My unhappy adventures with Linux installation

[PowerGod]

Already tried to go back using the cached previous version:


sudo dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-headers-3.16.0-4-common_3.16.7-ckt11-1+deb8u2_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-headers-3.16.0-4-686-pae_3.16.7-ckt11-1+deb8u2_i386.deb...but nothing changed...

tried to go back to the unpatched original version:


sudo apt-get install linux-headers-3.16.0-4-common=3.16.7-ckt11-1
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-3.16.0-4-686-pae=3.16.7-ckt11-1
sudo apt-get install linux-source-3.16=3.16.7-ckt11-1...but nothing changed...

That's impossible, it was working yesterday with those versions...

... WAIT ...

Could it be Grub ?!

EDIT:

Grub is fine... so seems like I'll have to stick to 3.2 kernel until this NTFS thing is resolved...

 

[Neelix]

When a kernel update killed Alsa for me I had to completely uninstall it, then reinstall it to get it working again.
 
Perhaps it would help to uninstall ntfsprogs and libntfs*, then reinstall them.

-Neelix

 

[PowerGod]

When a kernel update killed Alsa for me I had to completely uninstall it, then reinstall it to get it working again.


Perhaps it would help to uninstall ntfsprogs and libntfs*, then reinstall them.

-Neelix

I suppose that those packages were not updated for some time on my system, because I have locked ntfs-3g at the last working version, also I just can't understand why with the 3.2 kernel I have no issues, if I'm using the same packages...

 

[Neelix]

I'm not even talking about different versions though.   My alsa package was up to date.   I had to uninstall then reinstall the same version to get it working again.

-Neelix

 

[PowerGod]

I'll try tomorrow

 

[levi]

How did you enable ntfs support?  Did you install mount.ntfs?  Is that still there in /usr/bin?  Perhaps there's some ntfs-3g package you installed?

This does remind me of old issues I had with the nvidia graphics driver; every kernel update would break graphics, and I'd have to relocate and run the binary nividia driver installer blob.  For NTFS support though, we have the source, so there shouldn't be the same problems (and even when I didn't have the source, it might have just been a matter of moving a .ko file to a new folder, I've since learned).

Edit: Looking at the arch ntfs-3g package for reference, it seem not to rely on any kernel modules, and run entirely in user space.  Note /usr/bin/mount.ntfs should just be a link to /usr/bin/ntfs-3g, but I suspect it's what the mount command uses when you say 'mount -t ntfs', and if you've any ntfs drives in your fstab, what that uses in turn.

 

[WizardStan]

This does remind me of old issues I had with the nvidia graphics driver; every kernel update would break graphics

This is because the actual nvidia "driver" is a binary blob while the kernel module is just a wrapper around that which needs to be recompiled against the installed kernel. Upgrade the kernel, need to rebuild the kernel module.

 

[PowerGod]

I don't use proprietary nvidia drivers, but nouveau

The only ntfs partition mounted on fstab is this


UUID="DEA098EAA098CB03" /mnt/DEA098EAA098CB03/ ntfs-3g rw,auto,user,fmask=0111,dmask=0000,relatime 0 0
the other ones are external and are mounted automatically, anyway this is the one that prevents loading the OS when ntfs-3g doesn't work... (I suppose because the primary disk at the boot is NTFS, while Linux is on a secondary EXT4 disk)

I have ntfs-3g 2012 version, as explained somewhere in this thread at some point it was the only working version I found, but I locked it to not being upgraded anymore, so it is still the same version as before... when I find a little time I'll try to remove/install it again

Anyway I can't understand how it can work with the 3.2 kernel and don't work with the 3.16... it's an external module as far as I know...

 

[levi]

You mean your bootloader is in an NTFS partition?  Why do you need that mounted when you get into Linux proper?

You'll need to mount it whenever your bootloader receives an update, but most of the time you don't need it.

 

[PowerGod]

You mean your bootloader is in an NTFS partition?  Why do you need that mounted when you get into Linux proper?

You'll need to mount it whenever your bootloader receives an update, but most of the time you don't need it.

That's the Windows XP drive, I actually use it all the time to share data between Windows and Linux, so if I REALLY need to boot Windows, I have all already there, even the Thunderbird profile for example...

/boot is on the Linux partition anyway, but the MBR used is on the Windows disk, actually I don't know so well how Grub2 works... I don't remember well what problems I had to configure it...

 

[levi]

Hmm, okay.  Maybe you could switch to having it mounted at login, rather than at boot.  It's still not clear why ntfs mounting is broken though, so that's worth getting to the bottom of.

I suspect your primary disc is your ext4 disc with /boot on it (which will contain GRUB on your system).  The MBR will scan for bootable partitions, then the VBR in that partition will mount and load GRUB, then GRUB will either load linux or run the VBR of the Windows partition.

 

[PowerGod]

The primary is the Windows disk, then I added another disk for linux.

I had to add the mount to the fstab because it wasn't mounted automatically like the other USB disks... it was only listed, but I had always to insert the root password to mount it... the only solution I found to mount it without the password was using fstab...

