FC6 can not identify hard disk controller?

[s-strong]

On my new Dell Inspiron 1501 I'm unable to install FC6 due to impossibility for its installer to identify my hardware - as I do suppose - the hard disk controller. For with a time it says, No disks available to install upon. And on the 4th console (that I get to by pressing Alt-F4) I see the following errors:

IRQ_DISABLED set
Unexpected IRQ trap at vector 18
ata1 SATA aax UDMA/133 cmd ... bmdma 0.0 ... irq 50
ata1.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xec)
ata1.00: failed to IDENTIFY (I/O error, err_mask=0x104)
ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Something like this...
My question is, How to install it on the hardware? It comes with no info on what hardware is inside of it with the preinstalled windows that gives no info on chipset and so forth. Yet with memory86 test I foud that it contains ATI RS482 chipset. From windows I saw that the hard disk is Hitachi HTS541680J9SA00 (S1).

Another interesting thing is that I can not run linux from my another SATA - hard drive that is in the USB box. - BIOS seems tries it to boot but fails - and I can do that from another laptop. Even in rescue/install mode of both FC6 and FC5 discs I can not see it always - no link for rhe device in /dev.

Please, any help welcome.

[lazlow]

A lot of the sata controller drivers were not in the kernel (that is on the install disks of FC6 and before). They have updated install disks called respins. These respins have the newer kernels on them. I do not know if your controller is in the newer kernel or not but it likely.

Hope this helps.

Lazlow

[s-strong]

Well. Thanks for Your answer but it is not all is clear to me. Do You suggest to use the *.iso from FC6.9 that is under 'test' title? Please, explain a bit more.

And... can I specify somehow to my present install kernel to load those drivers from the disc?

[lazlow]

The FC6.9 is the beta(or whatever) for FC7(should be released in late April?) So no.

Here is a link about respins: http://torrent.fedoraunity.org/

Last I heard they were not available via regular download.

I THINK you have to have the newer kernel.

[s-strong]

Thank You, it's clear.

Is it possible to download just recent kernel with all the necessary stuff it needs to boot so that I might install the kernel only and then proceed to install from the DVD of FC6 that I have?

PS My problem lays in ipmossibility to download even as big amount of bits as 1 CD is... That's why I asked on a desicion based on the stuff I have or with little download like new kernel, etc.

[lazlow]

Well, thats the trap. You need the new kernel to see the drive, you need the drive to install the new kernel. The only easy way I know of around it, is to temporarily use a pata drive. Do the install to the pata drive. Update the kernel on the pata drive and then copy it over to the sata drive.

[s-strong]

Ok. Point taken.

Is it possible to download an floppy image with the latest kernel? - Then I can dowload the latest kernel rpm, burn on a CD the image, the kernel rpm, boot from it, copy my installed system on hard drive that is in USB-box to the SATA hard disk, update the kernel, update grub config. And I can boot from the SATA drive. Is it good/working idea? But I need the floppy image... Do You know such place from whence I can take it?

And... am I correct in supposing that all the drivers for the chipset devices are contained within a kernel package? Or Fedora has other packages to take/apply drivers from? In other words, each time I would to update my hardware (chipset, say) driver all I have to do is to update kernel?

Again, thank You for Your precious to me answers!

[lazlow]

Kernel is much larger than a floppy. Cd is pretty much the smallest size. Other than that the method is doable. You could install to the usb drive, boot to it, update the kernel and then transfer to sata. There are postings on howto book to USB.

There is a lot more to updates than a kernel.

[s-strong]

Thanks.

The last question. I think that the first CD (the one used for installation) of FC6.91 contains more supported hardware comparing with the re-spin first CD of FC6. And in order to run my laptop or probability that it will be successful is more with FC6.91 even let it be under test state than with FC6. Am I correct in supposing this?

[lazlow]

Maybe. The problem is that the FC7 test (6.91) has only been used by a very few users. It has not yet seen a large variety of hardware. A month after FC7 is released (time to find and repair unforseen non kernel bugs) it will very probably have a larger harware support base (work on more systems out of the box). Because the kernels are updated frequently (say 1 per month?) the hardware supported by the newest FC6 kernel and the FC7 kernel is unlikely to be much different.

Lazlow

[s-strong]

I've tried the FC6.91 rescue image and it did not recognized my HDD controller too - so I suppose I have nothing to wait with FC7... While RH8 - recognized pretty well! I tried with FC5 and 4 - nothing. IT seems to me that the developers do a weird thing: remove the hardware support from kernel that can and the only work with the new hardware as well as with the old one!

So, I'll go to use old RedHat8 - in order to make my new computer to work - for it is better for me to work with old linux that to use MS-products.

[tns]

Originally Posted by s-strong

I've tried the FC6.91 rescue image and it did not recognized my HDD controller too - so I suppose I have nothing to wait with FC7... While RH8 - recognized pretty well! I tried with FC5 and 4 - nothing. IT seems to me that the developers do a weird thing: remove the hardware support from kernel that can and the only work with the new hardware as well as with the old one!

So, I'll go to use old RedHat8 - in order to make my new computer to work - for it is better for me to work with old linux that to use MS-products.

hi,
I had the same problem with my new Laptop AMD 64 Turion X2 with ATI Xpress card - I overcame it by using the kernel parameter pci=nomsi. It installed perfectly.

[tns]

sorry, had to add the last post was to install FC6.

[s-strong]

Big thanks! Got to try! I guess we are speaking about the same machine!