Re: Debian 6 uninstallable?
On 03/03/11 05:40, Jason Hsu wrote:
> I've also had problems installing Debian 6.0.0 on my 10-year-old IBM NetVista computer using the full CD-1 ISO. When I selected “Install” or “Graphical Install” on the installer boot menu, the screen froze up and then flickered.
>
> Further investigation confirmed that the Debian 6.0.0 ISO and my old computer are definitely not compatible:
IBM's have a long history of being difficult beasts - hence the number
of built-in Debian installer work-arounds for them.
> 1. With the very same CD, I had no difficulty installing Debian 6.0.0 in VirtualBox on my newer computer. This rules out a bad CD.
Agreed.
> 2. I tried booting up Debian 6.0.0 on USB on the old computer. Again, when I selected “Install” or “Graphical Install” on the installer boot menu, the screen froze up and then flickered. This also rules out a bad CD and a bad CD drive.
> 3. I had no difficulty installing Debian Lenny on the old computer. This rules out a bad CD drive.
Agreed
>
> I've installed Debian Lenny on the old computer, which I'm using as a firewall and server. I may be behind the times, but at least it works. I'll have to figure out how to upgrade to Squeeze, and I'll be using the PartImage program to clone my working Debian Lenny installation so that I can quickly restore it after any unsuccessful attempts to upgrade.
>
Nah - you're not behind the times - I still run Lenny on my main work
machines - though I've recently moved one server (headless) to Squeeze.
Early versions of both Etch and Lenny had problems with IBMs. At a
minimum you'll probably need "acpi=force" during the install, without
more information it's hard to know what else to suggest. vt4 will
normally give you the necessary clues - *vga mode* or dma for the cd
drive'd be other likely problems.
In your case it does "sound" like a vga mode problem.... if it helps I
used to boot a Knoppix (or an early DSL) on the problem machines to
determine the problem - Debian uses discover whereas Knoppix uses a
RedHat system to determine hardware. Most of the time Knoppix will run -
and checking dmesg will give some useful clues about workarounds.
Alternatively you could just try again with another video card (and BIOS
suitably configured). I'm guessing the Utility partition has been wiped...
Cheers
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