openSuse does not detect hard drive

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi folks!

I tried to install the latest openSuse on my old desktop computer (from around 1999). During the installation process I got the error-message: no disk drive detected. I would then have to choose from a list of drivers. I have no idea which one would work.
My Disk Controller is an Intel 82801BA Ultra ATA Storage controller – 244B.
I tried to google to find the driver which would work without success.
I also tried a driver “genericIDE” or something
Could anyone please help me with this issue?
I am completely new to Linux, so please be patient.

My machine is an Intel Pentium III with 384 MB RAM and 2 Maxtor disks with each about 20 GBs.
Is there any chance at all to make that machine running? Is it too old?

Thanks for your help and a nice Sunday,

Alexander
PS: I tried to install Ubuntu with the same result…

2

I would try booting from a LiveCD first. Then note the kernel drivers loaded with ‘lsmod’ command. In particular, kanotix has a good reputation with hardware support.

3

Hi Folks!

Here goes my lsmod from Kanotix (I hope I did it right).
Can I read which driver I need from this list?
I am a bit afraid it won’t work because I could not access my hard drive from konqueror in kanotix…

Have a nice weekend,

Alexander

radeon 125216 2
drm 81684 3 radeon
af_packet 23812 2
cryptoloop 4224 0
aes_i586 34560 0
aes_generic 29120 0
geode_aes 7048 0
blkcipher 8196 1 geode_aes
dm_mod 62660 0
fuse 50708 0
joydev 12992 0
pcmcia 41132 0
yenta_socket 27532 0
rsrc_nonstatic 13824 1 yenta_socket
pcmcia_core 40980 3 pcmcia,yenta_socket,rsrc_nonstatic
snd_emu10k1_synth 8064 0
snd_emux_synth 35840 1 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_seq_virmidi 7936 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_seq_midi_emul 7680 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_emu10k1 140448 2 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_seq_dummy 4612 0
snd_seq_oss 33152 0
snd_seq_midi 9472 0
snd_seq_midi_event 8320 3 snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi
snd_seq 53488 9 snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_midi_emul,snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq
_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_rawmidi 25600 3 snd_seq_virmidi,snd_emu10k1,snd_seq_midi
snd_ac97_codec 101156 1 snd_emu10k1
ac97_bus 2944 1 snd_ac97_codec
snd_pcm_oss 42752 0
snd_mixer_oss 17536 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 80132 3 snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_device 9228 8 snd_emu10k1_synth,snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1,snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss
,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq,snd_rawmidi
snd_timer 24452 3 snd_emu10k1,snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc 11272 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 5632 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 10116 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
snd 54532 15 snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_emu10k1,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_ra
wmidi,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_seq_device,snd_timer,snd_hwdep
emu10k1_gp 4608 0
serio_raw 7812 0
floppy 60228 0
e100 37772 0
mii 6400 1 e100
soundcore 8672 1 snd
gameport 16648 2 emu10k1_gp
i2c_i801 10640 0
pcspkr 4096 0
evdev 12800 1
psmouse 40464 0
iTCO_wdt 13092 0
i2c_core 24960 1 i2c_i801
iTCO_vendor_support 4740 1 iTCO_wdt
intel_agp 25492 1
agpgart 34888 2 drm,intel_agp
shpchp 34708 0
pci_hotplug 31008 1 shpchp
squashfs 47624 1
loop 18948 3 cryptoloop
usb_storage 73408 0
libusual 18980 1 usb_storage
sg 36880 0
uhci_hcd 27024 0
ehci_hcd 37516 0
usbcore 146668 5 usb_storage,libusual,uhci_hcd,ehci_hcd

4

Hi!

Thanks for your help!

I finally detected my hard disks with knoppix live cd. I ran an lsmod and the list is below. But how can I find the driver I need now?

Please help, I would appreciate it very much.

