slackware 12.1 won't boot up after installation advent 5302
 

hello again,

i managed to install slackware 12.1 on my hd. everything went well.
i'm trying to triple boot, so i went passed the OS choice screen by selecting "Linux" and then there was a lot of text running. first time i had a big grin on my face because i thought i finally managed to install linux and would be enjoying it, but it appeared i was wrong. suddenly it stopped after the line:

shpchp: Standart Host Plug PCI Controller Driver version: 0.4

then tried again and again it froze, but this time after line:
sd 4:0:0:0: Attached SCSI generic sgl type0

then third time:
hda_codec: Unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...

then fourth:
ACPI: Video Device [VGA] (multi-head: yes rom: no post:no)

fifth was the same as third so i gave up

any help would be much appreciated

my laptop spec: http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/advent/laptop/5302.htm

also, i had a slight issue with creating partition, but in my opinion that's just my stupidity and it's totally unrelated: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...nstall-672578/

if there is any other info that would help, just ask

edit: a little thing I failed to mention earlier: when I finished install, there was a message saying: close the setup and press ctrl+alt+del to reboot, so i closed setup but ctrl+ald+del didn't work. so i halted the system and then rebooted it by switching it off and back on

and one more thing that could be a sign of something: i've tried some other distros of linux. most of them don't even boot up, but the ones i managed to boot using "apci=off noapic nolapic pci=noapic"(that's a line i found in some forum that was supposed to help) none off them would shutdown - it would freeze

p.s. sorry for my "broken-English"

How much of the software on the CD Or DVD did you install? And did it pass the md5 sum check OK?
It sounds like it's missing drivers......maybe. A guess on my part.
Best success can probably be had by by choosing the default kernel, and installing everything
but the I18 language packs (unless you really need them) and Emacs (because then you'll have to learn vi)....:-)
If you didn't do a full install to try and keep disk space, go ahead and retry a full install again.

thanx for reply

i downloaded dvd iso and checked md5 - it matched.
what concerns installation, i did the fullest installation possible, including language packs.

i've got a feeling that you're right and there is something wrong with the drivers, but i'm new to linux and haven't got a clue how it works, how you check or edit them

Before you reinstall, you should try:
1. Boot from DVD installation disk and type
eventually
2. Login as root and check your /etc/lilo.conf file. You should add a line
then run lilo command and - if no errors appears - reboot.

i did like you said.
booted dvd and at boot: typed

root=/dev/sda1 rdinit= ro

it froze after the line:
warning: anable to open an initial console
Kernel panic - not syncing: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel

second time i typed: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda1 rdinit= ro apci=off

and it froze again after the same line

i thought i mistyped so i tried again. this time it froze after the line:
Ext INT not setup in hardware but reported by MP table ENABLING IO-APIC IRQs
..TIMER: vector=0x31 apic1=0 pin1=2 apic2=0 pin2=0

i also tried few other variations with noapic nolapic, then it froze after:
ohci_hcd 0000:00:03.1: unlink after no IRQ? Controller is probably using the wrong IRQ

Try append these kernel parameters: apic=debug irqpoll. See also http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Docum...parameters.txt

tried:
boot: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda1 rdinit= ro apci=debug irqpoll - no luck. computer freezes after the same lines

edit: also visited the link provided. i am new to linux and know very little about this OS. i understand that there are different commands and parameters to go with them, but i've got no clue which one to start with and what is the problem with my system in the first place. it's like walking blindfolded in a dark room. anyone could shed some light?

Just to discard obvious thing: Did you install slackware on the first partition of your drive ?

Did you set your root partition as bootable?

once again - my stupidity. my slackware is on sda4. so i tried now

boot: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro apci=off apic=debug irqpoll

all the process went a bit further but still stopped at:
etho: GMII mode.
etho: Enabling Auto-negotiation.
ACPI: PCI Interupt 0000:00:0f 0[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 22
hda_codec: Unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...

not sure i understand the question. how do one set it?
i did everything as described in slackbook2.0 if you were asking if i added it when i was creating lilo, then answer is yes, and i get a nice screen with slackware logo and choice between my OSs

Here's a how to using fdisk, but, cfdisk would work just as well. If the root partition was not set as bootable that may be your problem.

http://www.howtoforge.com/the_perfec...op_slackware12

Could you try to boot with:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 ro hda=noprobe

if i type in the suggested line then the installation dvd boots up

good :)
Login as root, and mount your system partition:
mount /dev/sda4 /mnt

then post the output with:
cat /mnt/etc/lilo.conf

[edit]
or maybe just try to boot with:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro hda=noprobe

you were right. i hadn't set it as bootable partition. now i fixed it but it still didn't solve the problem

i tried booting with the line you suggested, but it froze again

then posted the output with:
cat /mnt/etc/lilo.conf

and it showed:
#Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sda4
label = Linux
read-only # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
#Linux bootable partition config ends
then there was some info about my xp and vista partition i didn't write it down since i didn't think it was relevant

You may need this line: initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
under the line: image = /boot/vmlinuz

But for now, just for checking, could you try to boot from the install DVD with this line:

hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro hda=noprobe acpi=force

no luck - got stuck again after:
hda_codec: Unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...

