Linux Booting Problem On A New Install
 

Hi, I am having a major problem i have just loaded Linux Mandriva LE to my Acer laptop using a partition windows created (D), i completed the install fine (third attempt it kept hanging the times before) and now when i attempt to boot linux for the first time i get "Booting Kernel" message and it stops there i cant do anything. Please can somebody help,

Cheers,

Is this 2005
What is the exact message or point where it stops

Have asked your thread to be moved for better exposure

Did you create a swap partition during the installation?

Moved: This thread is more suitable in Linux - Distributions > Mandriva and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

Hi, I am running 2006 Mandriva Limeted Edition, thanks for asking for the question to be moved, i can do with all the help. I have created a swap partition upon install but i used the existing partition windowshad created, thank you for the response. I get the message once Bios has loaded and it freezes and goes no further than "Decompressing Linux, ok Booting Kernel ..." and nothing else happen it just freezes.

Hi just checked what option i used when installing Mandriva i remember using the auto allocate function i jst specified the partition i wanted Mandriva to use.

Run memtest86 off the cd. press F1 during booting from the cd.

It's a handy tool, it will check your ram to make sure it's up to the "linux" challange and even more.

If one of the center columns starts scrolling addresses at you, you may have trouble with loading a ram drive.

Can you boot using Lilo in text mode?

once you run the ram test

>> but i used the existing partition windowshad created
Well the swap needs to be a special type of partition.
That is linux should have formated it as swap. Did it?

Exact laptop model? ram size etc
Is this a second hand?

>>attempt it kept hanging the times before
At what stage if you remember
Are you sure there is no HD bad sectors?

Did you try to boot as failsafe?

Is this a dual boot or not?

Did you install lilo or grub?
I am asking because if failsafe mode fails then by adding the keyword
single
to the boot line you should be able to boot

Have you got a live cd handy? Knoppix or DSL
What I have in mind is making you boot from this
and accessing /var/log/syslog of mandriva from there
to find out why the laptop hangs. Not yet though.
And considering the laptop hangs so quickly is strange.

Have a look in the BIOS options

Also *VERY important* you want to try with adding
acpi=off
to the boot line
this disable acpi function that can hang laptop

I hardly use lilo. I recommand you use the cd/dvd, press F2 or F3,
go to rescue mode, install grub.
Then we can edit the boot line at leisure
(Lilo is less flexible, I do not know if you can add acpi=off at boot time)

Hi Glen & Emmanuel I have an Acer travelmate 8100 series with Intel Pentium-M Centrino 780 Processor Technology 2.2GHz
1GB DDRII pc4200, 100GB Hard Drive, DVDRW Dual Layer Multi Drive 15.4" SXGA Widescreen TFT Screen and an ATI Mobility X700 PCI-E 128MB dedicated graphics.

I have tried booting in failsafe mode, linux standard mode and i think linux fb or lb not sure but i have tried every option i have and the same message appears each time.

I had run scan disk and chkdsk to make sure no bad sectors but it is only 6 months old and no problems showed up, i am running dual boot at present.

I will check when i get back if i installed grub or lilo but i dont know im a very new user to linux and pretty much followed the default settings on install,

Thanks for all your help so far

Cheers,

Mike

Is this mandy 2005 or 2006?
If 2005 stop now, and try 2006

sounds top of the range and new.

you may want to append kernel boot parameter such as
noapic and the like http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/BootPrompt-HOWTO.html
to disable network card etc (apic nothing to do with network card)

You need to proceed by elimination and find which hardware is causing the boot problem

*DO* try acpi=off

Yep and I would suggest a complete reinstall as you will be more aware now of what you are doing . You can then be sure you have a problem if the same thing happens ..Costs a couple of hours though

Linux-Kernel Archive: PROBLEM: Devices behind PCI Express-to-PCI ...
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/lin...06.0/0903.html

Installation report for Acer TravelMate 8100
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=18701

Not read in details but they also say noapic acpi=off as I said

I installed 2006, what does acpi stand for? is disk 1 of Mandriva 2006 also a live or bootable disk thanks for the links. I will try acpi as off tonight.

www.tldp.org/HOWTO/
ACPI-HOWTO, ACPI: Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
Updated: Jul 2004. Outlines how to patch a kernel for ACPI support; which allows control of power management from within the operating system

Believe me you do not want to do patching at this stage.
We want the install and laptop to work. You may need to look into acpi later.

