Spooky behaviour with Ubuntu 24.04.x

[Bret Busby]

On 13/3/25 03:27, Ian Bruntlett wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I've been experiencing failures with Ubuntu 24.04.2.
> 
> When experiencing these kinds of problems (listed below), what kind of 
> information would be useful for people interested in diagnosing the 
> problem? I can try a few more structured tests and hopefully help fix 
> this problem.
> 
> In particular, when updating from 22.04.x to 24.04.x - twice systems 
> have been left in a state where 24.04.x had to be re-installed from 
> scratch. I made copious handwritten notes.
> 
> This week, I attempted to update a Lenovo ThinkPad x201 laptop from 
> Ubuntu 23.10 to 24.04.2 using the "Software Updater" programme. After 
> the update, the system would boot but would more or less immediately 
> freeze after login. I ran memtest86+ and it confirmed that the RAM is OK.
> 
> I thought it could be an Wayland / X Windows problem so I tried setting 
> the system to use "ubuntu-Xorg" when logging in but it still crashed. I 
> tried different memory sticks and different USB ports.
> 
> At my wit's end, I tried installing Debian 11.10 amd64. The system 
> paused excessively for the "Scanning the Mirror" screen so I decided to 
> try Ubuntu 24.04.1 and it crashed.
> 
> Eventually I installed Debian 12.9.0 amd64 and it installed and ran 
> perfectly.
> 
> Hardware details:
> Lenovo ThinkPad x201 laptop
> Intel Core i7 CPU M620 at 2.67GHz
> RAM 8GiB
> SSD: Crucial, 512GB (or thereabouts).
> 
> I am quite happy to retry installs (complete disc) on this system in the 
> name of science...
> 
> TIA,
> 
> 
> Ian
> 
> -- 
> -- ACCU - Professionalism in programming - http://www.accu.org 
> <http://www.accu.org>
> -- My writing - https://sites.google.com/site/ianbruntlett/ 
> <https://sites.google.com/site/ianbruntlett/>
> -- Free Software page - 
> https://github.com/ian-bruntlett/TECH-Manuals/blob/main/tm-free-software.md <https://github.com/ian-bruntlett/TECH-Manuals/blob/main/tm-free-software.md>
> 
> 
Have you considered upgrading your RAM on the Thinkpad?

Depending on what user interface (or, Desktop Environment) you are/were 
using, some are somewhat resource demanding, and, to make the most of an 
i7 CPU, I think that at least 32GB RAM is necessary, as a minimum, 
nowadays. With 8GB RAM,it may be okay for running UNIX System V, in 
single user mode, with no graphics, like DEC RSX (I think it was), that 
ran in single user mode, on a DEC 16 bit CPU - the DEC PDP series. It is 
a bit like when the 80486 CPU became available, with the enhancements 
that it included - I remember a computer architecture lecturer telling 
us that only two operating systems that were then available, were able 
to fully use the functionality of the 80486 chip - OS/2 and UNIX, 
because of their memory management. To best use an i7 CPU, I believe 
that at least 32GB RAM is needed. Otherwise, it is like (I think it was) 
the Motorola 68008 CPU - 32 bit processor with 8 bit buses

I have a Dell All-In-One, with an i7 CPU and 16GB RAM, and, it gets used 
for (pretty much, only) viewing an online TV guide.

I also have a "laptop" with an i5 CPU and with 16GB RAM, and that runs 
only Epiphany, with a few windows open, when I boot it up - one of the 
windows has two tabs, for weather information - wunderground.com - one 
for a local weather station's observations, and, one for the ten day 
forecast, and, that window persistently crashes the computer, including 
shutting the computer down (powering it down, so it has to be rebooted). 
If I run that window in Firefox, on any other computer (this one has a 
Xeon CPU and 128GB RAM), that window will take the system down.

Software nowadays, including operating systems, simply includes too much 
gunk, and so, a minimum of 32GB RAM is now needed, to do what used to be 
able to be done in 640kB of RAM on an 8086 CPU.

I have read that a 1TB DDR5 RAM card is being developed, of which we 
will soon need multiples, to read email and such.

It is the way of ICT.

Of course, if you have spookiness in your computer, then, perhaps, 
ghostBSD may be the answer (without the graphics)...

..
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
(UTC+0800)
..............