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.
The kernel should print a few lines of information before it first touches
APM, this is not the problem.
From: "Christopher R. Hertel" <crh@nts.umn.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.
OK - if this is true that means:
1. Bad data on the floppy. Most common. Re-download and write another.
2. "LFB" setting in your BIOS wrong. See the installation document. Rare.
3. Bad RAM or other hardware. Happens _rarely_, but has indeed happened.
> try turning off the cache and see
> if that fixes the problem. If it does, report it as a bug.
It is best reported to linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu and copied to us.
It's not really our job to fix the kernel - we just distribute it.
> 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.
Sigh. I wish you'd spend some time supporting new users booting their
systems for a while. We really do need the help. It might change your
opinions, too.
You could start by reading the kernel source for the code that decompresses
Linux once it's been loaded into memory. Get a good idea of what can go
wrong with that code, and what it will say when something does go wrong.
Then help all the people who don't get anywhere after the boot: prompt.
> 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!
Huh? What hardware? Who said it was incompatible?
> Sorry if I sound a bit peeved about all this...
> ...but I am.
Pardon me for saying so, but please try to be a bit more constructive. This
is an all volunteer unpaid project.
Thanks
Bruce
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