Can't see HDD on cfdisk during slackware installation

palacinog · 05-26-2009, 08:49 AM

Hi!!

I'm trying to install Slackware 10.2 on a workstation, but when i go to the partition option using cfdisk it shows me only /dev/hda, where my backup is located. I also have three more HDD /dev/sda5 as a swap partition, /dev/sda6 whit linux cern and /dev/sda7 where i used to have my previous slackware version can anyone help me plz.

palacinog · 05-26-2009, 08:52 AM

when i type cfdisk /dev/sda7 it shows

FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive

H_TeXMeX_H · 05-26-2009, 11:11 AM

That's an awfully old version of slackware, you sure you don't want to try a newer one ? Either way it's probably that the kernel you are booting does not support your SATA HDD controller. Try booting say sata.i.

So at the boot: prompt just type in 'sata.i' without quotes.

onebuck · 05-26-2009, 08:54 PM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by palacinog

when i type cfdisk /dev/sda7 it shows

FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive

You should be opening 'cfdisk /dev/sda', not the partition on the hdd as sda7.

palacinog · 06-01-2009, 08:48 AM

Hi

I type
cfdisk /dev/sda

and the output is the same than before

When i'm in the installation menu, where i have to select in which partition i want to install slackware, there appears only hda1 but not sda where slack were installed previously, and where is installed one more distribution if linux

i also tried booting different kernels but it didn't work out

Maybe this could help when i'm using the OS and type

Code:

cfdisk /dev/sda


Name    Flags    Part type    FS type        [label]       size(MB)
..................................................................................................
sda1              Primary    Dell utility                    2146 
                  Pri/Log    Free space                     13497
sda5              Logical    Linux Swap                      2006
sda6              Logical    Linux ext3        [/]          20012
sda7    Boot      Logical    Linux ReiserfFS                35738

and when i type

Code:

cfdisk

Name    Flags    Part type    FS type        [label]       size(MB)
..................................................................................................
hda1    Boot     Primary     Linux ext3                     80023

onebuck · 06-01-2009, 05:50 PM

Hi,

When you boot the install media pass the 'hda=noprobe' to the kernel.

palacinog · 06-01-2009, 06:33 PM

Hi onebuck

i passed to the kernel "bare.i hda=noprobe" and "sata.i hda=noprobe" and now it doesn't recongnize any HDD it just says "FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive"

and i cannot even select in which partition i want to install slackware

onebuck · 06-01-2009, 08:35 PM

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by palacinog

Hi onebuck

i passed to the kernel "bare.i hda=noprobe" and "sata.i hda=noprobe" and now it doesn't recongnize any HDD it just says "FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive"

and i cannot even select in which partition i want to install slackware

Sorry, my bad. Your installing 10.2 and I was thinking 12.2.

BTW, try the sata.i then do a 'dmesg' to see the drive configuration(s). Look at the bootdisks 'README.txt;

Quote:

excerpt from 'README.TXT';

sata.i This is a version of bare.i with support for SATA
controllers made by Promise, Silicon Image, SiS,
ServerWorks / Apple K2, VIA, and Vitesse.

Is there a reason why you need to use Slackware 10.2?

gargamel · 06-02-2009, 02:41 PM

1. I, too, would like to suggest that you might try a more current version of Slackware, if possible.

2. However, as far as I remember, the default kernel of 10.2 was 2.4 (not 2.6), and there may be reasons, like support for specific hardware, to stick with it.

3. If you use a 2.4 kernel, you may have to watch out for this ide-scsi thing, that I don't quite recall, in order to have support for your hard disks. I guess, the sata.i kernel has the functionality provided by this module compiled into it. Nevertheless, it might be worth a try.

4. Finally, depending on your situation, you might have to compile your own kernel, or create an initial RAM disk, but I am not sure, if 10.2 had support for the latter, already.

5. Good luck!

gargamel

gargamel · 06-02-2009, 02:47 PM

Yet another idea: Try other device names.

E. g.:

cfdisk /dev/hdb
cfdisk /dev/sdb
cfdisk /dev/hdc

This might help, as device names depended on the order of disks on the bus and on the master/slave configuration of each disk.

EDIT: I really don't know it for sure, anymore, but the device names may also have changed depending, if you use ide-scsi or not.

Again, good luck

gargamel