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

[Tod Merley]

On 7/24/06, Alain -- <ubuntu at asoundmove.net> wrote:
>
> 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.
>
> --
> ubuntu-users mailing list
> ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
>

Hi Alain!

I am not the best at this but I do not see others jumping in so I will try.
I guess if I were in your shoes I would:

1. Download and burn the latest Knoppix and Puppy linux (find em all at
www.distrowatch.com).  Knoppix often fares well with hardware.  See if you
can mount your drives while in the live CD mode.

1.5. Run Knoppix or Puppy in "memtest" boot option mode and thus check out
your system memory.

2. Google " ACPI: unable to locate RSDP " after googling ACPI and RSDP
separately.

3. See what happens if you remove one and then the other drives from the IDE
bus.  Check and see that you are on the Primary IDE bus with the HD under
test.

4. Try another CD drive (once in a while I have seen one that seems to hang
the install process).  See that it is set to "master" on it's IDE bus (the
CD drive is set to master).

5. Try setting the CMOS parameters to thier original "from rom" settings
(load setup defaults - or something like that).  Sometimes the CMOS battery
gets low and CMOS becomes corrupted (but it still thinks it is ok).  If you
load the factory settings they would be ok until the next power off.  You
will have to edit the boot order and perhaps some for you hard drive and CD
or memory.  If this "cures" great, batteries are cheap.

Good Hunting!

Tod
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