On Thu, Feb 10, 2000 at 09:25:54PM -0500, Dennis Howard wrote: : I am trying to install Debian Linux onto one of my computers. This one is : an Intel 486DX-33 with 8MB ram and 170 MB harddrive. I am using an ALI vga : video card ( I also tried an ATI vga card). : When I boot it using the rescue disk, it starts, loads root.bin, loads : linus, uncompresses linux and boots the kernel. A page of cryptic info comes : on the screen and the last line reads : : 'checking "hit" instruction', : : then the screen goes blank and the system reboots. This happens booting : from floppy and from hard drive using Loadlin. : The floppy boots my pentium no problen and the installation procedure : starts. : Anybody know what the problem might be when it is 'checking "hit" : instruction'? From the BootPrompt HOWTO (I found mine at http://debian.midco.net/doc/HOWTO/BootPrompt-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.5): | The `no-hlt' Argument | | The i386 (and successors thereof) family of CPUs have a `hlt' | instruction which tells the CPU that nothing is going to happen until | an external device (keyboard, modem, disk, etc.) calls upon the CPU to | do a task. This allows the CPU to enter a `low-power' mode where it | sits like a zombie until an external device wakes it up (usually via | an interrupt). Some of the early i486DX-100 chips had a problem | with the `hlt' instruction, in that they couldn't reliably return to | operating mode after this instruction was used. Using the `no-hlt' | instruction tells Linux to just run an infinite loop when there is | nothing else | to do, and to not halt your CPU when there is no activity. This allows | people with these broken chips to use Linux, although they would be | well advised to seek a replacement through a warranty where | possible. So, I'd try "linux no-hlt" at the syslinux prompt and see how that goes. Cheers, -- Nathan Norman Network Magician, Eclectic Engineer GPG Key ID 1024D/51F98BB7 "Eschew Obfuscation" Key fingerprint = C5F4 A147 416C E0BF AB73 8BEF F0C8 255C 51F9 8BB7
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