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Mandrake 9.0 won't boot after install.


VeeDubb
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I am trying to run the retail version of the mandrake linux 9.0 powerpac. I will try to describe the problem and my hardware in as much detail as possible.

 

The instalation process runs perfectly fine without errors reguardless of whether I choose expert or reccomended. At the end of the install my system is rebooted normaly. I first get a screen with boot options and then, after selecting "linux" the screen changes to what looks like the next normal boot screen where it says "INIT: version 2.83 booting" and then freezes. If I try fail safe of linux-nofb I get a similar chain of events.

 

As sugested by someone in another forum, I hit escape at the LILO prompt and at the boot prompt that opened, I entered "linux noapic ide=nodma" This allowed it to boot further before locking up. It got as far as this;

 

"INIT: version 2.83 booting

Setting default font (lat1-16:

 

Booting, please wait...

 

Welcome to Mandrake linux 9.0

Press 'I' to enter interactive startup."

 

 

 

AFter that, it locks up again.

 

by removing noapic and just typing "linux ide=nodma" I get just as far, so I'm pretty sure noapic isn't needed on my system.

 

My hardware:

Originaly a Gateway select 750 from around 1999.

 

American Megatrends motherboard with AMIbios, model not available.

 

750mhz athlon slot1

 

256MB generic pc100 ram

 

D-link netowrk card PCI

 

External serial modem

 

15GIG Western Digital Harddrive as primary master. 8gig win partition, 7gig linux partition, will get rid of win all together if i can just get a good distro working.

 

LG 40xCDrom

 

Philips CDRW800 4x8x32 CDburner

 

nVidia GeForce2 MX 32mb AGP video card

 

Creative Labs sound blaster Live! PCI

 

 

Connected periferals:

 

plug n' play moniter

 

$10.00 speakers

 

PS2 keyboard and wheelmouse

 

Canon BJC2110 USB printer

 

Canon scanner USB

 

Waccom Graphire2 writing/art tablet.

 

 

That is all the hardware I can think of. If you need any other specifics I may have left out, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask

 

This system has successfully run an early release of Lycoris Desktop/LX and knoppix.

 

Any help here would be appreciated. I have tried the "mandrakeexpert" support that came with my order but it won't let me post a new help request.

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These questions may seem simplistic, but please respond to them.

1) How long before you determine that linux is frozen?

2) Are you attempting to boot into x or just the command line?

3) When you say locking up, do you mean that there is no hard drive activity, or that the drive just keeps grinding away but doing nothing?

4) When the os is installing, what does it say about id'ing your peripherals? (Particularly the usb stuff)

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Originaly a Gateway select 750 from around 1999.



American Megatrends motherboard with AMIbios, model not available.



750mhz athlon slot1

 

Hmmmm...I thought all Athlon 750 MHz were Socket A. Anyway, I also have a Gateway Select 750 which has a Jabil (Kadoka) MoBo and it would not boot after install with the default kernel. Something in the .config file for the kernel stops it. I thought it was the MoBo, but it could be the BIOS, because I believe mine has the AMI BIOS also. What I had to do was boot with CD2 to start the install and hit F1 at the prompt and type 'alt2' (without the quotes) which installs with an alternate 2.2.19 kernel and you should be able to boot after install. Then you can go to kernel.org and download a 2.4.20 kernel and compile it yourself. It's not as hard as you think.

 

http://justlinux.com/nhf/Compiling_Kernels...ompilation.html

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These questions may seem simplistic, but please respond to them.

1) How long before you determine that linux is frozen?

2) Are you attempting to boot into x or just the command line?

3) When you say locking up, do you mean that there is no hard drive activity, or that the drive just keeps grinding away but doing nothing?

4) When the os is installing, what does it say about id'ing your peripherals? (Particularly the usb stuff)

 

Occam's Razor: All things being equal, the simplest solution is usualy correct.

