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CD Spindown on Linux Install / Acer TravelMate 2420
Here's the issue. I have a basic Acer TravelMate 2420 that I tried to install several different distros on (i.e, Ubuntu, Gentoo, and Debian, in succession) but would have the same result on each install: during various times during the install, the CD/DVD Combo drive -- Philips CDRW/DVD SCB5265 -- would suddenly stop spinning and the install hangs completely (I waited between half an hour to an hour per install with no result). The odd thing about this is that Ubuntu as a live disk boots fine, with everything working except the wireless (the card used is a P.O.S. with no native driver that will probably require another post in the future about using ndiswrapper). I've had no problems in Windows with odd spindowns or the like -- CDs and games play just fine for long periods of time -- so I wonder if there is something else at the root of this.
Because Acer didn't ship this laptop with an install disk and uses so much proprietary hardware that a new Windows install doesn't even have working sound or the correct drivers for the display, I ended up shipping the thing back to Acer's Texas headquarters a few weeks ago for a warranty-covered reinstall. I wasted $80 on the UPS shipping: $40 for the trip and $40 for "fragile handling". And yet, here I am, trying again, my desire to have a totable Ubuntu or Gentoo install with me at most times overwhelming common sense and the hundreds I spent on the machine. I'll probably try and resize the NTFS partition the next time I try, however -- I'm well aware of the fun of resizing and reordering Windows partitions, as past failed installs have shown, so any advice and suggested utilities or whatnot are truly welcome, and I'll try to fulfill any requests for hardware information A.S.A.P.
Merci.
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