hang during install - READ_DMA CF Card on IDE

[a1234b]

Trouble installing latest 775 from livecd. Media is a 4GB Transcend CF card in a SYBA CF to IDE converter plugged into motherboard. BIOS recognizes CF card and automatically sets UDMA mode to UDMA 2.

During the install process, after you choose an option from the menu, i get a repeating error. Using the standard install option I get:

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(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): READ_DMA. ACB: c8 00 6f 7a 77 40 00 00 00 00 01 00
(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): CAM status: Command timeout
(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): Retrying command

Used the verbose logging option and I get:

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ata1: reset tp1 mask=03 ostat0=50 ostat1=00
ata1: stat0=0x50 err=0x01 lsb=0x00 msb=0x00
ata1: stat0=0x00 err=0x01 lsb=0x00 msb=0x00
ata1: reset tp2 stat0=50 stat1=00 devices=0x1
(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): READ_DMA. ACB: c8 00 6f 7a 77 40 00 00 00 00 01 00
(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): CAM status: Command timeout
(ada0:ata1:0:0:0): Retrying command

then repeats.

EDIT:
Tried installing with safe mode, which allows me to get to the prompt to choose full/embedded, etc. I choose cd0 as source, then ada0 as target (the CF card) and it finishes.

I remove the CD and on reboot I get:

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DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

I try installing with BIOS forcing mode PIO4, and the

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set hint.ata.1.mode=PIO4

command from the loader prompt. Same error:

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DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

any ideas?

[raulfg3]

what ide cable do you use? perhaps normal 40 pin?, try to use 80 pin IDE cable, if still persist error try to use a short IDE cable, if still persist error you may thing to change actual CF for other brand.

I use http://www.syba.com/index.php?controlle ... nfo&Id=298 and works fine for me.

[a1234b]

what ide cable do you use? perhaps normal 40 pin?, try to use 80 pin IDE cable, if still persist error try to use a short IDE cable, if still persist error you may thing to change actual CF for other brand.

I use http://www.syba.com/index.php?controlle ... nfo&Id=298 and works fine for me.

No cable. The model I have is a direct plug into the IDE slot on the mobo. But I thought that it is only a 40 pin interface, so the cable shouldn't matter...?

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CF-IDE-DI ... pd_sim_e_5

Have tried 2 different CF cards with the same error.

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I have edited the original post.
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[Lee Sharp]

Is it a new UEFI motherboard? I may be setting the CF to last boot and trying all the SATA hard drives first. Go into the BIOS and disable booting from the hard drives...

[a1234b]

Is it a new UEFI motherboard? I may be setting the CF to last boot and trying all the SATA hard drives first. Go into the BIOS and disable booting from the hard drives...

Not UEFI. It's an ASUS A7V333 from way back in the day. Only IDE devices plugged in are a DVD drive (install media) and CF to IDE adapter. I can boot off the CD fine, but as soon as I remove the disc and reboot it won't boot.

Gotta be related to the READ DMA error. I can order a 3rd CF card and try that...

[raulfg3]

your board have 4 IDE port, try other different, and revise your IDE2CF adapter is configured as Master ( normally have two pins to do it)

[b0ssman]

you could try a KingSpec SSD DOM instead of buying another ide cf adapter.

but i have to ask:
that board is ancient and will prob use a lot of power.
and ide drives are not available in high capacity.
have you thought about upgrading?

[armandh]

some boards only boot from the primary IDE port
I have never had problems with these for embedded OS
http://www.logicsupply.com/products/fdm40xsi512m

I have also used small [2.1 Gb] laptop drives from the win98 era
installed but not mounted and set to spin down after 5 min.
Ive also used old 8Gb hdd

some bios do not boot well from drives with some properties
see if it will work with a hdd first to assure no other trouble

[Lee Sharp]

It may also be a fundamental incompatibility with that board and that adapter. Try installing m0n0wall, or a striped down Linux to it and see if it still boots...

[a1234b]

Any suggestions? I will try monowall but what else should I try? FreeBSD 8.4 or 9.1? Or something else?

A quick review of m0n0wall shows that installation might be difficult with my current setup. I have no way to put images on the CF card on another PC (I don't have a USB type CF reader). I need a bootable ISO install CD that can write to CF card.

Thanks.

[a1234b]

Do I need to use a utility such as GParted to prepare the CF card volume before starting the installer? This is a fresh out of the packaging CF card.

[Lee Sharp]

Any suggestions? I will try monowall but what else should I try? FreeBSD 8.4 or 9.1? Or something else?

A quick review of m0n0wall shows that installation might be difficult with my current setup. I have no way to put images on the CF card on another PC (I don't have a USB type CF reader). I need a bootable ISO install CD that can write to CF card.

Thanks.

Boot any linux CD and wget the image. Then as root "zcat ./generic-pc.1.x.xx.x.img | dd /of=/dev/sda bs=16k" and it will write. Note that sda will have to change to whatever your cf disk is at the time. It can be written from a Linux desktop as well.

Or, get the pfSense CD and install from that... But I have had systems that choke on install CDs and run the installs fine.