I've been trying to install Gentoo on my Toshiba A70 notebook for the last little while. It's my first Linux install, so I've been following the guide at gentoo.org with some help in configuring the kernel from www . computx.us/gentoo-A70.html

Only difference is that the guide has 3 partitions all for linux whereas I have 4, first for winxp pro and the other 3 for gentoo.

ie, hda1 - winxp (~30G), hda2 - boot (32M), hda3 - swap (512M), hda4 - root (~9G).

Following the instructions, everything goes smoothly until I get to the step where I need to configure, compile, and install my kernel. I am able to go through and select everything for the kernel, but when I use the following piece of code,

make && make modules_install

it keeps messing up. I can see the files that the kernel in installing or copying or whatever it is the kernel does. However, after a little while (about a minute maybe) into the kernel install, the laptop suddenly shuts off. its not like a shutdown, more like someone pulled out the battery.

When i restart the laptop I cant continue installing form where i left off, so I've been deleting the three partitions (hda2, 3, and 4) and then recreating them and restarting the install, only to get stuck in the same place again with power going off.

any help would be appreciated.

Might your laptop be overheating or have bad memory? Usually a kernel compile is when this will show up, as the kernel compile takes a LOT on a system.

Are you doing a stage 1, 2, or 3? I would guess 3, or else this problem would probably have cropped up earlier.

I'm pretty sure I'm in stage 3. As far as overheating goes, the laptop feels much hotter when windows boots up (or when windows does anything) than when the kernel is compiling, and I can run windows just fine. I could be wrong, but I doubt it is due to overheating.

Is there anything I can do to get the kernel to compile withough powering off the laptop?


specs on my laptop if it helps anyone...
2.8 ghz p4
40gb HD
512 ram

Hrrm, have you tried booting with "noacpi noapm" from the livecd? Have you run a memtest86 test just to be sure about the memory?

i tried it again with noapci and noapm
...flawless...
thanks

No problem. Glad it worked.