Mandrake 9.0 Install Process Halts

[Guest theczar]

While installing 9.0 all is going well until I get about halfway through the second CD and the installation process halts. My mouse pointer still moves but everything else seems to freeze including the keyboard.

 

I am installing on a Compaq Armada notebook with 400 MHz Pentium III, 6 GB HD, 64 MB RAM.

 

If I resart, I have to start all over again. Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance! :roll:

[bvc]

Can you be more specific about the setup...what hd, NIC cards ect...?

[Guest theczar]

The Compaq Armada Notebook has an IBM branded 6.0 GB Hard Drive. There are no on-board NIC's but there is an on-board modem. PCMCIA slots are empty.

 

No mice plugged in other than the touchpad.

 

This is a clean install with no dual booting or other partitions than those set by the installation process. I am using the recommended installation. Install progress clock is counting down fairly accurately from about 1:47 to 1:07. After switching to the second CD, clock jumps back to about 1:29 and usually stops around 1:20.

 

 

Ask again if you have more questions. I consider myself fairly competent on nearly all Windows platforms but this is my first experience with Linux so consider me a genuine Newbie!

[pmpatrick]

Just a few suggestions:

 

1. If you downloaded Md 9.0, you should check the md5 checksums on the ISOs to be sure you have a good download;

 

2.You can do a minimal install using only CD1. For type of installation, choose expert mode. In expert mode, you are asked during the beginning of the install which CDs you have; just tick CD1 and go through the install picking whatever packages are available. You can boot into KDE with this minimal install. If you get that far, put CD1 back in and reboot but this time choose upgrade mode install and see if you can get additional packages installed.

 

3. What type of CD drive do you have? From your post, I assume it's not one that connects through the PCMCIA slot. If it does, post back. There are certain things you have to do to get the install to go.

[Guest CloakedPenguin]

First when installing the packages, do a minimal install. Also switch to the details view. SHould your install hang write down the software that it stops on. Next time you go to install make sure this software will not be installed by making sure it is not highlighted.

[Counterspy]

I am not sure if this is true for Compaq laptops, but there is often a hidden partition to support the reinstallation of Windows. Since it is hidden, it may be a problem getting rid of it and it may be the source of the freeze if your existing partitioning is overlapping it. One would expect that Linux partitioning would overwrite it but perhaps not.

 

Take a look at the docs for Parted at http://www.gnu.org/manual/parted-1.6.1/htm...ono/parted.html . If it will delete hidden partitions then get Tom's Rboot here: http://www.toms.net/rb/ which is a complete Linux os that fits on a floppy and will let you run Parted. Parted may even be on Tom's.

 

Whether there are any Windows programs that will do this is another question. You could look at the free Ranish Partition Manager at http://www.ranish.com or Testdisk at http://www.cgsecurity.org/index.html?testdisk.html . Use a Windows startup disk if either one will boot its software to floppy from the DOS prompt.

 

The minimal install is a good way to narrow the problem. When you are ready to do a complete install do it from expert mode so you have control of the partitioning. Create a "/" root, /home, /usr, /var partition allocating the most space to /home and a /usr with a minimum to /var to stop log files from filling up root.

 

Counterspy

[Guest ndeb]

theczar,

U should check the checksum of CD2. It could very well be a bad CD. Also, take pmpatrick's advice about doing an install using CD1 alone. Later on u can add more packages as u need.