LINUX + Socket AM2 and/or Asus M2N32 -SLI Deluxe = DEAD MEAT

1. Ubuntu 6.06 installs but after restart remains in log-in loop. This is a known Ubuntu problem which occurs for different reasons, such as disk full, others unknown.
2. Ubuntu 6.10 initiates, flickers twice, and disappears forever.
3. SuSE 10.1 installs only in runlevel 3, not 5, the default.
4. Damn Small Linux 3.01 initiates from cd-rom drive as guest OS, monitor goes blank.
5. Mepis 6.0 installs very well, further donwloads plus config., at a later reboot, the OS is toast -- blank screen.

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support.asus.com reveals BIOS update:

"Fixed Linux Compatibility Issue"
Update Silicon 3132 ROM to 7313
Update NV Lan PXE ROM to 2.31.0528

All the above install fails occurred AFTER I re-flashed BIOS. Previous installs were worse.

I guess, for the time being, I'm FORCED to use Microsoft, which I hate. What a waste of cutting edge equipment.

More work on the Linux kernal?

Tried Knoppix? To see if it gets to the desktop, I mean.

I just upgraded to a Biostar GeForce 6100 AM2 with an Athlon 3500+ (whichever core in that speed has virtualization support). I had to switch from FC6 to Debian Etch (testing) to make it work, after a week of trying, I could NOT get X running, until I went to Etch and it came up the first try (in vesa) and again when I actually installed the nvidia driver. (the clue was that it worked OK in the current Knoppix, which uses the same installer Debian Etch does.) I am using that motherboard right now, and it works very well indeed.

I don't know how the Debian and Ubuntu distros relate to each other, other than that Ubuntu is Debian based, so this is all I really have to say.

Sounds like a chipset issue - I would suggest disabling APIC in the BIOS, taking it up with NVidia or re-posting to see if anyone else has an issue with nForce 570

In my Award Phoenix BIOS I want to disable APIC Support, but this feature is greyed out.

Any suggestions?

BTW, I think SuSE 10.1 installer will install via no-apic in run-level 3, failsafe mode.

the BIOS thing is weird, perhaps a different combination of options will make the 'disable' option selectable - things like that are amazingly illogical amd counter-intuitive but hey-it's mostly Koreans with poor English that do BIOSes anyway so give it a try.

I don't see what the problem is though if you can do the install from runlevel 3, just start up the damn thing from there and you should be able to fix the boot loader with the parameter no-apic but runlevel 5.

You can enter "noapic" as a boot option when you boot up the install disk. If the install succeeds but the same thing happens when you try to boot up normally, you can try the same option and add the "noapic" option in your /etc/lilo.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst file. Add it on the line for the kernel as an argument.

Like this:
There is a boot prompt how-to on the http://www.tldp.org website that lists many more boot options.
Searching for your mobo on google may also turn up results that work best. Sometimes people catalog how they performed an installation on there personal website.