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rdingraham
April 23rd, 2010, 12:23 AM
This problem concerns the 10.4 Final Release Candidate, which I
downloaded today (10/22/10).

First I tried installing the 64 bit version, than the 32 bit version,
both from individual Live CDs, dowloaded and burned from the Ubuntu
dowload page. ImageBurn burned the iso files to (seperate) discs, and
verified good burns.

However, when running the disk(s), the installation freezes, I believe
(not sure) when it is trying to load the linux kernel.

The Ubuntu installation screen offers 4 options:

1) Try Ubuntu without installation
2) Install
3) Checks disc for defects
4) Test Memory

The only choice that works is #4. I ran that and tested the memory, and
it reports NO errors.

If I choose 1,2, or 3, it takes me to a screen with scrolled text, that
ends with either one of the two following lines.

On the 64 bit installation, the final line in the scrolled list of text
is:

[0.671269] [<ffffffff810141e0>] ? child_rip+0x0/0x20

On the 32 bit installation it freezes at:

[0.681236] [<ffffffff818496e3>] kernel_helper+0x7/0x16

The two or three text lines, preceeding the point where it freezes, all
contain the word "kernel"

This is a new Toshiba Satellite laptop, Model # L505D-LS5004, with a 64
bit AMD Sempron processor. 2 GB memory. Only 2 months old. Currently
has Windows 7 installed, which I want to replace. The 10.4 installation
disk is being run at "boot-up," not within Windows.

Any suggestions?

mick222
April 23rd, 2010, 12:32 AM
sounds like a bad burn check the md5sum.There is a plugin for firefox i seen mentioned in another thread or md5summer search in google.

foxdmatt
April 23rd, 2010, 02:09 AM
Use 32 bit version. 64 bit version is good only if you have 4 G of RAM or more.

rdingraham
April 23rd, 2010, 02:32 AM
Thanks for the suggestions, but...

1) Downloaded and ran MD5sums. It reports NO errors on either the 32 bit or 64 bit installation disk.

2) On the suggestion to install the 32 bit version, as opposed to the 64 bit version, the same freeze-up occurs, as reported in my original message.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 23rd, 2010, 04:31 PM
Look here for the problem and a solution:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=14679

You can also do a search of these forums on "L505D" for users with the same problem.

You can get the boot to finish with "acpi=off" as a boot option, but that is only a short-term solution.

Colin

norseman-has-a-laptop
April 23rd, 2010, 05:25 PM
did you try a reinstall lol

rdingraham
April 23rd, 2010, 09:40 PM
Thanks colinwhipple.

Here's what I did, followed by a question.

First, I took my 32 bit 10.4 installation disc, and installed on an old Compaq Presario laptop. Everything went smoothly, so clearly the problem is with the new Toshiba L505D.

Next, I booted up the Toshiba from the installation disc with the acpi-off option checked. No error messages, and no freeze. I chose the "run Ubuntu from the disc" (without installing), and it worked perfectly, except for certain audio & video, but I assume that will be fixed with a full installation and package upgrade.

It looks like I will be able to install, with the acpi-off option, but I have not done so yet.

Here's the question. If I do install, with the acpi-off option, will it subsequently work? I followed the link you provided, but, although I am not a computer, or even a Linux noob, the discussion of modifying or creating a new DSDT seemed a little daunting to me. I don't mind running the laptop permanently with acpi off, if there is a way to do it, or even to choose it on every boot-up. I'm not particularly worried about over-heating, so if there is a relatively "simple" solution, please advise.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 23rd, 2010, 11:24 PM
I guess you could use acpi=off indefinitely, but it it not advisable. No power management, and overheating problems.

There is another solution in this message thread:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1301101&highlight=l505d

Look for some more extensive boot options posted by a user named Linux Lurker. With these boot options you get fairly extensive power management.

Colin

rdingraham
April 24th, 2010, 03:11 AM
Thanks. I read the whole thread. Very useful, but I don't know if I'm prepared to replace the kernel, although the instructions look pretty straightforward.

What's obvious, is that this acpi-Toshiba problem is a known issue. If Toshiba was a decent company, they would come up with a BIOS fix. Alternately, since many people are reporting problems with Ubuntu installations on Toshibas, perhaps there will be an acpi-fix developed and posted in the repositories, or a new official Linux kernel that will solve the problem.

I'm going to go ahead and install, run it with acpi-off temporarily, keeping an eye on my heat sensors, and contemplate making the changes that are laid out in the thread you referenced.

Thanks again.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 24th, 2010, 03:35 AM
Thanks. I read the whole thread. Very useful, but I don't know if I'm prepared to replace the kernel, although the instructions look pretty straightforward.

What's obvious, is that this acpi-Toshiba problem is a known issue. If Toshiba was a decent company, they would come up with a BIOS fix. Alternately, since many people are reporting problems with Ubuntu installations on Toshibas, perhaps there will be an acpi-fix developed and posted in the repositories, or a new official Linux kernel that will solve the problem.

