Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

[jlsturgeon]

I have been trying to install various versions of Ubuntu/Kubuntu onto a desktop PC I built for my daughter a couple years ago. It had been running Windows XP fine other than the expected continual virus problems. She finally decided she was tired of all the virus problems, so we tried installing from two different Ubuntu/Kubuntu 8X disks without success. Both got as far as loading the kernel and then hung endlessly on the screen with the logo and the loading bar. I ran a memory test and tried turning off acpi in the boot options but the memory test passed and the behavior on boot was exactly the same. This happened whether I tried to actually install or just boot from the live CD. As a temporary stopgap, I went ahead and reinstalled XP on the OS partition of the drive so that she would have a useable computer until I could figure out the install issue. Yesterday, we attempted to install and to boot to live CD version of Jaunty Jackalope. Both failed as well, but this time I got some error messages to work with. We tried installing first, and that eventually hung and generated the error message:
udevd-event [2618]: exec of program lib/udev/ata_id failed [OK]
init: re-default main process (2824) terminated with status 127
I tried searching forums and Google for this error message, but without success. Later, I had her boot the computer from live CD and that also hung with a different error message:
init: re-default main process (2713) terminated with status 127
The line beginning "udevd-event" didn't appear in that message. I'm a bit flummoxed and am hoping someone can tell me if there is some hardware incompatibility or something that needs to be addressed. The exact specifications of the box are a bit hazy in my recollection, but it is a recent (~3 yr old model) socket 775 Abit mobo with 2Gb memory, a Pentium D-series chip (I think a 930), a SATA hdd around 200Gb, an NVIDIA graphics card, and a wireless networking card. If details of any of those items appear relevant, I can look them up. Any help you can offer would be appreciated, since I have some experience installing and running Linux but am in no way an expert user! Thanks.

[lmilano]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

Hi,

In principle this should be a piece of cake. A very frequent issue is CD burning speed/settings, could you please check this?

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3099811.0

Best!

[jlsturgeon]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

Thanks for the suggestion. It frankly hadn't occurred to me that it could really be a disk problem because one of the 8.x disks that failed without any error messages was a Dell-provided Ubuntu disk that shipped with my laptop. Nonetheless, I will pursue the steps suggested in the post you linked. At the moment, I have verified the checksum but am having difficulty figuring out how to burn a disk at 4x speed (!!) because neither the software nor the hardware I have on the box where I downloaded the image appear to support such a slow burning mode. I dl'ed the image on my Windoze box because it has the fastest internet connection, but neither Nero nor Infrarecorder allow me to burn at 4x. Infrarecorder gives me no speed options at all for burning an image and the slowest speed Nero offers is 8x. Windoze XP itself allows me to turn the speed down to 4x and slower, but since you can't burn a disk image with the built-in XP disk burning utility, that doesn't really help. If I transfer the image to another box via my wireless LAN connection to burn it under Linux, can I just verify the checksum the same way to ensure that it didn't get corrupted during transfer?

[lmilano]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

Exactly. If you use k3b to burn it, you have a lot of control, and for the same price-tag you get a checksum verification while you load the image ...

[vinnywright]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

I recentley got a batch of Memorex CD-R 52x 700MB 80min at a good price at wallmart.
geting home I promptley set out to burn some .ISO's .

K3b opens and as allways I click speed..............................16x was the lowest speed I could chose.

bewilderd I start checking and closing and reopening and trying agin .................. .......finaley I decide to dig in the trash and have a look at the rapper on the 50 pack of disks.
low and behold in fine print is the line......16 to 52x ..........so I gess K3b was right and the slowest it was suposed to right to the disk WAS 16x :P

MORAL: read the fine print befor you spend your cash.....................BUT all 4 of the ISO's I DID burn at 16x were fine.......................just lucky I gess. 8)

VINNY

[jlsturgeon]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

Ok, I burned a new copy of the disk image, at 8x speed because no matter what software/hardware combo I used (including K3b), 8x was the slowest option I could get. I tested the disk on my main box and was able to successfully live boot into KDE with no problems whatsoever. We cleaned the CD-ROM drive on my daughter's computer with compressed air and attempted to boot from the CD. We received the same error listed in the original post. We then attempted to do a live boot and it was again unsuccessful, returning the error message listed above. I see no indication that this a problem with the disk. If it were the optical drive itself, would I have been able to reinstall Windoze with no problems as I did subsequent to receiving the first error messages? I remain puzzled... Suggestions?

[dibl]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

I remain puzzled... Suggestions?

Try it on another PC. Here are the possible outcomes:

1. It boots correctly. Conclusion: There's an issue with your daughter's optical drive or the interface to it.

2. It doesn't boot. Conclusion: Probably there's something wrong with the CD/burn. Try it on a third PC -- if it won't work there, you're done.

[lmilano]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

I remain puzzled... Suggestions?

Try it on another PC. Here are the possible outcomes:

1. It boots correctly. Conclusion: There's an issue with your daughter's optical drive or the interface to it.

2. It doesn't boot. Conclusion: Probably there's something wrong with the CD/burn. Try it on a third PC -- if it won't work there, you're done.

But see the whole post: they did test the cd on another machine, so it works. And hey were able to install Windows with that same drive, so the drive is ok. Personally, I would see if Karmic bootsw up, at least to see if I will be able to install the RC in a month or so ...

[dibl]

Re: Install from CD and boot from live CD both fail with error messages

Just because a Windows CD works in the optical drive does not necessarily mean a Linux CD will be read correctly, especially if the Windows CD was burned somewhere else and the Linux CD was burned on that drive.