Can't get Fedora12 to boot

[heyzeus41]

I've dug through the forums and seen this issue come up several times, but none of them quite seemed to apply, so I decided to risk starting my own thread in the hopes that I could get a solution.

I'm using an emachines T3508 with 160 gig IDE hd and trying to install Fedora 12 off the live cd. At this time (and any other time until I get this to actually work on my computer) I'll be in the live cd environment. I'm trying to have just linux (I've grown tired of windows and its issues) and it seems that most solutions that pop up in the forums and on google are for dual-boot systems. I've run the install, and used all the default values, didn't edit partition tables or anything since I wanted just Fedora. I get the BIOS emachines start up screen, then after that I get simply a blinking cursor in the upper left corner. The screen may blink a couple of times if I let it sit there, but nothing happens as far as booting.

As a side note, I first tried installing Ubuntu 9.10 and couldn't get that to work with similar results (froze on a screen saying simply GRUB loading.) and tried several other older distro discs I had with no success (save for a really old version of Gentoo, or Fedora Core 3 which managed to install and boot propely).

I'd appreciate any help, I've been trying to get this to work for a month or more now, scouring the internet for solutions and not being able to accomplish anything.

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

Boot up from Ubuntu LiveCD and execute this in Terminal :

sudo fdisk -l
sudo lspci | grep -i vga

Post output here.

* Its small L in fdisk -l.

[LazarusLong]

This is pretty much the same problem I am having: http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/redhat-fedora-linux-help/161383-boot-failure-after-latest-kernel-update-fed-12-a.html.

I know my machine is dual boot, but I'm not so sure that has anything to do with the problem we're having.

The only way I can get into my Grub Menu, and then to be able to get the Linux to boot is to press the escape key before the BIOS screen is finished and you get into 'brick mode' (i.e. blinking cursor).

Unfortunately, I don't have any more of a real solution than that for now, but at least it gives you a working machine (whether it works correctly is another story). I'm still trying to figure it out myself.

[heyzeus41]

Disk /dev/sda: 164.7 GB, 164696555520 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 20023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000befe9

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 26 204800 83 Linux
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sda2 26 20023 160629916 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/dm-0: 3221 MB, 3221225472 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 391 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 3221 MB, 3221225472 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 391 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

then, with lspci | grep -i vga :

01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc RC410 [Radeon Xpress 200]

thank you so much for your prompt reply

[devils casper]

Is there any reason for using LVM? There isn't any Windows OS/partition in your Hard disk. Did you remove Windows OS?

[heyzeus41]

well, I noticed that when I used the partition utility to look at it and I had no idea what it was about. All I did was install Fedora 12 from the livecd desktop and I didn't edit any partition options or anything, and that's how it installs. -*edit*- by the way, yes I told it to completely erase the hard drive, and i've tried to do a zero fill on this same drive before with no success (apparently, since the computer froze but still deleted the info)

[devils casper]

Its a bit complicated to manage LVMs and none of Partition Manager support LVM.

I get the BIOS emachines start up screen, then after that I get simply a blinking cursor in the upper left corner. The screen may blink a couple of times if I let it sit there, but nothing happens as far as booting.

What happens when you press Alt+Ctrl+F3 at blank screen? Have you tried to boot up in Command Line ( Single User ) Mode?

[heyzeus41]

well, i just finished trying Alt+Ctrl+F3 at the blank screen to no avail...as far as Command Line booting, i haven't tried that, either because I wouldn't know how to boot it in that fashion or because I wouldn't know what to do once I had. But I appreciate your help, and I'm confident we can get this problem solved - and I don't care what I have to do to this hard drive to get fedora to work

[devils casper]

Press any key at startup and GRUB Menu will appear.
Highlight Fedora title and press 'e'. Select 'kernel' line and press 'e' again. Add <space> 1 at the end of line and hit 'Enter' key. Press 'b' and Fedora will boot up in command line mode.

Highlight Fedora title -- e -- select kernel line -- e -- type 1 -- hit Enter key -- b

Does is boot up fine or throw any error message?

[heyzeus41]

well i just finished trying what you said there, and it just did the same thing again (blinking cursor in upper corner) - based on stuff I've looked into before, do you think we should try reinstalling with a different partition scheme or something? I'm wondering if grub is just not finding the second stage or if it's not on the correct partition or something. It just baffles me because I've gotten fedora core 3 to work (unfortunately fedora core 3 can't work with my wireless card so there wasn't any way I could do that, as a matter of fact fedora12 live cd that i'm using is the only one that was able to find and use my wireless card without having to first connect to the internet and get drivers). Also, you said the LVMs were a problem as well, like I said I have no problem nuking this hard drive and starting over again, perhaps after a fashion where it won't automatically do the LVM thing (which is what it does if you let it go on defaults and all that) if you think that could be a problem.