Re: Anaconda: i/o error during read on /dev/hda

Jon, thanks for responding. Yes it is old HW, but as I mentioned I'm sure the problem can be solved. But I don't know how. May be someone out there knows.

I already tried to upgrade from SuSE 8.0 to SuSE 9.2. That seems to work, so I will rather stick with SuSE.

I wanted to switch to Fedora, because I recently worked with Fedora Core 3 in a course and found it to be much easier to configure than SuSE, at least when it comes to non-standard configurations.

Peter

----- Original Message ----- From: "Crisler, Jon" <JCrisler@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "For users of Fedora Core releases" <fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 5:12 PM
Subject: RE: Anaconda: i/o error during read on /dev/hda

Peter, that machine is over 10 years old.  I think you are running into
a problem where the Compaq BIOS is only barely able to function with
that hard drive.  Perhaps you are using a disk manager software to fake
out the drive on the machine? Or there might be some disk management
software still lying around altering an old Windows MBR? I actually
spent a good portion of time looking into your problem, until I saw the
machine in question.   I used to support many hundreds of that style of
Compaq, and they did have a lot of problems dealing with larger hard
drives, since 250mb to 1-2gb drives were the norm for that era, IIRC.

There used to be a company that would provide updated BIOS chips for
that line, but I am sure that product is long gone.

My advice would be to take the PC out onto the field and beat it with a
baseball bat, like in the movie "Office Space". Seriously, don't waste
your time.  Go out and look for something like a 733mhz to 1 ghz Compaq,
Dell, HP whatever, perhaps without a hard drive.  You should be able to
pick one up almost for free, or maybe $50.  Transfer the HD to the
replacement machine, and your problems are solved.

Regarding the hard drive, Samsung lists a few freebees that will
diagnose the hard drive for problems, although I doubt you have any with
the drive itself.  There is no firmware update for that drive as well.

http://erms.samsungusa.com/customer/sea/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp?PG_ID=1&A
T_ID=5539&PROD_SUB_ID=26&PROD_ID=-1

-----Original Message-----
From: fedora-list-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:fedora-list-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Peter Gloor
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 9:33 AM
To: For users of Fedora Core releases
Subject: Re: Anaconda: i/o error during read on /dev/hda

Below is some information about my current (SuSE) config. Take a look at
the
various values concerning the drive geometry (CHS, Sects, LBA etc).

Based on the fact that I had similar issues with SuSE (I've got solved
years
ago) I'm quite sure the problem is that Fedora (Anaconda) uses wrong
drive
geometry values (probably due to misleading information from the BIOS)
and
therefore cannot read the partition data.

Remember, my problem is, how can I get started and make Fedora (or
Anaconda
or whatever causes the problem) using the correct drive geometry values,
so
it will access my disk properly.

-----------------------------------
leda:/home/peter # hdparm -iv /dev/hda

/dev/hda:
multcount    = 16 (on)
I/O support  =  1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq    =  1 (on)
using_dma    =  0 (off)
keepsettings =  0 (off)
nowerr       =  0 (off)
readonly     =  0 (off)
readahead    =  8 (on)
geometry     = 82796/15/63, sectors = 78242976, start = 0

Model=SAMSUNG SV4002H, FwRev=QP100-07, SerialNo=0413J1FT515266
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }
RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=38997, SectSize=619, ECCbytes=4
BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=1945kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
CurCHS=17475/15/63, CurSects=-78446341, LBA=yes, LBAsects=78242976
IORDY=yes, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
PIO modes: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
DMA modes: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 *udma2
AdvancedPM=no
Drive Supports : fastATA-1 ATA-2 ATA-3 ATA-4 ATA-5 ATA-6
Kernel Drive Geometry LogicalCHS=82796/15/63 PhysicalCHS=82796/15/63

-----------------------------------
leda:/home/peter # scanpci

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x00 function 0x00: vendor 0x1106 device 0x1595
VIA  Device unknown

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x02 function 0x00: vendor 0x100b device 0x0020
NS  Device unknown

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x04 function 0x00: vendor 0x0e11 device 0xae34
Compaq Netellignet 10

