dual boot problem

i am trying to install opensuse 11.2 to my vaio laptop
i have win7 pro 64 bit already installed
so i’m trying dual booting

i have followed the below steps

1- on windows, shrink the c partition and create a new unused volume for suse
2- install the suse 11.2 on the new unused volume with hdd config like
sda4 swap 4 gb
sda5 20 gb / ext4
sda6 120 gb ext4

3- selected custom packages and started the installaton
4- installation started smoothly and after installing packages it tried to reboot the machine at the end. But after this point the reboot operation has failed and gave a blank screen.

At the end the installation failed.

I started the machine vaio boot logo comes and stops. i can’t even enter
bios setup or change boot options.

I have unplaged the hd reset the partions, pluged it again and recovered
win7

So i think the installation damaged the file system.

i have tried the above steps 2 times and came up with the same result.

I have installed fedora 13 before with no problem.

But i have failed to install suse.

Do you have any suggestions.

Best Regards …

OK first mistake. Do not create a partition in Windows. Just leave the space empty the installer will create what it needs.

Also what hardware? particularly the video.

If you are doing a custom package install are you sure you did not leave something important out??

Can you run a CD like Parted Magic or some other Distro to see what the disk looks like now. Windows is useless for this.

the command as root is fdisk -l

Thanks for the reply first.

Actually i did not created any partition on win
just shrink the disk and leaved the rest as unused
as the guide, i was following, says.

i was installing custom packages but i don’t think this is the problem because
i do that all the time with other distros and i think installation adds necessary packages by default.

i am usin vaio VPCB11DGX/B

processor - intel i7 - 620M 2.66GHz
memory - 6 gb DDR3/1066
graphic chipset - Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
hard drive - 320GB

i have left 150 gb for win7 and i was planning to install suse to the remaining
150 gb

thanks again

If you basically have a fresh install of win7 there, just boot up the suse dvd/cd and let it install from defaults. That is, let is shrink win7 and do all the partitioning automatically, see if you get a better result.

Hello eveyone

Unfortunately i do’nt have a fresh install of win7
and i got bored to unplag my hdd , reset , plug it back
and recover win7

as i said i’ve successfully installed fc13 to this machine with
executing same steps and there was no problem.

before trying to install suse again,
all i want to know is, although other distros don’t have such a problem
what could be the cause of messing up the file system during suse installation.

Kind Regards …

What you are describing is far from normal, I know this is basic but, Have you checked the md5sum on the download, and the media? Have you tried to boot from, and run a liveCD version?

Ok, i have checked the media from the install menu and there was no problem.

I am downloading the live cd i will try it

i will also try to install the suse 11.2 to the virtual machine

i 'll inform you about the results

thanks for the help

I 'm going to add a note here, as some time back I got caught out by it ,a simple reboot is possibly not enough, as I have had a situation where there is enough still loaded into RAM to cause a fail on reboot. If it is relevant, a shutdown, give it a minute or two and restart could be a consideration. I doubt is relevant, but it does no harm to mention it.

Hi again,

i’ve tried installing it to the virtual machine and the installation completed successfully

but when i tried to boot from the live image same thing happened
it loaded the kernel module but after that failed to start
there was a blank screen again.

thanks …

Sounds like a graphics issue
Is this what you have: graphic chipset - Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset?

Press F3 at boot menu abd select VESA, see if it will boot with that
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p4XVYnMddSLGoqHKJkKoAD08Ht_7OPXOrzE7rtczx8p4Ws10UsapAFUSqT6N3QyTwZZDb9tiEPzGW1NoGt-wlzQ/vesa%20and%20text%20options.png?psid=1

i’ve tried installing it to the virtual machine and the installation completed successfully

but when i tried to boot from the live image same thing happened
it loaded the kernel module but after that failed to start
there was a blank screen again.

This suggests a graphics driver issue. openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users - openSUSE Forums

The following is what I found unusual.

I started the machine vaio boot logo comes and stops. i can’t even enter
bios setup or change boot options.

I have unplaged the hd reset the partions, pluged it again and recovered
win7

So i think the installation damaged the file system.

ok thanks for the guide

i’ve selected vesa but no luck - blank screeen again

i’ve read the guide at openSUSE Forums - View Single Post - openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users
which dvhenry suggested.

I’ll try that guide soon and inform you bout the result

btw. is this guide also works for the live version? beceuse i dont
want to mess everything again

thanks a lot

btw. is this guide also works for the live version? beceuse i dont
want to mess everything again

Yes, of course the changes are lost on a reboot, but it’s a nice way to check out the fixes, and then when you install you already know what to do, and how to do it.

OK here are my last questions.

the guide on openSUSE Forums - View Single Post - openSUSE Graphic Card Practical Theory Guide for Users
says

openSUSE as of version 11.3 also has an /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory, with a series of .conf files, where the graphic configuration can be specified (which if specified will take precidence over the Xorg software automatic configuration). In addition the older xorg.conf file can still be used for the card to force a graphic configuration, for if that xorg.conf file is available, then the xorg software will use it, giving it precidence over BOTH the automatic Xorg configuration and the /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/nn-yyyyy.conf files.

that’s why i am planning to install version 11.3 RC1

my first question is

can i upgrade from beta version to the final version later on ?

second question is

if this is a graphic card related issue then i am assuming that grub
also needs graphic driver am i right?

third question is
if i am going to edit or create xorg.conf file as discribed on the guide
how am i going to do it since boot fails after installation restarts the
computer. as i said it stucks at the vaio logo and i can not press any key

thaks …

Did you try booting the 11.3 RC live CD? That should give you an idea as to if it will work or not.

Yes, you can upgrade from RC to final,though I’m not sure everyone would recommend it.