Sony Vaio - Kernel Panics after install

[JD]

Martin OConnor wrote:
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> Hi all,
>
> I have tried everything to get dapper to run on my sony vaio in the
> hopes of being able to ditch XP.
>
> First, the live CD won't boot at all unless I specify "irqpoll" as a
> boot parameter. Even then, although the installer can repartition
> successfully, the actual install stops around 15%. Inspection of the
> dmesg logs reveals that the sata drive becomes 'confused'.
>
> I can install successfully from the alternate install cd, but once I
> reboot, the kernel panics. I can sometimes get right into gnome before
> it happens, but as soon as I do something that requires disk access, the
> kernel is likely to panic.
>
> I have tried to update the kernel to the latest linux-686 kernel but the
> problems remain. I have tried booting with a Breezy live cd and it seems
> to work without problems, although less hardware is supported out of the
> box on Breezy.
>
> Any help with this would be appreciated.
>

Your description is kind of vague because it doesn't really specify the 
problems. But, like your CD problem, is your CD Rom also Sony's? It is 
possible that the problem is really because it is Sony's [stay away from 
ANY sonyware!]! For some reason sony's cdrom is very smart (read 
intrusive) up to the point it will choose for us what CD to use and what 
not to use.

Second, I need to say that ubiquity sucks, really badly! I've never seen 
a linux installer as intrusive as ubiquity! Without we ASK it to do it 
will check every partition and try to fix any 'problem'. Not to mention 
its nasty obsession with the swap partition or otherwise it just doesn't 
install. So, you might wanna do this:

1. does your Sony have a ghost partition? You can use the livecd to 
backup and then delete this partition;
2. use cfdisk to create partition and use mkfs.xxx to create the file 
system. Don't let that dumb ubiquity do this for you, let it JUST install;
3. if you're like me who always dislike swap partition (you can dd this 
anytime), use a jumpdrive to outsmart ubiquity;
4. depending on your unix/linux skills & experience, minimal 
installation is always better for consistent problem. As long as you 
have aptitude and internet, you can always add more stuffs later on;

I know this is kind of general, but this is exactly what I will do if I 
were you.

JD

> Thanks,
> Martin OConnor