Re: PC Repair for Linux

PDD

Hi Folks,

I was wondering if anyone knows of a PC repair shop in the Dublin area that is capable of repairing a Linux machine or at least has a Linux Guru working there? Any recommendations or personal experiences would help.

Dave

loldog

Is it a hardware problem? If it is then whether your OS is Linux or Windows would be irrelevant. If it's a software problem we can probably help you here.

.

niallb

What's the problem? What kind of a machine is it? Desktop/Laptop/Server ?
That would have an impact on who might be able to help you.

You'll get decent help if you describe it in detail here and can get stuck in,
but let us know if you'd really rather just get someone to fix it up!

PDD

Hi Folks,

Cheers for the responses, the machine is a custom built desktop/HTPC that I created with a RAID 1 configuration on the HDD's (which I dont think really worked). The system ran fine for a few months and I only used it occasionally until one day I made a cock up of an install. I had been using it for HTPC without any real success as I was stuck using VESA drivers at 1024x800 (all my attempts to use nVidia Drivers for a higher resolution/HD resulted in black screens and reinstalls). Quite a number of posts on Ubuntu's forums and a few on here went essentially unanswered leaving me to try and muddle through it myself to no success as Im a relative n00b to Linux.

While trying out Mythbuntu for the HTPC (as someone on here mentioned that it worked out of the box with their TV which was the exact same model as mine) I made the mistake of installing it on one of the HDD's in the RAID array rather than external HDD (I wasn't paying attention when I selected which drive). So now instead of my system booting into a console login screen it now refuses to boot with GRUB errors. I have tried using SuperGrubDisk2 but it couldn't seem to see the installed OS and let me select it for boot. I also tried Resucatux but to no avail. To top it all off I have some files that I need to get off this machine but I stupidly decided to encrypt my home folder when I was doing the install. So if I boot a Live CD I cannot access my files as they are in an encrypted directory.


@NiallB - I have been trying to get around this for about a fortnight now but to no avail. Also posts on the Ubuntu forums and here on boards have resulted in lots of views but not help at all. I've no problem getting stuck in but when I don't have the requisite knowledge to solve the problem and I have no assistance I am left with no option but to drop it in somewhere. I am starting to get extremely frustrated with the lack of any kind of progress and I really need to recover those files hence my post on here looking for a repair shop that can help me.

BTW it doesn't have to be a repair shop, if there is a Linux Guru out there who thinks he can resolve this problem and wants to earn some extra cash I'd be more than happy to engage with them.

Regards,

Dave

en.r4cart

I think mythbuntu has rewrited your former grub.

So try to find out the problems on your grub configure file.

PDD

@en.r4cart - In case you missed it in my earlier responses I have stated that yes it was Mythbuntu that cocked up my GRUB setup because I chose to install it onto a HDD that was part of a RAID array and I have also admitted I am a NOOB so tricking around with GRUB is perhaps a little out of my league. And I say this not because Im afraid of the command line or of tricking around with stuff but because I have gone onto many forums looking for information on GRUB but everytime I get lost because at some point I just do not understand what they are talking about. It might make perfect sense to some Unix guru but to a n00b like me its double dutch.

If the GRUB configuration file was the problem then I would think SuperGrubDisk2 or Resucatux would have done the trick as nearly 2/3's of all posts I read trying to solve my GRUB problems recommended and were resolved by these tools.

At this stage I just want to recover the files from my home directory and after that I will just format the drives and start again perhaps with Windows7 as Ubuntu in general is turning out to be more headache than its worth.

Knasher

Try following this to mount and recover your home directory.

---

Just out of interest with the nvidia drivers were you trying to connect over VGA or HDMI. I ask because before I got my new TV I was connecting to an older one left in my apartment over VGA and it didn't supply the correct EDID information and I had to set my own modelines to get it working correctly at a HD resolution (I never spent the time to get it 100% though so I still had a little bit of underscan).

niallb

Do you actually have a copy of the encryption key for your home directory ?
If you are booted again looking at the encrypted directory,
check the .ecryptfs hidden directory for a file called wrapped-passphrase
If you can get to that point with an ubuntu boot CD, I think you'll get the files off.

If it was really a RAID1 array, and you've hosed one of the drives,
it might be worth unplugging the drive you overwrote.
If the array boots, it'll detect failure of a member, and depending on how well it's mirrored, it might be fully available.
If you don't know which - do them in turn.

Can you confirm that the RAID was created by Linux, and not by your drive controller card? A broken array managed by a controller is unlikely to be fixable from linux.
If however, booting from a rescue disk allows you see your encrypted filesystem,
you are more likely to be in luck.

Neither of the rescue tools you mention are likely to be RAID aware.
Supergrub will help fix your boot sector only, and although I've never heard of Rescatux before, a quick scan of their forums for tools involved in rebuilding RAID threw up no results.

The disk I've used most recently for RAID recovery is Trinity Rescue.
There is a bug in the current build related to RAID detection, but it's easily fixed after boot if nothing else finds your drive. Finnix would be a good disk to try first.

Have a go at unplugging each drive in the PC in turn and attempting to boot.
You could even try your supergrub CD on the disks individually.
Linux is good at recovery, but this is a case where it needs some help to see what needs to be recovered.

If you get no progress, I'll be glad to give you a hand.
I live not far from Dunshaughlin, or could probably talk you through setting up remote access to the box fairly easily depending on your internet connection.

PDD

Hi Folks,

Thought I would give you an update on this. I recently rebuilt the computer over the weekend (I just put it into a new case) but when I booted it up it booted into Ubuntu fine. Needless to say I was amazed so very cautiously I copied the files I needed to an ext. HDD. When that was finished I restarted the machine and it boots fine. I am very confused Im also thankful I managed to get the files off it. I also just want to thank everyone here on the forum who reached out to help, its very much appreciated guys

Im assuming that when the second HDD (which I think was the trouble HDD as it was where I accidentally installed Mythbuntu) was removed from the RAID array it then booted off the first drive like normal. The strange thing is that the second HDD in the RAID array was mounted but not as file system.

This is one of the reasons I chose to setup a RAID 1 array is so that if one of the HDD's had a physical failure I would still have my data. I guess in a way it did work the way I wanted it.

Do I now have to reformat my HDD's to recreate the RAID array or can I simply add the second one in?

Dave