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[FIXED] Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 25. Apr 2012, 07:33
by Atip
After a new distro installation failed and had to be aborted I cannot access anything anymore, except TC Linux from a USB stick where I am in now. Booting into the hard drives, from any Live CD or other USB installation like Salix-XFCE4-Live booting starts, then all those numbers and comments scroll and at a certain point stops and after a while the system hangs. Those numbers say for example ata2.00 status {DRDY ERR} or ATA bus error or time out which I have always seen before. Would not know which and what exactly. I took a picture of those messages and can provide if this is needed. From TC Linux I did a reiserfsck which changed nothing.
I have a feeling it has something to do with /dev/proc. (Guess that's wrong)
From TC Linux I can mount all partitions on my HD and access them they look as brisk as ever.
Not much more info I can give. Hopefully there is a way to straighten this problem since for now I am stuck.
Edit: On further thought this might be a problem of the MOBO since booting from any media, be it HD, CD or Flash Drive the pattern is the same. Initial start then stall followed by system freeze. My MOBO is 2003
vintage. Only TC Linux can be booted since it runs of RAM only.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 26. Apr 2012, 17:37
by gapan
These sound awfully like hardware problems.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 26. Apr 2012, 19:27
by Shador
What about live or any system on a different, independent media? Can you boot those? Do you have some information about the HDD? Can you check its partitioning like this:
Repeat the second command for every hard drive you have in that machine.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 27. Apr 2012, 01:28
by Atip
Shador wrote:What about live or any system on a different, independent media? Can you boot those? Do you have some information about the HDD? Can you check its partitioning like this:
Repeat the second command for every hard drive you have in that machine.
As mentioned I cannot boot from any media be it HD, CD or FD stick except TC Linux.
Code: Select all
~$ fdisk -l
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 3 24066 6 FAT16
/dev/sda2 4 6 24097+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 7 9729 78099997+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 7 4468 35840983+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda6 4469 6509 16387072+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 6510 9729 25864618+ 83 Linux
Disk /dev/sdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 6 48163+ c Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sdb2 7 133 1020127+ 82 Linux swap
/dev/sdb3 134 9729 77079870 5 Extended
/dev/sdb5 134 2683 20480702 83 Linux
/dev/sdb6 * 3356 7944 36861111 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 7945 9729 14337981 83 Linux
/dev/sdb8 2683 3355 5398528 82 Linux swap
Partition table entries are not in disk order
Disk /dev/sdc: 4040 MB, 4040748544 bytes
125 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1018 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 7750 * 512 = 3968000 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 * 1 1018 3944719 83 Linux
:~$ parted /dev/sda print
WARNING: You are not superuser. Watch out for permissions.
Model: ATA ST380215A (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 80.0GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 32.3kB 24.7MB 24.6MB primary fat16
2 24.7MB 49.4MB 24.7MB primary ext2
3 49.4MB 80.0GB 80.0GB extended
5 49.4MB 36.8GB 36.7GB logical reiserfs
6 36.8GB 53.5GB 16.8GB logical reiserfs
7 53.5GB 80.0GB 26.5GB logical reiserfs
If I will do this command parted for /dev/sdb system freezes, in fact that happens with any disk command for /dev/sdb.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 27. Apr 2012, 07:05
by Shador
Remove the sdb disk and see whether everything returns to normal. Probably that drive is failing which can cause it to timeout. Recently had that problem due to bad blocks with a drive at work but far less severe. Try to check the drive using a long smart test and send it back if you still have some sort of memory. No idea whether you still can rescue some data but I guess you need to use some backup.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 27. Apr 2012, 07:55
by Atip
Shador wrote:Remove the sdb disk and see whether everything returns to normal. Probably that drive is failing which can cause it to timeout. Recently had that problem due to bad blocks with a drive at work but far less severe. Try to check the drive using a long smart test and send it back if you still have some sort of memory. No idea whether you still can rescue some data but I guess you need to use some backup.
Thanks I have tried that several times and it did not change anything. Beside the swap that drive is used for testing distros so nothing is really lost. I even reformatted partitions sdb6/7 using the TC Linux Live CD which later would not start as well. Nothing changed. And a while ago my PC desktop apparently just died, can't start it at all.
Time to go to hospital or cemetery. Using now my wife's HP-2133 netbook Salix-XFCE4. A bit cumbersome.
Re: Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 27. Apr 2012, 08:21
by Shador
As I said try checking smart data and running a long smart test.
Re: [FIXED] Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 28. Apr 2012, 11:43
by Atip
It was the MOBO after all. One capacitor had blown. Got brand new 2nd hand board.
HDs working properly nothing lost.
Re: [FIXED] Booting Stalls then System hangs
Posted: 28. Apr 2012, 17:49
by Shador
Glad you found it. With local access to the machine you're always in the best position to debug the problem and HDD was just my first guess. Sounds like a cheap mobo though.
I've only seen this with a bad flatscreen display, which has now new and reliable capacitors in place. For a screen the boards are fortunately relatively simple.