Nice weekend

Alexander

radeon 127648 2
drm 78612 3 radeon
sworks_agp 13472 0
nvidia_agp 12316 0
ati_agp 13068 0
amd_k7_agp 12812 0
ali_agp 11136 0
dm_mod 60440 0
ipv6 279616 10
af_packet 29960 0
snd_emu10k1_synth 11264 0
snd_emux_synth 37760 1 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_seq_virmidi 11392 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_seq_midi_emul 10624 1 snd_emux_synth
snd_seq_dummy 7940 0
snd_seq_oss 35200 0
snd_seq_midi 12704 0
snd_seq_midi_event 11392 3 snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi
snd_seq 53840 9
snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_midi_emul
,snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_emu10k1 120128 2 snd_emu10k1_synth
snd_rawmidi 28064 3 snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_midi,snd_emu10k1
snd_ac97_codec 97188 1 snd_emu10k1
snd_ac97_bus 6528 1 snd_ac97_codec
snd_pcm_oss 45728 0
snd_mixer_oss 20224 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm 80004 3 snd_emu10k1,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_device 12044 8
snd_emu10k1_synth,snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_dummy,s
nd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi,snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi
snd_timer 26500 3 snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_page_alloc 13960 2 snd_emu10k1,snd_pcm
snd_util_mem 8832 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep 13316 2 snd_emux_synth,snd_emu10k1
8250_pnp 13440 0
8250 28164 1 8250_pnp
serial_core 25216 1 8250
emu10k1_gp 8064 0
gameport 19848 2 emu10k1_gp
snd 55396 15
snd_emux_synth,snd_seq_virmidi,snd_seq_oss,snd_
seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_rawmidi,snd_ac97_codec,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd
_seq_device,snd_timer,snd_hwdep
soundcore 12512 1 snd
e100 38792 0
mii 9728 1 e100
i2c_i801 12044 0
intel_agp 27420 1
agpgart 36044 7
drm,sworks_agp,nvidia_agp,ati_agp,amd_k7_agp,ali
_agp,intel_agp
shpchp 41380 0
pci_hotplug 36424 1 shpchp
tsdev 11840 0
evdev 14208 1
pcmcia 41132 0
firmware_class 14208 1 pcmcia
yenta_socket 30220 0
rsrc_nonstatic 17408 1 yenta_socket
pcmcia_core 43800 3 pcmcia,yenta_socket,rsrc_nonstatic
cpufreq_ondemand 12300 0
speedstep_lib 8836 0
freq_table 9088 1 cpufreq_ondemand
video 19460 0
thermal 17928 0
sbs 18856 0
processor 36200 1 thermal
i2c_ec 9216 1 sbs
i2c_core 25984 2 i2c_i801,i2c_ec
fan 8836 0
container 8576 0
button 10768 0
battery 14084 0
ac 9348 0
aufs 88244 1
cloop 18208 1
sbp2 28292 0
ohci1394 38960 0
ieee1394 300760 2 sbp2,ohci1394
usb_storage 73408 0
usbhid 56928 0
ff_memless 9992 1 usbhid
libusual 20624 1 usb_storage
ohci_hcd 24580 0
uhci_hcd 27788 0
ehci_hcd 35848 0
usbcore 135812 7 usb_storage,usbhid,libusual,ohci_hcd,uhci_hcd,eh
ci_hcd

5

The kernel must have the drivers compiled in as the only module I see that might be pertinent is ‘sg’. Check the kernel version on the knoppix cd with ‘uname -r’ and compare that with the kernel version on the opensuse cd. You might also try the failsafe boot on opensuse and see if that works.

6

With the Knoppix CD booted, open a terminal and enter the command
‘lspci’. If that returns a “command not found” message, try
‘/sbin/lspci’, or ‘/usr/sbin/lspci’. Whichever one works, does your
disk driver show up in the listing? Please post that line. In
addition, add the -n switch to whichever of the above that worked,
find the line that starts with the same buss routing (numbers like
00:0a.0), and post that line as well.

Larry

7

Hi again!
For David Gurvich:

I tried the driver sg while installing the ubuntu alternate cd without success. I also tried opensuse, but there I get to a whole list of IDE controllers an none of them sais “sg”.

The Kernel for knoppix is: 2.6.19
The Kernel for opensuse is: 2.6.25.5-1.1-default

I started the opensuse dvd in the mode “Rescue System”. I hope that is what you meant. I ran lsmod and lspci (I will paste those commands from knoppix). But I cannot say if my hard disks are recognized in the safe mode because I am not familiar with line commands.

If knoppix runs: is there a installable version related to knoppix that I could use as an alternative to opensuse/ubuntu?

Thanks again for all your help!!!

Alexander

8

For lw-finger: Thank you for your instructions!

I did the lspci command from knoppix and got the following line (hope I pasted the right thing).

00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801BA IDE U100 (rev 01)

Then I ran lspci -n command and here comes the paste of the line with the same bus routing.

00:1f.1 0101: 8086:244b (rev 01)

I hope I gave all the necessary information and that you can continue to help me. In any way: Thanks!

9

Hi, Folks!

Do you think I could install an older version of openSuse that would recognize my disk controller?

Thanks to all of you!

10

Sorry I missed your reply - thanks for the PM ping.

The PCI-ID (ox244B) shows that your disk system needs the ata_piix module, which seems not to be be loaded from the 11.0 CD. I have one system that uses that driver, but I have not tried to load 11.0 on it. It is my file and printer server, and I don’t change it that often.

As to an older version, my server has openSUSE 10.3 on it. It installed with no difficulty. Perhaps it will work for you.

Larry

11

Thanks Larry!

(You speak a very nice Chinese ;-))

In the meantime I realized that I had 2 hard drives installed and maybe the jumpers were set wrong (both on master only or so; but I don’t understand anything about it). So I built out 1 hard drive.
I was able then to do the installation of fedora 9 live cd to the hard drive. And that is running now. So maybe that have been the error. It’s amazing although that some systems: Windows Server 2003, Knoppix live, Foresight Linux (old version) did see the hard drive but openSuse, Ubuntu, Kanotix, Fedora 9 (full), Foresight (new) did not.
You see what I have been doing these days.
Anyway, I’ll try to install the full version of Fedora 9. If I get openSuse 11 to run I will post it here.

Thanks for your attention and help!

Alexander