Why Can't Slackware 10.0 Access My Hard Disk During Installation?

[franznietzsche]

I'm trying to install slackware 10.0 on my computer, as a 3rd OS, with WinXP, and Fedora Core 3 already installed.

I download the isos, check the md5s, they match. I boot from the slackware disc, and from then on its nothing but problems. For some reason fdisk will not access my hard disk to format it. I quit out, run fdisk in fedora to format the "unallocated space" as a linux partition. It works fine. I reboot on the slackware install disk. It tells me there is no swap space (there is since I'm already running fedora), and it tells me there are no linux partitions detected (there are 4 linux partitions, 1 boot, 1 root, 1 home and 1 blank that I'm trying to install slackware to.

my hard drive is at /dev/sda but it tells me its unable to access it. Again, fdisk under fedora had no problem pulling it up.

I'm completely stuck as to what to do. ANy ideas?

Also: running cfdisk just brings up a fatal error.

 

[gazzo]

Run the install with a 2.6.x kernel. I think you can specify to use one when you're booting the install.'

EDIT: Come to think of it, maybe not. You'll have to use a boot disk.
/ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/bootdisks/[/URL]
or check this out
[URL=http://4elements.4mg.com/#top.]http://4elements.4mg.com/#top.[/URL]

Hope this helps :smile: :smile:

 

[franznietzsche]

Hope this helps

I don't get the funny...

At any rate I'm dowloading the SATA iso, hopefully that will work.

I actually don't have a floppy drive (haven't used a flppy in years, didn't expect to suddenly need one)

 

[graphic7]

I don't get the funny...

At any rate I'm dowloading the SATA iso, hopefully that will work.

I actually don't have a floppy drive (haven't used a flppy in years, didn't expect to suddenly need one)

It sounds like Slackware isn't seeing your IDE controller. This is pretty common if you have a Promise, Adaptec, etc.

As suggested, try booting the 2.6.x kernel and see what happens. Perhaps the Slackware developers decided to compile in support for your IDE controller.

 

[franznietzsche]

well the sata.i did nothing to fix the problem.

how do i run the install with 2.6.x? i can't find anything on how to do this.

 

[franznietzsche]

Run the install with a 2.6.x kernel. I think you can specify to use one when you're booting the install.'

EDIT: Come to think of it, maybe not. You'll have to use a boot disk.
/ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/bootdisks/[/URL]
or check this out
[URL=http://4elements.4mg.com/#top.]http://4elements.4mg.com/#top.[/URL]

Hope this helps :smile: :smile:[/QUOTE]


those boot disks are all kernel 2.4, is there actually anyway to boot 2.6 to install from? as far as I've found there is not. I can't even find a similar case of this problem anywhere.

 

[gazzo]

do u have an old PATA hard drive?

You could always do an install onto that, compile a brand new 2.6.10 on it, then copy everything over to the SATA once it's setup? =o

 

[franznietzsche]

NO i only have the SATA hard drive. i tried to set it to "legacy ATA" but i could not find any place in BIOS options to set that.

 

[gazzo]

checkout http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?postid=960957#post960957 thread.

I think the 2.6.7 kernel is in the testing directory on CD2. can you specifiy it during install ?