On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:12:36 GMT, Robert Marshall wrote:
> I've just _upgraded_ two machines from 2006 to 2007, with one there's
> no problem but on the other when first booted you can't type anything
> in the login window in gdm, move the mouse around and try to activate
> keyboard focus - nothing! However as soon as is typed then piles
> of ='s appear in the text box!?
>
> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?

I have seen people have problems with upgrades and clean install made
the problems go away.

Have yo looked through the errata about the utf8 issues.
http://wiki.mandriva.com/Releases/Mandriva/2007/Errata

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:12:36 +0000, Robert Marshall wrote:

> I've just _upgraded_ two machines from 2006 to 2007, with one there's no
> problem but on the other when first booted you can't type anything in
> the login window in gdm, move the mouse around and try to activate
> keyboard focus - nothing! However as soon as is typed then piles of
> ='s appear in the text box!?
>
> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it then
> behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?
>
> Robert

I seem to recall that some folks had similar problems with KDM installs
as well when 2007 was released. For some folks, reinstalling kdm fixed
the problem and for others, deleting a corrupted kdmrc file fixed it.
I don't use GDM but perhaps trying similar types of fixes might solve
your problem.

On 10 Apr 2007, Bit Twister wrote:

> On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:12:36 GMT, Robert Marshall wrote:
>> I've just _upgraded_ two machines from 2006 to 2007, with one
>> there's no problem but on the other when first booted you can't
>> type anything in the login window in gdm, move the mouse around and
>> try to activate keyboard focus - nothing! However as soon as
>> is typed then piles of ='s appear in the text box!?
>>
>> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
>> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?
>
> I have seen people have problems with upgrades and clean install
> made the problems go away.
>
> Have yo looked through the errata about the utf8 issues.
> http://wiki.mandriva.com/Releases/Mandriva/2007/Errata

Though the main utf8 issue appears to relate to installing rather than
upgrading (and not zapping /home)

I tend to prefer upgrading - maybe putting back all the settings into
/etc isn't so much work as it was, though I tend to want to keep
/var/spool - what do you do with /var when you do a clean install?
backup the relevant bits and then overwrite the fresh files?

Robert
--
La grenouille songe..dans son château d'eau
Links and things http://rmstar.blogspot.com/

On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 10:40:47 +0100, Robert Marshall wrote:
> On 10 Apr 2007, Bit Twister wrote:

>> I have seen people have problems with upgrades and clean install
>> made the problems go away.
>
> I tend to prefer upgrading - maybe putting back all the settings into
> /etc isn't so much work as it was,

New release of apps using /etc may have new config files which are
incompatible with old release config files. I'll just run through a
wizard or just edit the new files to add my changes.

I keep an admin diary for my custom changes. That allows me to
cut/paste command and data. Example snippet.

cp /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.conf_orig
edt /etc/sysctl.conf
change
net.ipv4.icmp_ignore_bogus_error_responses=0
to net.ipv4.icmp_ignore_bogus_error_responses=1

# add to bottom of file

net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_redirects=0
net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route=0
net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies=1
# sysctl -p to reload sysctl.conf changes

#*************** end /etc/sysctl.conf ***************************

click save/quit

> though I tend to want to keep
> /var/spool - what do you do with /var when you do a clean install?

There is nothing in my /var which I need to keep. Except for my custom
partitions everything, but swap, is in /

> backup the relevant bits and then overwrite the fresh files?

Since I have a multi-boot setup, I can always compare the last release
files with the new install to see what changed. I can also copy from
the /old_rel/wherever to /wherever if required.

On 14 Apr 2007, Bit Twister wrote:

> On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 10:40:47 +0100, Robert Marshall wrote:
>> On 10 Apr 2007, Bit Twister wrote:
>
>>> I have seen people have problems with upgrades and clean install
>>> made the problems go away.
>>
>> I tend to prefer upgrading - maybe putting back all the settings
>> into /etc isn't so much work as it was,
>
> New release of apps using /etc may have new config files which are
> incompatible with old release config files. I'll just run through a
> wizard or just edit the new files to add my changes.
>

Yes I hear that one and I try to look through the rpmnew files that get
left around by the upgrade

> I keep an admin diary for my custom changes. That allows me to
> cut/paste command and data.

Good practice - must get it going. I used to have an upgrade checklist
which I've temporarily mislaid... :-( I've been on the verge of
putting modified /etc files into cvs a few times and that would also
make putting back config changes a little easier

>
>> though I tend to want to keep
>> /var/spool - what do you do with /var when you do a clean install?
>
> There is nothing in my /var which I need to keep. Except for my
> custom partitions everything, but swap, is in /

I have stuff in /var/spool/mail - users accessing this machine via
imap not just new email - a local news server in /var/spool/news and
bits of blogging s/w in /var/www so it is not so easy though I suppose
a copy across might work well


>
>> backup the relevant bits and then overwrite the fresh files?
>
> Since I have a multi-boot setup, I can always compare the last
> release files with the new install to see what changed. I can also
> copy from the /old_rel/wherever to /wherever if required.

