Strange boot-up problems on old desktop computer

[j2mcgreg]

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sudo nano /etc/default/grub

This would open grub with administrative powers in the nano text editor. Is that what you were trying to do?

[br1anstorm]

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sudo nano /etc/default/grub

This would open grub with administrative powers in the nano text editor. Is that what you were trying to do?

The truthful answer, @j2mcgreg , is that I really don't know! I was simply following the suggestion put forward by @Gabriel_M , in the hope that this was designed to address and resolve whatever the problem appeared to be with the non-booting of this desktop.

I don't normally like doing things to a computer (or indeed any piece of machinery and technology) without knowing exactly what I am doing, why, how, and what the outcome ought to be. But in this situation (and this thread is now four pages long) all I have been able to do is describe, as accurately as I can, what happens when I try to boot up, and what error messages I see on screen. I have then been trying to carry out whatever remedial actions (replacing parts, editing files, changing connections) have been suggested as a solution.

But it has to be said that at each stage, and with each different attempt to get things going, a different error message seems to appear.

I have been hoping, and assuming, that the problem (or problems) I am experiencing are not unique, and that the various error messages and behaviours I have observed with this old desktop might mean something, and be diagnosed, by others with greater knowledge and experience. Thus far, I'm not sure the problem has been clearly identified (is it a physical hard drive issue, a BIOS setting, a Grub corruption, or what?).

My feeling is that until the cause of the "Disk Boot Failure" is clearly identified, we've just been trying 'suck it and see' attempts to find a solution. Is the situation really beyond rescue or recovery? I just hate admitting defeat and giving up!

[j2mcgreg]

When you replaced the HDD did you also replace the ribbon cable as I suggested?

[br1anstorm]

When you replaced the HDD did you also replace the ribbon cable as I suggested?

Nope.... didn't have (and couldn't find locally) another ribbon cable. So all I did was wiggle the connections, unplug, try to get rid of any dust and dirt etc, and reconnect.

Thinking more generally about the problem(s) - and I try to be logical - I have found it possible (a) to install an operating system on the hard disk, as i did, from a Live session; and (b) get that system to run, albeit by going a somewhat unorthodox route (I described it earlier as 'route 3') to get it to boot up eventually after the SRST error messages. That surely means that the physical components and connections (hard drives old and new, ribbon cable, plugs, sockets, connectors) are sound and operational.

Several of the error messages and unusual screen displays allude in one way or another to Grub. An online search suggests that many of these messages are quite common and familiar: the tricky aspect is that there seem to be multiple causes, and a range of possible explanations...

The issue seems to be over the process or sequence of steps involved in normal boot-up. Surely that indicates that the fault is not with the hardware as such, but with the way it is operating when going through the boot process? A problem of settings rather than physical integrity.

Or is that just too simple and logical?

[Gabriel_M]

**Try setting the HDD as Master: jumper pins 5 and 6**

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ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)

Older PATA drives, if not configured correctly for master/slave (master, slave, single, cable-selected), can cause serious problems.

[br1anstorm]

**Try setting the HDD as Master: jumper pins 5 and 6**

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ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)

Older PATA drives, if not configured correctly for master/slave (master, slave, single, cable-selected), can cause serious problems.

I can see how to do this, @Gabriel_M , and I'm willing to try it.

But what is the "correct" configuration? Surely the default Cable Select (CS) - as at present - with the jumper on pins 1 and 2, is the recommended arrangement? It certainly worked from the time the computer was built back in about 2009, until a few weeks ago.

And just to help me understand this, if I now set the jumper to pins 5 and 6, this is described - on the WD disk itself, which has a little diagram - as Dual (Master). That's fine. But what happens to the CDROM? It is currently listed and connected, apparently, as the Slave, and it works more or less normally and enables Live sessions. Am I, by resetting the jumper to pins 5 and 6, disconnecting the CDROM?

Maybe that doesn't matter if I do this as an experiment. But obviously, at present the CD/DVD is the only way available to boot the computer at all (as described in my earlier posts about 'route 3'). And equally obviously, if I do need to install or reinstall MX21.3 (or any operating system) then the CD/DVD drive has to be connected, properly configured, and operating. Will it do so if the jumper is on pins 5 and 6?

[Gabriel_M]

It only affects how the HDD is recognized by the BIOS, it has no effect on the CD/DVD, nor on the data contained on the HDD.

[oops]

It only affects how the HDD is recognized by the BIOS, it has no effect on the CD/DVD, nor on the data contained on the HDD.

If HDD is master, CD/DVD must be slave for PATA.

[Gabriel_M]

brianstorm: As I understand it - and as shown in the initial screen when I try to boot up - the Western Digital hard disk drive is already set as the Master. The CDROM (is that considered a "drive"?) is listed as the Slave.

