What do we do when the upgrad fails or hangs?

[degarb]

Once again, I clicked update, downloaded 600+ updates and installed. IT CRASHED on totem desktop.

Now just staring at me. What do I do?

[tg3793]

You probably need to include a bit more information. Your post looks like the middle of a conversation.

[mnvamsi]

You should possibly use "top" command to check who is causing the problem while running the update.

Lack of memory might be the problem.

[degarb]

Not sure of the reason.

A reboot or two and dpkg command fixed it.

Note: on distro install, she took the swap of external drive, not sda4 swap. I had to edit and fix the uid in the etc/fstab (sudo nautilus) I only noticed this after tuning off silent boot in bios and seeing swap not mounted.

! Also, it is still telling my root not mounted, what ever that means! Everything works fine, except I cannot browse windows network ( I see it, but cannot mount and get file list.) And I cannot see sdb1 (I can see on fdisk -l then mount it, but nothing in nautilus)

[xuancong]

it seems that you are new to open source OS, then try to install Ubuntu, don't install Debian, Ubuntu is almost the same as Debian, except that it's much more stable, reliable, got more package sources and more frequently updated.

Debian is more low-level configurable, catered for those who work on improving OS, testing different OS components, more advanced users.

From my own experience, even the stable version of Debian is not as stable as the testing version of Ubuntu.

Xuancong

[pfred1]

It seems you've some misconceptions about Debian and Ubuntu xuancong.

First off Ubuntu is built off the unstable branch of Debian.

Now if Ubuntu is just Debian modified how can Debian do anything that Ubuntu cannot?

I know I run Debian as opposed to Ubuntu because I have to do less configuration, not because I can do more. I can do the same amount on either, just I like Debian's defaults better than Ubuntu's.

Lately a lot of things that annoy me about Ubuntu have crept into Debian (like UUIDs in fstab gawd but they're so butt ugly! and just who's bright idea was Grub2 anyways? another slob job). Things I suppose I'll have to get around to fixing. Still less than I'd have to reconfigure in Ubuntu though.

pfred1 registered Linux user #102694

[degarb]

I am too green to linux to know much. I have one of my 4 machines is debian based mint (dual boot with xp, however intell video 8xxxx card goes narcoleptic for some reason under debian), I was drawn to it because the Ubuntu installer was hanging and crashing, and LMDE is a rolling distro (never need to reinstall your aps or os--one think I think that stinks in linux).

I don't understand the UUID in fstab. Isn't the uuid just the real id of the hard drives with mount points of varios things in fstab? Also, reading up grub2 is supposed to be better than grub, but it seems less manual control and many old linux users hate the change over. I don't know which plays better with windows 7, which would be the main selling point, since without this compatibility, linux expansion will die, no argument unless you are brain dead, like to argue, live under a rock, or hopelessly biased.

I did just install crunchbang in virtualbox under xp (experiment). It runs a tad to slow for tolerable usage, even with guest additions. But testing it in live cd, I saw too basic missing things, like disk-manager package. I don't really believe in a light OS, since everything they leave out will require you, the operator, to research and install your self. It is easier to just get a fat OS that works, and just uninstall and peel off crap you don't need. This takes no googling, posting, and can be done at your leisure. While if disks don't automount/unmount, if printers don't work, if documents don't open, if pages don't open, if usb devices don't automount, the entire world stops until each of these dozens of show stopping irritations are fixed.