[ale] Cannot install Linux on new PC

[Keith Hopkins]

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!)

-- 
Lost in Tokyo,
   Keith



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