Right here goes.

I have just bought a new laptop. Advent 7016.
Main Spec:
P4. 2.66, 30 gb hdd, 512 ddr, ATI Radeon 9000, Samsung cd-rw/dvd combo drive and some other stuff like soundscards etc.

The problem:
The main cd boots and I get the boot screen. Press enter and it goes through the boot process (all that lovely text flying past at hundreds of miles an hour)

It then goes to a blue blackground, loads some drivers, then just as it is going to ask to verify disk, it just stops leaving the blue background and the menu at bottom of the screen.

Things I have tried:
I thought with it being a CDRW/DVD combo drive which is in the laptop, and the cd's i am using where burned at 52X, i reburned the first disk at a very low speed in case the drive struggled to see the cd. But is does the same.

I know it is not the cd's I have got, as they work on my main box. So does anyone have this laptop, or know what the problem could be.


PS. Also, why does it, when u auto partition in linux it comes up unable to allowcate partitions, when u have enough space for linux go on your system? could it be something something with stupid windows running on same hdd?

are you installing as a dualboot?, if not in the setup specify to wipe out all partitions
what distro are you trying to put on?

I use it as a dual boot. But I have tried all the options in the auto partition, ie remove all partitions etc ( i know that wipes my windows as well) but it does the same with all options selected.

Also, my main problem, just got hold of Redhat 8, and it installs ok, but it is still doing the same with 9 where it still hangs.

well if 8 installs fine, then i would say there has to be something wrong with the copy of rh9 you burnt...
personal preference anyways, i'd rather rh8 over rh9..

also are you getting the iso images from either:

redhat mirrors

or ...

LinuxISO

these are pretty well trusted places, and you "should" have no problems with your images if you get them from either place..

does it give u the optiong to verify or not verify the cds? or does it just freez when u get that screen?

on the auto partioning thing, its most likely becuase u can only have 4(i think) primary partitions, so u probably have to tell it to make an extended partition so i can make your new linux partitions logical.

I got the redhat 9 of ftp.mirror.ac.uk site. The CD's work because I have used them several times on my home box and also on my old laptop and also on a friends laptop.

It boots ok from cd,

loads vmlinuz etc (all the texty part,)
Reports no errors,
The the blue screen comes up

loads ohci1394 (ohci something or other)

Then does nothing, just left with a blue screen with instructions (<tab><alt-tab> between elements etc) at the bottom.

Just in case it was doing something in the background, i left it for 30 mins, still nothing

I have checked the hardware compatability and it all should work ok.
Also looked on the manufactors website, and nothing on there.

well just press alt+f2, alt+f3 ... till alt+f5 and see what is it that it stumbles upon. most likely its some of the additional hardware your laptop may have, go to BIOS and disable modem, network card, usb etc., whatever you may have there or whatever you are able to disable (able to disble, haa, sounds good... )

just disable all things like usb etc and still doing the same... think i just may give up. Or try another distro

well, i sniffed around a littlebit. this ohci1394 is a firewire driver if i got this correct, known to cause problems everywhere, as well as on linux, as well on windoze. so, tickle your BIOS.

Actually, im amazed, in my bios, the only thing i can disable is the wireless lan.... bit poor if u ask me... virtually nothing i can in the bios...

create a seup boot floppy and use that to boot into anaconda. this should do.

the laptop does not have a floppy drive, can u make one to a cd instead?

i don't think so. then just use 8.0, you lose nothing.