http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/5799/
With the introduction of bullet-proof X in 8.04, it should be possible to launch some sort of gui no matter what, so how about creating a guided recovery app (in the style of 'ubiquity-only') that goes something like this:

Welcome to the Ubuntu Recovery Helper.
-If you booted into this mode because booting Ubuntu normally doesn't work, press continue.
-If you have booted into this mode by accident, you can reboot your computer and choose the option to load Ubuntu normally.
-If you are an advanced user and would like to go straight to the command-line, press Advanced.
[REBOOT] [ADVANCED] [CONTINUE]

If they press continue:
-If you know approximately what is wrong with your PC, select it below and press Continue.
-If you don't know what is wrong, press I Don't Know.
[]Graphics Card or Monitor
[]Hard Disk
[]Sound
[]etc.
[BACK] [I DON'T KNOW] [CONTINUE]

Selecting Graphics Card or Monitor would launch the X.org configuration utility, with the additional option to 'Autodetect any display hardware changes' (runs "sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xorg-server" or whatever the exact code is). Selecting I Don't Know would launch the same prompt that the hardware database thingie uses, and when an error is reported would go to the appropriate item from the list above.

I'm not going to go through the entire thing, but I'm sure you get the idea. At the moment, Windows recovery mode is just an admin desktop, and Ubuntu is command-line. We're currently behind, but implementing something like this would put us years ahead. It would also make a great 'important feature' for 8.10 (like compiz-fusion was for 7.10).

[331 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #5799


]]> en-us Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:30:39 +0000 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:01:37 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/5799/
I want to secure my laptop from all. I have bios locked, but don't want to have a password on boot because I ALREADY have a password in the buntu* login.

So...in short:

1. Graphical recovery = cool. I would plead that the command line interface stays to some extent though. It's useful.
2. Lock it down so that a thief can't just go in and graphically change a password or access files. ]]> Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:35:13 +0000 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:02:11 +0000 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:41:29 +0000
IMHO integrating the recovery tools there would be a bad idea because most users don't consider grub a 'part' of ubuntu, and adding ubuntu-specific recovery options to grub under the simple label of recovery would confuse a lot of people. It would also require a lot more work in terms of building the infrastructure into grub, whereas this idea can be run right on top of the existing recovery mode and bullet-proof X.]]> Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:47:09 +0000
I think that between the ability of the righteous owner to restore a broken system should be privileged versus the possibility for an intruder (whith phisical access to the machine!) to damage it. And again, if an intruder gained access to my machine all he would find would be my scanned D&D manuals collection ;P... if I worked for CIA and had something to keep secret then I'd probably protect me otherwise.]]> Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:27:16 +0000 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:38:57 +0000 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:08:42 +0000 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:00:28 +0000 Tue, 06 May 2008 22:58:32 +0000 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:44 +0000
So you are completely stuck at this menu. Not good.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:46:28 +0000