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Red Lotus
08-17-2001, 05:50 PM
I'm running Red Hat 7.1 and am extremely new to Linux. I have a "Getting Started Guide" that came with my box set but I don't think that's of any use, and I didn't read the NHF's yet. This all means that I won't understand you guys when you just post a whole bunch of commands, filenames, and directions that are meant for those who have a little experience with linux, because I have none! lol. Please be very clear with any directions you give (tell me exactly what to do :))

The problem revolves around netscape, in GNOME. Currently the version of netscape is 4.x and I'm going to upgrade when I learn a little more and know how to do so. I successfully configured my cable modem to work with netscape (easy, I just put in my ip and stuff) and it works ok until about when you follow your third or fourth link. Then hyperlinks stop working and pages stop loading completely. I close the netscape window and attempt to load netscape again, but the nothing happens when I click the netscape icon in the panel. Thinking I can load netscape by typing "netscape" at the shell, I click on the shell icon in the panel. Nothing happens. So basically no programs function after using netscape for a bit. I'm running the bash shell by the way.

Here's where things get wacky. I log out thinking that if I log in again then netscape and the shell will work. During the the time where the state of linux is transfering from the desktop to the login screen, linux crashes! Not exactly though, because I can still move the cursor, but after waiting for about 5 minutes for something to happen, I decide that it froze and I rebooted by computer with the reboot switch.

Uh oh. In Windows it's recommended that you not do this because damage to your system may occur, but nothing ever happened, so I ignored that. Apparently if / (root) isn't unmounted correctly, sometimes actually serious damage may occur to the system. So a check on the disk is forced when I boot up linux again. And it freezes before the check is performed! This time I knew it froze completely because the Nums Lock key didn't function. I reboot again with the reboot switch, and this time the check on the disk worked. It found a few minor errors, and one serious error that I had to use "fsck" on. I didn't know what to do at this point.

I intended on calling Red Hat support but I soon found out that their phone based support only handles installation troubleshooting. So I could either load windows and ask you guys what to do, or try and fix the problem myself. It gave me access to the shell to fix the problem. Typing "fsck" apparently doesn't do anything. So I read the man page and found a few parameters to use on the command. I tried "fsck -A" and it fixed the errors.

A few things are a little different in the shell however, now that the errors were fixed. At times, when I check the man page of a command, it will give me an error and then load up the man page. Sometimes it will just load up the man page without the error. But anyway, netscape is still screwy.

So I need some suggestions here on how to fix the 'netscape + crashing' problem. Do I need to upgrade netscape, or reinstall linux, or what? Feedback would be cool. :D

peez

scott_R
08-17-2001, 10:51 PM
I'd call RH anyways. After all, your system is unusable, and at the very least (contract service agreements aside) they should be interested in at least knowing why your system is malfunctioning. True, it may be a problem with your computer, or the way you installed it, but they need to know anyways. I.E., force the issue if you get blown off by TS.

Your situation isn't normal, nor is it a problem you should be blamed for. Older netscape browsers had a reputation for screwing with linux systems and locking them up, but it hasn't been a recent problem, AFAIK. A little more detail on what is happening might help some of us here as well, but might require you to start with a fresh reinstall to track the problems.

I hope not though. 99% of the time, problems with linux are due to lack of experience, and knowledge of the way it works. Also, in the same 99% vein, fixes are simple, and don't require more than a couple keyhits/mouse clicks.

Good luck! :)