[gentoo-user] Hard lockups on new computer with gentoo liv..

Hi,
I've bought a new private computer because my old machine is nearly 10
years old already and deserves a little rest now.
I've bought it without an OS, and tried some linux install CDs and dvd's
I have. With some worrying results:
- One installDC stopped cold when booting --- nothing worked anymore, no
ctrl+alt+del, no alt+sysrq, no power off button --- needed a hard reset
with the true power off button.
- A gentoo live DVD I got with a computer magazine showed similar
behaviour when I (foolishly) tried to start evmsn: the program started
scanning for disks and locked up HARD:
-- no ctrl+alt+backspace, no ctrl+alt+del, no at+sysrq+b, no power off
button. Needed to poweroff the machine.

The computer is an intel system, with a DQ35JO motherboard, two SATA HDs
(I want to setup a raid system), and a PATA DVD drive (no internal DVD
writer, I have an external one already).

I found pointers to some troubles with this motherboard - is this a
problem for the install-CD, or should I only better not use evms?

- Worried in Vienna
-- Wolfgang Liebich

Some updates to this problem:
- I've tried booting the PC with various life CDs or DVDs I have amassed
at home. The results are ... funky:
-- My self made Gentoo 2008 live cd works. Managed to repartition the
disks, tried a 1st shot at raid setup - no error messages.
-- all other linux variants experienced a hard lockup. black screen,
nothing to see, internal dvd drive is running -- don't react to
ctrl+alt+del or poweroff,
need to turn off the power with the power switch at the back (!).
Somewhat frightening, actually.

The DVD drive in question is an internal IDE DVD --- I've found that
this MOBO (Intel DR35JO) seems to have problems with IDE DVDs (this was
recommended to
me because typically SATA DVD drives are often less supported and IDE
drives work better ).
So I will try again with an external USB dvd writer.

Another possibility: In the BIOS I found the SATA mode switch - you can
switch between "IDE", "Native" and "Raid". Selected is "IDE". Is
"Native" better or worse here?

Mystified...
- Wolfgang


Wolfgang Liebich schrieb:
> Hi,
> I've bought a new private computer because my old machine is nearly 10
> years old already and deserves a little rest now.
> I've bought it without an OS, and tried some linux install CDs and dvd's
> I have. With some worrying results:
> - One installDC stopped cold when booting --- nothing worked anymore, no
> ctrl+alt+del, no alt+sysrq, no power off button --- needed a hard reset
> with the true power off button.
> - A gentoo live DVD I got with a computer magazine showed similar
> behaviour when I (foolishly) tried to start evmsn: the program started
> scanning for disks and locked up HARD:
> -- no ctrl+alt+backspace, no ctrl+alt+del, no at+sysrq+b, no power off
> button. Needed to poweroff the machine.
>
> The computer is an intel system, with a DQ35JO motherboard, two SATA HDs
> (I want to setup a raid system), and a PATA DVD drive (no internal DVD
> writer, I have an external one already).
>
> I found pointers to some troubles with this motherboard - is this a
> problem for the install-CD, or should I only better not use evms?
>
> - Worried in Vienna
> -- Wolfgang Liebich
>
>