Getting Help

[Rab_McNair]

Just wanted to say that how are people supposed to want to use Ubuntu when they can't get any help?

I have spent hours trying to work things out, as well as posting here for assistance.

So far the help I have received has been very limited (1 reply) which has not actually helped me as I was already doing the few things it suggested. [although I did appreciate that at least one person took some time to try]

The problems I am finding is that all the wikis and guides I have been reading take it for granted that you already have a certain level of knowledge (which I don't). The fact that getting things wrong can have devastating affects on your computer makes you reluctant to try things until you have confirmation that you are doing it right/wrong. Anyway I am pretty close to calling it a day with this OS because I don't have 6 hours or more to waste everytime I want to try and do something that I have not done before. This is a shame as I know it has so much to offer if you could just figure out how to do it.

Born of frustration

[sudodus]

Welcome to the Ubuntu Forums

Please give it some more time! This is a worldwide forum, and the best helper might live in another time-zone far from yours, so you should actually wait for 16-32 hours, and after that you can bump the thread (write the single word 'bump' in a reply).

Also, we are all volunteers, nobody is paid for giving support, which is different from the help desks of commercial software. We try to help, but there might be delays and the quality of help might vary (we do our best, but we are not professional helpers).

[steeldriver]

+1

To which I would add (having checked your post history) that the thing you are asking for help on - recovering a failed Windows system - is a somewhat specialized task that falls outside of what most people use Ubuntu for

It's a bit like giving up on a Lamborghini because it fails to pull an 18-wheeler out of a snowbank

[buzzingrobot]

Don't recall seeing your other posts, but always be sure to be as specific as possible about problems. That includes the Ubuntu version, the hardware specs, the text of any error messages (wrap them in quotes using the icon in the tool bar here), etc. Be specific about what you may have already done to try to solve the problem. Even if that didn't work, it changed something.

Be wary, frankly, of random information returned by a Google search. If you don't understand what some unknown site is telling you, don't blindly follow its instructions and hope for the best. Be sure the guidance pertains to your specific Ubuntu version and your specific hardware. It's a rare web site, IMO, that makes any effort to remove outdated or incorrect content.

Basic usage guidance is available from the help files included in Ubuntu (via the panel menu). Many other usage questions have been answered here, so a targeted forum search might be useful.

Finally, remember that Linux is not Windows. Methods, techniques, and metaphors do not usually transfer directly.

[slickymaster]

Not a specific support request.

Moved to the Forum Feedback & Help sub-forum

[grahammechanical]

I often come on this forum to give help. Several times a day in fact. And just yesterday I was thinking, What is the point?

I feel like giving up trying to help people because I do not have the time or the inclination to help people who cannot be bothered to give information about the hardware & about the problem. "It don't work" Or, "I cannot install" are not signs or symptoms that can be used to even guess what the problem might be.

And then there are those who put conditions on any help that might be given. They refuse links to a wiki page and demand step by step explanations. I do not have the time and I will not take responsibility for the accuracy of any advice given under those conditions.

I try to give instructions for using GUI utilities because that is how I use Ubuntu, through a GUI utility and rarely through the command line. But right now I am worn out reading about the mess people get into doing things the "clever" way and then expecting some simple fix that does not require a re-installation of the OS.

So, there are two sides to moans & complaints like this one.

Free & Open Source Software is a gift that not everyone is worthy of.

[tgalati4]

Linux takes patience. Keep at it. If it's worth learning, it's worth being bad at it for a while. Yes, there is a time commitment. Go ahead and try things. Yes you will break your system, but that is part of the learning curve. Can't help with Window's problems. Haven't used it since 2005.

[mastablasta]

1. read the Suggestions on how to get your support questions answered as quickly as possible thread : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1422475
2. you have one thread on Forums with topic: Hard Drive Failure - Recovering Data and explanation of event:

She told me that her laptop was updating Windows 10 when it crashed. Now when you try to boot up you cannot enter the bios and it is stuck in an eternal loop where it tries to run repair and diagnostics before restarting and doing the same again.

it's a windows issue on a windows proprietary NTFS file system. and there are windows tools to solve it. easiest way that pops into my head - backup the data, restore the OS, move data back.

but you chose to use Ubuntu tools. be prepared to do some extra work.

Error opening '/dev/sdb': No such file or directory
Volume is corrupt. You should run chkdsk.

see? boot into windows recovery or using recovery disk and run chkdsk.

While I would like to recover the data, my problem has changed as it now looks like the HDD has a corrupt master file table.

again a windows problem. you might be able to solve it with gparted, and I don't know that. but I know for a fact that there is a free windows tool that would recover partition table. I know that because I had it corrupted on me once due to bad drive connection wire.

[QUOTE][I am unable to connect the laptop to the network as it is unbootable./QUOTE] you can always use a live USB or DVD disk to boot the computer. no hard disk required to be inside. to recover files the disk should be unmounted or at least not in use I believe.

most of your issues are windows issues. perhaps they are solvable by Ubuntu. but, it's easier to use windows tools.

[brian-mccumber]

I switched cold turkey from Windows to Ubuntu/Linux and figured I'd just wing it. This switch recently happened I might add. I haven't had any problems finding information for things that I've wanted or needed to do with the computer or problems I've had trying to do those things. I usually find the solution to a problem before I have to post on a forum. It may be because the things I wanted to do were specific, like install a graphics program like Photoshop or getting Fallout 3 to run, and not some weird experiment with the OS. I guess using a search engine effectively takes practice and nobody was ever good at anything without practicing it alot first, unless you're a savant.

I don't really like dual booting, if I needed a Windows machine for something, I would have a Windows computer and a kvm switch for my keyboard and mouse to switch between computers. Then there is no dual boot headaches and files can still be shared between the two OS's and they can use the same external hdd. Just an idea if your having problems with two operating systems on the same hdd.

[Bucky Ball]

Not sure if you've checked your thread but you have posted one support thread here and it has had four people try and help in the last seventeen hours and the help hasn't been limited but has given plenty of instructive advice so not sure what you're getting at. Let's put it down to frustration, and we've all been there. (Incidentally, there is a suggestion there waiting for you to try.)

Probably mentioned already, but patience is the key. It's an international forum covering many time zones so the person who can help might not get here for twelve hours. Hang in there!!! Hopefully it will be worth the wait.