Linux install problem...

[BadBigBen]

Hi all,

first off, I'm no newby to computers at all... (my experience goes way back to PETs...)

but this has me stumped to bits...


well here goes... I had SuSE Linux 8.1 installed and it worked fine... it was installed on a second HD (the first had WinXP and Win98SE and AmigaOS installed on it)... then I had a Drive crash on the second HD... no problem you think switch out the Drive, reinstall Linux and way you go...

well no go at all... everytime I try to install it it either hangs at 11% or 9% into the install and goes no further... even tried it on a seperate IDE interface card, thinking it might have locked up my IDE port somehow (stranger things have happened)...

My stats: PIII 1GHZ (slowed down for WinXP to 860mhz), MS-6309 v2 mobo, 256mb Infineon Ram, GeForce2 MX400 gfxcard, HD 1 61gb IBM, AOPEN crm3248 CD r/rw, Fujitsu/Siemens CR4801 CD r/rw... and nothing else!

In BIOS I have turned off the SMART stuff for the drives, NO to the compliance of OS, no virus detect stuff, etc. that could hamper installs...

Hope someone could give me a few insides to what I may have overlooked or how to resolve this prob... I mean, I have installed it earlier and am not doing anything different at all but can't get it...

Ben

 

[RhythmAce]

Does the installer see the drive? Are you creating the partitions yourself or letting Disk Druid do it for you? If so, are you taking the defaults? Does the format go well? Assuming that you are getting past this point and it locks after about 10% or so of the files get copied, then it may be the install media.

 

[BadBigBen]

Yes the Installer sees the Drive. and yes/no to the partitioning... I have tried different options... let the Disk Druid do it, partitioning it myself, etc... In both instances it formats, then starts to do the Install... it goes back and forth from the CD to the HD... then at around 9% of the Install it locks on the HD part (HD LED lit and drive wirring away... but no Drive Head movement...)

Ben

PS - I use the Original CDs... and the Install CD isn't scratched or marred in anyway...

 

[RhythmAce]

I'm not familiar with SuSE at all. I know that Red Hat 7.3 had this exact problem with AMD's K7. It had something to do with the onboard memory of the CPU itself. I think the solution was to disable it. Sorry I can't be more specific but it was a while back and not my problem. ;-) I don't think this has anything to do with you anyway since you had it installed before and the only difference is the new drive. Just for kicks, did you try to install another OS on it? Sorry I'm not being much help here but the only thing I can think of is whatever caused your other drive to crash, may be causing memory problems or something with the install.

 

[zeland]

Do try to install a different OS. Once I had this strange motherboard problem where Linux 6.2 would hang halfway through the installation everytime although I've installed it before. Installation of other OS (Win95,98,NT4) were fine. Slowly this degraded to where Win98 couldn't install, then Win95 and finally NT4 over a stretch of 3 months leaving me with DOS.

 

[BadBigBen]

Hola, well I've installed W98se, WinXp, W2K onto the drive... ran Maxtors Disk Diag on it... the Drive is fine...

the only thing that I can come up with is that it is somehow hardware related... meaning the mobo... it's a bare system, used for studying purposes (I'm strifing to become an IT-Systems tech... Both Linux and W2k (XP) are needed)...

thanx for your guys input... it does give me things to think about and try...


Ben

 

[vincentL]

Ben,
I had the same promlem this year on my computer when trying to install RedHat 8. My system is Pentium II 350, RAM 256, Maxtor hard drive 8 Gig. I finally had to use another hard drive and works fine. I was able to install WIN98 on this hard drive OK. Apparently it is a specific hardware conflict with this hard drive.
Vince

Vince LaPorte
vincentL@acmc.com
Marshall, MN 56258

 

[BadBigBen]

Hi Vince,

could be... since I was installing it on a Maxtor 6gb HD... and before it was on a Fujitsu 10gb... I guess I'll have to break down and buy me another HD and check out this avenue...

Ben