Ubuntu-mate 1504 incompatibility with Celeron CPU

Thu Aug 13 21:48:01 UTC 2015

On 05/08/2015, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 04/08/2015, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 04/08/2015, Petter Adsen <petter at synth.no> wrote:
>>> On Tue, 4 Aug 2015 01:09:07 +0800
>>> Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 03/08/2015, Colin Law <clanlaw at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> > On 2 August 2015 at 12:21, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> >> ...
>>>> >> I have downloaded and written to DVD's, copies of the Ubuntu-mate
>>>> >> amd64 and i386 versions, to try.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> I note that the web site apparently has only v1504 available, which
>>>> >> is
>>>> >> not an LTS version, but, I will try it nevertheless, and see what
>>>> >> happens.
>>>> >
>>>> > https://ubuntu-mate.org/trusty/
>>>> > Odd that it does not seem to be linked to from a download page.
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for that.
>>>>
>>>> First problem noted with Ubuntu-mate 1504 (posted here, due to lack of
>>>> users mailing list for Ubuntu-mate) -
>>>>
>>>> I have tried to install, as a first trial, Ubuntu-mate 1504 i386 on my
>>>> HP Compacq NX5000 laptop which has an Intel Celeron CPU.
>>>>
>>>> At
>>>> https://ubuntu-mate.org/vivid/
>>>> is
>>>>
>>>> "
>>>> Ubuntu MATE is currently available for four architectures, PC (Intel
>>>> x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64), Mac (PowerPC) and IBM-PPC (POWER5) and
>>>> Raspberry Pi 2 aarch32 (ARMv7).
>>>>
>>>>     PC (Intel x86) For almost all PCs. This includes most machines
>>>> with Intel/AMD/etc type processors and almost all computers that run
>>>> Microsoft Windows, as well as newer Apple Macintosh systems based on
>>>> Intel processors. Choose this if you are at all unsure.
>>>> "
>>>>
>>>> The computer would not boot the iso DVD.
>>>>
>>>> Error returned:
>>>> "feature not present on CPU
>>>> pae
>>>
>>> Have you tried, for instance, Google?
>>>
>>> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE
>>>
>>> Petter
>>>
>>
>>  Thank you for that.
>>
>> I printed the web page, followed the instructions on it, and it worked.
>>
>> I think it unfortunate that the workaround is not built into the iso
>> image boot process, so that, in booting the iso image disk, it tests,
>> finds the "lack of PAE", and automatically applies (or tries to apply)
>> the workaround, given that the workaround is inbuilt but at present,
>> needs for a user to research the problem, find (if lucky enough) that
>> the workaround is available on the disk, and thence, providing that
>> the user has been lucky enough to be able to find out about the
>> workaround, to manually apply the workaround.
>>
>
> And now for the latest update.
>
> I managed to install an extra couple of packages, before I stupidly
> tried to do a system update.
>
> Part of the system update (from the iso version of the installation)
> involved a new kernel version, which, without the PAE patch being
> inbuilt into the new kernel, broke the update and broke the Ubuntu
> Software Centre.
>
> So, the system apparently can not be updated, and, now, no more
> packages can be installed, due to the lack of a PAE patch being built
> into the kernel.
>
> So, I guess that I now have to overturn the apparent success of the
> installation, with the reiteration that the operating system is
> apparently incompatible with Intel Celeron CPU's, due to the lack of a
> patch to fix the PAE problem, being built into the kernel, as if the
> system can not undergo security updates and bugfixes, then it can not
> be regarded as reasonably secure or stable.
>

Okay. The problem is now resolved.

The solution is shown in the material below.

"
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2015 19:58:11 +0800
Subject: Re: Debian Gnome Or XFCE ?
To: debian-user at lists.debian.org

On 13/08/2015, didier gaumet <didier.gaumet at gmail.com> wrote:
> Le 13/08/2015 12:13, Bret Busby a écrit :
>
>> i386 is 686, and not 586 .... ?????
>
> Yes, I think that 386 Ubuntu Linux images are build with 686 instruction
> set compatibility. 386 meaning here x86.
>
> Anyway, you might have a way to force enabling PAE on your Celeron in
> Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE
>
>

Thank you.

That is how I managed to initially install the operating system.

I have not tried, and, do not know how, to apply that fix as part of a
kernel upgrade, and thence, I can not either update, or, add packages
to, that computer, within that operating system installation.

I guess it is now just a permanent bug in Ubuntu "i386", if the
problem does not apply to kernels outside Ubuntu.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
 Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
 A Trilogy In Four Parts",
 written by Douglas Adams,
 published by Pan Books, 1992

....................................................
"

And the second message, which contains the solution, is below.

"
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2015 05:14:39 +0800
Subject: Re: Debian Gnome Or XFCE ?
To: debian-user at lists.debian.org

On 14/08/2015, didier gaumet <didier.gaumet at gmail.com> wrote:
> Le 13/08/2015 13:58, Bret Busby a écrit :
>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> That is how I managed to initially install the operating system.
>
> then you should probably have a grub entry with PAE enabled (forced)
>
>> I have not tried, and, do not know how, to apply that fix as part of a
>> kernel upgrade, and thence, I can not either update, or, add packages
>> to, that computer, within that operating system installation.
>
> 1) edit /etc/default/grub, and add "forcepae" to the
> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT parameter
> for example:
> replace
> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"
> by
> GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash forcepae"
>
> 2)
> $ sudo update-grub
>
> 3) reboot
>
> 4) Ubuntu being booted in PAE mode, apt-get would probably let you
> upgrade your system
>
>> I guess it is now just a permanent bug in Ubuntu "i386", if the
>> problem does not apply to kernels outside Ubuntu.
>
> It is not a bug in Ubuntu: it is a choice. For x86, they now support
> only 686 with PAE (and from what I understand, PAE support in early
> Celerons is deemed experimental).
>
>

Hello.

Thank you.

Thank you for your previous clarifications.

Thank you for the solution above, which worked and solved the problem.

And, thank you for your patience with me.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
 Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
 A Trilogy In Four Parts",
 written by Douglas Adams,
 published by Pan Books, 1992

....................................................
"

So, someone who is an appropriate person, may want to add this
solution (the stepwise solution above), with appropriate credit to
didier gaumet, to the web site at
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE

Thank you in anticipation.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
 Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
 A Trilogy In Four Parts",
 written by Douglas Adams,
 published by Pan Books, 1992

....................................................