Oh, bother. Linux trouble.

Computer works just fine, but I have noticed from time to time I’ll boot up and not be able to find my DVD drive or any of the USB slots. Generally goes away if I reboot.

This time it’s not going away. When I close out the shutdown message acknowledges multiple I/O errors, so I assume it’s a Linux problem. I ran the bootup diagnostic, and the computer doesn’t admit to any problems.

Do I need to load a Linus update? And if so, how do I do that without a DVD drive?

About Joel

You shouldn't ask these questions of a paranoid recluse, you know.
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10 Responses to Oh, bother. Linux trouble.

  1. Keith says:

    There are far more knowledgable people than me, just lurking out there…

    but until one of them shows up and offers help, the bottom link here might give you a few more clues http://vic.dyndns.org/geek

  2. Robert Evans says:

    If it’s Ubuntu, it should be regularly prompting you to install updates. If it’s not, click up in the top right-hand corner and the option to check for updates should be in the menu there.

  3. weambulance says:

    I’m not an expert at all but I’ve been dabbling in Linux lately, and I’ve done like 30 fresh installations on five different computers so I’ve been dealing with driver issues a lot.

    The details depend on your linux distribution but you can generally do everything you need from the command line console. You just need to figure out what drivers you need by googling something like ” usb drivers ubuntu”. Shouldn’t be a problem to find out what you need. Open the console, and for ubuntu you’d type:

    sudo apt-get install

    I find it much easier to just download everything directly from the relevant depositories online than to screw around downloading the compressed files to my computer and unpack them in the console.

    Again for ubuntu, an easy thing would be to first try to update your currently installed software packages. It would be:

    sudo apt-get update // Updates your package list
    sudo apt-get upgrade // Upgrades the packages you have installed

    or

    sudo apt-get update&&sudo apt-get upgrade // Same thing as above

    You can do similar stuff for all the versions of linux, though of course the exact commands will vary. So no, you don’t need a DVD drive or a USB drive as long as your internet works and your linux installation isn’t completely broken.

  4. weambulance says:

    Crap I forgot about less than and greater than signs in wordpress.

    Should be google for “(your laptop model) usb drivers ubuntu”.

    The first line of commands should be:

    sudo apt-get install (driver package name)

  5. W says:

    Look in /Dev for something like CDROM although i confess im not sureif ubuntu automounts that device to something more friendly with udev to check if the device is recognized. Also dmesg piped to less might offer some insight as to whether its being recognized during boot up or the problem. Checking /var/log/messages might be helpful in diagnosing the problem. I’m a bit skeptical that an update might fix something, unless you have an update to the kernel that fixes thew dreaded ‘random DVD drive drop out after regular usage bug’.

  6. Unclezip says:

    This is the time of year I normally take my computers apart for cleaning. Carefully pull each hard drive cable, and reseat. Do the same with the USB internal cables (if exists). In Oregon, Land of the Wet, we get a lot of minor corrosion this time of year, as the weather changes and causes spurious problems. Sometimes, very rarely, a hammer will do the trick (at least in my mind).

  7. Claire says:

    Egads, people. Some of these responses are perfect illustrations of why non-geeks remain terrified of Linux.

  8. bravokilo says:

    I’ve been a server builder for almost 20 years now. My best guess, absent any data, is that if it’s been working and you haven’t installed anything, it’s a hardware problem. Based on your reputed location, I’d say it’s fulla dust and possibly dander.

  9. Claire says:

    From my vast expertise as a total non-geek and owner of dusty dogs, I concur with unclezip and bravokilo. First thing to try is blowing all the gunk out of the parts — something an old mechanic can do well.

    And oh, how I remember that pervasive red dust down there in your desert!

  10. Joel says:

    Yeah, it’s back to being intermittent. I think a cleaning may be the solution.

To the stake with the heretic!