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Vent

post #1 of 22
9/11/07 at 7:25am
Thread Starter 
Can I mention how much I HATE that windows overwrites the MBR without giving you a choice....

Seablade

Currently downloading a live cd to reset up grub and access his linux partition to finish up a project within the next couple of hours... <Insert colorful expressions here>
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post #2 of 22
9/11/07 at 7:43am
Thread Starter 
I will also say Insert Linux is still my favorite tool for IT work, otherwise known as fixing MS's screwups

Seablade
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post #3 of 22
9/11/07 at 5:27pm
yeah, there are many things windows does by default and without asking that I find extremely annoying. The most recent was Vista on the wife's laptop. when first booted up it proceeded to download and install several things despite me clicking the 'cancel, and don't try again' button in the pop-up. REALLY ticked me off.

I've also run into the very problem you are (as I'm sure has anyone who runs a dual-boot setup). Really glad those boys in Redmond know how your computer should work, so you don't have to worry about it, eh?
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post #4 of 22
9/11/07 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drlouis View Post
yeah, there are many things windows does by default and without asking that I find extremely annoying. The most recent was Vista on the wife's laptop. when first booted up it proceeded to download and install several things despite me clicking the 'cancel, and don't try again' button in the pop-up. REALLY ticked me off.

I've also run into the very problem you are (as I'm sure has anyone who runs a dual-boot setup). Really glad those boys in Redmond know how your computer should work, so you don't have to worry about it, eh?

I've found a cure for these sorts of problems, Louis: erase Windows from your machines. Works great, but then, I'm not a gamer and don't have a wife to contend with so have absolutely no need for Redmond's best any longer.
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post #5 of 22
9/11/07 at 10:36pm
Thread Starter 
Oh the only reason I am running windows at all right now is because I got a job working as a level builder in a game for windows and need it to run their software unfortunately.

Really sucks though as I am mixing down a CD on a tight timeline in Linux on my workstation, and to have the MBR overwritten was not a delay I needed this morning

Seablade
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post #6 of 22
9/12/07 at 2:18am
That's why I don't dual-boot. Windows box for gaming and audio/video/graphics editing, Linux on everything else.
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post #7 of 22
9/12/07 at 11:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmwrob View Post
I've found a cure for these sorts of problems, Louis: erase Windows from your machines. Works great, but then, I'm not a gamer and don't have a wife to contend with so have absolutely no need for Redmond's best any longer.
good solution! I'd love to go Yankee's route, but I cant justify having a whole separate machine just for gaming. or maybe it's just that I cant sell it to the wife
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post #8 of 22
9/13/07 at 9:56am
Thread Starter 
Heh I Just got a new laptop I couldn't afford, I sure as hell can't afford an entirely new machine on top of that capable of doing this work

Seablade
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post #9 of 22
9/15/07 at 11:54pm
Thread Starter 
Well new vent thing here, not strictly linux related, but since i started this one here I might as well continue...

Apparently I have had an old bug in my MB bios come back and bite me up the A**.

My BIOS has stoped detecting my SATA drives. For me this is particularly bad timing as I had a few things to finish up on this CD and I sit down with the music director Monday(Out of town tomorrow) to go over final notes. Now as a result I can't boot into Linux which is of course on a SATA HD, and I am officially *#$@()$%@$(.

Going to see if I can still detect it at the OS level with a live CD once i reconnect an old IDE cd rom, and if I can I might be doing some fast research to see if I can force it via any other method to boot to SATA... I might be trying out Linux BIOS in a hurry tonight, which really worries me.

Seablade
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post #10 of 22
9/16/07 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 
Ok I am running out of ideas on this one, so if anyone has any suggestions...

Booting into Linux, Linux can see the SATA controller, but gives an error about the Link Down. BIOS still doesn't see the HD or CDROM. Linux doesn't see the HD or CDRom. Pretty much anything attached to my SATA bus seems too not be there. I am too hesitant to do Linux BIOS. I need to get this up and going ASAP as I have to give a cd to get duplicated Wednesday at the latest and have more work to do on it.

I am pretty well out of ideas at this point. Not by any means linux specific, but troublesome to say the least. Seems my SATA controller just bit the dust.

Seablade
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post #11 of 22
9/16/07 at 1:22am
Can you reset your BIOS?
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post #12 of 22
9/16/07 at 1:42am
Thread Starter 
If by that you mean clear the CMOS, yes and has already been done, tested, reset up as original, retested, cleared again, tested... yea that list goes on

If by that you mean flash from a mirror of it, no. On top of that I am unfortunately limited in my ability to reflash the bugger right now as well as I can't get into linux to build and burn a CD.

Seablade
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post #13 of 22
9/16/07 at 1:51am
I assume you've checked the physical connection... I had a SATA cable jiggle loose once. It's just a thought... the only one I have I'm afraid.
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post #14 of 22
9/16/07 at 1:51am
I meant clear the CMOS. I was going to suggest flash it next....

Theres ways to flash from a flash drive you know. You could look into that maybe?
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post #15 of 22
9/16/07 at 2:19am
Thread Starter 
Yea checked the connection, in the past few hours it has been reseated MANY times.

Working on building and burning a flash ISO from Insert as we speak, hope that works.

Seablade
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post #16 of 22
9/16/07 at 3:04am
Thread Starter 
And my last idea has officially gone down to *%$#@).

So yea it appears my SATA controller on my MB is shot. What is worse about this is that I severely doubt anyone has one around here. And of course it happens right as I am upgrading the machine(Yes i made sure I was grounded, yes I have completely restored back to the original before trying to troubleshoot this, no I did not turn it on earlier today before starting).

So now I gotta figure out what my next move is. And it ain't looking to pretty for me unfortunately. I am wondering if I can get an IDE drive and a external drive enclosure and use my Mac to clone my SATA onto the IDE, but that will still take quite a bit of time, plus while I am more comfortable doing so on Linux, on a Mac I am not quite as comfortable doing so. Ah well I gotta figure something out certainly it seems.

Thanks for the help, gonna go cry in a corner now

Seablade
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post #17 of 22
9/16/07 at 3:05am
Thread Starter 
PS For those wondering, apparently problems with the SATA controller are not uncommon on my MB, I figured since I have had this for several years now I wasn't to worried about it, apparently a big mistake on my part.

Seablade

Tyan Thunder K8WE if you were wondering. Model S2895
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post #18 of 22
9/16/07 at 3:55am
Damn thats a pretty hardcore motherboard you've got there. What Opterons are you running in it? Are they dual core or single cores? Quad Processor cores FTW!
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post #19 of 22
9/16/07 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
Well it was at one point, now it is considered crap

I just ordered a dual core 2.4 GHz processor for it, up from a single core 1.6GHz. I also ordered 2 more gigs of ram, but since it is unregeristered it doesn't work, my fault there.

Seablade
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post #20 of 22
9/17/07 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
Ok so for the moment I have the entire computer back up and running. A seperate PCI SATA controller card did the trick, right now it is a cheap one from CompUSA, I will be investing money in a 3Com most likely soon. Unfortunately somewhere in the process of swapping out componets to do troubleshooting I believe the new CPU I had just ordered for this thing died, yea I am having tons of fun. But at least I have it back on the original config for the moment, and while it is not ideal I can limp along to finish this CD.

I will note however that courtesy of the past couple of weeks, added onto specifically the past couple of days, I have gotten to the point that even in my DREAMS I am to freakin tired to do anything. Yea I haven't slept much in a LONG time...

Seablade
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