Slackware won't detect CDs

[blkmage]

I managed to boot using the CD. I set the partitions up. The CD asked for the first slack CD. It doesn't detect it. I point it to /dev/hdb (which is where it is). The drive spins and reads. It doesn't detect it again.

My drive is a Creative 36X mx.

Help. Please.

Thank you.

[tmcG]

I have had EXACTLY the same problem especially with Slack 9.0!

I have found that if I ask it to automatically detect the source CD, it will find the drive and you can hear the drive accessing the disk but nothing happens. The same if I tell it it is /dev/hdc (secondary master)

I left it once and came back after about an hour and then it was asking me to continue the installation.

I could then install Slack.

I have checked and triple checked my jumers/BIOS settings but to no avail.

I have an LG CDROM but used a Diamond Data drive with no problems!

Sorry I don't have an answer to why but I wanted to let you know I too have been frustrated by it!:)

[serz]

This is because they changed something in the ISOLinux or something like that?) that doesn't let boot all the cdrom drives.

As far as I know, this also happens with Debian (don't know what version). I'm not sure if they changed this in Slack 9.1, maybe.

[blkmage]

The drive only reads when I tell it to read /dev/hdb. I tried pointing it to /dev/hdc and hdd but it just told me there was nothing.

And the MD5s match.

[serz]

You will have to use a bootdisk or use another cdrom drive...

[psi42]

I remember having the same problem...

I ejected the CD, and then put it back in, and told it to scan for it again. And that time it worked...

:confused:


~psi42

[tmcG]

I assumed it was something to do with the drive and it was just a coincidence that Mandrake had the same sort of problems that same week with LG CD ROMS!

SInce using a different drive, I can install Slack.

Thanks for the information serz and psi42!

[blkmage]

Oh, the drive boots fine from CD. I discovered it can do that after I looked around in the BIOS. It's just that when it needs to look for the Slackware CD (which I booted from), it can't find it.

[Satanic Atheist]

I had a similar problem with RedHat 7.3 a few years back. The drive I was using was an old 4x drive that I've had excellent results with (it could read discs none of my other drives could) but in this case it kept on failing. Eventually, I installed Mandrake from a different brand of discs and I had no problem.

Another time, I discovered a scratch on my Slackware 9.1 discs which prevented the installation from proceeding past a certain point. Reburning these discs were fine.

Note that the CDROM does not need to spin up to find out what's on a disc. It will read the TOC on insertion and hold this information in a buffer so that it can read the disc from memory, dramatically speeding up access times. This effect is most noticeable when installing drivers in Windows. If you set the thing to search media for drivers, it will take ages to search a CDROM. If you search the same CD for a different set of drivers (as can happen with certain devices) then the time takes no time at all.

At the very least, try cleaning the CD in case some dirt is obstructing the TOC or the very file it's looking for.

I think you can also install Slackware from the hard drive, so if you can boot Knoppix and copy the CDs over (network?) then it should work from there.

It's also possible that your download of that disc was duff (did you check the MD5?).

James

[blkmage]

I don't think I'll be able to copy both discs to hard drive, as either partition isn't large enough.

Would moving the drive from hdb to hdc work?

And the MD5s were fine.