There is a known bug in pata_sis that has been fixed by Alan Cox. But the fix does not seem to be in the version that is on the install dvd. It is impossible for me to install from the dvd. I did try using the safe install and brokenmodules=pata_sis and then install ide_generic but this only got me to 98% installed before it died. And that was at 4am so I thought I would just go to bed.
Does anybody have any idea as to how I might solve this situation? If I had enough information about the install dvd I could make a more resent kernel and modules and put them in an image and burn an updated dvd. But I don’t know enough about how the install dvd is layed out. Everything seems to be compressed and the file names are not much help from were I sit.
One idea I had was to use an older version that had a 2.4 kernel. The 2.4 kernel doesn’t have the bug. Then I could use the system to upgrade to a newer system and bypass the current install kernel. This assumes the fix is available from the repositories.
Any suggestions
the cable is correct? Linux will choke when you use a 40 wire cable instead of an 80 wire.
Uwe
I couldn’t install OpenSUSE with the ‘Installation from archives’ option (before you validate the install), so I’ve desactivated it. The installation process taked more time, but it worked fine.
Well the way I tell if I have an 80 conductor cable is the plug for the MB is blue. And the plug for the slave is gray and the plug for the master is black and that is what I have.
This problem is really having me pull my hair out, or whats left of it. I haven’t had this much trouble installing linux since I had a handful of floppies for Slackware.
And to make it even more interesting I can boot and run a Slax live CD. So this means my hardware is OK.
I suspect that the problem is in my DVD or how linux is talking to my dvd. It has an 80 conductor cable also. The system seems to hang when it is hitting the DVD drive. The light on the drive just blinks and it sits there.
Currently I am trying to install CentOS. I am doing this because they have a way to install from an image on the hard drive. I tried this last night and at around four in the am it was installing so I went to bed. I woke up today around one and took a look at it. The install had failed. And it had erased the image from the HD so I couldn’t try again, the idiots!!
It’s starting to get personal and I don’t want this stupid thing to beat me.
The issue with that pata_sis drive I have run into before - it was a serious pain. I am sorry, I can’t tell you the precise gyrations I went through to get through it. (It was a serious pain.)
You can usually tell if you have a 40 or 80 wire cable by just looking at the cable. The 80 wire ones have smaller wire, and you can count. Or you can use hdparm to get info on the drive and its operating mode such as:
#hdparm -i /dev/sda
Examine the ATA mode, if 5 or higher is listed with *, then you are using an 80 wire cable.
Also, you can check dmesg for messages, which will often report if a 40 pin cable is being used.
On the install issue itself, perhaps trying the network install? Might try to burn off the network install CD and go that route - might not make a difference, but worth a shot.
Cheers,
Pete
connectors are okay, and the drives both HD and DVD are correctly jumpered for “cable select”?
If it still fails, I recommend the 11.1 Beta. It should have the fix you need, and I find it rock solid so far.
Uwe
Boy was this a pain.
What helpped me find the problem is is said F__K it I’m just going to install freebsd.
During the bsd install BSD kept saaying it was having errors with the dvd drive ,acd0. That was a clue folks!!! Even though Slax ran and worked perfectly I seem to have a problem with my dvd drive. I pulled another from a machine in storage and swapped them. Install went perfectly.
I remember back maybe fifteen years or so ago I was installing linux from floopies. Had a hell of a time. So I installed bsd and during the install it told me my hard drive had a problem. I think Linus needs to take a look at how FreeBSD does hardware checking and do something with linux to prevent this problem. But I’m sure you all know he just hangs on my every word, yea right.
There is nothing so nerve racking as chasing flaky hardware.
Thanks all for your help.
Just as an aside I setup my 75 year old mother with an openSuse machine for her birthday. She lives a thousand miles away. So I admin her system with x11vnc. It makes both our live so much easyer.