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Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 03:59:30
by fraksken
Hello,
I'm getting frustrated here.
I have the following config:
6x 2TB Sata3 @ 6Gbps
1x amd 8 core fx 8350
1x mainboard: Asrock 990FX Extreme4
4x 8GB DDR3 RAM @ 1600
1X Sapphire Flex HD 6450

When I try to install centos from any disk (full dvd, minimal, netinstall) it halts after
"Waiting forhardware to initialize ..."

In graphical mode I get a big black screen with a white _ halfway.
In basic video driver mode it halts while blinking _ under the line "waiting for hardware to initialize".

I have no other graphical card at the moment.

I tried "noprobe" which works, but then it asks me to select the driver for the disk drive, and it does not recognise the HDD's then

I also tried the following commands:
noprobe
nousb
nofirewire
nodmraid
nomodeset


I successfully installed ubuntu server 12.10. But I am getting more frustrated working in that then trying to install centos, so here I am.

I hope anybody can help me.

EDIT
-------
By the way:
BIOS settings:
SATA controller = enabled
SATA mode = AHCI mode
SATA IDE Combined mode = enabled
ACPI:
Suspend to RAM = Auto
Check Ready Bit = Enabled
ACPI HPET table = Enabled

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 09:49:15
by fraksken
After some bios changes it is working.
I made the following changes:
Onboard Audio = Disabled
Onboard LAN = Disabled
SATA Controller = Enabled
AMD BIOS ROM = Enabled
SATA IDE Combined Mode = Disabled
Marvel Sata 3 = AHCI Mode
Marvel Chipset Bootable
Onboard IDE & 1394 controller = Disabled
Floppy Controller = Disabled
Serial Port = Disabled
Infra Red Port = Disabled.

This config lets an USB stick with the centos install boot.
All IDE drives will not boot though

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 10:06:19
by fraksken
I narrowed it down: The onboard IDE & 1394 controller stops the hardware initialization.
Disable it and centos can boot.
Downside: No IDE => my optical disk drive is on that.

Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 10:27:58
by TrevorH
You say you can boot Ubuntu on this? Can you do so and run `lspci -nn` and paste the output here so that we can see the PCI vendor/device id of the device in question.

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 11:15:17
by fraksken
Sadly that is too late. I wanted ubuntu off my system as fast as possible. I'm now running centos 6.4 again.
The chipset that halts the HW Initialization is onboard on the ASRock 990FX Extreme 4 mainboard.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?cat=Specifications&Model=990FX%20Extreme4
I'm not sure if I can find the vendor/device from here?

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2013/04/14 12:01:57
by TrevorH
No, nothing there that says in enough detail to decide. If you run `yum update` to get the latest kernel then re-enable the BIOS setting, does it still hang? Perhaps this is an installation only issue and the running kernel doesn't hit the problem?

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2017/08/16 15:00:24
by harrywangca
I have the same issue happened to me when I tried to install CentOS6.3/6.5.
If I replaced the existing CentOS6.3/6.5 harddrive, system runs well. But only happened at installation step.

Re: Centos install fails during hardware initialization

Posted: 2017/08/16 15:02:11
by TrevorH
Don't use either 6.3 or 6.5. Both are *years* out of date - 6.5 is from late 2013. Current CentOS 6 is 6.9 - try that.