Freeze booting kernel - mdk 9.2, kernel 2.4.22-10mdk, Acer TM252LC
 

Hi there.

I am having trouble running Mandrake 9.2 on an Acer Travelmate 252LC.
The machine came with XP on, and I did a CD install. My first problem was that after the "hit enter to upgrade or install prompt", the install would hang on a blank screen. Using F1 and text mode showed me that the install was hanging booting the kernel (which was 2.4.22-10mdkBOOT).

So, I ran the install with the alternate kernel (2.2.19-BADZ5). This worked fine, although I got two error messages along the way:

-after detecting USB devices, I got: Error: we now use kernel PCMCIA support and this won't work with a 2.2 kernel.

-a bit later (before being prompted for keyboard layout, I think), I got:
PCMCIA support no longer exists for 2.2 kernels. Please use a 2.4 kernel.

Despite these errors, the install went OK, and I updated the XP boot.ini file to use LILO text mode (and XP boots fine).

However, when I try to boot linux now, the system hangs booting the kernel again. Booting using "linux-nonfb" to get more messages shows it's hanging on:
Uncompressing Linux... Ok, booting the kernel

I have tried booting using noapic, nolapic, nopcmcia - none of these seem to work. By using a rescue disk, I've discovered that all the linux options in LILO are trying to load the 2.4.22-10mdk kernel (which was hanging during installation). However, I have no idea how to put a different kernel there for use by LILO.

Thanks for any advice
TheKro

Your problem is your booting a 2.2.xx kernel and it does not have support for your hardware, that error message about using a 2.4.xx series kernel is not there for a laugh.
You'll have to boot your install cd to fix this problem, you can use it to do an "expert upgrade", look for 2.4 kernel that supports pcmcia, if there is one then that would be a laptop optimised kernel.

Here's possible help ....
 

Sanketh: thanks for the link, but my machine isn't even getting as far as PCMCIA detection. It's hanging just after the message:
"Ok, booting the kernel"

Aussie: I only tried the 2.2.x.x kernel because the 2.4.22-10mdk kernel
wouldn't go past the boot phase at all. At this stage, I'd be happy if it was giving me trouble with PCMCIA - there seems to be much more info on that problem on the web.

Can I install any 2.4 kernel with mandrake - doesn't it have to be a mandrake kernel (and where can I find kernels)? I have heard that Mandrake has released two newer kernels for mdk 9.2- any idea where I can get hold of them?

Thanks
TheKro

The easiest option would be to boot the mandrake cd and pass the nopcmcia flag to the 2.4.xx kernel as it boots, then reinstall. Once you have a working install you can work at the problems from the inside, so to speak.

The nopcmcia flag doesn't help - the kernel still doesn't boot :(

TheKro

OK, time to try something else and see if the problem replicates, booting with a live CD would be the easiest way to do this.
I'd recomend either Knoppix, or Slax.

Just tried knoppix - the version on our archive is 3.3Beta, using kernel 2.4.22-xfs.

The CD freezes at exactly the same space as my mandrake install:

Loading vmlinuz.......
Loading miniroot.gz
<screen clears>
Uncompressing Linux.......Ok, booting the kernel.
<Freezes>

(I only get the last message using vga=normal or the knoppix-txt boot choice - otherwise the screen just goes blank.)

TheKro

Hmm, tried slackware 8.1 and 9.1 installs. Both of them had no problem
booting the "bare.i" kernel (default - 2.4.18 for 8.1, and 2.4.22 for 9.1).

So what can I do to keep running mandrake, and not have to install some other distro?

TheKro

Have you tried doing a text install in mandrake?

Maybe you have to disable legacy USB support in ur bios .. sometimes that causes this hang-up. Don't know .. just guessing.

Maybe you shd just get a barebones kernel up and then try gentoo. Again, just guessing!

OK, after about a week of kernel hacking, I found the problem.

It had to do with the LAPIC, but the kernel code does not check if you have said nolapic or not at that stage, and the machine was going into a panic before activating the console to display messages.

The way to get the machine going is as follows (with Mandrake 9.2):

1) Download the 2.4.22-10mdk kernel-source.
2) Make sure you have GCC 3.3 (GCC 2.95 reports syntax errors in the kernel despite the kernel only complaining if the GCC version is <= 2.91)
3) Compile the kernel in a subdirectory, after making these changes in make menuconfig:
-first enable LAPIC - this gives you the IO APIC option
-enable IO APIC - this supplies the IBM Hotplug option under hotplugging
-disable the IBM hotplug (otherwise make exits in make modules_install because of unresolved dependencies)
-then disable IO APIC and LAPIC again
4) when you have finished the make modules, do a make modules_install with an INSTALL_MOD_PATH option, and write the modules directory and the necessary system files onto a CD.

Now get a copy of the first CD of the slackware 9.1 distro - this has ISO fs support (and vfat) builtin, so will allow you to mount the CD-ROM you have just written.

Install mandrake 9.2, choosing to use the alternate kernel (alt1) at bootup. This will allow you to perform the installation, but will install the alt0 kernel onto your system, which will thus not boot.

Now boot the slackware CD. Once you get to the prompt, mount your linux partition, and inside that, mount the CD with the compiled kernel. Then chroot to your system, copy the modules into /lib/modules/linux-<kernel version>, and the system files into /boot, and update lilo.

This new kernel should now boot.

Cheers
TheKro

PS to Sanketh - this laptop's BIOS is very limited - no option to disable legacy USB support.

Thanks for the suggestions all,
TheKro

Hi!

What can i do if i cannot recompile the kernel cause i don't have a place to do it? Is there a chance to install Man9.2 with 2.2.xx kernel, recompile 2.4.xx and then change 2.2 -> 2.4. What i mean is: Can i solve the problem using one machine?

tm

OK, if that's your problem, you should still be able to get arouund it:

First install slackware 9.1 on your machine. (Make sure you have a copy of the first install cd).

Then follow the steps outlined in my previous posts to recompile the kernel, and write it to CD. Then install the default mandrake 9.2, using the alt1 kernel as described in previous posts, reboot and copy the kernel you compiled under slackware onto your hard-drive appropriately, update lilo, and Bob should be your uncle.

i.e. in essence, you use a first install of slackware 9.1 as your compilation computer described in my earlier instructions.

Good luck
TheKro