On 26.10.2014 17:08, Ady wrote:> >> Hi, >> >> when I try to boot my notebook from a USB disc, the system freezes >> completely. After displaying the text (or menu), it doesn't react to any >> key, even Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn't work. The config is pretty simple: >> >> ------------------------------------------- >> SAY Booting Linux from USB... >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz >> DEFAULT Vaio >> PROMPT 1 >> >> LABEL Black >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz >> APPEND ro initrd=/boot/initramfs console=ttyS0,38400 console=tty0 >> vga=0x307 HOST=Black >> >> LABEL Vaio >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz >> APPEND ro initrd=/boot/initramfs console=ttyS0,38400 console=tty0 >> vga=0x305 HOST=Vaio >> ------------------------------------------- >> >> With "PROMPT 0", it boots without problems. >> >> As the same configuration works well with my PC, I guess it has >> something to do with the BIOS. The notebook is a Vaio VGN-Z21VN, approx. >> 6 years old. >> Any ideas? > > The first KERNEL directive in your cfg (the one under the SAY > directive) should be deleted (or at least comment it out with "#"):OK, it doesn't make much sense there, but I don't think it can cause the system to hang. And actually commenting it out didn't change anything.> When using "PROMPT 1", you should see the "boot:" prompt.Yes I see the prompt (as I did before).> Pressing [Enter], should boot the "Vaio" label.I know it _should_ boot, but it _doesn't_, that's the problem. At this point, the only thing I can do is a hard reset. Bernd -- http://sudrala.de
On Sun, Oct 26, 2014 at 08:58:05PM +0100, Bernd Eggink wrote:> On 26.10.2014 17:08, Ady wrote:<snip/>> >Pressing [Enter], should boot the "Vaio" label. > > I know it _should_ boot, but it _doesn't_, that's the problem. At > this point, the only thing I can do is a hard reset.What extra information can you provide with http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/Development/Debugging#Syslinux_Dynamic_Debugger ? Groeten Geert Stappers -- Leven en laten leven
> On 26.10.2014 17:08, Ady wrote: > > > >> Hi, > >> > >> when I try to boot my notebook from a USB disc, the system freezes > >> completely. After displaying the text (or menu), it doesn't react to any > >> key, even Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn't work. The config is pretty simple: > >> > >> ------------------------------------------- > >> SAY Booting Linux from USB... > >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz > >> DEFAULT Vaio > >> PROMPT 1 > >> > >> LABEL Black > >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz > >> APPEND ro initrd=/boot/initramfs console=ttyS0,38400 console=tty0 > >> vga=0x307 HOST=Black > >> > >> LABEL Vaio > >> KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz > >> APPEND ro initrd=/boot/initramfs console=ttyS0,38400 console=tty0 > >> vga=0x305 HOST=Vaio > >> ------------------------------------------- > >> > >> With "PROMPT 0", it boots without problems. > >> > >> As the same configuration works well with my PC, I guess it has > >> something to do with the BIOS. The notebook is a Vaio VGN-Z21VN, approx. > >> 6 years old. > >> Any ideas? > > > > The first KERNEL directive in your cfg (the one under the SAY > > directive) should be deleted (or at least comment it out with "#"): > > OK, it doesn't make much sense there, but I don't think it can cause the > system to hang. And actually commenting it out didn't change anything. > > > When using "PROMPT 1", you should see the "boot:" prompt. > > Yes I see the prompt (as I did before). > > > Pressing [Enter], should boot the "Vaio" label. > > I know it _should_ boot, but it _doesn't_, that's the problem. At this > point, the only thing I can do is a hard reset. >Perhaps I am misunderstanding something from your report. Are you saying that using the exact same USB drive, plugged into the exact same USB port of the exact same hardware, you are able to boot the exact same boot entry (label) when using "prompt 0" but it fails when using "prompt 1" and typing in the same label in the boot prompt? Have you tried other kernels (e.g. memtest)? How much time have you waited before you pressed additional keys? Booting from USB can take longer than expected. Which version of Syslinux are you using in your USB drive? Is it using official pre-built binaries from kernel.org? Have you posted the complete content of your syslinux.cfg? Regards, Ady.
On 26.10.2014 21:34, Ady wrote:> Are you saying that using the exact same USB drive, plugged into the > exact same USB port of the exact same hardware, you are able to boot > the exact same boot entry (label) when using "prompt 0" but it fails > when using "prompt 1" and typing in the same label in the boot > prompt?Yes, exactly. Except that whatever I type isn't echoed on the screen and has no effect.> Have you tried other kernels (e.g. memtest)?I don't think it has to do with the kernel, as the same kernel boots immediately with "prompt 0".> Which version of Syslinux are you using in your USB drive? Is it > using official pre-built binaries from kernel.org?Ahhh - that's the point, thanks for asking. Should have checked the version first. I'm running Crux, a source-based distro, where Syslinux is still 5.10. A first try to compile 6.03 didn't succeed (see below), but the precompiled 6.03 binaries worked out of the box, and everything is fine now. Here is the tail of the 'make' output, in case somebody cares: ----------------------------------------------------------------- ranlib liblpxelinux.a nasm -f elf -Ox -g -F dwarf -DDATE_STR="''" \ -DHEXDATE="0x544e07ea" \ -Di386 \ -I/usr/ports/monoped/syslinux/syslinux-6.03/core/ \ -l ldlinux.lsr -o ldlinux.o -MP -MD ./.ldlinux.o.d /usr/ports/monoped/syslinux/syslinux-6.03/core/ldlinux.asm diskstart.inc:438: error: symbol references not supported in preprocess-only mode diskstart.inc:438: error: non-constant value given to `%if' diskstart.inc:439: error: symbol references not supported in preprocess-only mode diskstart.inc:439: error: non-constant value given to `%assign' /usr/ports/monoped/syslinux/syslinux-6.03/core/ldlinux.asm:26: fatal: unable to open include file `head.inc' /usr/ports/monoped/syslinux/syslinux-6.03/core/Makefile:156: recipe for target 'ldlinux.o' failed ... ----------------------------------------------------------------- Regards, Bernd