Give root password for mainenance
(or type Control-D to continue): _

Further, you’re not presented with any console to login and perform the manual fsck. So the only option is to do the fsck from LiveCD. Normally this is fairly simple:

sudo fsck /dev/sda1

Replace sda1 with the actual name of your partition. If you don’t know you can start the partition editor from the administration menu and check.

This is not so easy however if the partition you need to check is part of a RAID because you have to configure and start software RAID first. This is done with mdadm, however mdadm doesn’t come with the Ubuntu LiveCD.

So I ended up using a KNOPPIX LiveCD to be able to finally perform the manual fsck on my RAID partition:

• Scan the RAID partitions. You’ll also be verifying that you’re using the correct partitions that belong to a RAID.
  sudo mdadm --examine --scan /dev/sda1
sudo mdadm --examine --scan /dev/sdb1
  The output should be something like this:
  ARRAY /dev/md0 level=raid1 num-devices=2 UUID=a28090aa:6893be8b:c4024dfc:29cdb07a
• Now edit mdadm.conf:
  sudo nano /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf
  and add the above output line to the end of the file with the following modification:
  ARRAY /dev/md0 level=raid1 num-devices=2 UUID=a28090aa:6893be8b:c4024dfc:29cdb07a devices=/dev/sda1,/dev/sdb1
  where devices=/dev/sda1,/dev/sdb1 are the two RAID partitions you want to perform the fsck
• Start the RAID setup:
  sudo /etc/init.d/mdadm start
sudo /etc/init.d/mdadm-raid start
• Perform the fsck on your RAID partition:
  sudo fsck /dev/md0
• Finally restart into your now booting Ubuntu system

Sources:

• Recover Data From RAID1 LVM Partitions With Knoppix Linux LiveCD
• Launchpad bug report

Update (11/04/2010) for Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick: I now got it to work in Maverick using the following steps:

1. Install the xserver-xorg-input-aiptek package from Synaptic Package Manager
2. Create a new file with gedit by starting the Run Application dialogue with Alt F2 and executing:
   gksudo gedit /lib/udev/rules.d/69-xserver-xorg-input-aiptek.rules
   note: you will be promted for your password
3. Paste the following content into gedit, then save and close the file:
   ACTION!="add|change", GOTO="xorg_aiptek_end"
KERNEL!="event[0-9]*", GOTO="xorg_aiptek_end"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="08ca", ENV{x11_driver}="aiptek", SYMLINK+="input/aiptektablet"
LABEL="xorg_aiptek_end"
4. Create another file with gedit by starting the Run Application dialogue with Alt F2 and executing:
   gksudo gedit /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-aiptek.conf
   note: you might be promted for your password again
5. Paste the following content into gedit, then save and close the file:
   Section "InputClass"
Identifier "aiptek"
MatchProduct "Aiptek|AIPTEK|aiptek"
MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
Driver "aiptek"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "USB" "on"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "Mode" "absolute"
Option "zMin" "0"
Option "zMax" "1023"
EndSection
6. Restart your system and your tablet should be working

Update (11/11/2009) for Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic: In Karmic the .fdi files are still working dispite the deprecation of HAL but you’ll have to create/edit them again if you’ve upgraded from Jaunty. However the Wacom driver which I was using in Jaunty doesn’t work anymore. The Aiptek driver works but with poor pressure sensitivity support (To use the Aiptek driver follow the instructions I’ve updated at Ubuntu Community Documentation: Aiptek Tablet). I’m using the Wizardpen driver as the pressure sensitivity works much better (Download and install the Wizardpen driver for Karmic and follow the original instructions below).

I finally got my G-Pen 560 graphic tablet working on my Ubuntu Linux which at the time I write this is 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope, and you know what? It’s easy!
Update (7/29/2009): At the moment I’m using and recomending the Wacom driver. Skip the Wizardpen part and scroll down to read instructions on how to enable the Wacom driver for your tablet. Continue reading from here if you prefer to use the Wizardpen driver.

