12:32 p.m.
i am having some of the strangest behaviour on my collection of
gateway mx7120 laptops. since they're 64-bit amd athlon mobile
processors, i should theoretically be able to install either of 32- or
64-bit f11 alpha on them, no?
however, over yesterday and today, i've found at least three of them
that will, under no circumstances, even *look* at the i386 version of
the install DVD and will boot to the hard drive, but will happily
install off the x86_64 version. i take that i386 install DVD, put in
what should be an identical laptop next to it, and it will install off
of it just fine. i put it back in the original laptop, it's ignored.
what the heck? and i now have at least three laptops that seem
utterly uninterested in the i386 f11alpha DVD.
can this be a BIOS setting of some kind? this doesn't seem
arbitrary or random, it's a very specific set of laptops that will
just ignore the i386 install DVD. thoughts?
rday
--
========================================================================
Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
Have classroom, will lecture.
http://crashcourse.ca Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
========================================================================
2:51 p.m.
You could put all the bios setting to default and see if that works
( or make sure they settings are identical )
Check if the bios version is the same on all of them
My best bet would be that the dvd drives are failing
which means that the drives on those that do read the dvd might not have
much time left..
JBG
3:10 p.m.
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, "Jóhann B. Guðmundsson" wrote:
You could put all the bios setting to default and see if that works
( or make sure they settings are identical )
Check if the bios version is the same on all of them
My best bet would be that the dvd drives are failing which means
that the drives on those that do read the dvd might not have much
time left..
i'd thought of that, but that wouldn't explain why those drives
would be so *particular* -- happily installing off of the x86_64 DVD
but not the i386 one. and i verified the correctness of those DVDs.
and it was always the i386 DVDs that were ignored, not the x86_64.
that doesn't strike me as drives slowly going bad. there's way too
much of a pattern there.
rday
--
========================================================================
Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
Have classroom, will lecture.
http://crashcourse.ca Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
========================================================================
3:37 p.m.
Robert P. J. Day wrote:
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, "Jóhann B. Guðmundsson" wrote:
> You could put all the bios setting to default and see if that works
> ( or make sure they settings are identical )
>
> Check if the bios version is the same on all of them
>
> My best bet would be that the dvd drives are failing which means
> that the drives on those that do read the dvd might not have much
> time left..
i'd thought of that, but that wouldn't explain why those drives
would be so *particular* -- happily installing off of the x86_64 DVD
but not the i386 one. and i verified the correctness of those DVDs.
and it was always the i386 DVDs that were ignored, not the x86_64.
that doesn't strike me as drives slowly going bad. there's way too
much of a pattern there.
It's probably a BIOS issue, but there is a physical possibility. It's
a stretch, but possible:
The x86_64 DVDs are bigger (fuller). CDs and DVDs work like old vinyl
records (a long, spiral "track"), but they read backwards (from the hub
out to the outer edge). Consequently, the end of session mark on a
64-bit DVD will be closer to the rim of the disk. It may be that the
DVDs are spinning fast enough that the flutter present at the outer edge
of all CDs and DVDs when they're spun fast is hosing the drive's ability
to see the end of session mark. This is more prevalent on DVDs as the
data density is greater than on CDs.
Try to boot one of the 32-bit live CDs if possible. If it boots, then
it's not a 32- versus 64-bit issue, it's probably this flutter. If it's
possible to slow the drives down, do it and try the DVD again. If it
works, then it's definitely flutter and you're in the market for new
drives.
Like I said, it's a stretch, but I've seen weirder things.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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- AIM/Skype: therps2 ICQ: 22643734 Yahoo: origrps2 -
- -
- Is that a buffer overflow or are you just happy to see me? -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4:14 p.m.
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, Rick Stevens wrote:
The x86_64 DVDs are bigger (fuller). CDs and DVDs work like old
vinyl records (a long, spiral "track"), but they read backwards
(from the hub out to the outer edge). Consequently, the end of
session mark on a 64-bit DVD will be closer to the rim of the disk.
It may be that the DVDs are spinning fast enough that the flutter
present at the outer edge of all CDs and DVDs when they're spun fast
is hosing the drive's ability to see the end of session mark. This
is more prevalent on DVDs as the data density is greater than on
CDs.
but it's the "fuller" 64-bit DVDs that are the readable ones -- your
logic is backwards.
rday
--
========================================================================
Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
Have classroom, will lecture.
http://crashcourse.ca Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
========================================================================
4:36 p.m.
Robert P. J. Day wrote:
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, Rick Stevens wrote:
> The x86_64 DVDs are bigger (fuller). CDs and DVDs work like old
> vinyl records (a long, spiral "track"), but they read backwards
> (from the hub out to the outer edge). Consequently, the end of
> session mark on a 64-bit DVD will be closer to the rim of the disk.
> It may be that the DVDs are spinning fast enough that the flutter
> present at the outer edge of all CDs and DVDs when they're spun fast
> is hosing the drive's ability to see the end of session mark. This
> is more prevalent on DVDs as the data density is greater than on
> CDs.
but it's the "fuller" 64-bit DVDs that are the readable ones -- your
logic is backwards.
