Alna, Thanks for the explanation: it all makes sense. I will check out what I can on the IDE controller chip, and report back. I have a feeling I will be replacing that CPU board, though! Ernie Ernie L. Bérriz Mesa, Arizona Fax: 509.752.6776 Ernie_Berriz@qwest.net | -----Original Message----- | From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Alan | Dayley | Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 6:38 PM | To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long | | | I have seen this sort of thing on a much older computer (166MHz | Pentium) It had a PCI card for the hard drive interface. Ran | Windows 98 just fine but RedHat, Slackware and an old version of | SuSE were So slow it was pitiful. | | After one google search I found that the IDE controller chip was | a known buggy thing that couldn't handle Linux. Pages of horror | stories. So, I got a new controller at a used parts place and | all was well. In your case with the controller on the mother | board, you would have to change out the whole board. | | So, yes, Linux does handle it differently. The BIOS in the PC | provides facilities for accessing the hardware devices, including | the hard disk interface. Windows tends to use the BIOS | facilities. Linux usually ignores or bypasses the BIOS | facilities and talks directly to the controller chip. I figured | this was why the chip worked under Windows but was garbage for | Linux. (BTW, the Linux method of talking to the chip directly is | why the Linux can get around the 8GB maximum limit of some older | BIOS sets. Linux goes around the BIOS so the limit does not apply!) | | Find the number of the IDE controller chip, if you can, by | reading the chip markings (if you know which chip it is) or by | finding what driver loads. Then google it with " linux" Your answer may be right there. | | Alan | | -------Original Message------- | From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" | Sent: 06/02/03 03:20 PM | To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long | | > | > Follow-up: | | I tried installing Red Hat 8.0 on two other systems (one a 450-MHz Pentium | II, another a Pentium 4), and the installation went fine on both systems, | or | would have if I hadn't stopped it before actually copying the files. | | I then took the CD drive from one of those systems and swapped it with the | one on the failing system, and the problem is still there (very slow). The | IDE cable has been swapped as well. | | At this point, I am assuming there is some kind of incompatibility between | the CPU board (an HP Pavilion model 8260) and Red Hat Linux 8.0. I was | planning on upgrading/replacing this system, and this may be an excellent | time to do it. I may also try some other distro, as a test if nothing | else. | | If anybody has any different ideas, I would be very glad to hear them! | | Windows 98 provides the driver for the CD drive automatically (there are | no | drivers to download), and it runs fine in that OS. I can only assume that | the Red Hat installation CD does not provide an adequate driver, at least | for that CPU board. Which I guess leads me to ask: is there a difference | in | the way Linux and Windows (W98 in this case) access the hardware? | | | As always, any help would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for all the | suggestions to date as well! | | | | Ernie L. B.rriz | Mesa, Arizona | Fax: 509.752.6776 | Ernie_Berriz@qwest.net | | | | -----Original Message----- | | From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Ernie | | L. B.rriz | | Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 12:53 PM | | To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long | | | | | | I have yet to resolve my problem (I opened up an incident with | | Red Hat), but | | I wanted to report on what I have found out. | | | | I am attempting to install Red Hat 8.0 from a boxed-CD set, and | | although the | | installation seems to go fine, it is taking WAY too long. I was doing a | CD | | boot installation, in text mode, and got to the point where it started | | actually installing the components. The installation was slow to | | this point, | | but, being interactive, it was manageable. At this point, I left it | | installing the | | components and went to bed. After six hours, the installation program | said | | it still had ten (10) more hours to go. | | | | The system has a Pentium-II processor running at 266-MHz with | | 540-MB of RAM, | | and I was installing to a secondary 13-GB IDE drive (hdb or D:, | | depending on | | the OS). Not state of the art, but capable of RH8, per the HCL. I | verified | | the first CD (the installation has never gotten past the first CD), and | | passed, although it took 57 minutes to run mediacheck. The CD light | blinks | | very slowly, compared to when it runs under Windows 98, which is the OS | | running on the first hard drive. I ran a test of the CD drive | | using Easy CD | | Creator, and it runs fine. | | | | I also tried making a disk driver diskette, and redid the | | installation using | | this diskette: no help. The install log doesn't show anything | significant, | | but the system log shows the following message several times: | | | | <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: status 0x51 {DriveReady | | SeekComplete Error} | | <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: error 0x30 | | | | At this point, I am waiting for Red Hat's word on this, and I also want | to | | try installing to a different system (I have another system with a P4 | | processor, but I have to wrestle it away from my kids). I will report | back | | anything else I find, but in the meantime, if anyone has any ideas, they | | would be GREATLY appreciated. | | | | | | Ernie | | | | Ernie L. B.rriz | | Mesa, Arizona | | Fax: 509.752.6776 | | Ernie_Berriz@qwest.net | | | | | | | -----Original Message----- | | | From: plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of | Thomas | | | Cameron | | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 10:18 AM | | | To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | | Subject: Re: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long | | | | | | | | | That's highly unusual - did you verify disks first? Sounds | | like bad media | | | or CD drive. | | | -- | | | Thomas Cameron, RHCE, CNE, MCSE, MCT | | | Cameron Technical Services, Inc. | | | (512) 454-3200 Main | | | http://www.camerontech.com | | | | | | ----- Original Message ----- | | | From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" | | | To: | | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 12:08 PM | | | Subject: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long | | | | | | | | | > I am attempting to install my first Linux system, Red Hat 8.0, from | a | | | boxed | | | > set. I was doing the text-based installation, taking my time to | | | make sure | | | I | | | > understood as much as possible for future reference, and | | | everything seemed | | | > to be going fine, except for the fact that after 6 hours of | | | installing the | | | > RPMs, the installation counter showed it still had 10 hours to go. | | | > | | | > I have read all the documentation I could get my hands on, | | searched the | | | Red | | | > Hat site, as wells as googled for more information, all to no | | | avail. I am | | | > assuming this is not normal :) | | | > | | | > My system is a Pentium-II running at 266-MHz with 640-MB of | | RAM, a 13-GB | | | IDE | | | > hard drive for the Linux system, and a CD-RW drive, from which I am | | | > installing. It's not state-of-the-art, but it's well within the | specs | | | listed | | | > by Red Hat in their Hardware Compatibility List. It also has | | | been running | | | > Windows 98 with no problems. | | | > | | | > I was attempting to install it on the second drive (hdb or D:\, | | | depending | | | on | | | > the OS), and using GRUB to choose the OS to boot. Drive C:\ still | has | | | > Windows 98 on it. | | | > | | | > This is all the information I can think of that may be | | relevant to this | | | > problem, but I will be glad to provide anything else that may help | to | | | > analyze this problem. | | | > | | | > I would be extremely grateful for any assistance. | | | > | | | > | | | > Ernie L. B.rriz | | | > Mesa, Arizona | | | > Fax: 509.752.6776 | | | > Ernie_Berriz@qwest.net | | | > --- | | | > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. | | | > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | | | > Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | | | > | | | > --------------------------------------------------- | | | > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | | > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: | | | > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss | | | > | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------- | | | PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | | To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: | | | http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss | | | | | | --- | | | Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. | | | Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | | | Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | | | | | --- | | Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. | | Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | | Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | | | | --------------------------------------------------- | | PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | | To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: | | http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss | | | | --- | | Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. | | Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | | Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | | | --- | Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. | Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | | --------------------------------------------------- | PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: | http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss | > | --------------------------------------------------- | PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us | To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: | http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss | | --- | Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. | Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). | Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03 | --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. 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