1. Download the Wizardpen driver DEB package and install it on your system
2. Create a new file with gedit by starting the Run Application dialogue with Alt F2 and executing:
   gksudo gedit /etc/hal/fdi/policy/gpen560.fdi
   note: you will be promted for your password
3. Paste the following content into gedit:
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
<deviceinfo version="0.2">
<device>
<match key="info.product" contains="Aiptek">
<merge key="input.x11_driver" type="string">wizardpen</merge>

   <merge key="input.x11_options.SendCoreEvents" type="string">true</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.TopX" type="string">185</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.TopY" type="string">372</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.BottomX" type="string">11811</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.BottomY" type="string">8793</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.MaxX" type="string">11811</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.MaxY" type="string">8793</merge>

   <merge key="input.x11_options.TopZ" type="string">32</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.MaxZ" type="string">1023</merge>
<merge key="input.x11_options.BottomZ" type="string">1023</merge>

   </match>
</device>
</deviceinfo>

4. Save the file and close gedit
5. plug in (or re-plug in) your tablet and you should be done

Note that if you want to make use of pressure sensitivity you’ll have to configure it on the specific applications.
Also note that I haven’t figured out how to make the two buttons on the stylus work.

For other Wizardpen compatible tablets you’ll have to find out the right configuration for the .fdi file. Other than that it’s the same process. Consult the sources at the bottom of this article.

You could instead also use the Aiptek driver, or the Wacom driver, have a look at this Ubuntu forum post: Genius Mouspen 8×6 under Jaunty Jackalope. When I tried them, one of the stylus buttons worked as right click, but performance overall was not as good as with the wizardpen driver.

I’d recomend you to try the Wacom driver nevertheless to see for yourself, which one you prefer:

1. Disable the .fdi file previously created so it doesn’t interfere with the Wacom configuration (only if you followed the instructions above about configuring the Wizardpen driver):
   Open nautilus with root priviledges by starting the Run Application dialogue with Alt F2 and executing:
   gksudo nautilus
   note: you will be promted for your password
   navigate to /etc/hal/fdi/policy/ and rename gpen560.fdi to gpen560.fdi.wizardpen
2. Open the Wacom configuration file using gedit with root priviledges:
   gksudo gedit /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/20thirdparty/10-wacom.fdi
   note: you will be promted for your password
3. Change this line:
   <match key="info.product" contains="Wacom">
   to:
   <match key="info.product" contains_outof="Wacom;Aiptek">
4. Save the file and close gedit
5. plug in (or re-plug in) your tablet and you should be done

By the way the Windows driver is buggy and the driver for Mac doesn’t work, at least not for leopard. Update (7/29/2009): However, the guys at Genius sent me a link to a newer driver (probably beta) which does work for me. Try it!

Sources:

Ubuntu Community Documentation: Aiptek Tablet
Ubuntu Community Documentation: TabletSetupWizardpen
Ubuntu Community Documentation: Wacom
The Digital Blue Wave
Genius Mouspen 8×6 under Jaunty Jackalope
Genius G-Pen 560 under Ubuntu 10.04
Genius G-Pen 560 Tablet on Ubuntu Linux 8.10 Intrepid

I’m using the standard Ubuntu Desktop Edition on my HP Mini netbook.

Because netbooks don’t have a high resolution (In my case 1024×600) we’ll want the interface to occupy as little space as possible.

Font

To start off we’ll want to reduce the font-size without affecting the readability:

Font Rendering

Go to System → Preferences → Appearance → Fonts
I’m pleased to notice that since Jaunty the standard for font rendering is subpixel smoothing which is good for LCD displays. However we’ll adjust this a bit more for our needs:

Click on Details…:

Under Smoothing select Subpixel if not set already.

Under Hinting select Medium or Full, this will make text better readable even on small sizes which brings us to the next step:

Font size

Close the Font Rendering Details window and from the Font tab in the Appearance Preferences window set all fonts to 6. With our rendering options this is still good readable.

Panels

One panel is enough, so decide for either the top or the bottom panel, right-click the one you want to delete and select Delete This Panel.

