I got a new 80 GB hard drive and started to install Sarge (using CD 1 to start it then downloading the packages). It got to the point where it was downloading packages for install, finished doing that and then gave me a text box with "Downloaded [X] in 1h 45m" ([X] being the amount of data, which I didn't record at the time :-( ), with two buttons, Continue and something else (I think Cancel). Behind the text box, filling the screen, were a whole bunch of error messages that looked almost like assembler, except more verbose. Each error had a hexcode at the start, then some stuff like seek-request or other disk or input sounding commands.

The system was completely hung, wouldn't respond to anything except a hard reboot. Has anyone seen this before? I've been Googling, but it's hard to summarize -- if anyone even knows some search terms, that would help a lot, too.

(I'm probably just going to try a reinstall from scratch, maybe with a newer CD (the one I used is from January 9, 2005), but if anyone has a quicker idea, that'd be good too). The motherboard is an Abit BH6, I was running Debian on a smaller drive which died about two weeks ago. The new drive is a Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 (and it was only $40 Canadian, too!</brag>).

If you're having problems with the current cd, you could always use your old Woody cd to install a base system (exit out of Tasksel and Dselect without selecting anything), then edit your /etc/apt/sources.list to include the 'testing' mirrors, and run an apt-get update, apt-get dist-upgrade.

Cheers,

mj

Seeing as the machine now won't so much as POST, I'm guessing it was probably some kind of weird hardware error.

It won't even display a Grub or Lilo menu after the Bios starts, or it now hangs before Grub/Lilo ?

mj

Way before, I don't even get the video card message or a beep, never mind the Bios. I can hear the fan start and see the little green power light come on, but that's it. I'm gonna take a look inside and cross my fingers hoping I haven't fried anything.

Yes, definitely sounds like either somethings come loose (video cards are notorious for this - pulling it out and plugging it back in is often a good idea - same with RAM chips) or otherwise gone up in smoke

Cheers,

mj

Well, I swapped out the video card, took out the sound and network cards, and still no post. :-( Looks like I'll have to get some new hardware.

Nope, I removed the RAM and it booted. Then I put it back in, and it still booted. Seems fine, but my install went a little differently than last time.

Great to hear

mj