Weird PCMCIA problem

KungFuHamster · Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2002 10:28 pm Post subject: Weird PCMCIA problem

The Good News: I finally got my laptop today!

The Bad News: I can't install Gentoo!

Here's the deal: I've got an orinoco wireless card that worked beautifully when I booted with Knoppix to test everything out. When I try running the Gentoo install, however, something really weird happens.

I install the orinoco module, and the PCMCIA kernel modules as well. (insmod pcmcia_core, insmod i82365, insmod ds). That part goes off without a hitch. It's when I run the next command that funky things start happening.

When I type "cardmgr -f", the screen goes blank, and the computer stops working. Totally. The fan is still on, but neither the CD-ROM or the hard drive are doing anything. I've let it sit for about 5-10 minutes without it doing anything at all.

I've also tried going through the PCMCIA module sequence without installing the orinoco module first. When I do that, the everything on the screen vanishes and is replaced by vertical white lines.

The technical specs for my laptop can be found at http://www.xtremenotebooks.com/index.php?section=specs&model_id=194

Has anyone ever come across this, or am I simply going crazy?

HogRider · Apprentice Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 160

Have you tried the 'yenta' mod instead of pcmcia_core?

I'm not familiar with the chipset alluded to on the tech specs., so this may not work, but it can't be any worse than what you get now....
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KungFuHamster · Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2002 5:15 am Post subject: Didn't try that, BUT

I tried doing an install with a hard line connection to my DSL line. The installation went off without a hitch, UNTIL I rebooted. When it finished the BIOS stuff, I got a nice little error message saying that it couldn't read the boot record!

I tried installing another distro (Slackware) to see what would happen. I know this CD is good; I've installed it on my desktop as a test run, and it worked perfectly. I put it in my new laptop, it starts to boot, and when it begins booting from the CD, the computer restarts!

Weird.

KungFuHamster · Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2002 8:30 pm Post subject:

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2002 7:35 pm Post subject:

Here's exactly what happens when I try loading the drivers for my network card:

# modprobe orinoco
# insmod pcmcia_core
Linux PCMCIA Card Services 3.1.33
kernel build: 2.4.19-gentoo-r7 #4 Wed Jun 5 07:09:05 Local time zone must be set--see zic manual page 2002
options: [pci] [cardbus]
# insmod i82365
Using /lib/modules/2.4.19-gentoo-r7/pcmcia/i82365.o
Intel ISP/PCI/Cardbus PCIC probe:
PCI: No IRQ known for interrupt pin A of device 00:08.0. Please try using pci=biosirq
PCI: No IRQ known for interrupt pin A of device 00:08.1. Please try using pci=biosirq
TI 1420 rev 00 PCI-to-CardBus at slot 00:08, mem 0x10000000
host opts [0]: [ring] [pci + serial irq] [no pci irq] [lat 192/64] [bus 2/5]
host opts [1]: [ring] [pci + serial irq] [no pci irq] [lat 192/64] [bus 6/9]
ISA irqs (scanned) = 5 polling intercal = 1000 ms
# insmod ds
Using /lib/modules/2.4.19-gentoo-r7/pcmcia/ds.o
# cardmgr -f

(inverted bar code appears on the screen, comp frozen)

brain · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 3:00 am Post subject:

I had a funky PCMCIA problem like this with my old Dell C800. As soon as it loaded the card slots, the whole thing would lock up.

I needed to download the pcmcia-cs source and run the configuration manually, answering "yes" to every option given during the "./configure"

There's prolly a way to modify the ebuild to do the same, so you could try looking at that first.
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KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 3:03 am Post subject:

brain · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 3:11 am Post subject:

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 3:21 am Post subject: I do... BUT

I can install from the built-in Ethernet fine, but when I reboot, the computer says there isn't anything it can boot from. I've tried six different distros and only managed to get ONE working so far. I'm going to try FreeBSD out, and if that doesn't work, it's either Red Hat (ugh) or Mandrake (double ugh).

rommel · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 4:13 am Post subject:

hey i cant remember exactly but i have an orinoco pcmcia card and i dont think iloaded the orinoco driver but let cardmgr -f do it...then after ithe install i emerged pcmcia_cs and used the module that it builds against the kernel.

so short of it try just

#insmod pcmcia_core
#insmod i82365
#insmod ds
#cardmgr -f

try it and see if you can get it working like that

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 4:39 am Post subject: No dice

Same problem as before.

rommel · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 5:11 am Post subject:

hey what iso are you using to install? 1.2 or 1.4?

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 5:15 am Post subject:

1.2

I tried with 1.4_rc1, but it doesn't have any PCMCIA modules at all.

Here's something else that I just found out: I had tried installing Debian with an Ethernet connection. Installed fine, but wouldn't boot. so I tried installing FreeBSD. I put the disk in, the computer begins booting, and suddenly, Debian in running!

rommel · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 5:47 am Post subject:

lol....wow...well debian is a good distro...lol

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 5:48 am Post subject:

Too bad it won't actually boot. It tries running cardmgr and freezes still.

brain · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: I do... BUT

KungFuHamster · Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2002 8:29 pm Post subject:

The exact error is: "Hard disk boot sector invalid"

KungFuHamster

I've recently discovered that my new laptop despises GRUB. Whenever I install a distro that uses GRUB, it refuses to boot. If I use LILO (blech) instead, it works fine. I'm currently installing Debian on it without ANY PCMCIA support at all, and it's working fine. Still haven't been able to figure out why my FreeBSD install disc won't boot. Whenever I try, I get an error saying it can't boot the kernel that's currently on the CD.

KungFuHamster · Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:25 pm Post subject: New Theory

If I install Gentoo with the built-in Ethernet and use LILO as the boot loader (blech), then it SHOULD work. This comes out of nearly a week of trial-and-error with over a half-dozen different distros.

QUESTION: How do I set LILO up during the install?

brain · Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2002 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: New Theory

KungFuHamster · Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2002 8:05 pm Post subject:

Do you configue LILO in the same way as GRUB? Sorry I wasn't clear enough in my last post. I've got about 8+ different things going on at once & wasn't paying enough attention.

brain · Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2002 10:00 pm Post subject:

grishnav · n00b Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 42

Don't mean to bump such an old topic, but I'm having exactly the same problem... as soon as I insert my Avaya* Wireless Gold card, screen either goes black or creates strange lines.

I tried hand-compiling pcmcia-cs with no luck. I have tried other PCMCIA cards in it, and works fine. Any ideas? I'll be happy to proved any other infomration necessary.

I really need to get my wireless up.

*Avaya is the OEM for Orinoco's line of wireless cards... they are exactly the same, and I have tried equivelant model Orinoco cards with the same result.

grishnav · n00b Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 42

Sargonas · Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 8:42 pm Post subject:

What version of pcmcia_cs are you using? I have an orinoco card that wouldnt work in version 3.2.3, it just froze on cardmgr -f, so if this is the case try switching back to 3.2.1-r3 ( I think that is what they are on. ) It worked for me!

hope this helps.
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