# Asus P5W DH Deluxe - ICH7, SATA, 2006.0

## rumbaa

Hi, hope somebody here can help me cause I'm starting to go insane ...

I'm trying to install gentoo 2006.0 (couldn't boot 2006.1)  for 2 days now but I can't get the kernel to boot from my WD150 Raptor. I tried various configurations in the kernel config, suggested in other threads, but nothing worked. Maybe I'm doing something completely wrong and just cant see it, hmm.

My Hardware is as follows:

* C2D Core 2 Duo E6600

* Asus P5W DH Deluxe

* sda: Seagate 250 SATA @ JMicron SATA

* sdb: WD1500 Raptor @ ICH7 SATA1

* sdc: Hitachi 7k500 SATA II @ ICH7 SATA3

* sr0: Samsung SATA cdrom @ ICH7 SATA4

* ATI Raedon X1900XTX

* 2GB RAM

fdisk -l:

```

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sda1               1       30401   244196001    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 150.0 GB, 150039945216 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 18241 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdb1   *           1        2941    23623551    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb2   *        2942        5374    19543072+  83  Linux

/dev/sdb3            5375        6231     6883852+  83  Linux

/dev/sdb4            6232       18241    96470325    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/sdb5            6232        9546    26627706    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb6            9547       12733    25599546    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb7           12734       18241    44242978+   7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdc1               1          14      112423+  83  Linux

/dev/sdc2              15         149     1084387+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sdc3             150       11473    90960030    6  FAT16

/dev/sdc4           11474       60801   396227160    7  HPFS/NTFS

```

so I have:

sdc1    /boot

sdc2    swap

sdb2    /

sdb3    /home

I tried combinations with low SCSI Driver support ---> SATA support + SATA AHCI, with AHCI enabled in BIOS, didn't work. I get VFS: unable to mount root fs ...

And the last thing was SCSI Driver support ---> SATA support + Intel PIIX/ICH7 support.

Here I get ata1: (0x3d..) timout something ...

where this is the kernel .config:

```

deleted............

```

sorry for the long post, but am unsure what you dont need ....

it's kinda strange, cause the the Hitachi SATA sdc with /boot on it seems to be recognized, but than it can't mount / sdb2 on the Raptor, though its trhe same chip?

thx for any helpLast edited by rumbaa on Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## NeddySeagoon

rumbaa,

Lots of things break without 

```
# CONFIG_SCSI_PROC_FS is not set
```

but booting isn't one of them.

The ICH7 may want [codeCONFIG_SCSI_SATA_AHCI[/code] rather than

```
 CONFIG_SCSI_ATA_PIIX
```

Boot the liveCD an see what it uses by modprobe -r all the SATA drivers. It will not let you remove the ome in use.

What is the error message you get from Grub or the kernel ?

Do you the the grub splash screen ?

Can you choose the kernel ?

Do you get the Decompreesing Kernel ...... ?

If it ends with VFS not Syncing ....  Kernel panic ... unknown-block(x,y)  what are x and y ?

----------

## rumbaa

hi NeddySeagoon, thx for your reply.

I'll take your suggestions into the kernel, but I've a little problem understanding the modprobe -r part.

Where do I get the names of all the SATA modules, so I can run modprobe -r?

I temporarily dumped grub cause I didn't get is to boot anything. Just saw the"GRUB _" line on a black screen.

I tried different configurations in grub.conf with no success. But lilo worked so I thought i'll get back to it later ...

I can choose my kernels and windows(also on the Raptor - sdb1) starts too with lilo.

Ok, I'll reboot and look for the message. think it was "812" and (8,1 :Cool:  ? will check that.

----------

## rumbaa

ok, with and without "AHCI" enabled in BIOS I get:

```

cannot open root device "812" or unknown-block (8,18)

Please append the correct root= .........

```

I enabled "legacy /proc/scsi support" and "Sata AHCI support" and disabled "Intel PIIX/ICH7".

Also "ATAPI/IDE...RLL support" is disabled in menuconfig.

----------

## rumbaa

so, I did modprobe -l and tried to remove all of the modules under ".../drivers/scsi/".

It said libata is in use, so do I need the libata module? Can't find it in the kernel config, so do I need a newer kernel?

----------

## llavalle

Ok, had the exact same problem.. also got a P5W DH...

Make sure you enable the following :

-Generic Ide Drive support

-Scsi Drive support

-in scsi low level drivers -> Sata support, AHCI support and Intel support...

that worked for me..

SDA0 : raptor 74g BOOT

SDA1 : data disk

SDA3 : Plextor DVD-RW

----------

## NeddySeagoon

rumbaa,

run lsmod to see the names of all the loaded modules, the ones with sata in their names are er, the various sata drivers.

Anyway, thats not your problem. 

```
unknown-block (8,18)
```

says the kernel is trying to use /dev/sdb2 as root and cant read what it finds there. 

