[Nottingham] Odd Mandrake problems

[Richard Davies]

On Monday 05 February 2007 16:11, Martin wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion.

> > anyone feel like a challenge helping me to sort out problems with
> > Mandrake probably version 8 something.
>
> That version is /very/ long in the tooth. An _old_ friend perchance?

You could say that, also extremely computer illiterate!!!!

> > Friend has just contacted me from Australia asking me to sort out her
> > box, she
>
> [---]

> > Any other ideas and suggestions most welcome so I can print them out and
> > post them SNAIL MAIL

> > I can see this is going to be a long drawn out debugging session.

> Easiest could be to post a MandrivaOne CD out there and let her get
> whatever she wants off that machine to somewhere safe.

Is there any way to back up with one CD drive no floppy and no network 
connection. I can't think of one off hand but then I have never used the 
MandrivaOne CD can you boot that and then use the same drive to write CDs?
Even if you can it might not be possible as I am not even sure she has a CD 
writer it could just be a reader.

> If it's all been running without problem for a very long time, then
> quite possibly you are seeing strange events due to HDD problems or some
> other hardware failure.

Quite likely, also she has an erratic power supply so crashes due to power 
cuts are quite possible and with no journaling file system or UPS that could 
be nasty or she has put a new monitor or similar on and not told me.

> With such a long tortuous debug route, easiest is to just retrieve
> whatever data onto a secure backup and then try a reinstall.

> Otherwise, go over there for a holiday?

Nice idea but financial impractical.

> Or ship the base unit back here for hands-on attention?

Suspect the same problem for her.

> Good luck,
> Martin

Thanks I can see I am going to need it.

Richard.