Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long

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Author: Ernie L. Bérriz
Date:  
Subject: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
Follow-up to the follow-up:

The problem was not the CD drive at all, but a mismatch between two
different RAM memory modules.

It occurred to me that I had added a 256-MB DIMM to the system board a few
weeks before I tried to install Linux, in an attempt to troubleshoot a
problem where Windows 98 was running very slowly. The additional memory
didn't help, but didn't hurt the problem any. [Note: that problem turned out
to be McAfee VirusScan Professional 7.0: removing it from the system fixed
that problem.]

After removing that DIMM, I was able to install Red Hat Linux without any
problems. I remember reading that Linux was more sensitive to RAM with
different access speeds than Windows, and I believe that's the difference: I
will do a little research on the different DIMMs on my system and report
back.

The thing I find most confusing now is that the install and system log
messages did not mention anything about RAM problems (although this may not
be unusual if the hardware is not actually failing), but it did show CD
drive error messages, which were cryptic at best.

Is there any documentation that lists the error messages encountered? For
example, 

           <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: status 0x51 {DriveReady SeekComplete
Error}
           <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: error 0x30


found in the system message log?


Thanks to all for your help.


Ernie


Ernie L. Bérriz
Mesa, Arizona
Fax: 509.752.6776



| -----Original Message-----
| From:
| [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Alan
| Dayley
| Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 6:38 PM
| To:
| Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
|
|
| I have seen this sort of thing on a much older computer (166MHz
| Pentium) It had a PCI card for the hard drive interface. Ran
| Windows 98 just fine but RedHat, Slackware and an old version of
| SuSE were So slow it was pitiful.
|
| After one google search I found that the IDE controller chip was
| a known buggy thing that couldn't handle Linux. Pages of horror
| stories. So, I got a new controller at a used parts place and
| all was well. In your case with the controller on the mother
| board, you would have to change out the whole board.
|
| So, yes, Linux does handle it differently. The BIOS in the PC
| provides facilities for accessing the hardware devices, including
| the hard disk interface. Windows tends to use the BIOS
| facilities. Linux usually ignores or bypasses the BIOS
| facilities and talks directly to the controller chip. I figured
| this was why the chip worked under Windows but was garbage for
| Linux. (BTW, the Linux method of talking to the chip directly is
| why the Linux can get around the 8GB maximum limit of some older
| BIOS sets. Linux goes around the BIOS so the limit does not apply!)
|
| Find the number of the IDE controller chip, if you can, by
| reading the chip markings (if you know which chip it is) or by
| finding what driver loads. Then google it with "<chip
| number/name> linux" Your answer may be right there.
|
| Alan
|
| -------Original Message-------
| From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" <>
| Sent: 06/02/03 03:20 PM
| To:
| Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
|
| >
| > Follow-up:
|
| I tried installing Red Hat 8.0 on two other systems (one a 450-MHz Pentium
| II, another a Pentium 4), and the installation went fine on both systems,
| or
| would have if I hadn't stopped it before actually copying the files.
|
| I then took the CD drive from one of those systems and swapped it with the
| one on the failing system, and the problem is still there (very slow). The
| IDE cable has been swapped as well.
|
| At this point, I am assuming there is some kind of incompatibility between
| the CPU board (an HP Pavilion model 8260) and Red Hat Linux 8.0. I was
| planning on upgrading/replacing this system, and this may be an excellent
| time to do it. I may also try some other distro, as a test if nothing
| else.
|
| If anybody has any different ideas, I would be very glad to hear them!
|
| Windows 98 provides the driver for the CD drive automatically (there are
| no
| drivers to download), and it runs fine in that OS. I can only assume that
| the Red Hat installation CD does not provide an adequate driver, at least
| for that CPU board. Which I guess leads me to ask: is there a difference
| in
| the way Linux and Windows (W98 in this case) access the hardware?
|
|
| As always, any help would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for all the
| suggestions to date as well!
|
|
|
| Ernie L. B.rriz
|  Mesa, Arizona
|   Fax:  509.752.6776
|

