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Samsung Laptop Bug Is Not Linux Specific

Posted by timothy on from the using-french-or-korean-does-it-too dept.

First time accepted submitter YurB writes "Matthew Garrett, a Linux kernel developer who was investigating the recent Linux-on-Samsung-in-UEFI-mode problem, has bricked a Samsung laptop using a test userspace program in Windows. The most fascinating part of the story is on what is actually causing the firmware boot failure: 'Unfortunately, it turns out that some Samsung laptops will fail to boot if too much of the [UEFI] variable storage space is used. We don't know what "too much" is yet, but writing a bunch of variables from Windows is enough to trigger it. I put some sample code here — it writes out 36 variables each containing a kilobyte of random data. I ran this as an administrator under Windows and then rebooted the system. It never came back.'"

4 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. They didn't get the memo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    it writes out 36 variables each containing a kilobyte of random data

    36k clearly isn't enough for anyone.

  2. Re:Unlimited Supply of Laptops? by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Funny

    I might be confused, but don't kernel devs normally destroy their instruments at the end of each show?

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  3. Re:memo to hardware producers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, yeah, that's why you have to force them. They're not going to brick their hardware voluntarily, are they?

  4. Re:Forgot one detail... by isorox · · Score: 4, Funny

    Alt+F4, Alt+F4, Alt+F4, Alt+F4, Alt+F4, Alt+F4, Alt+F4 ...I'm sure someone will hit it (even now :-).

    Why would I want to switch to virtual desktop 4?