Arch Linux

Chrys349

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 50

[solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

I wanted to install Arch but it fails to arrive at the command line so I can execute the install script, because the kernel freezes. But I have Debian Stable installed, and it's kernel never freezes.

Last edited by Chrys349 (2011-11-26 16:13:00)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

What install image are you using, what processor does your computer have, what exactly happens when the image is booted, are you booting it from the CD, USB or ...?

twilight0

Member

From: Greece

Registered: 2011-05-01

Posts: 233

Website

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

+1 You dont give us any clues on how you try too boot!

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Proud Arch Linux user since 2007.

Chrys349

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 50

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

I'm using the i686 core image and I'm booting from USB. The processor is Intel Pentium 4.

When the image is booted, the grub menu is displayed, and I select to install arch, but soon after that, the kernel freezes. But, if I start the installation from grub, with the vga=1 parameter, sometimes the kernel doesn't freeze and I can execute the install script, but after finishing the installation and rebooting, the kernel that just got installed, fails to initialise and doesn't arrive at a command line/login, because it freezes, just like it did when it booted from usb.

I think the kernel freezes immediately after udev starts; maybe there is something wrong with udev or some hardware support is missing from the kernel.

And sometimes, if I select "Arch Fallback" from the grub menu (from grub installed on hdd's mbr), the kernel doesn't freeze, but this rarely occurs. 90% of the time it freezes after boot/reboot/pc reset.

Last edited by Chrys349 (2011-11-13 05:57:22)

twilight0

Member

From: Greece

Registered: 2011-05-01

Posts: 233

Website

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

So you managed to do the installation with some options on syslinux (arch's livecd uses syslinux not grub). This could be due to buggy hardware, I dont think its arch's kernel fault or some shortage. The kernel is built for broad compatibility and I 've never had any major issues like yours. If you think that some things are missing from the stock kernel, why not trying building one yourself? Its pretty easy.

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Proud Arch Linux user since 2007.

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,334

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

And, how much RAM have you?

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Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
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Chrys349

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 50

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

@ewaller: 1GB ram

@twilight0: ok, i'll try to compile the kernel, maybe it's the only way to find out what's wrong, but I still cannot imagine why some linux distros do not freeze, and other linux distros freeze like this...

Last edited by Chrys349 (2011-11-13 08:23:35)

PSW

Member

From: Brighton

Registered: 2011-06-15

Posts: 32

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

I'm using the i686 core image and I'm booting from USB. The processor is Intel Pentium 4.

When the image is booted, the grub menu is displayed, and I select to install arch, but soon after that, the kernel freezes. But, if I start the installation from grub, with the vga=1 parameter, sometimes the kernel doesn't freeze and I can execute the install script, but after finishing the installation and rebooting, the kernel that just got installed, fails to initialise and doesn't arrive at a command line/login, because it freezes, just like it did when it booted from usb.

I think the kernel freezes immediately after udev starts; maybe there is something wrong with udev or some hardware support is missing from the kernel.

And sometimes, if I select "Arch Fallback" from the grub menu (from grub installed on hdd's mbr), the kernel doesn't freeze, but this rarely occurs. 90% of the time it freezes after boot/reboot/pc reset.

What happens if you install like this, and then using SysLinux as your bootloader. You could then use the vga=1 parameter to boot successively into Arch.

Last edited by PSW (2011-11-14 10:51:32)

Chrys349

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 50

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

it doesn't always boot with vga=1 parameter, and sometimes it boots whithout any parameter

the same problem occurs with Debian Testing

I can't even use knoppix on this pc, and I've tried all parameters sugested on knoppix wiki

but the kernels from debian stable and ubuntu never freeze on this pc; that's why I don't understand why Arch kernel freezes after almost every boot and reboot. But the weirdest thing is, everywhere I've asked, nobody knows anything about this, and I kept searching for tha last 6 months for similar problems on google, didn't find anything at all. The closest thing I found was some parameters from knoppix wiki, but those don't work

my only solution is to try gentoo, but I'll loose 24 hours installing it

Last edited by Chrys349 (2011-11-24 13:30:46)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,334

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

my only solution is to try gentoo, but I'll loose 24 hours installing it

No you won't

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It will take several days    
(Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt)

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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
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How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

Shark

Member

From: /dev/zero

Registered: 2011-02-28

Posts: 686

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

What is your video card? How old is your installation image?

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If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

Registered Linux User: #559057

lilsirecho

Veteran

Registered: 2003-10-24

Posts: 5,000

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

Perhaps the problem posted below is of interest to you:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=130228

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Prediction...This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
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When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit!     X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

Chrys349

Member

From: Romania

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 50

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

solved... I got rid of kernel freeze, or kernel hang, by appending the "acpi=off" parameter in grub and syslinux

I have no idea what "acpi=off" does, but it's the olny solution I found that enables me to both install arch and use it...

Last edited by Chrys349 (2011-11-26 17:10:55)

gnomiik

Member

Registered: 2011-08-23

Posts: 13

Re: [solved] arch cannot be installed on my pc

So, I had a similar issue, when trying to install Arch it would say booting kernel, then restart every time. I have a gigabyte motherboard and was about to smash it. Anyway, what worked for me was adding "nolapic" as a kernel boot parameter. This disables local APIC.

Definition for the interested:

Local APICs

LAPICs manage all external interrupts for some specific processor in an SMP system. In addition, it is able to accept and generate inter-processor interrupts (IPIs) between LAPICs. LAPICs may support up to 224 usable interrupt vectors from an I/O APIC. Vectors numbers 0 to 31, out of 0 to 255, are reserved for exception handling by x86 processors.