Centos 5 install error (Do you want to initialize hdg and lose all data)

v00d00101 · 03-08-2008, 09:30 PM

Im just wondering if anyone has encountered a hard drive initialization error while attempting install Centos 5.

I can get as far as the point where it checks the hard drive and starts DiskDruid, then it throws up a popup box with an initialisation error concerning hdg (if i intialize hdg it will wipe all data on it). I've seen hdg before and that refers to the buggy support for sata hard drives in kernels before 2.6.20. I suffered this error on Fedora 5 for a good 9 months before i built the latest kernel (at the time) curing the problem.

Im hoping this has been fixed in Centos 5.1, as i really want to get this computer away from the 6 month development cycle that Fedora presents, and just have a version of Redhat Linux that doesnt need reinstalling for a couple of years.

Hardware specs are:

K8T890 Asrock ALiveSATA2-GLan M/B
AMD X2 6000 (AM2) @ Stock
2GB Kingston DDR-667
320GB SATA2 Seagate Barracuda
NEC IDE 8x DVD-RW
Geforce 8800GTX

Thanks.

jailbait · 03-09-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by v00d00101

Im just wondering if anyone has encountered a hard drive initialization error while attempting install Centos 5.

I can get as far as the point where it checks the hard drive and starts DiskDruid, then it throws up a popup box with an initialisation error concerning hdg (if i intialize hdg it will wipe all data on it). I've seen hdg before and that refers to the buggy support for sata hard drives in kernels before 2.6.20. I suffered this error on Fedora 5 for a good 9 months before i built the latest kernel (at the time) curing the problem.

Im hoping this has been fixed in Centos 5.1, as i really want to get this computer away from the 6 month development cycle that Fedora presents, and just have a version of Redhat Linux that doesnt need reinstalling for a couple of years.

Hardware specs are:

K8T890 Asrock ALiveSATA2-GLan M/B
AMD X2 6000 (AM2) @ Stock
2GB Kingston DDR-667
320GB SATA2 Seagate Barracuda
NEC IDE 8x DVD-RW
Geforce 8800GTX

Thanks.

I had a similar problem with CentOS 5.0. I have three IDE drives (hda, hde, and hdg) and the Centos installer called them (sdc, sda, and sdb) in that order. I solved that problem by doing my partitioning, file system formating, and moving partitions from within my stable Debian 4.0. I installed CentOS to hde2 (sda2 to CentOS) and found that it would not boot because of the IDE/SATA bug. Then I installed it to hda4 (sdc4 to CentOS) and it works fine. I may have had to change fstab and grub on hda4, I can't remember for sure.

My CentOS kernel version is 2.6.18-53.1.6.el5. My Debian kernel is 2.6.18-6-486 and I never had the IDE/SATA problem in Debian.

-----------------------
Steve Stites

v00d00101 · 03-09-2008, 09:26 PM

I've successfully installed Centos 5.1, which im now using to type this post on.

The bug didnt show up on 5.1, and partitioning went without a problem along with the rest of the install.

The only problems i've encountered is getting the apps installed that i run, and the lack of koffice, although i do know theres a fudge to get it installed, but it looks messy, so i'll give it a miss. Eventually i found the EPEL and Yellow Jacket repositories which sorted my must have apps like abiword and gnumeric, but still there are one or two annoyances.

Tomorrow im going to try and compile the 2.6.24 kernel source so i can fix all the nagging SATA errors i have (mostly audit errors), then i'll leave it as it is.

All in all a reasonable install.