[ale] Cannot install Linux on new PC

[Dow Hurst]

Any machine with less than 64Mb of RAM will default to a ncurses install 
under SuSE.  I would guess BIOS setting is fouling up the works somehow. 
 Trying different memory would be a good idea.  Can you boot with 
TomsBootRoot to mess around with the disk?
Dow


Keith Hopkins wrote:

> Greg wrote:
>
>> In RH a message box comes up and tells me that "package foo cannot be
>> installed due to either media failure (though I checked all media), hard
>> drive failure or something to do with the system".  Then it falls out 
>> of the
>> install screen and into a CLI type interface where it counts down, 
>> unmounts
>> everything, stops the X server, ejects the CD-ROM and reboots.  
>> Nothing I
>> recall after the install screen dies that would say what the matter 
>> is, but
>> I can try again if you want.  In a year and a half of using Linux I have
>> never seen this.
>
>
> Ok, so this really is not a kernel panic, just the installer's flaking 
> out?
>
>>
>> SuSE comes up with dialog boxes saying "foo was not installed. Do you 
>> want
>> to see the log ?" I click on "no" and it keeps on going until it hits an
>> important package, gives the dialog, and goes into the CLI mode and 
>> dies.
>>
>> The packages are random.  No one package in either SuSE or RH came up 
>> in all
>> of the attempts, though SuSE usually died on one of the KDE 
>> packages.  Some
>> of them where mc, Kdebase3, ghostscript-library, perl, howtoenh,
>> kdebase4-SuSE, and Kdegames3.
>
>
> If the SW being installed it not the same/consistent, then chances are 
> it is a HW problem.
>
> Calvin may be right about bad memory.  Are you sure the memory is 
> compatible with your MB?  Are you overclocking?  Double check your 
> jumper setting for PCI/FSB bus speeds.
>
>>
>> If you know of a way to capture any of this to a disk I would be 
>> happy to
>> try it, though both die out quickly.
>
>
> You could always try a serial console, but I don't know it either RH 
> or SuSE support that out of the box.
>
> or, you try a more "hands-on" install, like slackware/gentoo for 
> testing.  The problem here being, once you capture it to disk, how do 
> you get it off? (drop the disk in a working PC!)
>

-- 
__________________________________________________________
Dow Hurst                  Office: 770-499-3428
Systems Support Specialist    Fax: 770-423-6744
1000 Chastain Rd., Bldg. 12
Chemistry Department SC428  Email:dhurst at kennesaw.edu
Kennesaw State University         Dow.Hurst at mindspring.com
Kennesaw, GA 30144
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*Computational Chemistry is fun!*
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