noob needs help

[pure.evil]

I am trying to install a version of Linux on a removable SATA hard drive so that I can have a dedicated Linux and XP hard drive. I have tried to install Fedora Core 32 bit and 64 bit versions (as well as Ubuntu in case it was a problem with Fedora) and got the following results with all. The install goes without a problem and I'm prompted to take out the install disk and reboot. Upon reboot, it gets to the screen that shows the PCI Device listings (names, bus, IRQs, etc) and then stops after ACPI Controller. The cursor just blinks at the bottom of the screen. There are no error messages and nothing I can do (that I know of) except ctrl/alt/del. I'm eager to use Linux but am becoming frustrated, please help.

[ppesci]

try to boot with ACPI=no as parammeter in the boot line.

HTH

Pietro Pesci Feltri

[pure.evil]

I don't know where I could enter that in. After it stops it won't let me type anything. I tried to go into my BIOS to disable ACPI, but "enabled" is greyed over and it won't let me change it. Thanks for replying, if you have any more info please let me know.

[ppesci]

When your machine starts, there must be a screen to select a kernel or type it froma list, type the nameof the kernel, press space bar and put ACPI=no

I have an apple machine, but my kubuntu distro allow to me to do this

HTH

Pietro Pesci Feltri

[pure.evil]

I don't think I'm getting as far along as what you're talking about. When I start the computer I see the ASUS screen (where I can press del to enter bios) and then it goes to the screen that shows the stuff I mentioned in my first post. I think it stops where the OS should take over. Thanks again for trying. I've got postings on 5 forums now and you're the only one who has tried to help so far.

[bob]

You should be first coming to a screen (grub menu) that says 'booting Fedora Core (etc). in 5 -4-3-2-1' and before you get to zero, you should hit a key, any key, to stop the boot and then highlight the Fedora entry and hit 'e' to edit, followed by the changes mentioned. Once corrected, hit enter again and then 'b' for boot.

[pure.evil]

I haven't even seen a screen like that. This is my first experience in building a pc from the ground up so I'm not exactly sure what to expect. All I know is the stuff that is shown during the attempted linux boot is the same I see when I use my XP hard drive. After the part where linux doesn't do anything is the same thing I see before XP does its job. I'm trying not to throw my hands in the air, but it's getting tough. Thanks.

[bob]

Okay, then it looks like the installation is a bit borked. You should go back and reinstall with the no acpi option during the process and also make sure it's recognizing the Windows partition too! I'd use the 32 bit instead of the 64 bit install as well. Right now, unless you're using very specialized programs that require 64 bit, the 32 bit gives you more advantages.

When you come to the bootloader section (grub), you'll want to install that in the mbr (master boot record) to have it appear properly. You should get a purty blue screen that will give you 5 seconds to choose between Fedora and Other (Windows). If you still have problems, that's when you can hit a key to stop the boot process and then tweak the boot options.

[pure.evil]

It's not a dual boot. The hard drive will be strictly Linux. I have gone through the install multiple times and haven't found any advance setting which will allow me to turn off acpi.

[bob]

Well, check out this resource: http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_5_installation_notes.html#Installation Stanton indicates that during the installation, you'll find an area just after the partitions section about 'configure advanced boot loader options' which should get you to the area that you can select 'no acpi'.

[pure.evil]

Thanks for the help guys, I got it figured out. The problem was occurring during install. I have a hard drive that I am using for music, movies, etc. During install I was unchecking it but for some reason it was installing the mbr on that hard drive and the rest of the install on the removable sata drive I wanted to use. Since I had bios set up to not look at the ide hard drive, it was going to the removable drive and not knowing what to do with it. To think, all of this hassle and all I had to do was undo a cable. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks again for the help, it's nice to know that there are people out there willing to help a noob.

[bob]

Congrats! Thanks for posting the solution - for sure there will be others that will find it helpful.

[wshawn]

Thanks for the help guys, I got it figured out. The problem was occurring during install. I have a hard drive that I am using for music, movies, etc. During install I was unchecking it but for some reason it was installing the mbr on that hard drive and the rest of the install on the removable sata drive I wanted to use. Since I had bios set up to not look at the ide hard drive, it was going to the removable drive and not knowing what to do with it. To think, all of this hassle and all I had to do was undo a cable. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks again for the help, it's nice to know that there are people out there willing to help a noob.


An issue with the Fedora Installer is that it looks at drives in a given order which may or may not corespond with actual boot sequence, there is an "advanced" selection which allows you to select the actual boot drive. This should be changed in my opinion.

As I have been remodeling my house I have not had any time to do any formal beta testing on FC6.

BIOS is captured and ran directly by many modern operating systems. You can disable / enable features in the BIOS and your OS can override / ignore it.