Re: RH8.0 Deep Freeeeeze

[Al Davis <ardavis ameritech net>]

Long ago I had the same type of problem trying to install OS/2.  I can't
remember the details now, but the fix involved changing the bios - the LBA
addressing or a read ahead cache, or something - and it then worked perfectly.
Sorry I can't remember the specific details, but whatever it was, it was
something that had not been a problem on the system before.  I was able to
restore the setting after the installation with no problems.  I realize this
ain't real helpful, but the general idea is to try untweaking your system a
little...

Regards,

Al Davis, MD


Steve Ettorre wrote:

> Ok...here are some details...
>
> 1) The cpu is an AMD K6-2 @350MHz, with and 8GB hdd (50/50 partition split
> between Win98 and Linux), 256 MB of memory and a 32X Toshiba CD-ROM drive.
>
> 2) After getting your message, I cleaned both the RH 8.0 CD and the CD-ROM
> drive.
>
> Bottom Line: condition still remains. Note - I can reload my RH 7.0 CD with
> no problem. I'm beginning to think that your insight about the ability of
> older CD-ROM drives to read CD-RW information is a factor here. Any other
> insights???
>
> TIA,
> Steve
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Technoslick" <technoslick norwich net>
> To: <redhat-install-list redhat com>
> Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 8:05 AM
> Subject: Re: RH8.0 Deep Freeeeeze
>
> > Steve,
> >
> > Can you be more specific about what you mean by "older machine"? How old?
> > How old is the CD-ROM drive? What speed? Did you download and burn the
> ISOs
> > to CD-Rs? How fast did you burn them? Does this particular machine have
> any
> > problems reading CD-Rs?
> >
> > If you can answer these questions, you will at least be able to isolate
> the
> > problem as the CD-ROM drive, or not. There are some issues with older
> > CD-ROMs that have come into play for those trying to install and Linux
> > distro. Here are those issues, as well as all that I can think of to help
> > you diagnose the potential problem as CD-ROM related. Everything here is
> > listed in order of importance, and implying the obvious first:
> >
> > 1) Cleaning CDs is always a good idea before using them. If they appear to
> > have any finger prints or dust on them, that should be removed no matter
> how
> > minor they may seem. Many very smart people assume that CDs are
> > indestructible and always readable no matter how much chocolate gets on
> > them. ;-)
> >
> > 2) Your CD-ROM drive could be dirty. I like to use a special cleaning CD
> > every 6 months to a year, depending on the environment. More often if you
> > really have a dusty environment. This is especially important if the drive
> > is rarely used.
> >
> > 3) Some of the older CD-ROMs in this era (stated above) will not read
> CD-Rs.
> > Their laser is looking for pitting that is much deeper and more
> pronounced,
> > therefore blind to a CD-RW's weaker burning laser. I have seen where the
> > blindness is total, and partial, too. Mostly, it will be total, if at all.
> >
> > 4) CD-ROM drive 10X or slower (and beware, some faster models!) cannot
> read
> > CD-Rs burned with a volume greater than 650 MBs. Some drives, those with
> > good support and from well-known makers, have flash upgrades that extend
> the
> > drive's capacity to 700 MBs. You should check the manufacturer's site to
> see
> > if such support exists. In the case of RH 8.0 downloaded ISOs, they are
> all
> > within the 650 MB limit, and therefore this should not be a problem. I
> have
> > also the three-CD set that comes with the "Bible". They, too, are within
> > this limit. I have no experience with the CDs purchased elsewhere or from
> > RH.
> >
> > 5) CD-Rs burned too fast. Slower, older drives that can read CD-Rs can
> choke
> > on CD-Rs burned over 4X. Program CD-Rs that may be used on carious
> machines
> > should be burned at the slowest possible speed your burner can handle. I
> > prefer 2X best, but many modern CD-RWs will not go down this far.
> >
> > 6) You could have a bad set of CDs, whether burned by you, someone else or
> > commercially.
> >
> > 7) If you have DMA enabled on the CD-ROM drive (in the BIOS), you may want
> > to turn it off. Sometimes, DMA applied to CD-ROM drives on questionable
> > motherboards will cause read problems. Just because it worked before (say,
> > in Windows) doesn't mean it will work with RH 8.0.
> >
> > 8) The drive could be beginning to fail. I placed this at the very bottom
> of
> > the list of possibilities since you should always look for the more
> obvious
> > possibilities first.
> >
> > 9) Check your BIOS settings to make sure that your settings are actually
> > correct for this machine's hardware. If a version of Windows was the
> > previous guest of this machine, it may have been more "tolerant' of
> > erroneous settings than RH will be. If you haven't been in there is a
> while,
> > it's not a bad idea to take a look and see that everything is right.
> >
> > 10) Check Redhat's hardware compatibility list (on their Web site) and
> make
> > sure that you are not trying to load RH 8.0 on a system that cannot
> support
> > it.
> >
> > I may have missed something, but this is pretty comprehensive list to
> > diagnosing the more common hardware or media problems. As with all
> > troubleshooting, check the obvious first and work your way to
> > 'pie-in-the-sky'. I hope this helps, and that you find the culprit soon!
> >
> > T
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Steve Ettorre
> > To: redhat-install-list redhat com
> > Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 6:08 AM
> > Subject: RH8.0 Deep Freeeeeze
> >
> >
> > Hi-
> >
> > I am trying to install RH8.0 on an older machine. Regardless of whether I
> do
> > upgrade on install, the same situation arises. Things go smoothly up to
> and
> > including the installation of individual rpm packages. However, during the
> > course of the package installation, my system just stops and freezes (both
> > disk & cdrom just stop). At this point everything is frozen and I have no
> > control. The  point in the package installation where this occurs appears
> to
> > be random as I have tried several times (unsuccessfully) to do the
> install.
> > Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated.
> >
> > TIA,
> > Steve
> >
> >
> >
> >
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