Ubuntu 9.10 or hardware?, I doubt hardware... Options

[Hb_Kai]

I've just updated the other day to Ubuntu 9.10 and since then, I have been having a few problems with my laptop.

Firstly, for such long periods of usage, the OS will crash and never revive itself which usually gets resolved from the power button since nothing else works.

Secondly, it doesn't like booting without the charger plugged on and inserted in the laptop unless the laptop has a full battery.

Thirdly, when I take the charger out once it's fully charged or at any other time, it crashes like the first problem I mentioned.

On the Grub boot loader I have these options:

Ubuntu, kernel ***
Ubuntu, kernel *** (recovery mode)
Ubuntu, memtest86
Ubuntu, kernel ***
Ubuntu, kernel *** (recovery mode)
Ubuntu, memtest86

and booting from the first Ubuntu, kernel is usually the one that doesn't like booting from without the charger plugged in but if I boot into the second one down, it will boot but my laptop's mouse-pad doesn't work, not a problem really, just wanted to try asking about that too.

Anywho.
I've tried asking on Ubuntuforums.com but I've been waiting since yesterday for a reply on the thread and I still haven't got one. But there have been similar problems and I was wondering if anybody has any idea?

[catgate]

Does it not seem odd that the OS should be interlinked with the battery charging circuitry. In my simple mind I would have associated battery problems more with the original MB control, or even a separate simple charge control unit.

[Hb_Kai]

This only works with the Ubuntu hard drive. I never get a problem with booting from the Windows hard drive which is why I didn't think it would be battery problems?

[catgate]

This only works with the Ubuntu hard drive. I never get a problem with booting from the Windows hard drive which is why I didn't think it would be battery problems?

Is this a separate hard drive or just a partion on the main drive?

[Hb_Kai]

Seperate hard drive. I've had enough of partitions

[catgate]

So my diagnosis....for what it is worth...is dodgy hard drive.
It looks to be taking more than its fair share of what is available, thus leaving others short.
Do you have another HD to try?

[Hb_Kai]

It can't be a dodgey hard drive because the hard drive I'm using right now is a brand new one I bought on Teusday. Before buying this one, I was using a hard drive which has many bad sector problems and kept displaying crash errors and major kernel problems and this problem was far worse. Would hardly get past the black Ubuntu load screen after login.

This post has been edited by Hb_Kai: Nov 5 2009, 14:22

[-pops-]

I've had numerous hard drives that have been faulty on arrival/testing.

[catgate]

My many years spent in Quality Control (as it is popularly know) Management would leave me in no doubt about the veracity of pops statement. I should have a gentle word into the shell likes of the purvayor of you recent acquisition if I were you. If you want to baffle him/her with bovine excrement ask if you can be given the AOQL that they work to at the factory.

If he says "What's that?" tell him it is Average Outgoing Quality Level.

edit:-
From what I have seen, over the years, it astounds me just how very few Chocolate Teapots reach the market in the computer world. I know some years ago CPUs were graded after manufacture because of the varying degrees of faultiness which could be found in one batch.
I also know from my own experience how difficult it can be to devise automated inspection and reject system for things infinitely less complex than a computer component. I ran our companies R&D Engineering Workshop for the last few years before I retired doing just this. Designing and building prototype computerised inspection and rejection systems.
That's why a went prematurely grey and developed such a hollow laugh!!!!

This post has been edited by catgate: Nov 5 2009, 18:19

[Hb_Kai]

Alright, I'll see the guy about that when I go there later. I was going to buy a caddy there so I'll do it at the same time