[PLUG] Machine won't boot

rsteff at comcast.net rsteff at comcast.net
Sat Sep 17 23:47:39 UTC 2011


Thanks, John. I'll probably see you then.

Regards,

Dick Steffens



----- Original Message -----
From: John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net>
To: plug at lists.pdxlinux.org
Sent: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:17:45 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: [PLUG] Machine won't boot

On Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:23:02 +0000 (UTC)
rsteff at comcast.net dijo:

>Sigh.
>
>I opened my desktop machine (Ubuntu) to do two things. First, to try
>to plug my Laptop drive in so I could dd it to an iso, Second, to pull
>the memory sticks to see which size they are.
>
>One set of drive cables in the desktop machine has the filled-in hole
>in the plug, which I assume is to insure that it is plugged into the
>drive the right way. My 2-1/2" adapter does not have a pin missing.
>The other set of cables is compatible, so I disconnected one of the
>secondary drives I have on the machine and plugged in the drive from
>my laptop. The machine would not boot. At this point I don't recall
>just where it failed. But I was able to get into the BIOS and see that
>it didn't see the laptop drive as installed. 
>
>I returned the cables to their normal drive and then took out the
>memory. I pulled one of the sticks and found that I have PC2700
>DDR333. So the next time I get down to Free Geek when the thrift store
>is open I can get the right speed.
>
>Now for the problem. When I turned the machine back on the bios only
>got as far as telling me it was going to check the NVRAM, but it never
>started the count-up. I tried pulling one memory stick, then the
>other, but that's all the farther it got. Now it doesn't even go that
>far. All I get is a series of beeps and a blank screen.
>
>I vaguely recall something like this in the past, and IIRC it involved
>the machine needing to warm up a bit. So, while I've been typing this
>e-mail I left the machine powered on. Just to confirm the conditions I
>mentioned above I shut it off and powered it back on. Now I can get to
>the bios. I can look at the four connected drives. and now it boots,
>but I have the Ubuntu message:
>
>Errors were found while checking the disk drive for /
>
>F to attempt to fix the errors, I to ignore, S to skip mounting of M
>for manual
>
>Any advice other than to power down and bring the box to the clinic
>tomorrow? With the rest of the experiences I've been having this week
>I'm quite hesitant to let the machine try fixing itself without
>knowing more about what's going on.

I think the latest imbitations (cf. etymology of "incarnation") of
Ubuntu use Palimpsest disk utility which monitors disks for bad sectors
and other impending disasters. I recently found that it reliably
reported a disk that was about to fail; to the point that Seagate
replaced it under warranty (after additional tests). Whether Palimpsest
is capable of invoking other utilities to repair the disk is a question
I don't have an answer for. 

Unless someone else comes up with a better solution before tomorrow,
bring it to the Clinic. 
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