Re: Linux BIOS Challenge

me_at_privacy.net
Date: 03/26/05 

Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 06:41:40 GMT

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 18:42:09 -0900, Kevin Miller
<millerboys@acsalaska.net> wrote:

>me@privacy.net wrote:
>> HI
>>
>> I'd like to conduct a survey on how many Suse Linux users found that
>> their BIOS was no longer detecting their hard drives, and what BIOS
>> they were using.
>>
>> This week I have found 3 users who had such difficulty from the
>> moment they installed that O/S. It's difficult to rationalise, but
>> then it always is until you have the answer.
>>
>> Last night I installed XP on a 4Gb had drive that had been acting as a
>> paper weight on my desk, and as the only hard drive with nothing else
>> on it, it is running like silk. A sewing machine couldn't be steadier.
>> Yet the day before, when Linux was present, it was falling all over
>> the place.
>>
>> If Linux is responsible how can it affect the BIOS before Linux is
>> loaded? I just don't know. Could it be affecting the BIOS on log off
>> and leaving the fault as some sort of legacy? There has to be an
>> explanation.
>>
>> Colin
>
>Can you be more specific? You say when it isn't detected. You mean at
>boot time? It flashes by rapidly, but usually the bios lists the drives
>it finds when going through the POST process. It isn't listed? (You
>may have to turn off the splash screen that so many vendors put on
>computers these days to see it.) What happens if you go into the BIOS?
> Does it show up in there? I presume we're talking an IDE drive. Is
>it set to auto-recognize the attached device?
>
>When you say the day before when Linux was present, do you mean just
>Linux or along w/XP? Any other devices on the IDE cable? What BIOS are
>you using? What hardware? Did you try reseating the cables?
>
>If you want to troubleshoot this you need to be systematic. Strip out
>everything that isn't involved like a 2nd drive or OS, put the drive on
>it's own IDE cable, not shared w/the CD ROM, DVD, etc. Check the cable
>select jumper on the drive to make sure it's set appropriately, etc.
>
>Your description is just a bit vague to really expect us to try to
>pinpoint what's going on. I haven't seen anything like that w/a hard
>drive but I had a similar issue w/a DVD drive once. When I first
>powered on the computer, that is from a cold start by toggling the power
>supply switch, I couldn't see the drive. If I then pressed the power
>button on the front or did a warm boot with Ctl-Alt-Del the DVD drive
>would be accessible. It turned out to be a bad DVD drive. I got a
>replacement and haven't had a problem since. You description really
>smacks of a loose cable or something that is now inserted fully when you
> promoted the HD from paperweight status and (re)installed it into the
>computer. Or maybe I'm misreading that? You have to be clear in your
>write up because we can't see the computer from here...
>
>...Kevin

I'm very happy to give you more info. I didn't want to scare people
off with loads of un interesting detail.

I know a lot more now than I did 3 months ago.

The system is my old machine running two hard drives. HD0 is 18Gb
which 5½ years ago was a staggering size. HD1 is 20Gb. Both are
entirely FAT32. Until the advent of Linux I ran XP, 98SE (twice), and
DOS 6.22, and multibooting was performed by BootitNG. The system was
rock steady during the time and was networked through a Linksys router
to my "best" computer which ran only XP. The processor is an AMD
550Ghz. The BIOS is Award and the mobo MS-6167.

I installed Linux and when finished I booted up and it failed. I
noticed that the error message said "disk failure" and referred to the
CD-ROM. I assumed that the BIOS was still pointing to the CD-ROM as
the first boot up device and entered the BIOS to change it. It was in
good order and pointing to the floppy drive.

Linux had been installed in 12Gb of a second partition behind XP.

Overtime I realised that the POST message had flown past and that this
was happening:

At boot up the BIOS found no floppy in the first device and had failed
to detect both hard drives (usually) and had finished up pointing at
an empty 3rd device - the CD-ROM.

I found that very often the solution was to do a warm boot whereupon
the BIOS successfully detected both drives and ran the Suse boot menu.

Recently I flashed an update (1999) to the BIOS to cover that option.

A few days ago I decided to buy a new hard drive. The decision meant
that I had decided to support the old machine and maintain it for the
near future.

I had an old 4Gb hard drive acting as a paper weight on my desk and
decide to do a dry run. I installed XP and it went like a dream. It
created my internet connection and found my network. It booted up
perfectly every time. Even my wife used it for the web. BIOS
aberration is a thing of the past.

I had disconnected the data cable serving my 2 hard drives at mobo
level and used a spare cable to connect to the old drive (which is
just resting on the floor of my case for the moment).

If it helps I could run this system for a period of time, say a week
or a month, and then move back to just HD0 with XP and Linux, or both
hard drives and monitor any BIOS non-detection, having first ensured
proper seating of cables.

Thank you for your time and interest. I acknowledge that my premise
might be false, but in the past the impossible has been found to be
possible (just think how the flat earth people feel today) and I am
glad that this issue is being considered.

Colin