Frequently Asked Support Questions (Updated 2006/08/13)

[Part 1: Getting Ready To Install Ubuntu]

Part 1: Getting Ready To Install Ubuntu
Part 2: Installing Ubuntu

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[G-Mon]

Okay, so we don't have a lot of support questions yet, but I think now's as good a time as any to start a topic for one. Anyway, this topic will be used for questions we get here frequently, as well as other support questions seen commonly (not only on xTF).

Let's begin:

• I keep getting a blue screen and a STOP 0x######## error (with each # representing a hexadecimal digit). My operating system's Windows (NT/2000/XP). Can you help me out?
  
  The best place to start looking would be Microsoft's Knowledge Base. Just make a note of the error number, get onto a working computer connected to the Internet (if you only have one computer, try your library/school/university/whatever), and run a search for "STOP 0x########"--don't use the quotes, and replace the "0x########" with the error number (just make sure to include the "0x" at the beginning). This'll usually turn up some info on the error that'll point you in the right direction. It'd also help if you got the four hex numbers in parentheses, but don't search for those.
  
  If you can't get the error number because the computer restarts on you, there are a couple ways to stop that. First, while the computer's starting up, you can press F8 repeatedly--if you see the Windows logo, you waited too long--and on the menu that appears, select "Disable automatic reboot after system error" or similar. Second, if the computer's already started (and hasn't blue-screened yet ), you can log in as an administrator, go into System Properties (right-click on My Computer--if you use Windows XP's default Start menu instead of the Classic Start menu, look there for it--and select "Properties"). Then go into the "Advanced" tab and look for "Startup and Recovery." In the "System failure", and uncheck "Automatically restart." Click OK until you get out of System Properties; you may need to restart the computer at this point.
  
  EDIT: Got the right info.
• My computer freezes on shutdown/I'm having random lockups/My system's running a lot slower than it used to.
  
  There are a number of possible causes, so try each one in turn before moving on to the next one.
  
  First things first: did you install any new software recently? If so, it may leave something running in the background. One background process by itself likely won't make much of a difference, but everything adds up. If you did install something, try uninstalling it and see if the problem goes away; if not, it's time to prune your startup entries. My first stop in this case is usually MSCONFIG's Startup tab (Windows 2000 users don't have this utility); go to Start -> Run, and type msconfig. Generally, I disable anything not related to my antivirus/firewall/antispyware app (you definitely want those running) and that I don't use regularly. Obviously, this'll require you to reboot your computer. If you need help here, feel free to ask.
  
  Next up (assuming the previous step didn't help, but it's a good idea nonetheless) is a possible malware infection--especially likely if the slowdown's accompanied by mysterious pop-ups, even when offline. A god first step is to download and run HijackThis (you'll need to scroll down). Have it do a system scan and save a log file, then copy and paste its contents into a post (putting it in a CODE tag--click the # button above the text entry box-- will help make it more readable). Now'd also be a good time to run a virus scan; if you don't have a scanner, there are some good free ones around--just ask us for reccommendations.

This list will be updated as we get more questions to put here; feel free to suggest more, also.