Followup: Installing Ubuntu from Windows
Ok, so I got unetbootin installed and rebooted. But I'm hit with a Windows error message saying it can't boot.
I've edited boot.ini thusly:
9c9
< F:\ubnldr.mbr="UNetbootin"
---
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\ubnldr.mbr="UNetbootin"
9c9< F:\ubnldr.mbr="UNetbootin"---> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\ubnldr.mbr="UNetbootin"
This -should- allow me to boot into ubuntu. Fingers crossed. Will edit if not.
EDIT1: This did not work. Windows' bootloader thought unetbootin was a Windows operating system, and was therefore expecting files which are clearly not present. I'm therefore re-installing unetbootin in the vain hope that it will work. Will edit again when it doesn't.
EDIT2: This did not work. Windows' bootloader STILL thinks unetbootin is a Windows operating system despite several variations in my installation procedure. I think the only way to convince my computer otherwise is to take the decision out of Windows' hands. That requires waiting for Mike to wake up and give me a blank CD though (his LiveCD of Ubuntu is 64bit and my processor is somewhat deficient in bits. It only has 32, bless it...) Another edit will follow with tales of my success once I have a CD in my hands...
EDIT3: Day 2 of using Ubuntu again and I can honestly say I couldn't be happier. Windows XP is probably never going to see the light of day again. I'm home!!! SO happy!
Installing Ubuntu from Windows
I recently ran into the problem of using wubi.exe (Ubuntu's Windows installer) to install Ubuntu 10.10 and hitting a "try (hd0,0): EXT2:" hang. Information on the internet is sporadic and confusing at best so I thought I'd post a run-down of what steps I took, what worked and what didn't.
Note that this whole procedure would've been a lot easier if I had a blank CD or a LiveCD of Ubuntu to hand, but I don't, so never mind.
Ok, so when I hit the error I gave it time to complete what it was doing, it was definitely hung. So I rebooted back into Windows and tried a different .iso image. Same issue. So I tried a different wubi.exe (specifically, the one on the 10.10 i386 iso rather than the one you get if you choose to download it from ubuntu.com). Same issue. At this point I ran around the net in circles for about an hour getting nowhere fast but eventually stumbling upon some people reporting the issue affecting EasyBCD. So I looked into what exactly EasyBCD was, it turns out it's a way to modify the Windows Vista/7 bootloader. Since the SP3 bootloader is nigh-identical to the Vista/7 one, I thought EasyBCD might help. Unfortunately, it's only superficially identical, and despite following a "howto use EasyBCD on Windows XP" tutorial, I managed to completely remove the Windows XP bootloader menu, replacing it with a black screen that flashes for a second then boots into windows. Great. So now I can't even -try- to boot wubi.
It was at this point I hit the 'net again, and after another hour or two of circular google-forum-google work I eventually hit upon "Unetbootin". I knew of Unetbootin before but only very vaguely, had once used it to try out a few OSes. It turns out that Unetbootin can mimick wubi, almost, but in a much more sane way. What Unetbootin does is perform a 'frugal install', in other words using your hard disk as a LiveCD. Sort of a LiveHDD idea. Perfect! Once you're in the Live environment, performing an install to an already-prepped Ubuntu partition (which I just so happen to have) is trivial. I'll post a follow-up detailing my success with this (it's currently halfway through installing).
Check back later!
Long time no post!
Ok so a lot has happened. Rachael left me for a fella named Tom Coutts. All the best to them, it was a totally painful experience at the time but I've realised that anybody who's going to leave me for somebody else isn't worth getting upset about. No offence, Rachael, and yes I know you said it was for umpteen other reasons but frankly you're not going to be able to bullshit me with that "it's your own fault" rubbish if you go out with someone else 2 weeks after we broke up. Ain't gonna happen.
Ok so in lighter news, I've made some new friends, discovered a love for Bon Jovi and that's about it. Still no direction in my life, but I'd like to take an LPI exam so I can become a Linux System Administrator. That costs money though, and I really don't know where I can get £120 from.
So yeah, life is still its usual roller coaster. Everything broke in the last 2 months or so, and I'm gradually fixing what I can - my desktop was the first to officially be labelled "mended". My phone, my netbook and my relationship with Rachael have all be written off as irreparable. Next thing to work on is my ability to finish projects (something I've never really had fixed). Any help with that would be appreciated, but I don't know who I'm talking to. I don't really have a support network. Oh well.
Responses to Open Letter
These are the responses from the three candidates to the open letter I sent last night. First the conservative, who deigned to visit upon my inbox all manner of HTML goodness (that's sarcasm, I hate HTML formatted emails):
Dear Mr BrowneThank you for your email. I'm afraid I'm not too well up with IT! However, I regret the fact that this Bill was rushed through the Commons with little time for us to scrutinise and debate it. I therefore hope that we can return to this matter after the election and look forwrd to doing so. But for now, thank you for letting me have your views.
