Slackware installation won't boot on MSI X610

3guesses · 07-07-2014, 08:26 AM

Hi,

I am having trouble getting my MSI X610 to boot Slackware that I have installed on it. I have tried using Slackware 13.3.7 and 14.1, and both hang at the same stage early in the boot process. I installed both from a USB memoery stick set up using UniversalUSBInstaller 1.9.5.4 from pendrivelinux.com. If I boot from the Slackware set-up on the USB stick, I can then boot the hard drive installation using "hugesmp.s /dev/sda6 rdinit= ro". I have installed Xubuntu to /dev/sda5, and this boots no problem.

When the boot process hangs, the screen shows the following:

Code:

CPU: Processor Core ID : 0
:
:
smpboot CPU0: AMD Athlon(tm) Neo X2 Dual Core Processor L335 (fam: 0f, model: 6b, stepping: 02)
:
:
MCE: In-kernal MCE decoding enabled.
smpboot: Booting Node 0, Processors #1

Can anyone help?

[Edit] CORRECTION: Xubuntu no longer boots since installing Slackware (it hangs at the same point). Is this a LILO issue?

3g

coralfang · 07-08-2014, 02:24 AM

If you can, post the contents of your lilo.conf
Can you boot slackware through grub?

ps; This is handy for booting up when your bootloader is borked:
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/super-grub2-disk/

3guesses · 07-08-2014, 07:38 AM

OK, here's the lilo.conf file:

Code:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
boot = /dev/sda

#compact        # faster, but won't work on all systems.

# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
prompt
#timeout = 300
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# Ask for video mode at boot (time out to normal in 30s)
#vga = ask
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# ramdisk = 0     # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda6
  label = Slackware
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/sda3
  label = /winxp
  table = /dev/sda
# Windows bootable partition config ends
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda5
  label = Xubuntu
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends

3guesses · 07-08-2014, 02:49 PM

OK, I have now installed Plop to the MBR on the hard drive and tried to boot both the Slackware and the Xubuntu installations - it reports the following:

Code:

MBR: is valid
Checking bootsector
Warning:
No valid bootsector signature
Continue boot? [y/n]

If I continue with the boot the screen blanks and the cursor blinks in the top-left corner and that's it. Both Slackware and Xubuntu are installed on logical partitions, so is the boot information missing from these partitions' boot records?

3guesses · 07-09-2014, 02:20 PM

I have done some more testing/re-installations, including installing Slackware 13.37 from DVD (which I have done on other machines without problem), and it seems that LILO run from the hard drive just doesn't want to work on this MSI X610 - and yet I can boot into the Slackware installation on the hard drive by first booting from the LILO installation iso on USB (using WinSetupFromUSB) as previously described.

After installing Slackware 14.1 to /dev/sda5 from the iso on USB (using WinSetupFromUSB), I then installed Xubuntu Desktop to /dev/sda6 and this installed GRUB to the MBR which then enabled me to boot Windows XP installed on /dev/sda3, Slackware 14.1 installed on /dev/sda5 and Xubuntu installed on /dev/sda6.

So what is wrong with LILO??? Is there somewhere I can report this problem?

3g

coralfang · 07-09-2014, 06:09 PM

Curious... what is on /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2 ?

Jumping ahead; but if sda1 is a 100mb partition created by a windows 7 install, and sda2 contains windows 7, i encountered this problem a few weeks ago.

If that's the case, when you installed windows 7 it uses some form of invalid partition table (messes up other operating systems) i couldn't quite figure out how to resolve it, so i ended up reformating to an MSDOS partition table, then installing slackware before the windows 7.

If not, what partition table type are you using?

3guesses · 07-10-2014, 07:18 AM

Hi Coralfang,

Yes, that could potentially be the heart of the problem.

/dev/sda1 is the MSI Windows 7 Home Premium rescue partition (~10GB)
/dev/sda2 is a small "SYSTEM" partition presumably used by the rescue partition (100MB)
/dev/sda3 was the Windows 7 Home Premium partition (not a big fan), now Windows XP Pro SP3

In fact, here is the full partition table info from cfdisk:

Code:

                     Unusable                             1.05  *
sda1        Primary  ntfs        [BIOS_RVY]           10737.42  *
sda2        Primary  ntfs        [System Reserved]      104.86  *
sda3  Boot  Primary  ntfs        [($) Win XP Pro S]  104857.60  *
            Logical  Free Space                           0.04  *
sda5  NC    Logical  ext4                             10001.91  *
sda6        Logical  ext4                              5000.98  *
            Logical  Free Space                      189369.10  *

I could try wiping the disk entirely and starting afresh, but I would really need to take a copy of the rescue partition first. However, before I do that, I really need to try to get it working (which it doesn't at the moment).

But thanks very much for the suggestion - definitely one I will pursue at some point I think.

3g