As the user already reported, the CD/DVD drive is installed as a slave. The HDD is installed as a master drive and therefore requires configuration.
Note: The HDD's ribbon cable must be connected to IDE port 1 blue. The CD/DVD ribbon cable (which has no configuration jumpers) to be a slave must go into the IDE2 port gray.

In short: you should try HDD with dip switch as Master, ribbon cable in IDE1 port blue. CD/DVD , with ribbon cable connected to IDE2 port gray.

-----------------------------------------------
HDD Connectors: PIDE & SIDE
This connectors supports the provided Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable's blue connector to the primary (recommended)
or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the Ultra DMA 133/100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the Ultra
DMA 133/100/66 master device. If you install two hard disks, you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the
hard disk documentation for the jumper settings.
source: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/67510 ... =19#manual
-----------------------------------------------
Standard CMOS Features
This sub-menu is used to set up the standard CMOS features, such as the date,
time, HDD model and so on. Use the arrow keys select the item to set up, and
then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to choose the setting values

IDE Channel 0/1 Master/Slave, IDE Channel 2/3 Master
These categories identify the HDD types of 2 IDE channels installed in the
computer system. There are three choices provided for the Enhanced IDE BIOS:
None, Auto, and Manual. "None" means no HDD is installed or set; "Auto" means
the system can auto-detect the hard disk when booting up; by choosing "Manual"
and changing Access Mode to "CHS", the related information should be entered
manually. Enter the information directly from the keyboard and press < Enter>
source: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/67510 ... =29#manual
----------------------------------------------

[br1anstorm]

Not really a progress report - but an update, and an apology.

I opened up the computer casing again, to access the hard drive. And I successfully moved the jumper from pins 1 and 2 (the default Cable-Select setting), to pins 5 and 6.

Connected it all up again, and powered on to boot up.

Sadly, absolutely nothing different. Computer won't boot up into MX21.3 (which is installed on the hard disk).

Same sequence of screens as before. The first (splash?) screen has the computer logo and the three options: hit TAB for POST, Del to enter Setup, and Esc for the Boot menu.

After a minute or two, the next screen is the one which lists all the hardware and devices and at the bottom has the message, "Verifying DMI Pool Data..." and a flashing cursor, and then - yes, you guessed it - that same old message: "Boot from CD... Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter". And nothing else happens.

So, in terms of the experiment, a failure. Changing the jumper to different pins made no difference and changed nothing in terms of the behaviour at start-up.

I should also add that I did not mess with the ribbon cables. I unplugged and then replugged only the ribbon cable connector at the back of the HDD (and the four-pin power connector). I did not remove or mess with the other end of the ribbon, where it connects to the motherboard - although i did manage to see that it was plugged into a blue socket on the motherboard. And I did not tamper at all with the ribbon cable or any other wiring to and from the CD/DVD drive.

However.... there is an aspect here which may be significant and on which I fear I may have given misleading info in an earlier post. Most of the detailed information displayed on the screen listing all the devices etc means very little to me. In my previous posts I have focused on, and reported very precisely, the error messages that appeared.

But in this changing-jumpered pins experiment, I looked much more closely at the list of hardware, devices, and connections after shifting the jumper. As I have reported, there was no change in any of the info listed. I can't take a screenshot. But I reproduce below some of the key information, as it may shed light on this Master/Slave situation.

In the first text box on the screen the list is as follows:

Diskette Drive A: None
Pri. Master Disk: LRG, ATA 100, 160GB
Pri. Slave Disk: None
Sec. Master Disk: DVD-RW, ATA 33
Sec. Slave Disk : None

Over to the right of this list is more information...

Display Type: EGA/VGA
Serial Ports: 3E8, 2F8
Parallel Ports: 3 7 8
DDR SDRAM at Rank 0 1 2 3

Below that is the PCI device list, with information in several columns (Bus No ... Device No ... etc ... IRQ...) for 11 'devices'

And then below that come the various error messages when they appear.

The key point, and the reason for apology, is that I mistakenly or carelessly said earlier that the Hard Disk was listed as the Master and the CD/DVD as the Slave. That was wrong. I had misread, or misremembered, that listing on the screen. As quoted above, the HDD is the Pri(mary) Master Disk and the CD/DVD is the Sec(ondary?) Master Disk. There is no Slave Disk listing.

Both before (with jumper on pins 1 and 2) and after (jumper on pins 5 and 6) the display information on the screen has remained the same. I have checked by reinstating the jumper on pins 1 and 2, and checking with both the 'old' HDD and the 'replacement' HDD. The info listed on the display screen remains the same. In neither configuration does the system boot up, or even show the Grub menu.

I still cannot interpret all these details. But maybe someone else can? Do they reveal something significant about the disk setup and connections? Does something need to be checked, or changed, in the BIOS settings?