PATA drive not detected during install - why?

[m3freak]

Background:

I have an Asus M488TD-M/USB3 to which I have connected a Maxtor 80GB PATA drive. The PATA drive will have the OS installed to it.  I'm going to be using SATA drives in a Linux RAID 5 config for the media storage.  However, instead of starting from scratch, I'm going to take an existing RAID 5 set from a Fedora 12 box and drop it in my LinuxMCE Core server at a later date.

I downloaded LinuxMCE-8.10-23796-i386.iso, and burned the image to a DVD.

The Problem:

When I boot from the DVD, select "install LinuxMCE", and eventually get to the storage screen, the PATA drive is never displayed!  Thus, I can't install LinuxMCE.  I've double checked the BIOS settings, I've rebooted several times, and even run the install from a USB stick, but always with the same result - no PATA drive is found.

I thought maybe the drive was faulty or perhaps there was some other hardware problem.  So, I downloaded the Fedora 14 Live iso, installed it onto a USB stick, booted off the stick, and viola, I could see the PATA drive. Whaaa?!  I was even able to install the Live CD to the PATA drive.  When I rebooted the machine, Fedora happily booted up and ran.

Lesson Learned:

I can only conclude something is fubared with the LinuxMCE installer.  Why is my PATA drive not being detected?  Should I download a newer build?

[bongowongo]

Take the latest recommended snapshot please. In all of my use of crapy HD's, never saw this one. Are you sure you have a proper PATA HD Cable connected on the correct port on mainbord (usually blue).
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Snapshot_overview

[m3freak]

Take the latest recommended snapshot please. In all of my use of crapy HD's, never saw this one. Are you sure you have a proper PATA HD Cable connected on the correct port on mainbord (usually blue).
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Snapshot_overview

The download of the latest snapshot should be finished soon.  I'm planning on trying another install later tonight. I'll report my success/fail at that time.

I'm 100% sure I've installed the PATA drive correctly.  Further, if the drive wasn't installed correctly, the Fedora 14 installation wouldn't have worked either.  But, it did!

[Techstyle]

just for reassurance, I have my LMCE OS on a 200GB PATA drive

[twodogs]

I know you checked the BIOS, but I had a similar problem that finally turned out to be an incorrect setting in BIOS. My board uses a JMicron chip to control PATA drive, and I think you have the same chip. Maybe you could tell us what you are seeing at POST.

Behavior when the JMicron chip is enabled correctly:
 -If a hard drive is connected, you will see a message at POST that says the JMicron found the drive.
 -If a hard drive is not connected, there will be a message in broken English "no any hard drive found".

If the JMicron chip is disabled, there will be no POST message about JMicron.

John

[pigdog]

Hi,

When you go to install choose options (or something like that) at the end of the kernel command line add

all_generic_ide

and see if that helps any.

Cheers.

[m3freak]

I know you checked the BIOS, but I had a similar problem that finally turned out to be an incorrect setting in BIOS. My board uses a JMicron chip to control PATA drive, and I think you have the same chip. Maybe you could tell us what you are seeing at POST.

Behavior when the JMicron chip is enabled correctly:
 -If a hard drive is connected, you will see a message at POST that says the JMicron found the drive.
 -If a hard drive is not connected, there will be a message in broken English "no any hard drive found".

If the JMicron chip is disabled, there will be no POST message about JMicron.

The BIOS sees the drive. Before Fedora 14 or before the LinuxMCE CD boots, the Maxtor drive is displayed on the Marvel screen.

[m3freak]

Take the latest recommended snapshot please. In all of my use of crapy HD's, never saw this one. Are you sure you have a proper PATA HD Cable connected on the correct port on mainbord (usually blue).
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Snapshot_overview

I downloaded the latest snapshot - failed again.  I'm going to try editing the kernel boot parameters next (as suggested by another poster).

[m3freak]

Hi,

When you go to install choose options (or something like that) at the end of the kernel command line add

all_generic_ide

and see if that helps any.

Cheers.

That helped plenty - drive was detected!  Sweet!  Thanks for the tip.

I've never heard of this kernel boot parameter.  Is it new???

[pigdog]

Hi,

No, all_generic_ide has been around since Christ was a cowboy.

I had to use it years ago on Redhat pre-Fedora days for some mobo's and on later releases for DVD SATA drives to be recognized.

Glad to hear it helped.