Re: installation boot fails with standard bootdisk on 486SX/33
On Aug 9, 8:18am, Michael_Laing@harvard.edu wrote:
> Subject: installation boot fails with standard bootdisk on 486SX/33
:
: Installation fails on this old machine shortly after hitting return
: at the 'Boot Parameters' prompt using the standard bootdisk. Linux
: 1.2.13 runs fine.
:
: I suspect (based upon bug reports) that APM is enabled in the kernel
: on the standard bootdisk and that this is the problem.
:
>-- End of excerpt from Michael_Laing@harvard.edu
On my system (brand-new AMD-486DX4-120), the error that I get tells me
that the failure is occuring as the kernel is being decompressed. This
would suggest that APM is *not* the problem, as the kernel (if it does
have APM support) has not yet started to run.
I have seen postings on this mailing list that claim that the problem
is level 2 cache, level 1 cache, EDO RAM on a board that doesn't
support it, or generic hardware instability. Some 486sx system boards
do have cache. If this is the case, try turning off the cache and see
if that fixes the problem. If it does, report it as a bug.
...and now for the soapbox...
Given the type of problem you've reported, you might hear the infamous
"hardware instability that doesn't show up when running DOS or older
versions of Linux because the newest Linux makes your machine work
harder" cop-out. This is a completely invalid argument, IMO. I've
heard it several times (not in the message quoted above :). If I can
run older versions of Linux, and a new one shows up that doesn't run,
then I claim that the problem is in the new software.
I've already had this happen once. I ran Linux 1.0.8 without problems
on a board with a Cyrix 486DLC-40. When I installed 1.2.8 I started
getting frequent, random SIGVEC errors. These would often bring the
system to its knees, forcing a power cycle. I heard from several
others who had the same problem, but the only help we ever got were
suggestions that we should buy new motherboards. I finally gave in,
because I wanted a math co-processor and a faster CPU, and I wanted to
get the *&^&@#%^! machine running (and because I'd finally saved up
enough money).
So, I have just purchased my new motherboard (with the AMD chip), and
1.2.8 runs very well. I have not seen any SIGVECs at all since the
upgrade. Now I'm being told that I can't install Debian with the 2.0.x
kernel because my hardware is incompatible? This just doen't make
sense!
>>From what I've seen in the few days I've been on this mailing list,
there are several people out there who are having trouble installing
Debian because of conflicts with the cache. Of those, several are
running an older version of Linux successfully, or have managed to
install the system by temporarily turning off the cache, and have no
problems decompressing the kernel from the hard disk.
Sorry if I sound a bit peeved about all this...
...but I am.
Chris -)-----
--
Christopher R. Hertel -)----- University of Minnesota
crh@nts.umn.edu Networking and Telecommunications Services
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