No computer = sad Mike
So, here’s the deal kids: Thursday night, I here’s what I thought “Hey! The newest distribution of Ubuntu Linux just came out and I should download it and install it on my desktop computer!”
This was a bad choice.
Why? Well, simply because I had to backup my entire desktop onto my 500GB external via over my network on my MacBook, which was not a good idea because I lost a ton of files (mainly SNES ROMs and save states) without realizing I did so and because I was just plain stupid about how I did the setup amongst other minor ignorant things.
So! I had downloaded the OS from the Ubuntu website and burned it to a CD via my MacBook after backing up everything I thought I needed. I popped in the CD into my desktop, restarted and went about my way to install Ubuntu over Windows. Let me just say that my first indicator that things were going bad was that my TV (which I have been using as an external monitor via video-out) was showing a jarbled screen, but I was in such a hurry to get Ubuntu up and running that I ignored it…
Well, I got everything installed, copied back over and had installed all my favorite apps and such (mind you I had Ubuntu on my MacBook for a while back when I was trying to be a Linux geek last winter) when I decided that I wanted to watch some Dragonball with my room mate Jeff. This is when I really noticed that my TV wasn’t working.. I figured it was the nVidia drivers that needed to be installed for my graphics card (because Ubuntu is soooo awesome with restricted drivers for their OS.. seriously it is awesome), so I installed the driver, restarted… no change, but this time when I tried to get my TV to work, my monitor no longer showed any image, and my TV was waaaay effed up beyond recognition. Luckily I learned some cool Linux stuff in CS163 last semester and jumped into the command line via CTRL + ALT + F1 and tried resetting a bunch of files… no change. I had no choice but to reinstall the OS (but it was bed time, so I formatted, installed and went to bed).
Friday came and left me severely frustrated realizing that I left my power adapter for my MacBook at work, so had no computer until I got my desktop working or I could get to my place of work and get my power adapter–whichever came first. I ended up messing around a bit late at night (say 2AM-5AM) searching online for some answers but found none, which is really sad because 95% of the time, you can usually find an answer to your problem for Ubuntu on the Ubuntu Forums.
Saturday, I decided to try and install a partition of Windows just to watch TV/movies on my TV, but I ended up screwing up my Ubuntu partition somehow and all things went, for lack of a better word, fucked. Windows wouldn’t install, Ubuntu wouldn’t format correctly and I was effing frustrated. I tried fixing the partition and such, but had no success. I decided “Fuck linux, it hates me,” and went to try to put Windows back on… Nothing. I’d get through the formatting process and then it would freeze during installation… I was damn pissed.
And this is where I was Sunday. Nothing was working, so I borrowed a copy of Windows from my buddy Nate, and after many tries, somehow got Windows to install. I have never been so happy to use Windows in my entire life.
I managed to install VLC, uTorrent and all of my favorite apps for Windows and was able to watch 4 episodes of Dragonball before turning in for the night.
But do you all want to know what the problem was? Seriously? Because I was pretty pissed at what the cause was:
My 500GB firewire drive. It was plugged and either my motherboard didn’t like it or the Windows installer didn’t like to see it plugged it, but it was causing all of my problems. Every. Single. One. I found this out based on 2 things: 1) Given that after installing a fresh copy of Windows, you have to restart a bunch to get drivers and such to work and after having to force shut down my computer 10 or so times throughout the restart process I had somehow unplugged my firewire drive and noticed that my computer booted with no problem, 2) I knew this in the back of my head… somehow…
Talk about a frustrating weekend… simply because I had no computer period given that I couldn’t charge my MacBook… Holy damn.
So how have you kiddies been?