freeze while installation - xubuntu/ubuntu/knoppix

A

alice

Guest
Hello forum,

My goal:
Have a working Linux distro (pref xubuntu or debian) installed on my PC.

My problem:
When I want to install or live boot xubuntu/ubuntu/knoppix from cd or usb the installation/boot freezes.

Tried with:
-Knoppix CD: Live
-Xubuntu CD: Live & Installation
-Xubuntu USB stick: Live & Installation
-Ubuntu USB stick: Live & Installation

USB:
While trying with USB stick the error was that the screen turned grey for a second, changed resolution and a white square appeared at the top left. Since then nothing happened anymore.

Xubuntu CD:
Here the problem is that after the xubuntu logo or menu appears (by pressing h) I get to a command line where the command cursor is blinking for a while and then stops. With activating all the compatibility options (F6 - other options) I get to the command line and the cursor continues blinking but nothing else happens.

Knoppix CD:
Here I get to the point where it says "Starting syslog daemon (console 12)..." and after that nothing else happens. (See attached screenshot - knoppix_screen.JPG ; german)

Additional Information:
-Tried with HDMI on TV & DVI on 4:3 PC monitor
-Formatted with Windows 7 & partitioned with Partition Manager / gparted. Partition Manager runs without problems.
-Tried with 20GB ext4 root, 12GB linux swap, rest ext 4 partitioning & one time with 1TB ext2 partitioning
-Had a avermedia hd card additionally plugged in which I removed. Didn't change something on the problem.
-Changed BIOS settings to default. Didn't change something on the problem.

Specs:
Acer Aspire AM3920
Intel Core i7 2600
6GB DDR3
(3x Samsung 2048 MB)
AMD Radeon HD 6570 1024MB
1TB HDD
(For detailed information you can take a look at my sysProfile I created back when I used this PC. id=152027 since i can't post a link as new user)

I really don't know what else to try and I don't know what causes the problem. I hope someone can help me

thx for reading
alice~
 


Try looking at how to pass parameters from grub prior to attempting to boot into the system. modeset would be one thing to research it could be that the video drivers(default) are hanging the system. I know with my nvidia card on laptop I have to use a couple of boot parameters modeset being one to get it to install. Once done then I install the proprietary drivers for my video card. It could be something else obviously buy many times when they boot to a certain point and just hang it can be video issues.
 
As @MelRay mentioned the problem is probably the graphics card driver not initializing properly. The first solution is to boot with nomodeset.
 
Hi,

Thank u for the fast replies.

As I mentioned in "Xubuntu CD:" I tried booting with all the compatibility options (F6 - other options). There is also an option "modeset".

So yesterday, after reading your reply I tried booting with the option "modeset" and I came to the same point. The command cursor blinked and nothing else happened. After a while I pressed some keys on my keyboard to see if it's hung or something.
I got those commands showing up then: bootaftermodeset.JPG
(sorry for the bad quality of the picture)

So it gets a timeout while reaching the PCI slot? That means it's really the graphic gard which causes the problem as you mentioned.

Question:
Is there another way to ignore the graphic card for my installation? You mentioned this can be done with the modeset option but in my case it didn't. Or did I understand something wrong?

I also looked in the BIOS to find a option to use the onboard graphic card. Sadly there isn't an option to do so. I could remove the graphic card and plug my monitor to the onboard graphic card ports but I'm not sure if it really will work out.
 
I'm interested in seeing how this turns out..... Unfortunately, I'm not as skilled as the others in Linux, but I have a gut feeling it's the graphics card..... I'm assuming the Window Manager of any given Distro with a GUI would fail to install the Window Manager packaged with the ISO file at some point.....? On my Chromebook, I think it installed Kubuntu's LightDM close to the end of installation..... :)
 
Also, I wish you luck, friend..... :) Oh, to be there in person....... It's difficult to help over the Internet for me..... :\
 
Thank you!!
Sorry for not updating the thread for a few days. I was busy over the weekend.

I now tried the "nomodeset" command with Xubuntu & Debian. I didn't got far with it.

Xubuntu:
Same as before. I get to the command line and the cursor continues blinking but nothing else happens.

Debian:
Here I used debian-7.7.0-amd64-netinst.iso. I got several timeouts & error messages. See the attached Screenshots.
1: error1.JPG
2: error2.JPG
3: error3.JPG

It seems like there are more problems than just the graphics card/driver. I wonder why partition manager/gparted worked fine though.
I hope you have some more ideas what to do how to get a distro finally running.
 
Well, I think in this case, the thing to do is to remove the graphics card, and see if you can't get a working system using on-board graphics.

Also, try using a 32-bit debian, instead....
 
alice said:
Thank you!!
Sorry for not updating the thread for a few days. I was busy over the weekend.

I now tried the "nomodeset" command with Xubuntu & Debian. I didn't got far with it.

Xubuntu:
Same as before. I get to the command line and the cursor continues blinking but nothing else happens.

