Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up <solved after update 22 april>

[stoer]

Hi,
Just my observations...
Love ubuntu and have recently taken the plunge with Kubuntu.
-12 installs and works like a dream, (clean install on my dual booting laptop).
Recent updates, firstly a week ago to kernal -15 and today by a fresh attempt and clean install with an update to kernal -16(?..could be wrong there) leave me hanging by restart. I get no further than "loading hardware drivers......Fail".
I'm not installing anything other than the update after cleanly installing, so no added programs or drivers. I'm using an ATI Radeon mobility 9700 but have stuck with the supplied driver on the install.
Guess i'll have to wait for the final version and hope that gets me there.
The latest version of ubuntu works fine as does SUSE 10.3 KDE.
Keep up the great work, i'll just have to be patient.

[dibl]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Did it end up with a command line prompt? If not, try it in recovery mode, and see if you get a command line prompt. I think you probably need to reinstall the video driver. If you happened to have used Envy to install it, then all you need to do at the command line (as user) is

sudo envy -t

or (as Super User)

envy -t

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Hi dibl,
thanks for your reply.
1) It's a clean install, nothing added except for the available updates via the official repo's. The ATI driver is as supplied with the distro, nothing changed at all, no envy no nothing.
2)When i restart after updating i get past the grub loader and linux begins to install and then hangs, i see line for line what is being loaded until the point it hangs which is always by...

"Loading hardware drivers........................Fail"

I then end up with no prompt in the same screen, can type in what i like but nothing has any effect. I have to initiate a hard reset to restart.

3)This occurs by the normal start and also in recovery mode.

After updating i still have a working system, it just won't restart after the updates unless i take a step or two back and choose for -12 which works like a charm still.

this laptop uses a pentium m 1.6 GHz processor with 1.5 GB of memory and has a ATI radeon mobility 9700 card.

Like i say i haven't changed the drivers ( i did do about 3 installs back, using envy and had exactly the same problem ), so until i find out what is happening i'm changing nothing other than updating.

[dibl]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

When you say "end up with no prompt", is there a blinking "_" in the upper left corner? If so, try Alt-F1, and if nothing happens, Ctrl-Alt-F1. Just on the chance that the video is hanging on a splash screen.

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Hi again,
no there's no Blinking "_".

Like i say, i see line for line whats loading until it gets to the "loading hardware drivers...................", which delivers a fail. The next line comes up and everything stops.

If i try hitting enter, escape or any other key, there's a carriage return (new line) and i get to see something like :// or what ever for each keystroke.
I've even tried the function keys one for one, with no luck.

If i do nothing, and i've waited for at least 15 minutes, nothing happens.

I'm at work right now, so i'll give it another try later on and see if anything else happens.

Thanks for the imput.

[dibl]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

One of the logs at /var/log/ may have something useful. Of course when you boot the -14 kernel, that will append more to the log files. Maybe you should first attempt to boot -16, then boot the Live CD, mount the partition with the Kubuntu filesystem, and take a look in the /var/log/ logs and see if you can learn anything.

Sounds like an incompatibility/bug regarding something in your motherboard, or possibly some other hardware item. Have you searched Ubuntu Forums to see if there are reports there, for the same motherboard?

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Ok,
that sounds reasonable.
I'm working until late, still another 4 hrs to go and again early tomorrow.
I'll probably try tomorrow evening, i'll see what i can find.

Just as a matter of interest, this is what i'm using:

▼ Processor and Core Logic
Mobile Intel Pentium M (Banias), 1.5GHz-1.6GHz, 1
MB L2 with Error Correction Code 400 MHz Front Side Bus
266/333 MHz DDR interface

▼ BIOS
AMI PnP BIOS
Power On Self Test
DRAM auto-detection, auto-sizing
L2 Cache auto-detection
Hard disk type auto-detection
APM 1.2 (Advanced Power Management) &
ACPI 2.0 (Advanced Configuration Power Interface)
Two Level Password Protections
32bit access, Ultra DMA, PIO5 Mode support
Multi-boot capability

▼ Audio
Intel (ICH4M) integrated audio controller
VT1612A
DirectSound 3D, EAX 1.0 & 2.0 compatible
A3D, I3DL2 compatible
AC97 V2.3 compatible
2 Stereo Speakers with 1 Subwoofer

