[lug] System load problems

[Hugh Brown]

On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 11:07:33AM -0600, Dave Pitts wrote:
> Hello:
>
> I've got a new system that fails to load Linux. It's an X86_64 system based 
> on an ASUS M2N-VM DVI mother board with an AMD Athalon dual core CPU at 
> 2.9Ghz, 2GB of ram and a 250 GB Sata disk. I'm also using the integrated 
> Ethernet and Video controllers. I've tried CentOS 5.2, Ubuntu 7.1 and 
> Fedora Core 9.
>
> The loads die in various places. Sometimes I get garbage written to the 
> screen, sometimes it just hangs, sometimes the installer get a segment 
> violation, ... I've even booted the Ubuntu DVD, without an install, 
> formatted a partition and tried downloading an image to have the download 
> hang.
>
> I've run the Ubuntu memory diagnostic that comes on the DVD and it passes.
>
> Are there any settings on the mother board that I may have to set? Or???
>
> I've had the system back twice to the store that sold it to me only to be 
> told that it runs Windows just fine....
>
> *SIGH*
>

With the download failing while booted via DVD, I'd do an lspci and check that your sata controllers are supported and I'd also try getting a different NIC.

You can sometimes also change the sata controller behavior so that it mimics older systems in the bios.  You could also check for a bios update for the motherboard.

Hugh