100% Ubuntu Linux

It felt like I just came out from an operation – performing a major surgery on a dying patient. It took almost 4 days but I have finally managed to solve my home computer problem and in doing so, I have gone 100% Linux at home.

When my home computer crashed last week and I was “punished” with a non-working CD-ROM, disabled internet connection and missing sound device, I know that it is going to take a while working on the computer to bring it back to life. After giving up on installing Linux (Ubuntu 6.06), I tried to recover by reinstalling Windows XP but since my CD-ROM did not work, I contemplated of buying a new CD-ROM to get the job done.

Last weekend, I suppose to buy the new CD-ROM but due to heavy rain and some work at home, I decided to postpone my visit to the computer shop and instead, tried to tweak the existing hardware. I unscrewed the CD-ROM and rechecked the wires at the back. All looked well. Then out of suspicion, I change some of the connectors from the CD-ROM to the motherboard and tested. The CD-ROM kicked back into action and was able to detect the CD. I realised now it was due to faulty connector that has been bugging me for the last one week. With a new sense of hope, I tried to reinstall Ubuntu Linux but it showed Kernel Panic message and exited.

So, I gave up and resorted to do a clean reinstallation of Windows XP. After all, I have done such setup many times now and it has almost come routine. The setup got up fine but half way into the installation, it displayed an error message. Few setup files was found corrupted and as such setup was not completed. It seems like things were getting from bad to worse. It was time for more research on the net and double check with some of my techie friends or to get a new setup CD.

It seems like many people was also having some problem with Ubuntu 6.06 (although not similar to mine). So I tried to look for other Linux distribution and found one that could work with my old specification home computer – PCLINUXOS (they claim it works on a Pentium 2 without any problems). Just when I was burning the setup files into a CD, I realised that Ubuntu have released a newer version – Ubuntu 6.10. Hoping that the version 6.10 had solved 6.06 bugs, I burned (at the lowest speed) both distributions to be checked at home (now that I managed to solve the CD-ROM problem).

I ran PcLinuxOS first and loading of the LiveCD went well. The Linux loads up (although was extremely slow) and allowed me to use the applications. The problem started when I tried to install Linux into my hard disc. The setup starts and then freezes half way. At first, I thought the setup files were screwed, so I tried Ubuntu 6.10 but the same problem occurred. I could get the LiveCD to run and use the applications but I was unable to install it into my hard disc. Feeling a bit tired, I took a short break before looking into this problem.

After a can of beer, I sat down again to ponder why the installation failed. Then I recall reading somewhere in the Ubuntu forum that some video cards (especially those old ones) may interfere with the installation. I had an old ATI Radeon 7000 video card installed in my PC and I suspected that this could be the culprit. So, I changed the BIOS setting on the video and changed connection from the monitor to my on-board VGA port. I crossed my fingers and restarted the Ubuntu installation and it worked. I formatted the whole hard disc (did not have anything important in it and have backed up others), partitioned it and made a clean installation of Ubuntu 6.10 Linux.

The whole setup only took me about 30 minutes and I got the Linux running from hard disc without any problem. The CD-ROM was working and so did the sound card. The modem can be detected but I need to get the command to get the Linux to connect to the internet. Hope to do that by end of this week. I finished at about 11.45 pm last night, feeling great that I have managed to solve one part of the problem with the computer.

I need to learn up more on Linux commands but as at now my computer has gone 100% Ubuntu Linux.

Del.icio.us Tag: Software

Strange Noises

Having to move to a new neighborhood allows one to hear strange noises at night.

The first night we moved in, the night was full of cricket sound. Although it was not a strange noise, hearing cricket in a well developed housing area was however rare. We welcomed the sound though – it reminded on the sound we used to listen when we visit some of our relatives in a kampong in Tanjung Malim. The night seems more relaxed and serene.

Then some of my neighbors started to move in as well. The cricket sound was still there but now added with dog barking sound. Thankfully the neighbor that has the noisy dogs is a good 10 houses away from my house so the barking is heard in the “distance”. I felt pity for their immediate neighbors though, having to put up with the constant barking day and night.

Once in a while, I would hear baby cries but having my son shouting and crying made us almost immune to the baby crying sound.

But this morning, I heard the strangest sound I have ever heard after moving in here – the sound of a rooster crowing. First I dismissed it as noises coming from my sleepy head but after several times listening to it, it was confirmed that it was a sound of rooster crowing and it was coming from the outside.

Don’t tell that some of the neighbors are rearing chickens as well. Damn!

Del.icio.us Tag: X-Files

Deepavali Summary

Something is not right with some people…

You know that people are taking the Deepavali celebrations less seriously these days when you turn on the TV on the first day of Deepavali and you find a show on Hari Raya on a government run TV channel – more the reason for not tuning to any government-run TV channels these days. It can look ridiculous and down right insulting. Raya was 3 days away and yet, some people decided that the first of Deepavali was not of any significant to show programs relating to Deepavali. Astro with channels 6 and 73 however had lined up enough programs to keep us entertain throughout the first and second days of Deepavali.

This was our first Deepavali in our new house and we wanted to celebrate it in a big way but since we have not shopped for furniture (due to constrain budget mostly); we opt not to have any open house for friends and family this year. That has to be postponed to next year.

