[SOLVED!!] - Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

[flarson]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

When you boot the recovery mode there are a few options to choose from, one of which is something like "shell with networking". If all else fails that should get you to networking. Probably you can run

service networking start

maybe followed by

service NetworkManager start

and get networking up.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Right... couldn't see that...

There's a text-box choice that pops up but which quickly gets obscured by other rolling text from the console... so I can't see which option I am choosing... It's up for about a half-second before it gets obscured...

I'll try to start the services from the command line, and if it doesn't work then I'll reboot a bunch of times until I can work out which option it is, and then make the choice in the dark, going blind as such - two taps on down, then enter... sort of thing.

Will let you know how I get on...

Thanks.

Bag.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

So then, I've got the networking set up, and all is well.

Doesn't solve the problem of the linux-image not being able to update. Still tells me that it may need to be fixed manually... so I've gone a different route.

I've kicked off a "sudo aptitude dist-upgrade" which tells me that it needs to download 251MB of more data. It's currently working on that, and should be done somewhere between two and three hours from now given the current download rate. We'll see how that goes. With a bit of luck, things should update OK. We'll see...

At the very least, once it's done with the downloading, at least all the data will be available for more messing around at the command line...!

Will keep you all posted.

Bag.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

OK, so I'm back...

I let it run the download (which took considerably longer than expected - what with us being on a very poor link shared between 145 houses!) and it seems to have finished installing everything...

I then tried to start kdm with:

sudo service kdm start

but it told me that it didn't understand this - it responded with:

Rather than invoking init scripts through /etc/init.d, use the service (8) utility, e.g. service kdm start

Since the script that you are attempting to invoke has been converted to an Upstart job, you may also use the start(8) utility, e.g. start kdm
start: Unknown job: kdm

which I found a little strange... So I ran the command you gave me earlier (which I presume is for searching through the installed packages):

dpkg -l | grep kdm

and it returned the following:

ii kdm                                4:4.3.2-0ubuntu7
        KDE Display Manager for X11

which I presume means that it's installed... but somehow I can't get it to start.

Just remembered... Can start with the command:

startx

OMG!!!

The desktop is up... of a fashion!!!!

I have a desktop showing...
Skype is kicked off (as it should be), another dialogue box is asking me about permanently removing sound hardware (which might be why there was no welcome jingle as it loaded up) and the screensaver has now kicked in...

The only problem is... that I can't seem to use the desktop.

Mouse and keyboard are disabled (hence the screensaver...! Do you think it would get as far as the screensaver if I could play around with it?!!!!). I have tried a couple of things with the keyboard etc...

The keyboard and mouse are a wireless combo version - with a PS/2 and USB connectors. Both are connected to the PC in PS/2 ports (the keyboard using a USB>PS/2 converter). They were working previously - since I used the damn keyboard to input the command to startx...!!

Nevertheless, I've changed the batteries, unplugged and replugged the connectors, attempted to reconnect the keyboard and mouse with the base unit... I've also swapped out the mouse and keyboard for my backup, wired varieties... The keyboard is a USB version. I've tried it in both a PS/2 port and three different USB ports on the main PC and it doesn't seem to pick it up. Still no dice. Doesn't even light up the LEDs to show that NumLock is on etc... And yet, the keyboard works - I've just plugged it into the netbook and it's working fine (using it to type now).

Why would it be that ports were working before I started X and not afterwards? Doesn't that seem more than a little odd to you?

Obviously, I could reboot - but it would need to be a hard reboot... not having access to a command line or a mouse to click... Am I OK to do this? Any other ideas before I try this?

How frustrating...!!! Almost there. And yet still not quite...!!!

As always - any comments that could get me the last little few steps are very much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Bag.

[dibl]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Obviously, I could reboot - but it would need to be a hard reboot... not having access to a command line or a mouse to click... Am I OK to do this? Any other ideas before I try this?

I have not attempted to follow this epic (the title is a bit of a turn-off). However, there's very rarely a need to do a "hard" reboot. Press and hold down the Alt and SysRq keys, and while holding them down, press in slow sequence R S E I U B. Your computer should restart. If you need to turn it off, press the power button when you see it restarting and showing the BIOS splash.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Dibl,

You've missed out - it's been a real rollercoaster of a ride!!!! Almost over though... he says...!!!

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try, but the problem is that it appears that my keyboard is no longer registered by the PC... Typing produces nothing, I can't tab to choose options, return does not pass any execute command and it just seems to be dead.

All the more annoying that I used the same keyboard to input the command that got it into this state! So I presume that the keyboard and mouse still work.

Will try anyway, as soon as I get back home. Will let you know.

Thanks,

Bag

[flarson]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

It sounds to me like you do not have software to control the keyboard and mouse under X, so I doubt that dibl's suggestion will work this time. It is a valuable piece of information though. I would first try CTL-ALT-F1 to see if I could get a virtual terminal (F1 through F6 should all be available, F7 is the X display) and fix things.

The problem is that you do not have all of the software installed yet. There are 2 packages that should bring all of the desktop with them but I am not sure I will remember exactly which ones they are. One of them is kubuntu-desktop. I think the other is kdebase-workspace-bin. So run

sudo aptitude install kdebase-workspace-bin kubuntu-desktop

and it will probably drag in 50 or so other packages and when it is done you will be a lot closer.

