Ubuntu Dapper (6.06) Install fails on cdrom open, kernel panic -- please help

[Alain --]

Dear All,


Environment:
   - Gateway2000 Pentium Pro 200MHz
   - 256 MB RAM (SIMMs)
   - 2 IDE HDs
   - this PC currently does not have an O/S installed.

History:
   - Original HD: 6GB, made secondary drive when
     I got my 20GB HD. No O/S on this HD
   - 20GB HD, crashed and unusable due power failure
     (I know, I should have had a UPS, but)
   - Ran Win98 till event above (original O/S was Win95)
   - Bought replacement HD (no O/S)
   - I struggled to get the BIOS to see both HD, but
     eventually it did see them both (new 20GB and old 6GB)
     Jumper settings one to Cable Select, the Other to Slave.
     It seems no other jumper setting works, though I must
     not have tried all combinations.

Ubuntu:
   - downloaded Dapper (6.06 LTS) for desktop (i386) iso
     image
   - burnt CD with Ahead Nero
   - CD seems fine when I look at it (data) on the PC on
     which it was burnt (my only option)

Install sequence:
   - Configured BIOS to boot from CD
   - Boot shows ubuntu CD-ROM start screen (count down
     to boot, boot options)
   - Boot

Problem:
   It hangs very near the start of the boot sequence.

   I have not found, in the forum or the on-line documentation,
   any help to resolve my problem. The only thing I found, that
   could help, mentioned to try with 128MB ram instead of their
   full complement of 512MB. (I suppose I could go from 256 to
   128, I have not tried that, at this point).


==================================================
I ran several scenarios (detail):

1/ Plain, straight boot, no change (boot options are 'boot=casper 
initrd=/casper/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet 
splash -- ').

2/ Changed boot options to read '.../ram rw noapic nolapic -- '

3/ Changed boot options to read '.../ram rw acpi=off -- '

4/ Changed boot options to read '.../ram rw acpi=off noapic nolapic -- '

---------------
a/ Tried options above with ' quiet splash'

b/ Tried options above without ' quiet splash'

c/ Tried options above with ' splash' but without ' quiet'

d/ Tried options above without ' splash' but with ' quiet'

Options 1, 2, 3 and 4 behave exactly the same way.
Reporting variation are observed between a, b, c and d, but the same 
behaviour overall, regardless of which set of options I started with in 
1 to 4.

Full boot sequence:

- In all cases it starts with 'loading Linux kernel' shown in a pop-up 
window with a progress bar, goes to 100% quite quickly, waits a few 
seconds and blanks the screen.

- In a & d (quiet) I can then see a normal message: 'uncompressing 
kernel... ok, booting the kernel'; and an error message: 'ACPI: unable 
to locate RSDP'.
- In b & c (no quiet) I do not have time to see those messages, but I 
suppose that they are there too.

- In a, I then see the splash screen that shows: 'Loading essential 
drivers... ok' and 'mounting root file system...' (no ok, hangs there, 
though shortly after this message the CD-ROM spins at high speed for a 
few seconds and stops.
- In b, I then see a whole pile of messages whizzing by, it comes to a 
stop on 'cdrom: open failed' then the CD-ROM spins at high speed for a 
few minutes and stops. exactly one minute after the 'cdrom: open failed' 
message comes '<0>Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt'.
- In c, I see something similar to 'a' with a bit more info: first 
message on splash screen is 'Loading essential drivers... ok', then 
'Running /scripts/init-premount ok', then 'mounting root file system...' 
(no ok) and finally 'Running /scripts/casper-premount ok', the CD-ROM 
spins at high speed for a few seconds then stops.
- In d, I see a bit less than 'b': it does not show 'cdrom: open 
failed', but eventually shows the kernel panic message as above.

In all cases nothing ever happens after the above.
At this point CTRL-ALT-DEL does not work.
No keyboard input seems to have any effect.
The only way I found to try again or do anything is a power-off.




That's where I need help: to try other boot sequences maybe.




The computer hardware has not changed (except for on failed HD with 
Win98 replaced by a new and blank HD without any O/S) all hardware 
worked before. There is a possibility that some hardware was damaged by 
the power failure that damaged the previous 20GB HD, but it seems to me 
that this is not the problem at this stage.

I'd like to know what locks and why.
Amongst other problems would be to find a way to record a trace of all 
boot messages (maybe onto floppy disk). But I don't know how to do this. 
Bearing in mind the install hangs with no option but a hard reset.



That's the full story.
Thanks for reading, hoping someone out there can help.

Best regards,
Alain.