Frustration - unable to install any Linux

Tuvoc

Tuvoc

Tuvoc

Soldato
Joined
19 Dec 2002
Posts
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Well, I've tried 4 Linux distros on this machine and in all cases the LiveCD doesn't run. Unbuntu and Mint, I never get to the screen that invites you to run it, it just reads the CD up to a certain point then stops (CD works on another box). OpenSuse gives me a screen full of coloured blocks. Fedora invites me to run it then I just get a blank screen with a cursor. Of course the machine runs Windows 7 and Vista perfectly. I thought the hardware was pretty standard:
ASUS P5Q Deluxe
ATI 3870 video card
8GB RAM
2 x hard drives
DVD
LG 22" flat panel
Netgear USB wireless adaptor

Another machine is perfect - Gigabyte board with onboard video, and the same Netgear wireless adaptor - so it isn't as if I have not had success elsewhere.

Any clues ? Another distro to try perhaps ? Sigh...
 
1. Are you burning the ISOs to CD/DVD? If so try a lower speed?

2. Does your motherboard support Boot from USB? If yes then try and install via USB (there are guides on OpenSuse and Ubuntu official websites on how to make a bootable USB installation) - If this works then there is an issue with your DVD drive I guess.

3. Have you tried running memtest? I had a similar issue with installing Windows XP on my uncle's notebook, it would stop at random times and just not go any further and turned out it was a RAM issue
 
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Then try running memtest.
If that shows no errors then I think your next step would be to try with starting to eliminate hardware one by one to see which one is causing the problem.

Based on a quick google check, is your DVD an IDE drive? There seems to be loads of issues with that motherboard and IDE DVD drives. Have you got the latest BIOS installed? Not quite sure if this is the issue though.
 
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I'll run memtest. If it shows anything I'll eat my hat, but you never know. Having had Crucial memory fail in the past more than once, I run it every 3 months anyway. Although this machine has Corsair. Best to eliminate that possibility though.

It mustn't like something in the hardware, god knows what.
 
One approach after doing the above may be to try and install Ubuntu server, which is text based, no GUI. OpenSuSe giving me a screen full of coloured blocks makes me think it may not like the graphics card.
 
Did you check the MD5 of the .iso before burning it? And what program did you use to burn them? That's somewhat unlikely if it happened four times though...

I don't think it's the graphics card, X should still start if it doesn't have drivers for it. It did with my x1950 Pro, for which there are non what so ever.
 
You should be able to install the 32bit version on 8GB of RAM, you just won't get it all without a PAE kernel. Anyway...

I had an issue with most Linux distributions a while back where I had to pass noapic to the kernel on boot. I've seen other people that have to pass acpi=off. This is due to kernel support not always being perfect or hardware just being stubbornly different.

To get to this point, boot up until the splash screen. (For Ubuntu) after it offers you a choice of languages, there should be a key for changing boot options (I think it's F6 but memory might be failing me) that should give you access to the boot string, just stick noapic, acpi=off or both on the end and boot. I'd try one at a time.

If they work and you install, I believe they remember that option but you may need to edit grub (the installed bootloader) to remember the setting.
 
It is 64-bit I'm trying to install. I know the Ubuntu CD is OK, because I used it to install on another machine. On this one, it doesn't get as far as the splash screen where I am offered a choice of languages. I get a coloured screen, with 2 pictures at the bottom, 1 which looks like it might be a keyboard, and another is a stick-figure. Then it just goes to a blank screen and that is it. None of the distributions get as far as an install screen.
 
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Memtest is fine. This is a case of some hardware incompatibility or driver problem rather than a fault

I downloaded Ubuntu ona another machine and created the USb Boot disk. As a live CD it fails to run, and it won't install. In both cases it stops during the text screen full of messages. The last one reads
[1.939784] NET: Registered Protocol family 1

So I guess what come after that is failing

Presumably AHCI mode on the ICH10 Intel controller is OK ? I googled that and support was added to the Linux kernel long ago

I think the acpi=off tip is right on the money, googling the installation stoppoing at that point brings back a few responses

I really wanted to dual boot this machine with Windows and Linux, but looks like it may have to be Windows only.
 
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Well, I found an old Ubuntu 8.10 64-bit install DVD, and the machine boots straight into the LiveCD mode with no problems at all :eek:. I'm typing this from Firefox under an 8.10 Live session.

It is only the NEWER distributions which won't run. Totally, totally bizarre. Newer distributions have broken compatibility somehow
 
Yes, still no joy. Of course there is an effect, you can see the text messages scrolling down. But at the end of the day it just stops. Suse is different, the LiveCD appears to run, but then stops with a screen of coloured blocks.

But.... I downloaded Debian and that installed perfectly. Some success at last !! Trouble is Debian didn't pick up the wireless USB network adaptor, which Ubuntu 8.10 does pick up. So, no internet which is not helpful.... If I could get that working I'd be happy, time to search the internet again to get clues on that !

Ubuntu is based on Debian isn't it, but looks like a different kernel and no doubt lots of other things.

Or I guess I could install Ubuntu 8.10 and just run that, or upgrade to 10.04 after installation
 
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It shouldn't be too difficult to get the WiFi adapter running under Debian.

Boot to Debian and run lsusb. Paste the output here.
 
fluff said:
It shouldn't be too difficult to get the WiFi adapter running under Debian.

Boot to Debian and run lsusb. Paste the output here.
Click to expand...


Yes hopefully not too difficult. I'll report back here later

Debian may not have installed sound either, that isn't important straight away
 
Here we go - obviously it is the first one...
It should be able to be made to work, it works under the Ubuntu 8.10 and I have the same adaptor on my other box which runs 10.04
During the Debian install, I had to tell it not to configure the network

Bus 008 Device 002: ID 0846:6a00 NetGear, Inc. WG111v2 54 Mbps Wireless [RealTek RTL8187L]
Bus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 002: ID 046d:c016 Logitech, Inc. Optical Wheel Mouse
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 
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