[SOLVED] Hardware problem (SATA 2 Hard disk)

Hello,

as I said previously, when I read the post by Atake, I tried the same thing:
I got the beta 0.8.5.1 iso. This is the last one, right ?

I tried it, but after keyboard, then language inputs, I get:

>> copying /gparted.dat to cache
!! caching failed
>> mounting squashfs
>> copying read-write image contents to tmpfs

then nothing happens anymore....

Thanks for helping.

   Sebastien

few memory ? What memory ? RAM ? I have 1 Go RAM...
If you're talking about RAM, then there is a problem with the caching that is not linked to the amount of RAM...

As for the time, I think I waited approximately 5 minutes. There was no activity at all, neither in the HD, nor in the CD drive... I can try again, I'll wait 20 minutes...

  Sebastien

Well, I try again, and now something happens!!! Weird...

It is still an error, though...

It says:

ide: failed opcode was: unknown
ATAPI device hda:
  Error: Medium error -- (Sense key=0x03)
  Unrecovered read error -- (asc=0x11; ascq=0x00)
  The failed "Read 10" packet command was:
  "28 00 00 00 05 b5 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 "
end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 5844
hda: media error (bad sector): status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
hda: media error (bad scetor): error=0x34 { AbortedCommand LastFailedSense=0x03 }
...
I also see this line:

Buffer I/O error on device hda, logical block 1461

It is very similar to the errors I got with the 0.3.3 version of gparted.

  Sebastien

Also, for the "Disk reader" (driver ?) I have a driver version: Microsoft 5.1.2535.0
and for the SATA AHCI Controller, the driver is Intel 5.7.2.1003

In the ATA/ATAPI/IDE controllers, there are also:
- IDE principal channel, standard ATA/ATAPI/IDE controller, transfer mode: DMA if possible, active transfert mode: Ultra DMA Mode 2, driver: Microsoft 5.1.2600.2180
- Intel 82801G (ICH7 family) Ultra ATA storage controllers 27DF, driver: Intel 7.0.0.1020

All this is chinese for me......

  Sebastien

Hello,

ok, I downloaded the beta 0.8.5.1 iso again, burned it (with Roxio Creator) and tried it again...

Caching failed again, then after >> copying ... to tmpfs, nothing happens any more... No activity on HD, nor on CD, nothing...
For half an hour... So it was the same as my first try with beta, and I didn't get the I/O errors I got at my second try.
Why ?? Who knows...

But wait, here is the best!

I thought I could try the CD on my old PC (1999, P3, an old 6 Go HD, 64 Mo RAM, windows + linux dual boot, nothing to do with the other one), just for fun, just to see it work for once!
And guess what ? Exactly the same!!! Keyboard (fr), then language (08), then caching failed (but I guess it can be expected this time), then copying to tmpfs, then......... nothing......

If you can see through this mess, that would help very much!!!
Is it coming from the CD ? Is it the burning ?
I don't know why, but could it be my flat screens ? (though both are different, of course)
These 2 PCs have NOTHING in common. But they behave the same with the beta liveCD...

????

   Sebastien

Yep. It is correct.

  Sebastien

At last, problem solved!

I burned the SAME iso file (beta 0.8.5.1) on a different CD, with cdrecord on my linux laptop.

Then I tried again on the old PC: no problem, I get through the previous stoping point, and got access to the nice WindowMaker environnement with gparted working all right.
Then I tried again on my new PC: no caching failure, everything ran smoothly, and I managed to partition my disk as I wanted!

It's SO MUCH better when everything works all right!!

SO... Problem with the Windows Roxio Creator CD burner ? or with the CD ?
I erased the tricky CD with cdrecord, then put the beta gparted on it again, with cdrecord.

It went all right again, without any problem.
Must have been something nasty staying hidden on that damned CD... I did several burning/erasing before putting gparted on it.
Well...

Thanks anyway for your help on this, and sorry for all the trouble!

      Sebastien