|
|
| | -----Original Message-----
| | From: 
| | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Ernie
| | L. B.rriz
| | Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 12:53 PM
| | To: 
| | Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| |
| |
| | I have yet to resolve my problem (I opened up an incident with
| | Red Hat), but
| | I wanted to report on what I have found out.
| |
| | I am attempting to install Red Hat 8.0 from a boxed-CD set, and
| | although the
| | installation seems to go fine, it is taking WAY too long. I was doing a
| CD
| | boot installation, in text mode, and got to the point where it started
| | actually installing the components. The installation was slow to
| | this point,
| | but, being interactive, it was manageable. At this point, I left it
| | installing the
| | components and went to bed. After six hours, the installation program
| said
| | it still had ten (10) more hours to go.
| |
| | The system has a Pentium-II processor running at 266-MHz with
| | 540-MB of RAM,
| | and I was installing to a secondary 13-GB IDE drive (hdb or D:,
| | depending on
| | the OS). Not state of the art, but capable of RH8, per the HCL. I
| verified
| | the first CD (the installation has never gotten past the first CD), and
| | passed, although it took 57 minutes to run mediacheck. The CD light
| blinks
| | very slowly, compared to when it runs under Windows 98, which is the OS
| | running on the first hard drive. I ran a test of the CD drive
| | using Easy CD
| | Creator, and it runs fine.
| |
| | I also tried making a disk driver diskette, and redid the
| | installation using
| | this diskette: no help. The install log doesn't show anything
| significant,
| | but the system log shows the following message several times:
| |
| |        <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: status 0x51 {DriveReady
| | SeekComplete Error}
| |        <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: error 0x30
| |
| | At this point, I am waiting for Red Hat's word on this, and I also want
| to
| | try installing to a different system (I have another system with a P4
| | processor, but I have to wrestle it away from my kids). I will report
| back
| | anything else I find, but in the meantime, if anyone has any ideas, they
| | would be GREATLY appreciated.
| |
| |
| | Ernie
| |
| | Ernie L. B.rriz
| |  Mesa, Arizona
| |   Fax:  509.752.6776
| |    
| |
| |
| | | -----Original Message-----
| | | From: 
| | | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of
| Thomas
| | | Cameron
| | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 10:18 AM
| | | To: 
| | | Subject: Re: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| | |
| | |
| | | That's highly unusual - did you verify disks first?  Sounds
| | like bad media
| | | or CD drive.
| | | --
| | | Thomas Cameron, RHCE, CNE, MCSE, MCT
| | | Cameron Technical Services, Inc.
| | | (512) 454-3200 Main
| | | http://www.camerontech.com
| | |
| | | ----- Original Message -----
| | | From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" <>
| | | To: <>
| | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 12:08 PM
| | | Subject: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| | |
| | |
| | | > I am attempting to install my first Linux system, Red Hat 8.0, from
| a
| | | boxed
| | | > set. I was doing the text-based installation, taking my time to
| | | make sure
| | | I
| | | > understood as much as possible for future reference, and
| | | everything seemed
| | | > to be going fine, except for the fact that after 6 hours of
| | | installing the
| | | > RPMs, the installation counter showed it still had 10 hours to go.
| | | >
| | | > I have read all the documentation I could get my hands on,
| | searched the
| | | Red
| | | > Hat site, as wells as googled for more information, all to no
| | | avail. I am
| | | > assuming this is not normal :)
| | | >
| | | > My system is a Pentium-II running at 266-MHz with 640-MB of
| | RAM, a 13-GB
| | | IDE
| | | > hard drive for the Linux system, and a CD-RW drive, from which I am
| | | > installing. It's not state-of-the-art, but it's well within the
| specs
| | | listed
| | | > by Red Hat in their Hardware Compatibility List. It also has
| | | been running
| | | > Windows 98 with no problems.
| | | >
| | | > I was attempting to install it on the second drive (hdb or D:\,
| | | depending
| | | on
| | | > the OS), and using GRUB to choose the OS to boot. Drive C:\ still
| has
| | | > Windows 98 on it.
| | | >
| | | > This is all the information I can think of that may be
| | relevant to this
| | | > problem, but I will be glad to provide anything else that may help
| to
| | | > analyze this problem.
| | | >
| | | > I would be extremely grateful for any assistance.
| | | >
| | | >
| | | > Ernie L. B.rriz
| | | >  Mesa, Arizona
| | | >   Fax:  509.752.6776
| | | >    
| | | > ---
---
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