[PLUG] just how broke?

[Jim Karlock]

At 08:53 PM 12/22/05 , you wrote:
>Brought home a Debian machine from Free Geek a few weeks ago, and it ran
>fine; I've been using it to learn Linux. While getting one of the
>recommended apt-gets, I think I wound up downloading a replacement kernel
>- I'm unclear about exactly what happened. But on the reboot, things went
>downhill rapidly; it seemed to reboot partially with some apps corrupted,
>and then wouldn't come back up at all. I've tried installing a couple of
>new OS (another Debian and Ubuntu) but the install always fails partway
>through.
>
>I have briefly spotted, flashing by, a message indicating damage to the
>BIOS - on some occasions, not on others. The BIOS is accessible as usual,
>though, and *looks* normal. I've made adjustments in it (boot order
>mainly) which seem to stick. But I'm not sure if that means anything.
>
>I also have seen at the beginning of a boot, "primary hard disk drive
>failure,"

As far as I know, that means that the hard drive isn't working. Check to be 
sure the cables to it are firmly plugged in and also where the wide cable 
goes in to the mother board. If that doesn't work, try moving the hard 
drive cable, where it goes on the the motherboard, to the other IDE 
connector (may require a change in boot order).

BTW, the bios doesn't rely on the hard drive to run. I would guess that the 
install is running from CD just fine then stalls when it tries to use the 
hard drive for the first time.

If you do need a new hard drive, I think I got one from Free Geek for $10. 
New ones at Fry's aren't too far away from $50 on sale (beware of big hard 
drives with old motherboards).

Thanks
JK



>  though the BIOS seems to read the hard drive OK and the install
>goes on at least partway.
>
>My question: How extensive does the problem seem to be, or how do I
>determine that? In other words, are these symptoms indicators that the
>motherboard is shot, or the hard drive, or both, or possibly that neither
>is, but that some other corrective measure would/might solve the problem
>and allow me to install an OS? Or should I just recycle the box and get a
>new one?
>
>--
>RANDY STAPILUS
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