Axalon Bloodstone wrote:
>
> On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, Karen M. Heiby wrote:
>
> > Hi, answers to the questions follow within the text:
> >
> > On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, Axalon wrote:
> > > On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, Karen M. Heiby wrote:
> [snip]
> >
> > > Ok first off, if you allow it to format the drive during install it's
> > > gone, not sorta gone but gone, it would cost big money to retieve even a
> > > small piece...
> >
> > I tell it to format my Linux native partition but I swear it's keeping stuff.
>
> unless mkfs is erroring dureing format (check tty5) it's eraseing it all
>
> [snip]
> > > /etc/rc.d/init.d/amd status
> > > says what? If automount is trying to mount something it can't it's gonna
> > > take awhile to time out.
> > > gmc has a feature (pretty sure this is in KFM also) that will
> > > show "the size" of the directories, if this is on and you have a recent
> > > harddrive (eg, BIG) it's going to take awhile
> >
> > It isn't trying to mount anything, I unmounted everything I could before I
> > issued the command.
>
> Yes, but what you do and what amd does are different things, was that you
> saying it's not installed or not running then?
>
> > > Do the gears spin, does the mouse (or anything "freeze"), which viewmode..
> > > html, long, text..?
> >
> > The "gears" spin just a little at first. It freezes with a black screen, shows
> > the terminal a couple times, then just black screen again for about a couple of
> > hours with just a blip or so of hard drive activity every couple minutes. I
> > mean a blip, like a fraction of a second.
>
> as root,
> /etc/rc.d/init.d/amd stop
> /etc/rc.d/init.d/netfs stop
>
> as user,
> startx
>
> # Does it function correctly now?
>
> as your user,
>
> mv ~/.kde ~/kde.broke
> cp -r /etc/skel/.kde ~/
> startx
>
> # Does it function correctly now?
>
> as user,
> rm -rf /tmp/kfm_*
> rm -rf /tmp/kio_*
> startx
>
> # Does it function correctly now?
>
> > > Are you root when trying to change /dev/* file permissions?
> >
> > Yes, I am root. I *can* change the permissions in everything *but* KFM.
>
> And in KFM anywhere but /dev ?
>
> > > > GAIM (AOL Instant Messenger clone) is retaining my contact list, when that
> > > > should never happen if it were a clean install. This is not a problem, per se,
> > > > but just an indicator that I still have old information from previous
> > > > installations haunting which are likely the cause of my persistent
> > > > problems.
> >
> > > Knowing AOL they don't trust you to keep track of your Buddies, so they
> > > store it on the server..
> >
> > No, this can't be the case. I also have Windows 98 and every time I reinstall
> > AOL IM, I have to re-add buddies.
>
> This could be only for their external (from the aol software) version, i
> can't even make edjucated guess at what it does as we have no sourcecode.
> :/
>
> I do see in the gaim Changelog insertion of a script to convert the
> buddy.lst into a gaimlist, aswell as references to implement it directly
> into the code, this may have been done already (if so shouldn't do it like
> it does so automagicly thats to much, some poor 13 year old is gonna get
> daddys porn mail or something silly), also as Bero said it may actualy
> store them remotely (haven't gotten to testing this yet)
>
> > > > Gnome's "Settings" on the panel is kaput. I can click Gnome Control Center and
> > > > get it running, but if I click anything else on the Panel under
> > > > Settings, (Multimedia, Peripherals, etc. ) nothing happens. That's just a
> > > > minor annoyance since I can use these from Gnome Control Center anyway, but
> > > > annoying nonetheless.
> >
> > > Any output on the terminal you started Xwindows on?
> >
> > No output, just nothing happens.
>
> Anyone else able to reproduce this one?
>
> > > > During installation, I am never asked certain questions that I vaguely remember
> > > > being asked the very first time I installed Linux, such as how much RAM do I
> > > > have, etc. It seems to install as if it knows or thinks it's installing on top
> > > > of another installation of itself.
> >
> > > You were in expert mode, or it was an older version that didn't detect
> > > your video card so it had to ask.
> >
> > No, I installed it the first time in regular mode; since then I have been using
> > expert mode. I have always been using the same version of Mandrake (6.1 which
> > I got on October 4).
> >
> > > > What gets me is that after I tried Route #1(above), by filling up my hard
>drive,
> > > > I should have written over anything hard drive clusters that had Linux in them
> > > > at one time, right? Even the boot record was re-made with a new LILO. How
>come
> > > > old Linux glitches are still haunting me? Why is my GAIM contact list still
> > > > intact when it shouldn't be?
> >
> > > I dunno wish all my personal stuff came back after a format, save me lots
> > > of time ;)
> >
> > Well, that would be nice, too, but the thing is my /home directories are
> > totally cleanly installed (DOH!!) It's like Murphy's Law or something!! ;-)
>
> Definatly something, you didn't buy the pc used did ya it is halloween ;)
>
> > > > I really want to cleanly install Linux to solve some of my problems and give me
> > > > peace of mind and solid footing for more learning, but I have a problem doing
> > > > so when I know this machine isn't as pure as I'd like it to be. That is, when
> > > > something goes wrong, how do I know whether I'm doing something wrong or if
> > > > it's just a bad installation? That's tough on a newbie. Any ideas would be
> > > > helpful.
> >
> > > Just let it format the partitions for you (as you normaly do?), the piece
> > > of mind your looking for (status output of the format cmd?) is located on
> > > tty5 (alt-F5)
> >
> >
> > Thanks for trying to help. I'm not trying to sound contrary or argumentative,
> > I'm only explaining more of my problem! ;-) I appreciate your help.
>
> Yeps, check the tty5 while it's formating and see if it is erroring just
> in case.
>
> > Karen
> >
>
> --
> MandrakeSoft http://www.mandrakesoft.com/
> --Axalon
HI.
I hesitate interjecting a thought here, I am strictly a novice, but this
might help if you need a "squeeky clean" formated hard drive. Three
weeks ago my wife's computer refused to boot. It would stop where DEL
will bring up the BIOS. I took it to where we bought it. The technician
said there was probably a bad spot on the hard drive. He formated the
hard drive using fdisk, then reinstalled Win95. He said the bad spot was
still there but the formating made Win95 avoid the spot. The Hard drive
is a Quantum. I checked the internet first, got their phone number and
called. The tech recomended I download and use 2 programs, one to test,
and the second, ZEROFILL, to clean the HD. I tested, there were bad
spots, ran ZEROFILL, (It fills your HD with ZERO'S, completely) then ran
the test again, NO bad spots, nothing. I reinstall Win95 etc, problem
gone. You might contact your HD mfg. and ask if they have a similar
program. Quantum's ZEROFILL really cleans.
stan