The day started with the typical early morning bath and then the morning prayers. Those days when I was small, I recall being “rudely” woken up by my mother for the morning bath. It will be still dark on the outside and the water was cold. By the time we finish our morning bath, we would come out shivering in cold. The morning of Deepavali was truly a torture back then. If I was celebrating at my grandmother’s house, it is total different story. Hot bath at my convenient time is the preferred choice by my grandma (who by the way is still alive and recently celebrated the birth of her 3^rd great grandchild).

This year, my son actively joined in the prayers. He was in the thick of the action when my Dad started the prayers. Since he is “big boy” now, we allowed him to do his own prayers which he did in rather a cute way. He is learning fast from the adults at home.

Next was the breakfast which was rather simple but effective if you ask me – hot thosai with chicken curry and coconut chutney. By that time, my son was already in his new Deepavali clothes and hand firming holding 2 packets of “ang-pows” from my sister and brother. Deepavali celebration was truly the best for children but for us adults, it was another day to rest. We opted out from visiting friends and family on the first & second day of Deepavali this year as there was still things to do at home and some of the relatives have decided to travel outstation (to escape the haze).

The only other avenue was to switch on the television and see what the TV channels have lined up for Deepavali. Watching Tamil movies on Deepavali does not have the same anticipation that we used to have those days before Astro came about. Most of the shows shown on the TV gave that “we have seen something like this before” feeling to all of us at home.

So, to kill time, we went out to do our shopping for a new dining table and book-shelf. We saw real good ones at a bargain price at the furniture mall in Puchong. I have been buying those thick science fiction and thriller novels over the years and always wanted to have a specialized book shelf to place them – a mini library sort of. We were not surprised to see a large number of Indians and Malays at the furniture mall – most doing last minute shopping to spruce up their houses for the celebrations.

Deepavali celebrations this year was indeed boring but since it fell on non working days (Saturday and Sunday), it was just a normal Saturday and Sunday for most of us. On Monday, we were back to work as usual. The traffic was superb – not many cars at all. My colleagues were surprised to see me at the office but they too agreed that having the holidays too close to each other, sometimes coming back to work is a relief in a way.

Del.icio.us Tag: Event

Windows – Linux Problem

It may the case of Microsoft secretly adding an internal program that will cause the system to crash whenever it detects the user trying to install any operating system that is not Windows based.

That is what came to my mind when I tried to install Ubuntu Linux into my home PC. First, the CD-ROM failed to work. It does not detect any Linux CD when I tried to boot from the CD-ROM. I opened the PC and rechecked the wires – all were attached properly. Then I thought the problem was perhaps due to dirty lens, so I took a CD-ROM cleaner and cleaned it several times. The CD-ROM still failed to work.

Leaving aside the Linux installation, I thought it will be better if I leave things as it is until I could do more research in Linux forums. Guess what happened next? The boot of Windows XP shows an error – missing pci.sys file. Windows XP failed to load as well. The so-called repair function that was shown on screen was rather useless – it also showed an error message and hastily exited to reboot. Thinking that I had no other choice now but to try to install Linux (format the hard disc and then do a clean install of Linux) , I keep trying to get my CD-ROM to work. I probably would have spent almost an hour tweaking on the CD-ROM when all the sudden it came alive. I managed to reach up to Ubuntu installation menu and press enter to start the installation. I thought I was “home free” with the installation but I was dead wrong.

Barely 2 seconds into the installation, the system returned Linux Kernel panic error message. Damn, I was screwed both ways – Windows and Linux. It was even worse now since I am left with no PC to use for the holidays. There was no point wasting time on the Windows based system that screwed the user for no reason. So, I switched off the PC and spend the time attending to my garden, car and family. Later that night, I just tried to boot the PC for the very last time just before going to bed (ya, I was silly but just wanted to give Windows one last chance) – I did not try to load the Linux CD and immediately the Windows XP was back. Although I was angry with the Windows, its “unannounced return” was most welcomed especially when I badly needed it to download the photos from my digital camera.

Its return was not without a punishment for me – the CD-ROM still fails to work. In addition, the modem and the sound card failed to work either but luckily the other things were working. It has been almost 4 days since I last used the CD-ROM, listed to music on my PC and surfed the net. I am trying several options to tweak the setting and recheck the hardware drivers but if it is not going to work in the next few days, then I either need to look for a new CD-ROM (assuming my old CD-ROM has a hardware problem) to get the Linux installed or reinstall the Windows XP and forget about trying out Linux for the time being.

Del.icio.us Tag: Software

10 Reasons to Celebrate Deepavali

Picture source: BJ Photos

I finally managed to get Ubuntu LiveCD running – more on it next week (after the long holidays)

It’s time for the time for the Hindus to celebrate Deepavali, the Muslims to celebrate Aidilfitri and the rest of Malaysians to enjoy an almost 5 days of holidays (I refrain from using the word “Deeparaya” which has been an issue for some). Although I can’t talk much about Aidilfitri, I found this website that talks about 10 mythical and historical reasons why Diwali (Deepavali) is a great time to celebrate for us Hindus.

1.Goddess Lakshmi’s Birthday: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi.

2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day), Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Ma Larkshmi on Diwali.

3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival.

4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic ‘Mahabharata’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.

5. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before.

6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as well.

7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.

8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day.

9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.

10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the festival of light.

Happy Deepavali, Selamat Hari Raya and Happy Holidays to everyone…

Del.icio.us Tag: Event