k3b claims it's already running when I start it

[cdupree]

I've been using k3b without incident for a few weeks since installing Oneiric, and I wrote several DVDs with it. Then I wrote a DVD day before yesterday just like the others, and suddenly k3b claims it's already busy when I start it, and when I try to burn an ISO onto a blank DVD k3b shows me the relevant window but inactivates the Start button. Probably there's a lock file somewhere, or something of that sort, but I don't know where to look. Any suggestions?

[woodsmoke]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

Hi
I have observed that rather odd behaviour myself in other distros, and basically, I just closed the window AND the K3B and then restarted it and it did fine.

i am SURE that someone else who is more capable than I will jump in and explain why this happens.

woodsmoke

[cdupree]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

That doesn't work for me, unfortunately. I can even reboot and k3b still thinks it's busy. It disables the Start button asking me for a BluRay medium. I didn't even realize I had a BluRay-writing device, and I'm not sure I do, but I'm trying to look it up...

[Teunis]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

Clicking CTRL+ESC brings up the Systems activities monitor (or such), does k3b show up in it and can you by right clicking terminate or kill the process that way?

[cdupree]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

k3b doesn't show up. I tried sorting processes by name and there's nothing beginning with k3b...

UPDATE: Just rebooted and tried it again. K3b says it's currently running and cannot do anything else in a popup window that went away before I could copy the precise wording. It continues to inactivate the Start button when I try to write to a blank DVD.

[woodsmoke]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

How about uninstalling, completely, and reinstalling?

woodsmoke

[LinuxRocks]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

Go to terminal and so an lsof |grep k3b... Find the socket, pid file, or another file it has open and kill the pid using killall.

Might have to delete /tmp files also...

Hope this helps!
Joe

[cdupree]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

lsof exists according to which, but lsof|grep kde hangs.

I've just now completely uninstalled everything with k3b in the name, rebooted, and reinstalled. It no longer claims it's already running, but it still refuses to recognize the blank DVD in the drive (and yes, I've already tried multiple blank DVDs). This manifests when k3b disables the Start button on the Burn dialog as I try to write an ISO file.

Hardware: Dell Studio XPS 7100, AMD Athlon II X4 630 processors, 8GB memory, plenty of disk space, and a HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GH50N CD/DVD drive. So, silly me, I finally look up that drive designation, and sure enough there are some issues with it over the last few years. However, according to http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/...C2:10008-CDROM, an updated version of the driver exists for 32-bit machines.

Unfortunately I've got a 64-bit machine.

Can I ever expect to have a working DVD writer again?

[LinuxRocks]

Re: k3b claims it's already running when I start it

lsof exists according to which, but lsof|grep kde hangs.

Yeah, it will take quite a while to search for every open file in you grep for kde. Remember, everything in Linux is a file, including sockets, network connections, files, disk drives... Etc...

If you search for something as vast as kde, its bound to take a while... Try searching for k3b instead.

When I do it, it takes about 3-5 seconds and then spits out the data. I have a duo core Intel with 6 gigs ram.

Joe