On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Trent Shipley <tshipley@deru.com> wrote:

> Dazed_75 wrote:
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Trent Shipley <tshipley@deru.com
> > <mailto:tshipley@deru.com>> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >     Memtest86 passed.
> >
> >     So far people have also suggested the cause as hardware
> >     incompatibility, hard drive issues, BIOS (Dell's site does recommend
> >     updating the BIOS for my motherboard but their program won't run from
> >     a CD and I couldn't figure out how to make a bootable DOS flash
> >     drive), usb drive/video card/other card/any peripheral, acpi (I think
> >     this issue is fixed in newer versions of Ubuntu), and my personal
> >     theory that the problem is fundamentally caused by an incompatible
> >     combination of software and hardware.  Software-hardware problems
> >     would explain why over several kernel iterations some are stable and
> >     run beautifully while others won't boot.   Without the boot log it's
> >     all superstitious guess work.  If I had another Linux machine I'd do
> >     surgery and mount the problem system's drive to read the log.
> >
> >     I think RedSeven is going to get some of my money.
> >
> > Trent,
> >
> > I read back through your posts and two things I have not seen from you
> are:
> >
> > 1) any details about your hardware other than it being a Dell (model,
> > memory, disk space, etc)
> > 2) do you need to retain any files/data from the system for which you
> > don't have backups
> >
> > Please provide that information.
> >
> > Depending on the answers and how quickly you need to get this resolved,
> > you might not have to go to the expense of a professional repair shop.
> > If necessary we might be able to get together to work on this.  Too bad
> > we did not have it to work on at the installfest.  You said near ASU
> > West.  Are you a student?
> >
> > --
> > Dazed_75 a.k.a. Larry
> >
>
> I wound up taking the computer to Red7.  The guy at the desk said the
> problem was related to file corruption.  They fixed the files, problem
> solved.  Some other things were also solved, like now it goes to sleep
> and the screen saver runs.  It hasn't done that since I upgraded from
> the Ubuntu 7.04 that came with the system.
>
> Unfortunately, when I got it home, it behaved just like before.  It quit
> partway through the boot sequence.  One participant in this thread
> suggested minimizing the system peripherals to see if I could get a
> boot.  It worked.  The culprit was the keyboard.  It was an old style
> PS2 keyboard connected by a PS2 to USB dongle.  You could toggle it
> between QWERTY and Dvorak.
>
> I'm gonna miss that keyboard.
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> Intriguing.  So the problems are now gone and things are working properly
again and continue to do so.  Glad to hear it!

Two questions about RedSeven though:
1) Did they give any indication of whether files might get corrupted again
(like a failing drive or ...)?
2) Was their service expensive?

-- 
Dazed_75 a.k.a. Larry

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions,
that I wish it always to be kept alive.
 - Thomas Jefferson