Linux Installation Problem!

M

I have been using Linux for quiet some years (Dual boot system: Win Xp and Linux). I recently saw an article on virtualisation using VMwizard and VMPlayer and thought of giving it a try. But after installation I found that combining Windows and linux was not easy and thus thought of reverting back to my old dual boot system. But after restarting the computer I was shown the Grub bootloader (which i had installed during virtualisation try). To remove it I used FIXMBR option from my Win Xp CD. I then proceeded to format the partition where I had installed the virtual machine.
Later when I tried to reinstall Suse Linux 10.1 on this dedicated partition everything went smoothly until linux tried to set the Time. At this point the hard disk started to work as if finding it difficult to search something. It went on for 30 minutes before I thought of restarting the computer and try 64-bit Suse 10.1 instead. But then again the same problem occured during time-zone setting. I tried with my older Suse 10.0 DVD but no solution.
What has gone wrong?

Your question is to messy... Be more clear.. Do you get any error message.. Try switching to an VC using Alt+F1 to F6 and check for errors

M

Well Vignesh, after trying virtualisation I wanted to turn back to my old dual boot system. For this I had removed virtual machine and all associated files. I had also used FIXMBR from Win XP CD to correct MBR which had changed during my virtualisation trial.
Its is during fresh installation of Suse that I faced the problem. Like said earlier after the message "loading cataloges" under system anaysis step the installation pointer on the left moves to "Time zone setting". It is at this point that my computer gets hung. Only the mouse and HDD works with HDD working furiously as if to find something. Nothing else happens no matter what button or key I press. Only thing out is to reset the machine.

Switch to a virtual console and see the error messages and post it here..

M

U r not getting me Vignesh! There is no virtual console now and there r no error messages. The system just stops responding and is caught-up in some sort of cycle.

Its some partition table error I guess. Give us an o/p of your HDD partitioning by passing 'fdisk -l' in the *nix terminal.

M

I have 160 GB HDD divided into 5 partitions. First 3 partitions are formated in NTFS and 4th partition in FAT32 (for windows and linux to be able to gain full rights to it). 5th partition is not formated and is meant for linux installation only. On using "fdisk -l" in linux (I used rescue mode after booting from Linux CD), I got the following:

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units=cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 3048 24483028+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 3049 19457 131805292+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 3049 9132 48869698+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 9133 13392 34218418+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 13393 14738 10811713+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8 14739 19457 37905336 6 FAT16

QwertyManiac, can u find anything wrong in this?

hmm... AFAIK the problem has occured when it tried to run, ntpdate. Try removing ntpdate from the default/boot runlevel.
I dont know exactly how's it in SuSE.. i _think_ the init scripts may be in /etc/rc.d . I'm not sure, may be /etc/init.d too. You have to rename ntpd script to something else or maybe (better idea) post the contents of that script here.
I dunno whats in Suse, we use rc-update in gentoo to change (add/remove) the boot scripts.
Besides, you said that hard disk spins vigorously while trying to "Set Time".. hmm. I'am not sure (attack?!

) about this.
Anyways, you can run this to set time manually, afterwards.

Code:

ntpdate -u -b pool.ntp.org

Normally,when FIXMBR command is executed, a fresh MBR is created
So it removes the existing entries in the MBR
The configuration made by the GRUB to the MBR would not be valid after executing FIXMBR command

Check your BIOS and see if your time settings are right. Also, if you use LAN, then disconnect your LAN wire. It seems that some how your BIOS is giving wrong time information and installation procedure is trying to correct that.

@eddie: isn't it trying to synchronize time with ntp server? The lag is always there, isn't it?

M

Time in BIOS is OK. My Win XP is showing no problem too with time and date (it would have been if there was something wrong with BIOS timing). I tried installing Linux with LAN cable disconnected. No success. Sync lag shud be OK but 40 minutes without any o/p is not.

thats why i said, boot in rescue mode and remove/rename that script and post it here.

Just don`t configure your lan card or modem during installation.

M

vignesh said:
Just don`t configure your lan card or modem during installation.

Vignesh, I don't configure LAN/Modem as never reach that step during installation. The step where I get stuck is way before.

Satissh S said:
thats why i said, boot in rescue mode and remove/rename that script and post it here.

Satissh, can u please tell me how to remove/rename and post the script after I login in rescue mode as root? I m not very familiar with linux commands (I use it for basic purposes only :-l )

I'm not very much into suse, ofcourse you can find that ntpd script in /etc/init.d or /etc/rc.d/ . I am not sure, anyways just use mv command to rename the file

Code:

mv file1 file2

changes name of file 1 to file 2. Thats just a cheap way to do it. There must be some better way to manage startup scripts in SuSE.

M

Boss, there is no /etc as there is no linux installed.

huh. Then install it first. I cant understand a thing from what you are saying. You said earlier that you had SuSE installed.. didn't you?

Try to use best virtual installation software to do this.

Visit: www.techuptodate.blogspot.com

M

OK, I'll explain in brief again:
1. I HAD Suse 10.0 and my system was dual boot With Win XP
(covering 4 partitions) and Linux.

2. I wanted to try virtualisation using VMWizard and VMPlayer for which I removed my existing Suse.

3. I didn't like virtualisation - so I uninstalled it and removed virtual machine.

4. Tried installing Suse back so as to be like old Dual Boot System.

5. It is here that installation of linux failed. I tried Suse 10.0, Suse 10.1 and Fedora Core 4 & 6. Nothing worked and all installation failed.

Have you tried text mode install for any of these distros ?

M

Yeah, I did that too but even that didn't work :-(

In the meantime, I had reinstalled VMPlayer and VMWizard in Windows XP and tried installing Suse again (just to see if this problem is due to any of these softwares) and VOILA! I reached much ahead in installation (ie. I was able to select Time Zone during installation under virtualisation and proceed further for software selection). Although I still failed to install Suse as some error showed up in virtual screen and I had to abort (I was able to install Suse earlier from the very same DVD)

Well, this atleast confirms that all these problems were caused by VMWizard/VMPlayer during my previous installation of Suse under virtualisation. Only what these softwares actually did is unknown.

Anybody familiar with these softwares or virtualisation??