That normally means the root filesystem is not included in the kernel (it must be built in) or /dev/sdb2 is swap or something else equally unreadable (e.g. extended)

----------

## rumbaa

too bad I was so impatient to wait for a response, thought it was hopeless and am trying another distro at the moment.

hopefully that wont work either, so I can try it again later   :Laughing: 

@NeddySeagoon:

I am sure I've had ext2/3 built in and that /dev/sdb2 was root (/swap was /dev/sdc2). 

But later I saw that I marked the root partition active/bootable (*). Might that have caused the problem ?

Another thing: how does one translate (8,18 ) to /dev/sdb2 ?

@llavalle:

did you too use 2006.0 and kernel 2.6.17-gentoo-r8 ?

thanks for your suggestions guys, will report back, if it is ment to be   :Wink: 

----------

## llavalle

Using 2.16.17-gentoo-r8 with 2006.1.. but I don't think that 2006.1 will change something...

----------

## NeddySeagoon

rumbaa,

The numbers in the error message

```
unknown-block (X,Y)
```

are the major and minor numbers of the device the kernel was trying to access.

You look them up in the file /usr/src/linux/Documentation/devices.txt. That requires you have kernel sources installed.

There is one exception, when X and Y are both zero. Then the kerenl cannot find the device at all. that means that a hardware driver has been omitted from the kernel. 

Marking a partition bootable is a hangover from DOS, some BIOSes won't boot from a drive unless one or more paritions are marked bootable.

Linux doesn't care. Since your kernel loaded, then panicked, its not your problem.

Installing Linux is never hopeless - it can usually be fixed without a reinstall. Kernel panics on new kernels are quite common and easy to resolve, if you don't panic too. Its such a regular occurance that most users keep several kernels around so if the new one fails, they boot an old one to fix it.

----------

## rumbaa

hi, here I ma again. Did a fresh gentoo install and tried two kernel configs, but didn't work   :Sad: 

Did 'modprobe -r' with all sata output from lsmod + ata_piix ---> only ata_piix was in use !!

Here's my status:

fdisk-l:

```
Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sda1               1       30401   244196001    7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 150.0 GB, 150039945216 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 18241 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdb1   *           1        2941    23623551    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb2            2942        6231    26426925   83  Linux

/dev/sdb4            6232       18241    96470325    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)

/dev/sdb5            6232        9546    26627706    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb6            9547       12733    25599546    7  HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sdb7           12734       18241    44242978+   7  HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdc: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdc1               1          14      112423+  83  Linux

/dev/sdc2              15         149     1084387+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sdc3             150       11473    90960030    6  FAT16

/dev/sdc4           11474       60801   396227160    7  HPFS/NTFS

```

root: /dev/sdb2

boot: /dev/sdc1

swap: /dev/sdc2

installed lilo on sdb.

First I configured the kernel with AHCI support + Intel PIIX/ICH7 support.

With AHCI enabled via BIOS the output was the usual "VFS: unable ... "812"...".

Witout AHCI in BIOS it said:

```
Info fld=0x2d0ef40

ata3: command 0xc8 to, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x64

ata3: status=0x50 ( DriveReady SeekComplete )

sdb: Current sensekey=0x0

         ASC=0x0  ASCQ=0x0

## -- This repeatet severel times with the info fld value changing ---##

........

kjournald starting: Commit interval 5 secounds.

EXT3-fs: Mounted fs with ordered datanode

VFS: Mounted root (ext3 fs) readonly

Freeing unused kernel memory: 168k freed

```

Second I removed the SATA AHCI support from kernel, everything else unchanged.

With AHCI via BIOS it was again "VFS: unable ... "812" ...".

Without AHCI in BIOS:

```
Info fld=0x36e91

ata1: command 0xc8 timout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x64

ata1: status=0x56 (DriveReady SeekComplete )

sdb: Current: sense key=0x0

         ASC=0x0  ASCQ=0x0

## -- This was again repeated, with changing info fld, but didn't end - so I rebooted --##

```

The last kernel .config:

```
#

hmpf, did forget SCSI_PROC_FS .........

```

----------

## rumbaa

na, didn't work, shows the sam:

```
Info fld=0x36e91

ata1: command 0xc8 timout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x64

ata1: status=0x56 (DriveReady SeekComplete )

sdb: Current: sense key=0x0

         ASC=0x0  ASCQ=0x0

## -- This was again repeated, with changing info fld, but didn't end - so I rebooted --## 
```

think I'll try genkernel.

@llavalle:

could you send me your .config ?

can one just copy anothers .config and make menuconfig with it ?

----------

## rumbaa

hmm, genkernel didn't work either. it hangs at "Mounting root ..."

and after some time, it does the

```
ata3: command 0xc8 timeout, stat...........
```

again and with AHCI via BIOS its also

```
VFS: unable to mount root= ... please specify....
```

/dev/sdb2 didn't work.

Is it a problem to have /boot on another disk than / ?

Also, lilo complains that sdb isn't the first disk when running /sbin/lilo, but works later anyway ...

----------

## rumbaa

no, nooooo, noooooooooooo!!

I have it, it was because lilo was installed in the bootsector of sdb, while /boot was on sdc   :Idea: 

this only did take me 3 days to find out, lol

damn, stupid me

----------

