Hi

I have been using Linux Mandrake 8.0 and more recently Redhat 7.3 alongside Windows 98 (dual Boot).

I have tried to lad in Mandrake 9.0 but have never succeeded.

Initially the install would freeze at various points necessitating a reboot. The partition information was shown as being incorrect and would then be "fixed".

This kept happening until I received an error message stating that "extremely broken BIOS detected . . . . trying to wing it" etc.

I have flashed the BIOS successfully but still receive this message.

Note: Until I flashed the BIOS I could not reinstall Redhat 7.3, which I have now done since the BIOS was flashed - so something was wrong and is now corrected.

Does anyone know what is happening? and how to correct it?

Some messages verge on an answer but are specific to individual systems (including talk about ISOLINUX).

I want to try Mandrake 9.0 (or Redhat 8.0) but cannot get past this error message.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Specific details of my system (if required to help with an answer) can be supplied on request.

have you tried upgrading to mandrake 9 or rhat 8 instead of a full new install? if not that may work...may not fix your problem but then at least youd have the newer versions

Those messages are usually kernel messages about
the kernel writers being pissed off at computer
manufacturers for making really weird crap in the bios
that causes them a lot of work trying to get around. It
really has almost nothing to do with the version of
mandrake or such, its just the kernel having trouble
with your computer. You can either figure out how to
install mandrake with a different kernel then the one
that comes with it, or wait for new versions to come
out.

I had this same message trying to instal RH Enterprise Linux ES on an old Compaq machine... I updated the BIOS and all that, which didn't improve things, but I was able to avoid the problem by starting the install using an install floppy that I created from the Linux CD. Creating the boot disk wasn't the most straightforward thing, but it did the trick and I was able to install Linux from that point.

(sure wish I could write the entire error message here so others could find it with their searches - that's the funny thing about these errors - when working to resolve them you're sure to post your resolution, but then once it's fixed you don't get the error anymore! I need to force myself to capture and save the error before fixing it... None the less, the error was the "Extremely broken BIOS, attempting last ditch effort..." message. It was complaining about my hard drive (I have only one in this machine) which is a Ultra ATA hard drive driven off a PCI controller card (not the controller on the mother board - i think that's why the install was getting confused).

Hope that helps somebody...

Steve Cirimele
California