memtest

[Colin Watson]

On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 08:35:59PM +0000, Norman Silverstone wrote:
> Recently, my grandson asked me to see what was wrong with his desktop
> computer. The fault seemed to be something to do with the hardware and
> it was suggested by someone who knew about these things that I ran a
> check with memtest. OK I agreed but I said that I had not got such a
> thing as memtest. But he told me I had and that it was on my Ubuntu
> install disc. This was the first I had heard of memtest and I have been
> using Ubuntu for over 15 months.
> 
> Memtest is referred to in the help items at the start of the install
> disc, I discovered and I was surprised that, because I am an avid reader
> of help files, I had not met this before. All I can think of is that it
> was not there when I installed Warty and, as I upgraded rather than full
> install for the upgrades, I have never seen any up to date help files
> and, hence, nothing about memtest.

On Dapper install CDs, there'll be a graphical boot loader on which
you'll see a "Memory test" option, so it'll be pretty obvious.

> I would welcome comments about the lack of information of changes such
> as the addition of memtest and wondered what would be the best way to
> keep users of Ubuntu, like myself, informed of useful items added to the
> installation disc which we may never see because we upgrade rather than
> fully install each new edition of Ububtu.

There are too many changes there to put in the full release
announcements, but I try to mention all significant changes to the
install and live CDs in the announcements I make for development
milestone CDs (Sounder, Array, Colony, Flight) for exactly this reason -
there aren't many other ways to find out about installer changes.

That said, the addition of the memory test boot option never did get
announced this way; sorry about that. I just had a trawl back through my
archives and discovered that that's because the milestone CD release
that added it was the one such release that I didn't do myself, since I
was busy being on honeymoon at the time. :-)

Cheers,

-- 
Colin Watson                                       [cjwatson at ubuntu.com]