My struggles with Ubuntu

August 11th, 2010 No Comments

Ok so I am probably being a noob but I have had so many problems with Ubuntu on my main machine I wouldn’t of have had with windows.

  • Drives not auto mounting without commands or extra programs.
  • Drives when I fixed auto mounting changing their name or something causing samba to go tits up
  • The best in my opinion torrent program not working without wine (Thus causing problems trying to download to other drives auto pick up)
  • For some unknown reason it has problems copying files from a CD that windows has no problems with (same CD drive as its duel boot)

Don’g get the wrong idea I am not a windows lover my DLNA server (mediatomb) works a dream no problems with my PS3 but when I reboot I have to restart it with a sudo command. In contrast my PS3 never finds windows media server and when it does half the files are not there and the permissions are a nightmare.

I have seen or know where to find Fixes out there for my problems but they require a level of understanding I do not have and it seems if you don’t understand Linux the community doesn’t really help. I got interested in computers in the GUI age not the DOS age. I agree something feels good about using command based prompts but I am learning slowly and need my hand holding like windows. I am not turning my back on Linux but it doesn’t help its self. To mount drives on start-up you can either type codes to find the name of the drive give it a label and edit some file with some code and stuff, or Google it find a program that does it for you and load it up and hope it works well.

So I have been spoilt and had my hand held with windows sharing a folder with a simple right click and mapping a network drive and yes it has a habit of not fing working but I can fix it and know I have done it and do it again. If my HDD went and I have to reset up my Ubuntu I would have to Google it all again. The other thing causing me some problems is the file structure I get it kinda, but I can’t find a place explain it my poor windows polluted mind, in a simple way. I know when I have the basics I would feel more comfortable with typing commands in, I know that doing it my self makes me feel more in control and secure but how am I to catch up to an understand the forum nerds giving advice to people so I can at least have a smooth running system not a botched up system praying that the crash doesn’t happen.

So the two people who read this, any help for a new starter wanting to understand how powerful the light side can be, useful sites books anything that I can learn from. Or is it slog it out and one morning the Linux hat will just fit?

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Notes for my ubuntu problem

June 30th, 2010 No Comments

This is going to kinda be a slow live blog, I am working out what is going on with my D/L box and need a way to see information at work without messing around with email, also if anyone has any helpful tips not run this program. I am trying to use this to learn more about ubuntu

So what is happing I am getting this screen when I don’t turn on my screen on during start up also after  awhile of it being turned on.

But I do get comms can SSH (that is all new to me)

when I run

tail -f /var/log/syslog  I get this message over and over when  it has done the crash
Jun 30 20:26:02 tony-desktop acpid: 1 client rule loaded
Jun 30 20:25:54 tony-desktop kernel: [ 3471.138192] [drm:i915_gem_entervt_ioctl] *ERROR* Reenabling wedged hardware, good luck
Jun 30 20:25:54 tony-desktop kernel: [ 3471.138544] [drm:i915_gem_init_ringbuffer] *ERROR* Ring head not reset to zero ctl 00000000 head 01807184 tail 00000000 start 000df000
Jun 30 20:25:54 tony-desktop kernel: [ 3471.138553] [drm:i915_gem_init_ringbuffer] *ERROR* Ring head forced to zero ctl 00000000 head 01807184 tail 00000000 start 000df000
Jun 30 20:25:54 tony-desktop kernel: [ 3471.138561] [drm:i915_gem_init_ringbuffer] *ERROR* Ring initialization failed ctl 0001f001 head 01807184 tail 00000000 start 000df000
Jun 30 20:25:56 tony-desktop kernel: [ 3473.048016] [drm:i915_gem_idle] *ERROR* hardware wedged
Jun 30 20:25:56 tony-desktop acpid: client 2478[0:0] has disconnected
Jun 30 20:25:56 tony-desktop acpid: client connected from 2485[0:0]
I have been told to look under System > Administration > Hardware Drivers and there is nothing in there,
I have renamed my /etcX11/xorg.conf and rebooted and the file isn’t there (seams on latest versions it doesn’t have one but i can make one but I am unsure what to put in there and what it truely does) , to be fair it wasnt anyway it was callled xorg.conf.failsafe. (so the failsafe one was xorg.conf just wasnt needed unless you want it) read on a forum to run the X.exe that the first time caused the error above the second time did f all. I want to be able to not have a spare monitor on the PC, but kt is due back any second from browns and so till tomorrow
Laters
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New job – The path of the non smoker

