Install freezing at partition check

[Arion23]

Hi all,

Got a new PC for christmas, and trying to install Linux but running into problems.

PC is set up:
ASUS A7V133-C motherboard (same as A7V133 but without the onboard Promise RAID controller)
1GHz Athlon CPU
512MB PC133 RAM
20GB Seagate HDD
Creative PCI128 SoundBlaster
+ standard keyboard, mouse, cdrom etc

I've tried a number of distributions (Mandrake 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, Redhat 7.1, Debian 2.2) but all encounter the same problem:

After booting up off the install CD, prior to any actual installation options, the kernel performs a partition check but hangs at this stage. The last two lines on the screen are:

<code>
Partition Check:
hda: hda1
</code>

I've left the PC at this point for a number of hours, but it never progresses. After searching the web, I found a lot of info on how to install on the Promise controller (the A7V133 board) but nothing on the A7V133-C board.

I've tried a number of things - using linux ide=nodma to start the install, turning off plugnplay and USB legacy support in the BIOS, and swapping the drive out with another (which I know works fine). I've also pulled out non-essentials (like Soundcard, modem, NIC), used a boot disk to create, delete, format partitions in every comibation I can think of.

Each and every time, the same problem occurs: freezing at the partition check. After spending nearly 24 hours (seriously, caffeine is your friend in these circumstances on trying to nut this out myself, I'm out of ideas (well, I did think of trying some semtek, but lets not go there).

I would welcome any advice or ideas on how I might be able to fix this problem (short of replacing hardware - kinda out my reach at the moment)

 

[Arion23]

Well, I think I found the problem. I had a look at some other startup messages that people had posted on the net, and found that after the Partition Check: hda lines, a check is performed on the floppy drive.

I had removed my floppy drive (and disabled it in BIOS) some time ago, as I never used it and needed some extra space in my casing for another harddisk.

After plugging the floppy drive back in, the Linux install progressed smoothly.

I'm not sure why having no fdd in the system would cause a problem, as it seems most vendors and manufacturers consider them to be legacy hardware now - I'm not too concerned though - at least I'm now making progress in using Linux

 

[ifincham]

Hi,

Hmmm ... that's interesting. I had a bit of a dig around but couldn't see any reason why it shouldn't work with your hardware. I guess it must have ignored the disabled setting in the bios. That does seem very odd and makes me wonder what would happen with a notebook where you can easily unplug external floppy drives...

Anyway, good to know you've got it working

Regards