Don’t worry, everything that was on the deleted panel can be added to the other panel by right-clicking it and selecting Add to Panel….

Next we’ll shrink the panel size as much as possible but first:

There is currently (Gnome 2.26.1) a bug with the Menu Bar preventing the Ubuntu icon (Or the icon of whatever distro you’re using, or the Gnome icon) from adjusting its size to the font-size. Here you have two choices: Either use the Main Menu instead of the Menu Bar or disable icons in the Menu Bar by going to System → Preferences → Appearance → Interface and deselecting Show icons in menus. Also, here I’ve chosen to select Icons only from the Toolbar button labels dropdown. This saves some more precious vertical space. The buttons are mostly self explanatory anyway and if you don’t know what one does, just leave the cursor on top of it for a sec, to display a tooltip.

Now we can proceed to decrease the panel size: Right-click the panel and select Properties: Set Size to the lowest number possible.

Further

Our interface now uses much less vertical space and most windows fit comfortably on the screen but there are some exceptions forcing us to take some further actions:

Install Simple Compizconfig settings manager if you haven’t done so already. Either look for it in System → Administration → Synaptic Package Manager or enter in a terminal sudo apt-get install simple-ccsm

After installation go to System → Preferences → CompizConfig Settings Manager, from the category Window Management click on Move Window and unmark the Constrain Y option.

This will allow us to move windows that are too big freely so that we can see the parts that would otherwise be hidden from us below the desktop area. To move a window use the Movement Key defined in System → Preferences → Windows.

Firefox & Thunderbird

I’m using Firefox and Thunderbird and the toolbars take up some space but it’s easy to customize them: View → Toolbars → Customize: Ignore the newly opened window and just grab the statusbar further up so that it fits next to the menu. This saves quiet some pixels for the actual web content. In Thunderbird I’ve done the same for the bar with the buttons send, reply, forward, etc.

Window List

At some point I enabled grouping of windows in the Window List Preferences but later decided to remove the Window List entirely and switch between windows using Scale: Initiate Window Picker which I was already used to from the Mac:

Go to System → Preferences → Appearance → Visual Effects → Custom → Edges, select the edge you’d like to use and choose Scale: Initiate Window Picker. I have the panel at the top, so most buttons are located top left, so I chose the top left edge to minimize cursor movement.

Now I had lots of free space on my panel and I decided to fill it with quick launchers for the applications I use frequently: Right-click on an app in the Main Menu and select Add this launcher to panel.

Workspaces

I use multiple workspaces and it’s so easy and comfortable to switch between them using the shortcut ctrl alt ‘arrow key’ that I didn’t even bother to include the Workspace Switcher to the panel.

Note that to have a workspace on top of the other may be handy for you if you’re working on a big window and don’t want to be moving it around all the time. You can instead just switch workspaces to view different parts of the window.

Nice Dark Theme

My HP Mini is black so a dark theme suits it better, and it’s also more relaxing to the eye. Dust is a very nice theme but I decided to customize it a bit:

In the Appearance Preferences window select the Dust theme and click Customize…, from the Controls tab select DarkRoom and in the Colors tab assign the following colors:

• Windows Background: #323232
• Windows Text: #D9D4CC
• Input boxes Background: #1A1A1A
• Input boxes Text: #595959
• Selected items Background: #996B5C
• Selected items Text: #FFFFFF
• Tooltips Background: #EBEAB8
• Tooltips Text: #323232

I’m quiet happy with these colors though I’m sure it can be perfectioned.

Thunderbird

In Thunderbird I’ve customized the colors as follows: Edit → Preferences → Advanced: click Config Editor…: In the Filter field type color and edit the following attributes:

• browser.active_color: #cc7777
• browser.anchor_color: #bb6666
• browser.display.background_color: #1A1A1A
• browser.display.foreground_color: #4C4C4C
• browser.display.use_focus_colors: true
• editor.active_link_color: #cc7777
• editor.link_color: #bb6666
• editor.use_custom_colors: true

and others as needed.

