upgraded box now can't load slack
 

Upgraded my box with this:
ASUS P5K SE motherboard + intel p4, 3 ghz
2-1gb pc2-5300 cls 240-pin dimm kingston simms
e-GeForce 7300 GT 512MB vidcard (nvidia)
sata cd/dvd writer connected to sata port 2 of 4
used these existing parts:
2- ide hd's connected via ide primary
1- 3.5 flop

and now i can't load slack. grrrrr! miss it . . .

tried latest Slackware 11+12 boot DVD's, boots up fine
and allows me to log on as root, then burps when i type
any of the following or combo thereof:

>cfdisk /dev/hdb
>cfdisk /dev/hda
>fdisk /dev/hdb

with this:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive
Press any key to exit cfdisk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

so back to setup we go but of course cannot
proceed without the target drive prepped


there is no trace of linux left on this box.
hda has 2 parts and was reformatted and reloaded with xp.
hdb is whole and was erased and reformatted with ms

i've also tried these:
ubuntu live 5.04= could not talk to the video card
ultimate bootcd= could not find any hard drives
slax 4.20 =started fine but no see on board sound/nic

any help would be great,
thanks

Once you've booted from the Slackware CD what is the output of:

major minor #blocks name

It looks like none of the IDE drives have been recognised by the BIOS.

Is the on-board IDE disabled in the BIOS.

Cheers.

xp loaded fine and i was able to fdisk hdb with a ms bootflop.

Googled for a whiles and found that the:
ASUS P5K-SE MotherBoard
is NOT compatible with the current Linux kernel.

No one has reported success loading ANY Linux
platform/flavor/livecd with this particular mobo.
UNLESS:
All the same type drives were used, that is, all
IDE or all SATA. And this is sketchy at best.

>>>>PossibleReason1:
Linux cannot install on a box where:
HardDrive is connected via 40 pin IDE cable <AND>
cd/dvd is connected via SATA. Drives must be all
IDE or all SATA.

>>>>PossibleReason2:
Linux will NOT install on this mobo?
Something about the installer within the kernel
can't see both types of drives at once?

I'll continue to dig and hopefully there are a
few others out there who are in the same boat.

Your board has the Intel P35 chipset. Proper support for this chipset is available under kernels newer than 2.6.22. Slackware 12's kernel is 2.6.21.

Unable to install Slack 12 after upgrade to ASUS P5KSE MB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks rkelsen,

Opened up Slack 12 install ISO with: UltraISO v8.6.3.2056

Copied/downloaded kernels v 2.6.23.9.
FROM: ftp://slackware.cs.utah.edu/pub/slackware/
TO: /kernels dir on the Slack 12 install ISO

Saved ISO and burned.
Checked ISO and current kernels are on the DVD
in /kernels.

ReBooted and still get this::

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive
Press any key to exit cfdisk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did I copy the kernels to the right place?
Is it accessed on the DVD from more than one place?
How else to install Slack 12 with the install DVD
using the current kernel?

Thanks

Unable to install Slack 12 after upgrade to ASUS P5KSE MotherBoard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UpDate as of 08DEC2007::
Booted up/installed Slack12 on another box using the burned
ISO image I updated /kernels with. Loaded no probs, but when
I type uname -r I get 2.6.21.5-smp NOT 2.6.23.9

So copying the current kernels to the /kernels dir on the ISO
image of the Slackware 12 DVD must be the wrong location
of the kernels. Where are the kernels hiding??

The kernels are somewhere else on the install DVD?
Does anyone know how to edit the Slackware 12 install DVD
ISO image and upgrade to the current kernels?(2.6.23.9)
Is it even possible?

Was hoping someone else here was experiencing the same problem
when attempting to trying to install Slack 12 onto a box
which contains a ASUS P5KSE motherboard.

Thank-you for the help

Actually, it is the correct location.
I refer you to the isolinux/isolinux.cfg file on your installation disc. You will need to set up a "pointer" to your kernel here.

You may also need to change the contents of the initrd.img file. I'm not sure.

Note: I haven't done this myself, but it seems possible... ;)

Unable to install Slack 12 after upgrade to ASUS P5KSE MotherBoard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

isolinux already points to /kernels - nothing to change in there.

the initrd.img idea appears to be a step in the right direction.

But I think I'll wait for the next Slack . . .


Thanks again rkelsey.

Try renaming the new kernels as the ones you've deleted, cause each kernel is referenced by it's name and simply copying probably won't work.

Unable to install Slack 12 after upgrade to ASUS P5KSE MotherBoard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Alien_Hominid,

I haven't tried what you suggested but did download from here:
ftp://ftp.slackware.no/pub/linux/sla...e-current-iso/

tried to install, still get:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FATAL ERROR: Cannot open disk drive
Press any key to exit cfdisk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The slow process of being forced to migrate
back to windoze is killing me.

This is becoming a friken nitemare!!

Thanks.

Did you try fdisk?

Changing addressing modes in BIOS (if that's possible in yours) might help.

I AM NOW BACK IN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SLACK!!!!!
It's bin way too long . . . what a feeling!

After almost succumbing to the harshness of the windoze wilderness
SlackWare 12.2 came along packing kernel 2.6.27.7 on it's hip
and took care of Buffalo Bill!!

Thank-you PV!!

Yes indeed, recognized my MainBoard and ata, sata drives.
$ cfdisk /dev/sdb

Just wanted to thank all those whom assisted with this problem.
And to pass along the good news . . .