ubuntu 14.04 64-bit freezes

I suggest you check the RAM using Memtest86 from Grub. If this is OK then run:

sudo touch /forcefsck; sudo reboot

To check your file systems are healthy.

The other consequence seems to be that the boot loader does not load the Win OS any more.

Memtest86 is not an option in grub. Can I do it from terminal?

What is the output of:

sudo update-grub

Memtest86 has been a default part of Ubuntu from day 0. If you read the Grub screen you will see the option. It may be under 'additional options' or something similar.

You cannot run Memtest86 from terminal as the RAM would change too much and cause false positives to be reported. It's also why you cannot fsck the system partition in Windows without a reboot.

Was running but the result is still the same - no memtest available win doesn't start from the boot loader. The 20_memtest86+ is in /etc/grub.d. Can I fix the grub manually?

Again, What is the output of:

sudo update-grub

Thanks

Funny thing. The Ubuntu Software Manager indicates many programs installed but still does not find them with Dash. For example Synaptic Package Manager was supposed to be there but was not. Tried to install it with atp-get install, but was guided to another source fro where I got it installed and working. According to it the grub(and grub2)-common and grub-efi-amd64-bin are installed. Could something be missing?

Sorry!
It is like this:
Generating grub configuration file ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-33-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-33-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-30-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.16.0-30-generic
Found Windows Boot Manager on /dev/sda2@/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
Adding boot menu entry for EFI firmware configuration
done

You can boot the Ubuntu install media and before you get to the Try / Install Ubuntu page you can run Memtest86 from there. It's also available as a standalone I'm as well as being on the Ultimate Boot CD. Did the fsck pass OK?

No, I didn't dear to. On fsck command I got
----
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
e2fsck 1.42.9 (4-Feb-2014)
/dev/sda8 is mounted.

WARNING!!! The filesystem is mounted. If you continue you ***WILL***
cause ***SEVERE*** filesystem damage.

Do you really want to continue<n>?
---
so I responded no.
 However, I used the live-USB to check the system and it indicated 2 damaged files - don't know which. After that the apt-get update as well as upgrade commands became functional, but boot Win does not work from boot loader. I'll still try to run the Memtest86 from the live-USB

Andrew,

I didn't have the memtest86 in my installation USB. Should I make new one with it?

http://www.memtest.org/download/5.01/memtest86+-5.01.iso.gz

Andrew,

I tried several times to create a bootable USB from the memtest86+-5.01.iso, but non of them could start the memtest. The stm always jumps into linux bootloader and starts ubuntu. I tried also with the ubuntu USB loader to repair the installation - no such an option available. Then I tried also the installation USB grub> commands. Did not work.
Any new ideas - except cleaning and reinstalling the hole stm. The problem still exists - no memtest available, just to mention.

br Simo

PS. I run the memory test in windows (win diagnostic tools) and it didn't show any errors.

Good enough. If you install the xfce4 package then log off then login to the XFCE session, is it OK there?

Anrew,

it didn't work.
I installed the xfce4 package from synaptic, logged out from my ubuntu, tried to start xfce4 from terminal, which did not work (another session running, X), tried to close the x-session using "service lightdm stop" but everything just went black and the system closed. In the boot loader there was no option for xfce4.
If I disable the secure booting in bios, then Win starts normally from boot loader.

When did I say to run XFCE from the terminal?

This morning, using "startxfce4"

Log out of Ubuntu, select XFCE on the login sxcreen, then type your password and log in

Morning Andrew (Finnish time),

I don't get the option for XFCE after logging out even when I reinstalled and upgraded xfce4 from terminal. Looks like the grub/bootloader is somehow broken.
Could it be so that the iso I used for Ubuntu installation was corrupted causing all this trouble? Should I just remove the existing partition from my HDD, make a new USB (from ubuntu-14.04.2-desktop-amd64.iso) and make new installation? Or should I still try the Boot Repair?

br Simo

You select xfce at the login prompt http://i.stack.imgur.com/Smf1z.png

Thanks. That works! Next step?

Then the issue is likely to be Compiz. If you want a Unity-like she'll without Compiz then Gnome she'll is great. If you install it, you will need to use cursors and ENTER to select the display manager. I suggest you stick with lightdm. Alternatively just stick with XFCE.

Ok, but that doesn't solve problem with Ubuntu boot loader: can not boot from there to Win8.1 without having the Secure Booting disabled. And I must say that my first impression of xfce interface was not very positive.

Andrew, I reinstalled Ubuntu x64 one more time. Still there is no Memtest86 available in the boot loader. Installed the Synaptic Package Manager, which indicates that version 4.20-1.1ubuntu8 is installed. What can be reason?

Hi Andrew,

got the memtest issue solved by installing the grub-imageboot from Synaptic and upgrading the memtest86+ to v. 5.01.2.
Now the bootloader is showing the memtest86+ in different configurations. However, one solution leads to other problems:
- when updating the group loader there was a problem with images (could not find /boot/images). Did not find out, which image files it is question about? How to reconfigue?
- my Nautilus makes the whole system stall if I try to make a search. the only way to come over is to restart the machine. Would there be some log-files where to track the problem?

br
Simo

Ok. I'll give up and try some other linux distro on this machine :<). Just close this question.

Thanks actionparsnip, that solved my question.