CDROM Boot Hangs But Only Under 6.x

[Tim Daneliuk]

NetOpsCenter wrote:
> illoai at gmail.com wrote:
>> On 25/12/2007, Tim Daneliuk <tundra at tundraware.com> wrote:
>>  
>>> I am building a new server out of both older and brand new
>>> components.  It is based on a Pentium D 925 and ABIT LG-95Z
>>> mobo.  The DVD-RW is a Lite-On about a year old with very
>>> low hours on it.
>>>
>>> So ... here's a fun one:  I can boot and install FreeBSD 4.x (CD)
>>> or Novell SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop 10 SP1 (DVD) via the
>>> DVD.  But attempting to do this with 6.x (I have tried 6.2R and
>>> 6.3-PRE disk #1) causes a hang during boot.  The loader gets
>>> as far as showing the vertical bar that ordinarily "spins"
>>> to show intitial kernel loading progress and the the machine
>>> just sits there.  There is some further activity on the optical
>>> drive at this point and then the cursor sort of jumps around a bit.
>>>
>>> I've not yet tried swapping the optical drive out - though I doubt
>>> this is the problem since I can load the other OSs.  I've tried
>>> removing and moving memory sticks in case this is a flakey
>>> memory problem - no change.  I've tried removing the only
>>> two cards in the machine: 3COM 905C-TX and an Adaptec 2940UW -
>>> no change.
>>>
>>> I have one last ditch thing I will try later tonight which is
>>> to force the DVD IDE port into PIO mode and out of DMA mode.
>>> But that's it.  I am stumped.  Ideas anyone?
>>>
>>>     
>>
>> If it is not hardware, check your bios settings (and mayhap
>> set back to default or very conservative) (of which the PIO
>> trick may work).
>>
>> Also, 7.0 ran extremely well for me back in Sept., you might
>> try it as an alternative.
>>
>> HTH
>>
>>   
> Aloha,
> 
> I had the same problem with a couple of older mobo's . I ended up 
> loading 6.* on a hd on a different machine that I knew worked. I 
> physically moved it to the problem box and it Worked.
> 
> I think the issue could be the size or the type of HD in my case. Some 
> older mobo bios jam up when a HD is more than 60 gig I have found.
> 
> 
> ~Al Plant - Honolulu, Hawaii -  Phone:  808-284-2740
>  + http://hawaiidakine.com + http://freebsdinfo.org + noc at hdk5.net +
>  + http://aloha50.net   - Supporting - FreeBSD 6.* - 7.* +
> "All that's really worth doing is what we do for others."- Lewis Carrol
> 

This was a brand new Abit LG-95Z mobo.  The solution was to return it
and get an Intel mobo instead.  Problem fixed.
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Daneliuk     tundra at tundraware.com
PGP Key:         http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/