You can learn about linux from (even 10.1 doc will do)
http://wwwnew.mandriva.com/en/commun.../documentation
until your distro is installed

also look into newbie admin guide and rute
in LQ bookmark

no disk 1 is not a live disk AFAIK, but it can be use
to get a kind of minimalist live rescue mode

Hi how do i add noapic to the boot line? Thanks

With windows already installed, apic will need to be left turned on in bios.

Otherwise windows will spit the dummy on the next boot.

I can't see why you'd need it turned off in linux kernel boot options.

apic works with irq addresses. extending the amount of adresses from the normal "0 to 15" to a higher amount to allocate address ranges for interupt signals to and from the cpu.

So, I have pci slot 1/5 using graphics and wireless adaptor where one is irq11 and the other irq18, get the idea.

(sorry, bad explanation)

"edit, added this"

aa far as I've seen, just type it as is, noapic

You can string a whole pile of these kind of things, like vga settings, ram size, etc.

if you have grub just press e for edit
make it permanent by editing
/boot/grub/menu.lst LST fot 1ST

I have been having more problems since i have last been on the forum. I tried to use the live cd (disk 1 of my Mandriva disks) but nothing, lilo just keeps on loading with no choice to use the cd even though the bios is set to boot from cd. I have also tried re-installing Mandirva again and it hangs mid install i cant even complete it i belive its a faulty burn but im not sure. I have added apic-off to the boot line before i tried all of the above and no joy.

How do i remove lilo from my system? I dont have a floppy drive that i can create a boot disk from, Do i create a cd boot disk and go to msdos and type fdisk/mbr ? (thats what i have been advised by microsoft)

How would i go about creating a boot cd from win xp ?

Thanks again,

noapic and nolapic

see
http://club-beta.mandriva.com/xwiki/...te+8100+Series

SUCCESSFUL Running Mandriva 2006 December Club Edition on an Acer Travelmate 8103 in the right resolution of 1680x1050 with 3d acceleration : boot the kernel with noapic and nolapic

Tip for the resolution : during install, choose Vendor ATI "Radeon fglrx", screen "1680x1050" and resolution "1680x1050"

Hey just how big did you make the Linux partition ?

Mandrake 10.2 (problem SAME as above)
 

Hi guys i have got the same problem.
Actaully few days back my BIOS got reset to its default setting dude to power failure.

Now when i tried to install FC5 it did not work nor did SUSE 10.1 and now the mandrake INSTALL without a hick .

But now when it says to reboot after i did reboot ..
and now it stop at swap partition during boot and restarts again...

Any HELP would be gr8ly appreciated..


THANKS
zubair

welcome to the board, we need more details, type of PC,
which mandriva version. I cannot understand what happened to you
Is this really the same problem as the first post?

Installed mandy ok, then bios reset, then now problem?
Did you try to install Suse since?
Please rephrase and explain a bit more

All right here i go...

I am using a
P4 system ,
2.4Ghz ,
512MB RAM and i use a
NVIDIA graphic GForce MX 440 with AGP8x.

Actually what i ment was ... few days back befor i tried installing SUSE,FC5,mandrake...the BIOS had got reset to its default settings.
(By the way is that a problem ???)

Now when i tried mandrake 10.2 it installed prefectly.
When I reboot the system and start mandrake 10.2 LINUX it gets stuck during boot and restart again.

Now plz tell what is wrong. Is that a BIOS issue or my hardware problem.


THANKS
Zubair