Hello!

I started a thread a while ago on installing Slackware 11 on a USB drive using a Dell desktop machine.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=525402

Suffice it to say that I haven't yet solved the kernel panic issues with booting from that drive so any suggestions would be appreciated! I've already recompiled to the 2.6.17.13 kernel adding usb support as recommended by gbowden on this thread

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...light=usb+boot

but no dice, as they say. Please anyone got any ideas?

Anyway on anther matter - so I've moved on and voided the warranty by scrubbing the initial install and instead setting up a 3 OS booting scheme on the internal drive. I now have Windows XP, Solaris 10 and Slackware 11 all successfully booting.

The problem? The Slackware install is plagued by freezing mouse and keyboard issues! I realise this seems to be an integrated hardware/BIOS issue but how come both WinXp and Sol10 are fine while Slack is plagued by problems?

About the kernel panic problem encountered when trying to boot from a usb drive: you must use an initial ram disk (initrd).

I encountered the same problem when installing Slackware 11 onto my External USB HD. This is my understanding of the situation, and the solution to the problem:

The problem is that linux needs to be able to load the usb modules in order to boot from the usb device. However, in order to load the usb drivers, it must boot from the usb device. So the solution is found with an initial ram disk. You need to create an initial ram disk that contains the necessary system drivers to access usb. When the system boots, it first loads the filesystem within the ramdisk into memory and loads whatever drivers, etc. Only then does the system try to boot off the usb media.
You also may need to add a 'sleep numofseconds' command immediately after initializing the USB, so the kernel will have time to poll the usb ports and find the connected drive before continuing.

I do not remember the exact places I found this information, or the exact steps to make the ramdisk, but you should have enough information to google search the topic and find what you need.

I hope this is relevant and helpful

So, you installed Slackware to the hard-drive and you're having freezing mouse and keyboard issues ? Right ? I'm not quite sure if you are asking something about USB install or what ?

Anyway ... assuming this is the problem, need some more info.

When and how does it freeze ... a little clearer and in more detail than you just described. What window manager are you using ? KDE ? Does the mouse / keyboard freeze only while in the window manager (KDE) ? Does it freeze as soon as you log in ? or randomly ? Have you tried other window managers (even temporarily) to see if it does the same thing ?

Usually, if it doesn't crash as soon as you boot or in a constant manner, then I suspect it may be KDE. (I know it did that for me ... something in ~/.kde was messed up)

ststroud,

your post is indeed relevant but unfortunately this is something I've tried already... the problem always is as follows: I boot off Install CD 1, use huge26.s and then pretty much complete the install without any problems - I choose the default "install everything" route. It's reboot time that's a problem - the kernel panic occurs way before I get a chance to log in and recompile the kernel and add an initrd. I tried using Slax but that livecd suffers from manic usb mouse/keyboard issues and so I never get anywhere before being forced to hard reboot the machine... I tried the Ubuntu livecd and it corrupted my internal hard drive's mbr - ie NOT the drive I wanted to install on! I've been reading up and apparently there is a BIOS update for my machine which *may* help but lots of users are reporting that the "upgrade" causes other problems so I loath to try that at the moment..

H_TeXMeX_H,

Yes, sorry about that - I should have kept the thread to just one topic - my fault.

But since you've been good enough to answer...

I am now talking about the Slack11 install that is co-existing with WinXP and Solaris on my PCs internal hd not the USB drive. The keyboard can and does freeze at ANY time and stays frozen, or more accurately it repeatedly sends whatever was being pressed when it froze. The mouse obviously only freezes when in KDE. The only way to get them back is to unplug (USB) and then plug them back in. But that only cures the problem for a while, it'll happen again at random intervals with the only cure being what I described above. Things have improved a little since I (finally) managed to recompile to the 2.6 kernel with USB modules integrated into an initrd but it still happens, just less freq. I will give another window manager a go but because the keyboard freezes in all circumstances I have doubts - worth a try...

Hmmm .... so the keyboard freezes outside of KDE ? Then it's more likely a kernel issue.

BTW, what keyboard and mouse do you have ... at least brand and how connected.

If you can install from the Slack CDs, then you can always boot your system by placing the first CD in the drive, then at the boot: prompt entering a line like:
huge26.s root=/dev/sda3 noinitrd ro
where you are specifying the kernel to use on the install CD ie huge26.s as it has worked before;
setting your root partition to the partition on your disk, my example is the third partition on a SATA disk, but YMMV;
This will leave you running Slack and allow you to make your required changes.

What is the processor on your Dell? I recently installed Slack on a Dell Dimension E520 with a 6300 Intel Core 2 Duo processor. All is running fine using the 2.6.17.13-smp kernel, including USB devices, without any kernel recompilation being required. The only issues I had were the need to install the 2.6.17.13-smp kernel modules as well as configuring the 2.6.17.13 kernel headers to 2.6.17.13-smp kernel headers and changing two symlinks to point to these. This then allowed me to download and compile drivers for the Intel NIC, Conexant PCI modem and nVidia GeForce 7300 graphics adaptor that were supplied in the Dell box.

Both are Dell's own brand and are USB - I've tried them in all the ports available and they are now at the front of my box... for easy access!

Just FYI I issued the following when making the initrd:

mkinitrd -c -k 2.6.17.13 -m echi-hcdhci-hcd:uhci-hcd:usb-storage

I also put a "sleep 10" in my linuxrc to help things on the timing front but to no avail.

(the emoticon shouldn't be there but IS appropriate!)

allend, thanks for your input!

re the first part of your response: argh! I'm so dim, I'm sure that I've done just that at some point but somehow forgot about it and spent days with the livecds... damn it. I'll give that a go today.

re my Hell machine, it's one of those all integrated nightmares - in fact this is the first time I've bought a prebuild, all my previous machines have been homemade. Never again. It's an AMD64 with integrated everything. On the internal drive install I've managed to find/compile/install drivers for everything (inc Sigmatel sound and Broadcom NIC) which Slack couldn't install itself. I'm not sure what's going on with the Nvidia gpu but it's running well "out of the box" so I'll revisit that when I sort out the USB drive issues.