Gedit

The Oblivion theme for gedit which you can find in Font & Colors tab of the gedit preferences window, fits perfectly to our dark theme.

Terminal

Open the Profile Preferences window: From the Background tab I’ve chosen to enable transparency, and at the Colors tab I’ve set the Text color to #D6CDB0 and the Background color to #313131.

After installing some updates on my Ubuntu 9.04 alpha I restarted my machine and was shocked to see the Grub message: Error 15: File not found

I found out that the Grub menu.lst had not been updated to start with the new kernel (actualy I think it was even replaced by an older version or something) and the solution is quiet simple:

In the Grub menu press ‘c’ to get a Grub promt, then type cat (hd0,1)/boot/ and press ‘tab’. (replace (hd0,1) with whatever your boot partition is (If you don’t know enter the command find /vmlinuz or find /boot/grub/menu.lst))

You’ll see a list of available vmlinuz kernels. Memorize the version of your latest kernel and press ‘esc’ to get back to the Grub menu.

Press ‘e’ to edit the entry and replace all kernel version entries with the version you just memorized, then press ‘b’ to boot.

Your system should now be happily booting again. When your system’s up and running edit /boot/grub/menu.lst with your favorite edior so that the kernel versions match the ones on your system in /boot/

It took me a whole day to figure out this simple solution because I had done quiet a lot of different things on the machine before I restarted it, so I couldn’t figure out the cause. I was about to try to install gentoo with a USB flash drive but when I wanted to format it I accidentally pressed unmount on the harddisk instead of the flash drive. Also using an alpha version is not recomended and you have to expect such things to happen. And finally, the documentation I found in the internet was often related to multi-boot systems and/or more serious problems. This is the main reason I’m publishing this article. I was suspecting that the solution might be trivial but had difficulties figuring out what was causing trouble, also because I wasn’t able to boot any live-CD because my hp mini doesn’t have a CD drive and the only USB flash drive I had at hand was one that wouldn’t boot…

Mouse

Now the mighty mouse looks really cool is comfortable and has an awesome scrollwheel… …however it’s not possible to press two or more mouse buttons at the same time. If you’re wondering where this ability could possibly come handy then you’re one of the many lucky users who’re not in need of it. However 3D modeling for instance slows down significantly without it. Also it’d be nice to be able to use the very handy right-click-cancels-everything-your-just-doing-with-the-left-mouse-button – function which so many applications provide.

There’s an other problem especially in conjunction with the cursor acceleration problem which I will write about later on: Sometimes, while dragging you may for example hit your keyboard with the mouse before reaching your destination with the cursor. Any other mouse you could just lift, place in the middle of your mousepad and continue dragging, however that’s not the case with the mighty mouse because it can’t be lifted while still holding down a mousebutton. Fortunately there’s a workaround though: While still holding down the mousebutton, move the mouse back to the middle of the mousepad but make sure not to move the mouse very fast, then move your mouse again towards your destination while this time moving the mouse quiet fast. Strange enough, this time your cursor will come farther.

Of course there’s an easy way to get rid of these problems, buying another mouse, you’ll miss the scrollwheel though. Another drawback is that the acceleration curve will probably be even worse.

Cursor

The cursor acceleration problem however you can’t get rid off even if you buy any other mouse and it’s very sad that even in leopard and after so many people have complained about it for years and years there’s no option in the keyboard and mouse preferences window to turn off cursor acceleration. It’s almost as if Apple wanted to state that their computers shouldn’t be used for 3D work, or by people who like to click around very fast. They’re quite successful I must say ’cause since I’m happy to have a mac I haven’t done much 3D work anymore. Too annoying.

faZit

Apple, your mice are sexy, we love to touch them and it’s awesome to see your spirit of innovation even goes into the mouse. You’re doing great work, what’s say next time you add common functionality to it?!

And seriously, how hard can it possilby be to include a ‘turn off cursor acceleration’ option to the mouse preferences dialogue?! Not too hard, right? But imagine how many happy faces this would generate…