Synfig Project Forum

Hi!
My workstation has broken (no wifi, no sound, no nvidia support) and I currently can't install any linux system (hdd drive is not properly recognized at boot time) so I cannot promise to work on the release of 0.62.02 until I get a decent linux system working on my it. Maybe someone is interested on take care of this release instead of me. There is some work pending to do (apply some patches from jcome, prepare the release notes and do a call for translators, run the build script and upload the tarballs, binaries, etc, etc...) No mention that git write is needed, and a linux environment that can build Synfig... Unfortunately all my time resources are dedicated now to try to fix the pc so I cannot help a newbie to do that right now.

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For those who are interested on what's happening to me continue reading:
Seems that about 2008 when I bought the computer I was able to install (not without initial similar troubles) the ubuntu version that was running at that moment. Since then, I've modified some times my BIOS configuration to see if I can avoid the damn "Softreset failed (device not ready)" messages I got in that time. Then I also was updating the system via software update. Past 25th there were a kernel update and I did installed it without not much attention (my fault). When the system reboots, I got no X, no wifi, no sound, and no mouse...(no custom nvidia module compiled for the new kernel) I modified the system to just run X using default video driver but still stuck without wifi and sound.
So I did a full backup of all the data in an external disk and started the intention of do a fresh installation. I even have bought a new hdd where to do all the operations of installation to avoid erase the old one. ...
I've tried: Ubuntu 10.04, 9.10, 9.04, and 8.04, I cannot go earlier because they are not upgrade supported. None of them installed. Some just go to a busybox ashell and others enters in a endless loop of trying to detect the hard disk. But the hard disk is fine! the old and malfunctioning ubuntu 10.04 boots (not without a long delay, but finally it boots).
Even I have tested latest debian lenny. It enters in a endless loop of : "link online but device misclassified, retrying" without success...
Then I've tested SystemRescueCD and it boots (uses Gentoo). So I turned to Gentoo... Gentoo installed but when boot it comes to similar problem than all the above (endless loop). Now I'm looking for a kernel change to stop those detection failure on my system...https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... omments/90
I hope it works.
So situation is: I'm probably turning to Gentoo if it solves the problem.
Or I still having the old hard disc with a limited system.
This is really frustrating...
-G

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These are the worst linux problems that I've ever heard about. I hope you're able to sort out them out.

I don't have anything to say about the hard drive problems other than that they are really bad. If the kernel change gets your system to work, that's great! I've had issues with wifi and nvidia drivers on ubuntu before, so I'll post a description on the off chance that they are the same problems that you're having with the old ubuntu system.

1. NVidia drivers: there are actually multiple driver packages out there: "xserver-xorg-video-nv", "xserver-xorg-video-nouveau", and "nvidia-*". A semi-recent version of ubuntu changed the default driver, which left a bunch of people (including me) in low-graphics mode. I believe that issue is fixable through tweaking xorg.conf. More recently, a fresh 10.04 install shipped with only one of the driver sets installed and I had to try out the other ones before I found a configuration that worked (this included modifying xorg.conf, though that might have been redundant).

2. Wifi: After one upgrade, the wifi indicator vanished from the system tray, and it appeared that there was no wifi. However, manually launching "nm-applet" made it come back. Another time my wifi drivers got uninstalled, but I think that was my fault for attempting to upgrade an out-of-date system in the wrong way.

On another note: my boot screen offers me the option of using earlier kernels. Additionally, if the update changed xorg.conf it should have saved a backup. Would it not be possible to start up with an earlier kernel?

I wish you the best of luck in getting your computer to work again.

Hi nikitakit,
many thanks for the tips to rescue the broken ubuntu. In my adventure to install a fresh operating system in my computer I finally ended with a solution: Gentoo. I needed to create a custom kernel to disable SATA AHCI support and SATA Port Multiplier support. Seems that first module is tried to be loaded by default by Gentoo and the second one I think it is the responsible of all the problems with the other distributions (ubuntu and debian)
The fact is that I can now boot silently my system (no more device not ready) when using my custom gentoo kernel.
The decision now is:
1) Try to fix ubuntu with the flawless support of my hardware? (I would need to upgrade my kernel manually for ever(?))
2) Try to migrate to debian (that seems to have a more friendly custom kernel building system than ubuntu?
3) Continue learning and growing with gentoo?

-G

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Developers, packagers, bug testers, translators, artists, web developers, wiki writers... you can contribute!

archlinux has nice balance between customized and predefined. if I have a desktop pc, I think I will install it as main os.

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time flies...

\o/
Finally I found a way to run Ubuntu installer without problem: adding ahci.blacklist=yes to the kernel parameters pass the boot procedure. I hope it doesn't install that module later once the full system is installed.
I hope I can come back to road in few days... meanwhile I'll be out until next Monday (vacations )

-G

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Synfig needs your help!
Developers, packagers, bug testers, translators, artists, web developers, wiki writers... you can contribute!

Ah, crap, Genete!

Any other moderators/admins around? Because they SERIOUSLY NEED to check this! viewforum.php?f=9

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All taken care of. Thank's.

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Synfig scripts, etc.

So I did fix the boot procedure on my computer and I was able to install a fresh Ubuntu 10.04 on my PC. It boots quite fine now. But I am facing again the random screen freezing of my nvidia graphics card.... this time is awful! I can't work for more than 5 minutes!
I've opened the computer and cleaned the graphic card, cleaned the dust filters, cleaned the cpu fan,... and the problem persists... I have a twin view system with two monitors side by side. I unplugged both and leave another single one wider... the problem persists!!. Then I reconfigured the server settings and disabled the twin view... The computer is running fine without any screen lock since 2 hours by now... Let's see what happen...
-G
PS: I have all the important data backed up in another HD, no panic

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Synfig needs your help!
Developers, packagers, bug testers, translators, artists, web developers, wiki writers... you can contribute!

just today was released X/K/ED/Ubuntu 10.10, hopefully that can work for you, i can't really help a lot in your problem, remember i used to have Mandriva? i had similar problems with my intel integrated video card, then just found Ubuntu and since then used it till now.

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