PowerPC - Installing Intrepid (8.10) - No common CD-ROM drive was detected

[stream303]

It isn't really just negligence, it is just a major lack of resources now that ppc is a community-supported port for Canonical, rather than an officially supported commercial architecture like x86 etc. It is no surprise that the commercial architectures take precedence, and major things like this slip.

All we can do is try and notify devs early, and post work-around patches. Eventually, if things get really rough, like they are doing with Xubuntu, one can try taking all their learned knowledge to perhaps Debian XFCE.

Don't worry about not participating. You are doing that now even if the only accomplishment is that you've helped just ONE person out there.

[cyberdork33]

It isn't really just negligence, it is just a major lack of resources now that ppc is a community-supported port for Canonical, rather than an officially supported commercial architecture like x86 etc. It is no surprise that the commercial architectures take precedence, and major things like this slip.

Ha, there has been a bug in the Ubuntu installer for the last three releases that leaves Intel Macs unbootable.

[stream303]

I didn't know the lack of resources is hitting Intel mac too.

This is really strange, since I would think that with Ubuntu's extra emphasis to become more OSX-like, that an Intel Mac would be the perfect platform to show it off, and would therefore be the leader in this regard.

I guess the question is do other distros share these same bugs on the Intel Macs? Could the EFI firmware updates I have seen recently released on the 10th help any? (I obviously don't know what I'm talking about here with EFI, so this is a total shot in the dark!)

What worries me the most is that it seems as if our PPC and Intel/Mac architectures are suffering from the same lack of resources, or possibly something else beyond a dev or user's control.

Man, I don't know what to say. How many more cycles of show-stopper bugs do we put up with, if solutions are presented by either devs or users, but don't get fixed. Small bugs are one thing, but being unable to boot at all with subsequent release after release may be someone trying to send us all a message.

At this stage, are we just performing technical exercises, and maybe just expressing the Ubuntu spirit with each other getting over hurdles? Maybe that's enough, but at some point one wonders if "community-supported" is just a one-way street.

[pindham]

Thanks. We are a rural school system in middle Georgia, USA, repurposing some old G3 iBooks, and we couldn't have moved forward without this tip.

[cyberdork33]

I guess the question is do other distros share these same bugs on the Intel Macs? Could the EFI firmware updates I have seen recently released on the 10th help any? (I obviously don't know what I'm talking about here with EFI, so this is a total shot in the dark!)

Just Ubuntu-based ones that I know of. It is really not a Firmware issue (Apple isn't really interested in fixing Linux-related issues anyway, though they did fix keyboard issues once). The problem is that the Ubuntu installer properly updates the partition table for the EFI side of things (the GPT), but clears out the MBR partition table. The legacy table is required to use GRUB and thus boot Ubuntu, so after install you are left with an unbootable OS. fortunately, there is a tool that can sync the MBR table with the GPT which gets things working again.

What worries me the most is that it seems as if our PPC and Intel/Mac architectures are suffering from the same lack of resources, or possibly something else beyond a dev or user's control.

I think it is just the lack of Apple hardware using Linux Developers. They are really the only ones that care about such issues, and can test fixes properly.

Man, I don't know what to say. How many more cycles of show-stopper bugs do we put up with, if solutions are presented by either devs or users, but don't get fixed. Small bugs are one thing, but being unable to boot at all with subsequent release after release may be someone trying to send us all a message.

It has basically been a game of "not our fault".

[technolalia]

Has a bug been filed for these problems? A search on launchpad has turned up https://bugs.launchpad.net/xserver-x...ti/+bug/273510 as being the closest for the display problems, but not for the undetected cd drive.

The cd detection on Xubuntu Jaunty Alpha 2 is fine, although I boot up into a blank screen, so the display problems are still live.

[tiresia]

Has a bug been filed for these problems? A search on launchpad has turned up https://bugs.launchpad.net/xserver-x...ti/+bug/273510 as being the closest for the display problems, but not for the undetected cd drive.

Please, read the first post of this thread

The cd detection on Xubuntu Jaunty Alpha 2 is fine, although I boot up into a blank screen, so the display problems are still live.

Glad to hear that. Have you tried to give at bootup the option 'video=ofonly'

[stream303]

Also try one of my favorite kernel parameters, nosplash

Example - at the second-stage of the yaboot boot: prompt, hit TAB to stop the countdown, and then you can try entering

Linux video=ofonly
or
Linux nosplash
or
Linux video=ofonly nosplash

That should get you a bit further hopefully.

[DurocShark]

I'd just like to say that the posted fix (modprobe ide-scsi) worked perfectly. In fact, it can be done at any point prior to the CD-ROM detection, and then when the installer tries to detect it, it will work fine with no errors.

Thanks!

EDIT: The system is an iBook G3 500 w/640mb. If it matters to anybody.

[airwhen]

OK, I followed the instructions to the T and my results were not what is to be expected.

I loaded the CD and I went through the Country, Keyboard, and other screens finally ending at the "No Common CD-ROM drive was detected"

Answered the "no" to he question, opened up the new window, typed in modprobe ide-scsi and the DVD-ROM starts to go: "Click.......Click.......Click Click" over and over. When I return back the previous window, try to detect again, it ust keeps going in a loop back to the "No common CD-ROM drive detected"

Possible deviations: I used a DVD instead of a CD for the ISO?

Otherwise I am lost. Anybody have any ideas???

I have a PowerBook G3 Pismo (2000) Firewire with DVD-ROM.

Thanks!