Ubuntu 9.04 Installation Auto Reboot Help

[akeller123]

I am trying to install Ubuntu 9.04 on a old Dell 8100. I have installed it before on a previous hard drive that I removed. Now I have a new drive that is giving me trouble each time I try to install the software.

After booting from the CD and clicking "Install Ubuntu", the logo and status bar appears then the computer automatically restarts. This is a continuous problem that I am unable to overcome.

Initially when I start the install it also provides this message which may or may not be related to the problem.

SMP mt table null local APIC address
Bug mt table errors detected
Disabling SMP support

I am confused because it has been installed on this machine before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

[Matey]

It seems like a hardware failure although I have not checked those errors on the net yet.
does your bios see the new hard drive ok? may be a bad jumper setting (like cs.ma/slave) is the hdd jumper the same as the one before? or even bad memory ram chip?(like loose / not seated right?
smp is usually sym, multi proc. which deals with processors? may be not in this case.

you could press f6 to enter advance mode in ubuntu setup but i think the ubuntu does not see your hard drive?
just a guess...

good luck.

I am trying to install Ubuntu 9.04 on a old Dell 8100. I have installed it before on a previous hard drive that I removed. Now I have a new drive that is giving me trouble each time I try to install the software.

After booting from the CD and clicking "Install Ubuntu", the logo and status bar appears then the computer automatically restarts. This is a continuous problem that I am unable to overcome.

Initially when I start the install it also provides this message which may or may not be related to the problem.

SMP mt table null local APIC address
Bug mt table errors detected
Disabling SMP support

I am confused because it has been installed on this machine before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

[akeller123]

The BIOS is reading the hard drive. I am even able to go as far as installing Windows XP on the system (since Ubuntu won't work). As for the RAM or processor possibility, that could be the case however, Windows should not operate if that were the case.

The issue could definitely be Ubuntu's recognition of this hardware. The advanced mode installation options have also failed. The only option I haven't tried is the installation from within Windows. I have hesitated to do that because I wanted to completely get away from Windows.

Thanks for the advice. Any other ideas?

[Matey]

Oh sorry I didnt realize that XP would install! I guess I misunderstood...
I thought may be it was a loose connection some place..anyway thinking out loud now...
may be MBR (Master Boot Record) is messed up? an fdisk will usually fix that but you lose everything.

I have worked with those Dell machines before, so I dont think there is a problem with the machine itself. so..
Have you used that same CD before too? (I now you said the other hard drive installed OK)...so
sometimes the CDs and the drives do weird things and generally speaking I am not very happy about those optical drives at all.

Anyway have you seen this thread:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubu...b-support.html

sounds like similar problem, sorry could not help you...

may be/hopefully someone else can..