On 2/27/06, Eric Shubes wrote: > > Mike Schwartz wrote: > > I am "re-" trying this post, (Feb 26 about 11:46 pm) since > > the 823.5 KB attachment was too big. > > I will try to upload it to some place on the net, > > via ftp or something, (pending advice -- please > > reply either via the list or e-mail to offer advice). > > In the meantime, here is the text of the message, > > without the attachment: > > > > From: [...] > > Date: Feb 23, 2006 12:55 AM > > Subject: Technical help for Julie > > [...] > > This is a request for some technical help. > > > > I have been trying to help Julie, who has been > > running Linux (Fedora Core 3, with kernel 2.6) > > on a PC since (circa a year ago) she got fed up > > with MS windows. > > Cc: Julie: > > > Fred Taylor > > Ray Esparza > > Recently Julie has had problems and can not boot. > > One day I spent hours, even with a Rescue CD > > and a set of "Fedora Core 4" install/upgrade CD's. > > We even tried installing on a new (blank) Hard > > Drive and it still crashed, even when booting > > from the CD. > > Ray Esparza suggested that there might be some > > problem (hardware? firmware?) with the controller > > for the hard disk drive. (Any ideas?) > > > > The mistakes we were making might well be very > > dumb "newbie" errors. Anyway, we have not > > figured it out, "so far". > > > > However at one point it did get further than before, > > and we got an 823.5 KB text file, "anacdump.txt". > > That file is attached to this post on PLUG -- in > > case that might help. > > This way, perhaps someone could diagnose the > > problem, or offer some "advice" > > without having to travel to Julie's house. > > I may be able to attend the install fest Feb. 25, > > but probably would not be able to get there until > > late in the day. > > Thanks, > > -- > > Mike Schwartz > > Glendale AZ > > schwartz@acm.org > > Mike.L.Schwartz@gmail.com > > > After examining the system log, I'm inclined to agree with Ray's > assessment. The IDE controller seems to find the HDD and CDrom ok: > <6>SIS5513: IDE controller at PCI slot 0000:00:02.5 > <6>SIS5513: chipset revision 208 > <6>SIS5513: not 100% native mode: will probe irqs later > <6>SIS5513: SiS735 ATA 100 (2nd gen) controller > <6> ide0: BM-DMA at 0xff00-0xff07, BIOS settings: hda:DMA, hdb:DMA > <6> ide1: BM-DMA at 0xff08-0xff0f, BIOS settings: hdc:DMA, hdd:DMA > <7>Probing IDE interface ide0... > <4>hda: Maxtor 6Y060L0, ATA DISK drive > <4>ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 14 > <7>Probing IDE interface ide1... > <4>hdd: CD-RW IDE5224, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive > <4>ide1 at 0x170-0x177,0x376 on irq 15 > <6>hda: max request size: 128KiB > <6>hda: 120103200 sectors (61492 MB) w/2048KiB Cache, CHS=65535/16/63, > UDMA(100) > <6>hda: cache flushes supported > <6> hda: hda1 hda2 > <6>hdd: ATAPI 52X CD-ROM CD-R/RW drive, 2048kB Cache, UDMA(33) > <6>Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20 > > It's curious to me why there's a slave (hdd) with no master (hdc), but > that doesn't appear to be a problem. Given that there are only two ide > drives, I'd make them both masters (hda, hdc). > > Further down the log, we have > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 3 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: RRIP_1991A > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 3 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: RRIP_1991A > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 3 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <4>Unable to load NLS charset utf8 > <7>ISO 9660 Extensions: RRIP_1991A > <4>Unable to identify CD-ROM format. > > I honestly don't know if this a problem or not. Maybe someone else can > explain what's going on here. Shortly thereafter, stuff really hits the > fan: > <4>hdd: command error: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error } > <4>hdd: command error: error=0x54 { AbortedCommand LastFailedSense=0x05 } > <4>ide: failed opcode was: unknown > <3>ATAPI device hdd: > <4> Error: Illegal request -- (Sense key=0x05) > <3> Illegal mode for this track or incompatible medium -- (asc=0x64, > ascq=0x00) [HUGE ...snip...see prev msg in thread for details...] > <3>Buffer I/O error on device hdd, logical block 69739 > <4>Error -3 while decompressing! > <4>d0863218(-24898552)->ca57f000(4096) > > For whatever reason, it can't ready the CD. > My guesses as to what the problem might be: > 1) a bad burn of a disk > remedy: try running the disk check function (if you can get that far) > 2) flakey CD drive > remedy: try using a drive that is known to be working. > 3) flakey power supply > remedy: replace with a new one > 4) bad controller > remedy: add a PCI IDE controller card (expansion), or replace MB. > > If I had to bet, I'd suspect #3, given that the system was working at > one point, but now won't even boot from a CD. > > I just *hate* hardware problems. > > Good luck. > -- > -Eric 'shubes' > [...] > --------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your help. We had already ruled out this: 1) a bad burn of a disk remedy: try running the disk check function (if you can get that far) by the exact remedy recommended. I am not sure where we go from here, but your efforts are appreciated. -- Mike Schwartz Glendale AZ schwartz@acm.org Mike.L.Schwartz@gmail.com