weird shutdown issues
Posts: 5
Hi, I've been using Mepis as my main OS for several months ( Shortly after the release of version 6.0). I really like it.
I recently had to install a new motherboard and processor. I was using an Sempron 2200+ and upgraded to a Pentium 4 511 (2.8Ghz) and an ECS 865G-M8 motherboard. I am using the same Radeon 9200 video card. I started to notice a couple of weird things. If I have fglrx installed (from the Mepis Utilies application) and I start certain screensavers it shuts the computer off. Mepis usually performs a correct shut down when this happens. I use Xscreensaver and a couple of the specific screensavers would be bubbles3d and providence. I think I've traced it to the version of /usr/lib/libGL.so.1.2 that I'm using. The one that came with Mepis gave me errors and I found at http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=185033 that some Ubuntu users had the same problem so I downloaded the libGL.so.1.2 listed there. On the Sempron and its motherboard these screensavers just put errors on the screen, but after the upgrade they turn the machine off.
I've also seen this shutdown issue happen while trying to copy large amounts of data (>500MB) from my NTFS partition to Mepis using the fuse driver. I installed Ubuntu Edgy and the driver using the same instructions as I did for Mepis (doc.gwos.org/index.php/Mount_NTFS_Write_Support). It copied a 6.7GB directory from my NTFS partition to its Reiserfs partition perfectly.
This is really confusing me. At first I thought it was the new motherboard or the new processor but since the same program in Ubuntu works and Mepis doesn't it looks like Mepis may have a bug.
I am currently unsure whether it is the microprocessor, the motherboard, or just Mepis. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you VERY much in advance.
Actually this is the only
Posts: 5
Actually this is the only major issue I've seen so it's quite possible it may not be the mobo. I bought this board b/c I figured that the Intel chipset on it would be good. I knew that ECS made lower end motherboards, which I needed because I had to have something that used 184-pin ram, IDE drives, and had an AGP card.This was one of the few that newegg.com had that met the requirements and had an Intel chipset and user reviews said it was really good.
A couple of thoughts related
Posts: 1634
A couple of thoughts related to this...
I understand your stated reasons for going with the ECS MoBo, but have found ECS to be problematic in most instances, and have stuck with MSI for most builds. This isn't a declaration of it's junk, nmind you, it's simply that I may not have the overly extensive experience necessary with "dancing around" ECS products to obtain a workable solution in this instance.
Did you reinstall the MEPIS 6.0 after swapping-out the motherboard and processor?
Have you installed a kernel built specifically for the new P4 processor that you're using?
Can you identify differences between the kernel and drivers found in MEPIS and the version of Ubuntu that you had success with? It may be that you can fold those back-into a MEPIS installation, or otherwise coax MEPIS into using these resources or their analogues.
My occupation?
Well, computer geek-stuff, mostly. I could tell you all about it; but, then I would have to delete you.
I have discovered this
Posts: 5
I have discovered this problem also extends to Windows XP home. I was playing a graphics intensive game in Windows and it just shut down. I've also figured out that if I have the "Smartfan" feature (controls P4 fan speed) on the mobo turned on and have the shutdown temperature set to any value exept disabled it shuts down, even though the CPU is much cooler than the max shutdown temperature of 75C (43 -60C).
EnigmaOne, thanks for the help. 
Yes, I reinstalled Mepis 6.0 thinking that would correct it. No such luck. I'm running on kernel 2.6.15-27-686. and have also tried installing Mepis with kernel 2.6.15-26-386 on a different partition.
I've also e-mailed ECS tech-support about both the Linux and Windows issues.
When I went to Fry's
Posts: 516
When I went to Fry's Electronics Store to buy my CPU, I had a choice of buying the CPU for $180. or buy the CPU with a ECS MOBO for $160., When I did the install I got a lot of errors, so I went to the local PC Club and told them I wanted to try a Intel MOBO and if I had problems I could bring it back, well I did not have any problems with the Intel MOBO and I now run MEPIS 6.0-1, Debian Sid, Debian Etch, 64-Studio and Windows XP Pro too.
Building a MOBO that is stable is important to Intel and it should be important to you too. Hope that helps.
------------------------------------------------------------
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way: www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#id274601
MEPIS Help Files: www.mepis.org/docs/index.php/Main_Page