Ubuntu 10.4...

Just a note...
I have motherboard E6580v2.1 (MSI) and it broke down during ubuntu upgrade.
This article should help to track whether it is related or not.

issue description:
started "sudo do-release-upgrade" (from X11 session)
everything went fine (9 packages to be removed, 200 new to be installed, rest for upgrade)
When lm-sensors package was about to install, the pre-install script failed with "Illegal instruction" error message and the computer froze up with CapsLock+ScrollLock blinking.
After reboot the kernel panicked (~1s after grub passed control to it)
After next two reboots bios failed (screen areas with text turned colorful + it froze)
Next reboot: refused to boot at all, D-Bracket reported "0010" (bad or missing RAM)
Pulled the 512MB 400MHz DDR1 module out, cleaned the dust and put it back.
Bios loaded fine, memtest 4.0 ran for 10 rounds (~4 hours) without an issue.
Booted linux (said "mounting none on /dev failed: no such device" but it should not be an issue), only the vt1 terminal worked and allowed me to login and finish upgrade.... almost
It froze again, next boot showed "0010" again, reinserting RAM module failed to help and turned the message into "0000" (all lights red, means "broken or missing CPU").


some notes about the Operating System:
It is not proper ubuntu, neither kubuntu or xubuntu. It utilizes SLiM and fluxbox.
I was installed in 7.10 and upgraded every half-year.

ISA PnP soundblaster on xubuntu 9.4

I've installed fresh xubuntu on old PC (celeron 400MHz) and failed to setup my ISAPnP soundblaster 16 easily...

Background:
ISAPnP allows ISA card to be jumpered by software, "jumperless".
My card is not recognized by module "snd-sb16" automatically.

Howto:

1. Fetch tools
   
   • ISA PnP tools
     http://www.roestock.demon.co.uk/isapnptools/#latest
     
     Program is simple and can be compiled even on fresh xubuntu (no dependencies to install).
     It's plain "configure && make && make install"
     
     
   • Alsaconf (optional, but recommended)
     Download latest alsa-utils: ftp://ftp.alsa-project.org/pub/utils/
     (alsa-utils-1.0.19.tar.bz2 is current today)
     
     extract one file: (achive)/alsaconf/alsaconf.in
     
use your favorite packing program.

     make it executable
     
chmod a+x alsaconf.in

     run it with "-R" (resources) parameter do dump free resources
     
./alsaconf.in -R

     available IRQ + DMA values are listed at the bottom
     I/O ports must be checked in the list of used ports.
     


2. "Jumper" your card
   
   • generate configuration file
     
     pnpdump >/etc/isapnp.conf
     
     
   • enable your soundcard in configuration file
     
edit /etc/isapnp.conf in favorite text editor

     uncommend requested configuration (mine was similar to what BIOS proposes when booting my PC)
     
     avoid using resources that were not listed in "alsaconf.in -R" output !!!
     
     Editing howto is already in the file, please read it first.
     
     my .conf files (orig.conf = original one, edit.conf = result)
     http://elektromaniak.wz.cz/sb16/howtofiles.html
     
     
   • Apply your settings (actual "jumpering")
     
     /usr/local/sbin/isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf

     just run this command
   
   
3. Load "snd-sb16" and tell it.
   
   modprobe snd_sb16 isapnp=0 port=0x220 irq=5 dma8=1 dma16=5 mpu_port=0x330
   
   Use your own values if they differ !
   
   
4. Put steps 2.-3. somewhere into a startup script
   
   I've choosed separate one in /etc/init.d/soundblaster
   

   
   #! /bin/sh
   ### BEGIN INIT INFO
   # Provides:          soundblaster
   # Required-Start:
   # Required-Stop:
   # Default-Start:     2
   # Default-Stop:
   # Short-Description: Setup my soundblaster
   ### END INIT INFO
   
   
   PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin
   
   do_start() {
    if [ -x /etc/rc.local ]; then
            [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_begin_msg "Setting up SoundBlaster 16"
     
     /usr/local/sbin/isapnp /etc/isapnp.conf
     modprobe snd_sb16 isapnp=0 port=0x220 irq=5 dma8=1 dma16=5 mpu_port=0x330
   
     ES=$?
     [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg $ES
     return $ES
    fi
   }
   
   case "$1" in
   start)
    do_start
   ;;
   restart|reload|force-reload)
   echo "Error: argument '$1' not supported" >&2
   exit 3
   ;;
   stop)
   ;;
   *)
   echo "Usage: $0 start|stop" >&2
   exit 3
   ;;
   esac

   
   
   Edit the values where necessary.
   Add a symlink to appropriate runlevel (rc.2 in xubuntu)
   
   cd /etc/rc2.d
ln -s ../init.d/soundblaster S32soundblaster

This howto should work for all ISAPnP Sound Blasters (with their correct modules).

Fluxbuntu theme with fluxbox 1.1.1

Fluxbuntu (http://www.fluxbuntu.org) is a linux distribution.

*buntu uses new version of fluxbox (1.1.1) and there are some issues with Fluxbuntu fluxbox theme.
Window buttons on iconbar("taskbar") are not styled correctly and there's no difference between active and inactive one..

Latest version is "7.10RC" => There are two possibilities:
a) Project is dead
b) Project concentrates on LTS versions

Here is the patch for /usr/share/fluxbox/styles/Fluxbuntu:

----------- cut here --------- :)

--- Fluxbuntu 2009-06-20 16:04:28.000000000 +0200
+++ Fluxbuntu 2009-06-20 17:32:49.000000000 +0200
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@ toolbar:
toolbar.label: parentrelative
toolbar.label.textColor: #86615f

-toolbar.windowLabel: sunken gradient crossdiagonal
- toolbar.windowLabel.color: #9ed7d7
- toolbar.windowLabel.colorTo: #bb8e80
- toolbar.windowLabel.textColor: #86615f
-
toolbar.clock: parentrelative
toolbar.clock.textColor: #86615f

@@ -27,6 +22,21 @@ toolbar.button.pressed:
toolbar.button.pressed.color: #7eb75c
toolbar.button.pressed.colorTo: #cdd00a

+toolbar.iconbar.empty: sunken gradient crossdiagonal
+ toolbar.iconbar.empty.color: #9ed7d7
+ toolbar.iconbar.empty.colorTo: #bb8e80
+
+toolbar.iconbar.unfocused: sunken gradient crossdiagonal
+ toolbar.iconbar.unfocused.color: #9ed7d7
+ toolbar.iconbar.unfocused.colorTo: #bb8e80
+ toolbar.iconbar.unfocused.justify: left
+ toolbar.iconbar.unfocused.textColor:#86615f
+
+toolbar.iconbar.focused: sunken gradient vertical
+ toolbar.iconbar.focused.color: #7eb75c
+ toolbar.iconbar.focused.colorTo: #cdd00a
+ toolbar.iconbar.focused.justify: left
+

! ***** menu *****
menu.title: raised gradient crossdiagonal

----------- cut here --------- :)

This may come handy, if you've installed Fluxbuntu 7.10RC and upgraded it several times and now you're stuck with broken toolbar style in Jaunty Jackalope

The patch may be partially malformed, but still obvious.

NOTE: Patched theme can be used with fluxbox 1.0.0 and up
(because original theme used obsolete syntax)