Arch Linux

Zenogias

Member

Registered: 2011-02-24

Posts: 10

My Arch CD keeps booting me to ramfs!

I invoked command 'less /proc/cpuinfo'
Output:
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt pdpe1gb rdtscp lm 3dnowext 3dnow constant_tsc nonstop_tsc extd_apicid pni monitor cx16 popcnt lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm extapic cr8_legacy abm sse4a misalignsse 3dnowprefetch osvw ibs skinit wdt

See the 'lm' before 3dnowext?
So I decided to download the x86_64 image.
Downloaded and burned at lowest speed 16x

Invoked the sha1sum checksum command to confirm that it's integrity which showed the 'OK'
When I booted from my CD it took me to ramfs
I made a second copy with the same result.

BUT, when I try it with my i686 version which I made before I made the x86_64 CD's it worked fine and gave the me the root prompt.

I asked around the IRC #archlinux and they keep saying it's a bad cd. In fact this problem was brought up in the channel yesterday, and the answer is the same: BAD CD.
To be honest, I don't think it's a bad CD.

Can someone help me out please?

EDIT; I should mention I'm getting the 'Waiting for 30 seconds for device /dev/disk/by_label/ARCH_201108. I did confirm that it was labeled as such...

Last edited by Zenogias (2012-05-04 03:37:43)

DSpider

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2009-08-23

Posts: 2,273

Re: My Arch CD keeps booting me to ramfs!

Classic error. More frequent with USB sticks, tho, and usually because they forget to label the flash drive. Speaking of which, did you write it as a data disc and set the label yourself or as a project (ie. asking you for the location of the .iso file)? Because ISOLINUX (the bootloader that's used on the CD) "only uses the plain ISO 9660 filenames, i.e. it does not support Rock Ridge or Joliet filenames." http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/ … t_building

So you need to write it as a project.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … _installer

Note: The quality of optical drives, as well as the CD media itself, vary greatly. Generally, using a slow burn speed is recommended for reliable burns; Some users recommend speeds as low as 4x or 2x. If you are experiencing unexpected behavior from the CD, try burning at the minimum speed supported by your system.

I find it hard to believe that the lowest speed for your burner is 16x.

And have you tried a USB stick yet? They dirt cheap now. Personally I haven't burned a disc since 2007 or so. You should try this method.

---

"How to Succeed with Linux"

I have made a personal commitment not to reply in topics that start with a lowercase letter. Proper grammar and punctuation is a sign of respect, and if you do not show any, you will NOT receive any help (at least not from me).

Zenogias

Member

Registered: 2011-02-24

Posts: 10

Re: My Arch CD keeps booting me to ramfs!

Yes, it did ask me for the ISO for both cd's.
I don't think that's the problem, because i burned the i686 ISO cd the same way, and it worked fine.

I used k3b and manually edited the speed to be 4x and also 8x, but both times it said my burner wouldn't
support that speed and automatically set it to 16x.

I'll try the usb flash method...i'm always so busy so I probably won't be able to take time out just to go
purchase one. Thanks for your help, and I'll update this post if i have any more problems.