Multiple Distro install problem
 

I have a FIC K8-800t board with an Athalon 3400+ processor. Using a Maxtor SATA 500 gig HD. Until recently it was running the Win7 beta which is now running out. I decided to install a linux distro in it's place.
I have tried Ubuntu 7.04. 8.10 and 9.04. I've tried Fedora 11 and UbuntuStudio. I have the same issue with every one of them. After it gets past the keyboard language and install method I get a Panic message and it wouldn't advance further. I have tested all my hardware and there doesn't appear to be any problems. I have since reinstalled Win7 and it loaded up fine. Is there some issue with this motherboard or the HD?

We really need to know more.
What kind of panic message ?
What other error message does it gives ?
Did you try to install graphical mode or in the text mode ?

try pclinuxos have a computer at work with a 500bg sata hd and of the few distros i tried on it, pclinuxos was the only one that would work

If you use the Linux as a Live CD, delete or resize the Win7 partition, create 2 partitions (one for the swap and the other for the root filing system or /), fire up the installer, instruct the installer which partition you want the Linux to go then you can can any Linux installed.

Absolutely bomb proof.

Why? A Linux installer can recognise a partition created by Linux but does not know what to do with a hard disk with only a MS Windows partition and no space for installation. Some installers will venture to ask you if it is your wish to nuke the MS Windows to create space but you obviously haven't reached that state.

If you install an operating system give it a "home" and that is a partition to reside in!

Thanks it worked, as did GNew Sense distro.

I find your response rather odd. I have installed dozens of Linux distros to MS window partions over the last ten years and never had an issue until now. And your advice about it being bomb proof is also apparently off the mark as I installed PClinux without a hitch and used it to format the 500 gig HD to ext3 and Ubuntu still won't install, and while I got further than previous, claiming it was installed, when I rebooted I got a Bug message. Clearly then, Ubuntu has issues, either with SATA drives, large drives or AMD64 motherboards.

Panic followed by a string of gobbledy gook. I would say there were memory locations but I'm not going to waste time reinstalling it just to quote the string.

None, it won't progess past panic.

Yes and Yes. Got furthest in text mode. It actually claimed to have done the install.

spin498,

My method may appears odd to you but just about every distro you mentioned has been installed this way in one of my boxes.

One box got 145 systems. The info is in my signature.

The one I am replying with has 33 Linux, 2 Win7, 1 Vista and 1 Xp in a single 1TB hard disk. I never had a problem with size of disks using up to 1.5TB. Among my boxes there are AMD64, i7, single, dual core and quad core CPU. As far as I know Sata disks have been supported by the kernel as early as I entered Linux in 2004. You will have a job to find a modern Linux that needs a driver before it can read a Sata drive.

In fact you have claimed the various versions of Ubuntu booted but failed to install. Before you fire up the installer you can issue this command in a terminal to check if your 0.5Tb Sata hard disk has been recognised or not

Things are just weird like that. Gentoo has some sort of issue with my grafix card or mobo where it will not let a window manager run. Yet slackware works fine and ubuntu also. Theres more than one way to skin a cat, so unless you're partial to one the easiest one is often the best.

Your dilemma should be explained by the following:

http://www.geocities.com/epark/linux...w2k-HOWTO.html

You probably only need to worry about the following section:

Requirements for /boot Partition

George