[Bug 413949] Re: PC freezes during install caused by Dell A920 printer

[Phillip Susi]

** Changed in: gparted (Ubuntu)
       Status: Incomplete => Invalid

** Changed in: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
       Status: Incomplete => Invalid

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Title:
  PC freezes during install caused by Dell A920 printer

Status in “gparted” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid
Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  I downloaded the alpha 4 CD image, checked MD5, burned a CD, and run
  it.

  I did not go far. After choosing language, location, keyboard, it says
  it is starting the partition manager, and that is it. Nothing happens
  after, so I had to press the power button to switch the PC off.

  Nothing much special with my PC. It is a 4.5 year old Dell Dimension.
  It has two hard disks, the master with two partitions, Dell Utility,
  and Windows XP. The second disk however, has 12 partitions with a
  number of empty spaces in between. Some partitions have Ubuntu or
  Kubuntu (ext4), others are empty, one is for Windows swapping. Also
  the partition numbers are not in order, for example, after sdb10 comes
  sdb5. My guess is that the partition editor got confused and lost!

  Today I installed jaunty for a different test and all went well. So
  this is a karmic bug.

  -----------------

  Today (17/Aug) I tried again to install alpha 4, and got exactly the
  same error, so this is a repeatable issue (on my PC).

  I paid a bit more attention to what happened. After step 4 of the
  installation where I chose the keyboard, a dialogue box appeared,
  titled "Starting up the partitioner". Below it said - I believe -
  scanning disks, and a few other things, very quickly. There was a
  progress bar which went fast from 0 to 100%. Then the dialogue box
  disappeared and the PC froze. The  cursor would still move, but
  clicking on the Quit button had no effect. Also tried ^C, ^D, Escape,
  nothing worked. So I had to power off the PC.

  It appears that there is a bug on that part of the installer where a
  list of options with respect to partitions is created. The screen was
  never updated to show step 5.

  I offer to try again to install alpha 4 if someone takes an interest
  in this bug. I would need instructions on how to enable diagnostics
  and on how to unfreeze the PC without powering it off, in order to
  save the diagnostics somewhere, for example, on the USB drive.

  I am attaching below the list of partitions on my PC.

  António

  ---------------
  Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80000000000 bytes
  255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9726 cylinders
  Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
  Disk identifier: 0xd0f4738c

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
  /dev/sda1               1           7       56196   de  Dell Utility
  /dev/sda2   *           8        9726    78067867+   7  HPFS/NTFS

  Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
  255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
  Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
  Disk identifier: 0x000c9a37

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
  /dev/sdb1               1         522     4192933+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
  /dev/sdb2   *         523        2089    12586927+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb3            2612        7833    41945715   83  Linux
  /dev/sdb4           13054       60801   383535810    5  Extended
  /dev/sdb5           26762       27283     4192933+   b  W95 FAT32
  /dev/sdb6           27284       30677    27262273+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb7           54274       60801    52436128+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb8           30678       32635    15727603+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb9           33289       35246    15727603+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb10          24151       26761    20972826   83  Linux
  /dev/sdb11          13055       18276    41945683+  83  Linux
  /dev/sdb12          18277       20887    20972826   83  Linux
  /dev/sdb13          20888       23498    20972826   83  Linux

  Partition table entries are not in disk order

  Disk /dev/sdc: 4009 MB, 4009754624 bytes
  51 heads, 51 sectors/track, 3010 cylinders
  Units = cylinders of 2601 * 512 = 1331712 bytes
  Disk identifier: 0x04030201

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
  /dev/sdc1               1        3011     3915204    b  W95 FAT32

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Update 25/Aug/2009.

  Did some more tests and narrowed down the bug.

  I have a Dell All-in-One printer, model A920. If I disconnect the USB
  cable of the printer, the PC does not freeze between steps 4 and 5.
  Note that normally the printer is off, so even though off it causes
  problems.

  This is just speculation. What may happen is that the partition editor
  tries to find pen drives or USB external hard disks, then it gets
  confused when it gets a printer and thinks it is a disk, or it may
  perhaps try to find its partitions, who knows.

  Dell All-in-One printers are rebranded Lexmark printers. This bug
  might also manifest with other Dell or Lexmark printers (again I am
  speculating).

  The fact though is that I installed Ubuntu 9.04 four times, and
  Kubuntu 9.04 twice, and it went smoothly, so this is a Karmic (alpha
  4) issue.

  António

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