 

[Björn]

The drives that your file manager shows are the ones that get managed by GVFS (maybe another program depending on your Desktop environment). By default, GVFS won't mount partitions on internal drives, and you need the root password (or the password of a polkit admin, to be excact) to mount this drive.

You could theoretically have a fiddle with polkit rules (in /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/) to allow regular users to mount these drives without a password (altough this could affect the security of your system), but if you have a static mount point, /etc/fstab is the proper way to do it.

 

[levi]

Yeah, but it's boots first of all to the GRUB menu, right?  That's in /boot on your linux disc, therefore that is the 'primary' disc in my way of speaking at least.  Anyway, doesn't matter I guess - grub doesn't mount ntfs as far as I know, I think it just runs the Windows partition VBR, so the fact it can boot windows isn't indicative of anything on the Linux side.

I missed you saying you'd installed ntfs-3g but frozen it at an old version, apologies for that.  So it will fail to boot if that line's still in your fstab?  What happens if you try to mount it manually after booting up and opening a terminal? e.g.:


sudo mount -t ntfs-3g -U DEA098EAA098CB03 /mnt/DEA098EAA098CB03

Are there any errors reported doing that?

 

[PowerGod]

Tried to remove/reinstall ntfs-3g + ntfstools but nothing changed...

I have just seen a thing that I didn't saw at the beginning, the error that prevents to load the OS tells something like "reading outside hd1", but "hd1" it's not the NTFS partition, it's the ext4 one

Also booting with "Super Grub Disk" and trying to run the 3.16 kernel tells that there is no kernel in that position

 

[levi]

Did you try to run the manual mount command once you've got to a loaded linux prompt? If that also claims it's reading your ext disc rather than your NTFS one, are you sure that uid you've got is correct?

I've never used super grub disc, but configuring grub is just a matter of pointing at a file which happens to be the kernel you want to boot. If you do that incorrectly, it won't be able to boot a kernel. And I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve with running it; you already have a functioning instance of grub, as I understand your system, it's after it's loaded the kernel and its bootstrap is mounting drives that it fails; you're outside of grub's control by then, so a grub boot disc won't help.

 

[PowerGod]

Super Grub Disk just search for bootable kernels in all the drives and makes a menu, I used it some times ago when Windows XP were left out from grub because of the ntfs issues.

The fstab is ok, it's the same that it's used by the 3.2 kernel

EDIT:

Tried to remove the mount from fstab and nothing changed, the OS wont load...

but one of the last errors, before it returns automatically to the grub menu, tells that the kernel 3.16 is not to be found  

EDIT 2:

Updated and regenerated the Grub configuration, but even if the kernel is found by grub and put in the menu, it doesn't start at the boot...

EDIT 3:

This seems what's happening to me... http://askubuntu.com/questions/416418/error-attempt-read-write-outside-of-disk-hd0

if it's really a BIOS issue, I will be not so lucky this time, the last one is veeeery old and it's already installed...

 

[levi]

Hmm, so is it possible the NTFS mounting problems were a red herring all along?

I'm not sure what could cause it to report the kernel wasn't found when it's apparently pointing at a valid file.  Perhaps your kernel has become corrupt somehow?  I don't use GRUB personally, so I don't know exactly what its errors mean.

 

[PowerGod]

Yes, at this point I'm sure the ntfs is not the problem.

I found a newer version of the BIOS for my motherboard, it is a BETA anyway so maybe that's the reason I didn't installed it before... anyway I did it now, but nothing changed...

When I find the time to use puppy-linux again (the boot floppy is dead and I need to make another one), I'll try to force an fsck on the linux partition... even if at the boot it is telling "Clean"

EDIT:

IT WORKS !!!

I don't know exactly what did the trick... but the last things I tried where these:

sudo apt-get purge nvidia*
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-3.16.0-4-686-pae

The only nvidia thing installed was nvidia-detect anyway...

Also I tried many times the kernel reinstall before... so I suppose that the savior command should have been "dpkg --configure -a"

 

[Klumpen]

I've just found the solution for my constant screen tearing problem, maybe it's of some help to others at some point and I thought I'd just post it here:

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=174237#p906436

Hi,

I also have an Nvida card (GTX760) and had the tearing problem. I got in touch with somebody from the Nvidia helpdesk and he advised me to do the following:
After installation of the latest driver suitable for your card you open the Nvidia settings program. In here you make sure you save the current settings to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.
I had no such file to begin with but saving the settings makes it.

You can now open a terminal and type:
kdesudo kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

Type your password and kate will open the file.

Almost at the end of the file you see 2 lines with options:
Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
Option "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
First copy the second options line to a new line below it and put a # sign in front of it to change it in to a remark. This so you have a copy of the original line should you ever have to use it.

The first line is standard, the second one needs to be be changed by the line coming from the helpdesk, who gave me the part printed in bold below.
Change the second line to this and save it:
Option "metamodes" "nvidia-auto-select +0+0 { ForceFullCompositionPipeline = On }"

To make sure the file in its new configuration is used you have to reboot.

Since then my tearing problems are over. I don't say it is over for you as well but it won't hurt to try.
When it doesn't work change the line back to the original one by deleting the changed line and the #-symbol in front of the original line.

Good luck.