May 27th, 2010 1 Comment

So I have started and it’s a bit of a body shock. I think it’s well know I love my food (hence the nickname fat BoB) but going from when I feel peckish buying a snack to waiting till lunch I have spent the last 2 days feeling really hungry. Plus when I am using my brain, which I haven’t used in 2 years I need sustenance!   Anyway food rant aside, I am enjoying learning new systems even if I can see a month down the line knowing them inside and out. The team seems like good fun and shouldn’t be too hard fitting in.

<rant>

The one thing that has always bothered me in an office is the smokers club. Now people smoke it’s their choice and as dumb and idea I think it is I wouldn’t mark them as a lesser form of life I have my drug it’s called Caffeine! What does bug me is the groups of people that bond over a ciggy, the contact they get with other departments which in turn will help them out further down the line with promotions etc. An example is I have started with another new guy, a smoker who already knows a lot of the second line helpdesk and some of the tech team, asking for tips and contact details. I know over time I will talk to these people it’s just seams easier to pick up a fag and have a chat.

</rant>

I mainly wanted to rant about smokers, and Half life 2 calls as I am replaying though it. A more substantial update or rant when I can think of a good subject.

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Changing Jobs

May 21st, 2010 2 Comments

On one of my only days off it get with this job when I would rather be playing on Command and Conquer 3 as I never got round to finishing it. What do I end up doing, work! I never had this problem when I left my last job, I just handed over my work pass, job done. This job though is a nightmare, my list of things to do before I go.

  • Remove all personal data (programs, emails etc) off work laptop.
  • Complete Timesheet for the half month.
  • Complete Mileage.
  • Get car validated it was too dirty for a simple vacuum.
  • Find all the random stuff I don’t use but have to keep for job.
  • Make sure my van stock is up to date, basically my spares for easy calls.
  • Complete expenses.
  • Plus others I can’t remember

Needless to say I am busy but also I have no gap between jobs so I also need to.

  • Get hair cut.
  • Walk to Southmead to time it (was going to cycle but bike broke so waiting for cycle to work)
  • Find some work shoes (yep my old job are taking their safety shoes)
  • Find shirts which work with a tie (as I haven’t been wearing a tie in 2years)
  • Revise for my upcoming English Language GCSE.
  • Pray they don’t notice I have no idea what I have to do.
  • Go to the gym as I had a few days off at the start of the week.

Plus it’s my birthday tomorrow and I would rather not do work things then.  So I have stopped for lunch, thought I should type up a list and why not put it up here. The only thing keeping me going is 4 days left, and then I get my weekends back. Now I have finished my coffee it’s off to the gym to take advantage of it being quiet then back to the grind.

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Welcome back commander

May 20th, 2010 4 Comments

After some time away I am back and not only that my blog has had a facelift, so what have I done?

All my pages from my original site have been converted into pages on my word press blog the reason is simple, pure laziness. With what I wanted to do with a website I don’t have the time or the knowledge to not break it so I decided for the simple pages I will just put it on my blog. My other ideas are the DVD tracking page I have said about before and other databases which I am hiding very well.  I haven’t started it yet but when I do it won’t affect the information I have built and updated on here. I have also added the wordbook app for posting to facebook, and the WPtouch iPhone Theme which I have seen on a few blogs works well and is great for slow connections.

I have also changed my WP theme to something more professional something I hope my writing technique will improve to reflect this in time. The aim of this blog was to have somewhere I could just randomly write things to improve my English, now with my exams closing in that won’t be the case.  I am not geeky enough to comment on new tech I am still getting to grips with things people got 5 years ago, but I see it more as my outlet on anything in the geekverse or other randomness. With a new job only days away and a birthday soon, I want to have a different outlook on life and I think the changing topics I will write on will interesting to see.

The blog is still a work in progress, picking colours that work well its harder than one would think with my lack of artistic talent.

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