On the first install of redhat 7.2, i got the following error message. I am trying to install to with a dual boot to Windows ME. I have used Partition Magic and Partition Commander to free up 5 GB of a 30 GB disk. I have tried using the proprietary software to set up the linux drives and, alternatively, have left the empty space for the native linux tools to do the work.

The error reads as follows:
ramdisk: compressed image found at block 0
crc error freeing initrd memory: 2046k freed
Ext 2-fs: unable to read superblock
cramfs: wrong magic
isofs_read_super: bread failed,
dev=09:02, iso_blknumb=16, block=32
kernel panic: vfs: unable to mount root fs on 09:02

Some other distro's I have tried include Debian, Mandrake, Peanut, Vector and Correl. All of these, except Correl, fail at the disk partition stage, complaining of a segmentation fault. Correl actually got to a X window and then crashed.

******************************************
SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS
Base processor and speed

Intel (R) Celeron (TM) 800 MHz processor

Socket 370
100 MHz FBS (Front Bus Speed)

Chipset

Intel 810

Motherboard manufacturer

Trigem

Memory

Component
Attributes
RAM (standard)
128 MB RAM PC100
Maximum
512 MB (2x256 MB DIMM)
Speed
100 MHz synchronous
Sockets
Two - 168 pin DIMMs
Size
32, 64, 128 and 256 MB DIMMs
Free DIMM Sockets
1
Pairs Required
No
Type Supported
SDRAM, Intel PC SDRAM unbuffered DIMM specification,
revision 1.0 compliant


Cache

Level
Quantity
Level 1
Upgrade
Sockets
32 KB (on processor)
None
Level 2
128 KB (on processor)


Hard drive

30 GB (3.5" form factor)

CD-ROM drive

Attribute
Properties
Speed
48x (maximum)
Access Speed
75-85 ms
Transfer Rate
2.0-4.8 MB/sec


Fax/data modem

Attribute
Properties
Modem
Supports V.90 K56 Flex protocols with AC97 sound down
(Cheetah2)
Manufacturer
Smart / Lucent
Data Speed
56 Kbps
Plug and Play
Yes
Hayes Compatible
Yes
Data compression
v.42 bis
Error correction
v.42
Com Port (default)
2
IRQ (default)
Variable
EIA fax commands
Class 1


Video graphics

Attribute
Properties
PCI Local Bus Controller
Intel 810
Video Memory
11 MB shared memory, Integrated
Graphics, Not upgradeable
Feature connector
(game/joystick)
Yes
Resolutions (video resolutions dependent upon specific display
used)

640 x 480
16/256/32K/64K/16.7M colors

800 x 600
16/256/32K/64K colors

1024 x 768
16/256/32K/64K colors

1280 x 1024
256 colors


MPEG-1/2 (for playback)

MPEG - 2 for full-screen, full motion digital video

Sound/audio

Attribute
Properties
Compatibility
3-D Stereo, PCI, 16-bit Sound
Controller
AMC97 Codec
Location
Crystal Sound Chip (on motherboard)
Manufacturer
Lucent/Smart
Noise Cancellation
Yes
Line Out
Yes
3-D Spatializer
Yes
Wavetable
Yes
Tone Control
No
Microphone
With HP Pavilion Multimedia Display


External ports

Total

Port Type
Quantity
USB
2
Serial
2
Parallel
1
Game
1


Front panel I/O

Port Type
Quantity
USB
1
Serial
1


Expansion slots

Total

Slot Type
Quantity
PCI
3


Available

Slot Type
Quantity
PCI
2

Are you getting this message during the install? At what point are you getting it? Are you using a boot floppy to install or just CD?

It maybe you have a bad spot on the drive? I have laptop that runs WinMe fine, but cann't handle Linux anymore?

The error occured on the first install of redhat 7.2 and all subsequent installs booting from a publishers edition of the CD. All my other distros of linux have faired similarly. The hard drive is one year old and has recently been scanned in windows for bad sectors (surface scan). Is this the information you were requesting?

So you don't even get to the "Welcome to Redhat 2.x" Menu?

We may have overlooked the obvious, a problem with you CD drive. The reason I say this because I just disconnected
my hard drive and I can still boot the Redhat clear to the first spash screen. Which would also explain why the problem occurred with all Linux distros.

This bit refers to the kernel being unable to mount the CDROM as part of the root filesystem to further along the install. This is getting kinda common with install media and newer CDroms. There's a bunch of factors: 700Mb vs. 800Mb CDs, the read rate of the CDROM, BIOS settings, all sorts of goofy crap. The eltorito boot disk image method worked so well... I wonder why even Slack has moved off from it.

Regardless, making a boot disk is probably rather easy. There should be a folder on the top level of the CD labelled bootdisk or somesuch with 1440k images in it and a rather straightforward README.

Luck,

Finegan

Now that you mention it , I seem to remember a post about
the problems burning Slack CD from iso because they were to big for standard CDs

I have got kernel panics to. After a couple of weeks i found out that the cd, which i had burned with adaptec under windows, was not good.
When i burned the cd's with a nother program it suddenly worked.

I'm not sure if I can duplicate my prior errors to be sure but I had a super smooth install (finally) using Redhat 7.2. I'm pretty sure it was the memory ( thanks www.memtest86.com). In addition, I unplugged my CR burner, and USB Sanddisk (but I doubt that was the problem) The memtest86 generated a lot of errors on my two (apparently mismatched) 128 K RAM. I put in some new Viking Ram and voila, install. The install was complicated slightly by failing to recognize the ethernet cards. I rebooted and swapped out the netgear FA311 NIC. Redhat found the DFE-530TX. I have a DSL and had to refer to my Redhat Unleashed to do a command line ifconfig. I still haven't gotten the FA311 to be recognized (but that's fodder for a another thread if I can't do it myself). Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice.I thank you for your comments.

OTHER THEORITIES:
My suspicions of partition and MBR issues was wrong.

Regarding the media theory, I have bad news to report: (1) this CD rom has installed properly on other machines; (2) I have tried booting from floppys on multiple distros; and I have copied the install files from Peanut Linux to the hard drive and attempted to install under DOS. Same kernel panic results.

Regarding the CD hardware, I have swapped out the CD's and did disable the CDR but as explained above I don't think that was the problem.

Regarding BIOS issues, I was not able to find a dma setting. I have tried the Dos /OS-2 settings etc. Passing nodma to the kernel on boot prompt (linux nodma) made no difference.

Had the same problem installing Redhat 7.3 and I disabled power management in the bios to resolve the problem.