Ubuntu

slow prosessing on 8.10

Asked by Jason

so i'm messing around with Ubuntu 8.04 at the time, i think i was trying to install a windows wireless driver but i've given up on that. Now i have bigger problems.
The laptop took forever to start up and when it got to the login screen i would hear the regular drums when it asks for username but after i put in my password the welcoming sounds is distorted, stuttering and elongated and it took a while for the desktop to come up. In addition opening files or starting programs takes way longer than usual, when i hover over the panels at the top or bottom of the screen it takes longer to respond and drop down.
I tried installing a windows XP disk so that it would overwrite Ubuntu and then reinstall Ubuntu but it does nothing. When the computer loads there is just an image of the WINXP cd on the desktop. When i click on the ".exe" files on the disk i get an error saying "no autoloader program" or something like that.
Since then i have updated to 8.10 hoping that it would correct the problems but it hasn't

I'm using a Toshiba Satallite laptop. Pentium 4.
I don't know how to explain or find information about the system or using terminal. so if there is some information you'd like me to tell you about the system let me know how to get it for you.
Thank you so much in advance.

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Michael Lustfield (michaellustfield) said : 		#1

This is taken from our channels.
01:46 < MTecknology> !noob
01:46 < ubottu> Acronyms or statements like noob, jfgi, stfu, or rtfm are not welcome in this channel. Period.

So, you're telling me that Windows XP AND Ubuntu both have issues on your system...
It sounds like a hardware problem more than a software problem. Perhaps try doing some diagnostics on your hardware.

Use MemTest86 to test your RAM
Use SpinRite to test the Hard Drive
I can't think of any other tools off hand, but those two tools should reveal any issues that are causing those symptoms.

Good luck

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Jason (jaylee8187) said : 		#2

I only have Ubuntu on the system

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Michael Lustfield (michaellustfield) said : 		#3

Can you try those hardware tests for us and tell us what happens?

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Jason (jaylee8187) said : 		#4

no problem. i have no idea what the SpinRite test is. but i'm currently running the Memtest86, since yesterday actually, so far its been its been running for a bout 25 hours. do you know how much longer it will be?

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Jason (jaylee8187) said : 		#5

Also i figured out how to get Ubuntu off the computer, by accident actually. I found the menu to change the boot order and then used the Windows CD to delete the partitions and install windows. in hindsight i could have just used it to delete the partitions and then reinstall Ubuntu. So after i installed Ubuntu i get this message:

"There was an error starting the GNOME Settings Daemon

Some things, such as themes, sounds, or background settings may not work correctly.

The last error message was:

Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.

GNOME will still try to restart the Settings Daemon next time you log in."

I restart the computer hoping that it would fix the problem like the last line suggests might happen, but to no avail.

So like i said before in the previous post I've been running the Memtest86 since yesterday and its now at around 29 hours according to the "WallTime" column.
I hope this helps you help me
Thanks

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Michael Lustfield (michaellustfield) said : 		#6

SpinRite is a tool to verify the integrity of your hard drive. It also possesses the ability to fix some of these errors.

On the other hand, it doesn't matter right now. Your RAM is probably shot. If you have multiple slots, you should test each stick individually. This way you can verify which stick is corrupt.

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Jason (jaylee8187) said : 		#7

Alright could you tell me how to do that? Another thought, when i had installed Windows it was acting normally, if the RAM was shot wouldn't Windows run slow also?

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Michael Lustfield (michaellustfield) said : 		#8

That's not always the case. However, I would not suggest doing this yourself. It's probably better if you bring your system to a repair facility. Judging by your comments, I have a hunch this would be a better choice.

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Jason (jaylee8187) said : 		#9

i know the general idea of switching out the RAM i've done it on my desktop, my main problem is going out and spending a hundred bucks on memory only to find out that it doesn't fix anything.

What is the memtest supposed to tell me? why is it taking so long? so far it says zero errors and eleven pass, whatever that means

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Michael Lustfield (michaellustfield) said : 		#10

You need to have a hardware knowledgeable person test your hardware. From the descriptions you've given, this is the most likely issue you are having.

It's very hard to diagnose hardware over the internet.

If you go to http://www.memtest.org/ it explains what memtest does.

If you go to http://www.grc.com/spinrite.htm it explains that SpinRite does.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Jason for more information if necessary.

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