[SLE] 10.1 box install forgets DVD or CD
I've (re)assembled an older system (Athlon 1800+/512M RAM, 30G hard drive) I had lying around to install SuSE 10.1 from the boxed set. I've added a DVD Rom drive and set the jumper as slave and hooked up to the correct plug on the IDE cable. The bios sees the DVD rom drive (but calls it a CD drive, hmmm) and I set it to boot before the hard drive. The system begins booting from the DVD just fine. It presents the first splash screen to choose boot from hard disk, or installlation, and the other installation options. After choosing Installation the linux kernel loads, and the next glitzy splash screen comes up (the Novell name subtly reflected and the rotating/fading circle of lights -- very pretty) and a few seconds later it switches to a text screen with a nasty message that it can't find CD1. Nothing I do at this point will make the DVD reappear. The option to eject the disc also doesn't work. For some reason the drive seems to have disappeared. After several iterations of the failure to install I tried doing the install from the CD instead of the DVD and I got the same result. Then I rechecked cables, reseated RAM and whatnot and tried again. Same results. So I figure maybe there's something wrong with the DVD ROM drive and I install a CD-ROM that was working fine in another computer. Same results again. Then I tried the Installation with SAFE options. Whaddya know, but that worked. Does anyone have an idea what option with the SAFE options fixes the installation's media drive forgetfulness? I figure it's probably going to have to be added to the finished grub boot options when this installation is finished. Thanks. -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com
On Wednesday 26 July 2006 21:01, Ken Jennings wrote: <snip>
Then I tried the Installation with SAFE options. Whaddya know, but that worked. Does anyone have an idea what option with the SAFE options fixes the installation's media drive forgetfulness? I figure it's probably going to have to be added to the finished grub boot options when this installation is finished.
Thanks.
More than likely its the apm=off and acpi=off parameters. Theory is that the mainboard's acpi isn't quite right. Did you get all the latest BIOS and firmware updates for this machine and its components and apply them? Does the BIOS recognize the devices correctly before you boot to the install media? As far as the DVD/CD issues go, you said you set the DVD to slave. Is the HDD set to master then? HDD at the end of the cable, DVD in the middle, mainboard controller at the other end of the cable? If yes, have you tried setting the HDD and the DVD to Cable Select and leave them in their positions on the cable? Does the mainboard have 2 IDE controllers? Have you tried separating the HDD and DVD to different controllers and set each as master of its own cable? Do you have other IDE cables to try? Stan -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com
On Thursday 27 July 2006 12:57, Stan Glasoe wrote:
On Wednesday 26 July 2006 21:01, Ken Jennings wrote: <snip>
Then I tried the Installation with SAFE options. Whaddya know, but that worked. [...]
More than likely its the apm=off and acpi=off parameters. Theory is that the mainboard's acpi isn't quite right.
[a lot of useful troubleshooting snipped...] Yes, everything was checked and there appeared to be no jumper, cabling, and BIOS problems. This computer used to be my personal working system from Suse 8.0 to 9.1. When I got a new computer trickle-down economics moved the computer to my wife with Suse 9.2/9.3 and then an update for 10.0. It never had a problem installing from CD before and always worked fine with a full graphic install plus all the extra development, network, and add-ons. Since we're in another computer upgrade cycle here, the computer is changing roles -- demoted to just doing weekly backups of our main file server. So, this is the first time I'm working with 10.1. I don't recall ever having as many problems with any other SusE version. After a dozen tries this weekend 10.1 won't install or run without all the safe settings: no apm, no acpi no apic, no ide dma. Even then the graphical install is inconsistent. Sometimes it can setup the S3 on board graphics, sometimes not. Once the system was running it would cough up regular dialogs about some KDE service missing. And then there were the total lockups. I've done crazy things to Suse linux before that caused lockups that needed the power cycled. I've been using Reiser for years and I've never had problems or lost anything due to hard shutdowns. This time most of the lockups and forced shutdowns resulted in not only corrupting files, but also trashing the partition information. In the end I finally have the system working. It boots and runs with all the safe settings in minimal text mode. It is using ext3 for all the system partitions/files and xfs for the data backup partition. So far in the last 14 hours it has rsync'd 220G of data from the main server with no obvious problems. 10.0 is nice and stable on the four other computers, so I'm having doubts about updating any of the working systems to 10.1. -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com
On Sunday 30 July 2006 13:28, Ken Jennings wrote:
On Thursday 27 July 2006 12:57, Stan Glasoe wrote:
On Wednesday 26 July 2006 21:01, Ken Jennings wrote: <snip>
Then I tried the Installation with SAFE options. Whaddya know, but that worked. [...]
More than likely its the apm=off and acpi=off parameters. Theory is that the mainboard's acpi isn't quite right.
[a lot of useful troubleshooting snipped...]
Yes, everything was checked and there appeared to be no jumper, cabling, and BIOS problems.
This computer used to be my personal working system from Suse 8.0 to 9.1. When I got a new computer trickle-down economics moved the computer to my wife with Suse 9.2/9.3 and then an update for 10.0. It never had a problem installing from CD before and always worked fine with a full graphic install plus all the extra development, network, and add-ons.
<snip>
After a dozen tries this weekend 10.1 won't install or run without all the safe settings: no apm, no acpi no apic, no ide dma. Even then the graphical install is inconsistent. Sometimes it can setup the S3 on board graphics, sometimes not. Once the system was running it would cough up regular dialogs about some KDE service missing. And then there were the total lockups. I've done crazy things to Suse linux before that caused lockups that needed the power cycled. I've been using Reiser for years and I've never had problems or lost anything due to hard shutdowns. This time most of the lockups and forced shutdowns resulted in not only corrupting files, but also trashing the partition information.
In the end I finally have the system working. It boots and runs with all the safe settings in minimal text mode. It is using ext3 for all the system partitions/files and xfs for the data backup partition. So far in the last 14 hours it has rsync'd 220G of data from the main server with no obvious problems.
10.0 is nice and stable on the four other computers, so I'm having doubts about updating any of the working systems to 10.1.
Sounds like something else is going bad on this machine. This isn't a 10.1 is doing anything radically different _during installation_ with regards to hardware versus all previous versions of SUSE you've used type of issue. After the file transfer is complete... How's the power supply? Do you run sensors-detect and then gkrellm and monitor voltages? Got a voltmeter handy? Check those drive voltages especially the 12V yellow wires. I've seen a single device such as a floppy drive, CD/DVD or HDD go bad and drag the whole system down. Unplug its power and data cable and the system is just fine again. Are all the fans running; video, case, cpu, chipset, power supply? Stan -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com
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Ken Jennings -
Stan Glasoe