Sunday, 21 June 2009

Support needed, I guess.

by at: 16:03 Tags:
Things are just getting worse and worse computerwise.
  • My laptop is unable to read CDs/DVDs burnt by another computer than itself. Bought things are usually ok (but not always - and older CDs are definitely off). One workaround: Put the CD in the drive on the desktop system, SCP in and copy them over the internet.
  • However the desktop system does not always like the internet. For instance now: It decided it is better off being offline and nothing I do seem to convince it otherwise.
  • Fixing errors is made difficult by the fact that something seemed to happen to the graphic driver on that computer the other week - the image is definitely pinched. Very much. So much that I can barely navigate. )( like that. But only when showing the desktop, not on the login prompt or the screen saver...
  • Also, I cannot actually browse files on that computer in any other way than using a terminal. Everything else just blinks and shuts down again within 1 second when I try starting it.
  • But XMMS works! And Spotify works IF the internet connection happens to work.
  • When installing the printer, my laptop and the printer can see eachother via a wireless ad-hoc connection (they mutually confirm finding the connection), but the driver installation program thingie is unable to find the printer in any other way than via USB. Thus I will just have to carry my laptop over and connect it via USB if I want to print things.
  • My desktop system is refusing to give me back the CD I recently copied stuff over to the laptop from (before the connection died).
  • My laptop is very slow and easily overheating, and it loves to go into PIO mode randomly just to become even slower. However I just have to switch it back, so its not the worst.
If you have suggestions how to fix one or more of the above problems, please help me. I've run out of ideas and actually have to admit that it seems I am unable to fix them on my own.

14 comments:

  1. "My desktop system is refusing to give me back the CD I recently copied stuff over to the laptop from (before the connection died)."

    Your cd drive ought to have this very tiny hole in front of it. Push something (not too sharp) in it and it should open the cd slot manually.
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  2. I want it to stop eating my cds every time though :/ (I knew the paperclip trick, but I'm tired of applying it every time. I should have been more specific in the post.)
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  3. I don't know what system you have, but if these things suddenly happened to me I'd suspect the device drivers. If the drivers are messed up then the effects can be unpredictable, like you described. Some things may work fine, others not. Have the drivers been updated recently? Maybe you can revert to older versions? My graphic card driver (under ubuntu/linux) malfuntioned a while back, so I had to force the installation of an earlier version (without the new goodies, sadly enough, but at least it worked).
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  4. Reply to Tau.Pi, posted @ both blogs:
    Thanks for input - I suspect the drivers myself (either that or I need a new monitor) but as I explained to a coworker the other day: Since I installed ubuntu a few years back it's run itself and I've completely lost what skill I had at actually maintaining it manually. Darn.
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  5. :) Yeah, that seems to be the curse of ubuntu, sometimes it works too well. Anyhow, if you feel like doing a little tinkering, you might wanna check out menu: system - admin - hardware drivers. And/or menu: system - admin - synaptic package manager, do a quick search for "driver", select the appropriate driver, select menu: package - force version, guess appropriate version, and pray. :) Good luck!
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  6. Thanks :) If it works, how do I reward you?
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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.
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  8. Oops, what happened there? My post got deleted. And no "undo delete" function.. What I said was that, as a reward, maybe you'd consider following my blog? I'm gathering minions to take over the world, you see. ;)
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  9. The comments get mailed to me, so I saw it anyway, with the cue and all. It's a deal, I'll add you to my idle-browsing-link-list (which I tend to click through at least once a day). Maybe I can fool you into reading my random ramblings too, but that'd be the day...
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  10. I'm basically already doing that so might as well register me as an "official follower". :) There, done.
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  11. Ah, a mutual fanclub then. Good deal.
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  12. I knew there was something familiar about those directions. I tried getting there some weeks back :( Driver managers and other useful windows are among the things (like file browsers) that doesn't open. Gah gah gah.
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  13. That's a shame. You might be better off starting over with a fresh installation of ubuntu.
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  14. Nooooo.. last time I reinstalled it wouldn't let me choose partition, and overwrote all my music and files and stuff. Misery! *whimper*

    I'll have to call in special forces I guess.
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Be nice!
And apart from that, please don't use the anonymous function...

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