I'm going to go ahead and install, run it with acpi-off temporarily, keeping an eye on my heat sensors, and contemplate making the changes that are laid out in the thread you referenced.

Thanks again.

Bob Ingraham

These are the boot options to use in place of acpi=off:

acpi_os_name="Windows 2001" acpi_osi="Windows 2001" pci=noacpi pci=assign-busses

Colin

rdingraham
April 26th, 2010, 02:53 AM
After reading the posts by colinwhipple and Linux_Lurker, I decided to go ahead and to install 10.4 on my Toshiba Satellite.

The only way I could get it to install was to use acpi=off. I did this (from the live CD) and the installation seemed to complete smoothly. However, now when I boot up from the hard drive, the screen goes directly to a line of text error messages, exactly the same as I got previously when trying to install with acpi active.

I know that before I make any advanced changes I will have to get into the Grub menu.lst file and add the parameters for acpi=off (or one of the alternatives)

How do I do this?

If I boot from the hard drive, it just takes me to the screen of error messages. I never get to the Grub menu, and I have no option to boot into terminal. Windows 7 is gone; the disk was wiped when I did the 10.4 installation.

If I boot from the LiveCD, I can see my hard drive in Nautilus, but there is no menu.lst file in the Grub directory, even with "hidden files" shown.

Pressing "e" while the computer is booting does nothing.

I can't figure it out. Please help.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 26th, 2010, 07:44 PM
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/show-and-hide-the-grub-menu-on-ubuntu.html

When Ubuntu boots, you normally briefly see a screen that says “GRUB loading. please wait… Press Esc to enter the menu…”

rdingraham
April 27th, 2010, 07:46 AM
Thanks for replying collinwhipple.

You say "When Ubuntu boots, you normally briefly see a screen that says “GRUB loading" I get no such screen or message.

If I attempt to boot directly into the hard drive (where Ubuntu 10.4 was actually installed, using the acpi=off option), I get one screen with the Toshiba logo, where I have the choice to press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup, or F12 to change the boot order. Pressing "esc" on this screen does nothing. The very next screen I see is the screen with scrolled error messages, where the computer stops.

There is never, at any time, even briefly, a message about "Grub Loading." Only the Toshiba logo screen, and then the error messages. I tried pressing the esc button at different intervals (even without the "Grub Loading" message), but that didn't work either.

The next thing I tried was to boot from the LiveCD, and then, at the LiveCD menu screen, attempt to boot into the hard drive, using the acpi=off choice. That didn't work, do I tried noaipc. Both attempts took me to the screen of error messages and lock-up.

The ONLY thing it will let me do is run 10.4 off the LiveCD (with acpi=off checked)

This is a Toshiba Satellite 505D-LS5004.

It seems that yourself, Linux_Lurker, and others have figured out a way to make this work. What am I doing wrong?

By the way, all of the instructions on modifying the Grub/menu.lst file (if I ever get to that point), do they still apply? I was under the impression that 10.4 is using Grub2 and no longer includes the menu.lst file. Is that so?

Anyway, I'm not even at that point yet. I've got to figure out how to get past the error screen, and get into the operating system.

Any suggestions, greatly appreciated.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 27th, 2010, 01:10 PM
Sorry. That stuff was applicable to the old version of Grub.

Instructions for Grub 2 are here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1195275&highlight=grub

In particular, this should be of help:

#
# First Look Differences: GRUB vs GRUB 2
At first boot, there will not be much difference in what the user sees on the boot menu. The one exception is a clean install of Ubuntu 9.10 with no other installed operating system. In this case, GRUB 2 will boot directly to the login prompt or Desktop without displaying a menu. Other major differences:

* No ''/boot/grub/menu.lst''. It has been replaced by ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg''.
* Hold down SHIFT to display the hidden menu during boot (formerly ESC is GRUB legacy).

Colin

rdingraham
April 28th, 2010, 06:08 PM
collinwhipple,

Great. That did it. I held down the shift key. At the Grub menu I pressed e. Then I added acpi=off between "ro" and "quiet" and booted up. This got me into the operating system.

I also tried replacing acpi=off with acpi_os_name="Windows 2001" acpi_osi="Windows 2001" pci=noacpi pci=assign-busses (again between "ro" and "quiet"), but this did not work; it would not boot.

I guess the next step is to edit Grub, and since there is now no menu.lst file, this looks a little more difficult in Grub2, but I will study the link you provided in your last post and try to figure it out.

After that is the whole question of editing the kernel, which looks even more challenging, but I'll take it one step at a time.

At least now I can get into Ubuntu, so I can begin to make further changes.

