Re: ack! help!!!! something went dreadfully wrong!

Who gives a rats behind if it's not the "proper-list."  Something simply
called diplomacy and troubleshooting for a fellow Debian KDE-CVS Linux
User is in order.

I agree possibly with Tomas's suggestion on a new disk but think it
through first.

DMA is a BIOS related issue that if turned on by the kernel must be
enabled within the BIOS.

However, this may not be the disk drive but a parameter/module you have
enabled in your latest kernel that is not happy (i.e., it doesn't support
such dma functionality and thus pukes).

If you haven't updated your kernel of late than that is not an issue and
it is indeed either one of three scenario:

    * EIDE Controller Ribbon Cable is failing giving false information
    * EIDE on-board controller is failing-- swap cables and reconfigure
master/slave configuration within your BIOS to test if the disk will
now boot, though likely your CD drive will now fail if it does a dma
probe
    * Hard drive is trashed (the LBA sector error is suspect and go get a
new drive*

*I am suspect to this actually being the case because the disk should have
failed the BIOS seek check before LILO or my favorite, GRUB(switch you
won't be disappointed) is invoked.

What does the BIOS boot-up sequence tell you?  If nothing fails it's most
likely a kernel issue.

Check your "Generic PCI bus-master DMA support" within your Kernel.

/boot/config-your-kernel-version-file

I haven't seen where anyone has asked you what kernel you are using.

I am using the Latest 2.6

Excerpt from config-2.6.1-rc2

> #
> # IDE chipset support/bugfixes
> #
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640=y
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640_ENHANCED is not set
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPNP is not set
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI=y
> CONFIG_IDEPCI_SHARE_IRQ=y
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OFFBOARD is not set
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_GENERIC=y
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OPTI621 is not set
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RZ1000=y
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI=y
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_FORCED is not set
> CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_AUTO=y
> # CONFIG_IDEDMA_ONLYDISK is not set
> # CONFIG_IDEDMA_PCI_WIP is not set
> CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ADMA=y
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AEC62XX is not set
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI15X3 is not set
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AMD74XX is not set
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X is not set
> # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRIFLEX is not set


If you have changed any of these parameters (presuming you even had a
kernel update and recompile) then I would trouble shoot this as a
possibility, as well.

If you boot off a floppy emergency disk you automagically will be in
single-user mode.  Then you can mount your disk with the mnt command and
start diagnosing your kernel as well as run a fsck, etc.

I would suggest GRUB with ReiserFS being mandatory for Linux.  A lot less
headaches all around.


Sincerely Yours,

Marc J. Driftmeyer








> i tried that just now and it won't give me any mode. it auto-boots into
> lilo
> startup. i tried space, tab, enter, typing 'linux' etc...it won't respond.
> it
> just boots up lilo automatically.
>
> btw, re: rober'ts email:  i did ask on here if it was safe for me to do
> this
> and i was told by some that it was. please don't flame me for trying
> something
> which i was told was safe to do. i'm not blaming anyone at all, but i did
> ask
> and i'd appreciate not getting slammed for it, okay?
>
>
> and btw, that message spamming the screen about hdb being in trouble only
> starts after i try to log into kde with the panel in kdm. it doesn't start
> before. so obviously something is messed up with kde or with my hd in
> response
> to my having upgraded. i'll upgrade the kernel if i have to but i have no
> idea
> how to do that. if somebody can please tell me how to do that, it would be
> very much appreciated.
>
> thank you.
>
> sav.
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Aditya Sengupta <[email protected]>:
>
>> Try logging in in single user mode, ie in the lilo boot, add linux
>> single to the : line.
>> Then when queried provide the root password.
>>
>> then fsck your devices.
>>
>>
>> Savanna wrote:
>>
>> >i tried that again and it's still doing it. i turned it off completely
>> twice
>>
>> >and it won't do anything different. =(
>> >
>> >i have a hard drive which is partitioned. hdb is partitioned into like
>> 4
>> >sections. i think /var and /home and a few others are on hdb. /root and
>> /swap
>> >are on hda i think...
>> >
>> >what should i do? this is so bad...=( how can i fix this? is there any
>> way?
>> =(
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Quoting Tobias Schlottke <[email protected]>:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >>There seems to be a problem with your harddisk...
>> >>Maybe the upgrade also upgraded your kernel?
>> >>You should restart your machine again, maybe switch it off for a
>> minute.
>> >>
>> >>Tobi
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
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>> >
>> >
>>
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>
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