Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

adamswe · 2005-10-10 18:07:15

Hi! I am new to Arch and still a bit of a newbie when it comes to Linux in general. I have a friend who runs Arch who has been trying to help me... to no avail. I am trying to install Arch base 0.7 with an ftp installation on my system. Some of my system is as follows:

P4 3 GHz, 1024 memory. My HDD setup is:
Primary IDE Master: [NOT DETECTED] (No drive here!)
Primary IDE Slave: [Maxtor ide drive] Files
Secondary Master: [Samsung dvd-rom] (ATAPI)
Secondary Slave: [CDRW] (ATAPI)
Third ide Master: [SATA-HDD] OS's Windows and Arch

My Linux partitioning is as follows:
sda5 /
sda2 /boot
sda7 /home
sda6 swap

My Grub file looks like this:

Linux

root (hd1,1)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sda5 devfs=nomount ro

windows

rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

(I have left out the coad for the title line in this forum)

My windows loads perfectly but I have troubles booting into Linux, when I add quiet to my Kernel line I get this at bootup:

Booting command-list
root (hd1,1)
filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /vmlinuz26 root (etc....)
[linuz-bzimage, setup=0x1c00, size=0x3d08535]
uncompressing kernel... OK, booting the kernel.
ACPI: Unable to load the System Description Tables

and then my system stops loading, reset button to restart!

My friend is a bit of a Linux whizz but he was unable to help me out... I have changed my fstab to look like sdaX... (he told me to)...

Any suggestions?

thx

nightfrost · 2005-10-10 18:16:05

ACPI: Unable to load the System Description Tables

Try with acpi=off in your kernel line.

adamswe · 2005-10-10 18:34:30

worked just fine... problem fixed.

Could someone explain acpi and WHY I have to turn this off?

Thx

T-Dawg · 2005-10-10 18:36:02

Are you using the *-scsi kernel? Its geared toward sata drives.

nightfrost · 2005-10-10 18:37:38

Either something's wrong with your computer's acpi implementation, or something's wrong with that particular kernel's acpi version. I'd guess the latter but who knows.

Since you're not on a laptop, it doesn't really matter. ACPI gives the system information about the hardware such as battery status, lid status, etc., etc., You could always check out acpi.sourceforge.net, or look acpi up at wikipedia.org for further info.

cactus · 2005-10-10 18:40:42

penguin: No need to use scsi kernel for sata. sata != scsi
I use the regular arch kernel just fine with my sata drives.
I think his wonky device setup is more at fault. No master device, but a slave device on primary ide?
/me scratches head

T-Dawg · 2005-10-10 18:49:02

cactus wrote:

penguin: No need to use scsi kernel for sata. sata != scsi
I use the regular arch kernel just fine with my sata drives.
I think his wonky device setup is more at fault. No master device, but a slave device on primary ide?
/me scratches head

I've seen someone on irc having troubles with sata using ide kernel and switching to scsi solved his problems -recommended by supa. *shrug*

You're right though about the missing primary master drive, could pose some problems.

adamswe · 2005-10-11 05:01:58

Well... my problem was fixed with <code>acpi=off</code> so I don't see why my hdd setup would be a problem...

...Although I don't think my setup is esthetically nice, I have never actually had any problems with it.

Gullible Jones · 2005-10-11 09:26:46

/me agrees with cactus... :shock:

(How do you have a slave drive without a master? :? )

T-Dawg · 2005-10-11 11:37:03

boot priority sequence

adamswe · 2005-10-11 14:41:01

As I earlier stated, I have never had any problems with my configuration. I did build my computer myself, when I was very much a novice. Since it has always worked I've stuck with it.

But if I were to have any problems, would could they be? (Hypothetical question.)

T-Dawg · 2005-10-11 15:40:22

It should be fine as long as you dont set your hard drive to cable select. If you did and kept it on the slave position, you could have unpredictable behavior when booting. Just keep the drive set on master (the jumpers)and you should be fine.

kozaki · 2005-11-24 21:50:02

Similar problem here.

Pre-partitionned my single HDD which is a Sata 80Gb, with sda6 5Gb for Arch, sda9 /home & sda11 swap.

Installed Wombat which recognized the HDD on /dev/discs/disc0, adjusted the conf files as if i was going to use hotplug.
Installed Grub on to the "/" (sda6) partition as I plan to add others distros.
Also installed Grub on a new ext2 formatted Floppy with :
umount /floppy
/usr/local/sbin/grub --batch <<EOT
root (fd0)
setup (fd0)
quit
EOT.

When I boot with that floppy, grub recognize HDD as hd0 and "/" as 6th partition : I can TAB to "vmlinuz26 without a glinch

Then it boot ... untill I get this message :
"sata "kernel panic - not syncing: vfs: unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)""

Should I edit /etc/rc/conf with some more modules/daemons that those by default ?

Presently I'm copying my Arch mirror (current & extra) on to another partition to get last packages. Because my box comes with an ULi network controller that was added to the kernel modules early in October, so I want to chroot into my present install, update to latest kernel, udev, dbus & hal, & see what I can do thereafter.

Gullible Jones · 2005-11-24 22:27:28

Also installed Grub on a new ext2 formatted Floppy with :
umount /floppy
/usr/local/sbin/grub --batch <<EOT
root (fd0)
setup (fd0)
quit

Maybe because fd0 isn't your root partition?

kozaki · 2005-11-24 22:47:12

Gullibles Jones > thank you but no, this is grub shell, and it founds the vmlinuz26 as said before.
Sorry if I wrote it confusely.

Found it : even if Arch 0.7 recognize my sata HDD easilly, it was not the case for the kernel launched with Grub.
I chrooted my actual install from install CD and a dmesg | grep scsi (that i dunno where I found / thought about) showed me the right module needed by the kernel !

added "sata_uli" to the MODULES line in /etc/rc.conf, booted again from floppy... and got a nice usual boot

Maybe this is not nicely writen in the install wiki : Dude, make sure you add your sata controller module to /etc/rc.conf before you boot for the first time ?

Every one can't miss the hotplug --> udev, or even new initrd stuff, but IMHO it is not clear one also has to load his mobo SATA module for Arch to boot up !

Arch Linux

#1 2005-10-10 18:07:15

Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#2 2005-10-10 18:16:05

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#3 2005-10-10 18:34:30

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#4 2005-10-10 18:36:02

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#5 2005-10-10 18:37:38

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#6 2005-10-10 18:40:42

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#7 2005-10-10 18:49:02

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#8 2005-10-11 05:01:58

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#9 2005-10-11 09:26:46

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#10 2005-10-11 11:37:03

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#11 2005-10-11 14:41:01

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#12 2005-10-11 15:40:22

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#13 2005-11-24 21:50:02

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#14 2005-11-24 22:27:28

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

#15 2005-11-24 22:47:12

Re: Problems installing Arch 0.7 base on SATA HDD.

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