Best wishes,
Laurence Robertson The Conservative Party Candidate
The Green Party response was sent in a plaintext email (thankfully!):
Dear ChristopherThankyou for bringing these issues to my attention.
I am pleased to say that the Green Party propose laws that diminish, not
increase, copyright and intellectual property rights.
I agree with you that the powers brought in by the Digital Economy Act
represent an infringement of civil liberties, and I would oppose use of
these powers for that reason.
Of course, whilst criminals and abusers profit from cyberspace, measures
must be taken to protect the rest of us from their malicious use of it.
Achieving a balance between civil liberty and civil security is always
difficult, and I must confess that I am no expert on the matter. All I feel
prepared to say on this is that we should always be on guard against
'mission creep' in security measures, and be vigilant in safeguarding ourt
civil liberties
Were I elected I would join with others to vigorously oppose powers that
remove people from internet use in response to copyright violation. I feel
that this sets an alarming precedent.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Sidford
Finally, here is the response from Alistair Cameron, the Liberal Democrat candidate (multipart/alternative mime type):
Dear Mr Browne,Thank you for contacting me about the Digital Economy Act and a number of of related issues.
We have been highly critical about the so called “wash-up” process which has enabled this Act to pass with limited Parliamentary scrutiny before the General Election. The “wash-up” of the Digital Economy Bill was essentially a carve up between the Labour and Conservative parties that ignored Liberal Democrat arguments to consult more widely before introducing a measure to introduce web-blocking for copyright infringement. Liberal Democrats voted against the Bill at 3rd Reading in the House of Commons and against the Labour and Conservatives web-blocking amendment in both the Lords and the Commons.
Liberal Democrats remain to be convinced about the necessity for technical measures, which could include disconnection from the internet. Liberal Democrats were successful in getting the Government to agree to a period of at least a year in which no technical measures can be considered and then to undertake a process of rigorous analysis and consultation into the need for any such measures. We also believe that the music, film and other content industries must work more urgently to develop easy and affordable ways for people to legally access their products.
The recent Liberal Democrat conference in March voted to establish a party working group to look into further detail about the issues raised by the Act.
You raised a number of related questions about the internet, cyber crime and cyber terrorism. I will need more time to get back to you with a considered response to these questions.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Alistair Cameron
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate
I'll let you decide for yourself which is your favourite response.
The open letter is released under the same license as this entire blog (Creative Commons Share and Share Alike Attribution Non-commercial license). The responses hold views that belong to the indicated parliamentary candidates; I accept no responsibility nor liability for their views. On request from the owner or a person legally representing him/her, I will remove a response. I have not edited and will not edit any of the responses for any reason whatsoever.
Open Letter to three Tewkesbury Candidates (Alistair Cameron, Laurence Robertson and Matthew Sidford)
Dear Tewkesbury Candidates (or at least, the ones who publish their email address),
I'm a constituent living in Tewkesbury, trying to decide who I should vote for on thursday.
I would like to know each of your opinions on the Digital Economy Act. I would like to know your more general opinion of Copyright vs Copyleft, and whether internet censorship is a justifiable enforcement of copyright law.
I would also like to know what operating systems you are each familiar with and to what extent you are familiar with each. After all, if you are passing legislation regarding digital media and the use/abuse thereof, I should hope you are at least aware of a significant range of operating systems, their distribution methods and their compatibility with Digital Rights Management.
The Internet, and legislation surrounding it, affects us all. I would like to be reassured that those who are creating this legislation understand the core principles of it. Concisely, what is the internet for?
Cybercrime and cyberterrorism are also immediate threats to the safety and welfare of United Kingdom residents. What safeguards are being taken to ensure users of the internet are protected against security crackers, malicious software, privacy invasion and internet-based attacks; do you feel the current legislation is sufficient? Does it protect without infringing on civil liberties?
Remote devices - such as smart phones, tablet PCs and laptops - often include Digital Rights Management software to prevent users from infringing copyright. Have you ever been unable to use any device in the way in which you want to due to this software? Do you think the software is justifiably restrictive?
There are many software platforms available on the market today, but the main three are NT (eg Microsoft Windows), BSD (eg Apple Mac OSX) and Linux (eg GNU/Linux). Which of these (or any other) do you use? Which of these (or any other) do you think represents the most accurate analogy for your political party, and why?
I look forward to hearing from you before the general election. I appreciate I may not receive my answers until after I have voted due to the busy nature of yourselves at this time.
Regards,
Christopher Browne
Transcript from Dell Sales
I contacted Dell Sales about Free Software. This is the transcript:
Here is the email (s)he sent me: Yup, 2 hours later and still no email. I'm assuming (s)he's given up searching google for "why Dell is crap?".
Servers! Roof!
