset that I could find. The CD/DVD drive wouldn't open, even using the old paper clip trick. The machine wouldn't turn off, either, and of course unplugging it had no effect. Yeah, I was pretty stressed.
So I did the only thing I could think to do. I let it sit on the kitchen table, unplugged, while I ran some errands. By the time I got back a few hours later, the battery was completely dead. I plugged the computer back in, started it up, and ejected the disc before the system could boot. Back to normal.
Several friends of mine have raved about Ubuntu. I have no idea why I'm having such problems with it.
Unfortunately, I've not had a great deal of luck with Ubuntu. I tried to install Ubuntu on my old computer after it crashed, only to find that the installations couldn't partition the installed hard drive correctly to make it work. And on trying the Live CD version on my current computer, I couldn't figure out how to make it find my second hard drive, where I've got ~30 gig of music stored. So in both cases, I've stuck with Micro$oft, even buying Windows XP for the current machine. (And no, I have no plans to buy Vi$$ta, so don't even ask.)
Well, I recently tried the Ubuntu Live CD on my laptop. Everything seemed to be going fine, as it identified all the hardware and so forth. Then it moved on to the welcome screen. But it never quite go there. Yep, it locked up the system. And that presented a problem. When that sort of thing's happened to me before, I'd just reset the system. Alas, my laptop has no provision for a hard reset that I could find. The CD/DVD drive wouldn't open, even using the old paper clip trick. The machine wouldn't turn off, either, and of course unplugging it had no effect. Yeah, I was pretty stressed.
So I did the only thing I could think to do. I let it sit on the kitchen table, unplugged, while I ran some errands. By the time I got back a few hours later, the battery was completely dead. I plugged the computer back in, started it up, and ejected the disc before the system could boot. Back to normal.
Several friends of mine have raved about Ubuntu. I have no idea why I'm having such problems with it.
posted by Michael at
8:32 AM
1 Comments:
As for Ubuntu recognizing the second drive, if it is internal, it must be Fat32. Ubuntu doesn't natively recognize NTSC. That could be it. There are utiliities you can download to get it to see them, and writing is in beta.
Sad to see you having such problems.
I installed it fine on my old machine, and it runs like a breeze under VMWare on my current one.
By
Lord Mhoram, At
April 17, 2007 9:01 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home