Whoops! Yes, now that I reread your message, you're right. Ok, I'm
stumped other than BIOS settings.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer ricks(a)nerd.com -
- AIM/Skype: therps2 ICQ: 22643734 Yahoo: origrps2 -
- -
- To err is human. To forgive, a large sum of money is needed. -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5:04 p.m.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Rick Stevens wrote:
> but it's the "fuller" 64-bit DVDs that are the
readable ones -- your
> logic is backwards.
Whoops! Yes, now that I reread your message, you're right. Ok, I'm
stumped other than BIOS settings.
Might try getting a higher quality DVD media. Another thing to check is
that the DVD drive actually is the same. And some drives may have
different firmware levels.
Kevin
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http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x7D0BD5D1
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6:05 p.m.
Robert P. J. Day <rpjday(a)crashcourse.ca> wrote:
i am having some of the strangest behaviour on my collection of
gateway mx7120 laptops. since they're 64-bit amd athlon mobile
processors, i should theoretically be able to install either of 32- or
64-bit f11 alpha on them, no?
however, over yesterday and today, i've found at least three of them
that will, under no circumstances, even *look* at the i386 version of
the install DVD and will boot to the hard drive, but will happily
install off the x86_64 version. i take that i386 install DVD, put in
what should be an identical laptop next to it, and it will install off
of it just fine. i put it back in the original laptop, it's ignored.
what the heck? and i now have at least three laptops that seem
utterly uninterested in the i386 f11alpha DVD.
Can the errant machines read/mount the DVDs? I had (otherwise identical)
machines where some would read a CD while others didn't recongnize
it. Haven't seen such with DVDs (or with CDs for quite some time),
but...
--
Dr. Horst H. von Brand User #22616 counter.li.org
Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 2654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 2654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile 2340000 Fax: +56 32 2797513
6:07 p.m.
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, Horst H. von Brand wrote:
Robert P. J. Day <rpjday(a)crashcourse.ca> wrote:
> i am having some of the strangest behaviour on my collection of
> gateway mx7120 laptops. since they're 64-bit amd athlon mobile
> processors, i should theoretically be able to install either of 32- or
> 64-bit f11 alpha on them, no?
>
> however, over yesterday and today, i've found at least three of them
> that will, under no circumstances, even *look* at the i386 version of
> the install DVD and will boot to the hard drive, but will happily
> install off the x86_64 version. i take that i386 install DVD, put in
> what should be an identical laptop next to it, and it will install off
> of it just fine. i put it back in the original laptop, it's ignored.
> what the heck? and i now have at least three laptops that seem
> utterly uninterested in the i386 f11alpha DVD.
Can the errant machines read/mount the DVDs? I had (otherwise identical)
machines where some would read a CD while others didn't recongnize
it. Haven't seen such with DVDs (or with CDs for quite some time),
but...
i did test that yesterday and, weirdly, the DVDs that couldn't be
booted from couldn't be mounted either *on that same machine*. but
they would work just fine on another laptop. i've never seen anything
like it.
rday
--
========================================================================
Robert P. J. Day
Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry:
Have classroom, will lecture.
http://crashcourse.ca Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
========================================================================
7:40 a.m.
Robert P. J. Day wrote:
One thing I've missed since leaving the Fedora list, maybe the only
thing, is the interesting problems you have, Robert!
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, Horst H. von Brand wrote:
> Robert P. J. Day <rpjday(a)crashcourse.ca> wrote:
>> i am having some of the strangest behaviour on my collection of
>> gateway mx7120 laptops. since they're 64-bit amd athlon mobile
>> processors, i should theoretically be able to install either of 32- or
>> 64-bit f11 alpha on them, no?
>>
>> however, over yesterday and today, i've found at least three of them
>> that will, under no circumstances, even *look* at the i386 version of
>> the install DVD and will boot to the hard drive, but will happily
>> install off the x86_64 version. i take that i386 install DVD, put in
>> what should be an identical laptop next to it, and it will install off
>> of it just fine. i put it back in the original laptop, it's ignored.
>> what the heck? and i now have at least three laptops that seem
>> utterly uninterested in the i386 f11alpha DVD.
> Can the errant machines read/mount the DVDs? I had (otherwise identical)
> machines where some would read a CD while others didn't recongnize
> it. Haven't seen such with DVDs (or with CDs for quite some time),
> but...
i did test that yesterday and, weirdly, the DVDs that couldn't be
booted from couldn't be mounted either *on that same machine*. but
they would work just fine on another laptop. i've never seen anything
like it.
Plan b.
Burn fresh x386 media.
Plan c.
Brush up on network booting.
Plan d.
Create a bootable USB disk. The systemrescuecd instructions will
probably work, you just want a big enough USB disk.
--
Cheers
John
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9 comments
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participants (6)
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"Jóhann B. Guðmundsson" -
Horst H. von Brand -
John Summerfield -
Kevin DeKorte -
Rick Stevens -
Robert P. J. Day