diagnosing possible hardware problem

[Felix Miata]

On 06/10/13 17:16 (GMT-0700) Constantine Evans apparently typed:

> NoOp wrote

>  > Really?

>  > http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Docs/Drafts/BurningDiscs

> Dotan Cohan wrote:

>  > Of course they do. It's the only sure way to verify that the media was
>  > properly downlaoded and burned.

> He isn't burning a CD! He isn't even downloading an ISO image!

Thank you for being the first to notice this!

Now, back to the original question: what software tools are available to
isolate the source of an apparent hardware problem that might actually be a
kernel config problem?

I've been installing since Monday of last week, many times, both via
(several, verified) CDs, and much more often, via FTP, where media checking
is simply not doable except by the installation program.

I've used (no more than one of each at a time):
3 HDs
3 optical drives
2 different (ATI) AGP cards
3 motherboards
2 CPUs (PII & PIII)
2 80 pin cables & one 40 pin cable for HD
2 memory sets
2 power supplies
2 network cards (1 Intel, 1 3Com)

I've not used more than 1 HD per cable, nor have I put an optical media
reader on a cable to which anything else is attached. I've tried removing
the (Aztec ISA) sound cards entirely. There is no modem. There are no
attached USB devices. There are no attached printers.

The 3 motherboards all have:
no onboard video
no onboard network
no onboard sound
PCI slots populated by only one device (the network card)
Intel 440BX (probably the most widely used ever) chipset for slot 1 CPUs

For those who think it might be relevant, the motherboards are
HP (junked the 2nd day)
Tyan S1846 Tsunami (latest BIOS)
Asus P2B (early revision, but latest BIOS)

As I wrote in the original thread post: "I tend to think most of the errors
are (old) hardware compatibility issues with their main root in the Seagate
HD." I'm trying to prove it, without assuming anything, since Seatools (2
different versions) claim that particular device passes all tests, but it
looks more like a combination of problems (compatibility).
-- 
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him,
and I am helped."				Psalm 28:7 NIV

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409

Felix Miata  ***  http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/