Troubleshooting a problem install

[Jamon Camisso]

Evan Leibovitch wrote:
> Jamon Camisso wrote:
>> Sounds exactly like a problem I was having with an install for a friend 
>> a while back. Turns out it was a matter of making sure the cdrom was on 
>> the proper IDE channel (not the extra E-IDE on board that looked like it 
>> was the primary). That and making sure to turn off RAID in the BIOS as 
>> you want Linux to look after that.
>>   
> 
> The system can boot from the CD/DVD drive but cannot find it to do the
> install. That essentially makes it impossible to do any kind of load or
> install.
> 
> There's no onboard RAID, and there's only one "parallel" IDE header.
> The mobo is a brand new Intel DG965RY, using a dual-core CPU.

Right, I got PATA and E-IDE confused there. It's the parallel ATA that's 
the problem, something about hacked on support for PATA in the SATA 
kernel driver. More here: http://lwn.net/Articles/197729/

To fix/get around the problem with Ubuntu, here is what you want:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Core_2_Duo_Support

Scroll down to the part "Installer Freezes on Not Finding IDE CD/DVD-ROM 
Drive" and you should be good to go (with tinkering).

The launchpad bug is pages long and is here: 
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.17/+bug/57502

>> But of course... Just make sure it runs Fluxbox :)
>>   
> Right now I'll be happy to get past busybox, which is the only thing I
> can get to short of a system freeze. :-P

debootstrap is a nifty utility that can be run from a knoppix (or any 
debian disc/floppy etc.). You may have to download one from ubuntu for 
edgy, but then it's really easy to install a base system, e.g.

debootstrap amd64 edgy /dev/hda1 or some such. Then a simple mount and 
chroot and you're in, with aptitude and apt-get fully configured and 
ready to get ubuntu-desktop.

Good luck :)

Jamon