IF you have a 'live cd' that will run the system, you might try badblock, just DO NOT put the 'w' switch unless you want/know how to low level reformat a now not identifiable device. The command is: 'badblocks -svv /dev/hda1' or whatever the drive is w/o the quotes. Wait and see if more of the guru's says not to for a day or so before trying that command. IF you use the switches -svvw you can basically toss it in the trash as it wont even show up as being in the machine. Been there, done that on a bad drive that previously belonged to someone and crashed 3 days after I got it. The machine thought it no longer had an hd when I added that 'w' to the string and let it rip for overnight!! But as long as it isn't writing, but just checking the hd and reporting errors back it should reboot if that is possible. Again, NOT a guru, and the badblocks command came up talking about completely destroying a hd never to be read again. --- Patrick C wrote: > Update: I've tried installing Kubuntu. Failed. I > tried installing it by > moving the hard drive to a different computer. > Failed. Tried the SuSe > 10.2Beta, failed. New conclusion: the hard drive is > messed up. It had > been > seeming flaky before, different partitioning > utilities were taking issue > with it. My idea is that the 3GB swap that the Linux > installers create is > actually used during the install. Some packages are > probably copied to the > swap before being installed to the root partition. > After this, the installer > has trouble reading from the swap, and fails. > > I'm no expert, in fact, I'm pretty much a Linux > newbie, but this to me, > seems the only logical explanation left. As I write, > it's attempting to > install on an extra hard drive my dad had lying > around, and seems to be > going just fine. > > On 7/28/06, Alan Dayley > wrote: > > > > Patrick, > > > > I don't mean to add to your frustration but, I am > confused. Having read > > your description below along with this recent > note, you seem to be saying > > that all of the players (computer, DVD disc, DVD > drive, etc.) have worked > > before but now. In other words, each piece is > "known good" or "proven > > good" but they aren't working together. > > > > When I get to a point in an investigation where > everything is supposedly > > good but it still doesn't work, I have to step > back and methodically start > > again. Maybe you could describe each involved > part of the system and why > > you know it is good. Then briefly describe each > debug step you took up to > > now. This may reveal if you missed something > along the way. > > > > (Just yesterday a colleague again taught me, for > the jillionth time in my > > life, that a hard drive works better if you attach > the power connector! > > Sometimes I have to go back to the basics, maybe > we all do.) > > > > Alan > > > > > Well, actually, I've tried two different CD/DVD > drives. > > > > > > On 7/28/06, Eric Shubes wrote: > > >> > > >> Patrick C wrote: > > >> > I've recently been trying to install openSuSe > 10.1 on my desktop, > > >> which > > >> > I have installed several times before, but > for some reason, when it > > >> gets > > >> > to the actual install phase, it always > chokes. It gives me a message > > >> > saying that a package (different package > every time) can't be found > > on > > >> > the medium (DVD). If I click retry, YaST then > crashes, and it fails. > > >> > I've already verified that the DVD is fine. > I've installed it on > > >> another > > >> > system, written the iso from a different DVD > writer, etc. I already > > >> know > > >> > that it's not the IDE cable that's bad, and I > don't think the power > > is > > >> > the problem either. I've also switched out > the RAM to make sure it > > >> > wasn't failing because of bad RAM. It had no > operating system at all > > >> > until my dad decided to restore Windows from > an image just to get > > >> > SOMETHING on there. Somehow, I get the > feeling that Windows wouldn't > > >> > install from a CD either. Oh yeah, we also > tried installing it from > > >> the > > >> > 5 CDs. Right now the computer is sitting on > it's side, laid naked on > > >> the > > >> > desk next to me and I'm sitting here rather > angry, using my sister's > > >> > computer. > > >> > > > >> > > >> Sounds like you've eliminated everything but > the DVD/CD drive. > > >> > > >> -- > > >> -Eric 'shubes' > > >> > --------------------------------------------------- > > >> PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you > mail settings: > > >> > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > >> > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you > mail settings: > > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail > settings: > > > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss > > > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - > PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail > settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss *****/////*****/////***** Ed Culbertson/ke7feg Remeber Katrina? For several days, only hams could get out, and talk to others dependably. No Morse Code required for Technician class licensee's. Interested? http://www.arrl.org/ Long live Knoppix, and Puppy Live Linux cd's. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss