From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Nov 13 23:20:57 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A252F16A4CE for ; Sat, 13 Nov 2004 23:20:57 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com (mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.192.90]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2FAF643D2D for ; Sat, 13 Nov 2004 23:20:57 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) Received: from tedwin2k (nat-rtr.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.197.130]) iADNKnv61814; Sat, 13 Nov 2004 15:20:49 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" To: "Eric Schuele" , Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 15:20:49 -0800 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: <4196568B.5050600@computer.org> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 Importance: Normal Subject: RE: Everything randomly generates .core files X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 23:20:57 -0000 > -----Original Message----- > From: Eric Schuele [mailto:e.schuele@computer.org] > Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 10:47 AM > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Ted Mittelstaedt > Subject: Re: Everything randomly generates .core files > > > It's running on a Dell Inspiron 5100. I've had it less than a year. > Ran windows fine. Ran FreeBSD 5.2.1-RELEASE fine.. 5.3-BETA7 as well. > Just started a day or so ago, when I formatted and installed > 5.3-RELEASE. Send a complaint to Dell. Dell hasn't been known in the past for support of non-Windows operating systems. When asked why, Dell claims that none of their customers want to run non-Windows operating systems. If you don't complain to Dell then your just supporting their assertation that none of their customers want to run non-Windows operating systems. Now, Hewlett Packard/Compaq, by contrast, not only believes their customers want to run non-Windows operating systems, they even have a public test site - and FreeBSD is on it! See: http://www.testdrive.hp.com Perhaps bringing this up with Dell might spur some attention? > I guess some partial failure could have coincided with the > install. Oh baloney. I would bet a lunch that if you reformatted your hard disk and reinstalled whatever version of Windows was supplied with your Dell, it would run perfectly. Windows runs on marginal hardware, UNIX does not. Period. Windows does because it's designed to run on marginal hardware - because of people like Dell who cut every corner in the book to get their stuff as cheap as possible, and as a result, have large market share. > I did not have the chance to run memtest yet.... but will > today/tonight > > Another thought... assuming its a hardware issue. I would expect it to > manifest itself under greater loads such as when building a port. As > opposed to sitting idly while browsing the filesystem with xfe. One > example is the OpenOffice port.... building that took forever... the > entire time the CPU was pegged 95%-100%... but nothing hiccuped. even > had xfe up, and while browsing the web. > Yeah, right. OK go ahead and try to make some logical sense if it makes you feel better. Your wasting your time. Bad hardware is NOT logical in how it fails. I've dealt with many systems in the past that were iffy hardware. Even some that ran earier versions of FreeBSD fine (or more accurately, versions of FreeBSD that were compiled by earlier versions of GCC) then blew chunks on later versions. (more accurately, versions of FreeBSD that were compiled by later versions of GCC) There is never any logic when you have marginal hardware. If you really believe that your hardware has failed then reload Windows and when Windows blows up, call Dell. Your system is still under Dell warranty. They will replace the bad hardware. But I doubt you have failed hardware. I think you have hardware that was designed to run Windows and that Windows was designed to run on - and simply does not include any features that aren't directly required by Windows. Remember, if Dell can save 5 cents by not including a chip that is supposed to be there on an industry standard motherboard, yet isn't required by Windows, they are going to do it. This isn't personal it is just SOP for manufacturers that build the volume that Dell builds. The automakers do it all of the time. Ted