[matttah]

Been having some weird error. So let me give the whole background. I was at my comp, and it was going really slow and sluggish, so i thought,oh i'll just restart...well when i did i get all these errors: a bunch of numbers following a raw data:
then like i\o error, sda sector 130240 and so on. So i salvaged the data off the hd, and reinstalled...worked fien, but when i'd boot it was like your kernel doesn't have the devfs compiled, and gentoo is a devfs system..so i added that into the kernel, and bam i get the exact same errors. I had to get up and running so i installed windows=(, works fine. The thing is i do'nt want to be stuck in windows, i hate it. Anyone know how to fix this problem? or have heard of it?

EDIT! Before i added the devfs to the kernel, i could fully boot(well i was in a non-x environment, hadn't emerged that yet), but i had rebooted a few times before adding it to the kernel.


Daum

[danleff]

Your problem most likely is a piece of hardware attached to the system. I have this problem with my dvd drive trying to read dvd disks. Funky cheap drive!

In your case, if the i/o errors are limited to the sda drive, then it probably is a usb device attached to the system, not the hard drive (unless you are booting off a usb hard drive).

Do you have a usb stick attached to the system? If so, it does not like the file structure on this drive. If you remove the device, then I bet the sluggishness would disappear.

The other possibility is a zip drive issue, if one is attached to the system. A malfunctioning drive, or zip disk that it does not like. Remove the zip disk and see what happens.

[matttah]

sda being my main sata hard drive=p It might have got some damage? I was trying to use blender, and it was continually freezing the system requiring a incorrect shutdown(held the powerbutton). If so...i'll just give dell a ring a ling=p

edit> whats weird is also when i type lilo to update/install it, it says warning /dev/sda is not on the first disk...never got that before i've staretd to have problems.

errors:
here is jsut some of them . they are just continously repeated....
Current sda: sense = 70 3
ASC=11 ASCQ=4
Raw sense data: 0x70 0x00 0x03 that repeats for a while..then
end_reqeust: i/o error, dev sda, sector 161620687.
ata1: status=0x51 {DriveReady SeekComplete Error}
ata1: error=0x40 {UncorrectableError}
scsi-:ERROR on channel 0, id 0, lin 0, CDB: 0x28 00 09 a2 22 d0 00 00 006 00
then repeats.

last edit!
Good news i guess..the hd diagnostics said the drive was messed...so now waiting for dell to pick up the phone.

Daum
[Edited by matttah on 2004-11-29 22:35:47]

[danleff]

Ahh...sata! That makes sense! Sata drives are detected as scsi drives in the bios. I just installed one on my mew board.

The filesystem is corrupt, probably based on the improper shutdowns. How your version of Linux detects the sata interface and the drive may be at issue. What filesystem seems to be at issue, ext3, reiserfs? And, what distro are you using?

I bet the diagnostic software that you used might be windows based? If so, it may not also like the Linux partitions, or does not recognize them properly.

I read in another post that some Dell systems may have issues with the correct detection of sata, at least that sata is not enabled in the bios by default. This would be interesting.

I had to enable my sata via a jumper on the motherboard, on my Asus board.

Just as a note, my new Maxtor sata drive was giving me headahes setting it up just as a data drive. Maxblast software failed to set it up properly (realize that the software was released in 2003). It rexognized the drive fine (drive id) but failed to format it correctly.

I hope Dell will be of some help and not state that they don't support Linux. They do! If the tech tells you this, insist on speaking to a Linux tech.

[matttah]

They have linux techs? The hard drive diag were via the mobo, not windows stuff. I was using the newest gentoo. Also, I already configured the bios to be set to the sata, the first day i had the computer I reformated it, so i needed to change that. They said that the failed diag test, was because the drive was messed up. I get a dell techie to come over on wednesday(same time woulda been if I had them ship the drive, but now i get to have someone install it...) Anyways, i'll be back up and running in linux by thursday is my guess. I have the gentoo install down to under about 5 hours if I don't install and x system.

Oh, the guy seemed to know what i ment when i said I use linux, not windows. At first there was a studder, then he goes ok..you dual booting or what? I got a lot less questions this time than usual, didn't have to go through the whole by the book process, they have lots of faith in their hd diag test.
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[danleff]

Wow, that's progress for Dell!

I give them one thumbs up

Let us know how you make out!

[matttah]

I've always had really good luck with dell. Although I am not sure how much I like their movement to india for low level support(only because the majority of the time, the conversation is like 10 times as long as needed due to them trying to understand the english), I have always had zero trouble getting parts. I even once got a free part 6 months outta warantee. Anyways, i'll give you a report of how the techie does.
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[matttah]

Guy came, withing minutes he installed it..we sat aroudn talked for a while...they hire independent people to do it(or firms) as the dell techies. He was A+ certified, and also has like 76 dell certs. He said they are incredibly picky on who they let service their comps. He wasn't a linuxer, but i did get him to take a gentoo cd with him, he said he'd try it otu.
Two thumbs up.
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[egorgry]

Impressive service. I thought for sure they would blem it on linux and cop out of the service.

Offtopic sidenote I work for the company that does all of Dells finacial services and we get a company discount that is always 30-40 dollars over the consumer price. Yes I said OVER, some deal huh?

[matttah]

lol...i asked him if he got discounts...he said for dell they do for him he gest all the items...and full service for the years..for example if its a dvdr or a cd burner/dvd reader..he can get both.....and for the service tehy give him the longest time for free...
Daum

[egorgry]

That's funny they give us teh three year service or whatever teh long term deal is too.

[matttah]

lol...i asked him if he got discounts...he said for dell they do for him he gest all the items...and full service for the years..for example if its a dvdr or a cd burner/dvd reader..he can get both.....and for the service tehy give him the longest time for free...
Daum