 

1) I have waited as long as 45 minutes

2) X

3) No activity. The hard-drive is not spinning. THe screen does not go blank though, it just pauses still.

4) Everything seems to be reccognized correctly.

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You may be right, I assumed that the Amercin Megatrend BIOS meant an American Megatrends mobo, but I guess there's no real reason to assume that. I will try the alternate kernel. Though I should say, and I hope you can help (or your link can help).

 

The last distro I tried was a hard drive install of knoppix, whitch I loved, but I hed to leave it used a "one-off" kernel that wasn't available for DL and I was never able to configure and make a working kernel, so history is against me. If I use the "alternate" kernel, is the source available on the sources CD? This is the retail powerpac, so I know i have the source for the regular kernel.

 

 

Oh, and a HUGE THANK YOU to the both of you. Getting two reply's to a question like this takes DAYS at the mandrake fclub forum and mandrake expert is 48 hours when it works.

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I tried the alt2 ekrnel and it behaves in the exact same way. Also, when I tried alt2 when booting from the second CD it said kernel image alt2 not found or something to that effect. it was on CD1. Also, you did catch that I'm using the retail version of 9.0, not 9.1.

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I am still looking for problems similar to yours by searching the archives, but "slot" chips were notorious for slipping around in the slot. If you are comfortable getting into your computer, make sure the chip is inserted correctly into the slot.

 

I'm still looking, but try reinstalling without your usb devices plugged in. They can be configured later, after a successful boot. There are also some other logs to look at once you can boot.

 

Along that line, I think you can do a rescue boot with cd1, mount the linux directories, and then view the boot logs in order to see what is wrong. I will give more details (or somebody else!) later today when I have time. Having a look at the logs should answer more questions.

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I'm very comfortable poking inside my computer, (I build computers for extra money when financial aid isn't enough) though I'm pretty sure windows wouldn't run either if that were the problem. I'll check everything just in case though.

 

I'll try to reinstall without the USB hooked up, though I have to admit that makes me a litle nervous. I've never had much luck configureing hardware post install.

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OK, try this. You need to see /var/logs/bootlog in order to determine where the error occurs and what the error is. So, using the frst cd, boot, hit f1, type rescue, mount the /root directory, log in as root and navigate to this log file to see what it says. Since you need to see the /var directory, mount whatever partition you have it on. If you did no customization of directories, then it will be in /root.

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Guest Liono

You know what, this is really strange! I'm having almost exactly the same problem, except for me mandrake has been working fine for the last few months. It just suddenly broke down today for no reason. I'm showing the same symptoms, except mine stops working when it's starting DevFs. I've got a pretty similar computer, too...

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Yeah, I've installed other distros that worked fine. I tried an older version of lycoris that worked fine and knoppix 3.1 boot perfectly and it has a newer kernel than 9.0

 

A guy from another forum is mailling me a copy of the latest RedHat, but I realy like everything I've seen of mandrake, except the bloody install. I just wish i could get it running. I tried mandrake expert but they are worthless.

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http://www.mandrakeusers.org/viewtopic.php...p?p=25740#25740

 

This link has some info in it that may be helpful. There is a Western Digital problem, but I have personally never encountered it. Maybe you are just lucky! :wink:

 

I am mystifyed about the boot log. If there is no log being written, I fear the worst-- that the install is funky. You could try passing the no dma stuff to the kernel at install time, because it will mess up a perfectly happy linux install.

 

Something I have done in the past, I always used the cd device that is first in position. In other words, one device is positioned before the other. I mean ide1master, ide1 slave, ide2 master, ide2 slave. I have had weird install stuff if I used my cd device that was on the secondary master, rather than the onr on Primary slave. It should not make any difference, but I am now looking for the unusual in your case, rather than the simple. :roll:

 

Someone else will read this and come up with better ideas, so hang in there! (Or replace your mb!! You know you need Athlon xp with ddr!!)

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