Debian:
Here I used debian-7.7.0-amd64-netinst.iso. I got several timeouts & error messages. See the attached Screenshots.
1: View attachment 1643
2: View attachment 1644
3: View attachment 1645

It seems like there are more problems than just the graphics card/driver. I wonder why partition manager/gparted worked fine though.
I hope you have some more ideas what to do how to get a distro finally running.
Click to expand...
Man..... I don't know..... I'm still NEW to Linux, compared to others, who HAVE done it for more than 2 years..... :\ I don't know, but..... Isn't ATA similar to SATA.....? Maybe part of your issue is the drive failing.....? The worst error I EVER got was "Kernel Panic", and second to THAT, was "Error: Not a typewriter"..... But the second one occurred with a LiveUSB, which is similar to a LiveCD..... :) I may not be able to help here (YET.....) but I wish you the best of Luck..... I'm partly Irish, so I can do that....... :3
 
Well, looking at the screen shots, this is happening about a minute and a half into the boot process, and you get a report of an RCU stall. The stack trace won't necessarily indicate the failed component - I had to track down an RCU stall being detected at about 66 seconds. I managed to trace the problem to a driver for an SD card reader - when loaded directly (put in initram) it would fail. Put it in a squashfs package (this was Tinycore) and load later in the boot process, and all was well. The RCU report wasn't all that helpful, beyond indicating that something wasn't happy. (And, you get the stall report after about 60 seconds of stall, in my case.)

I did a lot of bisecting (had a diff of what was there before the problem cropped up, and after), and had to rig the system to repeatedly restart, since the problem happened about once every 35 boots.

Anyway, my point is that it may not be a drive issue, the problem gets detected and correlates with that. (As the say on /. - correlation is not causation.) If you can get a stable system without the graphics, or by slowly removing non-essential components, start there. Do this especially if time is what you have most of.

I could justify the time spent on my issue because I had thousands of systems in the field that would have had their owners calling up and needing therapy. However, on a single system, if your time is valuable, you may be better served by just sticking a fork in the hardware, and calling it done.
 
Thank you so much for the answers so far!

So yesterday I removed the sd card reader & graphics card as you recommended.
At first I removed the sd card and tried booting and then the graphics card and tried again.
Sadly I got with Xubuntu to the same point as always.

With debian I got this message again:
errorwographicsandsdc.JPG

I'm not sure what to do next. "ata" sounds like it's an issue with the HDD but I'm not sure.
I want to try it one more time with debian 32bit in a few days.
 
I wonder if the graphics card issue is secondary. I wonder if @blackneos940 came close when he said
Isn't ATA similar to SATA.....?
Click to expand...
SATA=Serial ATA

It might have something to do with the SATA controllers which are used on the motherboard.

There's this (Google Translated from German):
Hello Mandalore

also have a Acer MD3920, with whom I had the same problems described. The problem lay with me on the internal DVD drive, which is connected via a separately built-in map. I have disconnected the drive and have Ubuntu 10.12 on an external installed attached DVD drive. Unfortunately I could not find a solution for the internal DVD drive when I connect it again, working again nothing more. Using the existing other SATA ports on the motherboard it works, unfortunately not. Otherwise everything works and with the external DVD drive I can live with.
Click to expand...
http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/ubuntu-auf-acer-aspire-m-3920-bootet-nicht/

And this: [SOLVED] Trying to install from CD, ATA bus errors Note that the ATA 8.00 error message is the same.

Perhaps it involves looking at the SATA controllers on the motherboard, seeing what is connected to what and, if possible, changing some connector(s) (?).

Do you have any information about the motherboard used? Make and Model?
 
Thank you!
I will take a look into your linked threads later when I'm home.

It seems like it would be better to get complete new hardware then but that's just running away from the problem and no solution. :cool:

Do you have any information about the motherboard used? Make and Model?
Click to expand...
-sysprofile dot de / id152027 (There you can find some more informations about the hardware)
 
Well, DVD drives are pretty cheap. Is this a laptop or a desktop type computer?

You could: Disconnect the DVD, and try installing from flash drive.
If that works, you could then replace the DVD. They start at around 20 dollars at NewEgg.
 
Well, DVD drives are pretty cheap. Is this a laptop or a desktop type computer?
Click to expand...
-desktop

You could: Disconnect the DVD, and try installing from flash drive.
Click to expand...
-I will do that as well. Didn't tried boot stick after I removed the graphics card and the sd card so I could try that again.

I also got myself a DVD from a magazine with several partitions on it a few minutes ago. Since parted magic worked with no problems (even with graphics card, video card, sd reader plugged in) and it's based on Slackware I thought maybe I could try it with another distribution which is based on Slackware. So I will also try booting with OpenSUSE.
 
When you were so emphatic about using a Debian type distro I did not suggest trying an alternative. You could try something like PCLinuxOS, or the latest Fedora or some other RPM type.
 
Hello friends!!

Just want to thank you all! I finally got a running installation of debian :p
After I plugged out the card used for the cd/dvd drive it worked fine.

I used the guided partition so:
10gb root ext4
12gb linux swap
rest /home ext4

My user doesn't have root rights. I think that's better for the beginning. For installations I can use sudo.

My next tasks are getting drivers installed for my graphics card and plug it in.
I will keep the dvd/cd drive plugged out since it will cause problems again I think.
After that I will start using my debian and install software/uninstall unneeded software!

Questions:
-It boots from EFI:debian (I called it debian) and not from Harddisk. Why is that so? Did I do something wrong? Also it always turns on a GNU GRUB screen showing
"Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64"
"Debian GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 (recovery mode)"
Can I turn that off?

-When I shut the PC down it doesn't turn the power off. It only stops. Can I change that?
 
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