Did the install do something to my BIOS?

[unckybob]

I installed Ubuntu to my machine and I was absolutely delighted. It went without a hitch. But when I put in another hard drive and tried to install XP. I had all kinds of problems. It hung during the install.

I tried a number of things. During the process of events my BIOS got fried. It's okay, Dell said they would replace my motherboard, but I'd like to know what I did wrong, so I won't have this happen to me in the future.

Did Ubuntu indeed do something to my BIOS?

If it does consider the following scenario: my Ubuntu disk fails and I want to install XP on the system with a separate hard disk. How can I do it without blowing my BIOS? And my motherboard? Please help.


Dell System 3000

Pentium 4, 2.8 Ghz
CPU Speed: Normal
Level 1 Cache: 1024 KB
Level 2 Cache: 1 MB Integrated
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
Processor 0 ID: F41

BIOS Version A02

512 MB DDR SDRAM, 333 MHz
System memory Channel Mode: Dual
AGP Aperture: 128 MB

[wpshooter]

If you are going to run 2 O/Ss, i.e. windows & Ubuntu, then it would be advisable to install Windows FIRST then install Ubuntu SECOND.

But my advice would be to (if at all possible) to not install windows at all and use only Ubuntu. I don't like dual O/S computers.

Good luck.

[louieb]

Ubuntu gets information from BIOS - it doesn't change it.

The most likely cause of a fried motherboard is ESD Electrostatic discharge. Just need to make sure both you and the computer are grounded when you have the case open and the power is off. Some use wrist ground strap. or touch a grounded metal surface from time to time to prevent a static charge from building. Handle cards by their edge. Work on a hard surface. Stay off the carpet.

[unckybob]

Yeah, I thought that too. But I found another guy who had the same problem on a Dell.

https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/15124

I would think that any operating system has the potential to do something to a Bios. From what I've read you can flash a Bios from within Windows or Linux. So if you can reprogram the Bios from an OS, it's possible that the operating system could reprogram it as well. I don't know for sure that Ubuntu does anything to a Bios on an install, but other people have had Bios related problems.

[cariboo]

I've installed different distributions on a large number of my own computers and I have never had any bios problems, If anything Linux has over overcome limitations in early bioses as far as hard drive size is concerned. You more than likely had an accident and fried your bios your self.

Jim

[unckybob]

That make me feel a better. Still a little scary doing an install when you're worried about losing the motherboard, but you sound like you know what you are doing.

Maybe the problem was with the hard disk I was installing. It was taken from a linux server and hadn't been formatted or anything. The XP installation started having problems with partitioning.

[unckybob]

Thanks.