[colug-432] Weird problem: Linux runs fine, but won't install?

[tom]

On 04/15/2014 07:18 AM, Joshua Kramer wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> Has anyone ever encountered hardware that is bad because it'll let you 
> run Linux just fine (memtest86 passes) but the Linux installer freezes 
> up at various points and won't run?
>
> I have a Gigabyte motherboard, 1155, with an i3. A while ago, when I 
> first put this system together with all new parts (8g ram, one 1T 
> disk), the installer ran fine, and the box has been running a few VM's 
> since then.
>
> I decided that I wanted to put another disk in the system to have a 
> RAID1 setup, and replace the RAM with 16G.  So I put the new drive and 
> RAM in, and backed up my data.  Popped in my CentOS 6.5 install DVD, 
> and... I can't install.  The installer freezes up at various points, 
> usually when it is first detecting the storage.
>

Best to change 1 variable at a time

> I got a new power supply (600w), thinking that the cheapo 400w unit 
> wasn't delivering enough power.  Same problem.  Put the old RAM back 
> in.  Same problem. Disconnected the new disk.  Same problem. 
> Disconnected the original disk, connected the new one.  Same problem.  
> Most recently, I got another motherboard - an exact duplicate of the 
> first - and, same problem.  (Actually, the first time I installed on 
> the new motherboard, I got past the "detecting volumes" screen, but 
> realized the partitioning and RAID wasn't set up how I wanted it, so I 
> cancelled that install.  Subsequent install attempts result in the 
> same problem as the original motherboard.)
>
> But the OS that is currently on there runs just fine... no kernel 
> panics, no weird messages in dmesg, etc.
>
> I'm not sure what has failed now that was working the first time I 
> installed the system.
>
> I also attempted to create a RAID array on the properly-running system 
> by using sfdisk to clone the partition table to the new drive, then 
> creating a RAID device and extending the Volume Group to that device, 
> then doing a pvmove to move the logical volume to the new RAID 
> device.  I used this guide:
>
> http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/340-lvm-single-drive-to-lvm-raid-1-mirror-migration
>
> Unfortunately, sfdisk does not accurately clone the partition table if 
> the partitions don't end on cylinder boundaries, which is the case 
> here.  So the pvmove failed (and probably ate some data).
>
> I think my next step is going to be to put the two hard drives in 
> external enclosures, plug them into my laptop, and then install the 
> system using that.  It will probably boot and run just fine after 
> that.  Does anyone have suggestions as to what else I might do?
>
> Thanks!
> -JK
>
>
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