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x00: vendor 0x1106 device 0x0586
VIA VT 82C586 MVP3 ISA Bridge

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x01: vendor 0x1106 device 0x0571
VIA VT 82C586 MVP3 IDE Bridge

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x02: vendor 0x1106 device 0x3038
VIA VT 82C586 MVP3 USB Controller

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x07 function 0x03: vendor 0x1106 device 0x3040
VIA VT 82C586B MVP3 ACPI Bridge

pci bus 0x0000 cardnum 0x0f function 0x00: vendor 0x5333 device 0x8901
S3 Trio64V2/DX or /GX
leda:/etc #

-----------------------------------
in /etc/sysconfig/bootloader:
-----------------------------------
# Does the BIOS support LBA access.
#
LILO_LBA="yes"
-----------------------------------

-----------------------------------
in /etc/lilo.conf:
-----------------------------------
boot    = /dev/hda
change-rules
reset
read-only
menu-scheme = Wg:kw:Wg:Wg
lba32
prompt
timeout = 80
message = /boot/message

 image  = /boot/vmlinuz
 label  = linux
 root   = /dev/hda2
 vga    = 791
 initrd = /boot/initrd
 append = "ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off"

 image  = /boot/vmlinuz.suse
 label  = failsafe
 root   = /dev/hda2
 vga    = 791
 initrd = /boot/initrd.suse
 append = "ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off"
 optional

 image  = /boot/memtest.bin
 label  = memtest86
-----------------------------------

-----------------------------------
in /etc/fstab:
-----------------------------------
/dev/hda2       /       reiserfs        defaults 1 2
/dev/hda3       /data3  reiserfs        defaults 1 2
/dev/hda5       /local  reiserfs        defaults 1 2
/dev/hda6       /data6  reiserfs        defaults 1 2
/dev/hda7       /netusr reiserfs        defaults 1 2
devpts  /dev/pts        devpts  defaults 0 0
/dev/cdrom      /media/cdrom    auto    ro,noauto,user,exec 0 0
/dev/fd0        /media/floppy   auto    noauto,user,sync 0 0
usbdevfs        /proc/bus/usb   usbdevfs        noauto 0 0
proc    /proc   proc    defaults 0 0
/dev/hda1       swap    swap    pri=42 0 0

-----------------------------------

Isn't this fun, just like searching easter eggs?

Happy Easter!

Peter

----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Gloor" <pgloor@xxxxxxx>
To: <fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 10:20 PM
Subject: Anaconda: i/o error during read on /dev/hda

Hello NG,

Hmm, how to explain my problem? To make it short, I have a SuSE Linux

8.0

Professional installed on a Compaq Deskpro 2000 5166 MMX with a 40GB

HDD

(Samsung SV4002H) and need to update to a newer kernel. At the same

time I

wanted to switch from SuSE to Fedora Core 3.

My HDD is devided into several partitions. One for the linux system
inclusive the standard packages, one for non-standard applications I

use

(e.g. Lotus Domino) and one for data. Now, while keeping the data
partition, I simply wanted to reformat my existing linux partition and

install Fedora from scratch into the empty space I get.

This is where the problem is. After starting from the first Fedora

Core 3

CD and having selected the installation language, Anaconda pops up a
dialog with the message "Input/Output error during read on /dev/hda".
Regardless of what I'm trying to do (booting with params, rescue cd,

etc)

I'm unable to reformat or recreate the partitions without loosing my

data.

However, even my SuSE installation has beed running for years (I

startet

with SuSE Linux 6.x), I remember that I had a lot of problems with my

40GB

HDD until I reinstalled anything. When I reinstalled SuSE Linux I had

to

manually change some drive geometry settings to overcome the problem

that

SuSE did not properly calculate drive geometry settings (LDA/CHS etc

?)

due to a problem that the BIOS reported wrong or misleading

information.

After I fixed this every thing was o.k.

Now, I'm quite sure that Fedora has the same problem, but I don't know

how

to get it fixed. I even don't remember how I did this one time action

in

SuSE.

I hope anybody has an Idea and can give me a hint how to get the

problem

solved.

Regards,
Peter

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