problem during installation
 

I'm trying to install RH9 on an Aopen AX6BC board, w/256 memory & GEforce2 video card, new Samsung 40gig HD. The CPU is an upgrade for this Slot1 board, which allows 1.4gig Celeron to be used (bus is 100mhz, chipset is IntelBX, brand and id of product: powerleap.com, iP3/T)

I get the unwelcome message: "There was an error installing ... This can indicate media failure, lack of disk space, and or/hardware problems."

I have seen, here and elsewhere, these suggestions: 1) use 'boot: linux ide=nodma', 2) disable PnP OS, 3) use 'boot: mem=xxxM, 4) use text installer, 4) update BIOS, 5) check media. 6) check CDrom drive

I've done everything except #3. Any other suggestions? :study:

Can you post some more information regarding the error?

Is it possible to put some temporary logfiles during installation (see the /tmp directory during installation on a virtual console <CTRL-ALT-F1>) on a floppy disk and post them here?

Have you tried some stuff at the following URL?

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/l...-bootopts.html

Does "linux noprobe" work?

Thank you for your interest cropcircle.

Will post logfiles as you suggest within 36 hours (not at home right now). I have looked at those consoles and didn't see anything that looked wrong --but I am admittedly a novice here.

The only thing I left off of the error message (original post) was the package name --because the error happens at different points in the package installation process. I have been able to get about 4 minutes into the package installation (about 400m installed), but often I get the fatal error message almost as soon as the packages start to be copied. The most successful attempt so far, I used: 'linux text noprobe ide=nodma noapic' I was able to get 15 minutes and 817m of packages installed. Curiously however, on the very next attempt at installation the job failed right away!

I believe Linux partitioning is being carried out OK. By the way, this is a dual boot system, and win98SE has its own partition and is happy. Win98 on first 15meg of the HD.

Will check the URL you listed.

more information about the problem (for cropcircle)

I used: 'linux text noprobe ide=nodma noapic'

Fatal hardware error message appeared as always during copying of packages, specifically "glibc 2.3.2-5" in the first minute of package loading time.

last 5 lines, F3
going to mount none on /mnt/sysimage/proc
moving (1) to step migrate filesystems
moving (1) to step setuptime
moving (1) to step preinstallconfig
moving (1) to step install packages

last 5 lines, F4
<6>EXT3 FS 2.4-0.9.19, 19 Aug 2002 on ide0(3,5), internal journal
<6>EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode.
<6>Kjournald starting- commit interval 5 seconds
<6>EXT3 FS 2.4-0.9.19, 19 Aug 2002 on ide0(3,2), internal journal
<6>EXT3-fs: mounted filesystem with ordered data mode

A very silly (sometimes they work) quick (I must go to bed) suggestion :

Do you have 3 empty CD-RW disks and a cd burner?

If so, make a copy of Red Hat Linux 9 on CD-RW (so you will be using completely different media) and try again install from CD-RW media.

It's just a blind shot in the dark, but should not take too much of your time.

Good luck.

Well I have tested these installation CDs several times. I will do what you suggest as a last resort.

The really perplexing thing is: I have, on two occasions, managed to get over 12 min into the installation! Then immediately afterward, nowhere!

I will attempt an install to another, identical motherboard, but with a different processor. There is some chance the CPU is the root of the problem.

Thanks again.

Update: The problem here was caused by the CPU: specifically, an upgrade adapter which allows a Slot1, PII type mb (AOpen AX6BC) to employ a newer PIII CPU (in this case, a 1.4ghz Celeron/Tulatin).

I could not find any BIOS settings that allowed RH9 to install.

Upgraders using powerleap.com technology should be aware of this incompatibility.

Thanks to cropcircle for ideas.

Good to hear you found the cause of the problem. A nice little utility for your collection of floppy-disks or CD-R's, might be the tool Memtest86, which can be found at the following site :

http://www.memtest86.com/

Basically, it's a loader with a small Linux kernel and a small diagnostic program for memory checking. Maybe it's a handy tool for you to diagnose potential system instability with Linux in the future. While we're at it, have you tried Knoppix - a Linux distribution which runs completely from CD. Also very handy for troubleshooting.

Will look into both memtest86 and Knoppix; thanks cropcircle.

I have checked powerleap.com and learned that RH9 _has_ been installed with a 1.4 gig Celeron on some boards. I am curious to know if it is just the anaconda installer that is incompatible with my setup, as opposed to the Linux kernel. I'm guessing it is only anaconda that is causing the problem. Knoppix would allow me to check this theory directly. Memtest86 might give clues about what specifically is causing a problem.

I have contacted RH support and am expecting some kind of reply.