[dibl]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Neither the X server nor any other software functions need to be working to use the "magic sysrq" restart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_SysRq_key

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Dibl - many many thanks... Magic Sys-Req key it is...!

Right then, only did the first three key combos and it dumped me out to the command line at tty1. Will log back in from there and try mando_hacker's suggestions for checking basic desktop functionality and reinstalling it if it needs it.

For info, the data on the screen as I see it reports the following... maybe that gives me some pointers...

X.Org X server 1.6.4
Release Date: 2009-9-27
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.24-23-server i686 Ubuntu
Current operating system: Linux kubuntu 2.6.31-14-generic #48-Ubuntu SMP Fri Oct 16 14:04:26 UTC 2009 i686
Kernel command line: root=UUID=faaa3c7c-93e3-4b24-a03f-8f95a1f616f2 ro single
Build date: 26 October 2009 05:15:02PM
xorg-server 2:1.6.4-2ubuntu4 (buildd@)
      Before reporting problems, check hhtp://wiki.x.org
      to make sure that you have the latest version.
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
        (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
        (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", time: Thu Nov 12 13:07:50 2009
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
(EE) config/hal: couldn't initialise context: unknown error (null)
init: Disconnected from system bus
[25262.880844] udev: starting version 147

Ubuntu 9.10 kubuntu tty1

kubuntu login: _

So then, having had a look at this error set and the earlier response from mando_hacker, I've decided to reinstall some packages.

I've reinstalled the following: hal, udev, kdebase-workspace-bin and also kubuntu-desktop

It didn't pull in a lot of packages - they were all already installed... So will now reboot and see what happens... Want to know if it goes directly to the desktop this time or not...

Will let you know how it goes.

Bag.

[barbolani]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

bag, now you seem to intentionally stop telling the story at the reboot, where it would have delayed your post just two minutes to tell us the result... since I'm now watching this epic struggle with almost the same level of interest than a thriller movie, please don't do that.

Or, well, in the name of good literature, yes, do as you want as your patience has earned you the right to tell this story the way that you like... but please, tell us the result of the reboot!!!

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Barbolani, sincere apologies for keeping you on the edge of your seat... Was just marvelling at the wonder that is Karmic Koala...

I'm back in again, it started up OK but went only as far as the command line. I needed to "startx" to get KDE up and running... The keyboard works fine, as does the mouse. So I have pretty much got myself a working system...!

OMG!!!!!!! Finally, almost completely there...!

Now then, a (very) long time ago I managed to fix a broken Xorg.conf file when I had just this problem of not autostarting - but I think that a lot has probably changed since then and scratching around inside an Xorg.conf file is quite honestly not for the faint of heart... Given all that I've gone through over the last couple of weeks I don't know that I want to go that way for the moment... Just a day or two of 'normalness' would do me the world of good!!!!

However, is there any way that I might get this minor glitch of not booting straight through to KDE fixed without resorting to conf files? A simple(?!) reinstall of X?

There are still a series of packages that do not seem to have updated, or have been uninstalled (Firefox, for example) and the sound card does not seem to be working right now... But for the moment, I'm just happy to have the system up and running...!

Any help on the last hurdles is much appreciated...

Talk soon.

Bag.

[dibl]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

only did the first three key combos and it dumped me out to the command line at tty1.

If you need to restart it again, try just Alt-SysRq and R. The "R" switches keyboard control away from the X server. This is your Clue #27 that the problem(s) you are presently having are entirely in the video (X server) domain. So it's all about the video driver and tweaks that your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file may require to support your GPU, as well as any kernel boot options that may be required to get past the splash screens.

[barbolani]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

While not discarding that you have some kind of problem with video (probably penauts compared to what you've endured so far) I don't think that not starting kdm is related to that. This is because your X system is working, so I cannot see a reason for kdm not working as well.

What happens if you issue a sudo service start kdm? If that works, then is a symptom of the init sequence not properly set up, or just the kdm service being disabled on boot up. If that does not work, then is a kdm specific problem that could probably be fixed by reinstalling the service.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Barbolani & Dibl,

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure about it all... Both sets of advice seem sensible...

X is most definitely working at the moment (in so much that I have a fully working desktop). The GPU acceleration would seem to be working too - since my OpenGL screensaver runs fine, without blocky pixelation etc... And besides, I never had a problem with X and the setup before...

Will stop kdm and try reinstalling it. See if that works.

Up until now, trying to start kdm via the service command has not worked. Will give it another go before and after trying to reinstall kdm and let you all know.

Thanks to all for keeping with me throughout this.

Bag.

[bag]

Re: Katastrophic Koala upgrade - system completely borked...

Well trying to start kdm with

sudo service kdm start

didn't get much joy - same result as earlier... about being able to use the service command but it then not actually working...

Then I tried it again. and it seemed to work. Didn't take me to KDE though - I needed to Ctrl^Alt^F7 for that... So presume that this means that KDE might actually be started using this command.

Funnily enough though, issuing the stop command doesn't work... returns the following:

XXXXXX@kubuntu:~$ sudo service kdm stop
stop: Unknown instance:

And yet, a quick Ctrl^Alt^F7 takes me to the desktop...

Dibl - I've run a "dpkg -l | grep X" and it returns over 40 packages with X in them. Do you think that I need to get down and edit the xorg.conf file or should I just try to reinstall some of the main X packages?

Thanks.

Bag