newly built P166 box for Linux cant complete any OS install without an error?!?!

[daveqb]

hi all,

i put together an old AT P166 system to play around with Linux etc, but i cant install anything on it.

it boots fine, with floppy or CD-ROM
i can start an installation, but always get an error in copying files

have tried
Linux Red Hat 7.3
Linux Red Hat 8.0
Wins NT 4.0

all failed

i had trouble with the floppy to start with (always an error upon booting up) and found the cable to be the fault.

i have changed IDE cables for the HDD and CD-ROM, had them sharing a channel, had them on their own channel

any ideas guys ???

thanx

 

[foofoo]

hi,
in my experience, this is most often caused by bad ram. try swapping out for known good ram and hopefully that should fix it.
good luck.

 

[daveqb]

yeah, good one!

in thinking bout it, your right, i have had the same experience...

i am running GoldMemory right now on it...we'll see how she goes by morning

thanx for the reply

PS all components bought second had, so i shouldnt be surprised.

 

[Kenazo]

I'd bet on the Ram issue as well. I had a system w/ the same specs and I couldn't install win98, win95, linux, nothing. I swapped some different ram in, and it was a breeze.

 

[n0cmonkey]

If it is not the RAM give us the exact error so we can help. Good luck

 

[daveqb]

well i tested the rAM over night with Goldmemory

tested perfect.

havent any other EDO RAM here to swap over with

best i can do is take half out and try etc...

my thoughts are its a SB/IDE controller issue on the mobo....
but the guy i bought board off said it was running Win98 fine!

any other suggestions ??

i have the board i replaced still here
it has a CMOS problem and can only boot with C:\

i am gonna try that mobo with a HDD install of an OS: to test if the IDE controller is the problem

the errors i get in RH are simply a pause in copying of files/installing and a message saying something like
unable to install Pearl...."
theres been a fatal error, normally mean there's not enough space, a medium error of a hardware failure. press enter to reboot your system"

i tried Pesnut linux thiinking the 100-200 mb space i am leaving on the HDD isnt enough,
but that install simply, stalled. no message.
NT's error was similiar, said that the fine on the HDD was different to the file on CD that it copied from, basicly
and that i could continue but be aware of the problems by misisng system files.
so i aborted.

any ideas apreciated

 

[n0cmonkey]

Try a different IDE controller.
Try a different hard drive.
Try better cables.
Try different RAM (no matter what some test says).

 

[daveqb]

yeah HDD and mem have tested good, so i think my first thing to test is a different IDE controller, which means swapping the MoBo's over

then we'll know more eh?


edit: typo

 

[JustinLerner]

Whenever I've had problems "copying" setup files, it was either the HD or CD-ROM drives, not the memory or controllers. However, if your CMOS is faulty and can only boot from C: when there are CMOS options to boot from other drives, you may have a board level problem (CMOS, integrated circuitry or controllers).

If the errors occur while copying from CD to HD, then probably one of those two is at fault (they have moving parts).

Try another CD-ROM drive or HD. In my experience, bad drives will often 'auto detect' with the correct manufacturer parameters and other info and give the appearance they are good.
Run some HD drive tests with manufacturer utilites before trying another HD. If the HD tests ok, then guess the problem is probably the CD drive and try another CD-ROM drive.

If the controller was bad, you should have controller failure indications at boot. If the memory was bad you should also get audio code beeps letting you know. These beeps may or may not occur in either case even if those components are faulty, but normally they do.

 

[daveqb]

through experience i have found it a CPU/mem problem when installing constantly fail,s but you could quite well be right here ...

lets just clear my bad explaining
i have 2 mobo's here,
the one i am not using now and picked up this other one for AU$20 to replace has a dead battery that only soldering can replace (never soldered before)
therefore you cant save CMOS and re-boot and default is boot from C:\ , i cant boot from the FDD

Run some HD drive tests with manufacturer utilites before trying another HD. If the HD tests ok, then guess the problem is probably the CD drive and try another CD-ROM drive.

i have ran all the Maxtor tests on this HDD and it passed no problems.....

i'll try another CD-ROM then first, before i swapp MoBo's

thanx guys for the replies

 

[monckywrench]

You might want to try Debian or a Debian-based distro like Progeny. I don't recall which older chipset or controller I had that would hang on Red Hat based distros, but it was on an old Socket 7 board. Debian installed and ran fine.

 

[Buk]

I've been working on an old AT system for several days and had the same problem. When I installed the operating system (W95, W98) it was either a random error during the install or the screen went to hell when the system restarted. Tried everything - finally discovered it was because of my monitor! I was using an old 14" Scott (made in 1990). When I replaced it with an old 14" NEC Multisync 3D, all went together fine. Who would have thought it would be the monitor?

 

[daveqb]

yeah!
hmmmm

maybe a drain on the samll PSU ?!?!
thats a good one....might try that too....
havent tried anything from ^ yet, got assignments and exams right now, but will asap