Not sure if here, kernel, or H/W is the best place to post, so here goes:

Just yesterday (sort of out of the blue) I was given a new machine on which to install Debian Linux. I used the single CD technique I've use for years, make a single iso image, boot it, then proceed with the rest of the installation from the internet.

The problem is that after the initial boot, I got a message that said it didn't have a driver for the CD reader. It is a CD/DVD reader/writer, and I think it's a SATA interface (I'm not with it right now; I'm going back over to where it is this afternoon). Assuming I can find a driver for this device, how do I either a) get the driver on the Debian installation CD, or b) get the initial install to read it from a second CD?

I assume the initial boot that got me this far is from something in the PC's ROM, and linux has to have its own driver, but it was a bit of a surprise to have it boot, then tell me it needed a driver to read the CD!

TIA
anw

A websearch turned up this: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=54432
Here's another issue related to libata.atapi_enabled: http://www.togaware.com/linux/survivor/SATA_CD_DVD.html

Thanks, but irqpoll doesn't help, and the other link is for an already booted system. Now, if I could figure out how to get the libata module in the boot installation CD, that would probably work.

Oh, I misread your post. I thought you had booted, but this is still in the install procedure? Have you tried the netinst CD? It's possible that that would get you past the problem. It requires a good internet connection, of course.

When you have the problem, can you get a prompt? IOW, if you press CTL-ALT-F2 do you get a prompt? If so, just try "modprobe libata" and see if that takes. If it does, you may be able to go backward in the install script and try again.

Added:
Just mucking around and there is a separate cdrom module, so "modprobe cdrom". There's also an ide_cd_mod.

And, back to my other post, I believe there are ways to pass parameters through modprobe, so you might want to google how to do that and add "libata.atapi_enabled=1" or perhaps just "atapi_enabled=1" or something similar to the modprobe of libata.

These are obviously just guesses. Maybe someone from the peanut gallery will bail me out.

I downloaded a lenny netinst cd, and that did it! Evidently, there's much better support for SATA in lenny.

Thanks so much for the help!