Maybe you could try disable audio card in BIOS, and try another boot...
Once it boots fine, there will be some ways to re-enable audio

You said it stucks after the line: 'hda_codec: Unknown model for ALC662'
There is no other error line, right ?

well, after you asked if that was the only error, i tried booting with your suggested line(boot: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro hda=noprobe acpi=force) few more times

first time got stuck at:
Warning: unable to open an initial console.
Kernel panic - not syncing: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel

then 2:
Marking TSC unstable due to: possible TSC halt in C2
Time: acpi_pm clocksource has been installed
hda_codec: unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...

3:
SCSI 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic - Multi-card 1.00 PQ:0 ANSI:0 CCS
sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg l type 0

4:
hda_codec: unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...
Marking TSC unstable due to: possible TSC halt in C2
Time: acpi_pm clocksource has been installed

5:
ACPI: Video Device [VGA] (multihead: yes rom: no post: no)
hda_codec: unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...
shpchp: Standard Hot plug PCI Controller Driver Version: 0.4


now with BIOS - it's got very minimal menu and there is no way to switch sound card off. There were only two options, that I didn't know what they were for:
1. Execute Disable Bit. which by default was enabled
2. LCD panel power saving. Also enabled

tried disabling them and then booting, but they donn't seem to influence the process

Could you try:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro pnpbios=off acpi=off

Or:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro pnpacpi=off acpi=off


I have no idea though, if that fails, maybe try: apm=off instead of acpi=off, just in case

That could be the solution. In any case, I suggest to reinstall Slackware on that machine.

@keefaz,

i've tried all the lines you suggested - all of them failed

one more error, but alittle bit more up the screen, i noticed:
rtc_cmos: probe of 00:02 failed with error -16

@Road map,

reinstalled the slackware, ran commands suggested in this thread again and the result was the same


also, downloaded backtrack 3, since it's based on slackware, thought that with few mods it would run, but also, no luck - even the livecd freezes after the line:
Serial 8250/16550 driver $revision: 1.90 $ 4 ports, irq sharing enabled
i know, that this livecd works, because, i've tried booting it up on my friens "sony" and it worked just fine. my assumption is that it is something specific to my machine, that prevents it from booting

the only thing i haven't tried is trying to download slackware again and burning new dvd, but i don't know if that's worth doing since the one i have, i checked the md5 and burned it at the lowest speed possible. what do you guys think?

a question - when lilo boot up menu comes up with the choice. there is a message, that you can press [tab] for command promt. is it possible entering commands there and is there any difference to booting it from dvd and typing: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 [command1] [command2]...

one more thing, i am really grateful for your time and help, but could you also try to explain what these commands are for and what the issue seems to be. maybe we're missing something simple here, and by not understanding what i'm doing prevents us from succeeding

We are suggesting boot with some kernel parameters because as you already tested, booting your laptop with no parameters fails.

See kernel parameters:
http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Docum...parameters.txt

We are mainly suggesting acpi parameters, as eventually some bios plug n play features or weird power management events make the Linux boot fail

I find it weird that you have access to only 2 parameters in BIOS pages though

no, you misunderstood me. i have 7 options in my BIOS, but 2 were the only two disabling something:
I have:
MAIN: where you can set you date/time and see you drives
INFO: where there is some info, but you can't change anything
ADVANCED: that's where you can disable only one thing and that is: Execute disable bit
SECURITY: where you can set passwords
POWER: that's also a window with only one parameter: LCD power saving
BOOT: where you can adjust booting sequence
EXIT with it's own options

any other ideas what i could try?

The install DVD boots fine ? without kernel parameters and without a problem ?
If yes, boot from your install DVD, mount your root partition:
mount /dev/sda4 /mnt
and post the output with: cat /mnt/etc/fstab

[edit]
You tried this parameter: pci=noacpi ?

Lol, I am sorry for off topic, but just wanted to show this :):
There are funny parameters here

yes, it's booting fine without any parameters

cat /mnt/etc/fstab:

dev/sda3 swap swap defaults 0 0
dev/sda4 / ext3 defaults 1 1
dev/sda1 /fat-c ntfs-3g umask=000 1 0
dev/sda2 /fat-d ntfs-3g umask=000 1 0
#dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom auto noauto,owner,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner 0 0
dev/pts /dev/pts /devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
tmpts /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0


i don't know if that's relevant, but i have no floppy in my laptop

other thing i noticed is that my first problem after install is that i can't reboot using ctrl+alt+del. first time i installed i used [halt] then swithed it off and back on and second i used [reboot]

If you can't reboot using ctrl+alt+del, that means some issue with power management

Could you boot from DVD, mount the partition and show output with:
mount /dev/sda4 /mnt
ls -l /mnt/etc/rc.d/rc.acpid

It has "-rwxr-xr-x" permissions ?

