Whats your favorite way to hose an Ubuntu install?

[meg23]

These are a few of my favorite ways:

1. configuring grub manually and screwing up the whole thing
2. bad partial kernel upgrade
3. installing virtualbox on a hardy from apt
4. accidentally deleting filesystem using rm -rf by mistyping file location

[earthpigg]

1

[beno1990]

These are a few of my favorite ways:

1. configuring grub manually and screwing up the whole thing
2. bad partial kernel upgrade
3. installing virtualbox on a hardy from apt
4. accidentally deleting filesystem using rm -rf by mistyping file location

Way to avoid #2:

Always keep a secondary kernel installed as a backup.

Way to avoid #4:

Never delete anything from within /.

[billgoldberg]

I've hosed a few installs.

My favorite was installing ATI drivers manually when I first started using Linux.

I printed out the instructions and they didn't work.

I rebooted and the desktop was unusable.

30 minutes later I looked at the brown default gnome layout.

[JohnFH]

Don't quite know what you mean by favourite, but #4 is the most effective although #2 would frighten me as well. Grub can easily be restored and I've never had or even heard of a serious problem with #3.

Early on in my Linux life, although I'm still very young (in terms of my Linux years), I wanted to delete a partition to reorganise my disk space. When asked for the sudo password, I just thought to myself "Yeah, I know what I'm doing - I know it all!" so entered the password and then deleted the wrong partition. I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

Biggest threat to my Ubuntu install is ME! Idiot.

[kevdog]

Install Ubuntu on old crappy hardware -- That usually really confuses the alternate install disk.

[Barrucadu]

Early on in my Linux life, although I'm still very young (in terms of my Linux years), I wanted to delete a partition to reorganise my disk space. When asked for the sudo password, I just thought to myself "Yeah, I know what I'm doing - I know it all!" so entered the password and then deleted the wrong partition. I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

I did that once! The thing is, it was my data partition with schoolwork and suchlike on. I was panicking. Then I relaxed, took a deep breath, and recreated the partition with sfdisk. I have fixed so many partition problems, I should really double check these things.

[Thelasko]

None of the above, 1-3 are totally fixable. Not installing software from the repositories is my preferred method.

[Ozor Mox]

I can't remember the command exactly but it's something like

dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sda

[meg23]

The virtualbox install was definitely the most unexpected. That is definitely my favorite totally unexpected way to hose an install.

[aaaantoine]

The virtualbox install was definitely the most unexpected. That is definitely my favorite totally unexpected way to hose an install.

I guess I should consider myself lucky this didn't happen to me.

Here's one: recompiling a kernel, without really knowing what the hell it is you're doing.

I guess this could apply to any Linux install. The above is the only time I can recall actually hosing a Linux OS. I did it when I was experimenting with Mandrake back in 2005.

[Thelasko]

Here's one: recompiling a kernel, without really knowing what the hell it is you're doing.
That falls under, "Not installing software from the repositories" in my opinion.

[Keith Hedger]

Accidentally using truecrypt to create an encrypted drive but got the partition number wrong...now where did I put that install disk?

[xArv3nx]

Whats your favorite way to hose an Ubuntu install?
Update Manager. :mad:

[malleus74]

Installing updates without a backup ;)

[earthpigg]

so what is the deal with virtualbox...?

[meg23]

There is some bug with the updates that royally screws up hardy heron. I lost internet and has lots of freezes. After a reboot, nothing would boot up, not even in recovery mode.

[lukjad]

Use Automatix. ;)

[bodhi.zazen]

None of the above,

Install Arch over the top :twisted:

[bodhi.zazen]

Use Automatix. ;)

:lolflag:

[compiledkernel]

Use Automatix. ;)

Dont you mean Ultamatix? :)

[snova]

Here's one: recompiling a kernel, without really knowing what the hell it is you're doing.

I once tried that. The trouble was, the build system generated about half a dozen files. I couldn't tell which one was supposed to be booted and which ones weren't, or which ones were temporary...

Fortunately I didn't screw anything up, it just refused to boot. (I think I had gotten the right one, though.)

[chucky chuckaluck]

when i still used ubuntu, i was a bit fanatical about stripping off stuff i didn't need. i once really screwed up by opening synaptic and checking everything for removal that i never heard of and was sure i didn't need.

[lukjad]

Dont you mean Ultamatix? :)
I mean Automatix in all its forms. :p

[forrestcupp]

Favorite way to hose Ubuntu:

Just start it up. :) joking

My favorite was when I had an ATI card installed and I replaced it with an nvidia card and X didn't work anymore without a lot of tears and work. Even after taking precautions so that wouldn't happen.

[init1]

Yeah, I rm'd / on a Mandriva install once, since I was going to delete the partition anyway. It was kinda cool seeing the entire system slowly die :twisted:

[jimi_hendrix]

this isnt ubuntu but...when i tried to install arch i connected to the internet, installed xorg, messed up my xorg configuring, rebooted, fixed problem, got error when trying to connect to internet...wasting a friday afternoon

[aaaantoine]

That falls under, "Not installing software from the repositories" in my opinion.

Ah, I missed that. Yes, installing software using any other method than directly from the Ubuntu repositories is pretty much asking for trouble if you're a newbie.

[tuxsheadache]

Let's see...
1st time: I changed the drivers for my graphics card, next thing I knew the screen was one big flicker.
2nd time: I did exactly the same thing hoping I wasn't dumb enough to click wrong one again, I was.
3rd time: deleting the wrong partition
4th time: deleting the right partition, but set everything the wrong format or something :S (I love partitions xD)
5th time: Switching it off when it was trying to come out of hibernate, it didn't like that.
6th time: I guess sometime within the next week, just watch me.

[malleus74]

:lolflag:

[Sorivenul]

when i still used ubuntu, i was a bit fanatical about stripping off stuff i didn't need. i once really screwed up by opening synaptic and checking everything for removal that i never heard of and was sure i didn't need.

I've done that, more or less. Stripped out things I didn't need and didn't think I needed, then changed my sources.list to the development release. Nightmare. This was back with Edgy I believe. Haven't borked an Ubuntu install since unless I had a bad update from the development branch on my testing machine.

[Grant A.]

"Tinkering" with system files.