[NCLUG] PC for Linux (Ubuntu)

[DJ Eshelman]

William Greger wrote:
> To all -
>
>   What I learned about Ubuntu install (info from Computer Renaissance (CR)) -
> 1. CR was able to duplicate the problem of re-booting (after install) and getting a black (blank) screen.
> 2. Using Google ('ubuntu blank screen on boot'), there are (more than) a few posts indicating the same problem that I observed.  The solution appears to be reconfiguring the video interface.
> 3. CR also found another issue
>     - when CR assembled the PC, the 2 optical drives BOTH were primary on the IDE interface.  As soon as #1 was assigned primary and #2 assigned secondary, then the problem went away.  The PC is now able to boot normally from HDD.
>     - according to CR, most of their PCs use Windows and Windows doesn't 'care' about the designations of primary/secondary on the IDE interface.  But Linux (specifically Ubuntu (?)) must have the necessary interface specified.
>   
Hopefully they aren't charging you for their obvious mistake (danced the 
happy dance that I was correct on that one...).

We have seen instances where IDE DVD drives will work when both set to 
primary- but only during Windows install, which doesn't use any specific 
drivers, as near as I can tell.  Once you boot into Windows- they won't 
work properly because it switches modes (this is where DMA modes comes 
in, and someone could correct me on this, but I think that the Linux 
installer doesn't work the same way at all.)

They are wholly incorrect that Windows doesn't care, however, and they 
owe you an apology for selling you a system set up so poorly.

What they should have said is that most IDE drives are in 'cable select' 
mode which designates one as master and one as secondary based on which 
of the two cables it is plugged into.  This isn't always desirable, 
however, as usually that will make the bottom drive primary.

Any technician with an A+ cert (as they all claim to have over there, if 
memory serves), would know to check this.

-DJ