You can also try boot in runlevel 1, in this case boot from DVD and give the line:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= ro 1

I assume your fstab lines with dev/sda4, dev/sda3... are typo errors
(should be /dev/sda4 etc)

Another idea, maybe try disable hotplug, boot with:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= nohotplug

mount /dev/sda4 /mnt
s -l /mnt/etc/rc.d/rc.acpid:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 466 nov 5 2004 /mnt/etc/rc.d/rc.acpid*

run level 1 failed at
hda_codec: unknown model for ALC662, trying auto-probe from BIOS...

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= nohotplug
booted up to
darkstar login:

said something about having mail from Pavlov :)


so, what is hotplug, how do fix it and how do i get into GUI?

You tried my last suggestion ?
boot with: hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= nohotplug

Your laptop is modern laptop, it should go well with acpi, I don't get it
At this point, I will attempt anything, I see it is delivered with windows vista, so why not let the bios beleive we want to boot windows vista instead of Linux?

Try boot with:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 acpi_os_name="Windows 2006" rdinit=

("Windows 2006" is the syntax for windows vista, see http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-ac.../msg10394.html)

[edit]
Ok, now try update /etc/lilo.conf with
append="nohotplug"

Congrat :)

Now follow standard slackware post install procedure:

first create a new user:
adduser
(follow the direction)

Then login into that user account and do:
xwmconfig
(choose your window manager)
then do:
startx

did you want me to boot it with the exact line?
"hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 acpi_os_name="Windows 2006" rdinit="
if so, it didn't work again failed at: hda_codec:...

now, when i am using:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= nohotplug

process stops at one point, but i don't manage to read what is says, because some other text comes up
atkbd.c: unknown key was pressed
atkbd.c: unknown key was released
.
.
.
.
like ten times and then it waits for me to press [enter]. when i do, it boots fine to the darkstar login
is it some other error or just it stops due to our parameters entered?

where exactly do i do:
/etc/lilo.conf
append="nohotplug"
when it boots up and I login as root@darkstar?

ok so i used hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 rdinit= nohotplug, it stopped as i mentioned earlier and this time stayed for a little while, so i had a chance to read it. it said something about root partition being already mounted as read-write and that if i wanted for system to work correctly it should be mounted as read-only. and some instructions how to do that. but I guess- i'll worry about it later


what concerns
/etc/lilo.conf

as soon as i type that in, i get [access denied] message

Yes you have to use a text editor to edit this file, try:

jed /etc/lilo.conf

or:
nano /etc/lilo.conf

(use the one you're confortable with)
Then add the line: append="nohotplug"
in lilo.conf, under the line: root = /dev/sda4
save lilo.conf, then on the linux Console, type: lilo

Just to make sure, your lilo.conf slackware entry should look like:
#Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sda4
read-only
append = "nohotplug"
label = Linux

Also I forgot the ro option in the line:
hugesmp.s root=/dev/sda4 ro rdinit= nohotplug

(that's where the error about root partition mounted read write come from I guess)

try installing 12.1 using the huge.s kernel at the boot prompt at the begining of the installation.

i edited it, rebooted and now it's booting fine from my hd. i think from here i'll manage myself

i would like to thank you keefaz, and other guys who replied, so much for all your help. it's not called comunity-driven OS for nothing i see :) soon, i'll learn a little bit about linux and be back here helping others.
keefaz, if you're ever round london, give me a shout mantas1984@yahoo.com i'll buy you a drink

p.s. i know i'm being lazy here, but could you explain to me a little bit more in deph what is hotplug, apci and why mordern laptops should work with one but not the other and now that lilo has apend="nohotplug" is it disabling some device on my machine?

Linux drivers are called modules.
The job of hotplug is to detect your hardware and load the corresponding modules.
But sometimes it fails to detect the hardware or load a wrong module,
in this case the solution is to put the module on a blacklist, hotplug will not attempt to load the modules in the blacklist, the blacklist is: /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

Now you have to find the module that possibly causes problem with hotplug, you could run:
/etc/rc.d/rc.udev start
and then: dmesg
see all error on output and from that find the wrong module
But I am not expert and I could be wrong on that, for now the only thing we know is that your system needs "nohotplug" kernel parameter to boot proprelly...
:)

When you don't want to use hotplug, you can load the modules "by hand", eg modprobe <module name>
There is a script: /etc/rc.d/rc.modules*
You make it executable: chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.modules*
and you write the module you want to load in it, following the modprobe syntax (present in this file)

btw,

when i edited lilo, i got 3 warnings:
1.LBA32 addressing assumed
2.Unable to determine video adapter in use in the present system.
3.Video adapter does not support VESA BIOS extentions needed for display of 256 colors.Boot loader will fall back to the text only operation.

should i be worried about it? and is it the consequence of hotplug being disabled?

For hotplug, I tried to explain, see my edited post
1. LBA32 assumed, you have an extended partition made windows style, it is ok
2& 3: it is ok, unless you want display a nice background image in lilo boot, but it is only esthetic thing

You can add lba32 line in /etc/lilo.conf to avoid the lba32 warning,
add this line: lba32
(near the top of lilo.conf, like under "timeout ..." line)
Then run: lilo
to take the change in account

i'll worry about it later. thanx once again

Good show matt, that was the most tenacious show of install grit I've seen.
Glad to see it's working.
No small work work on the part of keefaz either ;-)