Thanks.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 28th, 2010, 08:57 PM
collinwhipple,

Great. That did it. I held down the shift key. At the Grub menu I pressed e. Then I added acpi=off between "ro" and "quiet" and booted up. This got me into the operating system.

I also tried replacing acpi=off with acpi_os_name="Windows 2001" acpi_osi="Windows 2001" pci=noacpi pci=assign-busses (again between "ro" and "quiet"), but this did not work; it would not boot.

I guess the next step is to edit Grub, and since there is now no menu.lst file, this looks a little more difficult in Grub2, but I will study the link you provided in your last post and try to figure it out.

After that is the whole question of editing the kernel, which looks even more challenging, but I'll take it one step at a time.

At least now I can get into Ubuntu, so I can begin to make further changes.

Thanks.

Bob Ingraham

In the thread where Linux Lurker and I did a lot of posting, a user named ivanmmj posted very good instructions for patching and compiling a kernel. I had never done that before, and I was able to follow his instructions and make it work. It is on Page 8 of "Toshiba L505D ACPI issue with 9.1/9.04".

One thing though, when I compiled a 2.6.33 series kernel in 10.4, wifi didn't work for me. I was able to get wifi to work with a 2.6.32 series kernel.

Colin

rdingraham
April 29th, 2010, 09:14 PM
Colin,

I'm going to to go ahead and do the kernel thing. I have one last question of you, if you might know the answer. A number of custom kernels were posted in the "Toshiba L505D ACPI issue with 9.1/9.04" thread. I'm running 10.4 RC 64 bit. Any idea which of those kernels would be the best one to try? Some seem to be for Karmic, and some seem to be for 32 bit.

I'm going to use ivanmmj's directions from page 9 of that thread. I thought I would try that first, and avoid doing a manual kernel rebuild, if possible. His instructions:

Originally Posted by ivanmmj
Press F6 at the beginning.
Choose ACPI=off.
Boot.
Install.
Boot into the hard disk.
Install my DEB files.
Open up the terminal.
Code:
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
Change GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX back to nothing so you get:
Code:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
Restart. Done.

I assume that if you make the kernel changes, then you don't have to screw around with editing the Grub?

I'm marking this thread Solved, because, with your help, I did solve the problem of booting into 10.4. I guess if I need more help, I will follow it up on the original "Toshiba L505D ACPI" thread.

Bob Ingraham

colinwhipple
April 29th, 2010, 10:26 PM
I am fairly certain that if you are running 64 bit 10.4 you need to install a kernel with both those characteristics. Neither 32-bit nor Karmic would work.

I felt more comfortable in the long run using a kernel I compiled myself than using one another individual compiled on his own computer.

Colin

rdingraham
April 29th, 2010, 10:29 PM
Colin,

Thanks. I guess I'll just plunge ahead and try to compile a new kernel.
Thanks.

Bob Ingraham

Rackstar
May 1st, 2010, 09:32 AM
Did you file a bugreport? I'm having the same issue.

Rackstar
May 1st, 2010, 09:55 AM
I did file a bugreport, not 100% sure if this is what you're experiencing, but worth taking a look at it.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/572868

ericwwheeler
May 2nd, 2010, 08:17 PM
collinwhipple,

Great. That did it. I held down the shift key. At the Grub menu I pressed e. Then I added acpi=off between "ro" and "quiet" and booted up. This got me into the operating system.

I also tried replacing acpi=off with acpi_os_name="Windows 2001" acpi_osi="Windows 2001" pci=noacpi pci=assign-busses (again between "ro" and "quiet"), but this did not work; it would not boot.

I guess the next step is to edit Grub, and since there is now no menu.lst file, this looks a little more difficult in Grub2, but I will study the link you provided in your last post and try to figure it out.

After that is the whole question of editing the kernel, which looks even more challenging, but I'll take it one step at a time.

At least now I can get into Ubuntu, so I can begin to make further changes.

Thanks.

Bob Ingraham

Hey Bob, I have the Satellite L505D-S5983 and when I added the 'acpi=off' between the 'ro' and 'quiet' I was able to get to the password screen but the keyboard didn't work to type in the password. Do you have any suggestions or did you run into a similar problem?

rdingraham
May 3rd, 2010, 08:41 PM
Eric,

No I did not run into that specific problem. What I can tell you is that using acpi=off is only a temporary, partial solution. Others have reported that, under acpi=off, various things don't work right, e.g. touchpad, wireless, etc. Not to mention the possibility of overheating.

Toshiba is likely to do nothing about this problem. The solution is going to have to come from a new, as yet unreleased, linux kernel that fixes the problem. Its clear that this is being worked on, so it may not be too far off.

In the meantime, others have managed to get a mostly functioning system, where you no longer have to turn off acpi, by compiling a custom kernel.

If you are interested in pursuing that, please see the thread "Toshiba L505D ACPI issue with 9.1/9.04" in this forum

Bob