Yes, my servers are finally in the roof; which means I can relax and wipe everything off my whiteboard. I'm happy. I'm also connected through w1zard who is now our network's personal Proxy server (currently optional, in the long run mandatory). It caches and filters and makes life more streamlined and safer for the old fogeys in the house who are a little naive to say the least (my mother searched Google for "fisting", thinking it was the act of shaking one's fist; which first prompted me to think about setting up a filtering proxy).
Ossum has changed its name to Enosis and still hasn't been worked on very much; but the infrastructure is now in place so the next step is to write a plan and then a tech demo. Fun, fun, fun!
I've received four 7"x5" canvases and finally dug out mum's old acrylics (of which there is a disappointingly small pallet, but it should be significant for the work I have planned); I will be painting four abstract works entitled "Battlefield of the Mind". Pictures once I've actually done it.
I have also begun thinking about considering contemplating starting to ponder the possibility of organising a "Geeknic" over the summer, so if you're a geek in the Tewkesbury area (or a geek who can reasonably travel to the Tewkesbury area) then get in touch, the more the merrier!
Very excited about finally having my desktop back... And my whiteboard, for that matter!
Oh, and started work on a computerised Rubik's Cube solver with the ultimate goal of making a robot that will solve rubik's cubes (hopefully to be shown off at the geeknic).
Servers!
The two servers I ordered from ebay have arrived! £235 for:
w1zard:
- Intel Xeon 3.2GHz (/proc/cpuinfo reports 2 cores)
- 1024MB of RAM (free reports 1023012 bytes)
- 73.1GB 15k RPM SCSI hard disk drive (df reports 67456272 bytes on /)
- 2x1Gb ethernet (both identical Intel 82541GI Gigabit Ethernet Controllers)
- Floppy disk drive, CD ROM drive, front-availability VGA and 2xUSB
w1tch:
Same as above
W1zard is already up and running, serving you this webpage! W1tch will be up when I work out how to configure the network (I'm thinking internet->router->w1zard->w1tch->war1ock for the time being, with w1tch and war1ock later becoming siblings in a w1zard-controlled network).
Problems encountered so far:
- Missing kettle leads for both servers (borrowed a couple, ordered some from Ebay so I can return the borroed cables)
- W1zard's RAID was set to RAID 0, but the second disk had been removed - so I got a RAID error on first boot - solved by switching RAID off in the BIOS.
- Minor damage to w1tch's front mount thingy, fixed by bending it back the couple of mil it was out by.
They are also very noisy, and very big; which doesn't matter in the long run as their ultimate location will be the attic, but for now they are on my desk and very much in the way.
Both servers also came without any software, but the MBs support PXE; but it was a quicker job to use a Ubuntu 9.10 server edition disk on w1zard - I may experiment with PXE when I get w1tch up and running.
Any questions?
General updateyness
First of all, let's introduce my readers to the new FSF campaign.
So basically, they are telling everybody what they already know (Windows sucks) and what they might not already know (there's an alternative, and it's FREE!).
As we all know, I'm an Open Source Advocate, and as such I will be participating in the Windows 7 Sins campaign at some point, I just need to figure out how.
My girlfriend, Rachael, who is wonderful, is visiting me tomorrow for three days, so I'm very happy about that...
I've replaced my website's half-dozen links with a single link to my new forum community, which is also the temporary home of a social club founded by myself and my good friend, Bret Ware, Port Manteau.
I've started work on Pre-planning Phase 0 of a new project, which is an LMOFPS called "Ossum". I take exception to the term "MMO", which implies that these games are massive, which is of course, totally untrue. For those who are saying "what? but they're HUGE!!! How can you say they aren't massive?!" I will give you a brief physics lesson: The word "massive" means "consisting of great mass; containing a great amount of matter". This is not the only definition, it is accepted colloquially as meaning "large in size or bulky". However, since the first meaning exists (and is my preferred meaning for the word), AND there are plenty of other words to describe something that is bulky, large, great, grandiose, enormous, huge, big or gigantic (have I proved my point yet), I see no reason to introduce ambiguity into the expression simply to please some marketing exec somewhere who wanted to press the word "Massive".
So we're calling them LMOs from now on, mmmmmkay? LMO, BMO, GMO, EMO, HMO, I don't mind which so long as it isn't MMO! EMO has a nice ring to it... Enormous Multiplayer Online Game... mmmmm EMO-licious.
Anyway back to updating you. I've also switched from Gnome to KDE, preferring the glassy, classy look and feel of KDE, and the easier development process.
Oh, and I've got back into Star Trek in a big way, I'll be buying a new computer shortly and I may well get Star Trek Online at some point, so if you're also planning to get it then look out for me in the Alpha quadrant! 
License
This work by Christopher Browne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
Make loggings in happening!
Formspring me ;)
Stack Overflow
