Arch Linux

joedumars

Member

Registered: 2015-04-12

Posts: 2

Need installation assistance

Hello,

I am new to Arch Linux and need some assistance with installation.

I have been working on installing Arch for the past several days
using the Beginners guide installation instructions, but I keep
encountering the same problem.

At various stages of the installation process, I will receive the following
error messages (please bear with me, I am trying to type this word
for word while reading the screen on my laptop).

++++
[ 415.321001] ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 Sact 0x0 Serr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 415.321116] ata1.00: failed command: FLUSH CACHE EXT
[ 415.321195] ata1.00: cmed ea/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/a0 tag 18
[ 415.321105]               res    40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (time out)
[ 415.321368] ata1.00: status {DRDY}
[ 425.351087] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno =-16)
[ 435.381191] ata 1:COMRESET failed (errno =-16)
[ 470.416672] ata 1:COMRESET failed (errno =-16)
++++

What is interesting is these error messages have occurred at several different
stages of the installation process. For example, I have had these error messages occur
after I start parted, when I am trying to edit my mirror list, or when I define my
Locale.

What is frustrating is, right after this error message occurs, the file system will
become read only and I can't save anything (such as changes to my mirror list).

I have tried the installation procedure using two different 1 TB hard drives, but
continue to get the same error message. Sometimes after I receive this error
message I can no longer see my drive using parted or the command lsblk.

The laptop that I am hoping to revive with Arch is an ACER Aspire 5750Z-4835.

Does anyone have a fix for this error message?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,804

Re: Need installation assistance

That is some sort of disk drive error.  What make and model system is this? 
What kind of drive is it?
You say at some point in the installation.  Have you chrooted yet? or are you still partitioning and formatting?

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joedumars

Member

Registered: 2015-04-12

Posts: 2

Re: Need installation assistance

That is some sort of disk drive error.  What make and model system is this? 
What kind of drive is it?
You say at some point in the installation.  Have you chrooted yet? or are you still partitioning and formatting?

The Computer is an ACER ASPIRE Laptop 5750Z-4835. It is about 3-4 years old. I did have a hard
drive crash on it, but I do have a clone of my windows 7 system and it will boot with it.

I have used two different hard drives for the installation process, both
1 TB hard drives:

1. HGST P/N H2T10003272S 6.0 Gb/sec

This was a new drive that I had not used before.

2. Western Digital WD10JPVX

This was a drive that I initially cloned a windows 7 system with.
I reformatted it before starting the Arch installation.

What is odd is the error message occurs and several different points in the installation process.
For example, I once was trying to edit my mirror list in nano, and the error message appears (it
just writes the error message and covers all of the text in my mirror list). Then, when I try to
save the file, I receive an error message that states my file system is read only. This evening,
I was just beginning the installation process (just after started parted with the
command parted /dev/sda) and the error message occurred. Last night, I got all the way to the
step to create my Local (just after the command arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash) and the error message occurred.

After I receive the error message I can no longer write to the disk. In some instances, after I
receive the error message using the command lsblk will not show any disk at all (i.e. sda will no
longer appear in the drive list). At this point when I can no longer write to the disk,
I start the installation process over again from step 1 and use parted to recreate the partition
table. If the drive is not recognized, I will reformat and start again.

Another strange thing is that the error message doesn't always appear when something is
being written to the hard drive. Or, at least, it doesn't seem that anything is being
written to the drive when the error message appears (for example, when I am editing a file
in nano, not saving it).

I am installing Arch from a DVD that was verified by a friend of mine who is currently an
Arch user.

Please let me know if I have left out any other information.

Thanks again!

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 19,804

Re: Need installation assistance

I am in the middle of a new installation too, sorry if I am in and out.
This sounds like an intermittent problem -- the worst kind.   Have you another cable set for your drive?  I bet you've a flaky cable. 
I assume these are SATA, although at 4 years, it is not a guarantee.

---

Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way