▼ Wireless LAN
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200, MiniPCI Interface
IEEE802.11 B & G
▼ LAN / Ethernet
Realtek RTL8100CL Ethernet function for
10/100Base-TX network standards
Windows 2000 / XP Plug and Play compatible
Automatic Jam and auto-negotiation for flow control
Auto Negotiation and Parallel detection for automatic
speed selection (IEEE 802.3u)
High performance 32-bit PCI bus master architecture
with integrated DMA controller for low CPU and bus
utilization
Remote Wake-up Scheme supported
Hot Insertion supported

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Ok....back again

I read somewhere that someone experiencing the same problem had to "reinstall...several times...." before getting the latest kernel update to work on his system, and that another user had to repeatedly "restart..." before being able to login.

Whatever...

I've reinstalled completely now about 3 times, even had linux Mint and Suse up again for a day, just to enjoy a working system keep coming back to Kubuntu though; I like it here.
So, any changes yes...Have i done anything to change my system, no.
I logged in yesterday, same problem with a hang during boot, in the same place but now i can get a "blinking cursor", just can't do anything with it. It seems like there is still an active process running that is just taking forever to get anywhere. eg I left my hanging laptop for almost 20 minutes when it stuttered back into life and went further with starting up... then hung again.
Started again, this time i unplugged my USB (Samsung)keyboard and mouse.
Got past where it's been hanging these last days then hit an error with loading/configuring the x-server. I got a pannel with something like....
Cant configure x
1 continue boot
2 cancel
3 attempt to configure automatically
I selected 3. and promptly hit another snag and again a hanging computer.
I repeated the above but this time selected 1.
KDE loaded and started
But no eth 0 and no eth 1, "no network devices detected"
Connected my USB board and mouse, both of which work fine ...
Both eth 0 and eth 1 refuse to cooperate and refuse to be "enabled", with no internet connection i'm stumped.
I'm Back in kernel-12 which just refuses to dissapoint me

I hope to heck that the finished version is going to work, i'm going slowly nuts here.

ps. since yesterday i must have tried logging into k-16 10 or more times, lets call it 60% failure (totally hung up during start up).

[Snowhog]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Reboot and enter your BIOS. Turn off both, APM and ACPI, save and restart. See if you get better results.

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Reboot and enter your BIOS. Turn off both, APM and ACPI, save and restart. See if you get better results.

Hi,
OK, turning off advanced power management didn't help, still the same problems.
Turning off ACPI (if i knew how to) is going to mess with windows xp (installed on the first partition) - right?
Something that will annoy the rest of the family...

Tried the latest RC candidate just now, i was curious to see if there were any differences...
The RC on "try first" basis loads without a problem, only i'm not getting any Network devices detected,
eth 0 and eth 1 are both unreachable, without access to the internet i'm stuck again - right?

My network card,
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200, MiniPCI Interface
IEEE802.11 B & G LAN / Ethernet
Realtek RTL8100CL Ethernet
works without a problem with everything since Dapper, also with the latest versions of Mint and Suse is it "out of the box" until now...

Sorry but i'm no way good enough to be able to figure this out (a linux toddler i'm afraid).
This laptop is only three years old, nothing special built in and this is the first time i've been unable to get a version of K(U)ubuntu to install. Frustrates the hell out of me!

[Fintan]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Frustrates the hell out of me!

Me to.
I just continue using -14 kernel.

my card:
description: Ethernet interface
product: SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet
vendor: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS]

[Merlijn]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Hi, i had the same problem you have! But with the last update came a new HAL, and i am now writing this from .16 Although i had to install the NVIDIA .run driver to get it to work, the standard nvidia-glx-new i used gave a no NVIDIA driver presents error, and refused to boot up X, but after :
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-169.12-pkg1.run
and allowing it to change my x-config, it all works like a charm now.

Good luck, and i hope your system will benefit from the latest update also!

Wilco

[Fintan]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

Yeah, that did it for me as well

[stoer]

Re: Kernel -15 and -16 hanging during start up

He he !!!
Me to - 2.6.24-16 and 3 from 3 successful loggins with networking and internet.

Life is fun again

Thanks for all the tips.