Me2 *when* I do a fresh install

Robert
--
La grenouille songe..dans son château d'eau
Links and things http://rmstar.blogspot.com/

On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:12:26 GMT, Robert Marshall wrote:
>
> Yes I hear that one and I try to look through the rpmnew files that get
> left around by the upgrade

Yes, and I always check for those on normal updates to current release.

> Good practice - must get it going. I used to have an upgrade checklist
> which I've temporarily mislaid... :-( I've been on the verge of
> putting modified /etc files into cvs a few times and that would also
> make putting back config changes a little easier

That would just make for more backup for me.
Old release data become useless after about the third release.

> I have stuff in /var/spool/mail - users accessing this machine via
> imap not just new email

I was guessing that from your question. My email accounts pull/delete the
mail from the spool and are in the user account. Then again when there
is just me, it is pretty easy to sync up.

> - a local news server in /var/spool/news and
> bits of blogging s/w in /var/www so it is not so easy though I suppose
> a copy across might work well

I have not played with a news spool or blogs.
I would try to have spool/blogs in a separate directory/partition.

I have separate login accounts for each of my internet activities and
gnucash. Those are on a separate partition. My account's UID/GID are
1500 and up.
I wrote a little script to pull/extract their lines from /etc group,
gshadow, passwd, and shadow.

During install I just append them from the last backup run.
cat /rst/site/config/group_1500 >> /etc/group
cat /rst/site/config/gshadow_1500 >> /etc/gshadow
cat /rst/site/config/passwd_1500 >> /etc/passwd
cat /rst/site/config/shadow_1500 >> /etc/shadow

On Apr 10, 11:12 pm, Robert Marshall
wrote:
> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?

Got the same problem - MAndriva 2007, fresh install, but I don't
remember if I hadn't copied my home folder.
I observed that when I change sth in motiv menager the problem
vanishes.
The other thing is netprofiles - which I use a lot (switching from
work to home network and back). This problem arises sometimes after
such operation. (and sometimes not - strange).

I hope next release of mandriva will be not so buggy 'cause currently
I am testing ubuntu (I am loosing patience).

Mateusz

On 16 Apr 2007, mati wrote:

> On Apr 10, 11:12 pm, Robert Marshall
> wrote:
>> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
>> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?
>
> Got the same problem - MAndriva 2007, fresh install, but I don't
> remember if I hadn't copied my home folder.

I've tried reinstalling gdm as suggested by George Czerw but that
hasn't fixed it

> I observed that when I change sth in motiv menager the problem
> vanishes.

sth?

Though the problem only appears - for me - once per boot of the machine

Robert
--
La grenouille songe..dans son château d'eau
Links and things http://rmstar.blogspot.com/

On Tue, 17 Apr 2007, Robert Marshall wrote:

> On 16 Apr 2007, mati wrote:
>
>> On Apr 10, 11:12 pm, Robert Marshall
>> wrote:
>>> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
>>> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?
>>
>> Got the same problem - MAndriva 2007, fresh install, but I don't
>> remember if I hadn't copied my home folder.
>
> I've tried reinstalling gdm as suggested by George Czerw but that
> hasn't fixed it
>

Also on this - I see that if I'm really quick after the machine has
booted I can type my username into the gdm login, the keyboard then
will stop responding (until after the C-A-F1 trick) after a character
of so of the password.

I think it is something - other than gdm - grabbing the keyboard during
the boot up process

Robert
--
La grenouille songe..dans son château d'eau
Links and things http://rmstar.blogspot.com/

On Wed, 11 Apr 2007, George Czerw wrote:

> On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:12:36 +0000, Robert Marshall wrote:
>
>> I've just _upgraded_ two machines from 2006 to 2007, with one
>> there's no problem but on the other when first booted you can't
>> type anything in the login window in gdm, move the mouse around and
>> try to activate keyboard focus - nothing! However as soon as
>> is typed then piles of ='s appear in the text box!?
>>
>> I can get out of it by Ctrl-Alt-F1 and then back to C-A-F7 when it
>> then behaves more rationally, has anyone else seen this?
>
> I seem to recall that some folks had similar problems with KDM
> installs as well when 2007 was released. For some folks,
> reinstalling kdm fixed the problem and for others, deleting a
> corrupted kdmrc file fixed it. I don't use GDM but perhaps trying
> similar types of fixes might solve your problem.

A long time since but after a discussion on the mandriva expert list a
bug has been filed on the xorg list

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=12186

but so far there's no comment

there appear to be some other workarounds - making sure that all
entries in fstab are valid but that doesn't work for me

Robert
--
La grenouille songe..dans son château d'eau
Links and things http://rmstar.blogspot.com/