Trouble installing Linux on circa-1999 Compaq Presario

[Tom Metro]

edwardp-KK0ffGbhmjU at public.gmane.org wrote:
> I do not know what may have changed between 2008 Spring and 2009.

Your hardware broke?

When was the last time you tried installing the 2008 version?


> Why these errors do not occur with their 2008 Spring and earlier
> releases, I do not know.

Maybe the 2008 version was distributed on a CD and the 2009 version uses 
a DVD?


> ...the memory...was fine, no errors reported.
> 
> It must be something on the motherboard then, that may be failing or has 
> failed.

If you wanted to play around with it some more, the next logical thing 
to try might be using USB storage to do the install, so that you bypass 
the IDE controller. Either use a USB DVD drive, a small thumb drive to 
boot a network installer, or setup an external HD to boot an installer.

If the internal HD is using the same controller as the CD/DVD drive, 
this may not help any.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/