Can't find my cd drive
Forum: Laptops
Topic: Can't find my cd drive
started by: Sabakonki
Posted by Sabakonki on Feb. 26 2006,16:01
I have a Sony Vaio C1-VE picturebook and having trouble booting dsl.The cd drive is external and when I switch the laptop on when it connected I reach the boot screen successfully. Then I press enter and it asks me to press return or press space. I press space.
Then it says it is uncompressing linux. Then I get the logo. It then start searching for things. Then It starts to look for the cd drive and looks in everything such as sda1 sda2 etc.
It fails and dsl drops me on a (very limited) shell.
What should I do to make it find the cd drive?
Thanks
Posted by stan_dard on Feb. 26 2006,16:41
Hello, That seems like the same problem I've got.
I get to the boot screen from a boot disk.
If I use a DSL bootdisk then it drops me into the same shell OR IF I use one of the USB bootdisks then it gets a bit further through the process and scans /dev/sda1 ... /dev/sdg8
Then is says
Acccessing DSL at /dev/sda1 .. cat: No file /KNOPPIX/etc/ld.so.cache.
then theres a whole load of commands failed with 'not found'
and then it hangs on,
kernel panic : VFS : unable to mount root fs on 03:02
Ive used the floppy and CD on another pc which seems to work fine. ive also used 2.1 and 1.5 floppy bootdisks both standard and usb versions.
The cd is a wpn-sm52sx and the laptop is an advent 6480
I'd be greatful for any help
Posted by roberts on Feb. 26 2006,17:10
Which version of DSL?How is your cdrom connected to the computer, pcmcia, usb, ?
Posted by Sabakonki on Feb. 26 2006,17:42
I have tried 2.2b and 2.1. The cd drive connects by pcmcia.
Posted by stan_dard on Feb. 26 2006,17:46
mines dsl 2.2 and its a usb cdrom.Ive just tried it with dsl 2.1 as well with the same results
Posted by roberts on Feb. 26 2006,18:24
If the cdrom is connected by a pcmcia card and DSL begins to boot from it but then fails... Try booting like thisboot: dsl ide2=0x180 nopcmcia
Posted by roberts on Feb. 26 2006,18:27
For the usb one, are you sure the cdrom is good, sounds like corruption on the burn or the reader is just having difficultly to read it.
Posted by stan_dard on Feb. 26 2006,20:16
Hi thanks for trying roberts Ive managed to boot DSL2.1 straight from the cdrom in another box with an internal drive so theres no problem with the actual disk.
I tried using the bootdisks and the USB CDROM on the same PC that worked with the internal drive and I got all the same failures as the laptop did. So I guess either the bootdisk isn't picking up on the hardware or the reader is broken. I suspect the former because the drive doesn't act like its getting any instructions (it is plugged in).
If I can get hold of one I'll try another reader.
Anymore suggestions?
Posted by Sabakonki on Feb. 26 2006,20:39
It works! You are a dude and a genius roberts.Thanks for your help
Sorry stan_dard but I dont know how to help you.
Posted by roberts on Feb. 26 2006,20:41
If the end result is to install on an old laptop then this is what I do:I have an old laptop with an extenal cdrom which is not recognized. But I do have a floppy drive and a usb 1.1 port.
So, I used another more capable machine to boot from cdrom and install to a usb pendrive.
Then on the old laptop, I use the usb boot floppy with the usbpendrive plugged in. At the first boot prompt I type install.
boot: install
Then you can do a frugal or traditional install from the pendrive.
HTH
Posted by stan_dard on Feb. 26 2006,22:07
Cheers roberts, I'll try that next. I'm on a course next week but i'll let you know if its worked in a few days
Posted by Delboy on Mar. 03 2006,14:00
This problem with booting from PCMCIA connected CD-Roms seems to be quite widespread. My Toshiba Portege (with DOS 6.0 only) will boot up every Linux .ISO I have tried successfully and will then stumble when trying to access the data itself. It is as if the CD-Rom can't see itself. Yes, a message about either a SCSI issue or a failure to find the data pops up. I have allways got round this with a 'poor mans' install (ISO files copied to the hard disk) but you need to have the means to get the files onto the HD in the first place. It surprises me now that this PCMCIA CDROM booting problem is so widespread and that a standard fix in Linux ISO booting is not available.Robert_S thanks for the boot parameter tip - will try "boot: dsl ide2=0x180 nopcmcia" tonight or the USB stick trick.
Posted by Delboy on Mar. 04 2006,15:22
Oh heck....boot prompt doesn't work still get the regular "knoppix file system cannot be found dropping you etc.... Thanks anyway RobertS
Posted by bubazoo on Mar. 05 2006,18:36
I am having problems with DSL 2.2b finding my pcmcia cd-rom connected to my IBM Thinkpad.I tried booting with the floppy disk image and typing:
boot: dsl ide2=0x180 nopcmcia
that didn't work, it keeps saying "no knoppix filesystem found"
umm, now what?
its not finding the pcmcia CD-ROM at all for some reason, I don't know why
Posted by budden on Mar. 10 2006,06:39
DSL seems to forget about the PCMCIA-attached CDROM on my Sony Viao PCG-C1X which is a similar model. But puppy linux does not -- it boots cleanly from the CD ... as long as you cold boot.
Posted by budden on Mar. 10 2006,23:41
| Quote (roberts @ Feb. 26 2006,13:24) |
| If the cdrom is connected by a pcmcia card and DSL begins to boot from it but then fails... Try booting like this boot: dsl ide2=0x180 nopcmcia |
This works!
I have a Sony Viao Picturebook. Model is slightly different than original post: PCG-C1X
Same boot symptoms as original post and same fix.
Posted by stan_dard on Mar. 20 2006,20:38
One month later. Ive got DSL installed debian style 
had to borrow another CDROM in the end. Thanks to Roberts for his efforts