"MintHardwareDetect" to run from LiveCd of new release
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10 years ago 11 Considered |
To create a program that would run from LiveCD mainly (but also from installed machine), and would require all the hardware of the running machine to work properly, like:
- internet connection;
- audio output via all the channels (speakers, headphone) AND input (recording from mike, embedded mike for laptops, etc);
- webcam
- 3D acceleration
- (put here any other hardware that tends to cause trouble, like pentablets, touchpads, joysticks, etc.)
Perhaps it would require some user confirmations prior and during this checklist, and specially, it should suggest some possible troubleshooting (install backport modules, for example), or even do that by default.
I know that
1) a lot of "MintSomething" software has been asked here;
2) these pieces of software are not necessarily trivial to implement;
3) I have been myself putting too much ideas here, lately :oP
BUT considering
1) some "hardware recognition" tool has already been asked by many reasons (for the Hardware Module of this site, specially), and it doesn't seems to exist some integrated user-friendly GUI for that (afaik);
2) one of the most bothering aspect of Mint/Ubuntu/Linux is when something simply doesn't work;
3) it is advised to the users to boot from LiveCD first to "see if everything works", but when thinks "seem" to work fine, it doesn't mean EVERYTHING is working indeed;
4) newbies haven't learned these subtleties during migration and first install, usually. (and come to the forums to complain soon, with some right to do so).
5) there's no hint IN the LiveCD to do a thorough system check before commiting to hard disk install (only on the sites, tutos, announcements, etc).
Thanks for the patience!
Latest comments
Ubuntu System Testing application
Ok, so is what you are suggesting a kind of pre-installation functionality test or diagnostics tool ala MS-DIAGS or http://www.pc-doctor.com/pcd_linux.php? There have been a couple of open-source projects on sourceforge to do something similar, but they haven't got very far it seems. The problem I see here is that some things such as graphics and network simply won't work in many cases without installed drivers which it is not possible to do from the livecd.
@remoulder: I agree with you, but I must say two things:
1) the idea would be the suggested program to check if everything REALLY works, like "are you hearing this? are you seeing that flickering on your screen, type this and that to see if it works". That is, the porgram would say if things are working or not, and not necessarily WHY.
2) I only discovered hardinfo months after installing mint for the first time. I only noticed some things not working on my new laptop many days after I installed Mint. There should have an "auto-self-induced-system-check" at least explicitly offered to newbies when the user decides to install from LiveCD, or an icon much clearly emphasized on LiveCD desktop.
By the way, the typing stuff for keyboard configuration is already present on current Mint Installer from LiveCD, and the GRUB option "check disk integrity" of LiveCD is also an example of explicit failsafe procedure offered and even advised to people wanting to install Mint.
Whilst it may sound desirable, what you suggest simply isn't feasible. They are many reasons why something may not work, incorrect drivers, incorrect detection, no drivers available, misconfiguration, etc, etc. Hardinfo is already included in Isadora/Lucid.
